The first ray of morning light pierced through the old windows of the guesthouse, making Lin Wan Yi's eyelids tremble.
She woke up in a soreness that felt like she had been dismantled.
The strange feeling in her body instantly cleared her mind, and the chaotic, fiery fragments of last night flooded her brain.
She sat up abruptly; the sudden movement tugged at her overwhelmed waist, causing her to inhale sharply in pain.
Lowering her gaze, the first thing she saw was the heirloom jade pendant she had worn since childhood.
The jade pendant still clung to her skin, but its touch felt different, unusually warm. Peering closer, she discovered that at some unknown time, a very fine crack had appeared on the once smooth surface of the pendant, with a stain of dried dark red blood seeping into the crack.
Was this... her blood? Or...
Lin Wan Yi's heartbeat suddenly accelerated as she stiffly turned her head.
Beside her lay a man.
It was Gu Yanshen.
He was lying on his side asleep, his formal military uniform from yesterday gone along with the cold aura that kept people at a distance. The sunlight outlined his deep-set facial features, with thick eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyelids; his thin lips were tightly pressed together, his sleeping face calm and handsome.
Feeling warm perhaps, the thin blanket had slipped to his waist, exposing his bare, solid upper body.
Broad shoulders, a firm chest, sharply defined abs that disappeared into the blanket. On his bronze skin, old and new scars intersected like silent medals, voicing the iron and blood this man had endured.
Lin Wan Yi found her breath stopping.
Shame, fear, helplessness... these emotions were indeed present, but before them, an absurd yet real thought popped uncontrollably into her mind.
Judging by his face and physique alone, it seemed she... wasn't at a loss.
While she was lost in her thoughts, the man's eyelashes fluttered, and suddenly, he opened his eyes.
One second.
In just one second, those eyes went from the initial daze of waking up to the sharp clarity akin to an eagle's from yesterday.
The air in the room suddenly dropped to freezing point.
Gu Yanshen sat up, the blanket sliding off him, yet he paid no mind to it. Without looking at Lin Wan Yi, he got out of bed and picked up his military shirt and pants scattered on the floor.
He dressed in silence.
The white shirt and army green pants were buttoned impeccably, his movements swift and precise, carrying a unique sense of efficiency and pressure belonging to a soldier.
During the whole process, he didn't utter a word, nor even spared Lin Wan Yi a glance.
This complete disregard suffocated her more than any questioning or scolding could.
Lin Wan Yi clenched the bedsheet beneath her tightly, her knuckles turning white from the strain. She didn't cry or throw a tantrum; instead, she just stared unblinkingly at the back of him as he put on his military boots, her eyes brimming with moisture.
She knew that throwing a fit was useless. In front of this man, tears would only make her seem cheaper.
When Gu Yanshen fastened his belt with a click, and the room no longer bore any trace of last night's chaos, he finally turned around and looked at her.
"I'll take responsibility."
He spoke, his voice hoarse from a hangover and a sleepless night, the tone flat, like issuing a notification.
Lin Wan Yi heard those words and suddenly laughed.
It was a light laugh, carrying a hint of self-mockery, yet in this quiet room, it was particularly distinct.
She threw off the blanket, wrapped that thin bedding with an unfamiliar soap scent tightly around her naked body, then placed her bare feet on the cold cement floor.
The chill from the ground made her shiver, yet it also made her more awake.
Step by step, she walked up to him, raised her face, now even paler from the hangover, and looked him straight in the eye. "Take responsibility? Chief Gu, you say it so lightly."
Her voice was still trembling, but every word seemed to be tempered with ice. "You, more than anyone, know my background. My reputation was half ruined yesterday at the state-run hotel by Zhang Qianqian and the others. Today, if I walk out of this guesthouse door with you, Chief Gu..."
She paused, her eyes red, but her lips curled into a defiant smile: "Then I am completely finished. Your words about 'taking responsibility', do they mean giving me a pay-off to keep me silent forever, or are you planning to just watch from above as I drown in gossip, get fired from the factory, and eventually reach a dead end?"
She laid out all the worst possible outcomes, bloody and stark, right in front of him.
She was forcing him.
Forcing his light, superior's "taking responsibility" into a tangible way for her to survive.
Gu Yanshen looked at her.
At her reddening eyes, pale face, and those eyes full of fear yet pretending to be bristling with spikes.
He remained silent for a moment.
Just as Lin Wan Yi thought he would get angry or impatiently throw a few bills and ration tickets at her and leave, he did something she completely did not expect.
Gu Yanshen turned around, fetched a document from the briefcase hanging on the back of the chair.
He returned, slamming the document heavily onto the bedside table.
"Bang!"
The dull thud made Lin Wan Yi's heart tremble.
It was a folded report paper, exclusively used by the military district.
Gu Yanshen looked at her, and called her full name word by word. "Lin Wan Yi."
The man's voice was low and hoarse, yet carried an undeniable authority, like a final verdict.
"Fill it out."
"I'll pick you up at two in the afternoon to go to the political department of the military district."
After speaking, he opened the door, leaving without looking back.
The door closed, and silence returned to the room.
Lin Wan Yi stood there, dazed for a long time before she slowly reached out her trembling hand, picking up the report.
Unfolded it.
Four golden words hit her eyes hard—
[Marriage Report]