“What’s wrong?” Wen Zhilu saw Yan Yunning’s expression shift and his own face changed.

Yan Yunning rubbed her temples, a headache forming. “Nothing. You all eat first. I’ve already settled the bill. Something’s come up — I have to leave.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Jingye, take Lulu to the hotel later. I’ll have someone send the suitcase over to Lulu in a bit.”

Wen Zhilu was dissatisfied. “What is it? Is it that urgent? Didn’t we agree you’d have dinner with me?”

“It’s urgent. Xiaxia’s older sister and Big Brother Jingye can keep you company just as well.” Yan Yunning grabbed the car keys from the table, picked up her bag, and jogged out of the private room.

The emotions churning in Wen Zhilu’s eyes deepened. Xiaxia’s older sister? Big Brother Jingye? She was treating him like the little brother again.

Yan Yunning hurried all the way down to the underground parking garage. At a glance, she spotted the gleaming sports car with its lights on, and standing beside it, three men in black suits — Ye Chen, Ye Jian, and Ye’an.

She walked forward. Ye Jian, perceptive as always, pulled open the rear passenger door for her.

She looked inside and saw Xuan Yanyu, his long lashes slightly lowered, eyes fixed on his phone. She understood immediately — he was angry, and the reason was her.

She could roughly guess why.

Several muffled thuds followed as the car doors were closed, the partition lowered, and the car slowly drove out of the underground garage.

“What’s wrong with you?” Yan Yunning leaned toward him with a smile.

“Stay away from me.” The man’s tone was stiff, his handsome features shadowed with anger.

The citrusy scent on Yan Yunning’s body that didn’t belong to her was so overwhelming it made him feel nauseated.

Not unpleasant by itself — but it turned his stomach all the same.

Yan Yunning fell silent for a moment, then obediently moved to sit as far from him as possible. She said nothing more, just gazed out the window.

An unsettling silence settled over the car. Neither of them spoke another word. The direction the car was heading was not back toward the Xuan estate, but Yan Yunning didn’t ask.

Half an hour later, the car pulled up in front of a European-style villa with grand double black gates. Ye Jian got out and opened the car door. Yan Yunning composed herself and quietly studied the villa before her.

The arched entrance was adorned with gold detailing, wall lanterns hung on either side, and the marble flooring gleamed underfoot. The courtyard was lush with greenery. At its center stood a ring of small angel sculptures surrounding a fountain. The security guard at the gate, upon seeing them approach, pushed the doors open.

“Why did you bring me here?” Yan Yunning asked mildly.

A pleasing smile rose to Xuan Yanyu’s lips. His cold, expressionless eyes settled on Yan Yunning. “If you didn’t want to be with me, you shouldn’t have done things to make me misunderstand from the very beginning.”

“Because—” The man walked slowly toward her, his lowered voice carrying an undercurrent of anger. “People who toy with me never come out of it well.”

Yan Yunning was briefly stunned. “What?”

Xuan Yanyu gave her one cold look, then turned and walked into the villa.

“Miss Yan, please come in.” Perhaps worried Yan Yunning might run, Ye Jian, Ye Chen, and Ye’an lined up side by side, blocking her path.

Yan Yunning studied the three of them with perfect calm and asked with certainty, “What did he see?”

Everything had been perfectly fine when she arrived at the restaurant. Xuan Yanyu had still responded to her messages quickly. She’d arrived at the restaurant and hadn’t even finished eating before he turned angry. What had happened in between?

The four of them were eating together — that wouldn’t make him angry. Even if He Qingxia and Jingye hadn’t been there, if it were only her and Lulu eating, Xuan Yanyu wouldn’t be this furious. At most he’d feel a pang of jealousy. So he must have misunderstood something else.

Something else… what else could there be?

Yan Yunning furrowed her brow, suddenly thinking of the hug at the airport. But that didn’t make sense either — how would Xuan Yanyu have known about it?

He hadn’t known before she went to the restaurant. Who had told him?

“Miss Yan, please come in.” Ye’an gave a professional smile.

