Facing temptation, would one choose to succumb or indulge without consequence?
Director Chen extinguished the screen, a silent battle waging within him.
The person on the other end of the line wasn't in a hurry, patiently awaiting his answer.
After a long pause, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "No, Su Yue, you have to understand, what I want is not just this kind of appeasement."
He paused again before continuing, "Why can't we talk about what happened back then, talk about whether you missed me after you left without a word, talk about why you insisted on not contacting me."
"When you want to escape, I won't force you to stay, but if you want to come back, you have to make me believe you won't leave again."
"I don't want to experience that feeling again."
Under the night sky, the man's expression was calm, his voice steady, devoid of strong emotion, yet incredibly sincere.
Su Yue was taken aback.
These were things she had certainly thought of discussing with him.
She had simply intended to talk after they slept, when she wouldn't be so nervous.
It took courage to open up someone who preferred to avoid intimacy.
Just like back then, if he hadn't been so despondent after a mission that he couldn't sleep, she wouldn't have told him about her biological father.
That's why she always wanted to sleep with him…
"It's okay if you don't want to talk, I can wait," the man's voice came again, much gentler.
Even if he was unhappy, he still wanted to consider her feelings first.
Su Yue fell silent for a moment, then finally sighed softly, "If I didn't miss you, I wouldn't have stopped contacting you."
The statement was contradictory, but the person on the other end clearly understood her meaning.
Because she missed him, she cared. The more she cared, the more guilty she felt after regaining her composure.
Someone with an avoidant personality would be even more hesitant to contact the other person.
Without giving him a chance to speak, she softly added, "You know everything that happened back then. I approached you with a purpose. You've already discovered everything I wanted to hide. I… I don't know what else there is to say."
The man's grip on his phone tightened as he looked at the call interface, lost in thought for a moment.
Through his earpiece, the girl's gentle voice spoke again, "I'm really not leaving this time. Trust me one more time, okay?"
Silence.
Su Yue held her breath, lowering her gaze, waiting for his reply.
Finally, he spoke.
"Okay, I trust you."
So simple?
Su Yue's eyes widened, finding it incredible.
"So… are we… back together now?" she asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
But she heard a grunt from the other end, "Dreaming of good things, are we? You left for a few days, and you've only been coaxing me for a few days?"
"Every time you try to drag me home, attempting to take shortcuts."
"Be patient, I'm still angry."
Su Yue: …
She never realized he had such a temper before.
His promotion seemed to have made him more belligerent.
"Yes, Director Chen, I'll coax you. But you have to promise to give me more chances."
She suddenly lowered her voice a little, with a touch of sweetness, "Because I miss you too, so incredibly much, I miss you so much that I can barely sleep or eat."
There was another few seconds of silence.
Then a voice filled with feigned annoyance came through, "British food really is too oily, it's made you greasy."
"…"
This short conversation seemed to have dissolved an invisible barrier. Even though the man still maintained his aloof and languid demeanor, a touch of their former warmth had returned.
They talked late into the night, with Su Yue recounting many of her experiences abroad.
It wasn't until almost midnight that she reluctantly hung up the phone at his urging.
What she didn't know was that after ending the call, Director Chen once again looked at her photos.
Feeling a wave of heat, he lit several cigarettes in succession, before finally taking his phone to the bathroom.
He stayed up nearly two hours later than her.
***
The interview with the Ministry of Public Security was scheduled for Wednesday. In the preceding days, Su Yue's main responsibility was to finalize the interview drafts with the police officers being interviewed.
Her primary task was communicating with Director Chen, as he was a central figure throughout the interview.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, she managed to flirt a bit without neglecting her work.
Finally, Wednesday arrived.
She woke up early that morning, showering, applying makeup, and choosing her attire, dressing neatly and elegantly.
After tidying herself up in the mirror for the final preparations, Reporter Su displayed a confident smile.
She then slung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the television station.