"Oh? What bad thing have I done?" Sun Dasheng teased. "Perhaps Miss Tian would be kind enough to demonstrate for me?"

Tian Xiwei's face turned even redder. "You scoundrel, you really are..."

"What now?"

"I just can't deal with you," Tian Xiwei huffed.

"If you don't demonstrate, then that proves I didn't do anything wrong," Sun Dasheng said, spreading his hands in a gesture of innocence. "That means everything you just said was slander, and you owe me an apology for it."

"You want me to apologize?" Tian Xiwei looked at him incredulously.

What is this? A classic case of a thief crying "Stop, thief!"

"I didn't say anything wrong, so I certainly won't apologize," Tian Xiwei said, turning her face away to ignore him.

"Really no apology?" Sun Dasheng asked again.

"Humph! No. It wasn't my fault," Tian Xiwei insisted.

TAP. TAP. TAP... The sound of footsteps approached from outside.

A mischievous smile spread across Sun Dasheng's face. "You said it, not me."

Tian Xiwei crossed her arms. "Humph! So what if I said it? It wasn't my fault at all. What am I supposed to apologize for? You, a grown man, are even more unreasonable than us women!"

"Ah!" she cried out the next second as the man beside her scooped her into his arms.

Just then, the footsteps outside grew louder, so clear that even she could hear them perfectly. She panicked, struggling with her hands and feet. "Let go of me!"

But it was no use; she couldn't break free at all.

She resorted to pleading, "Please, let me go! Muchen's coming! She'll see us if you don't hurry!"

Seeing that he remained unmoved, she finally relented. "I was wrong, okay? I apologize, I was wrong."

The moment the words left her mouth, she found he had already released his hold on her. She immediately scrambled back to her original spot.

CREAK!~ The door was pushed open.

Ding Muchen entered and scanned the room. The two of them were already sitting properly in their respective places, looking as if nothing had happened.

Ding Muchen asked with a slight frown, "I heard some noise just now. What were you two doing?"

Playing with her phone, Tian Xiwei said nonchalantly, "Nothing. Muchen, you must have misheard."

Ding Muchen's gaze shifted to Sun Dasheng, who was sitting there like a lord.

He looked up, met her gaze, and felt the warning glare from the woman beside him. He smiled. "It's nothing serious. A mouse just popped out of nowhere, and Tian Xiwei got so scared she started jumping around."

"Ah? There are mice in the house?" Hearing the word "mouse," Ding Muchen grew uneasy, her attention immediately diverted. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for the mouse Sun Dasheng had mentioned.

Although he had gotten her out of a tight spot, Tian Xiwei wasn't about to let it slide. Taking advantage of her friend's distraction, she secretly scooted closer and sneakily pinched Sun Dasheng's thigh.

"Who did you say was jumping around because of a mouse?" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Then should I tell her you weren't scared by a mouse?" Sun Dasheng postured as if he were about to speak to Ding Muchen.

The threat sent Tian Xiwei scrambling back to her seat. When she saw that he hadn't actually called out and was just bluffing, she felt a fresh wave of anger and frustration. He had played her again. For the moment, though, she couldn't do anything about it. After all, he was just bullying her with borrowed power.

The three of them chatted for a while until it was 2 p.m.

Ding Muchen glanced at her watch. "I have a class soon, so I can't stay and chat. Are you two staying or leaving?"

It was just a polite question. Since the host was leaving, it wasn't reasonable for the guests to stay.

Sun Dasheng stood up and stretched. "I've been here for a while. There's probably a stack of documents waiting for me at the office, so I'll be heading out."

"What about you, Wei Wei?" Ding Muchen asked, looking at her good friend.

Hesitation flickered across Tian Xiwei's face. She had gone to a lot of trouble to sneak out during a rare break in her schedule. Neither her company nor her agent knew where she was. After finally getting a chance to relax, she didn't want to go back so soon. But it also seemed improper to shamelessly impose.

Recalling the earlier 'fake illness' incident, she deliberately coughed a few times, putting on a weak expression. Propping herself up with great effort, she said unsteadily, "If you're both leaving, then I guess I should go too."

Her appearance was so pitiable, it would make anyone's heart ache. Who could bear to let her leave?

Ding Muchen's heart softened instantly. She quickly supported her and chided, "You're not well, why didn't you tell me earlier? I could have asked my supervisor for leave and found another teacher to cover my class. It's almost time for class now, what are we going to do..."

Seeing her friend's concerned expression, Tian Xiwei felt a pang of guilt. *This is a sin,* she thought, *I'm so sorry for deceiving you.*

Aloud, she said, "It's okay, you go handle your business. I'll just rest on your bed for a while. Once I feel better, I'll leave on my own."

Seeing Ding Muchen hesitate, she smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not a three-year-old. I can take care of myself."

Ding Muchen then looked toward Sun Dasheng at the door.

"What? Why are you looking at me? I have things to do," Sun Dasheng said, throwing his hands up to show he was busy.

Although Ding Muchen shot him a reproachful look, she was secretly relieved.

It seemed her previous worries were much ado about nothing. There really wasn't anything going on between them.

"Then you rest well at home. If anything happens, remember to call me," Ding Muchen said as she helped her friend to the bed.

After covering her with the quilt and watching her seemingly fall asleep, she tiptoed out with Sun Dasheng.

The sound of the door closing echoed.

Tian Xiwei's tightly shut eyes snapped open. She grabbed her phone and sent a text to someone.

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