Listening to his gentle words and steady reassurance, the restlessness that had been building inside Wen Zhi—almost to the point of explosion—slowly began to calm.
This wasn't Mo Tingyan's fault.
She shouldn't have taken her fear out on him.
After leaving the hospital, they returned to the airport and boarded Jiang Airlines' afternoon flight back to Jiangcheng.
By the time they arrived home, it was already past eleven at night.
The moment Wen Zhi changed her shoes, she went straight into her room.
Mo Tingyan followed and tried the door—locked.
He sighed helplessly.
"My little treasure, why are you locking me out?"
From inside, Wen Zhi spoke gently but firmly,
"I've thought about it. I wasn't bitten by an ordinary cat or dog. I was bitten by a rabies patient who had already gone into onset and died. The risk is still there.
For now… you should keep a little distance from me. What if I suddenly fall ill one day, just like that man, without any warning…"
Knowing she was anxious, Mo Tingyan cut her off impatiently,
"Stop talking nonsense. What illness? Open the door. Or I'll unlock it myself."
Wen Zhi didn't move.
She couldn't understand where his confidence came from.
Wasn't he afraid—
That something really might happen to her?
As she spiraled in her thoughts, the sound of a key turning suddenly came from outside.
She froze, jumped up, and rushed toward the door—
But by the time she reached it, Mo Tingyan was already inside.
He tossed the key to the floor, strode forward, lifted Wen Zhi up, and pinned her against the door.
A kiss—deep, possessive, and utterly unyielding—crashed down on her lips.
She struggled, but couldn't break free. In a panic, she reached back and grabbed his hair, yanking him away.
"What are you doing?!"
"If you've got the guts, then bite me to death today," he said fiercely.
"If you can't kill me, then behave and listen to me!
You dared to admit in public yesterday that I'm your man—so I, Mo Tingyan, dare to live and die with you!"
With that, he scooped her up and threw her onto the bed.
One hand firmly restrained her flailing wrists while his warm, damp lips traced recklessly across her body, igniting every nerve. The intimate, dangerous closeness wrapped around her completely.
Wen Zhi froze.
From the age of eight, no one had ever truly cared about her.
That was when she'd learned to rely only on herself—becoming independent, self-controlled, and emotionally guarded.
And now…
There was someone who didn't even care that she might have been infected with a disease that carried a near-certain fatality rate—
Someone who said he would live and die with her.
Her heart clenched violently.
This strange, overwhelming sensation felt like—
The word "like" surfaced in her mind.
Wen Zhi didn't dare think any further and immediately pulled her thoughts back.
She had never believed that marriage needed emotional attachment.
Mutual respect had always seemed enough.
And she disliked the feeling of having her heart shaken—
Because once emotions got involved, control became impossible.
Her scattered thoughts were gradually drowned out by Mo Tingyan's relentless teasing and closeness.
Before she showed any symptoms…
If she could enjoy the moment and live freely—
Then even if she died, it wouldn't feel like a loss.
That night, Mo Tingyan stayed entangled with her until dawn.
It wasn't until noon the next day that Wen Zhi woke up groggily.
She'd spent half the night trapped in nightmares. Every time she stirred awake, Mo Tingyan woke with her, deliberately distracting her—keeping her from spiraling into fear.
Now she was exhausted beyond measure. Her throat was dry and sore, and her body felt like it had fallen apart.
Seeing Mo Tingyan still asleep beside her, she rolled over quietly, picked up her phone, and searched for information about rabies.
She'd always been in good health. After vaccinations, her body usually produced antibodies.
And online, she couldn't find a single case of someone developing rabies after receiving both the vaccine and immunoglobulin.
Gradually, yesterday's terror eased.
Her heart finally settled.
At noon, Wen Zhi ordered takeout. After they finished eating, Mo Tingyan was called back to the company for a meeting.
Wen Zhi stayed home and livestreamed for two hours.
After ending the stream, she received a call from Lian Qiao.
Apparently, Mo Tingyan had been worried she'd overthink things alone at home, so he'd asked Lian Qiao to come keep her company.
Hearing this, Wen Zhi felt a quiet warmth spread through her chest.
Thinking about how Mo Tingyan had protected her these past days—
And especially that line from last night, "live and die together"—
She decided to buy him a gift.
Half an hour later, Wen Zhi and Lian Qiao appeared at the mall.
Lian Qiao hooked her arm around Wen Zhi's, holding milk tea in her other hand.
"You two are basically an old married couple already. Why buy gifts? Doesn't he give you his salary card? Wouldn't it be more practical to just increase his allowance?"
Wen Zhi glanced at her and smiled softly.
"That's different. I've known him for so long, but I've never bought him anything."
"So why now?" Lian Qiao asked.
After some thought, Wen Zhi told her everything—from Wen Xue's wedding, to Mo Tingyan's mother, to Mo Tingjue's exposure, and finally the rabies incident on the plane.
Lian Qiao was stunned.
"You've really been through a lot these past few days. But… he really told you he'd live and die with you even if you got rabies?
That's pretty manly."
Wen Zhi nodded.
"Yeah. I don't know what he's thinking. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare be that reckless."
Lian Qiao took a sip of her milk tea, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Could it be… that he's fallen in love with you?"
Wen Zhi froze.
"That's impossible… he's a total playboy."
Seeing her lack of confidence, Lian Qiao immediately retorted,
"How is it impossible? With that face of yours, what man wouldn't fall for you?
I'm a woman and I adore you!"
Wen Zhi's thoughts grew heavy.
Wasn't Mo Tingyan usually like this with other colleagues too?
Before the day before yesterday, everything had seemed normal.
He was clingy, shameless, and apart from what happened in bed, nothing else seemed serious.
If anything had changed—
It was only yesterday.
Could it be because she'd publicly acknowledged their marriage to protect him, and that moved him?
And if something really felt off—
It wasn't him.
It was her.
Thinking about her wandering thoughts that morning, Wen Zhi suddenly felt a dull heaviness in her chest.
"Qiao Qiao… do you think… I might have fallen for Mo Tingyan?"
Lian Qiao gasped and jumped right in front of her, leaning in to examine her face closely.
Wen Zhi instinctively leaned back, frowning.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Oh my god, Xiao Zhi, do you even realize—when you were with Mo Tingjue, you never once mentioned liking him.
Every time I asked what you liked about him, you said he just felt suitable.
And now you're talking about liking someone?"
Wen Zhi's face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
"I'm not completely sure either. I've only ever dated one man—Mo Tingjue.
And being with him was always… calm, like still water. I honestly couldn't describe any real feeling."
Lian Qiao laughed and shook her arm playfully.
"Then tell me—how do you feel when you're with Mo Tingyan?"