After seven in the evening, Zhou Mi received another WeChat message from Zhang Lian—a red envelope with two sentences:

【For the taxi】

【I have something tonight and can’t pick you up. Send me a message when you get home】

His overbearing habit of throwing money at things without discussion was both uncomfortable and infuriating, a stark reminder of the gap between capitalism and the proletariat.

Zhou Mi stared at it for a few seconds before replying: Can you stop turning everything into monetary transactions?

Zhang Lian responded: It’s just a gesture. Your choice whether to accept it or not.

True, he had never forced her. Zhou Mi found it hard to argue and could only say: I can get back by myself.

Zhang Lian: Okay.

Today was their second night of living together, but it wasn’t quite what Zhou Mi had imagined. She had thought that even if they saw each other constantly, they wouldn’t give each other pleasant looks, just strangers sharing a space with few words. Yet Zhang Lian seemed to be adapting faster than she was, even starting to step into his role, taking responsibility, and displaying possessiveness beneath his character’s shell without any psychological barriers.

A natural-born performer, truly.

Zhou Mi stopped in front of Zhang Lian’s door and pressed the newly changed password lock. The four digits were still her birthday.

Zhang Lian explained that he was afraid she’d forget.

Zhou Mi admired him from the bottom of her heart. His thoroughness made all pretenses seem perfectly reasonable, transforming every documentary moment into artistic fiction.

Just like every meeting with him before, during every passionate encounter in the deep of night, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had become this man’s only love.

With a click, Zhou Mi stepped into the elegant, castle-like house with its languid atmosphere.

As if entering some holographic otome game scenario, NPC Auntie Chen immediately walked over with a smile, asking what she wanted for a late-night snack.

Zhou Mi shook her head and said it wasn’t necessary; she’d already had a carbohydrate explosion and sugar overload today.

Auntie Chen didn’t insist, just reminded her of a few things before returning to her room.

The spacious living room once again left Zhou Mi alone.

Zhou Mi returned to her bedroom—the place in the entire house with a slightly more sense of belonging and reality.

She sat cross-legged in the chair browsing the product’s official blog for a while before taking her pajamas to shower.

Although Auntie Chen had specifically told her to put dirty clothes in the hamper and she would wash them the next morning, Zhou Mi still wasn’t used to being “taken care of” so meticulously by a stranger.

She brought them to the large balcony to wash by hand. After hanging them on the electric clothes rack, Zhou Mi didn’t leave.

From childhood, she had never been able to empathize with those who feared heights. She loved all kinds of high places—the school rooftop, the top floor of shopping malls, and mountaintops decorated with sunrise and dusk.

Whenever she was in these places, she felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, standing at the center of the world.

Standing behind the railing, the city inverted like a galaxy beneath her feet. Zhou Mi lifted her face, allowing the dry night breeze to carry away the moisture in her hair.

The terrace was planted with many broad-leaved plants taller than a person. Above, a white canopy like a smooth-edged eggshell covered the space.

After enjoying the wind enough, Zhou Mi sat back in the rattan chair, selected a rather intricate and comfortable Western music playlist from her music app, and closed her eyes to listen.

…

When Zhang Lian arrived home, the first thing he saw was Zhou Mi’s shoes on the top shelf of the shoe rack.

This girl was strange, skilled at complicating simple things. Like these shoes that should have been completely white, she insisted on attaching little flowers and hearts to the laces. Perhaps this was biodiversity.

He straightened them and put his shoes beside them.

Coming out of the bathroom, he noticed the guest bedroom door wasn’t closed, so he walked over to take a look.

Zhou Mi wasn’t in the room.

Zhang Lian frowned slightly and searched elsewhere, finally discovering his target on the balcony.

The girl had fallen asleep, reclining in the chair, her dense eyelashes gathered over her eyes, casting two faint shadows. Large leaves hung down, and her yellow nightgown made her look like Belle from a book illustration, capturing the beast with her unguarded sincerity and breaking the curse.

Zhang Lian stood against the wall with folded arms, watching for a while before returning to the living room. He took the gray blanket from the sofa and gently covered her with it, including the phone resting on her stomach.

Zhou Mi was in a deep sleep, not moving at all.

The following music also became slightly muffled from being covered.

Zhang Lian sat down across from her, looking at his phone with the sound turned off.

The wind grew stronger, and the night air cooler.

Zhang Lian glanced at Zhou Mi again, the corner of his mouth lifting as he found her contact in his phone and dialed.

The sudden noise and vibration startled Zhou Mi so much that she nearly jumped out of the chair. She thought it was her morning alarm.

The first thing she noticed was the blanket sliding off. She hurriedly got up to gather it, and in the next moment of looking up, the man across the table entered her field of vision.

