Yin Shou was a good kisser, better than all the others she had kissed before.

Xue Teegan"s head began to spin, dizzily from both pa.s.sion and alcohol. She had never felt a kiss like this before. Yin Shou wors.h.i.+pped her lips by going slow, very slow. It seemed intimate...

Other men would give her short pecks or sloppy ones for that matter; sometimes, none at all. Kissing was too intimate, but she felt doing that with Yin Shou to test what he conveys through it.

Indeed, she was right. He wanted her. But in what regard? She wasn"t sure.

Regardless the kiss was too pa.s.sionate, and she began to feel embarra.s.sed.

She parted from him when she was breathless and said, "We have to go back inside before the others wonder where we are."

Yin Shou nodded and said, "let"s get back inside."

They only wanted a moment, alone, however brief.

In Long Huojin"s bedroom, he had Xue Guangli up against the wall by the door, carried around his waist because they couldn"t wait to go in any further. But they couldn"t lose themselves, not with others in the house. Therefore, stepping closer was only entering dangerous territory.

After parting, they both agreed to go down the stairs and find the others.

Xue Liena was sleeping on the couch, resting her eyes, while Long Bolin was casually reading one of Long Huojin"s books.

Xue Teegan and Yin Shou were both sitting too, a bit distant apart on the same sofa, but both of them looked flushed. Xue Guangli smiled.

The six of them went on to play more games and ended the night on a good note.

Xue Guangli appreciated what Long Huojin had done for her, so much that her chest began to feel inexplicably happy, a feeling she thought she might not experience for a long time.

Time did not wipe away grief; it says anch.o.r.ed until you learn to live on with it.

Because she had planned to stay for the weekend, Xue Guangli had asked Long Huojin to use his shower after playing tennis that afternoon.

Coming out of the shower, Xue Guangli wore pink pyjama"s. Her hair was still wet, soaking her cotton s.h.i.+rt; her cheeks flushed from the hot steam. Long Huojin gulped, realizing that he made a mistake asking her to stay.

But he knew self-control; he embraced it all these years. He still had his needs, but he often kept himself busy with studies, workload, and hobbies.

Men from the High Society did not get married until later in their life because they typically spend their twenties working tirelessly, establis.h.i.+ng themselves before thinking about a family.

His father, Long Yuntian, was an exception. Long Yuntian came from old money; therefore, he was already promised an inheritance since birth, but in the condition of marrying his mother, securing his position. Thus, they married relatively young.

But Long Yuntian made Long Huojin work hard for it. He threatened to give the company to Long Bolin. Though, he wouldn"t have minded if it weren"t for the fact that his younger brother did not want the position. From spending long hours in the library to field experience, to burning out, Long Huojin kept working to meet his goals, to meet his father"s expectations.

Xue Guangli approached him, and he took her hand. Long Huojin guided her to the study again, where it was empty and dimmed with lamp lighting. Outside was dark, but Long Huojin felt for more productive at night.

"You"re a night owl," Xue Guangli commented.

"Mhm," Long Huojin responded.

"I remember that," she said.

Long Huojin raised a brow. "How?" he asked.

Xue Guangli froze. She picked up some files, taking a seat and casually said, "Your room used to be across mine. I use to get annoyed that you had your lights on late at night. It peered through your window, through my curtains and I could still see it."

"It"s not my fault your curtains weren"t thick," he said. "And they were white."

Xue Guangli smiled. "So you do pay attention to details," she said. Long Huojin flushed.

Xue Guangli did not want to admit that when she used to gaze at the stars, she would glimpse Long Huojin studying or practising the violin. Most of the time, he had his curtains or blinds closed. But at night, he had them opened.

But at the time she would shoot him curses and disdainful looks because he wouldn"t be looking, and that was as close to her as telling him off.

Xue Guangli opened the files she held and read. It was the same old thing: dense readings about case proceedings.

She would have asked Qian Meigui to help her, but when she picked up the files, her friend"s belly had already begun to swell since the last time she had seen her with a baby on the way. She glowed, too, and Xue Guangli realized that mothers are truly magnificent beings. But she also didn"t want to bother her. So she congratulated her, and her husband, and parted ways with them.

Xue Guangli then realized something.

"Long Huojin."

Long Huojin glanced up at her from his own readings. His gla.s.ses rested over the bridge of his nose, as he only wore them when he read. But he looked handsome, nonetheless.

