Ten seats arranged along the table.

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Lu Jingchen’s finger, which was gently stroking Chen Xiang’s hand, suddenly paused. His gaze deepened as he looked at her.

Su Qingyi glanced at him with a troubled expression, scratching the back of her head as she mumbled, “I don’t really mind; I just worry they’ll say you... so quickly.”

He didn’t catch the last few words clearly. Yet from her expression, it was clear they weren’t flattering. Rarely engaging in such back-and-forth with her, he turned around and said, “Come up.”

Su Qingyi thought he was worried about his reputation. As she ascended the stairs, she explained, “Don’t worry, I waited until your two friends left before coming up. No one will know.”

Lu Jingchen looked at her, hesitating to speak. What should have been a simple matter sounded somehow secretive coming from her.

“I…” he wanted to say he wasn’t afraid of people knowing, but the original intent was to protect him from harm. When and how it turned so complicated was unclear.

“Hmm?” Su Qingyi waited expectantly.

He said nothing more and opened the bathroom door with ease. “Where do you want to?”

Once opened, the entire second-floor setting was visible.

Su Qingyi glanced around and finally settled her eyes on the dining table by the folding window. “Here?”

The dining table faced the staircase on one side and the endless green mountains outside on the other. The hall was filled with a free-flowing breeze.

Lu Jingchen found it hard to discern what she was really thinking at that moment—whether she genuinely had no particular thoughts or was merely feigning openness. Yet she said nothing and walked straight toward the corner of the table near the window.

“Where’s the medicine?” Su Qingyi asked.

“In the drawer of the coffee table,” he replied, sitting on the edge of the table, skillfully unfastening the frog buttons at his chest. “On the left, by the sofa.”

“Left, left,” Su Qingyi muttered as she opened the drawer. It was empty except for a plastic bag tossed into a corner.

She quickly took out an unopened ointment from the bag.

Reading the usage instructions on the packaging, she couldn’t help but say, “It says to use it three times a day. Will applying it once be enough?”

By then, he had completely undone the buttons at his collar.

He glanced at her calmly in response, “It will.”

“That’s fine then,” Su Qingyi replied.

Lu Jingchen’s lips tightened slightly, his clear, cold gaze fixed unwaveringly on her. Yet he said nothing further and turned to look out at the green mountains.

Though drawn by his handsome appearance, Su Qingyi maintained her moral boundaries, especially given his cautious demeanor. It seemed like any attempt to take advantage of him would be unwelcome, and she had no intention of seizing such a moment.

Still, her eyes instinctively followed his hands as they undid his shirt.

As his fingers slowly slid downward, her gaze involuntarily fell on the abdominal muscles beneath his shirt.

“Alright,” Su Qingyi took the initiative to stop, “That’s enough.”

His hand paused on the frog button, then he propped himself up with one hand behind him, looking up at her. For once, she didn’t meet his gaze but focused intently on the ointment in her hands.

He watched her silently, wondering what scheme she had in mind this time.

“Pull your shirt back a little,” Su Qingyi gently tugged at his shoulder, signaling him to expose the injured area. Seeing him look at her, she quickly averted her eyes, muttering, “I really wasn’t looking.”

Lu Jingchen was amused by her clumsy attempt to deny it but didn’t expose her. He quietly acknowledged with a slight sound, prompting her to continue.

She deliberately avoided looking at him and, relying on touch, reached toward his shoulder.

But her hand seemed to wander aimlessly, unable to find bone for a long while. When she finally realized what she was touching, her entire palm had already rested on his chest.

Su Qingyi was speechless.

Yet he made no move to stop her and showed no surprise, merely wearing a blank expression as he silently assessed her.

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Su Qingyi offered no explanation and withdrew her hand without hesitation.

He, too, showed no sign of discomfort, continuing to twirl the agarwood beads in his hand as he squinted out the window. “You’d better look.”

Su Qingyi was speechless.

She recognized the unspoken implication—that he thought if she didn’t look, she would only touch more, so he might as well let her have her way.

Still, she didn’t move, because every time she looked at him now, she couldn’t help but recall the hollow at his waist she had noticed while applying ointment yesterday.

“I can’t look at you right now,” Su Qingyi closed her eyes and extended her ointment-covered hand toward him. “You hold my hand to steady the position.”

Lu Jingchen glanced back upon hearing her.

First, he scanned the hand she stretched toward him, then looked at her face. “What is it you can’t look at?”

There was a faint trace of mockery in his cool voice.

Yet, despite that, his tone remained gentle—as if to say, “Yesterday I saw much more than this, so what are you afraid of now?”

Su Qingyi found it hard to describe how she felt about him at this moment.

She could only say he adapted too quickly. Just yesterday, he was too shy to look at her; today, he was already teasing her.

With her cheeks slightly flushed, she feigned composure and replied, “Otherwise, I might take advantage of you.”

