Volume 1, Chapter 30: Returning to the Rightful Owner

“Jiang Ming, I’m really fine now. Lin Tingyuan was just trying to scare me; he wouldn’t actually hurt me.”
“Pull over and let me out. I can take a cab home. The further we drive, the farther we get from my place.”

...

Jiang Ming remained silent, his expression growing darker. Glancing through the rearview mirror at the car that wouldn’t leave them alone, his irritation deepened. Without a word, he pressed the accelerator harder.

“All right, all right, slow down. Go wherever you want! I won’t say another word!”

The sudden acceleration made Susan’s heart race with panic. Things felt increasingly out of control. She stopped speaking, clutching a towel in one hand and the door handle in the other, fixing her gaze straight ahead.

She thought: Jiang Ming just saved me, even clashed with Lin Tingyuan over me, and dragged out that ridiculous “likes her” storyline. He wouldn’t harm me. Wherever he wants to go, I’ll just follow.

Before long, Jiang Ming steered the car into the underground parking entrance of Mingyue Bay.

This was the most upscale residential complex in Jiangzhou city. Known for its beautiful environment, strong security, privacy, and excellent property management, it featured everything from villas to spacious flats, making it the most coveted neighborhood among Jiangzhou’s wealthy elite. Almost every unit offered a perfect view of the moon, hence the name “Mingyue Bay.” Susan had once dreamed of settling here, but the sky-high prices were out of reach for a recent graduate like her. Though she had some savings, it wasn’t nearly enough, and she was unwilling to ask her family for help, so she had given up on the idea.

It turned out Jiang Ming lived here. His taste wasn’t so different from hers after all. But what was his intention in bringing her to his home? Could it be that he wasn’t playing a part, but genuinely interested in her?

At the thought, Susan’s anxiety flared again. She glanced at his striking face, quickly closed her eyes, and shook her head hard, silently repeating:

“See no evil, hear no evil, think no evil...”

Seeing Susan so oblivious to the danger, having just escaped a perilous situation only to relax so carelessly, Jiang Ming’s anger surged uncontrollably.

He slammed on the brakes, stopping the car in a designated parking space.

Abruptly opening the door, he pulled Susan out and dragged her inside, pushing her up against the floor-to-ceiling window. Without uttering a word, he held on tightly to her wrists the whole time.

After a moment, seeing Susan’s face still full of innocent ignorance, Jiang Ming gritted his teeth and finally forced out a few words through his thin lips.

“Don’t you want to live?”

Jiang Ming’s voice was cold and fierce, leaving Susan speechless in fear.

What frightened her most wasn’t just his harsh words, but the intimate position they found themselves in.

Jiang Ming stared deeply into Susan’s eyes, pressing her against the glass. One hand braced against the window, the other pinning her wrists high above her head.

His warm breath brushed her face, carrying his unique scent—both comforting and stirring. So close, Susan could feel the rise and fall of his chest and the pounding of his heart, filled with anger yet laced with worry.

Cold glass met burning breath—a clash of fire and ice, thrilling and intense.

For a moment, Susan blushed deeply, her heart pounding wildly, forgetting even to respond.

Seeing no reply, Jiang Ming grew even angrier. Especially when he glimpsed a shadow lurking suspiciously by the complex’s entrance through the window, his fury intensified.

“Are you stupid or crazy? If you can’t swim, stay away from the pool! Why do you keep jumping into the water? Trying to prove you can’t swim by risking your life? Is it really that important to dispel his doubts?”

Jiang Ming’s voice was sharp and angry, finally jolting Susan back to herself. Struggling, she turned her face away and tried to clear her mind.

“He pushed me into the water! He’s not stupid—he wouldn’t let me really get hurt. The moment I fell in, I knew he was testing me!”

Susan pouted, feeling wronged. Lin Tingyuan struck her unexpectedly; what could she have done?

“What does he want to know?”

“He wants to confirm my identity, to get the evidence from my hands! But I lost the evidence long ago, and he wouldn’t believe me anyway. So I can’t admit anything—even if it costs me my life!”

The more Susan spoke, the more aggrieved she became, feeling utterly defeated—like losing everything, not even a basket left to salvage.

“No matter what, you can’t hand your life over to someone else! Don’t you know how to play it smart? What if he really didn’t save you without me?”

“He’s a national athlete, a well-known sportsperson. He wouldn’t be that crazy, would he? Kill to cover it up just because of a guess?”

Seeing Susan stubbornly refuse to soften, Jiang Ming was frustrated beyond words. He scolded fiercely:

“Training is confidential, no cameras there on non-training days, no lifeguard either. If you died, no one would even collect your body!”

Susan shuddered at his words. But her fear was brief. She lifted her chin, looked into Jiang Ming’s eyes, and said firmly:

“So what? I still have you. If I really disappeared, you’d come looking for me, wouldn’t you?”

There seemed to be starlight in Susan’s eyes—captivating and moving.

This foolish woman actually trusted him so completely, even depended on him. Jiang Ming’s heart softened. He loosened his grip on her wrists, his tone finally easing:

“This time, you were just lucky.”

Susan remained silent, and the two fell into a quiet pause.

Jiang Ming’s heart tightened. Suddenly, he broke the silence, his voice gentle and almost pleading, nothing like before:

“Susan, could you stop being Zoe? Drop the Lin Tingyuan case? Today he threatened your life to test you. Who knows what insane things he might do if you really become a threat to him someday?”

This time, Susan didn’t hesitate. She suddenly placed her hand against Jiang Ming’s chest, as if to push him away.

“Impossible! The truth may be delayed, but it will never be buried!”

Hearing those same words, Jiang Ming stiffened instantly. Was it really her? The same courage, the same conviction.

Unable to push him away, Susan grew agitated and shouted:

“If Lin Tingyuan dares to do such despicable things, he must accept the consequences of exposure. How can you soften your heart and protect him, even if he’s your teammate!”

Jiang Ming said nothing, his eyes tracing Susan’s face again and again, growing more intense. Then, leaning closer to her parted lips, he slipped his hands into his pockets and fingered something he had taken from a drawer when they first arrived home.

Susan was so shocked she fell silent, as if frozen by a spell, unable to move. She could only watch Jiang Ming’s handsome face draw nearer and nearer. His high bridge of a nose almost touched hers, his seductive thin lips just inches away. Her heart raced; she forgot to dodge, closing her eyes in fear.

But the next moment, the sensation on her lips was not warm and soft, but cold and hard.

Opening her eyes slowly, Susan saw that between their lips was the very recording pen she had lost!

“Returning it to its rightful owner,” Jiang Ming said, releasing her completely and stepping back just half a pace. The two settled into a delicate balance—closer than strangers, yet not quite intimate.

“It was really with you all along!”

“You’ve been helping me, protecting me all this time because...”

“So... you’ve heard, you’ve seen it all! You know everything!”

Susan finally understood and slowly sank down by the window.

“Yeah,” Jiang Ming admitted without hesitation.

Susan clenched the recording pen tightly, feeling both the joy of recovering the evidence and a faint, lingering sadness.

She had suspected it all along. A man like Jiang Ming—reserved, noble, like a distant peak—couldn’t suddenly fall for her at first sight and help her in everything. Now that she knew, his aid was driven by justice, which made more sense.

Yet, despite having the evidence back in hand, her heart still felt as if a piece was missing. Such foolish hope—no matter how quietly kept—should never have existed.