It was brighter in the room than it was in the car, allowing Fu Tingyu to capture Qin Shu’s beauty in greater detail.

  His eyes were obsidian pools that drank in her every expression, waiting in aching patience for her answer.

  Qin Shu blinked uncertainly. She vaguely recalled the contents of a video call she had shared with Fu Tingyu a while back. Had he not raised it, she would probably have forgotten it completely.

  She did not think he would remember an event that had taken place so long ago.

  Yet, when she took the time to recall the matters that had taken place then, she remembered it more clearly than anyone else.

  Qin Shu avoided his pitch-black eyes whilst saying, “Didn’t I say that I was going back to River City?”


  Fu Tingyu watched Qin Shu lower her head shyly. It was a sight he could not get enough of. “You have said it before. You have said it to my face. Now…… I’m right here.”


  Qin Shu chewed on her lips. She did not know how to respond.

  Leaning in closer, Fu Tingyu whispered coyly, “Do you want to, or don’t you?”


  Under Fu Tingyu’s passionate gaze, Qin Shu wanted nothing more than to bury her head in his chest to avoid his teasing. She would rather let her actions speak for themselves.

  Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him.

  When faced with a girl’s initiative, men have no resistance.

  The dark clouds hanging in the sky had dispersed. Pale streams of moonlight filtered through the window, casting long shadows across the room.

  Nestled in Fu Tingyu’s arms, Qin Shu listened to the strong, steady beat of his heart. It was soothing in a way she could not explain, and it was long before she was lulled into a deep sleep.

  Fu Tingyu held Qin Shu’s sleeping figure in his arms. He was reluctant to let go of her. Lowering his eyes to feast upon every inch of her unconscious form, Fu Tingyu burned every line, every contour of her being into his living memory.

  Qin Shu’s sleeping face was sweet and her cheeks smouldered with a dusting of red. Even in her sleep, she was beautiful. She was so beautiful that it took his breath away.

  He brushed aside several stray locks of her hair and caressed her sleeping form with loving regard. She was flawless.

  Moving his hand away, Fu Tingyu allowed the curtain of her hair to fall. It draped over her face and gently tickled her skin. Her eyelashes trembled at the touch, fluttering like the wings of a butterfly.

  He pressed her body against his, felt the intermingling heat spread out from his arms and up towards his chest. With Qin Shu resting quietly in his arms, he too laid down to rest.

  His sleep was a fitful one full of dreams. At times, a frown would mar his lips and irritation would taint his brows.

  When he woke the next day, he could not call up any of the images he dreamt of. It was all a haze of indistinct shapes and unfamiliar voices.

  Fu Tingyu opened his eyes and frowned slightly. Even if he couldn’t remember the dream last night, he could roughly guess what kind of dream it was.

  Although he could not remember the dream in detail, he vaguely sensed that it had something to do with the time he spent learning martial arts. He tried his best to fish for more information from his fragmented dreams but to no avail.

  Only the bitter taste of sorrow remained.

  He studied the girl in his arms. Her eyes were knitted shut and the droning sounds of sleep clung to her still.

  Stretching his aching limbs, he picked up his watch that had been sitting by his bedside table and noted the time. It was ten past seven.

  He returned his watch to its perch beside his bed. He did not intend to get up. Instead, he hugged the sleeping girl at his side and lay down again.

  Imperial University, Room 205

  Mu Ke glanced in the direction of Qin Shu’s bed. She had not returned last night and the only explanation he could think of was that she had gotten a room with a man.

  Qin Shu may have looked innocent on the surface but Mu Ke knew her well enough to know the skeletons she kept in her closet. It was simply disgusting.

  Rolling her eyes, Mu Ke whipped out her phone. Qin Shu had taken a video of herself last night and if she had posted another then it would prove that she had not returned the night before. They were both adults. She could hazard a guess as to what Qin Shu had been up to all night.

  Knock, Knock.

