An hour later, Qin Shu had already showered.
Did yoga.
Even stretched until her legs felt like they were about to detach.
Nothing worked.
She still couldn't calm down.
So she messaged her best friend.
Yan Yan.
The reply came instantly.
A video call invitation.
Qin Shu accepted.
Yan Yan appeared on screen… half lying on her bed, hair messy, still smelling like hot pot from last night.
The moment she saw Qin Shu in a nightgown with wet hair and glowing skin, she groaned dramatically.
"You better wrap yourself in a bedsheet. I'm about to get so agitated I'll hang myself."
Qin Shu laughed.
Then, on purpose, did a split on her yoga mat.
Yan Yan gasped like she'd been stabbed.
"This is bullying."
Qin Shu smiled sweetly.
"This is discipline."
Yan Yan immediately changed the topic.
"Okay. Enough. Tell me. How did Han Pei kiss you?"
Qin Shu blinked innocently.
"Using his mouth."
Yan Yan choked.
"CAN YOU SPEAK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?!"
Qin Shu's smile widened.
"I have been speaking normally. You're the one being weird."
Yan Yan stared.
Then finally sighed.
"…Qi. You've fallen."
After they joked for a while, Qin Shu's expression softened.
"I ran into He Jingnan today."
Yan Yan froze.
"…What?"
"At my company. We had lunch. Then… I ran into Han Pei."
Yan Yan went silent for several seconds, processing like her brain was buffering.
Then she asked, very seriously:
"What are you thinking?"
Qin Shu didn't hesitate.
"Han Pei kissed me. And I let him."
Yan Yan let out a breath like she'd been holding it for her.
"That's good."
Then she added, in the tone of someone giving life advice at gunpoint:
"The most taboo thing in relationships is wavering between multiple people. Nobody will respect you. Nobody will pity you."
Qin Shu nodded.
Then Yan Yan suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! Wait. I almost forgot. I just saw it in our gossip group."
Qin Shu reached for her soda water.
"What?"
Yan Yan leaned closer to her phone like she was about to deliver breaking news.
"That colleague of mine. The one who has a crush on your Han Pei? She said she saw our second boss on the running track."
Qin Shu paused.
"Your second boss?"
Yan Yan nodded eagerly.
"Our boss's daughter. Qiu Lan. She's pretty, educated, capable, and—"
She paused dramatically.
Qin Shu: "Spit it out."
Yan Yan grinned.
"She has a very good relationship with Han Pei."
Qin Shu's fingers tightened slightly around the bottle.
Yan Yan continued, voice dropping like it was scandalous.
"My colleague thinks she was waiting for him."
Qin Shu forced a laugh.
"Han Pei said he wasn't running tonight."
Yan Yan's eyes widened.
"Then my colleague's just being delusional—"
Her phone buzzed.
She picked it up.
And her expression changed instantly.
"…Oh no."
Qin Shu's heart sank.
Yan Yan slowly turned her phone screen toward the camera.
A photo.
Han Pei.
In a black tracksuit.
And beside him—
A woman in white.
From behind, they looked like a couple.
Perfectly matched.
Yan Yan went pale.
"I swear I didn't mean to show you this."
Qin Shu stared.
Her throat tightened.
But then she took a sip of soda water.
And smiled.
"I've already misunderstood."
Yan Yan panicked.
"No, no, no. Listen. He's probably just running. He's used to it. Maybe he didn't take you because you'd be cold—"
Qin Shu interrupted, still smiling.
"I'm not going to argue with him now."
Yan Yan blinked.
Qin Shu's eyes narrowed, playful but dangerous.
"I'll settle the score properly once he's mine."
Yan Yan exhaled shakily.
"…That's my girl."
Later that night, Qin Shu stared at herself in the mirror.
Her eyes.
The most vulnerable part of her.
He kissed them.
She picked up her phone and sent Han Pei a message.
[Goodnight.]
Han Pei didn't see it immediately.
His phone was in the car.
He'd gone for a jog.
He hadn't planned to run outside.
He'd meant to go back to the gym at home.
But when he passed the track…
He changed his mind.
And Qiu Lan happened to be there.
They exchanged a greeting.
Nothing more.
She tried to walk beside him for a lap.
Tried to talk.
Tried to make it casual.
"How many laps do you usually run?" she asked.
Han Pei's answer was cold.
"I don't know."
Qiu Lan forced a laugh.
"You can keep going. I can't."
