As the last stubborn streak of sunset clung to the horizon, the night slowly seeped into every inch of the city like ink.
On the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the city lights began to flicker on.
The lingering traces of festive cheer were crushed beneath the blaring horns of the evening rush hour.
At one end of the road, a black Audi A6 glided forward like a silent beetle.
Lin Jianguo gripped the steering wheel but didn't drive straight into the underground garage. Instead, he parked by the curb downstairs, rolled down the window halfway, and let the icy evening wind rush in. He seemed oblivious to the cold as he lit a cigarette with a sharp flick.
Ever since that humiliating night three days ago, Lin Jianguo had felt like an empty shell, a wandering ghost haunting his own home.
For the past few nights, he hadn't returned to the master bedroom, choosing instead to lock himself in the study and sleep on the narrow single bed there.
During the day, even though the company was officially still on holiday, he insisted on driving to the office every day.
At least the empty office offered a sliver of breathing space, unlike what he called home.
He inhaled the smoke, held it in his lungs, then slowly exhaled, watching it curl around his fingers and blur his vision.
Staring at his reflection in the car window, Lin Jianguo felt a sudden unfamiliarity with his own face.
At just forty-six—an age that should have been the prime of his life—his temples were already streaked with stark, glaring strands of silver.
His mental state had hit rock bottom: puffy bags under his eyes, a dull and clouded gaze, the shocking exhaustion of a man completely drained of vitality.
"Ah," he sighed softly, gazing at his own wretched state, before silently stubbing out the cigarette in the car's ashtray.
After parking, Lin Jianguo pushed the car door open, and the biting wind immediately swept in, making him shiver involuntarily.
Inside the security booth at the apartment entrance, Old Zhang, the guard, was bundled in a thick military coat, hunched over as he read a yellowed old newspaper.
Spotting Lin Jianguo approaching, he broke into a familiar, ingratiating smile.
"Back already, Boss Lin? At your age, you shouldn't push yourself so hard. It's time to enjoy life a little."
Lin Jianguo instinctively wanted to nod in agreement, but it was as if all his strength had been drained away. He simply shook his head silently.
Pulling a fresh, soft-pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, he walked over and handed it to Old Zhang.
"For your help during the blackout last time. Here, Happy New Year."
The bright red packet gleamed before Old Zhang's eyes, and they instantly lit up.
"Oh, Boss Lin, this… it was nothing, really," he protested half-heartedly, even as his hands unhesitatingly accepted the cigarettes.
Suddenly, Lin Jianguo felt an impulse. He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing.
In that moment, he wanted to chat with this not-so-close security guard about everyday things, to share the troubles weighing on his heart.
He wanted someone to confirm that he wasn't entirely an isolated island in this world.
But the words caught in his throat, swallowed back down.
What could he possibly say?
That his sex life with his wife had gone sour?
Or that his mind was filled with images of his daughter-in-law's full, pale breasts and that tight, feverish warmth between her legs?
No, no.
In the end, Lin Jianguo found himself at a loss for words.
He simply gave a weary nod and turned to enter the building.
Behind him, Old Zhang was already impatiently tearing open the golden strip of the Zhonghua cigarettes. By the time he expertly tapped out two, lit one with relish, and looked up again, Lin Jianguo's figure had long vanished into the cold corridor.
Inside the elevator, the polished metal walls reflected the man's desolate and lonely silhouette.
The stark white light from the ceiling, like the shadowless lamp of an operating table, illuminated every wrinkle on Lin Jianguo's face, each one a clear mark of aging.
Staring blankly at the flickering red floor numbers, Lin Jianguo suddenly thought to himself: in his nearly fifty years of life, shuttling between banquet tables and factory floors, with thousands of contacts on his messaging apps and countless acquaintances, he didn't actually have a single person he could call a true, heart-to-heart friend.
When he needed someone to confide in, forget about Old Zhang at the door—even if he scrolled through his entire phone contacts, it felt like there wasn't a single number he could trust enough to dial.
"Sigh."
Lin Jianguo let out another heavy sigh, the turbid air stagnating in his chest.
"What, after all, is the point of a person's life?"
He silently asked himself.
Just then, with a "ding," the elevator doors opened.
A certain "warm" atmosphere washed over him.
Lin Jianguo pressed his dry lips together, forcibly suppressing all his chaotic thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he walked to his door and unlocked it with the fingerprint that recorded his identity.
An even warmer air than before enveloped him.
While changing his shoes in the entryway, Lin Jianguo glanced up and saw his wife, Wang Xiulan's plump and graceful figure facing away from him in the living room.
She stood beside the large rosewood dining table, unhurriedly setting out the pristine bowls and chopsticks, each movement exuding an air of elegance and composure.
Today, Wang Xiulan wore a form-fitting black turtleneck sweater paired with a gray bodycon skirt.
The outfit clung to her like a second skin, perfectly accentuating the curves of her mature, voluptuous body and radiating the captivating charm of a married woman.