Lu Jingchen was momentarily stunned.

He studied her frail frame, uncertain what threat she could pose. “Then take advantage and show me.”

Su Qingyi’s closed eyes snapped open.

His face was still that same cold, handsome mask, utterly unaffected by her words. Yet, his challenge stilled her crooked thoughts. She composed herself and carefully examined the bruises on his back. “Seems like it’s really working.”

She shifted the subject too quickly, and Lu Jingchen didn’t react immediately. After a few seconds, he realized she meant the healing was much better than when she had seen him yesterday, even after only one application.

But he didn’t want to hear about that now.

Raising an eyebrow as if to say, “Is this where we stop?”

Su Qingyi regretted not choosing a different spot after realizing he didn’t mind.

Licking her lips, she ventured, “How about another place?”

Lu Jingchen studied her with inscrutable expression.

Still, he stood up as she suggested. “Then go book a room?”

Su Qingyi caught the teasing in his tone but didn’t care. “Are you sure you want to make tea for me?”

Lu Jingchen realized he had underestimated her.

Though attracted to his looks, she still had principles and wouldn’t engage in anything without status or commitment.

“No,” he answered.

Su Qingyi was disappointed but didn’t argue, muttering softly, “Then what did you mean by booking a... room?”

Lu Jingchen ignored her, sat down on the armrest of a nearby chair, turning his back to her.

The serene green mountains outside became a backdrop behind him, and he, too, seemed enveloped in silence.

Su Qingyi stared blankly at his back. He seemed to sense something and tilted his head slightly. “Close your eyes.”

She obediently shut her eyes.

He looked at her defenseless face and sighed silently. “Give me your hand.”

Su Qingyi extended her ointment-covered hand.

His eyes caught the thick calluses on her fingertips, stirring an inexplicable feeling. Though she had a delicate, pampered face, it seemed she must have endured much hardship.

He tenderly took her hand and placed it gently on his shoulder.

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Su Qingyi was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but open her eyes. Lu Jingchen still faced away, expressionless as he gazed at the lush green mountains beyond.

Those were the eyes of a compassionate Buddha: two parts observing the world, eight parts reflecting on oneself.

His cold, handsome face bore an air of detachment and renunciation.

He gave the impression of one untouched by worldly clamor, indifferent to the dust of life. Yet the position he now sat in was more fitting than before—for her.

Indeed, as she had said, changing the place made all the difference.

His posture seemed to tell her that whatever she might do next, so long as it wasn’t excessive, he would turn a blind eye and pretend not to see.

Su Qingyi knelt on one knee on the stool behind him.

A brief silence settled.

Noticing her hesitation, he calmly reminded, “If you delay any longer, they’ll be back soon.”

Su Qingyi said nothing, her gaze fixed on the orderly twirling of the agarwood beads in his fingers, feeling an ineffable guilt.

“Jiang Jingye.”

“Hm?”

“How do you sleep at night?”

“On my stomach,” he paused, “or on my side.”

Su Qingyi hesitated, licking her lips.

At that moment, distant bell chimes echoed from somewhere outside, startling a flock of birds into flight. The dusk cast a profound atmosphere over the scene.

“Has any girl ever teased you like this?” Her fingers curled unconsciously on his shoulder.

Tease him?

He turned his head slightly. Memories of those reverent faces from the capital city flashed briefly in his mind. His cold eyes deepened momentarily but quickly lowered without revealing a trace of emotion. “No.”

Su Qingyi didn’t notice the subtle shift in his mood. Instead, her guilt deepened, feeling like an ungrateful temptress trying to pull a Buddha from his pedestal.

She quickly finished applying ointment to the bruises on his back and rubbed his shoulder area a couple more times before standing up briskly.

“All done.”

Lu Jingchen turned to look at her, but she didn’t glance back and slipped into the bathroom.

No longer seeking to take advantage of him.

“Thank you.”

Su Qingyi paused as she washed the ointment from her hands at the sink.

She belatedly remembered why she had come to see him. Though her mind had been full of impure thoughts, his compassionate expression had quelled them.

She almost wanted to clasp her hands in prayer to him.

What a loss.

Given how tightly he guarded himself, chances like this would be rare in the future.

So what use is a conscience?

Even the duck on the table can be left uneaten.

Coming back to herself, Su Qingyi wanted to slap herself twice but knew it was too late. She stood at the sink, unable to recover her composure for a long time.

Meanwhile, Lu Jingchen had already fastened the buttons at his chest.

He walked to the door, ready to speak, when he saw her with a face on the verge of tears: “Brother, I really lost out big time.”

Just as he was about to praise her for not losing her conscience and urge her to turn back, Lu Jingchen leaned against the doorframe, his fingers pausing on the frog buttons at his chest. With a mysterious look, he asked, “Then what do you want to do?”