Such a Chilly Autumn...

Noon, 11:30.

The Leng Family.

Inside the study.

Leng Qingqiu, who was supposed to be reading, was instead pacing back and forth in the room.

"Why isn't he back yet...?"

"What's going on...?"

Leng Qingqiu muttered to herself, her expression carrying an indescribable emotion.

She was worried that she had spent too much time sneaking out, causing Gu Yan to return and not find her.

At the same time, she was annoyed that it was already 11:30 in the morning, and he still hadn’t returned.

Did buying oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and some groceries really take this long?

She had rushed out precisely because she was worried that Gu Yan might think—"I don’t want to go shopping with a kid like Leng Ling'er. I’ll just finish buying the stuff quickly and go back to spend some sweet time with Qingqiu."

So, she had made sure to finish her business quickly.

She had hurried to the Night Organization's base, handled her affairs, and then rushed back to the Leng Family.

Then, she sat at her desk, pretending to read, quietly waiting for Gu Yan to come in. She had even left the door slightly open for this purpose.

Because she knew that Gu Yan’s favorite thing to do was to sneak in quietly, scare her from behind, and then start doing... well, *those* things with her.

At the thought of this, a faint blush appeared on Leng Qingqiu’s usually cold and elegant face.

She quickly shook her head. No, no, it wasn’t like she was looking forward to *that*.

It was just that, currently, she and Gu Yan were technically engaged, and they had already done *those* things.

So, to maintain the facade of their engagement and to improve her strength, she had to keep doing *those* things with Gu Yan.

It wasn’t like she enjoyed it or anything. After all, she was the Night King!

How could she possibly enjoy such things?

Of course, so... why wasn’t Gu Yan back yet?

Oh right, she had sent Gu Yan out with Ling'er. Given Ling'er’s personality, she might have wanted to have some extra fun.

So, were the two of them out playing together?

Considering that Ling'er had mentioned wanting to knit a scarf for Gu Yan...

A strange feeling crossed Leng Qingqiu’s face. No, no, Ling'er wouldn’t do something like that.

Just as Leng Qingqiu was lost in her thoughts, suddenly!

Two familiar auras appeared, along with over a dozen unfamiliar ones.

Among them was an especially powerful aura.

Leng Qingqiu’s expression tightened. What was going on?

Why had Gu Yan and Ling'er brought so many people back with them?

Her first thought was... were they being threatened?

But she quickly shook her head. No, Mei Xue and Jun Zilan hadn’t sent her any messages.

That powerful aura was most likely Old Gao, the grandmaster who always accompanied Gu Yan.

In other words, these people were probably Gu Yan’s bodyguards. But why were there so many bodyguards?

Combined with how late they were returning, and the fact that she had sent Gu Yan out to buy groceries...

Oh, they must have gone on a big shopping spree.

Leng Qingqiu quickly came to this conclusion.

She immediately walked to the study door and closed it.

Then, she casually picked up a book, sat back at her desk, and pretended to read.

Meanwhile, she began counting in her head.

One second... two seconds... three seconds... four seconds... five... huh? It’s been five seconds, why hasn’t Gu Yan come up yet?

Six seconds... seven seconds...

Downstairs.

Gu Yan was directing the bodyguards: "Yes, put the snacks over there."

"Put the clothes here. Install the new TV, and just get rid of the old one."

Leng Ling'er took the opportunity to chime in: "Don’t just throw it away! Sell it to the scrap collector and give me the money."

"You, yes, you! Put my snacks in the living room. I want to eat them while watching TV."

"And put the game console over there. Make sure it’s set up properly, or I’ll have my brother-in-law dock your pay!"

The bodyguards looked at Gu Yan with pleading eyes.

Gu Yan, feeling a headache coming on, waved his hand and said, "Just humor her, alright?"

"Yes, Young Master."

Leng Ling'er wasn’t happy with this response. "What do you mean, 'humor her'? Am I not being friendly enough?!"

"Alright, alright," Gu Yan said, nodding while quietly reminding Old Gao not to let the little troublemaker go too far.

Then, he picked up some yarn, knitting needles, and a cream puff before heading upstairs.

Back in the study.

Ah, it’s been a full minute! Gu Yan still hasn’t come up!

Why... why... You’ve changed, Gu Yan... You used to come to me the moment you arrived at the Leng Family...

But now, after just one outing with Ling'er, you’ve become like this...

Leng Qingqiu began to feel uneasy. Had Gu Yan stopped liking her?

She had heard Ling'er say before that men change when they get rich—they get bored with what they have and start looking for something new.

Could it be... that Gu Yan was like that too?

Leng Qingqiu’s face turned pale, and she tightly gripped the book in her hands.

Ah, two minutes had passed... and Gu Yan still hadn’t come to see her...

Leng Qingqiu didn’t know what was wrong with herself. She had just finished handling important matters for the organization.

So why was it that, now that she was back home, all she could think about was Gu Yan’s life essence?

You’re right, Little Cold. I’ve become weak.

[Hm? Other Me, are you calling for me?]

"No! Stay out of it!"

Leng Qingqiu took a deep breath. No, Leng Qingqiu, you’re the Night King.

Are you really going to let yourself feel this anxious and restless just because Gu Yan came to the Leng Family but didn’t come to see you right away?

What’s the difference between you and those fools who ruin everything because of their emotions?

[Other Me, our cauldron has arrived.]

?

Leng Qingqiu slowly formed a question mark in her mind, feeling very displeased.

"What do you mean, 'our cauldron'? What are you talking about, Little Cold?"

