After finishing a long-delayed dinner, Xiang Ri promptly pulled Chu Chu into the bedroom under the pretense of "early to bed, early to rise."
Everyone knew better than to believe his feigned virtuousness. Shi Qing blushed while Miss An scoffed with disdain. Sure enough, it wasn't long before peculiar, heart-pounding sounds began to emerge from behind the door. To shield themselves from the disturbance, the two women had no choice but to crank up the television volume.
After their intimate interlude, Chu Chu was soundly asleep, yet Xiang Ri remained wide awake. Who could blame him? Having risen at 8 p.m., the clock had barely struck 11, and sleep was nowhere on his horizon.
Planting a gentle kiss on Chu Chu's forehead, he dressed in casual lounge wear and sandals before stepping out of the room, resigned to passing the time watching television.
The cacophony from the living room remained unabated. Approaching the scene, Xiang Ri remarked, "Do you really need the volume that loud to watch TV?"
Engrossed in their program, the two women were startled by his sudden appearance. Shi Qing clutched her chest, attempting to steady her rapid heartbeat. "Teacher, you scared me!"
An Xin, however, was less subtle, her lips curling in a sneer. "Weren't you all about going to bed early? What are you doing out here now?"
"How could I sleep with the racket you two are making?" Xiang Ri retorted, utterly unapologetic. In truth, the noise from outside had been so disruptive that it had even interfered with his earlier moments of passion.
What he had intended as a simple complaint took on an entirely different meaning for the two women. If anyone had caused a commotion, it was certainly not them. However, they lacked the brazenness to voice their grievances as shamelessly as he did.
Noting their silence, Xiang Ri casually plopped himself down on the sofa, conveniently positioning himself between the two. Snatching the remote from Miss An, he promptly lowered the volume.
"What do you think you're doing?!" An Xin exclaimed indignantly. Ignoring the awkward proximity of their seating arrangement, she reached out to reclaim the remote and turned the volume back up.
Without getting flustered, Xiang Ri simply said, "Chu Chu is asleep. Don't wake her."
"I don't care!" An Xin declared defiantly, though she only increased the volume by a single notch—barely noticeable.
Xiang Ri chuckled faintly, realizing that despite her fiery demeanor, Miss An was not entirely unreasonable. Watching his disciple beside him, he struck up conversation. "Shi Qing, aren't you going to bed yet?"
"I'm not sleepy right now, Teacher," Shi Qing replied, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue as her thoughts wandered.
Her bashful expression was too tempting for Xiang Ri to resist. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he teased, "No worries. If you can't sleep, you can lean on me. Once you drift off, I'll carry you to bed."
At that moment, Xiang Ri had entirely forgotten Miss An's earlier warnings about keeping his distance from Shi Qing. His mind was preoccupied with a comment Chu Chu had made during their earlier intimacy.
Her words had initially left him dumbfounded, nearly causing him to lose his composure. As she continued to open her heart to him, he finally understood that Chu Chu was well aware of the ambiguous bond between him and Shi Qing. Rather than addressing it outright, she had chosen to endure the silent agony herself.
When Chu Chu admitted her willingness to "share" him with Shi Qing, Xiang Ri was left speechless. Yet, his initial reaction wasn't elation—it was profound tenderness. To have a wife as understanding as Chu Chu, what more could a man desire? This thought encapsulated the depth of his gratitude and affection.
Lost in his thoughts, Xiang Ri failed to notice Miss An's face growing increasingly dark until she finally erupted. "Xiang Kui! What did you promise me? You swore you wouldn't touch Qing Qing! You despicable liar!"
"Alright, alright, I surrender," Xiang Ri replied dismissively, waving his hand before pulling the indignant Miss An into his arms. "How about this? Just think of it as me using my body to interact with Qing Qing. Does that make you feel a little more balanced inside?"
"You scoundrel!" An Xin growled, furiously pushing him away. She stood and moved to the other side of Shi Qing, wrapping an arm possessively around her waist as if to pull her into her embrace. "Qing Qing belongs to me!"
Caught between her two friends, Shi Qing could only laugh awkwardly. Though she was already in her beastly teacher's arms, her waist was being tenaciously held by her childhood friend, leaving her feeling helplessly trapped.
