As soon as Su Jingbo left the villa, she ran into Wang Shu, who had been waiting outside.

"Jingbo, listen to me, I drank a bit too much today, and I'm a little emotional."

Wang Shu clung to her, and just as he grabbed Su Jingbo's arm, he brushed her off.

She staggered a few steps, almost falling, and looked at Su Jingbo with a look of fear.

"Jingbo, you~"

"Call me Principal Su!"

Su Jingbo turned to look at her, her expression grave: "Wang Shu, if I were you, I definitely wouldn't linger here. I would go back and investigate immediately to find out how many people know about your relationship with Chang Yu, and how many clues Gu Miaomiao has managed to uncover."

"Me~"

Before Wang Shu could finish speaking, Su Jingbo stopped him with a gesture.

"Don't explain to me whether it's true or not, you know best in your heart. You should also know very well what kind of person Gu Miaomiao is. Think about my suggestion yourself, and it's best to make plans for some things sooner rather than later."

After saying that, he didn't even glance at Wang Shu, and turned to walk towards Xiao Xu.

"Principal Su, shall we go back?"

Xiao Xu glanced furtively in Wang Shu's direction, seeing the other's panic and feeling more contempt than anything else.

Su Jingbo said coldly as she got into the car, "After you drop me off, come back here and wait for Yueyue and the others. Please take the trouble to get each of them to their accommodations."

"Sigh~"

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest, still shaken by what had just happened.

Having gone to this lengths to remind her, I've done my duty. Let's part ways amicably.

"Okay, Principal Su!"

After Principal Su was seated, Xiao Xu started the car and slowly drove forward. Through the rearview mirror, one could see that Director Wang, who was always arrogant, was squatting by the roadside with his hands covering his forehead, completely disregarding his image.

Because of Wang Shu's antics, Yang Lu and Mu Jinjin lost interest in continuing the show, and the two shows that were originally scheduled were canceled due to the lack of enthusiasm among the audience.

However, the group ended up drinking quite a bit, so Xiao Xu took them home one by one.

When Xiao Xu dropped off at Ocean International, he wanted to drive her downstairs, but Qin Suisui refused.

She glanced at Su Yue, who was already half-lying down in the back seat.

"Just drop me off here. It's not far, just a few minutes' walk. It's already quite late, Mr. Xu, you should take Yueyue home as soon as possible."

Xiao Xu glanced awkwardly at Su Yue, who was fast asleep in the back seat, and smiled helplessly at Qin Suisui.

“Lawyer Qin, then I’ll take a break and not see you in. But please be careful, the community isn’t absolutely safe.”

Fortunately, it was an upscale community; otherwise, no matter how much Qin Lu refused, he would have insisted on escorting him downstairs.

"I will be careful."

Qin Suisui stood by the roadside, watching the car disappear around the bend.

A gust of cold wind sobered Qin Suisui up halfway, but she still couldn't fully control her steps.

She tried her best to stay on the right path, but her steps were still unsteady. She stumbled and prepared to cut across the path ahead, which would save her half the distance.

Night had fallen, the streetlights along the path were dim, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the branches that used to sway were now moving without wind, bringing with them the deep darkness that seemed to creep toward Qin Suisui.

Apart from the sound of the wind rustling through the branches, all around was silent.

Normally Qin Suisui is quite bold, but the darkness in front of her still made her tense.

"Why haven't you gone home yet at this hour?"

A deep, husky male voice came from the corner.

Ah~

Qin Suisui was so startled she almost jumped up. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the tall man sitting in the corner.

Huo Zhongyuan slowly stood up. His tall figure in the darkness exuded an oppressive aura. He looked at the heavily intoxicated Qin Suisui and couldn't help but frown.

"Can you walk back by yourself?"

"Senior Brother Huo!"

Qin Suisui patted her chest, her face still showing shock and unease.

"Senior Brother Huo, what are you doing here?"

Huo Zhongyuan had just returned and had a few drinks. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes on the table made him a little dazed. He had planned to clear his head for a while before going upstairs, but he ended up meeting his junior sister Qin here.

He avoided Qin's question and asked, "Do you need me to take you back?"

Seeing the other person swaying involuntarily, and noticing the darkness around him out of the corner of his eye, an unnamed fire ignited in his heart.

Before Qin Suisui could speak, he stepped forward and helped her up, saying, "I'll take you home."

"Senior Brother Huo, no need!"

Qin Suisui swayed, stumbled, and fell headfirst into Huo Zhongyuan's arms.

Her nose stung slightly; in her drunken state, her senses were heightened. The hard, warm skin on her cheek, the cool, refreshing scent of his breath, and the hard, thick chest beneath her hands—all of these troubled her.

Her cheeks were burning hot. For a moment, she didn't know if it was from embarrassment or the effects of the alcohol. She struggled to open her cheeks and lift her head.

"Senior brother, it's me~"

Huo Zhongyuan looked down at the woman on his chest. She had an amazing beauty in the moonlight. He could even feel the softness of her body against his and his own heart racing.

He took a deep breath, his voice restrained and hoarse: "Can I take your hand off?"

"ah!"

Qin Suisui followed her senior brother's gaze and looked down, seeing that her hands were pressing on her senior brother Huo's chest.

Her palms instantly became burning hot. She grabbed them, then quickly put them down, and, as if burying her head in the sand, placed her hands behind her back.

Huo Zhongyuan's lips curled up, and he chuckled softly.

"Let's go, I'll take you home."

Qin Suisui shook her head vigorously: "No need, Senior Brother Huo!"

"I'll take you downstairs!"

Huo Zhongyuan's tone was unquestionable. Since he had seen the drunk person, he would always feel uneasy if he didn't escort him home.

He slowed his pace and walked ahead, and from the footsteps behind him, he could tell that the other person had caught up.

Huo Zhongyuan couldn't help but smile, a rare smile appearing on his face.

…………

When Qin Suisui woke up the next day, she lay in bed for a long time without remembering how she got home the night before, or whether her senior brother Huo had escorted her downstairs or to her door.

"Hmm~"

She rolled around in bed, thinking about her outburst the night before, and couldn't help but punch the mattress a few times.

"get up!"

Not wanting to continue overthinking in bed, she threw off the covers and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

She was off work today and had arranged to have lunch with Jinjin and the others. Seeing that it was still early, she turned on the speaker and connected it via Bluetooth, filling the room with soft music.

The tap water that had been left out a few days ago should have settled by now. She went to the balcony, picked up the watering can, and began watering the green plants and potted flowers.

When we moved in, Duoya bought several potted plants to remove formaldehyde and benzene, and for aesthetic purposes, they also bought a few ornamental flowers from the flower and bird market.

Qin Suisui couldn't bear to see such vibrant flowers wither in her hands, so she would tend to them whenever she had time.

Over the past few months, the balcony has become a riot of color, with marguerites and begonias complementing each other beautifully, and tiny phalaenopsis orchids adding a touch of color to the greenery in the corner.

The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in the courtyard.

The cool sun, carrying a hint of autumn, brought Qin Suisui a long-lost sense of peace.