At 2 a.m., Jiang Fan drifted awake from his sleep.

Though Mu Yuli had prepared a luxurious, plush bed in this hospital room just for him, Jiang Fan still preferred the stiff wooden plank bed in his rented apartment.

This hospital was partly Mu Yuli’s investment—practically her private property. That’s why he’d easily faked an illness to get admitted earlier. No one would notice any... disturbances in this room.

He checked his phone. After their intense session, he’d only slept four hours. Of course he was still exhausted.

Turning his head, Jiang Fan saw Mu Yuli’s serene, content face in the moonlight. Her usual icy arrogance had melted away, leaving only a girl’s tender devotion. If he didn’t know her darker side, he might’ve truly fallen for this ethereal girl.

*Pity.* Watching her sleep so comfortably on his arm, all he could think was how numb his arm felt—and whether punching her now would make her cry for hours.

(Though he’d never dare. He knew *he’d* be the one crying afterward.)

Gently shifting his right arm, Jiang Fan painstakingly freed it without waking her. But even so, Mu Yuli stirred in her sleep. She rolled over, clinging to him like an octopus.

Both were naked. Any movement would brush against her soft skin. His self-control was being tested to the limit.

Mu Yuli seemed to sense his restlessness. Her delicate lashes fluttered. Her body instinctively pressed closer to his—on the verge of waking.

*If she wakes up, I won’t make it to class tomorrow.*

Jiang Fan instantly deployed his "emergency cooldown technique," delivering a firm internal shutdown to his unruly lower half.

Silence returned. Mu Yuli’s breathing soon evened out again. *Safe.*

Once she was deeply asleep, Jiang Fan took her phone. He unlocked it with her fingerprint and called a contact labeled "Yelan."

"Bring two sets of clothes. One men’s, one women’s. And a body pillow—roughly my size."

He hung up before she could reply.

Minutes later, the door cracked open. A cloth bag and a SpongeBob pillow slid through the gap.

Carefully peeling Mu Yuli’s arms and legs off himself, Jiang Fan spent another ten minutes escaping the bed. He changed into the clothes Yelan provided and stood by the bedside.

As he placed the SpongeBob pillow in Mu Yuli’s arms, the shift in warmth and texture made her murmur drowsily, "Don’t go..."

Jiang Fan nearly froze, thinking she’d woken up.

But it was just a dream.

Stepping into the hallway, he found Yelan leaning against the wall in a sharp black suit, eyes closed. Her short hair looked effortlessly neat.

She opened her eyes the moment the door clicked shut. "Leaving?" she asked calmly.

"Yeah. Don’t you need rest? Even iron men can’t go 24/7."

Jiang Fan meant it kindly. Though Yelan guarded Mu Yuli—and was technically on her side—she’d never targeted him personally. She’d even helped him today. He respected that.

"I was resting. Just now."

Seeing her nonchalant expression, Jiang Fan could only admire her resilience. *I could never be this on-call.* Sometimes he wondered if she was one of Mu Yuli’s secret android prototypes.

"Alright, I’m heading out. When she wakes up, just tell her the truth. I’ll text her too. She won’t blame you."

Yelan nodded. Jiang Fan left.

Even at this hour, Jingjiang’s streets buzzed with traffic. A DiDi ride arrived quickly.

He chatted half-heartedly with the chatty driver. By 3 a.m., Jiang Fan finally collapsed onto his beloved wooden plank bed.

Staring at the ceiling, he summoned a translucent blue screen before his eyes.

*Less than six months left...*

Would Mu Yuli really eliminate him then? Her possessiveness still sent chills down his spine.

But the number in the screen’s bottom-right corner lifted his mood slightly:

**1.2 million**. Still short of three million. He’d need to work harder.

Paying off his debt wouldn’t save him. He needed power—enough to defy Mu Yuli. Otherwise, he’d just jump from one cage to another.

*Or...*

*Could he tame Mu Yuli within six months?*

He’d failed before. But with this much experience... maybe it was worth trying again.

Memories of past lives made his soul tremble. No matter how many times he died, the icy despair of facing death never faded.

He buried himself under the blanket. In the sweltering summer heat, it was suffocating—but only this could warm the chill in his heart.

"Whatever. I’ll see how she reacts tomorrow first."

It was past 3 a.m. He wasn’t Yelan, some tireless machine. His eyelids were drooping.

He set his alarm. On his familiar bed, sleep swallowed him instantly.

——————————————————————————

"Huh? Lin says you’re looking for Jiang Fan? But... does our class even have someone by that name...?"

During the break after morning study hall, Jiang Fan was lazily napping at his corner desk. Half-asleep, he vaguely heard his name.

*Weird. Shouldn’t the classroom be noisy right now? Why’s it so quiet?*

"Jingjiang No. 1 High only has one Jiang Fan—in Class 5, Grade 12. Have him come out."

Lin Mengyao spoke patiently to the girl in front of her, scanning the classroom for a certain man.

Someone pointed toward the corner. She looked up—just as Jiang Fan lifted his head to see the commotion.

Their eyes met. Lin Mengyao was certain he recognized her.

Yet he simply lowered his head again, as if she were nobody.

*Did he forget last night entirely?!*

*Like hell he gets off that easy!*

Her suppressed anger vanished. A sweet smile bloomed on her face—a smile that made every boy in class freeze mid-breath.

But her next words struck them like a critical hit:

"Thanks. I found my boyfriend."