It was deep into the night, and the world outside had fallen silent.
Lu Yancheng sat at the edge of the bed, staring out at the quiet city lights beyond the window. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the mechanical clock.
He stared at the ceiling, unable to count how many nights he'd been sleepless.
What should've marked the beginning of his freedom… had instead become the unraveling of his control.
The investigation report his assistant sent was still sitting on the coffee table—untouched.
It contained the recent details of Xu Zhiyi's life.
He didn't want to read it.But he hadn't thrown it away either.
His phone lit up.
A voice message from Shen Zhirou.
"Yancheng, I'm flying back to Paris tomorrow. Do you want me to bring anything for you?"
He didn't even finish listening before turning off the screen.
These days, even Shen Zhirou's voice grated on his nerves.He couldn't tell if he was tired of her—or just tired of himself.
He got up, poured himself a glass of whiskey, downed it in one go, and sank into the sofa, closing his eyes.
And then—the dream came.
The hospital lights were blinding white.
She lay on the bed, her face deathly pale, lips almost translucent.
Bright red was seeping through the white bedsheet—so vivid it looked like it might swallow the entire bed.
She looked at him. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
Her eyes held no tears, no blame. Only a deathly calm.
He stood in the doorway.Not moving.Not even a single step forward.
She looked at him and asked in a barely audible voice:"Lu Yancheng… would you be sad if I died?"
He opened his mouth—But no words came out.
She slowly closed her eyes.A single tear slid down her cheek.
The next second, the heart monitor screamed—"Beep—"
He jolted awake.
Drenched in cold sweat, his heart racing so fast he could almost hear it pounding in his ears.
The room was silent as a grave.
Instinctively, he reached out—Wanting to hold her hand.
But his fingers closed around nothing but cold, empty air.
And it hit him, for real this time:
She was gone.
Not a dream.Not a threat.Not a dramatic act.
She had truly, completely, walked out of his life the moment he turned away.
At six in the morning, Assistant Chen Ze arrived punctually with the day's documents.
But he didn't expect to find the office lights already on.
Lu Yancheng sat on the sofa, still wearing yesterday's shirt, his face pale and his gaze heavy.
"You found her?" he asked hoarsely—his voice so rough it didn't even sound like him.
Chen Ze froze for a second before handing over the file."Miss Xu is currently working with Lin Xuzhi. She's not staying in any hotel, and she's kept a low profile—no public social media. But we tracked her to a studio she visits regularly."
"The address?"
"Yuehe Bay Creative Park, Jiang City. Building C2."
Lu Yancheng took the file, his voice low and steady:
"Get the car ready."