Is this hangover soup really that effective?
“You’ve become quite adept at lying now.”
Yun Sheng: “…”
Yun Sheng had always been obedient and sensible since childhood, never telling lies.
During the year she secretly dated Qin Yanchuan, she was in college. It was easier when she didn’t often return home, but when she did, she couldn’t help feeling guilty, avoiding his gaze when speaking and stumbling over her lies.
So she made a request: when she went home, he wasn’t allowed to return.
“Why?” he asked.
“If we always come home together, we’ll be found out.”
“What if we are? I never intended to hide it.” He leaned down and kissed her earnest little face.
She tilted her head slightly. “No! What if we break up?”
His gaze froze, his gentle eyes suddenly turning cold and stern. “Break up?”
A chill ran down her spine, and she quickly added, “I mean, just in case. If we break up, Uncle Qin and Aunt Jin would feel uncomfortable too.”
Many of her classmates were in relationships, and the topic of breakups often came up.
Ordinary people might cut ties completely after a breakup, but she and Qin Yanchuan were different. They lived under the same roof—it wasn’t possible to avoid each other forever.
More importantly, Uncle Qin and Aunt Jin were the most important family to Yun Sheng.
No matter what happened, she didn’t want to gamble with this precious bond.
He saw her unease and understood what the Qin family meant to her, so he didn’t pressure her to make their relationship public.
His expression softened as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Alright.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
Watching her bright smile, his eyes darkened slightly. “I agreed. How will you thank me?”
Yun Sheng asked blankly, “How should I thank you?”
He lowered his gaze to her lips, his eyes growing darker.
Footsteps echoed from the living room downstairs.
Uncle Qin and Aunt Jin had come in. They had been tending to Aunt Jin’s plants in the garden outside and were now discussing what dishes to prepare for dinner since Yun Sheng and Yanchuan rarely came home.
Meanwhile, Yun Sheng and Qin Yanchuan were behind the wall near the spiral staircase on the second floor. Startled, Yun Sheng tried to push him away.
Instead, he took a step forward, pressing her against the wall, and leaned down to kiss her lips, murmuring, “Thank me like this.”
Yun Sheng’s mind went blank, her cheeks instantly flushing red, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of her throat.
But he kissed her lips patiently, whispering a reminder, “Shengsheng, open your mouth.”
Her mind was already short-circuited, unable to think. She could only rely on him instinctively, trusting him. Stiffly, she parted her lips slightly.
The lingering kiss was passionate and unrestrained.
Back then, neither of them imagined they would actually break up later.
That brief, intense romance was a mistake from the very beginning.
Yun Sheng pursed her lips, not answering his earlier remark, and simply said, “I don’t want Aunt Jin to misunderstand.”
Misunderstand? The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Yun Sheng lowered her gaze to his large hand gripping her wrist and gently tried to pull away again.
Qin Yanchuan seemed to notice and released his hold.
A faint red mark was left around her wrist. Her skin was delicate, easily marked with even a little pressure.
But the marks faded quickly. Sometimes, when he lost control a bit too much in bed, the scattered kiss marks on her body would mostly disappear by the next morning.She noticed him staring at the reddened finger marks on her wrist and instinctively tucked her hand closer to her chest, feeling a bit uneasy.
“You seemed to have mistaken me for someone else earlier.”
Qin Yanchuan withdrew his gaze without offering an explanation, simply saying, “I drank too much.”
Yun Sheng already knew he was drunk—she had never seen him this intoxicated before.
In her memory, Qin Yanchuan had always possessed remarkable self-control since childhood. He would never allow himself to become utterly wasted, let alone lose his senses.
But four years apart had changed them both. People grow up, and she couldn’t claim to understand the Qin Yanchuan of today all that well.
Yun Sheng pursed her lips. “I should go now.”
As she stood up to leave, her wrist was suddenly seized again.
She turned back, meeting his clear, dark eyes. Her pupils contracted slightly, and her porcelain-like face tensed.
The atmosphere grew tense, and her fingertips curled involuntarily.
Seeing the flustered resistance in her eyes, his expression softened. “I’ll have someone drive you home.”
“No need…”
“It’s too late. It’s not safe.” His tone was stern, adopting the authoritative stance of an elder brother, leaving no room for argument.
Yun Sheng fell silent.
He released her hand, picked up his phone, and dialed his driver. “Come to Nanguo Mansion.”
The driver quickly agreed.
After hanging up, he looked at her. “The driver will be here in half an hour.”
Yun Sheng: “…”
So she still had to wait another half hour.
“Did Aunt Zhao leave some food?” he asked.
“Yes, she said she made a meal for you and left it in the warmer.”
“Let’s eat then.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I am.”
“…” He had just returned from a dinner—how could he possibly be hungry?
Qin Yanchuan stood up, went into the kitchen, brought out the food, and placed it on the dining table, even setting out a bowl and chopsticks for her.
“Come eat.”
Sitting there awkwardly would have been strange, so Yun Sheng reluctantly took a seat opposite him at the table.
Qin Yanchuan ladled her a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup. “If you can’t eat, at least have some soup. I remember you liked Aunt Zhao’s lotus root soup.”
Yun Sheng had visited often in the past and had naturally tasted Aunt Zhao’s cooking. Her lotus root soup was exceptionally delicious, and Yun Sheng had always loved it.
He mentioned the past so casually, as if it were just an ordinary memory.
Yun Sheng looked up and saw his calm expression.
The memories she had deliberately buried seemed utterly mundane to him.
Yun Sheng had to admit that her emotional resilience paled in comparison to Qin Yanchuan’s. He was so composed, effortlessly navigating shifts in their relationship, while she was the one floundering.
She really should keep her distance from him.
She lowered her head and took a sip of the soup, barely tasting it. “Mm, it’s good.”
Qin Yanchuan pretended not to notice her half-hearted response and asked casually, “Which friend’s bar were you planning to go to?”
Yun Sheng was taken aback, recalling the half-truth she had told over the phone earlier. He had heard her.
How did he know that part was true?
“Just a friend,” Yun Sheng tried to brush it off again.
But Qin Yanchuan looked at her, his voice turning cold. “Ji Beicun’s?”
Yun Sheng: “…”
Yun Sheng didn’t respond, but his expression darkened. “Didn’t I tell you? Once you break up, don’t keep lingering. Ji Beicun isn’t a good match for you. Don’t make your family worry.”
Yun Sheng pursed her lips. “We’ve really ended things cleanly. We’re just ordinary friends now.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, as if with a hint of a cold smile. “You’ve certainly grown capable—remaining friends even after a breakup.”Yun Sheng suddenly felt a surge of frustration: “Why can’t we be friends after breaking up? Even after we broke up, we can still be like siblings.”