Back home, she finally got a good night’s sleep. Early the next morning, Xiao Cheng washed up and came downstairs. As he reached the stairwell, he saw Lin Aiyun waiting by the door. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her lips moving as she murmured something under her breath. When she spotted him, she looked up with a soft smile.
There was no denying it—her features were exactly his type. She didn’t need to do anything; just standing there, she had a delicate, pitiful beauty about her—soft and sweet, easy to fluster, enough to make anyone’s heart skip.
“The weather’s really nice today.” Her gentle voice drifted to him on the breeze. Following her pointed finger, he saw dawn breaking across the sky—blue and white clouds. It was indeed a fine day.
“Once the sun gets hot, don’t come crying to me.” Xiao Cheng folded his arms, watching her expression shift. A smirk tugged at his lips as he strode ahead: “If we finish early, you’ll avoid the sun.”
“Then let’s hurry.”
“What’s the rush? Warm up first.” Xiao Cheng led her into the courtyard and gave her a once-over—those slender arms and legs. If she didn’t stretch, she’d probably be half-dead by the time they finished.
Lin Aiyun blinked. Of course she understood that, but…
“What’s a warm-up? I don’t know how—Mr. Xiao, can you teach me?”
That unfamiliar feeling surged back. Xiao Cheng found himself momentarily speechless. His gaze fell into her almond-shaped eyes, and his chest tightened.
The hem of his clothes suddenly tugged downward. He looked down to see a bold little hand gripping the fabric at his waist, shaking it left and right as if afraid he wouldn’t notice.
Her face was full of nervousness, looking up at him cautiously, her tone clearly ingratiating: “Mr. Xiao must know everything. Can you teach me? Please?”
Xiao Cheng suddenly realized how close they’d gotten without his noticing—close enough that if he lowered his head, he could count every one of her thick, long lashes. He averted his gaze, cleared his throat: “Stand up straight first.”
The next second, she let go and straightened up like a tree in the yard.
“Stick out your left leg, hands on your hips, sink your weight down.” Xiao Cheng spoke slowly, and she followed each step. But she deliberately made each move imperfect. After several rounds of seeing her miss the mark, he finally reached out to guide her.
His hot palm pressed into the small of her back, helping her bend down. Her loose shirt collar gaped wider with the movement, and from his angle, he could clearly see the full, tempting curve beneath.
She, oblivious, blinked her big eyes and asked softly: “Am I doing it right?”
Xiao Cheng’s lips pressed into a thin line. He said nothing, only nudged her leg forward a bit with the toe of his shoe. When she finally got the position right, he let out a quiet sigh, turned his head, and muttered: “Hold that. Do three more sets.”
A proper warm-up before running was meant to activate the muscles, raise body temperature, and increase heart rate—transitioning the body from rest to exercise mode, minimizing the risk of strains or cramps.
For someone who’d kept up a morning running routine for years, this was second nature. But today, before the warm-up had even properly begun, he already felt his body stirring.
He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and tamped down the inappropriate reaction before starting his warm-up exercises. Unlike Lin Aiyun’s clumsy attempts, his movements were fluid, quick, and precise.
After finishing, he guided her through another round. Only then did they start jogging along the path.
But unlike him, Lin Aiyun was clearly all show. After a few hundred meters, she was already falling behind. If it weren’t for the fact that she was finally running with Xiao Cheng, she would have quit ages ago—she’d only pushed through this far by sheer willpower.
Her feet burned, her legs felt numb, and she stopped in place, clutching her chest as she gasped for air. She watched Xiao Cheng grow smaller in the distance—but then, as if noticing she was missing, he turned around and strode back, his sharp gaze fixed on her.
He jogged back without breaking a sweat, his breathing even. His tone, however, was thoroughly scornful: “That’s all you’ve got? Your fitness is pathetic.”
Her cheeks flushed. A little embarrassed but also defiant, she said: “That’s exactly why I’m running!”
Xiao Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words. After she’d caught her breath a little, he reached out and took her arm. But after just two steps, she whined: “I really can’t run anymore. Let me sit here and rest a while—you go ahead.”
Lin Aiyun’s face scrunched up like a bitter melon as she waved her hands frantically.
“You can’t sit down—you’ll regret it later.” Xiao Cheng shot her a look, then swept his arm under her armpit and half-lifted her along. “Just walk slowly—I’m not asking you to run.”
Sitting down immediately after intense exercise could disrupt circulation and cause problems like muscle soreness, brain hypoxia, and cardiac ischemia—nothing but harm.
Propelled forward by his iron grip, she couldn’t refuse even if she wanted to. She gave up and leaned most of her weight against him, their bodies pressed tightly together.
Xiao Cheng’s tall frame made her look especially petite, nestled in his shadow like a sheltered bird.