"Yes?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"My father went to the hospital on the day of the arrest. They did tests for drugs and his psych. Let"s get those results."

"What would that tell us?" he asked.

"It"s easier to explain once I have it. But it"s the matter of how to get them," Xue Guangli responded.

"Which hospital did he go to?" Long Huojin asked.

Xue Guangli said, "The doc.u.ments say he went to the Rui inst.i.tute."

"That"s Song Ren"s hospital. I can ask her," he responded.

"I don"t know...It could get her in trouble, even if she does run it. It compromises her position."

"How about you distract her, while I go get them?" Long Huojin suggested.

"Me? She"s your good friend."

"Song Ren likes you. She wants to talk to you. She"s doesn"t get much "girl talk," these days," he responded.

Xue Guangli pouted. "It seems like you know so much about her."

Long Huojin chuckled. "How can you be jealous of a married woman?"

"She was your ex-fiancée," Xue Guangli said with a pout. But she knew what she said was unfair. She was previously engaged, too.

Xue Guangli knew that Song Ren never loved Long Huojin. Song Ren was in love with another man, and she was forced, temporarily, to a match with Long Huojin. But Song Ren left him for her lover. In some ways, when she heard the story, she thought it was epic. But Xue Guangli could not help but wonder, did Long Huojin ever have feelings for her? Was he upset when she left him?

He told her of the circ.u.mstances. Engaged, broken off, she left him for another man. But he never spoke about how he felt about it. He only said, "We are friends." But then again, Xue Guangli was friends with Long Huojin before they got together...it was still a mystery to her.

"It was a match set up by our father"s. Go see her tomorrow. I promise everything will be all right," he said.

Xue Guangli had interacted with her a couple of times before. In all honesty, she rather admired her. Song Ren was beautiful, smart, and driven; she was everything Xue Guangli wanted to be.

Xue Guangli nodded, "I"ll call her right now, and I"ll see her tomorrow," she responded.

"Good," Long Huojin said with a smile.

Long Huojin was right. Song Ren was ecstatic to receive the call. She said that she hadn"t gone much to spending time with friends. Song Ren had been busy working long hours. She had told her to come in after her s.h.i.+ft was over. Xue Guangli, too, was happy to be visiting her. But Xue Guanglii couldn"t help but feel guilty that she and Long Huojin are sneaking behind her back.

She had to remind herself that it was for an important reason.

"It looks like your illegal antics are rubbing off on me," Xue Guangli commented.

Long Huojin smiled. "I"ll be careful," he said.

"This is the last time we do something this stupid," she said.

"I know," he responded.

It was late when Xue Guangli and Long Huojin decided to go to sleep.

"There"s a guest room upstairs ready for you," he said. "And don"t worry, it"s not anywhere near Yin Shou."

Xue Guangli chuckled. "Thank you," she said.

Xue Guangli had gone to the room she was staying at. It was comfortable, not too small and not too large. There was a queen-sized bed, an armchair, and some daily essentials resting on a vanity. It was dark and quiet.

Xue Guangli attempted to sleep, closing her eyes. But she could hear the shower turn on from the other room, followed by the shut-off of the water valve, a shuffling sound of feet walking on the carpeted floor, and finally, silence.

But throughout that time, her heart was pounding erratically. It seemed strange that Long Huojin had already affected her this deeply. She couldn"t think about the fact that he was next door.

After some time, tumbling in the sheets, she decided to rise from her covers and visit the boy next door.

The door was open. Xue Guangli entered the room. "Long Huojin?" she whispered out. There was no answer. She closed the door shut behind her, very silently. Mostly, not to alarm Yin Shou, even if he was at the other side of the house.

There was a canopy of drapes that surrounded his bed. Xue Guangli set aside the curtains and crawled into the bed. She heard some light breathing as she settled herself under the covers. She then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Long Huojin had pretended to be asleep when he heard her approach from the hall. His heart nearly leapt from his chest. But he waited for her to make movements. Would she wake him?

No. Long Huojin heard her breathing deepen. He knew that she was beginning to tear down her walls around him. He was content with that. Even though they were still in the first stages, he had to be patient.

He would never want to scare her away. That"s the last thing he would do. Long Huojin wished to make her fall madly in love with him. Just as how he was madly in love with her.

Long Huojin reached out to curl her in his arms. She stirred and embraced him, sighing contently before sleeping again. He then drifted into his own slumber, satisfied.