Fu Tingyu froze. It was the first time any woman had ever called him Baby Yu. It was a childish nickname but it felt intimate.

  His lips flattened into a thin line. “You have finally decided to return.”


  He spoke softly as if he was talking in his sleep. If she had not been close enough to him, she would not have heard him speak.

  Qin Shu rested a hand on the bed and leaned closer to him. The heavy smell of alcohol clung to him like a second skin. No wonder she hadn’t seen him in the study. Did he go out for a drink?

  Brushing aside the messy locks that concealed his eyes and forehead, Qin Shu stared into a pair of sharp eyes glinting with a terrifying light. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

  Her voice was soft and sweet, like a burbling spring or the gentle thrum of a zither.

  With his hair out of the way, Qin Shu’s beauty shone through. He saw her in his dreams and each time he did, a smile would bloom on his lips from the light she radiated.

  Ah. As expected. Dreams really were different when one was drunk. She even said that she missed him.

  An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air, prompting Qin Shu to ask, “Did you miss me?”


  Fu Tingyu arched his phoenix-like eyes.

  His voice rumbled in her ears, “I miss you so much that my heart aches.”


  Tears welled up in her eyes and her nose felt stuffy. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t.

  Suddenly, Fu Tingyu grabbed her arm and pulled her into bed with him. He wrapped his strong arms around her, nuzzling her soft hair against his cheeks.

  His actions had been so abrupt that Qin Shu did not have the chance to protest. Lying in Fu Tingyu’s arms, breathing in his comforting scent, listening to the stable beat of his heart, she never felt more at ease.

  The arms around her tightened, as if fearing she would disappear they were to slacken in the slightest.

  When he came back from the capital, he really hated the empty feeling in his arms. He didn’t know how to spend the long night without the smoke accompanying him.

  When he returned from the capital, Fu Tingyu hated the emptiness that beset him – the absence of a familiar weight in his arms. He had lost count of the number of nights spent alone with only the cloying smoke of his trusty cigarettes accompanying him.

  All was still, for a time.

  –


  –


  Meanwhile, at Mo Chengyu’s villa……

  Yang Yuan helped Mo Chengyu into the villa. She supported him up to the master bedroom on the second floor and threw him onto the large European-styled bed that occupied the greater part of the room.

  Though Mo Chengyu was dissatisfied by how rough Yang Yuan was treating him, he was so drunk that everything in the room seemed to spin in dizzying circles. Even getting up was a struggle in and of itself.

  Yang Yuan clapped her hands together in disgust, dusting off an imaginary layer of filth. Ignoring Mo Chengyu’s garbled protests, she turned a curious eye around the room. It was tidier than she thought it would be and the furnishings were tasteful.

  The picture painted by Mo Chengyu’s room seemed at odds with the image of a playboy he projected.

  Mo Chengyu got up with great difficulty. Though his steps were unsteady, he managed to stagger his way to the bathroom. He did not bother closing the door behind him. He simply stripped himself, turned the faucet, and relished in the warm water that spouted out of the shower head.

  The sound of running water could be heard. Yang Yuan tilted her head to look at the bathroom and realized that the door was open.

  Yang Yuan tilted her head in the direction of the bathroom and realized that the door had been left ajar. She could hear the sound of running water gushing within.

  “.……”


  Having nothing else better to do, Yang Yuan made herself comfortable on the couch. She picked up a magazine sitting on the short table beside her. It was a rather popular periodical overseas. Flipping to the first page, she immersed herself in the world within.

  It was not long before she heard footsteps approaching her. Looking up, she saw Mo Chengyu exiting the bathroom. Around his midriff was a white towel. His black hair had taken on a glossy sheen with the water soaking it through, and his cheeks glowed with a heady flush.

  Mo Chengyu was 1.86 meters tall and had a well-proportioned figure. Although he was not muscular per se, his body was reasonably toned.

  His skin was supple and as fair as jade – it was in no way inferior to a woman’s.

  Aside from a scar left by a knife wound at his waist, his skin was flawless.

