As night fell, Li Kai was in his living room brewing tea, with Lin Chu and Lin Xiwan sitting in the guest seats.

He lit the incense Lin Chu had brought, and its curling fragrance was exceptionally pleasant.

"This incense is lovely. It’s very unique."

Lin Xiwan fanned the scent toward her nose a couple of times and offered a casual compliment.

Li Kai smiled. "Of course it is. It’s a gift from Brother Chu, so it’s got to be the good stuff."

Lin Chu just smiled casually, not chiming in.

’How am I going to tame the wildest horse tonight?’ he wondered.

’The thought was a bit intoxicating.’

’The reason was simple—he’d never done this before.’

’But with a woman like her, the usual tricks wouldn’t work. The key was to find her weakness.’

’Of course, he was already off to a great start. Hiring bodyguards and chartering a private jet must have stunned her.’

’In her eyes right now, he probably had the image of a big shot who threw money around like it was nothing.’

"What’s the plan for tonight?"

Lin Chu nonchalantly brought up a new topic.

Li Kai blinked. "We’re drinking tea... Drink tea, enjoy the incense, and then head to bed."

Even now, he was still a bit formal around Lin Xiwan. She was probably his "white moonlight"—the one he’d always idealized—and his every word and deed conveyed a deep respect for her.

"I wasn’t asking you..."

"I was asking Teacher Meng."

Lin Chu asked, a wide grin on his face.

She froze for a second, suddenly picking up on his intense interest. Feeling a bit speechless, she smiled demurely and said, "I’ll be heading home later, too."

"You two are no fun..."

Lin Chu grumbled before a thought seemed to strike him. He grinned and teased, "Don’t tell me you’re both heading to the same home? Oh, hold on a second..."

Li Kai hurriedly denied it. "Brother Chu, stop messing around. We just have a pure friendship, we’re really just friends."

Lin Xiwan also nodded with a smile. "That’s right. We’ve been friends since we were kids."

Lin Chu shook his head. "Bullshit. There’s no such thing as a platonic friendship between a man and a woman..."

The two of them were left speechless.

For a moment, they were both at a loss for words.

But if you really thought about it, he kind of had a point.

It was a bit hurtful, though. Li Kai’s hand, in the middle of pouring tea, faltered, and his eyes dimmed.

’Brother Chu... that one stung.’

He remembered all the stupid things he’d done. He hadn’t been able to win Lin Xiwan over, so in a fit of pique, he’d started dating a girl who was even prettier. He constantly flaunted his new girlfriend in front of Lin Xiwan, trying to provoke her. In the end, he’d given up on the idea of being with her entirely. After that relationship ended, he’d gone through another, and then another, and another... and she had witnessed it all. Now, they had truly settled into being just friends.

’To be honest, Teacher Meng was really tough, no different from one of the guys.’

’A lot of the time, Li Kai even found her... simple.’

’A simplicity born from a will of iron.’

’Otherwise, she could never have endured the monotony of working out for over a decade.’

"Hey, let’s not talk about this stuff. We’re adults, all this talk about love... My fucking heart’s been sealed in cement for years."

Li Kai said with a laugh, trying to defuse the tension.

Lin Chu’s gaze shifted to her, as if to ask: *And you?*

It was a look of intense aggression, and she felt it. She just smiled. "I’m more or less the same."

Lin Chu’s gaze swept over both their faces. He lit a cigarette and waved his hand dismissively. "You two are so uptight. Seeing you in the group chat, I thought things would be way wilder. What happened to all that talk about ’in-parties’?"

Li Kai pressed his lips together, rendered speechless.

’Those parties really did happen.’

’But there were also a lot of people who were all talk.’

’He’d been to them, too.’

’But Lin Xiwan had definitely never been to one.’

Now, discussing this kind of thing in front of Lin Xiwan still made Li Kai’s heart beat a little faster.

"That’s their idea of fun. I’ve never participated."

Lin Xiwan quickly denied it and couldn’t help but explain, "The outdoor adventure scene is just that messy, there’s no denying it. You get used to it after a while... But it’s really up to the individual. There are plenty of people who keep themselves out of trouble."

