The hallway fell silent. Xiao Cheng’s deep eyes lingered on her features, then suddenly lowered his lashes, looking rather dejected. “But I want to live closer to you.”
He let out a soft sigh, a hint of melancholy creeping into his brow. “If you’re not willing, then forget it. I can manage alone on the second floor—I always have.”
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun—who had been expecting some logical reason from Xiao Cheng—felt her face flush. She cleared her throat, touched her burning ear, and looked up at him. His face practically screamed “pitiful” and “lonely.” The refusal on the tip of her tongue wouldn’t come out.
It was true—Xiao Cheng had always been alone.
After a moment’s hesitation, her heart softened. She murmured: “Then… alright.”
The moment she spoke, the corner of Xiao Cheng’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, and he let out a quiet breath of relief. He didn’t want to tell her about the potential dangers—there was no need to make her worry over something that might not even happen. So he’d had to find another reason to convince her to stay on the second floor. That way, if anything did happen, he could protect her immediately.
Thankfully, the pity play had worked.
Unaccustomed to showing weakness, Xiao Cheng raised his hand to his face, closed his eyes briefly to collect himself, then looked at her again. “Then let me help you move your things?”
“Mm.” Having decided to move upstairs, Lin Aiyun didn’t fuss. The move also gave her a chance to avoid Zhou Jin for a bit—she was too embarrassed to face him right now, unsure what expression to wear. Better to let things settle.
They went downstairs together. She didn’t have much—after packing, two trips did the job.
Zhou Jin had worked quickly. By the time they came back up, he was gone, and the bed was neatly made, clean and tidy.
Only then did Lin Aiyun have a chance to look around the second floor. It was her first time up here, and everything felt new. Her room was next to the master bedroom—Xiao Cheng’s room—across from a study, and diagonally across sat a smaller bedroom and a bathroom.
The furniture was sparse but exquisite.
After putting everything away, she turned to see Xiao Cheng—having just finished helping her organize her clothes—lounging at the foot of the bed like a lord. She smiled helplessly: “Alright, you can go now. Time to wash up and sleep.”
It was already late after all that.
“I’ll bring the hot water up. You go wash first—finish early, sleep early.” Xiao Cheng rose, and for once didn’t linger. He just ruffled her hair and walked out.
Rubbing her tired temples, Lin Aiyun grabbed her pajamas and toiletries and headed to the bathroom. The space on the second floor was much larger than the first, with much more luxurious decor. Signs of Xiao Cheng’s life were everywhere.
A razor blade left casually on the counter, toothbrush and toothpaste, a white towel on the rack. Though carelessly placed, nothing was messy—everything was in its proper spot.
“What are you looking at?” Xiao Cheng had appeared at the door at some point, carrying a full bucket of hot water in one hand. Following the bucket upward, she could see faint veins bulging beneath his skin, every muscle taut and solid.
Pure, unadulterated testosterone.
She swallowed, and to cover it, glanced at the floor—not a single drop of water in sight. No wonder he’d complained about her getting things wet before.
“Nothing.” She averted her gaze guiltily, stood on tiptoe to place her pajamas on the nearby shelf.
Xiao Cheng’s cool gaze flickered, landing on the small strip of pale skin exposed at her waist as she reached up. He stared a beat too long, only managing to look away just as she turned.
Noticing an extra towel beside his own, an inexplicable thrill crept up his heart.
“Go ahead and wash. Call me if you need anything.” With that, Xiao Cheng almost fled from the bathroom door—but not before moving the bucket to a convenient spot.
“Alright…” Lin Aiyun watched his retreating back with a puzzled look, but didn’t think much of it. She closed the door and began washing her hair and body.
Back in his own room, Xiao Cheng leaned against the door, taking several deep breaths that did little to cool his burning breath. His gaze dropped downward, and he let out a curse as he pressed a hand to his forehead.
The night deepened. The moon set and the sun rose—a new day arrived as scheduled.
Half a month had passed since she’d moved to the second floor. Every morning, Lin Aiyun enjoyed a punctual, gentle wake-up call—followed by being dragged out for a morning run, without a single day missed. From sweet beginnings to eventual numbness, it was just run, run, run—aching legs, sore back, questioning life itself, until her body gradually adapted.
