Zoey's eyes narrowed, the sharp edge of her smile trembling for the first time. She clenched her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.
No one had ever dared to call her bluff in front of the entire school. Not like this. Not with him watching.
Her mind raced, scrambling for a weapon, a comeback, a way to seize control. But every insult she had prepared dissolved under Qin Jingze's unshakable gaze.
"So the rumors I heard weren't just rumors after all," she muttered, her voice tight.
Without hesitation, Zoey dialed a number and lifted the phone to her ear.
"Heyyy, Liam," she purred when the call connected.
"You took it too far, Zoey," came his voice on the other end low, firm, and unmistakably tense.
"Mhm." Zoey twirled a damp strand of blonde hair around her finger. "So… what did you learn about Ivy? Tell me."
There was a pause. Then Liam spoke again, his tone edged with warning. "You really shouldn't have done that. People are talking about Ivy… and she's not what you think. There's more to her."
Zoey's eyes flickered irritation mingling with curiosity. "More to her? Oh, please. Don't act like you care. You're overthinking this."
Her voice sharpened, gaining momentum. "I didn't tell you what to do I never do. Every choice you made brought you right here. I didn't force you. I just asked the right questions at the right time."
She scoffed softly. "And now you're upset not because you're wrong, but because part of you knows this makes sense. I'm not the enemy, Liam. I'm the only one being honest with you. Everyone else tells you what you want to hear. I tell you what actually works."
Her tone softened dangerously. "And if that makes you uncomfortable, maybe it's not me you should be angry at. After all… if you didn't agree, you wouldn't still be listening."
The line went dead.
Liam stared at his phone, thumb hovering over the screen. Zoey's words echoed relentlessly in his mind: If you didn't agree… you wouldn't still be listening.
The next morning, Ivy was fast asleep when a loud, familiar voice rang through the house, calling her name.
She groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow. "Ugh… not again," she muttered. Of course it was Qin Jingze.
Her dad's sharp voice followed immediately. "What is that noise? Get up this instant!"
With a groggy sigh, Ivy swung her legs off the bed only to catch the edge of her blanket. She slipped, arms flailing, and hit the floor with a graceless thud.
She scrambled upright and blinked at the clock. Her stomach dropped. 8 A.M.? Not P.M.
"I'm up! I'm up!" she called, her voice muffled as she struggled to steady herself half embarrassed, half still asleep.
She stumbled toward the front gate, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her heart sank the moment Qin Jingze's voice boomed through the loudspeaker again, echoing down the street loud, confident, impossible to ignore.
"Morning, Ivy!" he called, his tone dripping with effortless charm that demanded attention whether she wanted to give it or not. "Did you sleep well? Or did someone forget how to get out of bed on time?"
Panic flared in her chest.
Then an idea.
Ivy spun on her heel and sprinted back to her room. Without stopping to think, she shoved open the window, climbed out, and dropped down onto the grass below. Her heart pounded as she ran toward her cousin's place, fleeing before humiliation could catch her.
He took a step forward, the microphone dangling in his hand, and his sharp eyes swept the area. The usual crowd of onlookers murmured and shifted uneasily, glancing between him and the empty spot where Ivy should have been.
A flicker of something unreadable passed over his face.
When Ivy finally made it to her cousin's place unnoticed, she thought the ordeal was over. But then Qin Jingze's voice rang out again through the megaphone, sharp and unrelenting.
Looking toward the window, Ivy froze. "How" Her breath caught. "How did he find me so fast?"
Panic surged. Ivy spun toward her cousin, grabbing her arm. "Please tell him I'm not here," she whispered urgently. "Tell him anything. I'll explain later just please."
Her cousin hesitated only a second before stepping outside.
Qin Jingze's gaze snapped up instantly.
"She's not here," the cousin said, forcing a polite smile almost too pleased with herself. "You must be mistaken."
For a moment, Qin Jingze said nothing. Then… a slow, deliberate smirk spread across his face. "Mistaken?" he repeated calmly, lifting the microphone closer to his lips. His voice carried effortlessly, smooth and controlled. "That's interesting."
A few neighbors peeked through curtains. Someone down the block slowed their steps, curiosity outweighing discretion.
"I could've sworn," Qin continued, tilting his head, "I heard footsteps. Very light ones. Someone running." His gaze flicked briefly, deliberately toward the window.
Qin Jingze's smirk widened. He took a slow, deliberate step forward, the microphone swinging lightly in his hand. "Oh, but I think she is here… and I brought something special for her. So come out, my sweet Ivy."
Ivy's blood ran cold.
From the window, she watched him like a deer caught in headlights. He stood just beyond the gate, relaxed, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the megaphone as if it were a toy. Sunlight caught the sharp line of his jaw, the easy confidence in his posture as though he knew something no one else did.
As though this was already over.
She had no choice buntly, she walked to the door and opened it.
Her fingers trembled as they wrapped around the handle. Her chest tightened, every instinct screaming to run again. Yet there was no hiding now. Slowly, she pulled the door open.
Qin Jingze's eyes lit up the moment the door creaked. He tilted his head, that infuriating smirk never leaving his face. "There she is," he said, his voice carrying over the quiet street. "I brought something… special for you."
