Xiu Gou's Taming Record

Qin Lu frowned slightly, her voice indifferent: "It's nothing..."

Yu Heng narrowed his eyes. Was this woman somewhat resistant?

He changed the subject: "Is Qin Ya asleep?"

"She's asleep," Qin Lu said. "She's in the same room as Zhou Mengqi; she had a lot of fun today."

"Mmm." Yu Heng finished his last puff and stubbed out his cigarette.

He turned to the side and looked at Qin Lu.

The neckline of her cardigan was a little loose, revealing her collarbone.

A night breeze blew by, causing the stray hairs on her forehead to flutter up and then fall back down.

"Are you cold?" Yu Heng asked.

Qin Lu shook her head: "I'm not cold."

Yu Heng went back to the living room, grabbed a blanket, and handed it to her: "Put this on."

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Your husband..." Yu Heng paused, then continued, only rephrasing the question, "Lin Liyan, has he contacted you recently?"

Qin Lu's body visibly tensed, and her voice turned colder: "Why are you asking this?"

"You didn't look too good on the phone just now," Yu Heng said. "I guess it was him. What did he want?"

Qin Lu neither denied it nor said anything.

Lin Liyan called to ask for a divorce. This wasn't the first time he'd brought it up, but she'd refused before. Now…

Actually, for Qin Ya's sake, he still hoped that the family could remain intact.

Even on the surface, after what happened last time, she was completely disappointed.

"Yu Heng," she called his name.

"Hmm?" Yu Heng looked at her.

"What are we...? Friends with benefits?" she asked again.

When you end a relationship, you inevitably start thinking about the next one.

"We're lovers," Yu Heng narrowed his eyes, "friends with benefits, that's a bit too superficial."

"Ha," Qin Lu glared at him, "What's the difference?"

"Of course there's a difference," Yu Heng said. "A lover isn't just about physical needs, but also emotional ones. The only difference between a lover and a spouse is that they have emotional needs."

"What?" Qin Lu raised an eyebrow.

"Lovers can say anything and dare to say anything, and do anything and dare to do anything."

"What about the couple?" Qin Lu asked again.

"The couple just doesn't want to talk or do anything."

"Pfft..." Qin Lu laughed for the first time ever, "You really don't seem like an eighteen-year-old."

"But you're smiling like you're eighteen now," Yu Heng laughed along, "so a lover is still better, isn't it?"

Qin Lu's smile faded upon hearing this.

Yes, I laughed so freely and naturally.

It seems like I've only laughed like that when I was dating Lin Liyan in college.

"You little rascal," Qin Lu suddenly said angrily, "you've made me act like neither a teacher nor an elder."

"What does it look like?" Yu Heng asked with a smile.

Qin Lu gritted her teeth and glared at him, "Like a mistress..."

After she finished speaking, she paused for a moment.

Yu Heng looked at her and couldn't help but chuckle: "Since you're so enlightened, why don't you and your lover unlock this floor-to-ceiling window scene?"

Qin Lu blinked, as if she didn't understand.

"What?"

"Right here." Yu Heng pointed with his chin. "You can't see from the living room, and the streetlights outside don't illuminate the whole area."

"Are you crazy?" she whispered.

"I'm not crazy," Yu Heng said. "I'm just doing something befitting of adulterers."

"It will be seen," she said.

"The lights are off inside," Yu Heng said, taking a half-step forward. He lowered his voice. "You can only see shadows outside, not faces."

"Have you tried it?" she asked suddenly.

"What have you tried?"

Floor-to-ceiling windows.

Yu Heng shook his head: "I haven't tried it with you."

Qin Lu rolled her eyes at him: "The ground will get dirty. What if someone sees it tomorrow?"

Yu Heng laughed and said, "If the floor is dirty, you can mop it."

Qin Lu couldn't resist him: "I really can't do anything with you..."

-

Qin Lu buttoned up her skirt, glared at him, and said reproachfully, "Satisfied now?"

"Actually, you can't see it at all from the outside," Yu Heng said.

"Um?"

"The glass is a one-way mirror," Yu Heng said, "so you can't see in from the outside."

Qin Lu was stunned: "How did you know?"

"All the villas here have the same windows, of course I know that."

Qin Lu suddenly felt like she'd been tricked. She glared at Yu Heng: "Why didn't you say so just now?"

"You didn't ask either," Yu Heng said innocently.

Qin Lu wanted to hit him, but raised her hand and then lowered it: "Then why did you make me nervous for so long?"

"Isn't being nervous a good thing?" Yu Heng asked. "You'll remember things better if you're nervous."

Qin Lu didn't speak. She leaned against the glass, the coolness of the glass seeping through her sweater onto her back.

Yu Heng's hand came around from behind and placed on her waist.

Qin Lu's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

"You smell of smoke," she said.

"You have one too," he said, then hugged her tightly.

"I don't smoke much," Qin Lu murmured.

Yu Heng clicked his tongue: "Then don't smoke anymore."

"What's it to you?"

"Hmm, whatever." Yu Heng hugged her even tighter. "What, is it not allowed?"

Qin Lu bit her lip: "We should go back."

"You go up first, I'll mop the floor."

"You little rascal," Qin Lu blushed, "I would never have done this before..."

"That means it suits me better."

"Nonsense!"

-

At 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, Bai Xinran was woken up by her biological clock.

Last night, Yu Heng's words kept replaying in my mind, and I couldn't sleep soundly at all.

She quietly got up, glanced at Zhou Mengqi and Qin Ya who were still fast asleep beside her, put on her coat, and left the room.

The second-floor corridor was dimly lit, with only a sliver of grayish-white daylight filtering through the windows.

The kitchen lights were already on.

Qin Lu was boiling water when she heard footsteps. She turned around and saw Bai Xinran: "Up so early?"

"Hello, teacher!" Bai Xinran walked over. "Do you need any help?"

"No need, just boil some water." Qin Lu said, taking a packet of instant coffee from the shelf next to her.

She made two cups of coffee and pushed one towards Bai Xinran: "Have a pick-me-up."

"Thank you, teacher."

The two stood in the kitchen, holding their cups, and remained silent for a moment.

There was some noise upstairs. When Ning Yutong came downstairs, she saw two people in the kitchen and paused for a moment before smiling: "Good morning, teacher. Good morning, Sister Xinran. You're up so early!"

"Good morning," Qin Lu said. "How did you sleep?"

"That's wonderful!" Ning Yutong's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Yueling sleeps so peacefully, she doesn't move at all."

She leaned closer to look and asked, "Is there anything to eat? I'm hungry."

"There's bread and milk in the fridge," Qin Lu said. "Yu Heng bought them yesterday, and I think there are eggs too?"

The three of them busied themselves in the kitchen, and people gradually came downstairs.

"Wow, breakfast is served?" Hao Junran pulled out a chair and sat down. "Thank you so much!"

After a dozen or so people finished eating breakfast, Yu Heng clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, pack up, we'll be heading back in a bit!"

Just then, Yu Heng's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was Liu Jianfen.

At this time of year, his mother rarely calls him first.

"You guys get ready first, I need to take this call," Yu Heng said, quickly walking to the balcony, opening the glass door and closing it behind him. "Hello, Mom?"