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On the drive back in his van, Liu Muye's mind was still filled with the image of Han Juyou hugging him earlier.

At that moment, the two of them had been standing so close, and then she suddenly wrapped her arms around him. His brain had completely blanked out in that instant. He had just stood there stiffly, like a block of wood, letting the girl bury her face in his chest as she cried.

Having been single for over twenty years since birth, this was the first time Liu Muye had ever been hugged by a girl—yes, despite being a romance novelist for two and a half years, Liu Muye had never actually been in a relationship.

The feeling of being embraced by a girl…

It was really special!

An entirely new sensation he had never experienced before.

Something even he, a writer of love stories, couldn’t put into words.

He reached out and touched the spot on his chest where Han Juyou’s tears had soaked through. It still wasn’t completely dry, and his fingers could feel the lingering warmth and dampness.

He didn’t remember how long Han Juyou had cried against him. All he knew was that his heart had been pounding wildly—and even now, it was still racing.

Thump~ Thump~~

The car was quiet, and he could clearly hear the sound of his own heartbeat. The more he replayed the scene in his head, the faster it got.

"Son, why aren’t you getting out of the car now that we’re home?"

"Wah—!"

"Huh?!"

Liu Muye, lost in thought inside the car, was startled by the sudden appearance of Liu Chenghan’s face at the window. Liu Chenghan, in turn, was startled by his son’s scream and let out a couple of yelps himself.

"Dad, you popping up out of nowhere in the middle of the night is seriously terrifying!" Liu Muye got out of the car and slung an arm around Liu Chenghan’s shoulders as they walked toward the villa. "Do you know how dangerous it is to scare people like that?"

Liu Chenghan shrugged. "I saw your car parked outside for ages and you weren’t coming in, so I got worried and came to check on you."

"Thanks for the concern, Dad. Your son’s doing just fine."

"No need to thank me, son… Wait, why’s your face all flushed? Were you up to something in the car just now?" Liu Chenghan narrowed his eyes as soon as they stepped inside, immediately noticing Liu Muye’s odd expression.

Liu Muye tensed up. "N-no! What could I possibly be doing in the car…?"

"Really?" Liu Chenghan stared him down. "Then why are you so nervous?"

"I-I’m not nervous!" Liu Muye waved a hand dismissively. "C’mon, Dad, it’s late. Let’s just go upstairs and sleep."

As he spoke, he nudged Liu Chenghan toward the elevator.

Liu Chenghan kept talking as he walked. "Don’t just rush me—you should sleep early too. Staying up late every night isn’t good for your little swimmers, y’know."

Liu Muye’s face turned red. "Dad, I’m an adult. You don’t need to teach me this stuff!"

"Fair enough. You’ve always been the most worry-free kid."

Liu Chenghan nodded, reaching out to pat his son’s shoulder—only to feel the damp patch on his chest. "Hey, why’s this wet?"

"I spilled water on myself while driving one-handed. Now go to bed already!"

Liu Muye tossed out a random excuse and, without giving Liu Chenghan a chance to ask more questions, pressed the button for his parents’ floor.

"Kid, why are you so jumpy tonight? Hey—"

Before Liu Chenghan could finish, the elevator doors slid shut.

Liu Muye let out a sigh of relief as he watched the elevator ascend.

Back in their room, Liu Chenghan immediately reported his findings to his wife, Zhou Min.

"Sweetheart, I think our son went out with a girl tonight."

"Really? Our boy finally figured it out?"

"Absolutely. He was sitting in the car spacing out, his face was all red, and his clothes smelled like perfume that definitely wasn’t his. If he’s not dating someone, what else could it be? Unless he went to a brothel—and if he did, I’m disowning him!"

"Our boy’s growing up! Just started school and already got himself a girlfriend. Here’s what we’ll do—add a few zeros to his allowance so he can take her out properly…"

"Good idea." Liu Chenghan leaned back against the headboard, nodding, but then frowned slightly. "Though… I did notice his shirt was wet around the chest. Not sure what that was about."

"Could it be…?" Zhou Min’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Could it be…?"

The two exchanged a knowing smile, silently agreeing not to voice the rest of that thought.

But one thing was certain—they had definitely jumped to the wrong conclusion.

……

After Liu Muye left, Han Juyou went about her usual routine: delivering dinner to her mother at the hospital, then heading home to shower and sleep.

But lying in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to drift off. Her mind kept replaying the moment she had hugged Liu Muye outside her apartment earlier that night.

She didn’t even know why she had done it—why she had suddenly thrown her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and cried until his shirt was soaked.

When Liu Muye finally left, she had clearly seen the large damp patch on his clothes and the dazed look on his face—clueless, but still kind of handsome.

Pfft— Han Juyou couldn’t help but giggle to herself.

Just thinking about it made her cheeks burn.

After squirming restlessly under the covers for a while, Han Juyou gave up on sleep. She turned on the small bedside lamp, sat up, and pulled out the repaired notebook from her drawer.

Liu Muye had tried his best to piece together the torn pages, but his clumsy efforts had left the notebook looking… well, pretty ugly.

But that didn’t matter. The fact that he had gone out of his way to fix it and return it to her already meant the world.

Pfft—

Han Juyou giggled again as she traced the messy repairs with her fingers.

After flipping through a few pages, she picked up her phone and opened her chat with Liu Muye.

Their last messages were still from the night before—just that brief video call lasting a few seconds.

After a moment’s hesitation, Han Juyou typed:

"Liu Muye, how did you find my place yesterday?"

A while later, Liu Muye replied:

"The school’s student directory had your address. Plus, come on—I’m Liu Muye. Finding someone in Shangjing is child’s play for me."

Liu Muye had just finished showering when he saw Han Juyou’s message. Sensing her suspicion, he quickly fabricated an excuse.

After sending his reply, there was a noticeable pause before Han Juyou responded.

Han Juyou: "Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Liu~ Da~ Shao~"

Truthfully, Han Juyou had seen his message the second it came in. But she deliberately waited before replying—that way, it wouldn’t seem like she’d been eagerly waiting for his text.

Of course, her worries were completely unnecessary. Even if she had replied instantly, Liu Muye wouldn’t have read into it. A lifelong single like him wouldn’t pick up on subtleties like that.

Liu Muye stared at the text from Han Juyou, already picturing her teasing gaze and that infuriatingly smug tone through the screen.

After a moment’s thought, Liu Muye replied, "Anything else? If not, this young master is going to bed!"

Han Juyou shot back, "No way! You’re not allowed to sleep—keep me company for a while."

...