Chapter 65

Don’t wait for me to eat; go ahead and have your meal first. I rushed home and carefully checked every corner three times, but thankfully, nothing seemed out of place. In the past, when the building was being reinforced, there were rumors among the residents about thieves breaking in, so whenever I saw scaffolding on the building, my heart would tighten with anxiety. That night, the alarm clock had already struck 11, and my husband still hadn’t come back. Maybe he wasn’t planning to return that night. I picked up my phone and, sure enough, saw his text message, sent quietly at some unknown time.

It was just the beginning of autumn, and the night was still a bit restless and stuffy. I tossed and turned for a long time before finally drifting off to sleep. In a daze, I saw the curtain move, and a dark figure flashed past the window into my bedroom. Instinctively, I sat up in bed, but before I could utter a word, someone covered my mouth. He whispered, “Don’t scream, or I’ll kill you.” A gleaming watermelon knife flashed before my eyes, and my heart trembled involuntarily. The light from the building across the street filtered through the curtains, so the room wasn’t completely dark. I couldn’t see his face, but his eyes were clearly visible. He wasn’t a vicious person after all; there was even a hint of handsomeness in his features. He said fiercely, “Give me 3,000 yuan. I’ll pay you back. Don’t report this.” He waved the large knife in front of me, and the cold gleam stung my eyes. I quickly took out the money I had just withdrawn that day from my bag: “This is what I withdrew today, meant for my child’s school fees. It’s about 3,000 yuan. That’s all I have.” Without even looking, he stuffed the money into his pocket. “I didn’t ask for more than that. Why all the nonsense?” Then, he shoved me aside forcefully, preparing to walk past me. In that instant, he grabbed the strap of my nightgown and tore it open. The silk nightgown slipped from my smooth shoulders, exposing my full, fair body before his eyes. I froze, and so did he… His gaze lingered on my chest for three seconds before he roughly pushed me down onto the bed and lunged at me like a wild beast. I struggled with all my might, but I was no match for him. His body pressed down on my legs and hands, pinning me like a bound scarecrow, completely immobile. My heart raced wildly, and an indescribable sense of anticipation surged through me. Was it revenge against my husband? Was it a stirring of lust? I didn’t know! All I knew was that I truly felt comfortable. I felt a warmth and a sense of reliance under his weight. My mind was in chaos. I didn’t know if I should push him away, but I really didn’t want to. “Give me a reason!” I told myself. “Hmm! I’ve had too much to drink!” I chuckled inwardly, realizing how absurdly self-deceptive that was. So, I decided to relax and give myself a pleasant night. I lay limp beneath him, letting him have his way. Shyly, I closed my eyes, allowing him to do as he pleased.

His lips and tongue pressed against my tender red lips, savoring my smooth, fragrant lip tips and drinking in my saliva. His kiss made me feel light as air, my whole body weak and soft. Even if I wanted to resist now, I probably wouldn’t have the strength. He seemed quite satisfied with my reaction. He raised his head and smiled—a smile so captivating, filled with an indescribable charm that was utterly mesmerizing. My heart fluttered, and I couldn’t help but lean my lips toward him, like an offering to a man I was infatuated with. I struggled to press my body closer to his, yearning for him to enter me. As our bodies touched, I felt his strong masculine presence, and my face flushed even redder. But after his initial aggression, his kisses gradually became gentler. I found myself slowly enjoying the way his tongue moved like a little snake between my lips and teeth. In that moment, I almost forgot he was a despicable burglar who had broken into my home. In this dangerous little room, I was a lonely woman on the verge of withering away, and he was a man brimming with passion. For just a few minutes, in a daze where morality and shame had no time to intervene, we indulged recklessly. His kisses unknowingly slid past my lower abdomen, and I felt his hot breath on the inside of my thighs. Shyly, I clamped my legs shut. “Open your legs!” His tone was both lingering and commanding. Hearing it, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of heat wash over me. I knew I could no longer resist. He teased and caressed my buttocks, kissing my breasts. My whole body trembled, my thoughts in disarray. Before I knew it, he had buried his head between my legs… “Ah… oh my god…” I simply couldn’t endure his caresses. No man had ever done this to me before. I tried desperately to clamp my thighs together to stop his further advances, but I failed. Under the skillful teasing of his tongue, I lost myself.