As she leaned over to arrange the tableware, Lin Jianguo noticed how the black sweater was pushed up by her full, ample D-cup breasts, forming a breathtaking arc. The distinct sway of those mounds beneath the fabric was clearly visible, heavy and fleshy, as if they might burst through the fragile restraint at any moment.
Below, the gray bodycon skirt hugged the rounded curves of her pert buttocks, the hem just reaching mid-thigh and revealing a pair of slender, shapely legs sheathed in flesh-toned stockings.
With every step Wang Xiulan took, those plump buttocks rippled sensually beneath the skirt.
It was as if they silently proclaimed that this mature body still held a fatal allure capable of driving any man wild.
Lin Jianguo couldn't help stealing a few more glances before forcing himself to look away.
Whether it was because the underfloor heating was set too high or not, his throat felt parched.
Wang Xiulan had clearly heard her husband return, but she didn't turn around.
She remained silent until she gently placed the last set of bowls and chopsticks, then called out to their son and daughter-in-law, who were cuddled together on the nearby sofa playing with their phones:
"Xiao Zhe, Xiao Yu, dinner's ready."
Her voice was gentle and laced with a smile, a stark contrast to the coldness she had shown Lin Jianguo earlier.
After speaking, Wang Xiulan glanced at the man by the door as if noticing him for the first time, her tone as flat as if she were addressing a stranger:
"You're off work early today?"
Lin Jianguo was taken aback. He had prepared himself to be completely ignored, just like the past few days—to slip quietly into the study to change his clothes and then silently come out for dinner.
His wife's unexpected remark stirred something in his heart, which had long sunk to the depths.
Lin Jianguo paused, a little flustered, and replied:
"Yeah, there wasn't much going on at the company."
"Go change your clothes quickly. You smell like smoke. Dinner's ready."
Wang Xiulan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, a hint of impatience in her tone.
Yet, to Lin Jianguo, these slightly disdainful words felt like a signal that the ice between them was beginning to thaw.
At that moment, Lin Jianguo thought that perhaps after three days, his wife's anger had subsided a little. He immediately nodded and responded:
"Alright, I'll be right there."
With that, he almost jogged into the study.
Pushing the door open, Lin Jianguo was surprised to find that the study, which he had left in complete disarray, was now neatly organized.
The bed was made, the quilt folded tidily, and the documents on the desk were sorted and arranged properly. A faint, pleasant fragrance still lingered in the air.
There was no doubt—it was his wife, Wang Xiulan, who had done this.
A wave of warmth surged in Lin Jianguo's chest. He felt a slight sting in his nose, and a thought uncontrollably surfaced in his mind:
"After all, we're husband and wife... She still cares about me. She still cares about this family."
But before this warmth could settle in his heart, another thought emerged, chilling his entire body once again.
It was the root of all their problems—his daughter-in-law, Su Yu.
Instantly, that young, beautiful face with its provocative smile and that youthful, fiery body exuding a fatal allure once again invaded his thoughts.
This time, however, Lin Jianguo did not let himself sink into it.
He recalled the torment and humiliation he had endured over the past three days, and a sudden resentment welled up inside him.
"If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have ended up in this state!"
At that moment, Lin Jianguo made a firm resolution in his heart:
"That's right... I shouldn't have anything more to do with her. I can't let her destroy this family completely."
With this resolve and believing that his relationship with his wife had eased, Lin Jianguo quickly changed into his home clothes and hurried out, afraid to miss this rare "warm" moment.
At the dining table, Lin Zhe and Su Yu were already seated, chatting animatedly with their heads close together.
Yet, despite the resolution he had just made, Lin Jianguo's gaze was immediately and firmly drawn to his daughter-in-law.
Today, Su Yu was wearing a light red knitted dress.
The color, not as bold as bright red but tinged with a soft pink hue, complemented her fair, jade-like skin, making it appear so delicate it seemed as if it could be bruised with a touch.
"Youth is truly something," Lin Jianguo sighed inwardly. Even if she were dressed in rags, her beauty would still be breathtaking. And Su Yu's natural assets were already exceptional.
The dress was simple and form-fitting, its upper part snugly contouring Su Yu's breathtakingly curvaceous figure.
Her ample, snow-white breasts—also a D-cup—appeared even more pert and buoyant than her mother-in-law Wang Xiulan's, radiating a youthful elasticity.
As she spoke and laughed, the two full mounds beneath the knitted fabric proudly rose and fell, like pristine snow-capped peaks awaiting a brave climber.
The hem of the dress ended just a palm's width above her knees.
Seated on the chair, the skirt naturally rode up, revealing her long, flawless jade-like legs.
Today, she wore no stockings, leaving her legs bare to the air, their skin as smooth and delicate as fine mutton-fat jade, glowing with an enchanting sheen under the warm light.
Lin Jianguo couldn't help but fix his gaze on his daughter-in-law's legs—legs that could drive any man to madness.