Ivy froze mid-step, her mind racing. "Special?" she whispered, barely audible.
He stood in front of her, staring at her beautiful eyes as if getting lost in them was the easiest thing in the world. One hand lifted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. His gaze softened, laced with an emotion she had no words for love, possessiveness, and something dangerous all at once.
He gave a subtle nod to his bodyguards, who immediately began unloading gifts from the sleek limousine expensive, personal gifts she loved. Limited-edition anime sets she had admired online, keychains she had mentioned months ago, and her favorite strawberry shortcake from across town.
Her stomach twisted. "How do you" Her voice broke. "How do you know all this?"
Qin Jingze smiled, slow and knowing. "How do I know?" he murmured. He leaned in just enough that only she could hear, the megaphone now forgotten. "Because I have my ways. I asked my bodyguards to find out everything about you."
Ivy's throat tightened. "That's… not an answer."
"It is," he replied calmly. "Just not the one you want."
Ivy's hands clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms. Her mind spun. "you stalked me?" she whispered, voice trembling, half in anger, half in disbelief.
Qin Jingze didn't flinch at the word.
Instead, he laughed quietly. Soft enough that only Ivy could hear it.
"Stalked?" he echoed, brows lifting slightly, as if genuinely amused. "That's such an ugly word."
His gaze lowered to her clenched fists, then back to her face, sharp and assessing. "I prefer love."
Ivy took an instinctive step back. The distance between them was small already, but it suddenly felt suffocating. "You had people investigate me," she said, louder now. "You dug into my life without my permission."
"And yet," Qin replied smoothly, straightening, "everything I brought you is something you love." He gestured lazily toward the gifts.
Qin Jingze's smile didn't fade. If anything, it sharpened like a blade catching light.
"And you ran from me without saying a word," he replied smoothly. "You climbed out of windows. You hid at your cousin's place." His voice dropped, calm and precise. "You made choices too, Ivy."
Her cousin shifted behind her, suddenly very aware of the tension crackling in the air. The neighbors had gone quiet now, curiosity turning into unease.
"That doesn't give you the right," her voice shaking but not breaking.
Inside, her thoughts screamed. This is exactly how those romance anime start. Grand gestures. Perfect timing. Expensive gifts meant to soften you up until you stop resisting.
Her jaw tightened. I won't fall for it. Not like this. Not on my dead body!!
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped even closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. "Ivy," he murmured, voice lower now, almost intimate, almost dangerous. "Do you really think this is about gifts? About chasing you down? About showing off?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Then what is it about?" she hissed, trying to mask the tremor in her voice.
He smiled, slow, deliberate, a curve that seemed to pull the air out of her lungs. "It's about knowing you… completely. About making sure you see me for who I am, and maybe… maybe understanding that I see you too."
Ivy's chest tightened. That sentenceIvy's chest tightened. she knew exactly what he meant
When lvy finally made it to her cousins place without being notice by anyone. But when she Qin asked his bodyguards to take the expensive gifts inside lvy cousin place .Ivy's eyes followed the bodyguards as they carried the weight luxurious boxes into her cousin's living room, she wanted to say something but she looked at the gifts she always dream of and she couldn't resist that Her gaze drifted down to the gifts, the ones she had always dreamed of but never dared to own. Limited-edition anime figures, intricately crafted keychains, delicately wrapped sweets the kind she had only ever whispered about in passing. Her fingers itched to touch them, to reach out and claim them. And, against her better judgment, she did
Her fingers brushed the edge of the nearest box.
Just for a second.
The silk ribbon was cool beneath her touch, smooth and unreal, like something from a life that was never meant to be hers. Ivy froze the moment
"I… " she stammered, voice barely audible, caught between defiance and fascination.
Qin Jingze tilted his head, that impossible smirk still in place. "You don't have to answer," he said softly, his tone a whisper now, almost intimate. "Just… enjoy them. Qin Jingze stepped closer, just enough that she could feel the faint warmth radiating off him, the faint scent of his cologne teasing her senses. "i wanted to see you smile he said softly, voice lowering to something intimate, almost conspiratorial.
He stepped closer, the faint scent of cologne teasing her senses. Before she could react, he pressed his lips to hers. Ivy froze. Ivy's mind went blank. Shock rippled through her body, freezing her in place. Her heart pounded so loudly she was certain he could hear it. Every instinct screamed at her to push him away, to run, to escape—but her body wouldn't respond.
His lips lingered, warm and insistent, and for a second, the world narrowed to just the two of them. She could feel the faint brush of his hand still near her cheek, the dangerous heat radiating off him, the intoxicating scent of his cologne.
When Qin Jingze finally pulled back just enough to let her breathe his eyes were dark, unreadable, and yet unmistakably fixated on her. "Ivy," he murmured, voice low, rough with emotion. "I've wanted to do that since the first time I realized…
Qin Jingze continued, his voice almost a whisper, though every word carried weight. "Since the first moment I saw .…you were different. I knew I wasn't just interested in you I was obsessed with understanding you, protecting you, even if you never asked me to, I know you are not Hana but you still remain me about her."