“Ah… stop it…” I cried out wildly, fighting the rising flames of desire within me. The intense stimulation twisted my body, and my hands tightly gripped my nearly bursting breasts. My arched lower abdomen rose and fell in rhythm with his movements, as surging waves of lust battered my flesh. My soft, smooth thighs stretched out into the air. Finally, he lifted his body and quickly stripped off his clothes. Before his virile, erect manhood, I felt utterly helpless. He knelt between my legs, lifting my thighs with his hands, and his rigid erection prodded at my sensitive spot again and again. I couldn’t help but twist my body, opening my private space to prepare for his entry. “Ah…” At last, he entered—gently, softly, and slowly. The ample wetness made it almost painless. He didn’t fully enter right away but moved slowly in and out. The inner walls of my body trembled, as if cheering for his arrival. I couldn’t help but squirm, longing to completely engulf all of him. I felt him growing stronger and stronger. With each thrust, he pressed deeper into me until he was fully sheathed within my flesh.

“Oh…” I moaned wantonly, feeling the intensity inside me. He thrust unhurriedly, as if savoring a lavish feast. His hands roamed freely over my body, exploring every corner, tormenting my flesh, forcing me to moan and beg for his gift. “Oh… come on… fuck me… ah… baby…” His movements grew faster and faster. The flames of lust burned my body, and the rising blaze seemed to melt everything about me. At the moment of climax, I completely let go of my body and mind, recklessly uttering lewd words that would make anyone blush. This was unimaginable for me under normal circumstances. I didn’t know what I was doing; I just wanted to fully enjoy this moment.

Suddenly, I heard his low, restrained voice: “Do you feel good? If not, tell me.” In the past, when I was intimate with my first boyfriend, he used to ask the same thing. That simple, familiar phrase immediately ignited my body with fiery passion. I felt like I was desperately trying to grasp something, but I couldn’t hold onto anything. I yearned so intensely, so forcefully, and then his body entered mine. I felt a complete, fulfilling satisfaction—a sensation I had never experienced with my husband. His passion met my response, and I was like a fish drowning in water, deeply submerged by him. Much later, he got up to straighten his clothes and said, “I’ll pay you back, but don’t report this.” His voice was still low but no longer icy. Before he finished speaking, he leaped toward the window, agilely disappearing into the night.

Still in shock, I immediately dialed 110. Before the call connected, I gave up in despair. This criminal knew where I lived. If I reported him, he would surely come back for revenge. I couldn’t bear to imagine the consequences—TV dramas were full of tragic endings where victims were retaliated against. Now, the only person I could turn to was my husband, but his phone was unreachable. By the fifth attempt, the phone still played that gentle yet cold female voice: “The subscriber you dialed is not in the service area.” I hurled the phone to the ground in fury. With the sound of it shattering, my heart instantly broke into pieces, and tears of humiliation streamed down my face.

I lay back on the bed. The scene just now felt like a short TV drama—thrilling, tense, and somewhat surreal. But the bed was no longer the same bed because of that man, a despicable burglar. Everything was different from before.

I didn’t sleep a wink all night. Early in the morning, when I arrived at work, Qingqing, who had walked past me and then turned back, scrutinized me and said, “Hey, sis, did my brother-in-law pamper you last night? You look so radiant.” I glared at her, not wanting to speak. Seeing my expressionless face, she tactfully walked away. I secretly took out a small mirror and indeed found my complexion rosy and glowing. Thinking back to last night, it truly was a close call. If I had encountered a truly vicious criminal, today’s headlines would probably read: “Thief Breaks Into Home in a Certain Neighborhood, Kills Female Resident; Case Under Investigation,” and so on. I spent the entire day in a state of half-unease, half-daze. Even standing in the classroom, I felt muddled. I didn’t really want to go back to that home, but after thinking all day, I couldn’t come up with a better place to go. Hesitantly, I boarded the bus home. My husband still hadn’t returned. He sent a text saying there was a sudden issue at the construction site and he had gone to S City last night, and would be away for about a month. He told me to take good care of myself. I smiled faintly and deleted his message.

That evening, I closed all the windows early and checked them carefully several times before drawing the curtains. I turned on all the lights in the house, big and small, then shut the bedroom door and climbed onto my large bed. I placed a Mongolian knife under the pillow, pressing down on it to feel its cold hardness, which gave me a slight sense of security. The bedspread and blanket were still the ones from the day before. I couldn’t be bothered to change them. Deep down, I was somewhat reluctant to replace them.

In the darkness, I couldn’t fall asleep. The pillow still carried the lingering scent of the man from last night. His body was passionate, his movements gentle, and even his invasive kisses were so wild and unforgettable. With my husband, he had never been this fervent or this considerate. But at thirty, a woman’s soul and body yearn for tender and meticulous care. Yet, to receive it in such a way, and even to miss it, I somewhat despise myself. However, deep in my subconscious, there is a faint anticipation, hoping that man will climb up the high scaffolding again one midnight and come to my room. The reinforcement work on the building is nearing its end, and scaffolding in some areas is slowly being dismantled. That man never came back, and my heart sank with each night of waiting. Honestly, it wasn’t the 3,000 yuan I cared about; I just wanted to see him once more.

