Xiao Chi wisely took Miaomiao back to her room, leaving the space for the long-separated couple.

Unfortunately, the couple wasn’t doing anything romantic; Ning Qiuxiu thought that Zhan Qingyue was just teasing her. But he actually took her books and started testing her.

“Stupid man (smiling),” she thought.

Zhan Qingyue never goes easy on his tests, much like a boss assessing his subordinates.

He won’t joke around—if you know, you know; if you don’t, you don’t. If he were a school principal, he’d be a devilish one.

In short, he’s quite intimidating.

Ning Qiuxiu read scripts and books here, but not as seriously as at home.

At home, with Zhan Qingyue in the study, he would work while she read, and the atmosphere made her calm and motivated.

Here, she mostly lay in bed while reading, like the difference between studying in a library versus a dormitory.

Reading this way was inefficient, and she often found herself struggling to stay awake…

So, Zhan Qingyue’s questions were tough for her, and she couldn’t answer half of them.

“I’m only asking basic questions,” Zhan Qingyue said, standing in front of her with a serious look.

Ning Qiuxiu sat in the chair, feeling ashamed and looking down like a student who made a mistake.

She knew she hadn’t put in enough effort.

“Ms. Ning,” Zhan Qingyue knocked on her chair back, giving her a lesson, “Learning is like rowing upstream; if you don’t advance, you fall back.”

Ning Qiuxiu, willing to admit her mistake, said, “I was wrong. I’ll work harder from now on!”

Zhan Qingyue looked at the top of her head. If Ning Qiuxiu looked up, she’d see that he was actually smiling.

He hid his smile and continued seriously, “Hard work alone isn’t enough. We need to add some penalties. For example, like the ancients, we could prepare a ruler and slap your palm every time you get an answer wrong.”

“…” Ning Qiuxiu glared at him. “That’s domestic violence!”

“Oh…” Zhan Qingyue dragged out the sound, suddenly leaning in and looking at her intensely. “How about a non-violent penalty?”

They were very close, and Ning Qiuxiu could feel his breath, making her face flush. “What?”

“Write 10 lines as a punishment. How about that?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

Damn!

Ning Qiuxiu reached to push him away, but he grabbed her wrist. As she tried to pull away, Zhan Qingyue’s low laugh filled the air.

The next moment, he leaned in and sealed her lips.

“…” This jerk, Ning Qiuxiu wanted to bite him.

But Zhan Qingyue was prepared.

As she opened her mouth, he pulled away just in time.

Ning Qiuxiu glared at him in frustration, while he chuckled and covered her eyes.

Then he leaned in and kissed her passionately.

Ning Qiuxiu’s vision was blocked, and she felt his kiss growing more intense.

Unlike the previous playful or drunken kisses, this one was clearly deliberate. Her soft lips were repeatedly nibbled and gently sucked, pulling her into a whirlpool of feelings.

She felt weak and dizzy, not sure when she had ended up sitting on his lap.

She was being kissed intensely, with his demeanor appearing calm and unassuming, but in reality, he was stealing her breath and leaving her mind blank.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhan Qingyue finally let her go, resting his forehead against hers.

She looked dazed, with her lips glistening with something that could be from either of them, or both.

“How about this punishment?” Zhan Qingyue’s voice was husky.

Ning Qiuxiu’s thoughts slowly returned to normal. Breathing heavily, she said, “It’s terrible.”

Zhan Qingyue: “Hmm?”

Ning Qiuxiu stood up from his lap, remembering her earlier frustration. She huffed, “Mr. Zhan, your kissing skills are terrible. It made my teeth hurt.”

“…” Mr. Zhan was not pleased. “Do it again.”

Ning Qiuxiu refused.

She covered her stomach, saying, “Ah, my stomach hurts. I think I have salivation poisoning. I need to go to the restroom.”

Zhan Qingyue: “…”

Ning Qiuxiu triumphantly ran to the bathroom, smiling at how Zhan Qingyue looked defeated.

Serves him right for bullying me!

The next day, Ning Qiuxiu didn’t have any plays, but it was still raining outside.

Spring is so annoying—rain for days on end. Even though it’s northern China with less rain, the weather seemed to conspire against Zhan Qingyue, raining only when he was around.

So, the two of them spent the day at the hotel—Zhan Qingyue dealt with work matters, while Ning Qiuxiu, frustrated, studied for the shareholder meeting in mid-March.

Zhan Qingyue had highlighted a few key points for her, so she could cram and focus on those areas.

At noon, Xiao Chi came to deliver their meal. Seeing the food, Ning Qiuxiu, who had been buried in her book and questioning her life choices, happily threw her book aside and went to help Xiao Chi set the table.

When Xiao Chi noticed that Zhan Qingyue had gone to the bathroom, she whispered, “Sister Qiuxiu, a staff member from the crew told me that Mr. Zhan installed a heating system in the classroom where they’re filming.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

In March, the heating supply had been cut off, but the harsh winter cold hadn’t ended. While other places had air conditioning to keep people from freezing, the classroom they were filming in had no other heating equipment.

