Her face was calm in her sleep, the only sign of her intoxication being her slightly flushed cheeks. The soft moonlight seeped through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on her face, making her look even more peaceful.

Zhou Yueshen reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, feeling the warmth emanating from her skin. He sat there for a moment, simply watching her sleep. The usually stern and guarded look on his face softened as he gazed at her.

With a deep sigh, he leaned back against the headboard, still keeping her close to him. The room was silent except for the gentle rustling of the curtains and the rhythmic breathing of the two. It was a moment of rare tranquility for both of them, a moment that Zhou Yueshen knew might not come often in the chaos of their lives.

He finally realized that despite everything, his feelings for Sinian had changed. They were no longer just colleagues or acquaintances; there was a deeper bond forming between them, one that Zhou Yueshen found both comforting and unsettling.

He gently caressed her face, brushing away a stray lock of hair from her forehead, and whispered softly to her, even though he knew she wouldn't hear him, "Rest well, Sinian."

Her hair was a mess, yet it flowed smoothly over her shoulders like a waterfall.

With her slightly tilted posture, her collar loosened even more, hinting at a glimpse of skin. Her lips were tinted red from being kissed.

Zhou Yueshen immediately pulled the blanket over her.

But Song Nian felt hot, struggling to stretch her hand out, resting it between his thighs. Her fair arm was strikingly bright.

Zhou Yueshen didn't dare to look too long, hastily averting his gaze, placing his hand on the nearby table. His demeanor wasn't as composed as usual.

After some time, everyone, now drunk and ready to leave, finally someone knocked on the door.

The knock was cautious.

Zhou Yueshen was afraid of waking the two up. He glanced at the peacefully sleeping pair, his eyes shimmering with an unfamiliar tenderness. Quickly, he moved Song Nian back to bed, stood up, and left the room.

Song Nian woke up when it was nearly dark.

She had slept quite comfortably but woke up almost sober. She felt her lips sore and swollen, wondering what had happened.

Zhou Yueshen pushed the door open and saw her sitting on the bed, her hand on her swollen lips, seemingly lost in thought.

He paused, walked closer, and looked down at her, "Still uncomfortable?"

Song Nian met his eyes. He was as calm and cool as usual.

It didn't feel like the passionate man from her dream at all.

It must have been a dream; this man couldn't possibly have kissed her so passionately, right?

She shook her head, "Just a bit dizzy, but otherwise okay."

"You can't hold your liquor, let me know next time," Zhou Yueshen reminded her with a stern look.

Song Nian felt embarrassed.

It seemed she didn't bring her alcohol tolerance with her when she crossed over.

Her face turned red with shame. She had acted so confident earlier, thinking she could handle her liquor. But after just a few drinks, she felt off balance and her face started to heat up.

She had wanted to ask Zhou Yueshen for help, but he had stood up and left.

Without thinking, she hurriedly followed him.

Who knew the man would walk so fast? She felt disoriented, unable to tell which direction was which.

Before she knew it, she found herself here.

After getting drunk, she even had such an intense dream in broad daylight. And the subject of that dream was now standing right in front of her.

His normally reserved and composed demeanor made her feel guilty.

"I can actually handle my liquor... somewhat," she tried to defend herself.

After staring at her for a while, Zhou Yueshen finally spoke in a deep voice, "It's better if you don't drink when I'm not around."

Song Nian nodded, obediently acknowledging his words.

She got up to put on her shoes. "Let's go back."

By the time they reached home, it was already pitch dark outside.

Zhou Yueshen was carrying the still-sleeping Yao Yao. Kids were so simple; they could sleep all day if they wanted to.

Back in their room, Song Nian couldn't stand the smell of alcohol on her body, so she rushed to take a shower.

While washing her waist, she suddenly felt pain.

Looking down, she saw a prominent mark on her waist, as if someone had pinched her hard. It hurt even with a slight touch!

She was shocked.

When had she been pinched? Why didn't she remember?

After her shower, she hurriedly went to the mirror to inspect the mark. It was larger than her own hand...

The dream's events suddenly overlapped with reality.

The man's warm palm firmly gripping her waist, pressing her close, tilting his chin to allow her to kiss him.

Song Nian's gaze fell on her slightly swollen lips.

They did look fuller than usual.

The original owner had naturally full lips to begin with. Now, they looked even more marked, as if they had been roughly handled. All signs pointed to... it wasn't a dream.

Zhou Yueshen felt that Song Nian's eyes carried a hint of evasion when she looked at him. There was no more casualness as before.

He glanced at her again, watching her pack breakfast for the two kids while her back was turned to him, using thermos lunchboxes. Previously, the kids would carry their food in bags, which would be cold by lunchtime. Song Nian believed eating cold food wasn't good for their health, so she had bought lunchboxes for them during her last trip to the city.

Today, she woke up early and couldn't sleep, so she prepared a delicate bento for the kids.

Zhou Yueshen was also up early. When she had asked him yesterday, "Did you notice my lips are a bit swollen? Maybe a mosquito bit me," he had given her a meaningful look. Recalling this made Song Nian wish she could bury herself in a hole. How embarrassing!

Now, seeing him glance over, her heart raced. She quickly turned away, pretending not to notice. But even as she turned her back, she could still feel his intense gaze on her.

Trying her best to ignore it, she handed the lunchboxes to the kids. Once they left, she looked back at Zhou Yueshen and said, "My mom wants to discuss the wedding plans with me. She's been running around, so I'm thinking of going back to stay with her for a few days and taking Yao Yao with me."

Zhou Yueshen paused, looked at her, then nodded slightly, answering softly, "Okay."

Song Nian didn't mean to avoid him. With the wedding approaching and nothing prepared yet, and considering how busy he was and how young the kids were, she couldn't rely solely on their parents. She needed a breather too...

So when everyone left, she immediately packed up and took Yao Yao back to her parents' home.

That day, Little Second had enjoyed the delicious bento and became the center of attention in his class. He was particularly proud, happy, and boastful. As soon as school was over, he hurried home, eager to tell his stepmother how everyone praised her cooking.

But when he arrived home, no one was there.

Zhou Yuehan could only suppress his excitement, thinking his stepmother had taken his sister out for fun.

But as evening approached, they still hadn't returned.

Even Big Brother Zhou Yuedong couldn't keep calm anymore. The two kids looked toward the gate from time to time, their appetites gone.

Finally hearing some noise, they eagerly looked out, only to see their father.

Zhou Yuehan looked behind him, expecting to see their stepmother and sister. He looked left and right but didn't see them.

Zhou Yueshen looked at the two puzzled kids and dropped the bombshell: "Your stepmother took your sister back to her parents' home! She didn't take you guys, only your sister!"

That night, lonely Zhou Yuehan came to sleep with his brother and whispered, "Brother, when will they come back?"

Zhou Yuedong didn't answer, only told him to sleep. After a while, he asked in a daze, "Brother, does she not want me anymore?"



Work hard to code and sprint a little, hahahaha