Meanwhile, on the fifth floor.

The elevator doors opened as Yu Li put away her phone and stepped out.

Passing by one of the rooms, she paused to glance sideways at the tightly shut door before continuing toward the innermost office.

She knocked three times. Footsteps approached from inside before the door opened, and the items in her hands were taken by a man whose gentle voice carried faint exasperation.

"I told you there's no need to knock. You can just come in."

Yu Li arched a brow with a playful smile. "Wouldn't want to interrupt your work. And how could you be so sure it was me?"

"There wouldn't be anyone else." Bo Jingmo guided her inside, fingers entwined with hers. "You're the only one who can come up here."

Once they settled on the sofa, he cradled her hand between his palms, kneading it gently. "Tired today?"

The intimacy of his actions felt so natural—as though repeated countless times—one would never guess they'd only just become a couple. Stranger still, he seemed utterly oblivious to how unusual this was.

Yu Li leaned back against the cushions, her gaze drifting to his wrist where familiar white gauze peeked out before she deliberately looked away.

Their unspoken agreement extended beyond physical closeness. Both had maintained silence regarding the fourth floor. She never asked about the origin of his wound, and he never questioned her reasons for going downstairs.

After massaging her hand, Bo Jingmo lowered his head to unpack the lunchbox.

Yu Li propped her chin on one hand, quietly studying his focused profile with an inscrutable expression.

When he turned and met her clear, bright eyes, he blinked in surprise. "What is it?"

She merely narrowed her eyes with a smile. "Nothing. Just thinking how easy it was to win over Director Bo."

Last night, after her confession, the man had frozen on the spot, too overwhelmed to string together coherent words. He'd simply clung to her, stammering, "Really?" Then, as if fearing she might retract her words, immediately blurted his agreement before she could respond.

Their relationship had progressed at breakneck speed. To Yu Li, they were already long-married veterans who'd moved past flustered confessions. But Bo Jingmo lacked those memories—was this pace too rushed for him?

At this thought, she tilted her head closer.

"Would you have agreed just as quickly if someone else confessed? Maybe Director Bo doesn't actually like me but went along with it anyway?"

Bo Jingmo stilled. Dark eyes regarded her solemnly before he leaned in, warm fingertips brushing her cheek with devastating sincerity. "No."

Before she could speak, his thumb traced the curve of her face before feathering over the corner of her eye, voice barely above a whisper:

"Yu Li... I don't know why I'm drawn to you either. But you're different—special to me."

His eyes, deep-set and penetrating, softened with a tenderness so profound it threatened to drown anyone who looked too long.

"You might not believe this, but I couldn't forget you from the moment we met. I worried you'd think it was too fast, so I planned to take things slow. But when you asked me yesterday... I realized I couldn't wait any longer."

As he spoke, that perpetual gentle smile never left his lips. He nuzzled her cheek, lips ghosting over her earlobe as his rich, velvety voice murmured:

"If you think it's too soon, that's alright. We're together now—we'll take our time. Okay?"

The tenderness of his actions would have sent any observer into raptures, overshadowing his words. But Yu Li caught the dissonance. She remained silent, studying him intently.

Her instincts screamed that something was wrong with Bo Jingmo's state.

What did he mean by that last statement? She'd been the one to confess—why would she think it was too fast? Why mention nurturing feelings when they were already together?

It was as if... he was certain her confession had been disingenuous.

He'd seen through her sweet words yet agreed regardless.

Yu Li's original plan had been straightforward: enter a relationship, let Bo Jingmo discover her prior entanglement with the vengeful spirit, provoke his wrath to eliminate the ghost, then maneuver Yu Chi into killing her.

The cruelty of this scheme would reveal how his actions had only hastened her death—making him the true architect of her demise. A brutal but efficient way to show that only by merging with the spirit could he save her.

Now, her plan had derailed at the critical juncture.

Because Bo Jingmo had discerned her ulterior motives.

Worse—her previous assumptions might all be wrong. Perhaps she'd never uncovered this scenario's true antagonist. Not Yu Chi, nor the Bo Jingmo from the fourth floor.

But the man before her.

The realization made her laugh aloud, her eyes sparkling not with shock or anger, but exhilaration.

All that guilt for nothing.

Dropping all pretense, Yu Li cupped his face with both hands, eyes crinkling mischievously.

"You knew all along?"

That her confession had been calculated?

Bo Jingmo's smile remained beatific as he nuzzled her cheek, deftly sidestepping her question. "What are you talking about, sweetheart? Let's eat first, hmm?"

Denied an answer, she mirrored his serene expression. "Alright."

The meal passed in distracted silence. Yu Li barely touched her food before setting down her chopsticks.

Noticing the barely touched dishes, Bo Jingmo frowned, stroking her cheek worriedly. "Not to your taste? You must be hungry after working so hard."

Yu Li kept her eyes closed as she reclined against the sofa. "It's delicious. Just not very hungry."

After a pause, she added quietly:

"Have more faith in your cooking skills, Director Bo."

How could she not recognize these "takeout" health meals were Bo Jingmo's own handiwork?

Caught, the man stiffened—but instead of pleasure, his lips pressed into a thin line, dark eyes swirling with unfathomable emotions.

Suddenly he stood, caging her against the sofa as he leaned down to whisper:

"Was it because of me that you lost your appetite?"

Because he'd exposed everything?

But he couldn't hold back any longer. The waiting had become unbearable.

Before their relationship became official, Bo Jingmo could feign ignorance. Now that she was his, desire yawned like a bottomless chasm, impossible to satisfy.

Yu Li was his girlfriend. His.

And she had to be his—completely.

Nothing else could claim her attention.

Not even another version of himself.