Once the heating was turned off, everyone had to rely on their own warmth.

Especially on rainy days, it was both cold and damp.

Buying an air conditioner seemed wasteful since the cold would likely last at most another month before warming up.

But the cold was unbearable, especially for those in uniforms, who had to wear fewer layers and often shivered.

The heating system was very timely and a blessing for the entire crew!

Xiao Chi, looking pleased, said, “Yesterday, someone complained that Mr. Zhan was stingy, not even offering afternoon tea. Now they must be feeling embarrassed. We’re pulling out all the stops!”

Ning Qiuxiu laughed, “He’s so different from what you’d expect.”

Mr. Zhan should be wearing sportswear, but instead, he’s acting more like a practical person.

Just then, Zhan Qingyue came out of the bathroom.

Xiao Chi called him over to eat, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve checked everything. It’s safe!”

“What did you check?” Zhan Qingyue asked as he sat down next to Ning Qiuxiu.

Ning Qiuxiu gave Xiao Chi a look, signaling her to keep quiet.

It had been a month since the incident with the fake severed arm gift, and no similar events had occurred.

Ning Qiuxiu felt safe and didn’t want to worry Zhan Qingyue unnecessarily.

“Haha, I just checked to make sure the food was cooked properly. Otherwise, it might upset your stomach,” Xiao Chi, catching Ning Qiuxiu’s signal, cleverly said.

Zhan Qingyue remained calm as he took the disposable chopsticks Ning Qiuxiu handed him and placed them on the table.

He seemed not very hungry and said, “Speaking of stomach issues, breakfast seemed a bit off. I went to the bathroom twice and felt nauseous, like food poisoning.”

“No way!” Xiao Chi was startled. “Sister Qiuxiu, did you have the same?”

“I only had milk and cookies for breakfast, not the same as him,” Ning Qiuxiu said, also worried.

Zhan Qingyue had indeed made two trips to the bathroom. “How are you feeling now? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“Yes, yes, go to the hospital quickly,” Xiao Chi nearly jumped out of her seat, flustered. “What if someone really tampered with the food? I often go to that breakfast place; it might have been targeted.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

Can you not say that out loud?

But it was too late.

Zhan Qingyue caught the important point in her words: “What do you mean, someone might have tampered with your food?”

Xiao Chi: “…”

Zhan Qingyue looked at Ning Qiuxiu and then at Xiao Chi. “You explain.”

Xiao Chi looked helplessly at Ning Qiuxiu.

Ning Qiuxiu covered her face, thinking, “Sister, you’ve been tricked.”

Since the situation was already out in the open, there was no point in hiding it. Xiao Chi reluctantly told Zhan Qingyue about the previous incident.

At the end, she weakly expressed concern, “Mr. Zhan, if you really feel unwell, you should go to the hospital quickly. I’m worried someone might have poisoned you.”

“It’s nothing serious; it’s just a reaction to the local food,” Zhan Qingyue replied, then asked Ning Qiuxiu, “Did you find out who did it?”

“No, it was just a prank by some haters. Don’t worry, Brother Qu hired bodyguards for me, so I’m safe.”

Zhan Qingyue nodded thoughtfully but didn’t ask further.

The next day was Monday.

Early in the morning, Zuosen had the senior management meeting that was required to be held on the first Monday of every month, so Zhan Qingyue had to go back that night.

Ning Qiuxiu saw Zhan Qingyue off to the parking area and, realizing a bit too late, felt a pang of reluctance.

For the first time, she experienced the pain of a long-distance relationship.

Even though they hadn’t officially defined their relationship, she couldn’t stand the thought of parting.

“You silly dog, eat less when you go back. If you become fat, I won’t recognize you as my child,” Ning Qiuxiu said, patting Miaomiao’s head.

Zhan Qingyue replied, “I’ll tell them to feed her less when I get back.”

Miaomiao: “???”

What did it do to deserve such treatment at its age!

Fortunately, Miaomiao didn’t understand human speech. It snuggled up to Ning Qiuxiu, wagging its tail affectionately.

Ning Qiuxiu signaled the driver to open the car door, picked Miaomiao up, and put it in the car.

She closed the door, and Miaomiao’s face was pressed against the car window, looking mournful.

Really fat!

“Go on up.” Ning Qiuxiu pretended to be casual as she said to Zhan Qingyue.

Zhan Qingyue hugged her and said, “Take care of yourself.”

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll leave.”

“Go on, go on,” Ning Qiuxiu waved at him cheerfully, “Have a good trip~”

“… Are you this happy?”

“I just didn’t want it to be so sad,” Ning Qiuxiu thought to herself.

She said, “Should I cry a bit?”

“Let’s not,” Zhan Qingyue said, giving her forehead a kiss, “It’s cold outside; go inside.”

Ning Qiuxiu insisted on waiting until he drove away before going inside.

Watching his car disappear into the night, she said to Xiao Chi, “What should I do? My eyes hurt from the car’s taillights.”

“Ah? What should we do? Should I go buy eye drops? I think we have some prepared. I’ll go look for them!”

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

Spring winds are so unfeeling. How frustrating!