“Who goes first, you or me? Just dyeing the temples, right?”
The dark-skinned woman: “You two can discuss the dyeing order yourselves; it won’t affect the Blessing Effect. Just dyeing the temples is enough. Even if you dye the whole head, the Blessing Effect will be the same.”
Zhou Guchuan had already put on gloves: “Miss Yin Lan, let me help you dye first.”
Yin Lan was led by the dark-skinned woman to sit on a chair, draped with an embroidered black cloak.
The dark-skinned woman: “Sir, you may begin.”
Once ready, Zhou Guchuan leaned in close, separating a small strand of hair, and noticed the woman’s breathing was a bit unsteady.
Zhou Guchuan took off his gloves and patted her head.
His voice was so gentle it could melt someone.
“Don’t be nervous, I’ll dye it carefully. Dyeing black hair directly won’t be too noticeable. I’m just happy you could accompany me to this event. Thank you, Lanlan.”
After hearing this, Yin Lan’s cheeks flushed uncontrollably. What’s going on? It’s just dyeing hair—why does he make it sound like a confession?
To dye that small strand separately, Yin Lan’s other hair had to be tied up first.
The man was clearly not very skilled at tying hair; he tried several times, but it kept coming loose.
“Sorry, I’m still lacking in this area. I’ll find time to learn properly.”
Hearing him say this, Yin Lan felt even more satisfied. If she weren’t afraid of moving too fast and scaring him, she’d almost look forward to the idea of spending life with him.
Being able to eat a dinner he cooked fresh in the evening, having a handsome man help her comb her hair in the morning with sleepy eyes… Just thinking about it felt like a dream life.
What kind of miserable life had she lived in her past life?
Once sure the hair wouldn’t come loose, Zhou Guchuan carefully applied the dye to Yin Lan’s hair strand by strand, finishing quickly. The dye had a light, pleasant scent, unlike chemical dyes.
The dark-skinned woman immediately handed over a tissue. “Wipe off the excess dye, and it’s done.”
“Don’t we need to wait half an hour?”
“Our tribe’s exclusive formula requires no waiting.”
Yin Lan was half-convinced, half-doubtful. Really? Would it fade overnight?
Now their positions switched, and it was Yin Lan’s turn to dye Zhou Guchuan’s hair.
Zhou Guchuan’s hair was shorter, so Yin Lan finished even faster, done in just a few strokes.
Once both were dyed, the dark-skinned woman began reciting the blessing.
“With the earth as witness and the starlight as covenant, may the sun and moon protect you, the mountains and rivers testify for you. From now on, your bloodlines are connected, your souls intertwined.”
Yin Lan leaned closer to Zhou Guchuan and whispered, “Do you believe this? It sounds a bit mystical.”
“Yes.”
“Why would you believe in these things…”
“Lanlan, I hope we’ll have a connection in our next life too.”
Yin Lan was stunned. Geez, he made it sound like he liked her—she almost fell for it.
Any woman who spent enough time with Zhou Guchuan might end up liking him.
Actually, Yin Lan was completely mistaken about this. If she had just chatted a bit more with Xiao Chen, she would have known exactly what kind of person Zhou Guchuan was.
By the time the two returned to the hotel, it was nearly midnight. The VIP elevator went straight to the top floor.
The lighting in the elevator was excellent, and the surroundings were polished so brightly they could be used as mirrors.
Zhou Guchuan noticed that Yin Lan had been fidgeting and looking around ever since entering the elevator. He smiled and leaned closer to her.
The elevator mirror reflected their faces—a handsome man and a beautiful woman, looking perfectly matched.
“Lanlan, what are you looking at?”
“I’m trying to find the strand we just dyed. It really doesn’t seem very noticeable—I can’t even find it.”
“Here.” Zhou Guchuan smiled as he lifted a strand of hair.
Yin Lan exclaimed in surprise, “How did you find it? Your eyes are so sharp.”
“I dyed it, so it probably left a deeper impression.”
“Let me see yours.”
As she spoke, Yin Lan stood on tiptoe and leaned closer to Zhou Guchuan, peering at his temple.
