Volume 1, Chapter 185: Indulgence Comes at a Price

When the doorbell rang, Sang Wan had just woken up.

Tapping the touch screen, the elevator automatically ascended. As the doors opened, a bodyguard with a woebegone expression stared blankly for a second before pleading, "Madam, save me!"

What?

Sang Wan blinked, too stunned to ask what had happened.

A low, melancholic voice echoed from upstairs, "What is it?"

She could feel the atmosphere in the living room grow instantly chilly the moment Lou Ye appeared.

Sang Wan seemed to understand.

Glancing at the miserable-looking bodyguard, she walked over to the top of the stairs and waited until Lou Ye sauntered down, then looped her arm through his.

Lou Ye looked at the bodyguard, "What happened?"

"The truck driver confessed and pointed out the person who hired him. That person is an external bodyguard for the Ming family, and the trail ultimately led to Miss Ming."

Just by looking at the bodyguard's guilty expression, anyone could tell something had gone wrong.

Lou Ye's face turned icy. "Don't tell me Ming Qing ran away!"

"No..."

Knowing Lou Ye's temperament all too well, Ming Qing had viciously plotted against Sang Wan. If Ming Qing met with misfortune before Lou Ye could vent his anger, they would all bear the blame.

The bodyguard cast a pleading look at Sang Wan and said, "On her way to the airport, Miss Ming got into a car accident!"

Sang Wan paused in surprise.

Lou Ye was also stunned. "She found out about you guys?"

"No."

The bodyguard's voice lowered even further. "By the time we discovered it, Young Master Hu was already chasing her, and then..."

Lou Ye understood, his gaze turning cold. "So, not only were you derelict in your duty, but you let her slip away? If not for Director Zheng, Ming Qing would probably be eating midnight snacks in New York by now, right?"

"Boss, we..."

"Darling, aren't we just so lucky?"

Lou Ye froze.

Sang Wan's eyes shone brightly. "I escaped her scheme, but she couldn't escape divine retribution. Isn't this what they call getting a taste of your own medicine?"

Tugging Lou Ye toward the dining room, Sang Wan looked back at the gloomy bodyguard. "Alright, everything's fine now, you can go back! ...辛苦了 (Thank you for your hard work)!"

The bodyguard looked at Lou Ye.

Lou Ye glanced at him, then looked back at Sang Wan. "So, now you're even calling the shots for my people?"

"Can't I call these shots?"

Sang Wan let go of his arm.

Lou Ye chuckled, pulling her back into his embrace. "Of course you can."

So, that meant everything was fine, right?

The miserable-looking bodyguard blinked and turned on his heel to leave.

In front of the kitchen island, Lou Ye pulled the resisting Sang Wan securely into his arms, lowering his head to coax her. "Wife, I was wrong! Even I belong to you, so my people are naturally yours. Of course you can call the shots! ...Wife, I was wrong, I was wrong. Please, call the shots for me! As long as you're well!"

She had only been teasing him anyway, but being pricked by his final words instantly melted Sang Wan's already soft heart into a pool of water.

After finishing breakfast and setting off for the Lou Corporation, the traffic reports broadcasted news of the car accident at the airport intersection during the early morning hours.

It had been a razor-thin margin; Ming Qing's car had nearly crashed through the guardrail and plunged off the overpass.

Even so, she had sustained severe injuries and was rushed away by an ambulance immediately. Word had it that she was still in the emergency room.

The Ming family parents had not yet arrived, but the lawyers and police were already there.

If Ming Qing regained consciousness, the very first person she would see when she opened her eyes would definitely be the police.

The car accident incident at the Zhongnan intersection thus came to a full circle, but Sang Wan knew that this justice, arriving neither too early nor too late, was a gift given to her by Lou Ye.

On the last day of January, Sang Wan visited the cemetery.

A large bouquet of fresh lilies sat before the gravestone, as if someone had already been there.

Placing the flowers she brought in front of the stone, Sang Wan reached out to gently touch Sun Yueqing's photograph. "Mom, Su Baohui has been imprisoned..."

The statute of limitations for the case from ten years ago had already passed.

However, the criminal case of Su Baohui hiring someone to commit murder had clear facts, with both human and physical evidence complete, so the verdict was handed down swiftly.

