"Qian Qing, don't make me dinner tonight. I have something to take care of."

"Okay. Be careful then."

After saying goodbye, Luo Xiu tidied himself up and left.

Following the address Lin Xiyue had sent, Luo Xiu took a taxi straight to the Xianghai Hotel, then went upstairs to Room 404.

In the luxurious and elegant hotel room, Lin Xiyue stood on the balcony in a white mesh dress, gazing at the city's nightscape.

A cool night breeze blew gently, lifting her long hair and fluttering her dress. She was a breathtaking sight.

Luo Xiu walked over to stand beside her. Gazing into the night with her, he asked, "Did you need me for something?"

Lin Xiyue's face was expressionless, her coolly beautiful eyes devoid of emotion. "Let's do it," she said.

"Okay."

Luo Xiu moved to a nearby chair and sat down.

Just as he reached for a teacup, Lin Xiyue suddenly turned to stare at him.

Luo Xiu felt uneasy under her gaze and rubbed his nose. "Why are you looking at me like that? Weren't you the one who told me to sit down?"

Lin Xiyue was speechless.

She took a slow, deep breath and turned back toward the room. "Do it."

"Aigh!" Luo Xiu rubbed his forehead and sighed in resignation.

He had already guessed what Lin Xiyue wanted from him.

Time passed, and about two and a half hours later, Luo Xiu lay sprawled on the bed, too weak to move, all his masculine dignity shattered.

Lin Xiyue sat on the edge of the bed. After wiping herself with a tissue, she picked up her clothes from the floor and slowly began to dress, her back to Luo Xiu.

"Let's go out and find a place to sit."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu waved a hand feebly. "Again? I really can't..."

Lin Xiyue was silent for a moment.

Taking another deep breath, she said, "I meant find a place to get something to eat and sit for a while."

Luo Xiu blinked, then struggled to sit up. He looked at Lin Xiyue with a weary expression. "Can I rest for a bit first?"

Seeing his condition, a faint smile touched Lin Xiyue's lips. She teased softly, "So useless."

Luo Xiu's face immediately stiffened, wanting to retort and defend his male dignity. But on reflection, he always seemed to be the one to give out first, so he couldn't find a good comeback.

Finally, he resorted to sophistry. "I don't know if you've heard the saying… 'Only an exhausted ox, never a worn-out field.' From start to finish, you just lay there like a dead fish. No technique, you were even too lazy to make a sound. I was the one doing all the hard work! And now you have the gall to call me useless? Does your conscience not prick you?"

At his words, Lin Xiyue's pretty face flushed red. "So are you coming or not?" she pouted.

"Fiiine!" Luo Xiu dragged out the word before flopping back onto the bed.

Lin Xiyue shook her head in resignation. She picked up the white silk stockings from the floor but was too lazy to put them back on, simply rolling them up and stuffing them into her purse.

After leaving the hotel, Lin Xiyue drove Luo Xiu around for a while before they chose a roadside stall in a bustling district.

Luo Xiu remarked, "A high-and-mighty CEO like you actually eats at a place like this?"

Lin Xiyue ignored him and waved to the stall owner. "Auntie, we'll start with two dozen oysters, mild spice, and four beers, please."

"You got it, one moment."

Then, looking at Luo Xiu across from her, she said, "To help you recover."

Luo Xiu scoffed, "Do I look like I need help recovering?"

"I'm not as delicate as you think," Lin Xiyue said, answering his earlier question.

"Sometimes I really don't get it," Luo Xiu said. "With your qualifications, you could have any man you want. Why me?"

Lin Xiyue fell silent.

She had pondered this question herself, but she couldn't find an answer. She only knew that on that night at the bar, she had been drawn to Luo Xiu the moment she saw him. As it happened, he was drunk, so she had taken him to a hotel. At first, she'd been hesitant about what to do, but then, as if guided by some unseen force, she found herself taking off his clothes… As for what exactly about him attracted her, she couldn't say. Perhaps it was his handsome face, his pure and innocent air, or his healthy body. But perhaps it was something else entirely.