That said, she had to admit that after sticking with it for a while, she felt different all over. She used to be out of breath after a few hundred meters—now it was much easier, and her overall fitness had improved. If she kept it up, it would surely strengthen her body.
One morning, the two were running by the lake as usual. By the latter half, Lin Aiyun was slowing down. Seeing her lag, Xiao Cheng slowed too and offered his arm for her to hold.
“Don’t stop—walk a bit before resting.” Xiao Cheng took her hand and guided her forward.
“I can manage on my own. What if someone sees?” Lin Aiyun’s face was flushed. She tried to pull her hand back as she spoke. They’d gone out later than usual today, and more people were strolling by the lake—someone was bound to notice their intimacy.
“Let them see. It’s not like we’re hiding anything.” Xiao Cheng didn’t care what others thought. You lived your own life—only you knew whether it was good or bad.
Lin Aiyun rolled her eyes. “But the gossip would be about me, not you. You’d be fine.”
The world was harsher on women, after all—and gossip, accumulated over time, could be deadly.
Hearing that, Xiao Cheng hesitated, then let go.
They walked side by side in silence, ran a little more, then headed back to the villa. As soon as they stepped inside, Auntie Wang came over.
“Xiao Lin, a woman came looking for you earlier—said she’s your aunt. I could see the resemblance, so I invited her in. She’s in the living room.” Auntie Wang pointed toward the living room, lowered her voice, then instinctively glanced at Xiao Cheng behind Lin Aiyun.
Their relationship had shifted after they’d disappeared for a few days and returned together. The coworker had suddenly become half the lady of the house. Auntie Wang would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised—but it also made sense. The signs had been there all along.
And now the aunt had shown up…
“My aunt?” Lin Aiyun looked toward the living room. Though she’d given Zhang Wenyue the address, her aunt had never come here before. Had something happened at home?
At that thought, she barely had time to thank Auntie Wang before hurrying over. Seeing Zhang Wenyue sitting upright on the sofa, she finally let out a breath of relief—at least nothing seemed to be wrong.
“Auntie, what brings you here?”
Hearing the commotion, Zhang Wenyue stood up and looked at Lin Aiyun: “Aiyun.”
She barely got the name out before her smile froze at the sight of the man who followed Lin Aiyun in—her gaze shifting to scrutiny. The household helper had told her that Aiyun and her boss had gone out for a run together, and she hadn’t thought much of it. But now, seeing this “boss” with her own eyes, her heart leaped to her throat.
This didn’t look like Aiyun’s boss at all—it looked more like Aiyun’s…
So when Aiyun said she was teaching calligraphy, was this who she was teaching?
Before Zhang Wenyue could gather her thoughts, the man she’d been staring at spoke first: “Hello, Auntie. You two chat—I’ll change and be right down. Excuse me.”
Then, turning to Auntie Wang: “Fresh tea, please.”
“Yes.” Auntie Wang nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
Xiao Cheng seemed unfazed by Zhang Wenyue’s staring. He nodded, gave Lin Aiyun one more deep look, and headed upstairs.
That single “Auntie” quietly declared their relationship. Zhang Wenyue pressed her lips together—how could she not understand? She glanced around at the furnishings. In a household like this, propriety was everything. A man of his bearing, willing to follow Lin Aiyun’s lead in addressing her—that said something about his attitude.
But how serious he was—that was what truly mattered.
Having lived to this age, she’d seen plenty. She’d heard plenty of stories about rich men keeping mistresses. She’d always taken them as jokes, something to chuckle over after a meal. She’d never dreamed it might one day touch her own family.
She’d always wanted Lin Aiyun to marry well—but she’d never aimed for such a high perch. She’d looked for families better off than theirs, but not so much better that they’d be out of reach—all within acceptable bounds.
Now this man showed up out of nowhere, and it nearly made her faint.
Marriage was about matching status. Could this man really marry Lin Aiyun? In Zhang Wenyue’s view, the odds were slim.
“You… you two…” Zhang Wenyue opened and closed her mouth, unable to get the words out. How could she ask without hurting Lin Aiyun’s pride—and still get to the bottom of things?
