The folder hit the floor with a soft sound.
Su Wanning froze.
The study room was dim, lit only by a warm desk lamp. Shadows stretched across the floor, swallowing everything except the beige folder lying at her feet.
It shouldn't have been there.
Slowly, she stepped closer.
Then she bent down.
Her fingers hovered in the air for a second before finally touching it.
The moment she saw the name on the cover—
Her breath stopped.
Su Wanning.
Her name.
A strange chill ran down her spine.
She opened it.
The first page was a job application form. Her photo sat neatly in the corner, her information listed in perfect detail—education, background, even notes she didn't remember writing.
Her grip tightened.
She flipped the page.
A resignation record.
Date. Company. Reason.
Everything was there.
Accurate.
Precise.
Cold.
Her heartbeat began to rise.
Another page.
A salary slip.
Rows of numbers.
Every digit exact.
She stopped moving.
Her fingers trembled slightly, but her face stayed controlled—only a faint crease between her brows, her lips parting just a little.
"…Three years…"
Her voice was barely audible.
"He knows everything."
Slowly—
She lifted her head.
Beyond the study room was a long, dark hallway.
At the end of it—
A closed door.
Gu Tingshen's room.
Her chest tightened.
Why would he investigate her…
For three whole years?
Morning came too quickly.
The noise of the city filled the air as Su Wanning stood at the entrance of a luxury apartment, dragging her suitcase inside.
The space was massive.
Cold. Perfect. Empty.
Her footsteps echoed softly.
She looked small in comparison.
"Three million… for one year."
She said it quietly.
Then, firmer—
"I can handle it."
She pushed open the bedroom door.
Warm light spilled out.
The room inside was carefully arranged—wooden furniture, soft lighting, a desk lamp glowing in a gentle yellow tone.
Su Wanning stood still at the doorway.
Something felt… wrong.
"This doesn't look like it was prepared in a hurry…"
She stepped in slowly.
Her fingers brushed lightly against the lamp.
Warm.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
That night—
She sat across from him.
Gu Tingshen.
He didn't look at her.
A takeout box slid across the table toward her.
No explanation.
No eye contact.
Just silence.
Su Wanning hesitated, then opened it.
She was hungry.
She started eating.
Then—
She stopped.
Her eyes widened slightly.
This…
Was exactly what she liked.
A strange feeling rose in her chest.
"How did you know?"
she asked.
Gu Tingshen didn't look up. He turned a page in his document.
A faint smile touched the corner of his lips.
"Just a guess."
Her fingers tightened around the chopsticks.
She stared at him for a second too long.
Then lowered her head.
"…It's just a deal."
she told herself.
"Don't overthink it."
Late at night—
The apartment was silent.
Too silent.
Su Wanning moved quietly down the hallway.
The study door was slightly open.
A thin line of light slipped through.
She pushed it open.
Inside—
The desk.
The drawer.
The same place.
As if waiting.
She stepped closer.
Then—
A folder slid out.
Her body froze.
Her eyes locked onto it.
Her name.
Again.
Slowly—
She lifted her head.
Toward the hallway.
Toward that closed door.
Fear tightened in her chest.
Confusion.
And something else—
Something she didn't want to understand.
The folder slipped from her hand.
It hit the floor.
Soft.