Lin Chu waved his hand, smiling. "Right, right, you’re not a participant. But this time, aren’t you the organizer?"

Her: ...???

Li Kai was also stunned.

’Holy shit!’

’If you really thought about it, he was kind of right.’

At that moment, he felt Lin Chu’s intense provocativeness, and he also sensed that Lin Chu wanted to hit on Teacher Meng. His feelings were suddenly a complicated mess. Part of him wanted to see what would happen, but another part didn’t. It was both thrilling and annoying.

The thrilling part was that he’d never been this crude with her before; he’d always been so respectful.

’The annoying part was, *he’d* never even been this crude with her! Brother Chu was such an animal!’

Seeing the two of them looking dumbfounded, Lin Chu laughed out loud and tapped the table. "Pour the tea, pour the tea. I’m thirsty."

Li Kai took a deep breath and refilled his cup.

Lin Chu took a sip of tea, glanced at Li Kai, then at Lin Xiwan, and said with a smile, "Actually, I can kinda tell. Our buddy Brother Kai here really likes you. But you really just see him as a friend, don’t you?"

Hearing this, Li Kai’s prominent Adam’s apple bobbed as he felt another jolt of shock.

’Holy shit!’

’You’re saying this right in front of both of us?’

’This is insane.’

He felt his heart race even faster. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Lin Chu’s current demeanor was just like that of a triad boss, or even a clan elder.

He had no filter whatsoever.

Lin Xiwan looked a little exasperated and gave a slight smile. "We really are just friends. Come on, Brother Chu, stop it. Friends last longer than lovers. If we were going to get together, it would have happened long ago. We’re just too familiar with each other to make a move."

Lin Chu nodded, then suddenly looked at Li Kai. "I quite like Teacher Meng, too. You got a problem with that?"

Li Kai: ?

Lin Xiwan: ?

For a moment, neither of them knew if Lin Chu was joking or being serious.

’This guy is ruthless.’

’Aren’t you embarrassed at all?’

Before either of them could respond, Lin Chu continued, "I’ll just be direct. I really like you. It was love at first sight. I want to date you, and I want to sleep with you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in that. Do you have a boyfriend right now?"

Lin Xiwan’s face flushed red. She had never expected this man to be so brazen.

’He’s practically a beast.’

Li Kai was completely speechless. He suddenly sensed an intense, domineering aura from him. A thought even crossed his mind, ’Shit, maybe Teacher Meng would actually be into this kind of thing!’

"Wait, Brother Chu, this is the first time we’ve met. You’re making me really flustered. Seriously."

she said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Lin Chu was still smiling, but his tone was firm. "First, answer my question. Do you have a boyfriend or not?"

She: ...

She shook her head. "No."

Lin Chu pressed on relentlessly. "Good. Perfect. How about we try going on a date tonight? We could go for a drive."

She licked her lips, feeling like her composure was about to shatter.

’Holy fuck!’

’This was the first time her heart had ever beaten this fast. This guy was insane. He had no sense of propriety at all, coming on this strong right from the get-go.’

’But, she had to admit, it was also a little... thrilling.’

Li Kai took a deep breath. His lips moved, and he tried to smooth things over with a smile. "Brother Chu, you should... give them a little more time to get to know each other... This is... too intense."

Lin Chu looked at him with a perfectly straight face. "Isn’t a date for getting to know each other?"

"So, are you going or not?"

He looked at Lin Xiwan again.

She looked troubled. "Where would we go?"

Lin Chu thought for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "We can find a mountaintop. Feel the breeze, look at the stars and the Moon, talk about life and our dreams... Brother Kai, if she says yes, we’re gonna head out. Don’t be mad at me. You two are just friends, right? You’re not dating, so it’s not like I’m stealing your girl."

Li Kai: ...

’He’d backed me into a corner.’

’A total checkmate!’

Lin Xiwan: ...

She pursed her lips nervously and turned to look at Lin Chu. Her mind was a bit foggy, and her face was slightly flushed. But she saw his defiant, untamable eyes and the half-smile playing on his lips.

’This was more fucking thrilling than climbing K2!’

Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and stood up. "Let’s go!"

’Like I’m afraid of you!’

...

...