A delicate face suddenly magnified before his eyes, her brows and lashes clearly visible, her nose and lips so close he could feel the warmth of her breath.
Zhou Guchuan’s heartbeat instantly went haywire. She was… so close to him.
He really wanted… to kiss her.
“Found it! Yours isn’t very obvious either.”
“Mhm, just like yours.”
“Ding—” The elevator doors opened at that moment, and Yin Lan finally realized how close they were standing.
She quickly took a step back and was the first to exit the elevator.
“Get some rest early tonight. Aren’t we going out to sea tomorrow?”
There were only two separate presidential suites on this floor, and Zhou Guchuan had clearly considered this when booking the rooms.
Staying here meant they wouldn’t feel awkward sharing a room, nor would they be disturbed by other guests.
It was practically tailor-made for the current stage of their relationship.
Zhou Guchuan silently followed behind her. Yin Lan reached her room first and was just about to open the door.
“Lanlan.”
“Hmm?”
Zhou Guchuan gently wrapped his arms around Yin Lan from behind, his hands resting lightly at her waist. Though not forceful, his embrace held a tenderness that was impossible to break free from.
His chin rested against the top of her head, his breath falling on the nape of her neck, creating a warm, ticklish sensation.
Yin Lan could clearly hear his heartbeat against her back, each thump syncing with her own.
Ambiguity wrapped around them like a thin veil, silent and all-encompassing.
Even without turning around, Yin Lan could feel Zhou Guchuan’s gaze on the side of her face—soft and lingering.
“Can I hug you before saying goodnight?”
He was already using every ounce of his strength to hold back the urge to kiss her.
Not yet. It would scare her.
He didn’t want her to run away.
“Guchuan, goodnight,” Yin Lan whispered softly.
Alright, now there was really no reason to keep holding her. Zhou Guchuan slowly released his arms, watching as Yin Lan entered her room and closed the door.
“Click.” The lock fell into place.
Behind the door, Yin Lan leaned against the frame, covering her face with her hands as her heartbeat raced uncontrollably.
What was going on? It was just a hug! Why was she so nervous?
It wasn’t even a kiss! Calm down, calm down!
No, she needed to take a shower to clear her head.
The next day, Yin Lan was startled awake by the room’s landline phone.
The automatic blackout curtains in the suite worked too well—Yin Lan had lost all sense of day and night.
Groggily, she reached out and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
A soft chuckle came through the receiver, followed by Zhou Guchuan’s voice, gentle enough to melt. “Lanlan, time to get up. What would you like for breakfast?”
“Ah… oh, it’s Guchuan. I’d like a sandwich for breakfast, with some milk. Let’s keep it simple and head out to sea soon.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up, Yin Lan squinted as she fumbled her way out of bed, brushing her teeth and washing her face with her eyes still closed.
Just as she finished changing, there was a knock at the door.
Opening it, she found Zhou Guchuan standing there with a plate in hand, a sandwich resting on it, and a glass of milk in his other hand.
“Did you make this?” Yin Lan asked in astonishment.
Zhou Guchuan nodded. “There’s a kitchen in the room. I had some fresh ingredients delivered, and it didn’t take long to prepare.”
“Lanlan, may I come in?”
Yin Lan stepped aside to let him in.
As soon as Zhou Guchuan entered the room, his eyes didn’t wander elsewhere—instead, he headed straight for the microwave.
“The milk hasn’t been heated yet. I was worried it would cool down if I heated it too early, so I thought I’d come here to prepare it.”
“Have you eaten?” Yin Lan asked.
“Yes, I have.”
“Alright.”
Breakfast was ready, and Yin Lan sat in the living room to eat. Zhou Guchuan found a comb and came to stand behind her.
“I learned how to tie hair online last night. Want to see how it turns out?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Yin Lan wouldn’t refuse someone helping her with her hair. At worst, if it didn’t look good, she could just undo it and redo it herself.
But then the man suddenly leaned in close, his breath brushing against her ear, making it tingle.
“Lanlan, if I do a good job, will there be a reward?”