  Mu Ke frowned. Qin Shu must have returned and found the door locked. She probably did not think to bring her keys along with her.

  She wanted to see just how much ‘fun’ Qin Shu had had last night.

  Walking to the door, Mu Ke unlocked it hoping to catch a glimpse of Qin Shu’s bedraggled figure.

  Qin Shu was not at the door. Instead, she came face to face with Jun Li. She had been anticipating a good show but her hopes were almost instantly smashed when she finally registered the man standing before her.

  Anyone who had met a man as handsome as Jun Li would have found themselves in a similar position.

  Jun Li stood there unphased by Mu Ke’s gawking. He had experienced it one too many times in the past and had gotten used to it. Ignoring her decidedly impolite stare, he asked, “Is Qin Shu here?”


  Mu Ke only reacted after a long while. He remembered that Qin Shu Ye did not return home, so he took this opportunity to let Jun Li know what kind of Woman Qin Shu was.

  It took some time for the cogs in her head to resume spinning but when they did, she knew an opportunity had come knocking. With Qin Shu out of the way, she could hang out all her dirty laundry and convince Jun Li of how despicable she really was.

  “She’s not here. She didn’t come back last night and I do not know where she went.”


  Jun Li frowned when he heard Mu Ke’s response. “She went out last night and hasn’t come back yet?”


  Mu Ke peeked at Jun Li’s expression through the corner of her eyes and smiled. Jun Li probably girls like Qin Shu.

  Nodding vigorously, she continued. “Yes, she went out around nine last night. She had not returned when I went to bed. I have not seen her all morning either.”


  “Professor Jun, come in and have a seat.”


  He had made the effort to pay Qin Shu a visit. Naturally, he ought to sit for a while. It was also a way he could show off.

  “Thank you.”


  Jun Li walked in and surveyed Qin Shu’s bed. The bedding had been folded neatly. He walked up to the desk. Sitting on the table was a laptop. It did not look like it was on.

  Next to the laptop was a book. It was open. Jun Li’s slender fingers hovered over it, tracing the picture on the book’s cover. It was a book on pharmacology. Its contents described various methods of studying and identifying the medicinal properties of herbs.

  Mu Ke eyed Jun Li’s actions with contempt. Gritting her teeth, she stalked towards Qin Shu’s bed and asked carefully, “Professor Jun, do you need anything to drink?”


  “No, thank you.” Jun Li replied without even raising his head. Leafing through the book from one page to the next, Jun Li discovered a note sequestered within. It was written elegantly and carried with it a flamboyant flourish that flowed like water. It was not the neat but graceful handwriting of an ordinary girl.

  Jun Li’s polite rejection left her feeling a little disappointed. She did not know anything about Jun Li’s preferences and it left her with nothing she could use to start up a conversation.

  Poking its head out of the pet house, President Ba, Qin Shu’s cat, cried out aggrievedly, “Meow.”


  He was thirsty, hungry and in need of a walk.

  Jun Li spared a glance for the creature mewing pitifully at his feet. President Ba peered up at him from beneath Qin Shu’s desk, a woeful expression of having been wronged coloured its feline features.

  “Your master isn’t here,” he said softly.

  “Meow!” President Ba cried out plaintively again.

  Taking in the sight of President Ba’s pitiful appearance – as if he were about to starve to death – a muted bark of laughter escaped Jun Li’s lips. “Would you like some fish?”


  When the word ‘fish’ was mentioned, President Ba’s eyes lit up like stars. “Meow!”


  The corners of Jun Li’s mouth curled up into a smile. “If you want to eat fish, I’ll take you out to have some.”


  Jun Li’s interest in the cat was not lost on Mu Ke. Could it be that Jun Li liked cats?

  If Jun Li knew the kind of woman Qin Shu was, would he still like Qin Shu’s cat?

  If you love a person, you will be able to accommodate anything and everything about them. If you hate a person, you will hate them regardless of what they might say or do – pets are no exception.

  ?