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep until after midnight. Suddenly, I heard the curtains rustle slightly, and a figure agilely jumped down from the window. Before I could see clearly, he was already standing in front of me. It was an exceptionally handsome face. He said, “Sis, the construction here ends completely tomorrow. I came tonight to return the money to you.” As he spoke, he handed over a clean kraft paper envelope. Looking at me, his face flushed, he asked, “Can I hold you one more time?” I hesitated and nodded, the uncontainable little desires deep inside me spilling out through my eyes. He walked over and gently wrapped his arms around me. That familiar scent of tobacco ignited the desire rising within me to its peak. I held him tightly, afraid he might vanish at that moment. Suddenly, a thunderous knock at the door startled us both. He let go of me nervously, and I said, “I’ll go check.” He straightened his clothes and deliberately stepped behind the wardrobe. I opened the front door to find two police officers standing there. Shocked, I asked, “What happened?” The police said, “Someone called to report a thief entering your home from the scaffolding downstairs. We came to check.” Startled, I immediately thought of him inside. I quickly said, “That can’t be. I would have known. I’ve been in the house the whole time, and no one came in. The caller must have been mistaken. Thank you.” The two officers exchanged glances and said, “Oh, that’s possible. As long as you’re sure you’re safe, it’s fine. Call the police again if anything happens.” With that, they hurried downstairs.

After closing the door, I returned to the room and saw him standing there, looking utterly uneasy, with an indescribable awkwardness from head to toe, as if he had completely turned into a different, unfamiliar man. A wave of inexplicable disgust washed over me. I didn’t know how my feelings had changed so quickly; I just wanted him gone from my sight. I said, “You should leave.” He looked embarrassed, nodded, and headed toward the window. Impatiently, I said, “Can’t you just use the front door?” He glanced at me, as if wanting to say something but ultimately staying silent. He walked to the door, opened it, and went straight downstairs. Listening to his fading footsteps, I collapsed there, unsure whether to cry or laugh. I opened the envelope he had given me. Inside was a stack of cash, exactly 3,000 yuan. A note slipped out from the envelope: “Here’s the money I borrowed from you. Thank you for not reporting me. You’re a kind woman.” I froze, the money slipping from my hands like a cascade of tangled, bittersweet thoughts.

/

Chapter 36

Having Relations with a Midnight Intruder

Am I the most foolish woman ever? But at thirty, a woman’s soul and body yearn for tender and meticulous care. Yet, to receive it in such a way, and even to miss it, I somewhat despise myself. After work in the afternoon, I saw from a distance that scaffolding had been set up again on the outer wall of the building where we live. I don’t know how old this dilapidated building is, but in my memory, it’s always being reinforced. Getting closer, I realized the scaffolding was less than a meter from our window—easy to step onto and slip right into our bedroom. My heart jolted, and I rushed home, calling my husband as I ran. “When are you coming back today?” Amid the noise on his end, I faintly heard him shout, “I’ll come back once I’m done. Don’t wait for me for dinner. Eat first.” I dashed home and carefully checked every corner three times. Thankfully, nothing seemed out of place. In the past, during building reinforcements, there were rumors of thieves breaking into homes, so whenever I saw scaffolding, I’d get terribly nervous. That night, the clock struck eleven, and my husband still wasn’t back. Maybe he wasn’t planning to come home at all. I picked up my phone and, sure enough, saw his text message, sent quietly at some unknown time.

It was just the start of autumn, and the night was still restless and stuffy. I tossed and turned for a long time before finally drifting off. In a haze, I saw the curtain move, and a dark shadow flickered by the window before slipping into my bedroom. Instinctively, I sat up in bed, but before I could cry out, a hand covered my mouth. A low voice said, “Don’t scream, or I’ll kill you.” A gleaming watermelon knife flashed before my eyes, and my heart trembled. Light from the building across the street filtered through the curtains, so the room wasn’t completely dark. I couldn’t see his face, but his eyes were clearly visible. He wasn’t a vicious person after all—there was even a hint of handsomeness in his features. He growled fiercely, “Give me 3,000 yuan. I’ll pay you back. Don’t report this.” He waved the large knife in front of me again, its cold gleam stinging my eyes. I quickly took out the money I had just withdrawn that day from my bag: “This is what I took out today, meant for my child’s school fees. It’s about 3,000 or so. This is all I have.” Without even glancing at it, he stuffed the money into his pocket. “I didn’t ask for more than that. Why all the nonsense?”