"He’s mine, and mine alone. What does he have to do with you?"

[...I don’t understand... Other Me, we are one and the same.]

[To me, Gu Yan, this male individual, is also my cauldron.]

[Because you and I are the same person.]

"Shut up!" Leng Qingqiu scolded internally.

The next second.

"Qingqiu~ I’m here~~"

Gu Yan called out as he ran upstairs.

Click~

He swiftly pushed the door open and walked in.

As soon as he entered, he saw Leng Qingqiu sitting at her desk, engrossed in her book.

Ah, as expected of the future big villain, always striving to improve herself!

"Qingqiu, you won’t believe it. Ling'er and I ran into Bai Jun and his sister while we were at the shopping district."

"The four of us went on a big shopping spree and bought a ton of stuff."

"Clothes, jewelry, gold, cosmetics—I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just bought everything."

"I was just downstairs directing the bodyguards to move the stuff. You’re not mad that I didn’t come see you right away, are you?"

Gu Yan walked over to Leng Qingqiu and placed the items he was carrying on the desk.

Leng Qingqiu, hearing Gu Yan’s voice, pretended to be indifferent as she flipped through the pages of her book, her expression calm and composed.

She responded with a faint hum: "Mhm..."

But inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.

So that’s what happened. They ran into the Bai Family and went on a shopping spree. No wonder it took so long.

He was just directing the bodyguards to move the stuff earlier!

Leng Qingqiu’s mood instantly improved, and she felt much more at ease.

However, after a moment of reflection, she frowned, and a smile that sent a chill down Gu Yan’s spine appeared on her beautiful face.

It was... Leng Qingqiu’s signature "I’m angry" kind smile.

She turned her head and asked, "How much... did you spend? How much did you buy?"

"Not much... just a little..."

Gu Yan wanted to throw out a random number, but under the pressure of Leng Qingqiu’s smile, he had no choice but to give an estimate: "Around 10 million... it’s really not that much."

1... 10 million?!

Leng Qingqiu’s breathing nearly stopped. This! This was too much! How could he waste so much money on useless things!

Even if he had money, he couldn’t just throw it away like that!

Leng Qingqiu felt her heart ache for Gu Yan’s wallet. She said coldly, "Did you remove the tags? If not, go return them immediately."

"Those things are too expensive. Neither Ling'er nor I need them. I’m telling you... mmmph...!!"

Gu Yan sighed. He had known Qingqiu would be upset.

But it was fine.

He quickly picked up a cream puff and stuffed it into Leng Qingqiu’s chattering mouth.

Instantly silencing her.

Leng Qingqiu, who had been fuming just moments ago, was suddenly overwhelmed by the creamy flavor filling her mouth.

She stopped thinking.

Her anger gauge dropped to zero, and she happily picked up a cream puff to eat: "Mmm... delicious....."

"Gu Yan, do you know how wasteful it is to spend money like this?"

While munching, she mumbled a reminder: "You mustn't buy so much in the future."

"But since you bought these cream puffs, I'll forgive you~"

Seeing this, Gu Yan let out a sigh of relief and pulled up a chair to sit beside Leng Qingqiu.

Then, propping his face with his hand, he gazed at her sweetly. Well, she was just utterly adorable.

He asked, "Qingqiu, what were you doing at home all morning?"

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu replied without thinking, "Reading."

*You fool, Gu Yan, do you really think I'd let you discover my true identity as the Night King?*

"Hehe, I also bought some yarn and knitting needles. Qingqiu, do you know how to knit scarves?"

"How about we knit one for each other?"

Leng Qingqiu was in a good mood and agreed to whatever Gu Yan suggested: "Sure."

Gu Yan's face lit up even more upon hearing her response, until...

His gaze fell on a book on Leng Qingqiu's desk.

His expression froze.

He leaned in for a closer look, and his pupils trembled in shock.

Gu Yan glanced at the book, then back at Leng Qingqiu, and took a sharp breath.

The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.

It wasn't until Leng Qingqiu finished her cream puff that Gu Yan finally cleared his throat and asked, "Qingqiu... do you usually read books like this?"

Leng Qingqiu licked her lips, savoring the sweetness, and her face returned to its usual cold demeanor: "Of course. To improve myself, it's necessary to learn from a variety of books."

"Oh."

Gu Yan nodded, thought for a moment, and then advised, "You should probably read fewer 18+ books... especially ones with... *that* kind of content..."

"Besides... Qingqiu, this book isn't even in Braille..."

"Hmph, you just don't understand... wait, what?"

Leng Qingqiu was about to arrogantly retort when she heard the second half of Gu Yan's sentence.

She froze, then looked at Gu Yan: "What book are you talking about?"

"Uh... the one you're reading right now..."

Gu Yan read the title, feeling a bit awkward: "*As a XXXXX, Do I Like XXX or...*"

Thud!!

Hearing the title, Leng Qingqiu instantly realized what had happened. It was a book she had confiscated from Leng Ling'er and hadn't let Gu Yan review yet.

*It was this kind of book?!*

In an instant,

Her face flushed bright red, and her shoulders began to tremble.

Gu Yan sensed something was wrong and gently comforted her: "Qingqiu, it's okay, I understand. Sometimes you just need to relax... but..."

He paused, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a slight smirk forming on his lips: "A Qingqiu who reads such naughty things... is really cute, you know~~"

!! At these words,

"Ah... ah..."

Leng Qingqiu completely lost it. Her eyes welled up with tears from sheer embarrassment.

The next second,

"LENG!! LING'ER!!! AHHHHHH!!!"

She let out a piercing scream.