Zhang Lian was sitting casually there. The light wasn’t strong, making his features appear even more intense, but his expression was bland, showing no discernible emotion.

Zhou Mi’s eyes widened as she plopped back down. “Oh, you’re back.”

Zhang Lian ended the call and glanced at her. “You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Zhou Mi paused for two seconds, half sincere and half resentful as she complimented, “Such a great balcony, of course I should make full use of it.”

Zhang Lian didn’t respond.

Zhou Mi pulled at the blanket, curling it over her legs so it wouldn’t drag on the floor. Only then did she check the missed call on her phone. Seeing the name, she looked up at Zhang Lian again. “You called me?”

“Mm,” Zhang Lian nodded. “Go back to your room and rest. Don’t catch a cold.”

Zhou Mi was slightly stunned. She glanced at the lock screen time and was shocked. Was it eleven already?

She looked for Zhang Lian’s position again. “When did you get back?”

Zhang Lian said, “After ten.”

Zhou Mi glanced around curiously. “And you’ve been sitting here since then?”

Zhang Lian looked back at her. “It’s my balcony. Am I not allowed to sit here?”

“You weren’t…” Zhou Mi wrinkled her nose. “Watching me sleep the whole time, were you?”

Zhang Lian tilted his head slightly. “Yes.”

Zhou Mi’s expression stiffened slightly. “You seem a bit…”

Zhang Lian: “Hmm?”

Zhou Mi seized the opportunity for revenge. “Creepy.”

Zhang Lian’s eyebrows showed traces of amusement. “You look best when you’re not arguing with me. Why wouldn’t I look?”

This wording was extremely insidious, with a knife hidden in his smile, honey-coated poison, impossible to counter or deflect.

Zhou Mi was speechless.

After a moment, she coldly spat out a few words. “You, too, look the most handsome when you don’t speak.”

Zhang Lian didn’t say anything more, just gazed at her deeply and quietly, like a midsummer night’s moon—clear, intense, silently encircling her.

Zhou Mi pretended not to care as she hid her gaze, her hips slightly raised, ready to leave at any moment.

Zhang Lian suddenly called her. “Zhou Mi.”

Zhou Mi froze. “What?”

The man leaned back in his chair. “Give me the blanket.”

Zhou Mi bundled up the blanket, walked around the table, and tossed it in front of him. Just as she was about to leave, her wrist was gently grasped.

Her skin was cool, while his fingers and palm were warm.

The temperature transferred extremely quickly. Zhou Mi’s heart pounded wildly a couple of times, her face burning like boiling water. Just as she was about to struggle free, she was pulled down.

She fell sideways, sitting down on the soft blanket, with Zhang Lian’s leg behind it.

Zhou Mi’s chest immediately began to thump like a hollow stage with ten thousand people jumping on it, yet none could find a real foothold.

Her limbs stiffened as she tried to stand up and escape, but he seemed able to read her mind, his hands securing her in advance, holding her in place, even more tightly.

Another gust of wind rose, the leaves swaying, making the terrace seem like a restless aquarium.

The man’s thumb was slightly hot as it caressed her lower back through her clothes, light and slow, back and forth repeatedly. Though it was just a small area, the sensation spread along her blood vessels, expanding into full-body control and engulfment.

Zhou Mi’s throat constricted as she felt herself gradually softening and sinking.

A certain emotion, like a swollen flower bud, was being skillfully coaxed by the gardener, ready to burst from that point at any moment.

She heard Zhang Lian’s lowered voice, arriving at a place so close. “Stay a bit longer?”

His breath mixed with the wind blew against the back of her ear, dangerous like a tongue of flame. Her whole body tensed again, completely flushed.

“Let… go.” These two words were forced out through clenched teeth.

Zhang Lian laughed softly and released her.

Zhou Mi felt dizzy and light-headed, springing away like a coiled spring and scurrying back inside.

Locking the bedroom door, Zhou Mi buried herself in her pillow.

Then she got up and paced around the room, trying to calm her emotions, but it was completely useless. Her face was still as red as if it had just been pulled out of a dye vat. She had no choice but to bite her finger as she made a voice call to her best friend to vent.

As soon as He Miaoyan picked up, she exploded. “Do you know what Zhang Lian did today?!”

He Miaoyan’s ears were practically growing calluses. “What happened?”

Zhou Mi looked incredulous. “He tried to seduce me!”

He Miaoyan said, “Just give in. Might as well enjoy it.”

Zhou Mi froze for a second, then stated firmly, “No way. The biggest difference between humans and beasts is whether they can control their lower body desires. Once there’s a first time, there will be countless times, and then trouble again! Can’t break the rules!”

