There was only one girls’ changing room at the school. Perhaps to protect the girls’ privacy, it was kept very quiet, with only an empty classroom nearby being used as a storage room.

Those convenient conditions made it easy for Lin Qing to find the place.

No one would notice him right away.

Still, a place like a school, thick with the energy of youth, was bound to stir up boys’ curiosity.

For instance, it wasn’t unheard of for boys to peek at girls changing.

The cameras originally installed nearby had been smashed by boys blinded by lust.

Every time one was installed, it got broken.

In the end, the school stopped installing cameras and resorted to more physical measures.

When student council members patrolling the area caught someone peeking, they’d teach the boys a lesson with their batons.

They’d also throw in a school-wide public shaming afterward, just to make sure the offenders were socially dead.

After the student council caught a few bold students, the school went a long time without another peeping Tom.

But now, there was about to be one more—an unwilling one.

Lin Qing walked up to the girls’ changing room. Seeing no one around, he raised a hand and knocked instead of barging straight in.

But...

The moment the door opened, Lin Qing was pulled inside.

It happened so suddenly.

He hadn’t seen it coming.

His unsteady steps carried him backward until he finally stopped with his back against a row of tall lockers.

“What took you so long? I was getting impatient waiting!”

He knew who had pulled him in, and he didn’t sense any danger, so Lin Qing simply leaned against the lockers and made no move to fight back.

Apparently pleased that Lin Qing knew how to behave, Su Yao—now wearing a white shirt—braced one hand against the locker beside him. Their difference in height made her look down at him slightly.

She absolutely loved that feeling of looking down on him.

Su Yao’s shirt, though, wasn’t fully done up. Several buttons at the collar were undone, leaving the fabric hanging open and revealing a deep glimpse of pale skin.

Up close, the sweet floral scent on Su Yao seemed capable of clouding a person’s thoughts.

It turned the mind to mush.

Thoughts stopped working; all that was left was instinct.

Su Yao had no sense of keeping her distance from men—or rather, she didn’t see Lin Qing as an outsider at all.

She pressed her body close to Lin Qing, as if she meant to pull his head against her chest.

Lin Qing frowned and tried to push her away, but the instant his fingertips touched a soft spot, he snatched his hand back as fast as lightning.

Su Yao wasn’t bothered by his touch. Instead, she moved even closer.

A smile played at the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were full of mischief.

Her breathing sounded beside his ear. Her warm breath brushed against him, and Lin Qing’s body reacted with a sudden, natural flush of heat.

Ever since he’d started interacting with Su Yao at the hospital, Lin Qing had been unable to shake one question.

Was there something wrong with her?

Some kind of skin-contact craving, maybe—did she just like touching people?

But from Lin Qing’s everyday observations, Su Yao acted perfectly normally around everyone else.

Proper and reserved.

She even avoided most direct contact and kept her distance from the others.

Su Yao seemed easygoing, but she kept other people at arm’s length.

She wasn’t especially close to anyone, but she wasn’t on bad terms with them either.

Just as Lin Qing knew she was putting on an act, that carefully judged distance gave her plenty of room to be herself.

But...

Lin Qing wanted Su Yao to stick to her act. If she’d decided to put one on, she should see it through.

She shouldn’t make an exception for him.

And she shouldn’t make him someone special.

Being special often meant carrying secrets—secrets that were both immense and dangerous.

So she shouldn’t keep coming close to him and touching him whenever she felt like it.

“Su Yao, let’s talk properly.”

As Su Yao pressed herself against him, Lin Qing spoke with a calm expression.

The heat he’d felt at first from their physical contact had already been quickly suppressed by reason.

He hadn’t come here after agreeing to meet Su Yao so they could flirt. There were other matters he needed to settle.

“Lin Qing, have you never dated anyone? Or even held a girl’s hand? You really don’t know how to read the mood.”

But Su Yao didn’t care at all about what Lin Qing said.

She grabbed one of Lin Qing’s hands and pinned it to the metal locker. Her slender fingers slipped between his and laced tightly with them.

She made no effort to hide what she was doing, as if she already had him right where she wanted him.

“What’s the deal with Wu Gang? You arranged for him to come to the school as a teacher, didn’t you?”

With Su Yao pressing him at every turn, Lin Qing had no intention of getting caught up in her game. He turned his head to look away and went straight to the point.

He needed to know more.

“Who else could it have been besides me?”

Su Yao chuckled. Her other hand slid up Lin Qing’s chest and stopped at his slightly pointed chin. Firm and unyielding, she turned his face back toward her.

They looked into each other’s eyes again, watching each other’s expressions.

“Why did you do that?”

“Take a guess.”

“...”

Pinned by Su Yao, Lin Qing knew he wouldn’t get an answer to his question.

Maybe Su Yao had expected that from the start. That was why she’d made the first move.

She wanted him to follow her lead.

“I can’t guess.”

Lin Qing shook his head without saying anything else, keeping his eyes fixed on Su Yao.

Through the gaps in his black hair, his dark pupils were just visible, like those of someone lurking in the shadows and secretly watching everything.

Su Yao suddenly found herself curious. She wanted to see what Lin Qing looked like.

“Then keep guessing! But there’s something else you’re curious about, isn’t there? Like why I helped report Li Weiqiang.”

The sudden idea made Su Yao eager to try. She knew Lin Qing wouldn’t agree, so she decided to catch him off guard.

She’d keep him distracted by talking.

Then take advantage of the opening.

“There wasn’t really any particular reason. I just...”

“Beep, beep, beep.”

Before Su Yao could finish, an alarm suddenly went off.

She frowned in annoyance, wondering which idiot was causing trouble.

Since she’d arranged to meet Lin Qing here, Su Yao had naturally made all the necessary preparations. A small device that could detect anyone approaching was tucked in her pocket.

As soon as someone crossed its infrared sensor, the alarm would go off.

But Su Yao didn’t feel relieved that her precautions had worked.

She’d finally piqued Lin Qing’s interest. Given a little more time, she could push that annoying hair aside and see his face.

“Someone’s coming.”

Su Yao watched as someone turned the doorknob from outside. Since the door was locked, she wasn’t worried they’d be able to barge in.

Still, whoever had come at this hour didn’t seem like a girl.

Could it be an intruder?

As the thought crossed her mind, Su Yao glanced at Lin Qing, who was also in here illegally, and got a mischievous idea.

What would happen if she suddenly shouted right now?

That sounded like fun.