The call ended.
Qin Shu stared at her phone.
It was 5 a.m.
She sat up so fast her neck almost snapped.
"…I'm in Beijing."
Meaning…
She had called Han Pei in the middle of the night.
And talked for over an hour.
Qin Shu's soul left her body for a solid three seconds.
She immediately texted him:
Sorry, I got the time wrong.
Han Pei replied almost instantly, like he hadn't even fallen back asleep yet.
It's okay. I just finished work too. Sleep early.
Qin Shu typed a longer apology.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Deleted it.
Finally she sent only:
Goodnight.
Han Pei replied:
Goodnight.
Qin Shu stared at that word for a while longer than she should have.
Then collapsed.
Four hours later, her phone rang like a death sentence.
Bu Yi's voice was loud enough to split her skull.
"Fang Ma and I are downstairs. Ten minutes. Wash up and come down."
Qin Shu groaned. "What is it…"
"I'm taking the answers to the problem, and then I'm taking you to the horse farm."
Qin Shu squeezed her eyes shut. "I'll send you the answer. I'm not going."
Bu Yi sounded personally offended."You're not going? Aunt Fang canceled meetings for today! How dare you break your promise just to sleep!"
Qin Shu snapped, "You're so annoying! Get out!"
She threw the phone onto the bed and dragged herself up.
In the car, Fang Muhe leaned back, eyes half closed, looking like he hadn't slept either.
Bu Yi sighed dramatically. "It's all because Qiqi said she could solve that problem."
Fang Muhe scoffed. "You're torturing yourself."
Bu Yi muttered, "You don't understand… I have academic dignity."
Fang Muhe: "You have no dignity."
Bu Yi: "..."
Then Fang Muhe's phone buzzed.
He glanced at it.
Han Cen: Are you free tonight?
Fang Muhe replied instantly:
No time.
Then he stared at the screen.
A few minutes later, he got out of the car, walked away to a flower bed, and called her.
Han Cen answered calmly. "What is it?"
Fang Muhe's voice was sharp."Han Cen. How old are you? Still playing childish tricks?"
Han Cen didn't answer.
Fang Muhe's patience snapped."You've been involved in Qiqi and your brother's affairs, haven't you?"
Silence.
Fang Muhe clenched his jaw."If you don't answer, I'm hanging up."
Finally, Han Cen spoke.
"If I said I did it for my brother and Qin Shu… would you believe me?"
Fang Muhe's tone was cold."Don't push Qiqi into a fire pit. My advice? Stop interfering. The sooner they break up, the better."
He hung up.
Qin Shu came downstairs, sleepy and pale.
Fang Muhe stared at her dark circles."What did you do last night?"
Qin Shu lied smoothly. "Nothing. I couldn't sleep at my grandfather's house, so I came back."
Fang Muhe ruffled her hair in irritation.
He didn't expose her.
But he knew.
At the horse farm, the snow was thick and quiet.
Bu Yi checked his phone again.
Still no reply from the girl he liked.
He sighed, then suddenly leaned closer to Qin Shu.
"Qiqi."
Qin Shu: "What."
Bu Yi whispered like he was sharing state secrets.
"Guess who we ran into last night."
Qin Shu: "Human."
Bu Yi: "..."
He gritted his teeth. "He Jingnan."
Qin Shu's hand froze.
"…Where?"
"At the bar. Probably meeting clients upstairs." Bu Yi lowered his voice. "He's back in China."
Qin Shu's expression didn't change, but the snowball in her hand cracked.
Bu Yi hesitated. Then said the real bomb.
"He works at your investment bank now."
Qin Shu's fingers tightened.
Bu Yi swallowed. "He's the head of the China region."
The snow in Qin Shu's palm shattered completely.
The ride back was quiet.
Qin Shu pretended nothing was wrong.
Fang Muhe noticed.
But didn't push.
Then Qin Shu received a call.
Han Pei.
His voice, low and calm, cut straight through her foggy mood.
"Are you busy?"
Qin Shu's heart steadied.
"Not busy. I'm in the car."
Han Pei paused for a few seconds.
Then he said, "Then I'll pick you up now. Dinner tonight."
Qin Shu apologized. "I'm not in the city. I'll be back late."
Han Pei didn't sound annoyed.
Instead, he asked, "Any plans tonight?"
"Just dinner with friends."
Han Pei's voice lowered.
"Then come running with me tonight."
Qin Shu froze. "Running…?"
That night, at the sports field, the wind was biting.
Han Pei showed up in a black tracksuit, holding a coat.
"Why didn't you call me?" he asked.
Qin Shu blinked. "I thought you went running and didn't bring your phone."
Han Pei handed her the coat.
"These are for you."
Qin Shu was stunned. "For me?"
Han Pei glanced at her bare ankles."Keep your feet warm. Or you'll get arthritis when you're old."
Qin Shu: "..."
She followed him onto the track.
Han Pei ran.
Qin Shu walked.
After half a lap, she was freezing.
And when Han Pei came back around, he stopped beside her.
"Give me your clothes."
Qin Shu looked up. "Why?"
Han Pei stepped closer, slipped an arm behind her—
And in one smooth motion, wrapped his coat around her waist.
Their bodies got too close.
Too intimate.
Qin Shu held her breath.
Han Pei's voice was calm, but his hands were careful.
"The coat can be washed if it gets dirty."
Then he ran again.
Leaving her standing there, wrapped in him.
Han Pei finished 23 laps.
Qin Shu stared.
"You actually count?"
Han Pei wiped sweat off his forehead."I never counted before."
Qin Shu was about to ask what he meant—
When his phone rang.
Caller ID: Qiu Lan.
Qin Shu silenced it without thinking and put it back.
A moment later, Han Pei stopped beside her.
"Give me my phone."
Qin Shu handed it over.
Han Pei checked the missed call, then called back.
Qin Shu went to the car first.
She didn't hear what Qiu Lan said.
But she heard what Han Pei replied.
"I'm busy."
Qiu Lan laughed. "Busy on a date?"
Han Pei's gaze landed on Qin Shu's figure in the dark.
His voice didn't change.
"Yeah."
Qiu Lan teased, "What kind of woman are you accompanying?"
Han Pei answered:
"Mine."
Later, Han Pei took a quick shower at his apartment, then drove Qin Shu home.
When they reached her building, Qin Shu didn't get out immediately.
She looked at him.
"Do you have time? I want to talk."
Han Pei already knew what she wanted to ask.
"Come sit in front."
She moved to the passenger seat.
Han Pei turned the heat up slightly.
Then he looked at her.
"Say it."
Qin Shu didn't beat around the bush.
"You asked me out tonight… was it Grandpa Han's idea?"
Han Pei's eyes didn't flicker.
"It was."
Qin Shu's chest tightened.
She forced herself to keep her tone calm.
"If you're embarrassed or you had no choice… I can talk to your elders. My grandfather won't force me."
Han Pei watched her for a long second.
Then he said, clearly:
"Asking you out was my own idea."
Qin Shu's breath caught.
Han Pei leaned closer, his voice dropping low.
"And if you want the truth…"
He paused.
"…I don't like sharing what's mine."