Then she left.
But her cheeks were burning.
Because she knew.
She'd practically offered herself up.
And he didn't even look at her.
When Han Pei finally got home, he showered.
Checked his phone.
Saw Qin Shu's message.
He replied:
[Okay. Goodnight.]
A minute later, she replied:
[Still not asleep?]
Han Pei stared at it for a moment.
Then grabbed a cigarette.
A lighter.
And walked to the terrace.
Instead of texting back…
He called her.
His first words were calm.
"I just got back from my run."
Qin Shu's voice came through the phone, soft.
"Out running again?"
Han Pei hummed.
"Yeah. About an hour."
"Do you exercise every day?" she asked casually.
"Except on airplanes. Usually an hour of running and half an hour of swimming."
Qin Shu was quiet.
Then she said, "You're so busy. It's not easy to keep going."
Han Pei laughed under his breath.
"Put down your phone and you can squeeze out an hour and a half too."
Qin Shu scoffed.
"I didn't check my phone tonight."
Han Pei's voice dropped lower.
"Good."
He clicked the lighter.
Qin Shu heard it immediately.
"…Are you smoking?"
Han Pei paused.
Then answered honestly.
"Yeah."
Qin Shu's voice softened.
"Smoke less. It's bad for your health."
There was a silence.
Then Han Pei's voice came out hoarse.
"I won't smoke anymore."
Qin Shu froze.
"Quitting isn't that easy," she whispered.
Han Pei's voice stayed low.
"It depends who you're quitting for."
Christmas Eve arrived.
Haina Investment Bank finally closed on time.
He Jingnan packed up, exhausted.
Zhao Mandi walked out with him.
The building was decorated with Christmas lights.
She smiled.
"President He, are you going on a date tonight?"
He Jingnan smiled faintly.
"A blind date."
Zhao Mandi looked surprised.
"I didn't expect you to be single."
"I've devoted all my time to work."
Then she brought up something else.
"Tomorrow night is the company dinner. Should we have Qin Shu come in? So she can meet everyone."
He Jingnan thought for a few seconds.
"Okay. I'll call her."
When Qin Shu answered, she called him the same way she always did.
"Teacher He."
He Jingnan said quietly, "Merry Christmas Eve."
Qin Shu paused.
"Thank you. You too."
Then, in that calm voice of his:
"Come to the company tomorrow. There's a company dinner."
Qin Shu agreed.
After the call ended, she sat still for a few minutes.
Then she went back to her makeup.
Because tonight…
Was her first official date with Han Pei.
Fifteen minutes later, Han Pei arrived.
Qin Shu stood at the entrance.
Long curls.
A dusty rose dress.
High heels.
A thin black choker against her pale throat.
Han Pei stared.
Even a man used to beauty…
Could still be shaken.
"Aren't you cold?" he asked.
Qin Shu sighed.
"It's freezing. But beauty requires suffering."
Han Pei: "…"
Then Qin Shu tilted her chin and teased him.
"Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me who's the fairest of them all?"
Han Pei turned away, smiling.
Qin Shu leaned closer.
"Hey. Magic mirror. I'm talking to you."
Han Pei looked back at her.
His gaze was steady.
"Qiqi is the prettiest."
Qin Shu's ears turned red.
She laughed quickly.
"That's more like it."
Then she asked, "Restaurant?"
Han Pei shook his head.
"Come to my house. I'll cook."
Qin Shu stared.
"…You can cook?"
Han Pei said, dead serious:
"No. You can learn."
Qin Shu: "…"
And then he reached for her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
In the trunk of her car, Qin Shu pulled out a gift.
"Merry Christmas."
Han Pei took the bag.
Inside was a tracksuit.
Black.
His favorite.
He hugged her gently.
"Thank you. I like it."
Qin Shu's mind went dizzy from his scent alone.
But he let her go quickly.
Too quickly.
As if he was restraining something.
At Han Pei's apartment, he didn't turn on the light.
The entire place was glowing with colorful Christmas lights.
Warm.
Romantic.
Soft music playing.
Qin Shu stood frozen.
The apartment was a duplex.
A massive Christmas tree filled the living room—four or five meters tall, almost touching the chandelier upstairs.
Gifts everywhere.
On the tree.
Under the tree.
Everywhere.
Han Pei said casually:
"Go open them. Everything you can reach is yours."
Qin Shu's throat tightened.
She didn't even know what to say.