He Miaoyan nearly died laughing.

—

When she went out to brush her teeth and wash her face, Zhou Mi once again became like a burglar, tiptoeing toward the bathroom.

Zhang Lian should have returned to his bedroom; the door was tightly closed. But the hallway and living room lights were on, the entire house brilliantly lit.

Rich people probably didn’t have the habit of turning off lights to save electricity.

Zhou Mi switched them off one by one along the way, quickly turning on her electric toothbrush. The buzzing sound immediately filled the spacious bathroom.

Suddenly, her ears caught the sound of a door opening. Before she could rinse the foam from her mouth, a black figure unhurriedly passed by in the mirror.

Zhou Mi glanced sideways, watching as Zhang Lian stopped at another sink.

Zhang Lian also looked over, his deep brown eyes seeming to ask what was wrong.

Zhou Mi remained silent, deliberately beginning to rinse her mouth in slow motion, taking in a little at a time and spitting it out gradually.

Zhang Lian lowered his eyes as he squeezed toothpaste, unable to hold back a chuckle.

Zhou Mi’s ears burned as she fiercely asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Zhang Lian lifted his eyelids slightly. “I was wondering what you’re doing.”

“Never seen someone brush their teeth and rinse before?” Zhou Mi pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth.

Zhang Lian’s tone was teasing. “Never seen a fairy brush her teeth and rinse before.”

Zhou Mi: “…”

She straightened up, her eyes fixed intensely on Zhang Lian. “I’d like to see how a CEO brushes his teeth, too.”

However, from start to finish, he was very natural and standard, even with a touch of handsomeness in his efficiency.

It was like bringing humiliation upon herself.

Before, they hadn’t felt awkward bathing together in hotel rooms, so why was brushing teeth side by side now so extremely strange?

Zhou Mi hurriedly finished applying all her skincare products, wanting to return to her room as quickly as possible. As she left, her mind temporarily failed to switch gears, and she automatically turned off all the wall light switches.

Zhang Lian was suddenly plunged into darkness.

“Zhou Mi.”

An unhappy voice.

The girl who had just turned into the hallway realized what she’d done and fumbled back apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I forgot someone was still here. I’m used to doing that at home.”

She turned the lights back on and fled the scene with haste, not daring to judge Zhang Lian’s expression.

Back in her room, Zhou Mi burst into low-volume laughter for quite a while, then sat on the floor clutching her stomach with her back against the bed, playing with her phone.

After a while, her thoughts drifted, and her brain began to replay everything that had happened on the balcony, like a malfunctioning projector.

How strange, even though she hadn’t dared to look at Zhang Lian the whole time, her memories somehow took a god’s-eye view, able to imagine his appearance and expression at that moment.

Damn, he was sexy as hell.

…

On their second night of living together, Zhou Mi once again suffered from insomnia.

The next day, looking at the dark circles under her eyes that nearly reached the corners of her mouth, she resolved to avoid being alone with Zhang Lian as much as possible.

However, at breakfast time, it was just the two of them.

Zhou Mi peeled the skin off a steamed yam, looking around curiously. “Where’s Auntie Chen?”

Zhang Lian stood behind the counter, making his coffee. Today is her mother’s death anniversary. She took an early bus home and will be back tomorrow.”

Zhou Mi was shocked. “What?”

Zhang Lian glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Mi withdrew her gaze and took a bite of the yam. “Nothing.”

Zhang Lian came over with his cup and sat beside her, knowingly asking, “Afraid of me?”

Zhou Mi remained silent, eyes down.

Zhang Lian took a sip of coffee. “Don’t worry, I’ll be on a business trip these days too.”

Zhou Mi immediately broke into a smile, almost applauding. “Hallelujah, thank heavens.”

Zhang Lian was amused by her dramatic change of expression and said, “I need to catch a flight, so I won’t be able to send you today.”

Zhou Mi paused. “Oh,” then added in a small voice, “Actually, you don’t need to send me every day.”

Zhang Lian said, “I promised your mentor I would take good care of you.”

Yeah, right, Zhou Mi’s expression was as if she’d heard a cosmic joke. “Talk about taking care. You’re my biggest natural enemy.”

Zhang Lian laughed. “Is it that exaggerated?”

Zhou Mi casually stirred her five-grain porridge. “Nothing good has happened since I met you.”

Zhang Lian’s smile receded like an ebbing tide, quickly disappearing. “Is that so?”

Zhou Mi replied, “Yep.”

“Don’t mind one more thing, then,” Zhang Lian drank his entire cup of coffee in one go. “Remember to wash the dishes before you go to work.”

“?” Zhou Mi looked up in surprise, but the man had already turned and left the table.