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

Xia Ruo took a deep breath and raised her face.

Close at hand.

The scent of cedar and cold air emanating from him enveloped her completely.

In her panic, the tip of her shoe stepped on his.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry—" She hurriedly tried to back away, but the hand on her waist tightened its grip, pulling her back.

"No rush." ​​His voice carried a faint smile. "Take your time, you'll get the hang of it after a few tries."

Xia Ruo bit her lip, trying hard not to look at him, but her gaze kept drifting upwards uncontrollably—

It floated past his chin, past his lips, past the bridge of his nose, and finally crashed into those unfathomable eyes.

"You haven't answered my question yet." His voice was low, like the strings of a cello being slowly pulled.

"What's the problem?"

"That last time," he said, gently rubbing his thumb against her palm, sending a tingling sensation through her. "Do you have someone you like?"

Xia Ruo's heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembled, and her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: "...I don't know."

"Then let me ask it another way." He leaned forward slightly, his lips almost touching her earlobe, his warm breath brushing against her neck.

"Right now, do you dislike the person standing in front of you?"

Xia Ruo's eyes suddenly widened.

What? What's going on?

Before she could recover from the first bomb, the second one had already exploded right next to her ear.

"If you don't dislike it, do you like it?"

Xia Ruo's brain completely short-circuited.

Wait, wait, wait. There's too much information. She needs time to process it, time to think, time—

A terrible thought popped into my head from my chaotic thoughts.

Could it be... that Wanwan was right?

Is he interested in me?

Zhou Siyan looked at the girl in his arms whose expressions were as varied as turning the pages of a book.

First came shock, then bewilderment, and then sudden realization.

Finally, he froze as if he had been struck by a pressure point, his cheeks turned from pink to red, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

He didn't ask any further questions.

He tightened his grip on her waist and slowly turned her around.

The dance floor lights fell on her misty blue skirt, the tiny sequins like scattered stars.

Her long hair spun and slipped from behind her ears, brushing against his arm, like a feather brushing against his heart.

He pulled her back, looked down at the girl in his arms with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, and the gloom in his heart vanished.

No answer is the best answer.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After the banquet ended, Lin Wanzhi held Xia Ruo's hand and shook it reluctantly.

"Ruoruo, are you really going back? The dorm is so deserted..."

"Well, I'll have Uncle Zhang take you back to school. Wait a moment." After saying that, he turned to find the housekeeper.

Xia Ruo stood under the porch, the night breeze blowing in from the open doorway, making her skirt flutter lightly.

She lowered her head and tidied her wind-blown hair, her peripheral vision suddenly catching sight of the roadside—

A black Cullinan was parked quietly on the side of the road, its body gleaming subtly in the night.

Huo Sinian leaned against the car door, his long legs crossed, the buttons of his suit already fastened at some point. He was tall and aloof, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

Seeing her come out, he straightened up and strode over to her:

"Get in the car. I'll take you home." His tone was so confident, as if he had already made the decision for her.

Xia Ruo was stunned: "Mr. Huo, Wanwan called a driver for me..."

"Cancele it," Zhou Siyan interrupted her. "I have something to discuss with you at work."

Work? What kind of work is there this late?

Xia Ruo glanced at him suspiciously, but when she met his unfathomable eyes, she swallowed back the refusal that was on the tip of her tongue.

"Well... Mr. Huo, please wait a moment, let me tell Aunt Lin."

"Wait a minute." Zhou Siyan took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

It still carried his body heat and that faint scent of pine needles, enveloping her completely.

"It's chilly at night, put this on. I'll be waiting for you here."

Xia Ruo gripped the collar of her suit jacket, lowered her eyes, gave a soft reply, and turned to run back to the lobby.

Zhou Siyan got back into the car and watched her misty blue figure disappear into the porch through the car window.

He leaned back in the driver's seat, his fingers resting on the edge of the steering wheel, tapping it lightly.

Five minutes later, the figure reappeared.

The girl, wearing high heels and lifting her skirt, jogged through the doorway. Her tulle skirt billowed and fell in the night breeze, like a cloud blown by the wind.

The light shone from behind her, bathing her in a soft glow.

Like a princess escaping from a ball in a fairy tale, she lifted her skirt and ran without hesitation towards him waiting outside the castle.

Zhou Siyan's breath hitched for a moment.

In that instant, he suddenly realized something—it wasn't just a fleeting attraction, it was a long-standing attraction.

But at this moment, that feeling surged up like a tide, overwhelming all his reason and restraint.

It made his heart flutter.

Xia Ruo opened the car door, bent down and sat in the passenger seat, tidying her wind-blown hair as she said, "Let's go, Mr. Huo."

The car was dimly lit, and her face was not clearly visible in the shadows, but her breathing was still rapid from jogging.

The suit jacket slipped down a little from her shoulder, revealing her fair shoulder line.

Zhou Siyan didn't move. He turned his head, his dark and unfathomable eyes fixed on her.

Xia Ruo felt uneasy under his gaze and was about to ask—

He suddenly sat up and moved closer to her.

The scent of cedar and cold air instantly enveloped her, and she was so close that she could see the lines on his shirt collar.

She froze completely.

pat-

The sound of the seatbelt being fastened into its slot was exceptionally clear in the quiet car.

Zhou Siyan turned away, his gaze sliding over her flushed face, looking at her wide, panicked peach blossom eyes, and a very slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He started the engine, his voice calm, with a hint of barely perceptible gentleness: "Seatbelt, just in case you can't find it."

Xia Ruo's heart was still pounding from the shock she had just experienced.

She gripped the seatbelt straps tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white, and mentally berated herself a hundred times—what's the panic?

They're just helping you fasten your seatbelt, what are you thinking?

But... that distance just now was really too close.

So close that she thought he was going to...

The streetlights outside the car window receded one by one, their orange glow falling on her face, flickering like the pounding of her heart.

"Are you planning to move into the Lin family's house?" he asked, breaking the silence in the car.

Xia Ruo paused for a moment, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the cuff of the suit jacket on her shoulder: "I don't really want to."

Why?

Xia Ruo paused for a moment. "It's not convenient."

"There's an employee apartment near the company that no one has lived in. Why don't you move in there?"