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

"There is no such person..." he repeated softly.

Lin Wanxun recalled the face she had seen at the last family dinner.

He was cold and sharp, and his aura was unlike that of an ordinary media company president.

He felt the face looked familiar, but couldn't quite place it at the moment.

"Mr. Lin," the assistant said in a low voice.

"Should we remind Miss not to move to that apartment?"

"Don't make a sound yet." Lin Wanxun lowered her eyes, her fingers slowly tracing the back of Mimi's breasts.

"Go and investigate Dingxin Technology thoroughly, and also—send me a list and photos of all the industry leaders in City A."

I feel like I've seen him somewhere before.

"Okay, Mr. Lin."

The phone call ended. A night breeze blew by, carrying the strong, slightly bitter scent of gardenias.

-

In the ward, after Zhou Siyan accepted the hot milk handed to her by Assistant Zhang, Assistant Zhang did not linger and silently left, gently closing the door behind him.

The ward fell silent, and Zhou Siyan gently took her hand in his palm.

"Baby," his voice was very low, with an unprecedented sense of despair, "I won't scare you anymore. Get well soon."

He placed her hand on his cheek, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he gently released her hand, picked up the cup of hot milk from the bedside table, dipped a cotton swab in it, and gently applied it to her dry, chapped lips.

The movements were slow and gentle, like watering a flower that was about to wither, moistening her chapped lips little by little.

Xia Ruo's lips twitched slightly, and her tongue unconsciously licked the milk stains on her lips.

That slight, milky moisture made her brow relax for a moment.

Zhou Siyan watched that subtle movement, and a very faint smile curved the corners of his mouth.

At the end of the corridor, Assistant Zhang leaned against the wall, glanced at the direction of the ward, and sighed softly.

He recalled the way Zhou Siyan had carried Xia Ruo into the emergency room just now—

He wore only a thin shirt, his suit jacket wrapped around her, while the night wind blew into his collar, but he was completely unaware.

An unprecedented panic appeared on that usually calm and composed face.

He had followed Zhou Siyan for so many years, and this was the first time he had seen him like that.

Last month, Mr. Zhou suddenly said that he wanted to transfer Mr. Wang from Dingxin Technology back to headquarters, and that he himself would go there to take over the position.

He was completely baffled at the time.

Only after arriving did I see the truth.

He was surprised—it was rumored that President Zhou was not interested in women, yet he would go to such lengths for a woman.

He relinquished his duties at headquarters and went into hiding to become the president of a subsidiary...

Is love really that great?

He shook his head and glanced again in the direction of the ward.

-

In the middle of the night, Xia Ruo's fever finally broke.

The abnormal flush on her forehead slowly faded, and her breathing gradually became long and even.

Her furrowed brows completely relaxed, and although her lips were still a little dry, they were no longer that frighteningly pale.

Zhou Siyan sat on the edge of the bed, his hand pressed against her forehead, pausing for several seconds to confirm that her temperature had finally returned to normal.

The hospital director stood respectfully to the side, holding the patient's medical record book in his hand, his back slightly bent.

"Mr. Zhou, the patient's fever has subsided. He should rest well for the next few days and eat a light diet."

"Thank you." After saying that, he bent down, put one hand under the back of her neck and the other hand under her knees, and lifted her up from the hospital bed.

Her head rested softly on his shoulder, her cheek pressed against the crook of his neck, her breath brushing against his collarbone, warm and even.

I was so nervous when I arrived, but now that I've picked up the girl again, I realize how light she is.

He frowned slightly: No wonder she gets sick so easily. It seems I'll have to watch her eat from now on.

As he stepped out of the emergency building, the night wind rushed towards him, and he pressed Xia Ruo's small face against his chest.

Assistant Zhang ran forward and opened the back door.

"Back to Yujing Mansion."

Assistant Zhang paused for a moment, glanced at him in the rearview mirror, didn't ask any further questions, and started the engine.

-

Royal View Mansion.

The car was parked at the gate of the courtyard, and the streetlights illuminated the entire building gently and quietly.

Zhou Siyan carried Xia Ruo inside, and the bodyguards and servants at the door all lowered their heads in tacit agreement.

They had followed Zhou Siyan for so many years and had never seen him bring anyone back—let alone a girl being held carefully in his arms.

He went upstairs, into his bedroom, and gently placed her on the bed. Her hair was spread out on the dark pillowcase like a piece of silk, making her face look even smaller.

The girl had just recovered from her fever, and her body was still damp with sweat. The sticky feeling made her unconsciously squirm from side to side, and her brows furrowed again.

Zhou Siyan turned around, took a hot towel from the bathroom, and sat on the edge of the bed.

With one hand supporting her back, the other hand clumsily and carefully helped her change out of the dress that smelled of hospital disinfectant.

He then gently wiped her body, his eyes filled with nothing but heartache, devoid of any other thoughts.

After wiping her down, he took out one of his own white shirts from the dressing room and gave it to Xia Ruo to change into.

The shirt was large, hanging down and covering her thighs, with the collar loosely sliding down to below her collarbone, revealing a section of her fair shoulder line.

The girl's brow relaxed, and she drifted off to sleep.

Zhou Siyan sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her for a long while, then suddenly chuckled softly, a mixture of helplessness and tender affection tinged with a hint of gritted teeth:

"You heartless little thing, I have to serve you like this, and you still want to get away from me every day."

"Who would believe that I, the dignified head of the Zhou Group, would be wiping your sweat and changing your clothes?"

After he finished speaking, his gaze slowly moved down from Xia Ruo's eyebrows and eyes, and the expression in his eyes gradually changed.

The shirt collar was slightly open, and a faint shadow below the collarbone was faintly visible;

The hem barely covered the inner thighs, revealing a section of fair, captivating skin.

The desire in his eyes was almost palpable.

He cursed himself inwardly: Zhou Siyan, are you even human? She's still sick.

Then he suddenly pulled the blanket over Xia Ruo, covering her completely from head to toe, not even exposing her neck.

I got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Cold water was poured over my head, flowing down my shoulders, chest, and abdominal muscles.

He braced his hands against the cold tiled wall, closed his eyes, and let the chill seep into his bones from his skin, but his mind was filled with the image from just now—she was wearing his shirt, the collar had slipped down, and her shoulders were dazzlingly white.

After a while, he turned off the water, dried his hair with a towel, and walked barefoot back to the bedroom.

She was still asleep. Her posture hadn't changed much, except her face was slightly turned towards him, and her hand was out from under the covers, resting on the spot where he had just been sitting.

Zhou Siyan gently pulled back the covers and lay down.

He reached out and pulled the delicate woman into his arms, letting her back press against his chest.

His chin rested on the top of her head, and the faint scent of gardenias from her hair filled his nostrils. It smelled so good that he wanted to stay in that position forever.

Xia Ruo felt the cool body temperature behind her—probably the lingering chill from his recent cold shower—and instinctively wanted to get closer.

She turned around groggily, raised her hands to hug his neck, buried her face in the crook of his neck, her breath brushed against his collarbone, and her lips pressed against his Adam's apple.

Her smooth thighs were still pressed against his.

Zhou Siyan suddenly felt a tightening in his lower abdomen, and the veins on his arm holding Xia Ruo bulged.