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After their playful banter, Shen Yi and Fu Nanzhi began to truly appreciate the scenery before them.

There was no denying it—the vast lake and moonlit night complemented each other perfectly, which explained why this spot was so popular.

A massive silver disk hung high in the sky, its reflection mirrored flawlessly on the glassy surface of the lake.

The moonlight shimmered into rippling waves, blending water and sky into one.

Shen Yi dipped a finger lightly into the water, sending ripples that distorted the moon’s glow.

They didn’t venture toward the center, instead lingering near the edges where the solitude made it all the more intimate for the two of them.

Then, quietly, another boat drifted close.

It bumped against the side of their vessel with a soft thud.

"Thump."

Hearing the sound, Shen Yi and Fu Nanzhi turned in unison.

First came the sight of a Nuo opera mask and a pink cat charm dangling from the side of the newcomer’s face, followed by their features emerging under the moonlight.

The other boat was backlit, its occupants shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to discern who they were.

...

Shu Yunyi rowed her small boat alone to the lakeside.

She had texted her mother earlier, saying she might return late, before finally setting her phone aside.

Originally, she had only intended to go for a run, but somehow, she had ended up chasing after something—or someone—all the way here.

Steering the boat was even simpler than driving bumper cars, and following the staff’s instructions, she kept to the edges of the lake.

Shu Yunyi aimed straight for her target, but the boat lacked a proper braking mechanism.

Left with no choice, she cut the motor, allowing the vessel to drift forward until it collided with a gentle thud.

Luckily, the impact was minimal—just enough to jolt the boat to a stop.

Two masks turned toward her first, then the faces behind them.

Shen Yi’s features materialized under the moonlight, accompanied by an unfamiliar yet breathtakingly beautiful face.

‘That’s not Cheng Jun. Who is this?’

Though she had only met Cheng Jun once, Shu Yunyi was certain she wouldn’t mistake her appearance.

The woman before her was undeniably stunning, but she wasn’t Cheng Jun—dashing Shu Yunyi’s earlier suspicions.

She rose from her seat and stepped forward to the bow of her boat.

Shen Yi had initially dismissed the collision as an accident caused by another tourist’s poor maneuvering.

But when the other party neither apologized nor spoke, his curiosity grew.

Then, the figure stepped out of the darkness, striding to the front of their boat.

Moonlight spilled over her, illuminating her flowing hair as she stood firmly on the deck.

The face before him was unmistakable—Shu Yunyi, the woman he had spent the entire previous day with.

Shen Yi’s heart clenched, his pupils dilating in shock as he blurted out,

"Yunyi?!"

No matter how many scenarios he had imagined, he never expected Shu Yunyi to be the one who found him here.

‘How did she get here?’ ‘How did she know?’ ‘Where did I slip up?’

Countless questions exploded in his mind, flashing like sparks.

Suddenly, he remembered the message Shu Yunyi had sent him at the traffic light earlier.

‘Right… Shangyang District…’

Now it all made sense. She must have spotted him then and deliberately asked.

And what were the odds? Both Shu Yunyi and Fu Nanzhi’s parents lived in Shangyang District—an area so vast that running into each other like this felt like fate playing a cruel joke.

Shen Yi had imagined this scenario before, but being caught so abruptly still left him reeling.

Fu Nanzhi, still oblivious, tugged at Shen Yi’s sleeve and asked drowsily,

"Hubby, who’s this?"

Her face blindness didn’t help, and since the other woman hadn’t spoken, she couldn’t place her at all.

The moment the word "hubby" left Fu Nanzhi’s lips, Shu Yunyi’s expression darkened.

Without hesitation, she stepped across the gap between the boats, landing squarely on Shen Yi’s vessel.

Alarmed, Shen Yi shot up to steady her, afraid she might topple into the water.

Unlike him, Shu Yunyi hadn’t bothered with the life jacket provided by the rental service—falling in would be no joke.

Shu Yunyi ignored Shen Yi’s outstretched hand, turning instead to Fu Nanzhi with a sharp demand:

"Who are you?"

"And since when do you call him ‘hubby’?"

Fu Nanzhi blinked, taken aback by the hostility.

"He is my husband. Why shouldn’t I call him that?" she retorted. "And who are you?"

"Your husband?" Shu Yunyi scoffed, firing back with icy precision. "Do you have a certificate to prove it? Who can vouch for you?"

The satisfaction of throwing these questions felt oddly familiar—she finally understood the amusement Cheng Jun must have felt before.

Then, with a mocking glance at Shen Yi, she added,

"Another ex-girlfriend?"

Shen Yi exhaled deeply, gripping Shu Yunyi’s arm.

"Just sit down first, okay?"

The boat was small, and any sudden movement risked tipping them over—both literally and figuratively.

After a brief struggle, Shu Yunyi relented, settling onto the farthest seat.

Now, the two women sat in silence—one poised with effortless grace, the other rigid with tension.

Their eyes never met, yet the air between them thickened with unspoken hostility.

Shen Yi felt like an insect trapped in amber, suffocating under the weight of the moment.

A dull ache pulsed in his temples.

"Who is she?"

The question came simultaneously from both women, their voices overlapping.

"Xiao Yi/Hubby, you explain!"

Arguing between themselves would lead nowhere—the answer had to come from Shen Yi.

Despite her earlier bravado, Shu Yunyi was mostly bewildered.

How could someone suddenly claim the man she thought was hers alone?

A former girlfriend was one thing, but this woman seemed far more like a current partner.

Fu Nanzhi, meanwhile, was still processing the whiplash.

One moment, they had been lost in romance; the next, everything had spiraled out of control.

She never imagined that aside from Cheng Jun, there could be another woman entangled with Shen Yi—and from the looks of it, their relationship ran deeper than mere ambiguity.

The boat fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of water.

The atmosphere shifted from tense to outright surreal.

If this were a simple case of a cheating scandal, things might have been easier—screaming matches, accusations, or at least some cathartic outburst.

But both women had reasons they couldn’t—or wouldn’t—back down.

Each believed herself to hold the upper hand, creating a bizarre stalemate.

Yet the fuse had been lit. A single spark would ignite an inferno.

Seeing that he had momentarily stabilized the situation, Shen Yi wiped his brow (though no sweat was there).

As the man in this mess, he had to take responsibility—he couldn’t let them escalate further.

Steeling himself, he finally spoke.

"Listen, both of you… This is complicated, so bear with me."

Then, turning to Shu Yunyi, he gestured toward Fu Nanzhi and said evenly,

"This is Fu Nanzhi."

"We met when I was working at Tiancheng Corporation… and we started dating then."

"Right now… she’s my girlfriend."

His tone was measured, but the words came out through gritted teeth.

Fu Nanzhi brightened instantly, while Shu Yunyi’s fists clenched, her heart sinking.

Shen Yi noticed but didn’t offer comfort—instead, he immediately turned to Fu Nanzhi and continued...

"This is Shu Yunyi."

"She was my university professor, and you could say she was my first love... though it was unrequited at the time."

"As for now..."

"She's... also my girlfriend."