Chapter 4

Zhou Jiaci was back.

The man I had waited ten years for had come back to me.

Joy, disbelief, and all the hurt I had endured swept over me at once. For a moment, I wondered if I was dreaming.

Then I wrapped my arms around him and held on tight.

He did not disappear.

It was not a dream.

I spoke his name, my voice trembling uncontrollably.

“Zhou Jiaci…”

His eyes reddened. He bent until our bodies were pressed close together. In the quiet private room, the pounding of his heart was impossibly clear.

“It’s me, Weiwei. I’m back.”

Zhou Jiaci had not died in that catastrophic fire ten years ago.

He had protected underworld boss Chen Shu and fled the capital with him.

That act earned Chen Shu’s trust and gave Zhou Jiaci a way into the criminal organization. From then on, he painstakingly gathered evidence of their crimes.

Every step was dangerous. Every moment demanded nerves of steel.

Over those ten years, Zhou Jiaci witnessed the deaths of countless colleagues. More than once, they had even died by his own hand.

But it had all been worthwhile.

A month ago, Zhou Jiaci finally worked with the police to arrest Chen Shu and dismantle the syndicate he had built.

At last, he could return to the capital.

Return to me.

Zhou Jiaci told the story so calmly, yet each word filled me with dread.

I could hardly imagine how he had managed to come back to me whole.

Whole…

A chill ran through my heart. Suddenly I said, “Take off your clothes.”

“Weiwei?”

Zhou Jiaci froze, and a flush rose in both cheeks.

“I don’t think this is the right time…”

I cut him off. “I need to see.”

My tone left no room for refusal.

He studied the stubborn resolve in my eyes and eventually gave in.

With a sigh, he removed his shirt one-handed.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist—the force of his masculinity hit me all at once.

But all I felt was a sting behind my eyes.

Old scars and new overlapped across his honey-brown skin, shocking in their number and severity.

My fingers traced them one by one as I asked Zhou Jiaci to tell me how each had come to be.

“I got this one in my first year. I took a knife meant for Chen Shu during a gang fight.

“This was in my third year. Chen Shu suspected I was undercover and forced drugs on me. I made these cuts while trying to get clean.

“And this one… When Chen Shu was arrested, he realized I was a mole and shot me.”

…

The bullet wound on his chest lay only a few centimeters from his heart.

It showed just how close he had come to death.

My tears fell and struck his chest. My throat closed, and when I finally spoke, the anguish in my voice was impossible to suppress.

“Did it hurt?”

“It did.”

Zhou Jiaci did not lie to me. He lifted my chin, his voice gentle. “But whenever I thought of you waiting for me, it stopped hurting. All I knew was that I had to come back. I had to survive and return to your side.”

That one sentence shattered the last of my defenses.

As he spoke, he smiled faintly. The light washed over him, wrapping him in a soft glow. His eyes never left me; I was the only person in them.

For an instant, I was sixteen again, standing in the afternoon sun.

He had looked at me just like this.

And said,

“Song Shiwei, I like you.”

He had not changed.

Even after everything he had suffered, he was still the same man.

But what about me?

My heart felt as though it were being torn apart. With shaking hands, I pushed him away. “Zhou Jiaci, while you were risking your life, I was with another man…”

“No.”

He seized my hand and enunciated every word.

“I understand. I understand everything.

“Waiting ten years is too cruel. If someone else could take my place and keep you company, I would be glad, Weiwei.”

I stared at him blankly, unable to speak.

Zhou Jiaci’s voice sounded beside my ear, a tender note winding through it. “Weiwei, do you love me?”

“Yes.”

I did not hesitate.

“Then that’s enough.”

He gave a quiet laugh. His eyes shimmered, overflowing with tenderness.

“I’m back, Song Shiwei.”

I looked at him.

For a long, long time.

I tightened my hand around his. Tears streamed down my face, but my smile was radiant. “Welcome home, Zhou Jiaci.”