She asked, "Then why didn't you refuse me?"

Luo Xiu put on an innocent look. "I did refuse. You forced me."

Lin Xiyue rolled her eyes, a smile threatening to break free. "You're a grown man, and a skilled fighter at that. If you had truly wanted to refuse, what could I have possibly done to you?"

Luo Xiu smiled and shook his head, not knowing what to say.

Just then, the stall owner brought over the beer.

Luo Xiu took a bottle and popped the cap off with his thumb, sending it flying.

After chugging more than half the bottle, Luo Xiu exhaled sharply. "I don't know… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to women. What normal man could resist a great beauty like you?"

"At least you're honest," Lin Xiyue smiled.

Luo Xiu gazed at her and said seriously, "But I don't think it's just lust. I don't know why, but whenever I'm near you, I feel something drawing me in. I find myself becoming addicted."

Hearing this, Lin Xiyue's beautiful eyes flickered, but she kept her expression neutral.

She hadn't expected that Luo Xiu would feel the same way she did.

Luo Xiu laughed. "You probably don't believe me, so just assume it's lust. When a beauty like you throws herself at me, it would be unmanly to refuse."

After taking a sip of beer, Lin Xiyue changed the subject. "That time you saved me from the fire, why didn't you take the Jade Pendant you wanted so badly?"

Luo Xiu asked, "You hid the Jade Pendant in your family's winery?"

Lin Xiyue nodded gently, her expression wistful. "When I was a child, my best friend and I played there every day. We were so happy and carefree back then. It was our secret hideout, as we used to call it."

Luo Xiu asked, "So you'd risk your life and run into a fire for a piece of jade?"

Lin Xiyue said, "I promised to give you the Jade Pendant. I don't break my promises. Only death would stop me."

"That's why I was moved," Luo Xiu admitted.

Lin Xiyue asked, "So you decided you didn't want it anymore?"

Luo Xiu recalled the events of that night and fell into thought.

The truth was, Lin Xiyue had escaped the fire that night completely unscathed—not even a single hair singed—not because Lin Youpeng had protected her well, but because the Jade Pendant had been protecting her. Only Luo Xiu knew this because he had personally seen the pendant glow and release a cold aura to shield her. This was why Luo Xiu was now so perplexed and conflicted. What was the connection between the Jade Pendant and Lin Xiyue? Why did the old master leave it with the Lin Family in the first place? And of all the women in the world, why did he insist on arranging a marriage with a member of the minor Lin Family, setting up this childhood engagement for Lin Xiyue?

As Luo Xiu was lost in thought, Lin Xiyue took out the Jade Pendant and offered it to him.

"Here. It's yours."

But Luo Xiu shook his head with a smile. "Give it to me in six months, as we agreed. Besides, it's better if you wear it. Don't hide it away again."

Lin Xiyue smiled. "I gave you your chance. You're the one who turned it down."

Luo Xiu smiled. "You won't break your promise."

Lin Xiyue put the Jade Pendant back around her neck. "To be honest, I've grown rather attached to it. My grandfather gave it to me when I was very little, as far back as I can remember."

Luo Xiu reached into his own collar and pulled out the Jade Pendant hanging there. "I've had this one around my neck for as long as I can remember, too."

Lin Xiyue looked at it and asked, "A pair?"

Luo Xiu nodded. "A pair."

Lin Xiyue changed the subject. "How have you been lately?"

"Not bad. How about you?"

"Things have been hectic, with everything that happened to the Lin Family."

"That fire was clearly arson," Luo Xiu stated.

"It was Lin Fei," Lin Xiyue said.

Luo Xiu's brow furrowed at her words.

"Well, well, Miss Lin. It must be fate that we keep running into each other like this!"

Just then, a mocking voice sounded from nearby.

Lin Xiyue turned to look, her delicate eyebrows knitting together.

The newcomer was none other than Guan Hao.

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