The night deepened, the city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows twinkling like scattered stars. Su Yan retrieved the gilded gift box from the depths of her wardrobe, her fingers tracing the embossed characters reading *"Changwang Lingerie"* as a mischievous smile played on her lips. Three hours earlier, she had deliberately sent her live-in boyfriend Zhou Xu away when the delivery arrived—now, the sound of running water from the bathroom bought her these final moments alone.  

The black lace inside the box shimmered with a pearl-like sheen under the warm light, the French mesh fabric gliding over her waistline like a second skin. Su Yan studied her reflection—the sheer cut-out patterns sprawled across her collarbone and thighs like shadows sketched by moonlight. As she fastened the bow behind her neck, the soft click of the bathroom door unlocking interrupted her thoughts.  

 

"You took so long drying your hair today..." Zhou Xu stepped into the bedroom, towel-drying his hair, when his words abruptly halted. His gaze landed on the edge of the bed—where Su Yan pretended to be engrossed in a magazine, the crossed leg letting the lace hem slip to a precarious angle. She hadn’t noticed *Vogue* was upside down for the past three minutes.  

 

The moment the AC breeze grazed her skin, she heard the subtle catch in his throat. "New sleepwear?" When Zhou Xu braced a knee against the mattress, the scent of cedarwood shower gel curled around them. Su Yan blocked his reaching hand with the magazine: "Just testing someone’s observational skills." But her fingertip deliberately brushed the callus on his palm. "So someone *did* notice the grapevine embroidery along the lace trim?"  

Zhou Xu’s low chuckle vibrated against her through the fabric: "More than the embroidery..." He tugged the magazine aside, revealing the product catalog hidden beneath—Changwang’s satin ribbon logo beside the words *"Sensory Exploration Collection."* "What I really want to know," his breath warmed the shell of her ear, "is why page 17 is dog-eared in the buying guide?"  

 

Su Yan flushed, lunging for the catalog, the lace strap slipping off her shoulder. Outside, neon lights shifted hues, casting their tangled silhouettes against the wall—hazy, fluid, like the lingerie set she’d circled on page 17 after a week of *research*. Now, the lace corset unfurled into reality under Zhou Xu’s palms.  

As the night wind lifted the curtains, Su Yan recalled the product page’s tagline: *"A translucent invitation."* Zhou Xu’s nose skimmed the nape of her neck, seeking the bow’s loose end, while the forgotten gift box lay at the foot of the bed. Inside its lid, gilt letters glimmered faintly in the moonlight:  

 

**Changwang Romance Series—Every carefully staged accident is love’s most honest grammar.**