Realizing that her strength alone wasn't enough to compete with Xiang Ri, An Xin's eyes gleamed with a sudden idea. Without hesitation, she grabbed Shi Qing's face and planted two dramatic kisses on her cheeks, shooting a triumphant glare at Xiang Ri.
Xiang Ri's eyes widened in disbelief. He found himself retracting his earlier assessment that Miss An wasn't beyond salvation. At this point, even the most potent elixirs crafted by the gods themselves might be powerless to cure her deeply ingrained madness.
But she wasn't done yet. Seeing Xiang Ri frozen in shock, An Xin took it a step further. Instead of merely kissing Shi Qing's flushed cheeks, she boldly pressed her lips directly onto Shi Qing's.
The absurdity of the scene left Xiang Ri feeling utterly surreal. Here he was, holding Shi Qing in his arms, while helplessly witnessing her being kissed by someone else—another woman, no less. The sheer strangeness of the situation was almost too much to process.
Refusing to let An Xin steal the spotlight, Xiang Ri leaned in and captured Shi Qing's lips just as she tried to pull away.
After the long and unrelenting kisses, Shi Qing finally broke free from their clutches. "I'm done with you two!" she declared, her voice filled with exasperation. Spinning on her heel, she darted into her bedroom, leaving Xiang Ri and An Xin staring at each other in stunned silence in the living room.
"Do you think what just happened counts as an indirect kiss?" Xiang Ri quipped mischievously, a sly smirk playing on his lips. He wasn't about to miss the chance to tease the woman vying with him for his "wife."
Predictably, An Xin snapped. The man's playful jab reignited memories she'd rather forget, and she launched herself at him with a snarl. "Xiang Kui, you owe me my first kiss!"
"Hahaha..." Xiang Ri, anticipating her reaction, had already taken off the moment he spoke. But before he could escape completely, his phone began to ring from his pocket. Pulling it out, he held up a hand to ward off An Xin's pursuit. "Hold on, I need to take this."
Though reluctant to disrupt his call, An Xin lobbed a cushion at him in defiance, venting her frustration. Leaning slightly forward, she strained her ears, ready to eavesdrop on what she presumed might be some juicy gossip.
Xiang Ri caught the incoming pillow effortlessly, glancing at the unfamiliar number displayed on his phone. After a brief pause, he decided to answer.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Teacher, it's me, Hao Meng," came the soft, girlish voice on the other end, though it was nearly drowned out by a cacophony of noise in the background.
"What's the matter?" Xiang Ri asked, frowning, momentarily ignoring the question of how she'd gotten his number.
The din filtering through the call made it clear—she was in a bar. Loud music and chatter overwhelmed the line.
A schoolgirl, out late at night, in a bar no less—and on a weekday—instantly rubbed him the wrong way. Despite having only tutored her for two days, Xiang Ri held a certain fondness for this clever but occasionally reckless girl. Coupled with his connection to the policewoman, he didn't want to see Hao Meng heading down the wrong path.
"Teacher, come save us! Zeng Nan and I are surrounded by a bunch of men, and they won't let us leave..."
Xiang Ri's tone hardened. "Where are you? Are you at *Chén Lún*?" He stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head. That seemed unlikely—it was Monkey's turf, and no one would dare cause trouble there under his protection.
Hao Meng, catching his drift, spoke urgently. "No, we're at *Wǒ Xíng Wǒ Sù* Bar, not far from *Chén Lún*... Ah! Zeng Nan just got hit—I can't talk anymore, please hurry!"
The call abruptly ended with a sharp beep.
Xiang Ri bolted upright, not even bothering to throw on proper clothes. Clad in only a white tank top and pants, he stormed out the door. An Xin, who had been gleefully preparing to confront him over "talking to women," was left fuming. Her leverage evaporated before she could even begin her threats.
Meanwhile, in a nearby hotel room, a peculiar youth with flaming red hair lowered his binoculars. Addressing an elegant young man lounging on the sofa with two others, he reported, "Boss, the target just left."
"Oh?" The handsome man raised an eyebrow. It was late—what business could the target possibly have outside? Still, doubts aside, duty called. Rising to his feet, he clapped his hands sharply. "Alright, let's move. Our orders are to ensure his safety. We can't afford any mishaps."
"Yes!" the others responded in unison. Yet, amidst the group, a woman radiating an icy aura betrayed a fleeting flash of hatred in her eyes.