!?

A knock on the door late at night would make anyone’s heart pound.

This was especially true for Jiang Wan, who had a habit of scrolling through horror movie clips online.

As a result, her imagination immediately ran wild.

’Could it be the graduate student who jumped off the roof a few years ago? Has he "come back"?’

’Or is it the old security guard making his rounds?’

Jiang Wan hugged her arms tightly to her chest, a nervous expression on her face.

"Is that you, Mr. Wang? It must be tough making your rounds. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

Jiang Wan asked tentatively. In response, the knocking at the door stopped completely!

Gone!

The entire floor fell deathly silent!

This scared the color right out of Jiang Wan’s face.

It wasn’t the knocking that truly scared her. It was the sudden, dead silence that followed.

So Jiang Wan immediately grabbed her phone. Her first instinct wasn’t to call the police, but to start a WeChat call with Lin Shen.

In moments of panic, one subconsciously reaches out to the person they depend on most.

But just as Jiang Wan started the call, a JINGLE-JINGLE sound came from the door.

She froze for a moment, then realization dawned. She quickly hung up, planted her hands on her hips, and shouted indignantly.

"Lin Shen! Get out here right now!"

"Hehe."

Lin Shen pushed the door open, holding a large bouquet of roses. He wore the mischievous grin of someone whose prank had gone off perfectly.

"You’re so clever, Senior. You guessed it was me right away."

"How was I supposed to know it was you!"

As Lin Shen got closer, Jiang Wan took out all her frustration on him with a sharp pinch to his side.

The pinch wasn’t hard, though. It was more of a playful, pouting gesture.

"You scared me to death!"

"I just saw you’d had a long day. I thought I’d help you ’relax’ a little."

Lin Shen smiled and handed the flowers to Jiang Wan, his voice softening with affection.

"You’ve been working so hard lately."

"It really has been."

Jiang Wan accepted the flowers and took a gentle sniff. A blissful smile spread across her face as she inhaled the rich fragrance.

"It’s not the work that’s been so hard," she said. "It’s not seeing you. Missing you has been the hardest part."

"You always know the right thing to say, Senior."

Lin Shen leaned down and kissed her earlobe.

"There’s a surprise inside the flowers."

’A surprise?’

Jiang Wan’s eyes blinked. She parted the vibrant rose petals and discovered a small gift box nestled within!

’Wait!’

’Is Lin Shen going to propose?’

The bold thought made her heart race and her mind go completely blank.

’No way, right?’

’What am I supposed to do?’

’Burst into happy tears?’

’But he just scared the daylights out of me; I can’t possibly cry right now!’

’Besides, who proposes in the middle of the night!’

"Go on, open it."

Lin Shen’s soft chuckle brought Jiang Wan back to her senses.

With a flutter of excitement, she opened the small gift box. Inside, she found not a diamond ring, but an exquisite, beautiful necklace.

It was luxurious and elegant, and her eyes sparkled with wonder. Still, even as she was deeply touched, she couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of disappointment.

After all, a ring and a necklace carried very different meanings.

The necklace was absolutely stunning, though!

"It’s so beautiful!"

Jiang Wan exclaimed in awe, then turned to look at Lin Shen, her eyes full of affection.

"Lin Shen, thank you. For picking me up from work and for giving me such a beautiful necklace."

"Picking up my girlfriend from work is a boyfriend’s sacred duty."

Lin Shen took the necklace out of the small gift box.

"Aren’t you curious how much it cost?"

"Not at all."

Jiang Wan shook her head, smiling blissfully.

"Even if you bought it from a street stall, I’d treasure it forever, because it’s from you."

"You can’t find a necklace like this at a street stall."

Lin Shen held the necklace by its clasp.

"Let me put it on for you."

"Okay."

Jiang Wan set the flowers on a nearby desk, then gathered her hair and held it up at the nape of her neck. She let it fall only after Lin Shen had fastened the necklace.

"How does it look?"

She looked down, her face beaming. With a delighted expression, she spread her arms out to her sides, even puffing out her chest for Lin Shen to get a better look.

The delicate, five-petaled sunflower pendant nestled in the deep valley of her cleavage. Its silvery gleam shimmered against her fair skin, making it impossible to look away.

A flash of heat crossed Lin Shen’s eyes. He sighed in admiration.

"Beautiful!"

’The Creator truly is a genius!’

’And to top it off, she’s so slender.’

"Is it uncomfortable at all?"

A strange thought suddenly popped into Lin Shen’s head. He thought he finally understood why he’d never seen Jiang Wan wear a necklace before.

’For most people, a pendant just hangs in front of their chest without any issue.’

’But Jiang Wan was different.’

His mind couldn’t help but drift back to their trip to Qin Island, and the steamy things that had happened between them in the bathroom.

She had put her natural gifts on full display back then.

Even now, Lin Shen could never forget that night.

"That’s a strange question to ask."

Perhaps feeling shy under Lin Shen’s burning gaze, Jiang Wan’s pretty face flushed slightly. She covered her chest with her hands and chided him playfully.

"Junior Lin Shen, I told you to look at the necklace, not... somewhere else."

"I can’t look?"

"Of course not."

Jiang Wan gave a charming smile, then rose onto her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

"You can’t look, but you can touch~"

"Really?!"

Lin Shen eagerly reached out his "sinful" hand, only for Jiang Wan to lightly slap it away with a "Tch!"

"You little pervert! Look where we are! Let’s go. There are security cameras in the office."

"You didn’t say so earlier."

"Who knew you’d be so bold?"

Jiang Wan’s eyes curved into smiling crescents. Cradling the flowers in her left arm, she took Lin Shen’s hand with her right and led him out of the office.