The two of them walked shoulder to shoulder and started heading back.

Along the way, people passed by in twos and threes. From time to time, they cast envious looks their way.

“Wow, that girl is so pretty. Does the City of Devoted Love really have girls like that?”

“To be her fiancé, he must be someone amazing, right?”

“Shh, didn’t you see the person walking beside her? She’s already taken~”

Liana felt her cheeks burning. She stayed close behind Gu Qinghan, afraid someone might recognize her.

Her feelings were a mess.

The boy named Hohenheim didn't seem to mean her any harm.

If anything, he'd helped her quite a lot.

Liana hugged the package in her arms tighter. The warmth of the food seeped through her skin and into her heart.

Hohenheim had gotten her out of trouble.

Meanwhile, she had misunderstood his intentions again and again.

She'd mistaken him for some utterly depraved pervert.

She'd thought he was a bad man with nothing but filthy thoughts in his head.

Liana couldn't understand it.

What kind of person was this blond boy, really?

Yesterday morning, she really had been lying naked on his bed.

No matter how she thought about it, it should've meant Hohenheim had done something improper to her.

But now, it seemed he had no interest in her body at all.

Everything felt like one giant misunderstanding...

Confusion and anxiety burned in Liana's heart like a growing flame.

Silence lingered around them like a transparent wall, shutting out all the noise around them.

Only the world between the two of them had become quiet.

“What’s wrong?”

At that moment, Gu Qinghan suddenly stopped. He turned back to look at Liana, his face full of confusion.

“It’s nothing.” Liana shook her head again and again.

Gu Qinghan froze for a second. Then he seemed to remember something and added,

“The silver coins aren't urgent. You can owe me for now. I know you can't pay them back.”

There wasn't a trace of emotion in his voice.

He still carried that distant attitude that kept everyone at arm’s length.

Liana stared blankly at the man before her. She pressed her lips together and followed behind him.

The two continued forward and fell into silence once more.

By the roadside, beautiful camellias were in bloom, like pink little spirits decorating the street.

But the farther they walked, the heavier the doubt in Liana's heart became.

“Mr. Hohenheim, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Suddenly, Liana spoke softly.

“What is it?” Gu Qinghan asked slowly.

Liana bit her lip lightly. Her knuckles turned white around the handbag, and her delicate body trembled slightly.

After a long while, she finally gathered the courage to speak.

“I’m stupid. I can’t tell which one is the real you...”

“And that only makes me even more confused.”

Liana bit her red lip lightly and spoke word by word. Her eyes were starting to redden.

With reddened eyes, she raised her head and looked at Gu Qinghan solemnly.

“Those excessive things... were they really done by you?”

Gu Qinghan froze on the spot and parted his lips.

He couldn't understand no matter how hard he thought about it. Why could Liana bring this up in public so openly?

Even stranger, hadn't he been cold to her the whole way?

Humiliating her poverty. Deliberately keeping his distance.

So why did it feel like Liana had become even friendlier toward him instead?

What kind of weird fetish was this??

“It wasn’t me—”

“I don’t understand it, and I probably never will.”

Before Gu Qinghan could finish, Liana cut him off.

“But that doesn’t matter, does it?”

At the same time, Liana paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then showed a resolute smile.

Hey, hey, hey, don’t make that look like your affection level just went up, okay?!

I’m obviously trying to push you away here!

Gu Qinghan couldn't help complaining inwardly.

“Because there’s one thing I do understand.”

“I’m Charlie’s fiancée.”

“So...”

Liana bit her red lip, paused, and continued,

“Can we write off everything that happened before, Mr. Hohenheim?”

Gu Qinghan stared blankly at the girl before him. At last, he understood why she was saying all this.

“From today on, I won’t doubt you anymore. I believe that, with your character, you probably wouldn’t do something like that.”

“So let this misunderstanding end here!”

Liana gathered all her courage and gave Gu Qinghan a deep bow.

“I won’t dwell on what happened yesterday anymore. I’ll just treat it like a dream.”

“Then goodbye, Mr. Hohenheim.”

Leaving behind a relieved smile, the girl turned and walked away, blending into the crowd.

Just as she was about to take a new step forward, her movement suddenly halted.

Then she turned back again.

“Oh right, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you just now.”

From several meters away, Liana smiled sweetly.

The smile at the corners of her eyes was like a butterfly gathering nectar, fluttering lightly in the air.

“This time, I really won’t rely on your strength anymore!”

“I absolutely won’t!”

With a spring in her step, the girl headed off down the road home.

Watching Liana’s retreating figure, Gu Qinghan felt like a herd of mythical beasts had just thundered through his mind.

What the hell is going on?!

Gu Qinghan felt like crying but had no tears.

Why did it feel like her affection level hadn't dropped at all, but had actually gone up instead?

With a wave of helplessness in his heart, Gu Qinghan dragged his tired steps and prepared to turn back and head home alone.

Let the misunderstanding end here.

An ending like this didn't seem so bad.

At the very least, from today on, Liana probably wouldn't come looking for him anymore. And those weird developments probably wouldn't happen again either.

Thinking that, Gu Qinghan couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.

For now, this could count as settled.

Not a bad ending, really.

And right then, Gu Qinghan felt his shoulder sink.

A slender jade-like hand pressed down hard on his shoulder, full of force.

Who was it?

Gu Qinghan froze for a moment, then slowly turned his head back—

“What, are you still not satisfied with someone else’s fiancée?”

A familiar beautiful figure stood before Gu Qinghan.

It was Katarina.

Right now, she was staring at Gu Qinghan with a smiling face, a trace of slyness flashing through her eyes.

“Hello~ One day apart. How’s the bodyguard job going?”

Gu Qinghan’s mouth twitched, and his heart nearly jumped into his throat.

This woman moved like a ghost.

“How effective the job was, Miss Katarina should know better than anyone,” Gu Qinghan said, pouting.

You followed me all the way here and still have the nerve to act innocent. Gu Qinghan grumbled inwardly.

“Oh my, so I was exposed that early?”

Katarina showed a slightly awkward smile and stuck out her tongue.

Gu Qinghan couldn't help sighing softly.

Good thing he hadn't had any weird thoughts from start to finish. Otherwise, he really would've been caught red-handed.

“But honestly, when I was standing behind you just now, I thought you were about to lay evil hands on that pure-hearted girl.”

Katarina giggled.

“As if. I’m not that kind of person, okay?”

Gu Qinghan shot her an annoyed look.

“Not necessarily.”

As she spoke, Katarina let out a meaningful little laugh.

“The more honest and harmless someone seems, the easier it is for them to stray onto a deviant path.”

“When I was studying at the magic academy, I heard professors say that all the time.”

Gu Qinghan stood there in a daze. Looking at Katarina’s bright, easy smile, he fell into thought.

“As long as you don’t have any ideas, that’s for the best. Work hard as her flower guardian again tomorrow, okay?”

With a slight smile, Katarina’s lips curled upward. She gave a light wave and walked toward the corner at the end of the street.

Watching the Inspector’s back, Gu Qinghan vaguely felt his heartbeat quicken a little.

The more honest someone seemed, the easier it was for them to go off the rails... huh.

There was no way he was buying some professor’s bullshit.

A pure-love warrior would never casually walk down a road like that.