“Here, have some tea.” Auntie Wang appeared with a tray, crouching down to replace Zhang Wenyue’s half-empty cup with a fresh one. Just the look of the teacup made it clear these were two different grades of tea.
“Thank you.” Lin Aiyun thanked her, then pulled Zhang Wenyue to sit down with her.
Having just finished a run, she was sweaty, tired, and thirsty. She picked up the teacup and drank half of it in one go, using the gesture to mask the unease creeping into her brow. She really hadn’t expected Zhang Wenyue to show up out of the blue—she wasn’t ready to tell her family about her relationship with Xiao Cheng yet.
The truth was, she hadn’t yet gauged Xiao Cheng’s intentions, wasn’t sure if he had any plans to marry her.
She’d wanted to figure all that out first before coming clean. But fate had other plans—they’d been caught red-handed, and now there was no avoiding an explanation.
“Auntie…” Lin Aiyun bit her lip, the teacup still in her hands. She tested the waters with a tentative start, but seeing Zhang Wenyue’s expression, she quickly changed course: “What brings you here today?”
Hearing this, Zhang Wenyue knew Lin Aiyun was stalling, trying to find the right words. She didn’t press—mainly because she didn’t know how to broach the sensitive topic either. So she explained the reason for her visit first.
“You haven’t been back in a few days, so you don’t know—your mother sent a letter saying she and Kangzi will be coming to see you in a couple of days.” Zhang Wenyue didn’t touch the tea. Her fingers twitched, pressing into her palm. “I counted the days—it’s the day after tomorrow. Since you didn’t know, I came over to tell you.”
“Mother and my brother are coming?” A smile of surprise and delight spread across Lin Aiyun’s face.
“Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them too.” Mentioning that, Zhang Wenyue’s lips curved as well—but then, remembering the situation at hand, her smile faded. “Have you been doing well here?”
The tentative question finally broke through the temporary calm.
“Very well.” Lin Aiyun nodded without hesitation. It was the truth—she ate well, slept well, had nothing to worry about.
Zhang Wenyue picked up the teacup and took a sip—it was too hot, so she set it back down. Hearing Lin Aiyun’s answer, she smiled faintly: “That’s good. That’s good.”
An awkward silence fell again. After a long internal struggle, Zhang Wenyue decided to cut through the tangle with a direct question: “You and that man earlier…”
“We’re dating.”
Zhang Wenyue drew in a sharp breath. “Since when?”
Young people these days pursued free love and free marriage. Though Zhang Wenyue wasn’t the old-fashioned type, she was still surprised to hear that Lin Aiyun had been dating behind her parents’ backs.
After all, society at large still upheld the traditional values of marriage being decided by parents and matchmakers. This kind of behavior would inevitably face immense pressure—she knew from experience just how damaging gossip could be. But what was done was done; it was too late to stop it.
“Not long—less than a month.” Lin Aiyun answered honestly.
Counting from when Lin Aiyun had started working here, that was indeed a short time. Zhang Wenyue nodded, then asked the question she most wanted answered: “Aiyun, does he have a wife?”
The man looked like the type to have seven or eight concubines, let alone such wealth and status.
She’d have found it hard to believe he had no woman in his life.
But having a woman and having a wife were two different things. If both parties were just using each other with no commitment, it was just a pastime. If Lin Aiyun was mixed up in that, it was a fall from grace—but there was still hope.
The latter, however, was another matter entirely. If he was married, and Lin Aiyun was still entangled with him, that was moral corruption—knowingly being the third party.
Even if Lin Aiyun was her own niece, she’d have to give her a few good slaps to uphold the family’s honor.
“No, Auntie. He’s not married.” Lin Aiyun quickly waved her hands in denial. Zhang Wenyue let out a heavy sigh of relief, some of the tension draining from her shoulders.
She nodded—but then another thought struck, and her breath caught again: “Where have you been sleeping all this time?”
Living under the same roof for so long—had this foolish girl been taken advantage of?
Zhang Wenyue now deeply regretted ever letting Lin Aiyun come here to be a calligraphy teacher. She regretted even more not coming along to check the place out before letting her stay here alone for so many days.
Had she personally delivered her into the tiger’s mouth?
If Zhang Wenhua ever found out, she’d never be able to face her sister again.
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