The man’s reminder reminded Qin Shu of the dagger still hidden under her clothes. It was strange that he had not attempted to remove it from her person.

  She had used the dagger to threaten him twice, now. On both occasions, she had had the chance to kill him.

  Qin Shu looked at the man in front of her. His eyes were covered with a snowy gauze that complemented his pale skin.

  The gauze covered everything above his nose. No one could discern his features from the nose up.

  The most they would be able to tell was that he had a straight nose.

  His lips, however, were nice and shapely. If they were anything to go by, he was almost certainly a good-looking man.

  The man edged two steps closer to Qin Shu, hoping to bridge the gap between them.

  Noticing his actions, Qin Shu took an unconscious step back. Even at this distance, she could smell the sweet fragrance of his shower gel. “Stop dreaming of the impossible. I’m not going to sleep in bed with you.”


  “Can’t I touch you, at the very least?” The man asked softly, looking aggrieved.

  “.……” Qin Shu rejected him instantly. “No.”


  “What are you afraid of?” The man asked.

  “I just don’t want to sleep in the same bed with a man I hardly know. It doesn’t matter whether we each stick to our own sides of the bed.” Qin Shu said.

  The man pursed his lips and remained silent upon hearing the conviction in her words. Sighing, he turned around, padding to the sofa in slow, mournful steps.

  The view of the man’s silhouette from where Qin Shu stood looked like he had been grievously wronged. He looked…… lonely.

  Why did it feel like she was bullying him?

  He was the one who insisted that she sleep in the same room as he did!

  “Then let’s share a room.” The man parted from her side with those few words before lying down on the sofa again.

  Qin Shu stood by the bed, watching the man return to his original position on the couch. She knew his words were the only concession he was willing to make for her.

  “Meow!”


  President Ba, whose body had been curled into the shape of a doughnut, raised his head and stared up at Qin Shu with glimmering eyes.

  Helpless, she laid down beside her cat, leaning into his soft fur. She tickled his ears and squeezed his paws. She comforted herself with the knowledge that she still had President Ba if no one else.

  “Meow……” President Ba yawned. It seemed like he wanted to back to sleep.

  She really could not sleep with a stranger in the same room as she was.

  Qin Shu hardly slept that night.

  The next day……

  The man took her sunbathing. Like the day before, she spent the early part of the morning asleep. She slept like a log for three whole hours.

  The sun in winter shed its warm rays, lulling her to sleep. She was so comfortable reclining in her chair that her eyes closed of their own volition.

  The man lying on the deck chair beside her accompanied her quietly for those three hours. He listened to her light, rhythmic breaths without complaint.

  It certainly was easy to fall asleep under such pleasant conditions.

  Five metres away from the glass wall……

  The three of them stood together and looked at the same place. Their master was sunbathing with a woman. Was she sleeping?

  The trio of assassins had been paying close attention to their master and the woman sleeping beside him. They had even slept together in the same room!

  The answer seemed obvious to anyone looking in on the scene. What else would a man and woman be doing in the same room outside of making love? Their master and that woman were probably in a relationship together.

  “Who exactly is she? Do any of you know?” Yin Xie asked with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

  “I don’t know. Our master seems to treat her very well……” Ming Yan concluded from his extensive observations the previous day.

  “Does our master like her?” Yin Shi could not help but ask.

  “Who is this that master likes?”


  A woman’s voice chimed in from behind them. The three men turned their heads at the same time and saw Yin Yue walking over.

  Yin Yue was also a guard. She specialized in protecting men. She wore a black leather trench coat which lent her an air of cold elegance.

  “Did you just return?” Yin Xie asked.

  “Yes.” Yin Yue walked over. “Did you say master likes someone?”


  “It’s only a guess. A woman suddenly appeared in the villa. Master treats her very well.” Yin Shi pointed at the figure of the sleeping woman on a deck chair.

  Yin Yue looked in the direction Yin Shi was pointing in. She saw two individuals lying on deck chairs. They were sunbathing. One was master, and the other was a woman.

  “Who is she?” Yin Yue gestured at the woman sleeping beside their master.

  Yin Xie inhaled a drag. “I don’t know. Master said she’s a guest.”


  “A guest?” Yin Yue’s eyes could not contain her doubt.

  “Let’s ignore her for now. Our most pressing concern is still securing an antidote for our master. Yesterday, Gu Yan checked his pulse and said that if an antidote is not administered soon, our master will……”


  Yin Shi choked on his words, unable to complete his sentence.

  “What will happen to our master?” Yin Yue pressed on, a bad premonition worming its way into her heart.

  “What will happen? Tell me!” Yin Xie could not help but raise his voice anxiously.

  Yin Shi regarded his comrades with great difficulty, forcing the words out of his throat. “He won’t live more than a year.”


  They were so shocked by Yin Shi’s words that they failed to respond. Was their master really going to die in less than a year’s time?

  “A-A year? Did that man, surnamed Gu, really say that?” Yin Xie asked in disbelief.

  “I heard it with my own ears.” He, too, hoped beyond hope that Gu Yan had been lying.

  A heavy silence descended. None of them wanted to believe that their master was going to die.

  –


  –


  Later, that night……

  Qin Shu took a shower and stepped out of the bathroom, waiting for the man to lie down on the sofa before she went to bed.

  As soon as she lay down, she heard the man speak, “Are you so afraid of what I’d do to you that you can’t sleep at night?”


  “How did you know I was up all night?”


  She propped herself up with both hands on the bed and focused her attention on the man reclining on the sofa. As far as she knew, the man had slept soundly all night.

  So how did he know that she hadn’t slept at all?

  “You were breathing rather heavily last night. The dark circles under your eyes were another giveaway. This morning, you fell asleep the moment you were seated comfortably on the deck chair,” the man said slowly.

  “Didn’t you sleep at all?”


  How else could he have known she was awake if he had not been awake himself?

  The man neither admitted to being awake nor denied it. Instead, he said, “If I really wanted to do something to you, I could have done so at any time. I wouldn’t need to wait for either day or night.”


  Seeing her so fatigued, he could not bear the thought of waking her as she slept whilst sunbathing.

  The man added, “This is my territory. Your martial prowess can’t compare with mine. Swallowing you whole would be a piece of cake. You’d be helpless to resist.

  The man’s earnest declaration stunned Qin Shu.

  “Sleep.” The man intoned.

  A stillness settled over the room the instant he finished speaking.

  Qin Shu blinked. The man’s words held merit. Sighing, she slumped into bed and slept. She slept peacefully that night.

  When next she awoke, she learnt that two days had already passed and only one day was left to their agreement.

  With this thought in mind, she closed her eyes. Just one more day……

  The man lounging on the sofa listened to Qin Shu’s soft breathing and smiled

  The next day……

  The sun shone brightly in the sky.

  The man woke early. After washing up, he changed his clothes and marched over to where Qin Shu slept.

  Hovering over her, he untied the knot that fastened the gauze to his face. The silken gauze fluttered to the ground, landing at his feet.

  The man had his eyes closed. His eyelashes were very long and they curved delicately around his eyes. A layer of moisture clung to his long lashes – the residue of the medicine he had applied three days before.

  Slowly, he opened his eyes for what was the first instance in three days.