The wind carried the warmth unique to early summer, but it couldn't dispel the weariness between Yu Jiuyuan's brows.

Having just finished a routine student council meeting, she walked out of the meeting room, pinching the bridge of her nose. The fluorescent lights in the corridor emitted a slight hum, making the pale blue under her eyes even more distinct.

Her phone vibrated twice in her pocket. It was a message from the housekeeper, reminding her that the materials for the evening's Yu Group board meeting video conference had been prepared and placed on the tablet in the study.

She raised her hand and pressed her temples, her fingertips brushing against her burning earlobes.

It was another long, non-stop day. I arrived at school at seven in the morning to deal with the backlog of student council documents, and at noon I took a break to meet with Su Jingshu, the new head of the Su family, at a coffee shop near the college.

In the afternoon, I chaired a meeting, and after the meeting, I had to rush home to coordinate various matters related to the handover of power by the new head of the Yu family.

The moment the phone screen went dark, she caught a glimpse of the lock screen wallpaper.

That was a photo taken on the day of the official announcement. She was standing next to Rong Shenghan, who was tilting his head slightly. Sunlight fell on his straight nose, and a faint smile played on his lips.

His finger hovered over the screen for a moment before he finally turned it off and turned to walk towards the stairs.

It's been almost a week since I last had a proper conversation with Rong Shenghan.

He seemed to know his limits; he hadn't contacted her much these past few days, and the occasional messages he sent were just simple things like "eat on time" and "don't overwork yourself."

Most of the time she only has time to reply with an "um," and sometimes she's so busy she forgets to reply at all.

By the time we got back to the villa, it was already getting dark.

The living room was lit by warm yellow lights. Xie Zhecheng sat on the sofa reading documents, Yuan Xu was holding a laptop with densely packed gene sequence maps on the screen, and Lin Yanran was leaning back in a single sofa, twirling a pen between her fingers, her gaze fixed on the wall clock, as if waiting for something.

Hearing the door open, all three of them looked up at the same time.

"I'm back."

Xie Zhecheng spoke first, his voice still flat, but he closed the file himself. "Let dinner stay warm in the kitchen. Would you like to eat now?"

Yu Jiuyuan paused in her shoe-changing motion, her gaze sweeping over the three of them.

They've been living here for a while now, and the villa feels more lively, but it also makes her sometimes feel that even breathing carries a weight that needs to be divided.

"I'm not eating yet," she shook her head and headed straight for the stairs. "I'm going to the study to take care of something."

When we passed Rong Shenghan's room, the door was ajar.

She paused, peering through the crack. He was sitting at his desk, holding a platinum ring in his hand, his fingertips gently stroking the edge.

The light fell on his focused profile, casting a small shadow on his long eyelashes, and revealing the smooth lines of his left forearm.

She remembered him saying that once his hand healed, he would make her a ring using the platinum piece from the Yu family's collection.

Now, the ring is securely placed on her ring finger, its cool touch against her skin like a silent promise.

She didn't go in, but quietly went up to the study on the second floor.

It was almost 11 o'clock when I finished processing the board meeting materials.

The moonlight streamed through the windowsill, casting a soft glow on the floor.

She stood up, rubbing her stiff neck, only to find her stomach empty and aching slightly.

When I went downstairs, the living room was empty.

The kitchen light was still on. She went in and saw the food warming under the heat lamp, with a glass of milk at just the right temperature next to it.

The moment she picked up the milk glass, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Are you done with work?"

It was Rong Shenghan's voice, slightly hoarse from just waking up.

She turned around and saw him wearing loose pajamas, his hair a little messy, clearly woken up by her movements.

"Mmm." She lowered her head and took a sip of milk. The warm liquid slid down her throat, slightly easing her tense nerves. "Did I wake you up?"

He didn't answer, but walked to her side, naturally took the milk cup from her hand, put it on the table, and then opened the insulated cover: "It's still warm, I'll eat some with you."

Only the sound of their breathing remained around the dining table.

Yu Jiuyuan ate slowly. He sat opposite her, barely touching his chopsticks, just watching her with a calm gaze that revealed little emotion.

This calmness made her heart sink inexplicably.

She put down her chopsticks and looked up to meet his gaze: "These past few days..."

“I know you’re busy,” he interrupted her, his tone very soft. “Neither the student council nor the Yu family’s affairs are easy.”

He's always like this, seemingly indifferent to everything, almost to the point of indulgence, but only Yu Jiuyuan knows how strong his possessiveness is deep down.

Especially after those "companions" moved in, she noticed the occasional gloom in his eyes.

Just a few days ago, she and Xie Zhecheng were checking the accounts of the Yu family in the study. They were busy until late at night. When they came out, they bumped into him standing at the end of the corridor. The moonlight made his shadow very long, and his eyes were as cold as ice.

That night, she had to use almost all her strength to coax him back.

It wasn't until he left marks of varying depths on the side of her neck and whispered, "You won't forget me, will you?" that she dared to be sure what kind of turbulent unease was hidden beneath his seemingly calm surface.

"Have you finished eating?" she suddenly asked, her voice softening.

Rong Shenghan paused for a moment, then nodded.

She stood up, walked to him, bent down, and placed her hands on the back of the chair beside him, forcing him to look up at her.

Their noses almost touched, and she could smell the crisp ebony scent emanating from him.

"I've neglected you these past few days," she said, looking into his eyes, her tone honest and slightly coaxing, "It's my fault."

His eyelashes trembled, but he didn't speak.

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