The body’s reactions are the most honest.

After Tang You left, Zhou Qinyao had to admit—this was the first time in twenty-three years that a woman had thrown him off balance.

He was caught off guard for the first time; just one glance had caused the brakes inside him to seem like they had failed, making it impossible to prevent the spark from igniting.

Now, the situation was awkward, and the girl had run off in fright.

Damn, what were you even thinking…

After feeling frustrated in the air-raid shelter for a few minutes, Zhou Qinyao decided to go out and explain things to Tang You.

Though he wasn’t sure how to clear up the misunderstanding, saying something was better than saying nothing at all.

Otherwise, he would just look like a beast who took advantage and enjoyed it secretly.

Outside, on the grass, everyone was still playing as usual.

Tang You was sitting alone under a tree, her face a bit red, holding the small steamed bun Zhou Qinyao had given her earlier.

Zhou Qinyao hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down next to her.

Tang You knew he was there; she didn’t move, but her face turned an even deeper shade of red.

“Tang You,” Zhou Qinyao called her name and cleared his throat, “I’m sorry about earlier—”

“Don’t say anything.”

Tang You interrupted him quietly.

After a moment, she tore a piece off the bun in her hand and shoved it into his mouth, mimicking his earlier words: “Eat more, and stop overthinking.”

Zhou Qinyao: “…”

At 5:30 PM, the autumn outing ended, and everyone went back the way they came, returning to their homes.

Tang You, as before, was given a ride by Zhou Qinyao.

Seeing Tang You sitting on the back seat of Zhou Qinyao’s motorcycle, and recalling the earlier scene in the air-raid shelter where the brother and sister had embarrassingly “hugged” each other, Song Xiaoyang curiously asked:

“Brother Yao, are you and Sister Youyou in a relationship?”

Children say the most innocent things, and no one took it seriously except for Cheng Xuan, who caught a hint of something.

Whether intentional or not, she playfully looked at the two involved:

“Could it be, Xiaoyang, that Sister Youyou has a boyfriend?”

Tang You, naive and unable to handle such probing, immediately blurted out:

“Xuan Jie, don’t make things up, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Cheng Xuan, sharp-eyed, had actually suspected something for a while.

After all, the Zhou Qinyao she knew never did anything like being a “Good Samaritan,” such as actively giving a girl an umbrella or willingly coming over to fix a water pipe.

And when did he ever allow a woman to sit on his motorcycle’s back seat?

Cold as Zhou Qinyao was, in the two years he had been in Huai Tree Alley, Cheng Xuan had never seen him this “enthusiastic.”

Cheng Xuan raised an eyebrow and smiled at Tang You: “Oh? Then maybe it’s just someone spreading rumors.”

She then winked at Zhou Qinyao, meaningfully adding: “Hey, Brother Yao, are you happy that Youyou doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

Zhou Qinyao, who had been walking towards the motorcycle with his back to Tang You, didn’t let her see his expression. He lazily replied to Cheng Xuan, “What’s it to you?”

It seemed like he had a hint of a smile, but it might have just been Tang You’s subconscious illusion.

She slowly followed, contemplating the emotion in his words. Since she had been looking down at the grass, she didn’t notice the man in front suddenly stop.

She collided with his back, and as she looked up, she saw the dark, unmasked gaze of the man staring at her.

Directly, openly, looking at her.

“?” Tang You was confused by his stare: “What’s wrong?”

After staring for a long time, Zhou Qinyao suddenly smiled meaningfully.

“Nothing.”

Tang You: “…”

This man is so strange.

Recently, Tang You had been frequently going out under various pretexts, which had raised some suspicions for Aunt Rong.

Fang Lai had paid her a high salary to ensure Tang You’s daily meals and to keep an eye on her daughter, leaving no room for any mishaps.

A few days ago, Tang You claimed she was going to visit a sick friend, and today she said the school was organizing an autumn outing.

In reality, Aunt Rong had just called the school and learned that it was a regular holiday at the Fifth High School today.

So, there was no autumn outing at all.

All of this made Aunt Rong anxious; she needed to find Tang You immediately. However, despite searching the entire Huai Tree Street, she couldn’t find her.

Just as she was about to call Tang You, a motorcycle whizzed past her with a whoosh.

Aunt Rong vaguely saw a familiar color, seemingly the plaid jacket Tang You was wearing today.

Frowning, she looked further and noticed that the motorcycle had stopped about fifty meters from the villa. Then, the person sitting on the back of the motorcycle got off.

Taking off the helmet, it was indeed Tang You!

Aunt Rong was startled and quickly ran over: “Miss!”

Tang You was startled by her sudden appearance and looked a bit flustered. “Aunt Rong? How… how are you here?”

Aunt Rong did not answer but warily scrutinized Zhou Qinyao.

This man was dressed casually, unlike a proper young master. Although he wore a helmet, Aunt Rong could still see the pair of eyes behind the visor.

Cold but deeply attractive, the kind of appearance that might appeal to girls.

Fang Lai had once told her that Tang You had few friends in City C and was quite naive, so she had to be cautious of bad people, especially bad men.

Aunt Rong immediately shielded Tang You behind her: “Who is this?”

The sudden situation caught Tang You completely off guard.

But her first clear thought was—she absolutely couldn’t let Aunt Rong know about Zhou Qinyao’s presence.

If Aunt Rong knew, then Fang Lai would know too.

If Fang Lai knew, there would be no future for them.

In a moment of desperation, Tang You came up with a somewhat plausible explanation:

“I don’t know him either. The school bus broke down, so… I took a motorcycle back.”

Zhou Qinyao: “…”

To make it seem more believable, Tang You quickly took fifty yuan from her pocket and subtly indicated to Zhou Qinyao: “No need for change, sorry for the trouble.”

Another implied message: “You should leave quickly.”

Zhou Qinyao’s eyes flickered slightly, raising his eyebrows, and took the money:

“Thank you, boss.”

“…” Tang You awkwardly forced a smile: “N-Not at all.”

The motorcycle sped away, leaving behind a detached and sharp black silhouette. Tang You felt that her earlier words might have hurt someone and lowered her head in frustration.

Aunt Rong had seen everything.