Ten years.

Lin Zhaozhao was implicated in attempted intentional assault and sentenced to two years.

As for Ming Qing, having suffered severe head trauma, she had been transferred from the intensive care unit to a VIP ward for over a week and had yet to regain consciousness.

The doctors spoke of waiting for a medical miracle, though it was uncertain how many people were actually hoping for that miracle to happen.

With the conclusion of the first week of February, the Lunar New Year holiday officially began.

It was already late at night, but the walk-in closet of the mid-level villa remained brilliantly lit.

There were elegant and graceful evening gowns.

Exquisite and breathtaking *qipaos*.

Gentle and intellectual woolen skirt suits.

...

Yet, after changing outfit after outfit, Sang Wan remained unsatisfied.

Glancing at Lou Ye, she let her gaze turn accusatory. "I think you're doing this on purpose..."

Saying every single outfit looked good was no different from offering no opinion at all!

"But they really *do* all look good!"

Lou Ye smiled as he stepped forward, embracing Sang Wan from behind. "Wife, we're just going back to the family estate for New Year's Eve dinner. Don't worry, with me here, no one will dare give you a hard time. As for what to wear..."

His gaze swept over the row of clothes in the wardrobe, and Lou Ye lowered his head to kiss Sang Wan. "I'll personally help you pick tomorrow morning, alright?"

"Really?"

Sang Wan's gaze was skeptical.

Lou Ye nodded with absolute certainty. "I promise!"

Then, with a flick of his fingertip, he pulled one of the *qipaos* from the rack and pressed it into Sang Wan's arms. "You haven't modeled this one for me yet. Wear this one later!"

Taking a clear look at the *qipaos* dangling from his fingertips.

Sang Wan: !!!

Following Lou Ye's instructions, a veteran tailor had crafted dozens of handmade *qipaos* in one go.

Sang Wan had lamented how much of a pity it would be if she gained or lost weight in the future and could no longer wear them.

Lou Ye had transformed into an eloquent debater, coaxing her into trying them on one by one.

This particular *qipaop*, short, form-fitting, and embodying a bewitching and enchanting allure, was one Sang Wan had hidden away the very moment she discovered it.

She never expected him to fish it out.

"Babe, just consider it my Lunar New Year gift!"

"..."

"Wife..."

"!!!"

Powerless to withstand Lou Ye's repeated calls of "Wife," Sang Wan snatched the little *qiapao* and fled like she was running for her life into the bathroom.

After showering and changing, she glanced once in the mirror before her cheeks flushed brilliantly red again, leaving her without even the courage to walk out.

"Lou Ye..."

"Coming!"

Pushing the door open, Lou Ye's instantly brightened gaze gradually turned dark and hazy.

Sang Wan finally learned that night that indulgence came with a price.

It was merely a slightly improper little *qipao*, yet it acted as a catalyst that struck like thunder igniting dry brushwood.

She didn't even get a chance to beg for mercy.

Under the showerhead.

In the bathtub.

In front of the vanity.

...

When they finally returned to the large bed, Sang Wan felt as though she were about to drown in an ocean of extreme ecstasy.

Just as she was slipping into unconsciousness, her phone rang repeatedly.

Lou Ye's phone rang too.

Yet those sounds all vanished into silence just as quickly.

When she finally opened her eyes once more, the floor-to-ceiling windows revealed that the sun was setting in the western sky, plunging dusk upon the world.

Sang Wan: !!!

"Lou Ye, didn't I tell you to wake me up???"

"Wife, don't rush... it's still early!"

Early your big fat head!

This was her very first time visiting the Lou family estate; was this a matter of being early or late?!

Rushing frantically to bathe, wash up, and change clothes, the Maybach roared out of the mid-level villa just as darkness began to fall.

"Young Master is back! Good evening, Young Madam!"

"Good evening, Young Master and Young Madam..."

...

All along the way, greetings rang out ceaselessly.

Pushing open the heavy doors, she was greeted by a bustling crowd and rows of synchronized gazes turning toward them.

Sang Wan's breathing hitched.

Lou Ye looped his arm through hers. "Wife, we agreed, you don't have to save face for me!"

The crowd: ...

Sang Wan: !!!