"In the bathroom. You must have seen them last night."

His words reminded her of the clothes she'd seen discarded on the bathroom floor. Remembering the overflowing bathwater, she realized they would be unwearable. "There are clothes for you in the wardrobe," Ye Li said, pulling her back against him, his body enveloping hers. His hands began to wander, kneading her br3asts.

His face buried in her shoulder, he murmured kisses against her skin. "It's still early. Let's do it again… You said your eyes were bothering you yesterday. Stay with me. I'll call a doctor to look at them."

Despite the intensity of the previous night, her body responded, readily adapting to his touch, as if accustomed to his caresses, as if the desires within her had been unleashed, the floodgates flung open.

Home? This wasn't home. Niu Shurui pulled away, throwing back the covers, her nak3dness exposed.

Ye Li's eyes, half-closed, raked over her body. But before he could react, Niu Shurui grabbed the discarded towel and wrapped it around herself.

She dressed quickly and left without a word.

Ye Li's hand twitched towards the empty space on the bed, then fell back. He rolled over, pressing his face into the spot where she had been lying, desperately inhaling the lingering warmth and scent.

His body throbbed with a desperate need.

His er3ction sprang to life. He grasped it, stroking himself rapidly. After a long moment, he shuddered, releasing himself.

***

Niu Shurui made her way downstairs, slowly, supporting herself on the wall and banister. As she reached the bottom, she made eye contact with a maid.

The maid dipped her head respectfully and hurried away.

Without thinking, Niu Shurui's gaze followed the maid into the dining room, where she saw a face that bore a striking resemblance to Ye Li.

Her temples throbbed. She had assumed Ye Li had brought her to some random villa.

She never imagined it was the family estate.

Ye Yanhui, seeing Niu Shurui, was equally surprised. He glanced quickly towards the staircase.

Wanting to avoid the awkwardness, Niu Shurui spoke first. "Mr. Ye, we can talk another time. I'm going to be late for work."

Ye Yanhui nodded. After she left, he went upstairs and pushed open Ye Li's bedroom door. "What's going on?"

Ye Li's face was still buried in the pillow, his breathing ragged and audible even from a distance. His hand moved beneath the covers, unable to stop, his desire unrelenting. He imagined Niu Shurui was still there, and groaned her name, oblivious to his father's presence, "Niuniu… Niuniu…"

Finally, he took a shuddering breath and said hoarsely, "Exactly what you saw."

Ye Yanhui knew exactly what his son had been doing. His face hardened with anger and embarrassment, but also with surprise. Ye Li had always seemed devoid of desire, not just on the surface. Ye Yanhui had never seen him like this.

He had even wondered if Ye Li's condition prevented him from… functioning.

But now, with that anxiety dispelled, he felt a sense of unease. When had this started? How long had it been going on?

***

The villa was far from the city center. Fortunately, her portable charger had enough power to last until her ride arrived.

Just as the battery indicator flashed red, a car pulled up. Niu Shurui quickly climbed inside.

The driver accelerated abruptly, jarring her already sore body. It wasn't until her phone vibrated, displaying a message that the driver had canceled the ride, that she realized something was wrong.

She looked at the driver, realizing with a sinking feeling that she had made a rookie mistake.

They were already in the city center. As they passed a pharmacy, Niu Shurui said casually, "Please stop. I need to get some medicine."

The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror, seeing her hand pressed to her stomach as if in pain. He seemed to understand and pulled over.

She slipped into the back of the pharmacy, dialing the emergency number on her phone. Looking up, she saw, incredibly, that the building across the street was a police station. While the driver wasn't looking, she slipped out and ran across the road.

A man in a plain t-shirt, holding a police uniform, stood in front of the station. Assuming he hadn't had time to change, Niu Shurui approached him and explained the situation. "Hello, I got into an unlicensed cab. It's parked right across the street."

The man raised an eyebrow, looking at her with surprise. A moment later, he typed something on his phone. Niu Shurui realized he had been making a call.

He said into the phone, "Bring me over."

Growing impatient, the driver turned around, searching for Niu Shurui, but she was gone. Realizing he'd been discovered, he grabbed the handbrake and tried to start the car. But before he could, a hand rapped on the window. A stern face appeared. "Open the door. Police."

The driver slammed his foot on the accelerator, but the car didn't move. Niu Shurui looked down and saw the tires, already immobilized by a lock. She was impressed by how quickly the man had acted.

As they led the driver inside, curious eyes followed them. A police officer approached the man in the t-shirt. "Nice work, Jiang. Even off duty, people are practically handing you their case files."

Niu Shurui looked at him, surprised. "You're not a police officer?"

He smiled slightly. "When did I say I was?"

Regardless, he had helped her. "Still got it, then," she said.

The man pushed the driver forward. 

"If you weren't being so sarcastic, I might have said thank you. Come on, let's get your statement."