She stood quietly, not going over to disturb him.
Zhou Yueshen accepted a cigarette offered from the other man's pack, placing it between his lips. As he lifted his gaze, he caught sight of a familiar figure standing not far away.
He watched for a few seconds before the cigarette was lit.
His voice was low and deep. "Come here."
The command startled Si Nian, who had originally planned to wait on the side.
She felt a little embarrassed—she hadn’t expected Zhou Yueshen to still be so busy at noon.
She had intended to wait until he finished before approaching.
The man standing opposite Zhou Yueshen turned around, seemingly surprised, then exchanged a few words with him before leaving the office.
As he passed Si Nian, he nodded in greeting before walking away.
Only then did Si Nian realize this man wasn’t from the farm nor here for business discussions.
He was the plainclothes officer who had previously investigated the Lin Family’s "three thousand yuan" disappearance case.
Surprised, she stepped inside, about to ask, when the office door closed behind her.
Her breath hitched.
Even without turning around, she could feel the scorching heat radiating from behind her.
The man stood so close that if she took even half a step back, she’d collide with his chest.
A night apart—though neither had said anything, how could two people in the throes of passion restrain themselves?
Of course, they had missed each other.
Si Nian had. Zhou Yueshen had too.
Her scalp tingled as she feigned composure, opening the basket and picking up a piece of mung bean cake. Turning around, she met his deep, smoldering gaze as he held the cigarette between his lips. She swallowed. "I... I made mung bean cakes. Would you like to try one?"
Zhou Yueshen gave her a sidelong glance.
Si Nian held her breath.
After a few seconds of silence, he stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray on the table, then leaned down and took a bite directly from her fingers.
His lips brushed against her fingertips.
The contact burned, and she quickly turned to open the lunchbox, urging him to eat first.
Just as she lifted the lid, his hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist, spinning her back toward him.
Si Nian blinked in surprise as Zhou Yueshen pushed her against the desk, his broad hands gripping her waist. He lowered his head, his voice cool but firm.
"Last night, I was showing your brother the delivery routes. That’s why I didn’t come back—not because I didn’t want to."
Si Nian was taken aback. Was this his way of explaining himself?
Then she laughed softly. Did he really think she was that petty?
If he didn’t come home, of course it was because he was busy.
Did he actually worry she’d misunderstand?
Amused and touched, she traced her fingers over his furrowed brow, then down the sharp angles of his face before looping her arms around his neck. Rising onto her toes, she pressed a kiss to his lips.
Zhou Yueshen’s dark eyes deepened, and he pressed her even more firmly against the desk.
Si Nian’s lashes fluttered. Why was he holding her so close...?
As he leaned in to kiss her again, she quickly blocked him. "Eat first."
Getting carried away in the office would only invite gossip if someone walked in.
Besides, she was worried things might escalate.
And she was still curious—why had that officer come?
Had there been progress in the three thousand yuan case?
After a pause, Zhou Yueshen exhaled a hot breath against her neck before finally pulling back. He dragged a chair over for her to sit before explaining the reason for the officer’s visit.
It turned out Liu Dongdong—the "friend" Lin Sisi had mentioned—had been found.
But to the police’s surprise, she admitted that Lin Sisi had indeed sought her out.
This was strange because their investigation showed Lin Sisi and Liu Dongdong barely interacted—they weren’t even friends.
There were only two possibilities: either Lin Sisi had already spoken to Liu Dongdong before the police found her, or the two had some kind of deal.
In this era, without surveillance or solid evidence, convicting someone was difficult—even if they were already under suspicion.
When Si Nian heard this, her expression shifted in surprise.
Because the name Liu Dongdong... she had actually seen it in the novel.
In the story, Liu Dongdong was a village girl forced into desperation by her family. The female lead, pitying her plight, had helped her repeatedly.
Yet instead of gratitude, Liu Dongdong had taken the chance to seduce Fu Yang... causing numerous misunderstandings between the main couple.
From the male lead’s perspective, he was inherently indifferent—never fully conquered by the female lead, never initiating but never refusing either, surrounded by a swarm of admirers.
With Liu Dongdong’s tragic backstory, there had even been some ambiguous scenes between them.
But hearing this name from the police now made Si Nian pause.
This plot... didn’t seem to match what she remembered.
——
In the city.
Lin Sisi had just returned home when the gatekeeper called out, "Miss Lin Sisi?"
Puzzled, she stopped. After her household registration was transferred, her parents hadn’t changed her name—she’d been Lin Sisi for over a decade, and switching now would feel unnatural.
If she took the Si surname, she’d be "Si Sisi," which sounded inauspicious.
For days, she had been demanding the annulment of her engagement, expecting the Fu family to come apologize.
Yet as time passed, Fu Yang hadn’t shown up once.
Not only had he not apologized, her parents were now pressuring her to reconcile with him!
Though she feared the engagement might truly be called off, she couldn’t help feeling wronged—Fu Yang was the one at fault, yet she was the one forced to back down.
If this had happened while she was with the Lin Family, they would have stood by her side.
Having grown up spoiled by her parents, Lin Sisi had always assumed the Si family would dote on her even more.
But while they compensated her financially, when it came to interests, she was always the one expected to sacrifice.
They even said, "Si Nian never angered Fu Yang—she often made him soups and snacks!"
Telling her to learn from Si Nian!
As if she was inferior to Si Nian?!
It infuriated her!
Her mood had been foul for days, but she had no choice but to relent. She had just bought ingredients to make soup and apologize to Fu Yang when the gatekeeper stopped her.
"What is it?" she asked impatiently.
The gatekeeper replied, "A girl named Liu Dongdong came by these past two days, claiming to be your classmate. She asked me to tell you to meet her at the Fifth Textile Factory."
The Fifth Textile Factory was one of the largest branch factories in the city, employing many young women.
At the mention of Liu Dongdong, Lin Sisi’s face paled.
In her feud with Fu Yang, she had completely forgotten about this crucial matter.
If Liu Dongdong was looking for her now... did that mean the police had already questioned her?
The thought made her grip on her shopping bag loosen, nearly dropping it.
But then she relaxed slightly. If Liu Dongdong had told the police everything, they would have already come for her—three thousand yuan wasn’t a small sum.
Since they hadn’t, and Liu Dongdong was seeking her out, she must have something to say.
Still, she and Liu Dongdong weren’t close. Why would she help?
Lin Sisi couldn’t figure it out, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She hurried toward the Fifth Textile Factory to find Liu Dongdong.
Soon, Liu Dongdong emerged from the textile factory, covered in dust.
The moment Lin Sisi saw Liu Dongdong’s exhausted face, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
This was the fate of those who didn’t study hard in this era—either getting married or working grueling jobs to scrape by.
Slaving away for a measly twenty bucks a month, only to hand most of it over to the family. The last time Lin Sisi had seen Liu Dongdong, she’d been full of hope about working at the textile factory. Now, she looked like she’d aged ten years.
The assembly line was truly merciless.
The contrast between their situations couldn’t have been starker.
When Liu Dongdong spotted Lin Sisi, her eyes lit up immediately.
She hurried forward—
Only for Lin Sisi to suddenly take two steps back, her brows furrowing.
Liu Dongdong was covered in dust, and Lin Sisi was wearing an expensive dress.
It wasn’t that she looked down on her.
But Liu Dongdong noticed the movement, and her expression darkened for a split second.
