Luckily, the morning messages were few—only a handful worth noting. Like the photo her friend sent last night. *Ugh, went for late-night snacks again… So jealous!*

But a pretty girl must manage her figure. Gu Qianqian could only secretly swallow a tiny gulp.

Then she remembered: her face mask stash was running low. *Might as well reorder the same brand online.*

Next came the class group chat. Thanks to her warm rapport with classmates, teachers’ favor, and undeniable charm, Gu Qianqian had become a group admin—despite holding no official role.

She usually lurked quietly.

But if even *she* got hooked into replying? Total chaos.

Then… *that* message.

From a boy.

Not from her school—Gu Qianqian attended an all-girls academy. But right next door stood a co-ed high school. Boys often loitered outside Chang’an Girls’ Academy, trying to catch girls’ eyes.

And yes, some girls did fall for them.

Gu Qianqian had zero interest in romance. Yet surrounded by chatty friends, she couldn’t avoid hearing gossip about those boys.

Later came random friend requests from strangers. *Who leaked my contact?*

Obviously a girl… But she couldn’t make a scene, though it left her deeply uneasy.

She’d only ever shared contacts with female classmates.

So she enabled verification. Peace returned.

She deleted nearly all the boys—except one.

A guy from her off-campus piano class. They’d interacted during lessons; barely classmates, barely friends.

And true to form, he sent his usual *"Good morning."*

Gu Qianqian couldn’t—and wouldn’t—respond.

Her heart belonged to someone else.

So she pretended not to see it, hoping he’d take the hint.

Just like all the others. After all, she *was* the school flower.

She’d already changed. Her sleep-scented nightgown hung neatly on the rack.

Slipping into fluffy indoor slippers, she headed to make breakfast—phone still clutched tight.

Her eyes skimmed the contacts screen… then froze. Pupils shrank.

She gripped the phone and shrieked:

“S-Shi Xia jie?!”

That status update was *impossible* to ignore:

—*Making breakfast for my beloved. Please do not disturb.*

HOW COULD ANYONE *NOT* DISTURB THIS?!

In truth, Shi Xia’s phone was blowing up. Too bad it was off—she wanted Chang’an to savor her cooking.

Callers? Her foundation assistant. Ye Xiaoxian speeding toward the villa. Gu Qianqian, who’d lost her appetite.

And Adelle—twelve time zones away, likely in a foreign university at dusk—texted:

—*Congrats. Brother would’ve wanted you to move on.*

No. *Moving on* was impossible. Because no one guessed: Shi Xia’s “beloved”… was Ye Chang’an himself!

Su Qingxiang, pale and sleepless despite sleeping pills, stared at the status from her villa. Her gaze lingered. Silent. Unmoving.

Shi Xia didn’t have Leng Lingren’s contact—that cold, bewitching woman was away from Anyang City anyway; their bond was thin.

Yan Ye rarely spoke first. And Cinderella? That silly girl was definitely still snoozing.

So was Chang’an… but Shi Xia couldn’t bear to wake him.

Only when rich milk aroma filled the air did his eyelids flutter—a hint of waking.

Shi Xia smiled, placing a warm cup beside him, then sat by the bed, waiting for Dad to stir.

Then—*BANG BANG BANG!*

A furious knock shook the door.

“Shi Xia! Get out here! Got the guts to sleep with a man, but not to open the door?!”

Delivered in a loli’s sweet, childish voice…

Was *this* what they called adorably sassy?