Chen Tangtang halted her little antics midway, leaving only Yun Mingyue to chew slowly and deliberately. The rest of the meal turned utterly mundane.

After dinner, Chen Tangtang watched Zhou You and Yun Mingyue leave together once he returned the car keys. She then headed back to the hotel alone.

Sitting dazed on the bed, she propped her face with both hands, gaze unfocused.

This was her first time acting like this—deliberately sneaky, for some reason wanting to get close to Zhou You without Yun Mingyue knowing.

“Does this make me one of those ‘bad women’?” Chen Tangtang leaned back, rolled across the bed a few times, hugged a pillow tightly, and buried her face deep into it.

Heart racing, mind tangled. Too many chaotic thoughts overwhelmed her.

“Thank goodness the little idol doesn’t know it was me.”

A certain figure flashed through her flustered mind. Her plump, smooth toes curled tight as she squeezed the pillow harder.

“He must think it was his Sister Hua.”

She pouted, an inexplicable irritation bubbling up. Muttering nonstop, “Why can ‘Blooming Wealth’ cross so many lines, but I can’t do even a tiny bit? What gives?”

“Right? What gives?” The thought clicked instantly. “Just because she met the little idol first?”

She hurled the pillow and made a silly face at the air.

“Hmph! One day, I’ll make you see—your Sister Bing beats Sister Hua any day.”

Maids tiptoed in from outside and exchanged glances.

*Should we really not tell Madam?*

*The young miss has someone she likes. Madam would be thrilled—given her age, it’s high time.*

*True.*

They nodded silently, then mimed zipping their lips shut.

No way they’d risk spilling secrets and ending up concrete-weighted in the Xiangjiang River.

“You. Come here.” Chen Tangtang sat up, eyeing the hesitant maids.

They snapped to attention, lining up neatly before her.

“We’re listening, Young Miss!” they chorused—loud, sharp. Before this assignment, they’d been leather-jacketed night riders with rolled-R swagger.

Thud!

“Why shout so loud?” Chen Tangtang tossed a pillow at them. The maids bowed lower.

“I just want to ask… what do guys actually like?”

*(All because Zhou You handed the keys back before leaving…)*

“This…” one maid ventured, “…I heard all guys love piloting Gundam.”

“?” came the unified, skeptical echo.

Glances shot her down. Even the Chen family couldn’t summon fictional mechs.

Another brightened: “Gift him a gun! Guys adore the smell of gunpowder.”

“A monk-blessed Gatling would be perfect…”

“…”

Chen Tangtang blinked slowly, a thoughtful look settling on her face.

...

Back at the hotel: many dared to speak; one dared to listen.

Meanwhile, Yun Mingyue parked by West Lake. They stepped out just as the musical fountain erupted—water columns arcing skyward, dyed brilliant by shifting lights, music swelling between sprays.

Crowds packed the shore. Zhou You and Yun Mingyue stood beneath a distant tree, catching only fractured glimpses of color through the bustling gaps.

Night deepened. Shielded by shadows and leaves, no passerby would notice what happened beneath that tree.

Rustle… rustle…

A cool fingertip brushed Zhou You’s hand. A small palm slowly covered his knuckles.

“Want to try something thrilling—”

Before Yun Mingyue finished teasing, Zhou You seized her fidgeting hand. He felt it flinch—nearly slipping away.

All sass when teasing others; pure little rabbit when teased herself.

“Sister Hua,” Zhou You murmured, amusement threading his voice.

Yun Mingyue caught the tease. *Don’t get cocky. Sisters tease brothers—not the reverse.* She wouldn’t let him flip the script.

She spread her fingers, lacing tightly with his, even hooking her pinky playfully around his.

“Little brother’s growing bold. Sister’s so proud.” Flickering lights painted half her face.

“So… will Sister reward me?” Zhou You spoke to steady himself. Her restless fingers made his pulse itch.

*God, I want to devour this enchantress… or be devoured.*

“Of course.”

Yun Mingyue bit her lip, mischief dancing in her eyes. She leaned in, tiptoed, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

Zhou You froze. Last time was accidental. This was deliberate—meaning everything.

Her lips didn’t retreat. They drifted upward.

“Want Sister to continue what we did earlier?”

*(That afternoon in the faculty building stairwell at Hangzhou Z University…)*

“I… don’t want to…”

“Really?”

Without waiting, she flicked her tongue over his earlobe, breath warm against his skin. “Little brother… feeling good?”

Gulp… gulp…

Zhou You swallowed hard.

No blame—any guy would melt.

“Say something sweet… and Sister might…”

“Pretty… good, I guess.” He stressed the hesitant *guess*—his last defense.

“Not enough.” Yun Mingyue closed in. “Sister’s lips might be very sweet, you know.”

Zhou You’s calm shattered. He wanted space—to reboot his three-years-of-dating brain—but her grip held firm. No escape.

*Careless. I thought I countered her. All part of her plan.*

Terrifying enchantress.

“I’m not interested.” He forced coldness, refusing her rhythm.

“So… little brother doesn’t want to kiss Sister?” Her voice dipped with regret, a trace of sorrow. His resolve wavered.

He steeled himself. “Let’s go back… okay?”

“Mm?”

A soft, warm pressure landed on his lips.