Yan Yunning’s eyes shifted slightly. Knowing she couldn’t count on them to tell her anything, she turned and walked into the villa.

Upon stepping into the main hall, a servant led her to a room and handed her a fresh change of clothes, saying respectfully, “Please, Miss Yan, take a bath and change.”

Yan Yunning lowered her head, raised her arm, and sniffed her sleeve. A faint citrusy fragrance. She was now nearly certain — Xuan Yanyu knew that Wen Zhilu had hugged her.

Without saying anything more, she went into the bathroom to bathe and change. After blow-drying her hair, the servant led her again to the dining room, then closed the door behind her.

Yan Yunning saw the man sitting at the head of the table — sleeves rolled back, eyes ice-cold, holding a glass of red wine in his strong, knuckled hand, tilting the bottle to pour along the rim of the tall glass.

“What on earth is wrong with you?” Yan Yunning feigned ignorance and walked over to sit beside him.

Xuan Yanyu’s wrist lifted slightly as he set down the wine bottle. His brow furrowed, and he said nothing.

“Xuan Yanyu!” Yan Yunning leaned in close to his face and poked the bobbing ridge of his throat. Her pretty, fair little face was full of grievance. “How exactly did I toy with you?”

Xuan Yanyu licked his lips, his eyes disobediently falling onto her face.

Yan Yunning blinked, then buried her face against his chest, her voice muffled, on the verge of tears. “Why are you angry? I feel so wronged.”

“……What do you have to feel wronged about?” Xuan Yanyu’s fingertips slowly stroked through her hair, his voice cool. “Yan Yunning, what were you doing today?”

Yan Yunning tightened her hold on him, her voice sounding even more aggrieved. “Picking up my little brother.”

“Oh.” The man slowly repeated it. “Picking up your little brother, were you?”

Yan Yunning nodded. “Yes.”

Xuan Yanyu’s temples throbbed. “What kind of picking up a little brother requires you to stand there holding roses for over half an hour and then hug him the moment you see him?”

“Actually……” Yan Yunning raised her head and met the man’s expressionless gaze, saying very quietly, “Don’t you think that’s completely normal? When meeting someone at the airport, isn’t a hug just what people do?”

Xuan Yanyu gave an undeniable nod. “You’re right.”

“Then what are you angry about?”

A derisive smile escaped the man’s nose. “Yan Yunning, tell me — someone who brings a bouquet of red roses that draws misunderstandings to pick someone up at the airport, then hugs them upon meeting, then goes out to eat with them — what could that possibly mean, other than that she likes him, or that they’re in a relationship?”

“The flowers are because he likes them. He only likes red roses.” Yan Yunning explained.

Xuan Yanyu lifted his wine glass and swirled it in his hand. He was smiling, but his eyes were ice-cold. “Red roses express fervent, passionate love. Ninety-nine stems symbolize a lifelong devotion. How many did you order?”

Yan Yunning told him truthfully, “I don’t know. I picked it at random.”

“Is that so?” The corner of the man’s lips tugged upward. The tall glass had just reached his lips when his wrist was caught by Yan Yunning’s hand. She didn’t hold tight — Xuan Yanyu could have pulled free with ease if he’d wanted to.

“You shouldn’t drink yet.”

Setting aside the time that had passed in the story, in reality it had only been a little over five months since his car accident.

Xuan Yanyu lowered his gaze to the young woman in front of him. His throat moved. In the end, he let her take the wine glass from his hand.

“Xuan Xixi, truly — I swear, you’ve misunderstood me and Wen Zhilu. I have never had feelings for him. In my heart, he’s just my little brother.”

Yan Yunning tilted her chin up and squeezed his palm. “He has liked red roses since he was little. People who know him all give him red roses.”

Xuan Yanyu’s mind buzzed. He watched the young woman saying something to him, yet his head was entirely filled with her soft voice saying the words “Xuan Xixi.”

“Xuan Xixi, why aren’t you answering me?”

“Xuan Xixi, Xuan Xixi? Xuan Xixi!!!”