After running, body heat rose, transferring through their touching skin. His well-defined hand rested loosely on her shoulder, and he chuckled: “You really don’t hold back. Can’t even stand steady after a run?”
Lin Aiyun looked up, feigning weakness: “Mm, I really can’t stand steady.”
“…”
Xiao Cheng laughed in exasperation, but his grip didn’t loosen. He helped her along, his breath brushing past her ear with each word—heavy, quick, wisps of heat spilling onto her neck. Though she couldn’t see his face, it felt as if he were right there.
The scent of his presence enveloped her, the air thick and charged.
“I think I’m better now. Let’s keep running.” After walking for a while, pretending to be exhausted would be too obvious. Lin Aiyun spoke up at just the right moment, giving a slight twist to free herself from his support.
Xiao Cheng rubbed his fingertips together, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss. He turned his head away awkwardly and led the way forward, but his pace was noticeably slower than before, allowing her to keep up with relative ease.
The morning air was especially fresh, filled with the sounds of birds and frogs.
They ran a bit, rested a bit, and somehow managed to make it back. Lin Aiyun let out a huge sigh of relief, hands on her hips, dragging her trembling legs slowly toward the villa. Xiao Cheng, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed—no flush, no heavy breathing.
Today’s exercise wasn’t even enough to whet his appetite.
Back at the villa, seeing Xiao Cheng head upstairs, Lin Aiyun flopped unceremoniously onto the sofa. But she’d barely been lying down when someone patted her arm. She opened her eyes to see Auntie Wang’s face.
“Xiao Lin, what did you and Mr. Xiao do so early in the morning? How did you end up like this?” Auntie Wang’s eyes were full of concern. Heaven knew what she’d thought when she’d arrived, found Lin Aiyun nowhere to be seen, and then witnessed her walking in with Xiao Cheng—the shock was immense.
Could it be they hadn’t come back last night? And Lin Aiyun looked so drained, like her soul had been sucked out—it was hard not to let the mind wander.
“We went for a run. Just got back.” Lin Aiyun sat up, busy massaging her calves, so she missed the strange expression on Auntie Wang’s face.
“Oh, I see.” Auntie Wang knew Xiao Cheng had a habit of morning runs. But though she didn’t know him well, she understood he was someone who valued his solitude. For him to suddenly take Lin Aiyun along was nothing short of surreal.
“Let me go change, then I’ll help you with breakfast?” Lin Aiyun stood up, snapping Auntie Wang out of her daze. “No need—I’m almost done. You’re tired, go rest in your room for a while.”
“Alright then.” She really was tired. After changing out of her sweaty clothes, she rested her head on the desk and dozed off for a bit. When she came out, Auntie Wang had already laid breakfast on the table. Xiao Cheng was sitting in his chair, reading the latest newspaper.
And beside him stood Zhou Jin, who had been missing for days.
Lin Aiyun’s eyes lit up. She lowered her voice and called out to him: “Zhou Jin.”
Even in a whisper, the house was small enough that no one could miss it. And no one was deaf.
Zhou Jin saw it clearly—the moment her voice fell, Brother Cheng’s hands gripping the newspaper gave a slight tremor. Before he could react, she called him again. This time, pretending not to hear was out of the question. Before she could call out a third time, Zhou Jin walked over to her.
“Miss Lin, what is it?”
“What have you been up to? I couldn’t find you anywhere.” Lin Aiyun tilted her head up with a smile. Though Zhou Jin was stone-faced, she knew from her past life that he was a good man beneath that cold exterior—so she always saw him in a positive light. After all, they were something like friends.
“Busy with matters.” Zhou Jin gave a brief answer, then instinctively glanced toward the dining table. That glance was a mistake—Xiao Cheng had already put down the newspaper, his gaze fixed on them with a dark, distant look.
Xiao Cheng sat there, composed and sharp, looking their way with cold, chilling eyes.
“Oh, alright.” Lin Aiyun knew he was tight-lipped and hadn’t expected to get anything out of him anyway. She smiled and changed the subject: “By the way, we still have something to do, you and I.”
Something to do?
The same question exploded in both men’s minds.
Xiao Cheng’s lips curved into a cold smile. Excellent—keeping secrets from him?
“You need to buy brushes and paper. We really should get started on those lessons, or I’ll just be freeloading here. After a while, I’ll start to feel embarrassed.” Lin Aiyun tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her small, full earlobes, adorned with a pair of simple silver earrings.
“You’re not going to be too busy from now on, are you? Just setting aside a little time for me each day would be enough.”
Zhou Jin felt a throbbing ache at his temples. After being away so long, he’d nearly forgotten about this. He hadn’t expected Lin Aiyun to still remember so clearly—the moment she saw him, she pounced.
But this was something Brother Cheng had assigned. Not following through would be disobeying him.
“Alright, then I’ll—”
“Teacher Lin.” A deep voice cut off whatever Zhou Jin was about to say.
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