  It was this knife wound that lent him a dangerous air that men should have.

  In his inebriated state, Mo Chengyu was not conscious of the fact that there was a woman in his room. Yang Yuan took this opportunity to size him up, critiquing his looks without restraint.

  Mo Chengyu sauntered to his bed groggily. He slipped out of his shoes and laid on the soft bedding he knew to be his own – the familiar scent was a dead giveaway. He fell asleep the moment his head landed on his fluffy pillows.

  Putting the magazine back where she had gotten it, Yang Yuan made her way over to Mo Chenyu’s side. A cursory inspection was enough for her to ascertain that he had fallen asleep.

  Seeing that she would not be disturbed, Yang Yuan picked out a nightgown from Mo Chengyu’s closet and went for a shower.

  When she stepped out of the bathroom a while later, she wore a navy blue nightgown that was a few sizes too big for her. Since it was supposed to fit a man and not a woman, it was to be expected. Mo Chengyu was larger than she was, after all.

  It was not a comfortable fit but there was nothing she could do about it. Sighing, she decided to make do with what she had.

  Trudging her way to the other end of the bed, she slipped off her heels and laid down to rest. She did not have any energy left to be bothered by Mo Chengyu anymore. Sleep came swiftly, and soon she was out like a light.

  Perhaps it was the bed or the unfamiliar surroundings she found herself in but Yang Yuan’s sleep was a restless one. Despite how tired she was, she found herself waking up at odd hours throughout the night.

  The next morning……

  Mo Chengyu woke with a terrible hangover. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the sleeping face of a woman lying beside him. Stunned, it took him several seconds to shake off the drowsiness that plagued him.

  Yang Yuan had awoken some time ago but she was too lazy to open her eyes. When she felt Mo Chengyu stir from his slumber, she opened them and beheld his handsome face in hers.

  She did not say a word and waited for Mo Chengyu to speak.

  Mo Chengyu quelled his agitation after a few deep breaths. “What are you doing here? I thought we agreed to have you……”


  Yang Yuan interrupted him before he could finish. “You were the one who prevented me from going with him last night.”


  After saying that, Yang Yuan lowered her eyes, refusing to look at Mo Chengyu.

  In his eyes, Yang Yuan’s refusal to look at him was a result of her shy nature. Did something unspeakable happen the previous night?

  Mo Chengyu sat up. The towel draped around his waist slid to the ground as he did so. Hastily, he bent down to retrieve it, wrapping it around his midsection with his back turned to Yang Yuan.

  He then walked straight to the bathroom.

  By the time he exited, he was already dressed neatly. The embarrassment from before had been replaced with his usual flamboyant persona. “What is it you want?”


  Yang Yuan tugged at the hem of her nightgown, not once meeting Mo Chengyu’s gaze. Instead, she stared out the window and said, “I need a set of clothes.”


  “I’ll have someone to send a set over.”


  Mo Chengyu had a butler of his prepare a set of women’s clothes for Yang Yuan as soon as she made her request.

  Whoever served Mo Chengyu was certainly efficient and it did not long for a set of women’s clothes to be sent over.

  Mo Chengyu received the clothes and handed them to Yang Yuan. “Try it on. Let me know if it does not fit.”


  “Okay.” Yang Yuan accepted the clothes and walked into the bathroom.

  Mo Chengyu glanced at the bathroom, a hint of annoyance wound its way around his features. Did he have too much to drink last night?

  Regret weighed heavily on his shoulders. Just then, the bathroom door opened and Yang Yuan stepped out, carried her sling bag and was preparing to…… leave?

  Mo Chengyu was bewildered by abrupt actions. He did not know where she was going and hurried after her.

  He chased her down shortly but decided against stopping her. Rubbing his temples, he tried to piece together what she had been trying to convey.

  What did she mean when she said he had prevented her from going with Fu Tingyu?

  Did she mean that nothing transpired last night?

  Mo Chengyu watched as Yang Yuan rounded a corner and disappeared from his line of sight. He felt a pang of inexplicable guilt eating away at him. Maybe he was just overthinking things……