The hot pot bubbled gently, filling the air with a savory aroma that tickled Lin An’s nose.

It had been ages since he and Xu Qinghuan shared an evening hot pot dinner. Back then, one of them would shop for ingredients—though Xu Qinghuan often ran late after school.

Steam curled from the electric hot pot, surrounded by modest portions of potato slices, Chinese cabbage, enoki mushrooms, kelp knots, lamb and beef slices, fish balls. Neither ate much.

Lin An loved this scene: warm lamplight indoors, the balcony sky heavy with impending rain, Xu Qinghuan seated across from him. Lamb slices swirled in the broth—ready in seven seconds.

Just as he dropped one in, his phone rang.

"Hello? Hello? Heading out? I’ve got tickets—waiting for you at Zijing Plaza."

"Um… something came up. Can’t make it tonight. Sorry."

"What’s wrong?" Su Yuejin paused, startled.

"Eating with someone else." Lin An hesitated before answering.

"With who?" Her voice tightened with reluctance.

"With someone I like." Silence stretched on the other end. Then, quietly: "So you’re really not coming?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"I’ll drink after the movie."

"Go ahead."

"I’ll drink until I’m wasted."

"Mm."

"If you’re not here by ten… I won’t go home tonight." Her tone carried a chilling, almost frantic edge.

"Are you trying to guilt-trip me?" Lin An frowned slightly.

"Are you coming?! I’m waiting!"

"I won’t come."

"Fine! Fine! Fine! Don’t you dare regret this!" The line went dead.

...

Lin An popped the lamb slice into his mouth—too hot. His hand jerked; chopsticks clinked down. The call had been on speaker per Xu Qinghuan’s request. She’d heard everything, yet calmly continued eating potato slices, expression unreadable.

*Foolish woman. I warned you—loving him would only bring heartache. You chose not to listen.*

*He was always mine. How could I let you touch even a strand of his hair?*

Lin An stayed silent, head bowed over the pot. An awkward hush settled. Just as he opened his mouth, Xu Qinghuan’s sharp gaze silenced him.

"Do you want to go check on her?" she asked, lips curling coldly.

"She’s sentimental. Impulsive. If she really… drinks too much… she’ll regret it."

"That’s her choice. What’s it to you? Little brother—I taught you: without morals, no one can guilt-trip you."

"I know." Lin An offered a bitter smile, fishing a lotus root slice into his bowl.

"This isn’t right."

"Wrong how? Or… are you moved? Possessive? Don’t want her ending up with another man?"

Lin An fell silent—not because it was true, but because he had no words. *Su Yuejin’s naive… but she’s done nothing wrong.*

The hot pot grew bland beneath his worries. Xu Qinghuan watched him, jaw tight with simmering anger.

They finished anyway. Lin An washed dishes. Xu Qinghuan showered. When she emerged, a single bath towel draped her snow-white chest and hips, water droplets tracing her slender legs.

Lin An froze mid-step from the kitchen. Barefoot, she advanced slowly, pressing him against the wall. One hand clutched the towel; the other braced beside his head. She tiptoed close, breath warm against his lips.

"I forbid you from thinking about Su Yuejin."

"Hold me."

He wrapped his arms around her. She melted into the embrace. He kissed her—gently steadying the towel as her tongue teased playfully. When her breath hitched, she pulled back, cheeks flushed, still cradled in his arms. Leaning to his ear, she whispered: "Carry me to bed."

He lifted her. Her arms looped his neck, chest pressed to his. He laid her softly on the sheets. Rain tapped the window. Her eyes, hazy with longing, held him—deep, intoxicating, burning with love. Then his vision blurred. *Su Yuejin looked at me like that too.*

Lin An sat on the bed’s edge, phone in hand. "I… just want to call and check."

"And then leave?" Xu Qinghuan lay beside him, biting her lip, each word precise.

"Just to check. I’m worried."

She wrapped around him from behind, flush against his back, nibbling his ear as she murmured: "Lin An… she has nothing to do with you. She’s foolish. Wicked. Gave herself to you so easily—what’s one more man to her?"

"You don’t need her." Her whisper coiled like a demon’s temptation. Lin An frowned. "Su Yuejin isn’t like that."

Her tenderness vanished. She gripped his shoulders, turning him sharply. "Not like that? How would you know? Three days? And you defend her?!"

"You haven’t disobeyed me in so long, Lin An."

He ached to stroke her hair, soothe her—but a thorn of unease prickled deep. *I was just broken up with today.*

"I just… can’t let a girl like Su Yuejin walk a path she hates because of me. It weighs on me. I need to fix this."

"She’ll devour you whole!"

"How? She’s too naive."

"But when *you* fall for someone… you become naive too, Lin An."

"Is that so?" His eyes held hers—unspoken words hanging between them.

*If that’s true… have you ever been naive? Haven’t you still manipulated me, trained me to obey? What am I to you? A crutch? A toy? A lover? Do you truly love me, Xu Qinghuan?*

He softened his tone. "I’ll just check. Back before eleven."

"So determined?" Her gaze pinned him.

"Mm." He nodded.

"Fine… fine… Pretty girls *are* tempting. Young. Rich. My obedient boy—bewitched in days…" She kicked his back, eyes blazing. "Go. But tonight—you don’t come back."

Not a bluff. A cold, deliberate command.

"This is our home."

Her chest rose and fell—but she laughed. A bitter, furious laugh.

"Go. Sleep anywhere. Don’t return. Prove your self-control. Prove you won’t fall. Tell me everything tomorrow. If I cage you, you’ll resent me. So I give you freedom—to flirt, to toy with her. But if you don’t break her… don’t expect a single drop of my tenderness again."

"If I do… won’t you regret it?"

Her eyes glistened. A soft sigh escaped. "Lin An… we’re the same. Starved for love. But leaning on each other… it never fills the void. We’ll always ache."

"Lately… I wonder if I’ve been too harsh. So go. Sleep with her. Make her love you madly. I don’t care."

"One condition." Her gaze locked his. "You are not allowed to love her."

Lin An blinked, confused. Her voice stayed calm—but her words churned like storm waves.

"The day I realize you truly want to spend your life with her…"

"Xu Qinghuan will vanish. No warning. I’ll disappear… and you’ll never find me again."

Lin An nodded slowly. "Okay."

She leaned in—and gently bit his lip.