Cozy Morning

Nine o'clock.

"Haah~"

Gu Yan walked downstairs, full of energy.

He rubbed his shoulders—what a comfortable sleep.

And there was a familiar scent lingering on him, as if the Qingqiu from his dreams had somehow seeped into reality.

But that was impossible, of course.

Still, he ought to thank Xiao Leng. She must have been the one who carried him back to his room last night.

Just then.

A familiar voice came from the living room: "Awake? Ling'er's already left for school."

"Breakfast is ready. Help yourself."

Gu Yan turned toward the sound and saw Leng Qingqiu sitting calmly on the sofa, the morning news playing on the TV.

"Morning, Qingqiu."

"You're as stunning as ever today!"

He greeted her cheerfully.

Qingqiu was Qingqiu, already in full businesswoman mode this early in the morning.

As for breakfast? Nah, he wasn’t a breakfast person.

With that, he headed into the bathroom to freshen up.

"......"

Leng Qingqiu glanced sideways at the living energy source that had just disappeared into the bathroom.

Then...

She immediately covered her face, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Ugh... this is so embarrassing. No matter how she thought about it, it was mortifying.

She’d actually slept with Gu Yan last night.

But...

Leng Qingqiu frowned. Even though she’d made him think it was just a dream in the end...

Why was Gu Yan acting so nonchalant about it?

Shouldn’t he at least explain why he ended up in her bed last night?

Unless...

He had a sleepwalking habit?

Leng Qingqiu couldn’t figure it out, and she didn’t want to dwell on it.

Him not bringing it up was fine—it saved her the awkwardness.

A moment later.

Gu Yan returned to the living room and plopped down right next to Leng Qingqiu, leaning into her. "Qingqiu, my Qingqiu~"

"The weather’s so nice today. How about we go out and have some fun?"

Leng Qingqiu pressed a hand against his face and pushed him away, inwardly sighing.

This damn man. He really had forgotten everything from last night.

"No."

She huffed lightly. Why was she the only one overthinking this? So annoying!

Not that she didn’t want to go, but she really did have things to do.

With the forbidden zone expedition over, she needed to make an appearance at the organization, hear the debrief, and plan her next steps.

"Rejecting me so fast?"

"Qingqiu, don’t you want to go eat something delicious?"

Delicious food...

At his words, Leng Qingqiu shot him a sidelong glance.

As tempting as it was...

Between last night, this morning, and the Night Organization’s affairs, she felt like she’d been slacking off too much lately. She needed to focus on serious matters!

So.

"No means no. I’m busy today."

"Besides..."

She crossed her arms and smirked. "Shouldn’t you be a wounded man resting at home right now?"

"Parading around outside—do you even want to keep playing the weakling anymore?"

"Though..."

Her smirk widened. "For a Xiantian, you’re pretty weak."

Gu Yan: !!!?

"You know about that too?!"

He was shocked. Sure, being Xiantian was true, but Xiantian wasn’t weak!

He was still a Xiantian, damn it!

"Yep. Your mom called me this morning and explained your situation."

Leng Qingqiu waved her phone with a grin. "Ling'er helped set it up."

Gu Yan sighed internally.

Now that he thought about it, it made sense.

This forbidden zone trip had been even more dangerous. No matter how tough he was, he shouldn’t be bouncing around the next day like nothing happened.

Plus...

Qingqiu probably had organization matters to handle. She really didn’t have time to idle around with him.

Resigned, Gu Yan let it go.

He also needed to make an appearance at his own organization and check on things there.

Noticing his disappointment, Leng Qingqiu’s heart softened.

After a brief hesitation, she added, "It’s not like I’ll be busy forever..."

Her voice dropped slightly. "You can come find me this weekend. I’ll be free."

The moment she said it—

"!!"

"Qingqiu! I knew you loved me the most!"

"Come here, give me a kiss!"

"...Get lost!"

......

Boom!

As Gu Yan’s car drove away, Leng Qingqiu’s heart suddenly felt hollow.

[The furnace is gone.]

Xiao Leng’s voice echoed in her mind.

"I know."

Leng Qingqiu withdrew her gaze and turned back inside.

In an instant, her demeanor shifted—cold and detached.

She raised her hand, and a dagger materialized in her grip.

Staring at the gradually calming blade, she murmured, "It’s getting harder to control this dagger lately..."

"Does this mean..."

A thought crossed her mind, filling her with turmoil.

If it really was what she suspected...

Gu Yan... what should I do?

Revenge... is the path I’m supposed to walk.

With a quiet sigh, she dismissed the dagger and walked toward the dining table.

Only to—

Discover that the food on the table hadn’t been touched at all.

"Gu Yan—!!"

Leng Qingqiu gritted her teeth, seething.

Her fists clenched. No wonder he bolted so fast.

This bastard! He just hates my cooking, doesn’t he?!

Ugh! And I even went out of my way to make it!