When Mo Tingyan returned home, every curtain in the house was pulled tight, shutting out every drop of stormlight.
And there she was—
Wen Zhi curled up on the sofa, headphones on, soft lamplight haloing her hair, a steaming mug cupped in both hands.
She looked up, surprised.
"You're back? Didn't you say you'd return tonight?"
Mo Tingyan pointed at the curtains while changing his shoes, speaking casually:
"It's raining outside. I hate rainy days. So I came back early."
He shrugged off his rain-damp coat, walked over, and naturally slipped an arm around her shoulders.
"I seriously hate this kind of weather," he murmured, voice low and lazy. "Days like this… the best thing to do is stay inside, wrapped up together. Don't you think?"
Wen Zhi blinked.
"You hate rainy days?"
He hummed as if that were obvious.
"You don't?"
Her gaze locked with his—
and for a second, a shadow of something old and painful flickered in her mind.
But her voice remained calm.
"I… don't love them, but I'm fine."
Just then—
CRACK!
Thunder slammed against the sky.
Her fingers tightened around the mug before she forced herself to breathe normally again.
"But yes," she added lightly, "rainy days do feel a bit suffocating."
Mo Tingyan's eyes drifted from her trembling hand to her face.
Then he grinned—rogue, wicked.
"Look at us being so in sync, Pearl. Then from now on, rainy days…"
His lips brushed her cheek, then glided to her mouth.
"…we do cardio together. At home."
Wen Zhi shot him a look.
There he goes again.
Before she could retort, he took her mug, placed it on the table, and swept her down onto the sofa, gently ruffling her hair.
"Let's begin."
"You haven't even showered—"
"I showered before I left," he cut in smoothly, lowering his head and capturing her lips.
Thunder roared again outside.
Wen Zhi frowned faintly—until, two seconds later, she sighed and looped her arms around his neck.
Fine.
If the world was going to shake, she might as well fall with him.
Tonight, Mo Tingyan was patient in a way that almost felt dangerous—
soft, lingering kisses trailing over her skin, dragging her entire focus away from the storm outside and into the storm he created.
Only after she fully melted did he finally move, claiming her with steady, infuriating confidence.
Somewhere between breathless kisses and the dizzying rhythm, Wen Zhi's thoughts drifted—
He was reckless, flirtatious, a troublemaker with stamina that could kill…
but he was the only person who had ever calmed her during the nights she hated most.
For the first time, marriage… didn't seem like such a terrible thing.
By the time they were done, both were exhausted.
They fell asleep tangled together on the soft sofa.
When they woke again, the thunder had stopped, the rain had faded, and night had fully settled over the city.
Wen Zhi felt lighter—her mood cleared along with the sky.
She washed up, cooked two bowls of noodles, and called him to eat.
After dinner, she told him to wash the dishes and went to her study to livestream.
Mo Tingyan washed up, lounged on the sofa, and opened her stream—
planning to quietly accompany her for a while.
Then he saw the username of the top gifter lighting up the screen:
—— Mo Tingjue.
Mo Tingyan's lips slowly curved into a dangerous, amused smirk.
Inside the stream, Mo Tingjue was spamming gifts and messages:
"Streamer, can you chat with me for a moment?"
"I thought you wouldn't go live today since the weather's bad."
Wen Zhi completely ignored him.
Mo Tingjue didn't get angry.
He smiled and prepared to keep typing—
But suddenly—
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The entire screen flashed with fireworks and festival gifts.
His top position was stolen instantly.
Wen Zhi, who had been in a bad mood ever since noticing Mo Tingjue, was about to end her stream—
until she saw that the mysterious, big-spending Number One from the other day had returned.
And crushed Mo Tingjue again.
Her eyes brightened. Her voice softened.
"Welcome back, Anonymous User Eleven. Thank you for the gifts."
Mo Tingjue's smile froze.
He had showered her with gifts, and she hadn't spared him a single word—
yet she immediately acknowledged that stranger?
He refused to accept it.
He didn't believe she could ignore him forever in front of a thousand viewers.
He resumed spamming gifts—
but every time he climbed back to first place, the anonymous user would immediately stomp him back down.
He nearly cursed.
Who the hell was this?
The rich heir who bought Wen Zhi that necklace?
He thought about it, then opened a private chat with the anonymous account.
"I'm the streamer's boyfriend. Who are you? Stop embarrassing yourself."
The other person ignored him.
Instead, a message popped up in the public chat:
Anonymous User 11:
The guy I keep stepping on—is he your boyfriend?
Wen Zhi didn't even hesitate.
"No, of course not."
Anonymous User 11:
That's what I thought. If your boyfriend can't even outspend a stranger, he's a useless piece of garbage. Dump him.
Mo Tingjue nearly exploded.
His allowance was gone, his pride was shredded, and he had no outlet.
He rage-quit the stream.
Wen Zhi felt a little guilty about taking so many of the man's gifts these days, so she asked gently:
"Do you want me to voice anything for you? I can do that for free."
Anonymous User 11:
Not necessary. That guy had the same name as someone I used to hate. Bad luck running into him here.
The audience erupted—
many still hyped from the flood of expensive gifts earlier.
One asked:
"Do you and ZZ know each other? Why are you spending so much? You were the big gifter last time too!"
Anonymous User 11:
With a voice like hers? Spending a little money is nothing.
Another viewer pushed:
"So… do you two know each other or not?"
Anonymous User 11:
: ) Guess.
Wen Zhi froze for half a second at that.
After the stream ended, she walked out and found Mo Tingyan gaming on the sofa.
She sat down beside him.
He glanced at her briefly.
"Finished?"
Her tone was noticeably softer tonight—rain did that to her now.
"Mm. The stream was lively today."
She told him everything that happened.
Mo Tingyan put his phone aside, leaned close with a teasing smirk.
"Maybe he likes you."
Wen Zhi rolled her eyes.
"If he really liked me, why not just say so? But… I don't know why… I feel like this person… does know me."