During dinner that night, Wen Zhi suddenly remembered what had happened on the plane.
She looked up and said casually,
"The night after tomorrow, you'll have to figure out dinner yourself. I'm going to a class reunion."
Mo Tingyan paused, brows lifting in surprise.
"Oh? You never go to those things. What now—your childhood crush is attending?"
Wen Zhi shot him a cold side-eye.
"I ran into a college classmate today. She mocked me for 'living such a pathetic life.'
I don't think working hard for myself is pathetic.
So of course I'll go—
to show her what being truly pathetic looks like."
Mo Tingyan loved this about her—
that fire, that refusal to bow her head.
He leaned in, eyes gleaming.
"I'll go with you. You know how it is in dramas—girl walks into a class reunion, and the domineering CEO boyfriend storms in to stand up for her.
I can play CEO for a day."
Wen Zhi stared at him. This man's brain circuits…
"Stop imagining things. Those scenes are all fake.
Face isn't something other people give you. It's earned."
Mo Tingyan pouted dramatically.
"Then at least let me drive you. If they bully you and you cry, I'll be outside waiting to comfort you."
Wen Zhi: "…"
Why couldn't this man ever say something nice?
"I never cry."
Mo Tingyan blinked.
"Really?"
Wen Zhi didn't answer.
But from her silence, he knew she wasn't lying.
He frowned slightly.
"So… when you were wronged before? You didn't cry either?"
"Why should I cry?" Wen Zhi asked calmly.
"If someone bullies you, you fight back. If you can't fight back, it only means you're not strong enough yet.
What good is crying?"
She had experienced too much, learned too early that not everyone had a future ahead of them and a safe harbor behind them.
If she didn't stay strong—who would she be weak for?
She didn't trust others.
Only herself.
Not wanting to continue the topic, she stood up.
"I'm done eating. I'm going to think about how to adjust my video account—and pick some classic scenes for us to film together.
You remember to wash the dishes."
Mo Tingyan watched her walk away.
And for the first time, he understood why she was so good at surviving.
But his chest tightened anyway.
Someone her age…
shouldn't be carrying her world alone.
The Next Evening
After finishing her flight, Wen Zhi went home and dressed carefully.
She did delicate makeup, put on a striking red dress—
And she was stunning.
When she stepped out of the bedroom, Mo Tingyan—who had been waiting to drive her—turned around.
The playful smile on his face froze instantly.
His eyes locked onto her.
His breathing stopped.
And in his mind—
flashes of a bloody car crash, twisted metal, red everywhere—
Wen Zhi, who was used to his frivolous behavior, instantly sensed something was off.
This wasn't awe.
She took two steps forward when—
"Go change."
It was sharp.
Cold.
The first time he had ever spoken to her like that.
Wen Zhi instinctively looked down at her dress.
"What's wrong with it?"
Her voice brought him back.
He sucked in a breath, turned his head away, and forced out a crooked smile.
"Of course there's a problem.
You look too beautiful in red.
I don't want anyone else seeing you like this.
I might get jealous and go inside to guard you.
So be good—change it.
And don't wear red again. Okay?"
That "be good" sent a full-body shiver through her.
She turned and walked back to her room.
"Stop. It's just a dress. Don't say disgusting things."
She actually could have ignored him.
But she had seen the look in his eyes—
that moment of raw fear.
He didn't want her wearing red.
Why?
She didn't know.
And she didn't pry—
they'd agreed not to interfere with each other's private scars.
When the door closed, Mo Tingyan leaned back on the sofa, eyes shut tight.
His hands curled at his knees, knuckles pale.
He breathed out slowly—
trying to calm whatever storm had just ripped through him.
Minutes later, Wen Zhi emerged in a black dress—elegant, understated, dangerously beautiful.
Mo Tingyan had returned to normal.
He stood, walked straight to her, and slipped his arms around her waist.
Bodies pressed together.
He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and clicked his tongue softly.
"My Pearl is such a temptation.
How can someone look good in everything?
So good… I want to lock you up, keep you all to myself."
He lowered his head, nose brushing her ear, voice low and sinful.
Wen Zhi slipped out of his arms with a blank look.
"We're going to be late."
He grinned and followed her out the door.
At the Restaurant
The moment Wen Zhi unbuckled her seatbelt, Mo Tingyan caught her hand.
"Sure you don't want me to come protect you?"
"No."
She stepped out gracefully and walked inside.
—
Inside the private room, the reunion was already in full swing.
Fu Xiaowei was perched beside her wealthy boyfriend, Gao Yang, bragging loudly about his accomplishments.
Her little sidekick chimed in at the perfect moment:
"Xiaowei, didn't you say Wen Zhi was coming?
Why isn't she here yet?
Maybe she's too embarrassed because she's doing worse than you?"
Another voice added,
"That's true. They used to compete back in school.
Now Xiaowei's dating such an amazing guy…
Wen Zhi probably doesn't dare show her face."
Fu Xiaowei drank it in like champagne.
She opened her mouth to add fuel—
When the door swung open.
Wen Zhi walked in, legs long, posture elegant, face stunning even under the dim lights.
Her voice was soft but steady.
"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was bad."
Every gaze in the room locked onto her.
A silence fell—
followed by barely concealed shock.
She was even more beautiful than she'd been in college.
Even Gao Yang—Fu Xiaowei's rich boyfriend
couldn't hide the flash of astonishment in his eyes.