Because she'd had Christmas trees before.
Big ones.
Her family had loved her.
But this…
This was different.
This was romance.
Han Pei helped her hang her coat.
"I'm going to cook," he said. "After you're done, go play the piano."
Then he added, softer:
"Play the song you sang that night."
Qin Shu followed his gaze.
A black grand piano.
Covered in roses.
So many roses it looked unreal.
She stared at him.
"How many gifts did you prepare?"
Han Pei answered calmly.
"Not many. Let's see if you find one you like."
Qin Shu unwrapped gifts for over an hour.
Dresses.
Bags.
Cosmetics.
Jewelry.
Everything a woman could possibly like.
She took photos.
Not of the gifts.
Of the wrapping paper.
Folded neatly into three stacks.
Then she posted:
[Merry Christmas~]
Yan Yan immediately replied:
Are you at Han Pei's house??
Qin Shu: Yes.
Yan Yan: …Those are all gifts??
Qin Shu: Yeah. I gave him one tracksuit. He gave me… this.
Yan Yan: You're showing off wrapping paper. You're insane.
When Han Pei finished cooking, he walked over.
"Not finished yet?"
Qin Shu pointed to the very top of the tree.
"There's one last one. I can't reach it."
Han Pei laughed.
"If you can't reach it, it's not yours."
Qin Shu looked up at him.
And said, simply:
"I want it."
Han Pei's throat tightened.
He looked away for half a second.
Then said, like he had no choice:
"I'll get it for you."
He climbed the ladder.
Brought it down.
Handed it to her.
"After you open it, we eat."
Qin Shu unwrapped it slowly.
Perfectly.
Inside…
A bottle of imported eye drops.
Qin Shu stared at it.
Then coughed twice.
Then stepped forward and hugged him.
Soft.
Gentle.
Her arms around his waist.
Han Pei stiffened like he'd been shocked.
Qin Shu looked up at him, smiling.
"Thank you. I really like it."
Han Pei smiled too.
But his eyes…
Were darker.
Dinner was warm and intimate.
Han Pei's cooking wasn't perfect.
But Qin Shu ate a lot anyway.
Afterwards, she offered to help clean up.
Han Pei refused.
"You only need to pour me water," he reminded her. "I'll do the rest."
Qin Shu raised a brow.
"So you'll wash my clothes too?"
Han Pei didn't even flinch.
"If I have time. No problem."
Qin Shu went speechless.
In the kitchen, Han Pei washed dishes.
Qin Shu leaned against the counter, watching.
Then she asked, "You don't have a dishwasher?"
Han Pei answered honestly.
"I don't know."
He added, "Even if I did, I wouldn't know how to use it."
Qin Shu laughed softly.
"I've noticed something."
Han Pei glanced at her.
"What?"
"You don't seem to have flaws."
Han Pei smirked.
"When a man is pursuing a woman, who would be stupid enough to show his flaws?"
Qin Shu: "…"
She swallowed her retort.
Because she was trying very hard to keep her "ladylike image."
Han Pei looked at her.
"I know you're unreasonable," he said. "You don't need to hold back in front of me."
Qin Shu smiled.
"Let's pretend for now. What if I scare you away? That would be a loss."
Han Pei lifted his arm slightly.
"Roll up my sleeves."
His right sleeve had slipped down.
Qin Shu stepped closer.
Carefully rolled it up.
Her fingertips brushed his forearm.
Warm.
Strong.
Too close.
Their bodies nearly touching.
Their breathing mixed.
Han Pei lowered his gaze.
Qin Shu's lashes fluttered as she focused.
And then—
He leaned down.
His lips hovered near her eyes.
Qin Shu's neck tensed.
She didn't pull away.
Not really.
She tightened her grip on his sleeve and stayed still.
Han Pei kissed her.
Once.
Then again.
His lips moved from her eyes…
To the tip of her nose.
Light.
Slow.
Burning.
Qin Shu's breath hitched.
Han Pei kissed the corner of her lips.
Her fingers clenched around his arm.
His hands were still covered in soap foam.
The faucet was still running.
The kitchen was quiet enough to hear his heartbeat.
Then—
Han Pei's kiss landed on her lips.
And he gently sucked her upper lip.
Warm.
Possessive.
Like he'd been holding back all night.
Qin Shu's knees went weak.
And the moment she thought, He's going to stop…
Han Pei suddenly reached behind her—
And turned off the kitchen faucet.