Top-tier celebrity's nightly pampering, the abstinent doctor loses control and spoils her.

As night falls, the city sheds its daytime hustle and bustle, and the streetlights cast a dim, yellow glow in the cold night.

Yin Siyao escorted Zhao Jingshu to the hotel lobby and helped her check in.

Zhao Jingshu looked at Yin Siyao's cold and hard profile, and gently tightened her grip on the suitcase handle.

Leng Keyan's almost assertive remarks at the hot pot restaurant, and Yin Siyao's reaction, were both warning signs.

She can't keep letting things simmer like a frog in lukewarm water.

"Siyao, actually, this trip was at the request of both our parents. They really hope that we can get married."

As she spoke, she looked up, her gaze earnest, "We're not young anymore; it's time to consider marriage and family. Our parents are getting old too, and they're always hoping we can settle down."

Zhao Jingshu patiently and skillfully presented Yin Siyao with the concepts of family responsibility and traditional expectations.

Yin Siyao was silent for a few seconds, then spoke in a low but unusually clear and firm voice: "Jingshu, it is precisely because I need to consider my parents' feelings that I should make things clear to you."

"I can't force myself to marry someone else when I already have someone in my heart. That's too unfair to you."

The color drained from Zhao Jingshu's face, but she still maintained a polite smile.

The smile seemed somewhat forced: "Someone in your heart? Is it Leng Keyan?"

Yin Siyao neither admitted nor denied it.

She simply shifted her gaze to the deep night outside the glass door, and her tacit acceptance made Zhao Jingshu's heart sink.

"I see."

Zhao Jingshu stepped forward, getting closer to Yin Siyao, with a desperate courage, "Siyao, actually I've liked you since we were in school, maybe you didn't realize it."

Yin Siyao looked at the person with slight surprise.

"For so many years, I've been following your news. I know you got into the best medical school, and I know you became an excellent doctor."

Zhao Jingshu's eyes reddened slightly, but her tone became increasingly firm, "I didn't come here entirely because my parents are pressuring me to get married. I was forced into this situation."

"The thought of spending my life with someone I don't know and don't like terrifies me. Rather than that, I'd like to give it a try with you."

"At least, I like you."

It turns out that behind those holiday greetings and casual chats about changes in their hometown lies a long and subtle sentiment.

"I'm sorry, Jingshu." Yin Siyao's voice was filled with sincere apology, "I never knew..."

"You don't need to apologize."

Zhao Jingshu interrupted him, forcing a smile, "Liking you is my business. Besides, I don't mind that you have someone else in your heart right now."

"I believe feelings can be cultivated; we just lack opportunities to spend time together. Give me a chance, and give yourself a chance, okay?"

"During this time, we can try to spend more time together and get to know each other better. Maybe you'll find that we're the most suitable people for each other."

"Jing Shu," Yin Siyao said calmly, yet with an almost cruel clarity, "some things are hard to change. The order in which people appear is really important."

The light in Zhao Jingshu's eyes dimmed, but she still refused to give up.

She bit her lip, then pulled out her last trump card: "Your aunt and uncle probably told you to take good care of me. Siyao, are you really going to let them down?"

"Just think of it as completing a task, helping me get to know the city you live in, so I don't not know how to tell my aunt and uncle when I go home."

Yin Siyao remained silent for a while, and after a long time, he sighed in resignation: "Alright, I will do my best to be a good host during this time."

"But you'd better not put me in a difficult position."

Zhao Jingshu smiled again: "Siyao, thank you. Don't feel pressured. Let's start as friends and get to know each other slowly."

She then took a step back at the opportune moment and made a specific request, "Could you accompany me to explore City A after get off work tomorrow? I've heard there are a few places with really nice night views."

"it is good."

Yin Siyao agreed, not wanting to say anything more, and turned to leave the hotel.

The winter night wind carried a biting chill. The hotel was not far from my apartment complex, about a 20-minute walk.

Yin Siyao walked downstairs and looked down to take out his keys from his pocket.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure curled up on the familiar stone bench next to the unit door.

Yin Siyao paused, staring intently.

Leng Keyan was wearing a thin down jacket, her ears and nose red from the cold. Her chin rested on her knees, like an abandoned puppy.

Yin Siyao's heart felt as if it had been gently tugged, and a sudden, subtle ache and indescribable throbbing surged within her.

What's Leng Keyan doing here?

How long have you been waiting?

Seemingly sensing Yin Siyao's gaze, the person on the stone pier suddenly raised their head.

Eyes facing each other.

"Teacher Yin, you're back."

Leng Keyan's voice had a distinct nasal tone, whether from the cold or something else, and was full of anxiety and grievance.

Yin Siyao walked over quickly, her brows furrowing involuntarily: "What are you doing here?"

Leng Keyan jumped down from the stone pier. Her legs were a little numb from sitting for so long, and she staggered. Yin Siyao instinctively reached out to support her.

The cold touch made Yin Siyao frown even more.

I sent you a message, but you didn't reply.

Leng Keyan's voice was a little hoarse. She lowered her head and kicked a pebble that wasn't actually there.

Her voice trailed off, "I'm afraid you'll go straight to a hotel with her..."

The second half of the sentence was not finished, but Yin Siyao understood it.

I'm afraid he went to sleep at a hotel with Zhao Jingshu.

A feeling that was hard to describe—whether it was anger or heartache—surged up in Yin Siyao's heart. She took out her phone and, sure enough, saw several unread WeChat messages on the lock screen.

[Teacher Yin, are you home yet? [Puppy peeking out.jpg]]

[Teacher Yin? [Puppy looking puzzled.jpg]]

Did you take her to the hotel?

【Yin Siyao, if you don't reply to my message soon, I'm going to throw a tantrum. [Puppy baring its teeth.jpg]】

The last message was posted half an hour ago.

"My phone is on silent, I didn't check."

Yin Siyao gave a brief explanation, her gaze falling on the person's ears and nose, which were red from the cold.

Her tone unconsciously carried a hint of reproach, "In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping, you're out here in the cold wind. What if you catch a cold? Go back right now."

Ignoring the reprimand, Leng Keyan looked up at Yin Siyao with unblinking eyes and asked softly, "You dropped her off at the hotel and came back, right?"

An hour and a half has passed since we parted ways at the hot pot restaurant.

A lot can happen in an hour and a half.

Yin Siyao countered, "What else do you think I can do?"

Leng Keyan: "But you... stayed with her for an hour and a half."

"I took her to buy some daily necessities, which took half an hour. We walked back, which took half an hour, and chatted for another half hour."

Leng Keyan pressed her advantage: "Just chatting?"

"I'm not that fast." Yin Siyao was a little annoyed, but still added, "We talked at the hotel entrance."

As soon as she finished speaking, Leng Keyan's eyes curved into crescents at a speed visible to the naked eye. They were filled with a bright, sparkling light again, like warmth suddenly returning to a cold night.

"That's good······"

Leng Keyan relaxed completely, and then belatedly realized that she was cold, so she hugged her arms and shivered.

"Go back to sleep quickly." Yin Siyao's voice sounded deep and gentle in the night. "Don't get really cold."

Leng Keyan's heart pounded, and for a moment she forgot to react, staring blankly at Yin Siyao's face so close to hers.

"Did you hear me?"

Seeing that the person didn't react, Yin Siyao asked another question.

"oh."

Leng Keyan snapped out of her daze, and the slight grievance and unease in her heart instantly vanished. "Then I'll go back. You should get some rest too."