“So bitter.”
The medicine exploded in her mouth. Su Hao wasn’t fully conscious and muttered indistinctly.

Only then did Zhou Yang withdraw his finger. His well-defined fingers were still warm. He turned, picked up the glass of water, and handed it to her.
“Fever reducer. Drink some water. You have a fever.”

In the dark of night, in a room faintly scented with a woman’s fragrance, the man’s voice carried a restrained hoarseness.

Su Hao cradled the glass. Being sick made her unusually compliant. Leaning against the headboard, she drank in big gulps. After finishing, her mind cleared considerably.

She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead—it was burning hot, so hot she couldn’t even tell which side was worse.

She set the glass down and finally recognized the man in front of her.
“Zhou Yang… thank you. It probably rained last night and I got soaked. I thought it was nothing.”

Her long hair fell over her shoulders, her eyes unguarded.

Silence lingered for a few seconds.

Zhou Yang stood up, undoing the cuff of his shirt. Tall and imposing, he looked down at her.
“You should change before sleeping again. You spilled water just now.”

Instinctively, Su Hao reached out and touched her dress—it was damp. She was wearing a white fitted dress. Realizing this, she lightly grabbed the blanket and pulled it higher, covering the faintly visible outline beneath.

Her voice remained gentle.
“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll head out now. The medicine kit is on the coffee table. There’s a thermometer and some common meds inside. If the fever doesn’t go down by morning, take another pill.”

With that, Zhou Yang turned and left the bedroom.

In the living room, he paused. The taste of alcohol still lingered on his tongue. He pressed his teeth together, bent down, and picked up his phone and key card from the coffee table. The hand he used was the same one that had fed her the medicine—his long index finger still seemed to retain warmth.

He glanced at it for a moment, then slipped the phone and key card into his pocket. With his left hand, he lazily gripped the index finger of his right and cracked it with a soft snap, then left the suite.

Once he was gone, the oppressive presence in the room vanished with him. Only a faint trace of alcohol lingered in the air.

Su Hao felt weak all over. She stayed where she was, staring toward the living room. Only after hearing the door close did she get out of bed. She changed out of her dress and into pajamas. She was starting to sweat and didn’t dare shower, so she hurried back to bed and pulled the blanket over herself.

Under the effect of the medicine—and sheer exhaustion—she soon fell asleep again.

The next morning, Su Hao was jolted awake by her alarm. She rolled over and immediately reached for her forehead. It seemed cooler.

She sat up, stepped onto the floor, and felt much better. Sure enough, a medicine kit sat on the coffee table.

She walked over and opened it.

The thermometer had been placed right on top—clearly visible. She took it out, pressed it to her forehead, and waited.

36.7°C.

The fever was gone. She let out a breath of relief.

Her phone on the table kept buzzing.

It was a message from Chen Yu.

Chen Yu: Su Haohao, have you gone to the office yet? Can you take photos of last quarter’s accounts for me? We’re reconciling the general ledger, and two entries have odd timestamps.

Su Hao became fully alert. She picked up her phone and replied.

Su Hao: I just woke up. I’ll send them to you once I arrive.

After sending it, she checked the time. It was early—why was Chen Yu up so early today?

Chen Yu: Just send them to me. Don’t tell Zhang Xian. And don’t tell Lu Mimi either.

Su Hao fell silent for a moment. She understood immediately—Chen Yu must have made a mistake in the accounts and was trying to fix it quietly first.

She hesitated, then replied:

Su Hao: Okay.

She was still new, just an assistant. Situations like this were awkward, but not disastrous. If she could help, she would.

Putting her phone down, Su Hao remained preoccupied. She took her clothes and showered. She had been sweating and felt sticky. She turned the hot water up all the way. Afterward, she felt much better.

She chose a silky long dress. Just as she came out, she heard a knock.

She opened the door.

Hotel room service—breakfast delivery. She was indeed hungry. After thanking them, she wheeled the tray inside, quickly ate, rinsed her mouth, grabbed her small bag, and headed out.