His mind involuntarily drifted back to three days prior, in the dark living room, recalling how his burning palm had caressed those smooth, silky thighs and ventured upward to explore that mysterious, warm softness…
"…It was so much fun! Dad, you have no idea, that roller coaster…"
Just then, Lin Zhe's excited voice cut through like a bucket of cold water, dousing Lin Jianguo's sordid fantasies.
"Huh? Oh, fun, that's great," Lin Jianguo snapped back to reality, responding vaguely as he quickly took his seat and picked up his bowl.
"We wanted to invite Mom along, but she suddenly said she didn't want to go to crowded places like amusement parks," Su Yu's voice chimed in, clear and melodious like an oriole in the mountains.
As she spoke, her sparkling eyes seemed to glance almost imperceptibly in Lin Jianguo's direction, a faint, elusive smile playing at the corners of her lips.
That meaningful glance from his daughter-in-law felt like a barbed feather, instantly tickling the deepest part of Lin Jianguo's heart.
He immediately lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth, not daring to look at her again, though his heart began to race uncontrollably.
Lin Jianguo knew full well that Su Yu was doing it on purpose.
This little temptress was fully aware of his filthy desires for her; she knew that their previous transgression had already strained his relationship with his wife. Yet here she was, subtly teasing him, testing his already frayed nerves.
Dinner that evening was a tasteless, agonizing ordeal for Lin Jianguo.
Meanwhile, the instigator of his turmoil was thoroughly enjoying herself.
Su Yu and her husband, Lin Zhe, shifted the conversation to the amusing anecdotes from their recent class reunion:
"Honey, your classmates are all so fun…"
"I just didn't expect there to be such a beauty in your class."
Lin Zhe looked puzzled, "Who are you talking about?"
Su Yu gestured with her chin and described, "The one about my height, with skin as fair as mine, and a high ponytail."
Lin Zhe suddenly understood, "Oh, you mean Chen Songyue. She's actually a year below us. Somehow, she started dating my buddy Lao Sun at the end of last year—I only found out the day before yesterday."
Su Yu let out a thoughtful "Oh" but didn't press further, steering the conversation back to their adventures at the amusement park.
The world of the young is always filled with sunshine and laughter.
But at the other end of the dining table, an invisible wall of ice still stood between Lin Jianguo and Wang Xiulan.
Watching his son and daughter-in-law's affectionate display, Lin Jianguo's heart was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
A flicker of warmth arose from his innate longing for a happy family, but it was overshadowed by a stronger sense of loss and envy.
He, too, had once possessed such happiness—or rather, he had almost grasped an even more thrilling version of it.
Back then, he had been so close, just a hair's breadth away from completely possessing his daughter-in-law's youthful, fiery body…
Suddenly, as Lin Jianguo's mind began to wander down that path again, he abruptly sensed an unusual gaze fixed on him from beside him. He shuddered, and his thoughts snapped back to reality.
Once more, he resolved to push these troubling thoughts aside and buried his head in his bowl of rice.
And so, the meal finally came to an end, enveloped in two starkly contrasting atmospheres.
Everyone pitched in to clear the table, and for a rare moment, a sense of familial warmth filled the living room.
Just as Lin Jianguo thought the evening would conclude on this uneventful note, Wang Xiulan, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly dabbed her full lips, painted with a muted rose-colored lipstick, with a tissue and spoke softly:
"Xiao Zhe and Su Yu are going back to work tomorrow, right?"
"Mm, yes," Lin Zhe replied as he emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands. "But Su Yu has one more day off than me—she starts work on the sixth."
As he spoke, he cast an adoring glance at his wife, his tone brimming with unconcealed pride:
"Seems her boss was impressed with her project performance and specially granted her an extra day off."
Hearing this, a delicate blush spread across Su Yu's cheeks. Being praised so openly by her husband in front of her in-laws made her a little shy, yet she lifted her snow-white neck with a hint of pride, like a graceful swan:
"Of course! Your wife is the most talented game planner in the world."
Watching the young couple's playful banter, the sense of loss in Lin Jianguo's heart grew even heavier.
No one noticed the fleeting, almost imperceptible glint that flashed in Wang Xiulan's eyes at that moment.
It was the look a hunter gets when prey steps into a trap.
Her husband's disappointment, her daughter-in-law's smug and charming expression, and her son's blissfully unguarded smile—all of it fell squarely within her view.
As if to advance some hidden agenda, in the very next instant, Wang Xiulan set down her tissue, leaned forward slightly, and rested her pale, slender hands gently atop the polished redwood table. A faint smile curled at the corners of her lips:
"Since it's the last day of the holiday, we shouldn't just let it pass by quietly. How about we…"
"Play another round of King's Game?"
The moment the words left her lips, the air in the living room seemed to vanish instantly.
Everyone froze in place.
Lin Zhe's smile stiffened on his face.
Su Yu's triumphant expression shifted into one of momentary bewilderment.
And Lin Jianguo—his head jerked up as he stared at his wife in disbelief.
He saw Wang Xiulan smiling back at him, but the once tender and gentle phoenix eyes now held a chilling light that sent shivers down his spine.
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