He stole his best friend's photos and fell for a tycoon's heir through online dating.

She burned the CEO.

She burned her boss, the big boss of Dingxin Media, Mr. Huo, whose eyes could freeze you to death.

"I...I..." She opened her mouth, only to find that her tongue was tied in knots, and she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Huo Sinian didn't speak, but lowered his eyes to look at his cuffs soaked with coffee, then at the paper cup on the ground that was still seeping coffee stains, and finally his gaze fell back on Xia Ruo's face.

His expression remained unchanged. He didn't frown, he didn't get angry, and he didn't show any of the normal reactions one would expect after being burned.

This calm is more terrifying than anger.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Huo!"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't know you were here—I really didn't know—I didn't see you when I came out—I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry—"

She said "I'm sorry" several times in one breath without pausing for breath, and only realized she was out of breath after she finished.

Huo Sinian stood there, looking at her flustered appearance, and frowned slightly.

It wasn't because of what she said, but because—he looked down at the cup in her hand, then at the packaging on the paper cup on the ground.

"Why are you still drinking instant coffee?" he said, frowning, his tone conveying a sense of displeasure that "you're ignoring what I'm saying."

Xia Ruo was stunned for a moment.

Wow, this guy is amazing. His arm is burned so badly, and he's still fussing about it.

Starting today, she will never drink coffee again. Never again in her life. No one can persuade her otherwise.

But now is not the time to agonize over coffee.

"Mr. Huo, shall I treat your wound first?"

Huo Sinian didn't answer, his gaze fixed on her face as if he were looking at something interesting.

After a few seconds, he lowered his eyes, slowly unbuttoned his cuffs, and revealed his forearm.

The burned area was red, which stood out starkly against the pale skin.

"The first-aid kit is in the cabinet at the end of the corridor."

Xia Ruo ran to the end of the corridor, opened the cabinet door, rummaged through the first-aid kit, and ran back with a bunch of bottles and jars in her arms. The corridor was empty.

Huo Sinian was no longer in the same place.

Xia Ruo's heart sank suddenly. She stood there, clutching the first-aid kit, looking around.

The light in the tea room was on, and she walked over quickly.

Seeing Huo Sinian standing in front of the tap, putting his scalded arm under the cold water, the fine stream of water washing over his reddened skin.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a section of his lean and strong forearm.

The cold white light shone down from above, clearly illuminating the muscle lines on my arms. Water droplets slid down my skin, flowing slowly along the contours of my joints.

Xia Ruo stood at the door, holding a first-aid kit, unsure whether to go in or back out.

Huo Sinian turned his head and glanced at her: "You should rinse a burn with cold water first, don't you know that?"

"...Um, I thought it was just for applying medicine." Xia Ruo's voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz, and her face was already starting to burn.

"Come here," he said.

Xia Ruo carried the first-aid kit inside and stood beside him, wondering what he was going to do.

"Help me out."

"what?"

"It's hard to rinse with one hand." He glanced at her. "Can't you see?"

Xia Ruo looked down and saw that Huo Sinian's right hand was stretched out under the faucet. Although his left hand was free, it was indeed inconvenient to get water from that angle.

She quickly placed the first-aid kit on the table, stretched out her hands, and carefully supported his forearm, adjusting it to a more suitable angle for rinsing.

His arm was very hot.

The heat climbed up her palm lines, burning all the way to her fingertips, and then along her arm to her ears.

She could feel the slightly bulging veins on his forearm throbbing in her palm, almost sync with her heartbeat.

Huo Sinian looked down at the top of her head.

She lowered her head, revealing a section of her fair, smooth nape, with wispy hair hanging down, swaying gently with her slightly trembling breaths.

She was burning up, even the fingertips supporting his arm were hot. The heat emanated from her skin, carrying a soft, youthful warmth that made you want to get closer.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

The tap was still running.

He suddenly moved his finger, his fingertip slowly tracing the edge of her palm. The thin calluses on his fingertips left a clear friction sensation on her delicate palm, both itchy and hot.

Xia Ruo's fingers jerked back as if burned—but she didn't loosen her grip on his hand; she just instinctively tightened it a little.

Her ears were so red they were almost transparent, and her neck was also tinged with a light pink.

Huo Sinian's gaze fell on her reddened earlobes, and a very faint smile curved the corners of his mouth.

His fingers twitched again, this time drawing a circle in her palm. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, as if testing something.

Xia Ruo's breathing became erratic for a moment.

She bit her lower lip, turned her face to the side, and dared not look at him.

Her heartbeat was so loud that she suspected he could hear it.

"Did you just insult me?" Huo Sinian's voice suddenly came from above, sounding particularly clear in the tea room where only the sound of running water could be heard.

Xia Ruo's mind went blank for a moment.

Should we insult him?

How did he know she had insulted him?

A thought flashed through her mind—had Huo Sinian secretly read the WeChat messages she sent to Zhou Siyan?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. That's her personal phone; she didn't leave it lying around. How could he have seen it?

He must be bluffing her.

Xia Ruo steadied herself, raised her head, and wore an innocent expression that said, "I don't understand what you're saying." She blinked her peach blossom eyes, conveying just the right amount of confusion.

"Huh? Mr. Huo, what are you joking about? How could I possibly scold you? You're my boss, I respect you more than anything."

Her tone was so sincere that it didn't seem like she was lying; it even carried a hint of grievance, as if she were asking, "Have you misunderstood something?"

Those peach blossom eyes were wet, and her eyelashes trembled slightly, making her look as innocent as could be.

Huo Sinian looked at her without saying a word.

Of course he knew she was lying.

He could see every single message on his phone.

Her current "I feel so wronged" expression is completely different from the tone she used when she was cursing him on WeChat, saying he was "petty as a pinhole" and "doing something inhuman." It's like she's a completely different person.

He suddenly felt like laughing.

But there was no expression on his face.

"Is that so?" he said casually, shifting his gaze from her face back to his still-wet arm. "Then I must have misheard."