The air-conditioning in the room had been strong. Outside, a wave of heat hit her. The sudden temperature difference raised goosebumps on her skin. Just as she closed her door—

The door to room 603 opened.

A man stepped out, a suit jacket draped over his arm. His gaze landed on her at just the right distance.

Su Hao opened her mouth.
“Good morning.”

Zhou Yang nodded.
“Morning. Fever’s gone?”

Bang.

His door closed. He walked toward the elevator, glanced at her, and said,
“Let’s go down together. The car’s downstairs. I’ll have the driver take you to the office first.”

“Mm.”
Su Hao followed behind him, watching his tall figure.

Thinking back to last night, she felt genuinely grateful he had checked on her. Otherwise, she might not even have been able to get up this morning. Her earlier hidden resistance and resentment had faded considerably.

Inside the elevator, she asked softly,
“Have you had breakfast?”

Zhou Yang was scrolling through his phone. Hearing her, he lifted his eyes.
“I have. You?”

“I did. The hotel breakfast arrived just in time.”

He let out a low chuckle.
“Was it good? If not, you can complain.”

She nodded seriously.
“It was really good.”

She could tell from his eyes that he was teasing her—there was a slightly wicked glint.

Was he scheming against someone?

She added quickly,
“I mean it. No need to complain.”

Zhou Yang laughed again, rubbed the corner of his lips, and said nothing more.

The elevator arrived.

In the lobby, many tourists were coming and going. Outside, a black Porsche was parked. The driver opened the door and waited.

Under the gazes of several women, Zhou Yang got into the front passenger seat.

The driver opened the rear door for Su Hao. She thanked him and got in. The car’s air-conditioning was strong—cold. Goosebumps rose again on her arms.

As the car pulled away, Zhou Yang’s phone rang. He popped a mint candy into his mouth and answered casually. His long legs were crossed lazily.

He glanced back and noticed Su Hao rubbing her arms. Without looking, he tossed his jacket over.

The black suit jacket landed on her knees.

Zhou Yang withdrew his gaze.
“Cover yourself. We’ll be there soon.”

Su Hao froze.

A second later, she lightly pulled the jacket up to cover her knees, but didn’t drape it over her shoulders.

The fabric felt expensive, still carrying a hint of his warmth. She hesitated and glanced at the air-conditioning—only to see the driver wiping sweat from his forehead.

She said nothing.

They arrived quickly.

The logo of Feijie was unmistakable. The driver parked at the curb. He opened the door for Su Hao. She picked up the jacket, leaned in, and handed it back to Zhou Yang. He was still on the phone and took it without thinking.

His fingers brushed her slender ones—just for an instant.

Su Hao quickly got out of the car. Outside, the heat hit her, yet the chill in her arms faded instantly. Her bag was heavy, holding a tablet and notebook. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun and waved toward the passenger seat.

Zhou Yang nodded.
“When you’re done, text me. The driver will come get you.”

“Okay.” She smiled.

In the sunlight, only one dimple showed—like a crescent moon.

Zhou Yang rested his arm on the window frame. One side of his body was cooled by the air-conditioning; the other baked in the sun—an odd sensation of ice and fire.

He narrowed his eyes as Su Hao turned and walked into the building.

The driver closed the door and started the car.

Zhou Yang watched her slim figure disappear before looking away.

Just then, another call came through. He hadn’t noticed earlier and answered it.

Li Xiu’s soft voice came through.
“You’re on a business trip? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He paused, pulled the phone away, and saw two overlapping calls. He brought it back to his ear and asked casually,
“Are you my girlfriend now?”

Li Xiu choked, her face flushing.

Zhou Yang leaned back, one hand resting on the jacket—still faintly warm. He tapped his fingers and smiled.
“Even if you were, you wouldn’t get to control me. Got it?”

“You dared to chase me knowing exactly what kind of person I am, didn’t you? Hmm?”

Her blush vanished instantly.

“Asshole! “She snapped, hanging up.

The line switched to the other call.

It was Li Yi.

Silence lingered.

Li Yi sighed.
“You’re honestly a textbook scumbag.”

And yet so many women still liked him. Unbelievable.

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