The week drifted by like slow-moving clouds, warm and heavy.
In Apartment 1203, every room now carried a secret. The walls, once dull and silent, had absorbed whispered moans and muffled cries of surrender. Each woman beneath that roof had already crossed the line—or was waiting to.
Li Chen had become the quiet center of it all.
A single, steady pulse around which they revolved.
And they didn't even know the half of what he was building.
---
On Saturday morning, the doorbell rang.
Su Mei had just come out of the shower, a towel around her shoulders. She glanced toward the hallway and called out, "Chen, can you get it?"
He walked to the front door and opened it.
And froze.
Standing there, in a pastel-yellow sundress and heels, suitcase in one hand, phone in the other, was Su Xiaoyan.
His cousin.
She had grown.
He hadn't seen her in two years, not since she got married and moved to Suzhou. She was twenty now—same age as him—but carried herself like a woman older than her years. Her chestnut-brown hair framed a flawless oval face, lips painted in rose pink, and her body…
Matured.
Curves hugged by the soft dress, skin glowing under the summer sun.
She lowered her sunglasses and smiled. "You gonna invite me in or just stare at me?"
Li Chen stepped aside wordlessly.
She rolled her suitcase inside and stretched with a groan. "God, that high-speed rail was freezing."
Su Mei stepped into the hall, eyebrows lifting. "Xiaoyan?"
"Hi Auntie!" she grinned, rushing over for a hug. "I sent you a message. Didn't think I'd arrive before you saw it."
Su Mei chuckled and embraced her. "Look at you. Married life suits you."
Xiaoyan made a face. "Hah. Don't remind me."
That made Su Mei blink. "Trouble?"
She shrugged and winked. "Nothing I can't ignore. I came to stay for a week. Mom said she might stop by in a few days too."
Li Chen's gaze narrowed slightly.
Su Ruyin was bringing her daughter into this now.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
Later that evening, after dinner and chatter, Xiaoyan stood by the window in the guest room, staring out into the night. She was barefoot, wearing a pair of loose cotton shorts and a tank top—thin, pale blue, slightly see-through beneath the dim lamp behind her.
Li Chen stood in the hallway, watching her through the open door.
She sensed him before she saw him.
"Peeking?" she asked without turning.
"Just looking."
She turned slightly, lips curving. "You're different now."
"So are you."
Her eyes flicked over him, slowly. "I heard you were still single. Girls in your building must be blind."
"Not really interested in girls my age."
"Oh?" she teased. "What do you prefer?"
He stepped closer, leaning against the doorframe. "Older women. Married ones. Women who know what they want."
She held his gaze for a moment, and something flickered behind her eyes.
Dangerous. Curious.
He stepped inside.
She didn't stop him.
---
The next morning, they had breakfast on the balcony. Su Mei was in the kitchen, and Minzhu was still asleep.
Xiaoyan sat across from him in a light white T-shirt, no bra beneath, her arms resting on the small patio table.
"You're always so calm," she said between sips of soy milk.
"And you're always testing people."
She smirked. "Maybe."
"Married life not working out?"
She paused.
Then she looked up. "He works late. Sleeps early. Boring. Cold. I'm twenty. I'm not ready to be old and proper yet."
Li Chen leaned forward. "So you came here to misbehave?"
She smiled faintly. "Maybe."
They both knew what was happening.
They just weren't naming it yet.
---
Later that day, the others left the apartment—Su Mei had errands, Su Ruyin met friends, and Minzhu went to the bookstore.
Li Chen and Xiaoyan were alone.
He was reading in the living room when she stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Her skin was damp, glistening. Drops of water slid down her neck, across her collarbone, between the valley of her full breasts.
She caught him watching.
Her lips curled.
"You always stare at your cousin like that?"
He didn't look away. "You're not just my cousin."
She tilted her head. "Then what am I?"
He stood.
Stepped toward her.
"You're temptation."
Her breath caught.
The towel dropped a little lower.
"You gonna sin, cousin?"
He didn't answer with words.
He reached forward and touched her cheek.
Her body shivered.
His fingers moved lower, brushing her collarbone, then the top edge of the towel.
"Tell me to stop."
She didn't.
Instead, she whispered, "Do it."
The towel hit the floor.
---
Hours later, Xiaoyan lay on his chest, naked under the thin sheets of the guest bed. Her fingers drew lazy circles on his stomach.
"That was…"
"Unforgettable," he said.
She smirked. "I came for peace and got corrupted."
"You wanted to be."
She laughed. "You're a monster."
"I'm your monster."
She didn't argue.
---
That evening, Su Mei returned home early and found Xiaoyan humming in the kitchen, cheeks flushed, wearing one of Li Chen's T-shirts.
Su Mei narrowed her eyes. "Where'd you get that shirt?"
Xiaoyan smirked. "Stole it from his room. Smells like him."
Su Mei didn't respond, but her fingers tightened on the plastic bag in her hand.
She knew.
And she felt something twist in her chest.
Later that night, Su Mei waited in the living room, lights off, candle flickering beside her.
Li Chen returned from a late walk.
She stood and looked at him, arms crossed.
"You touched her."
He didn't deny it.
"You touched me," she added, voice trembling.
"You're mine," he said calmly.
She gasped.
Then, suddenly, she slapped him.
The sound rang sharp in the silence.
He didn't flinch.
She stood there, tears in her eyes.
"Why do you do this to us?"
"Because you want it."
She sobbed once.
Then she fell into his arms.
And once more, mother and son disappeared into the dark.
---
[End of Chapter 5]