21: He leaned down and attacked.

The morning's Introduction to Communication Studies class had just ended.

Yu Heng was preparing to slip back to the Villa to catch up on some sleep when his phone vibrated.

He pulled it out and saw it was Shen Yueling.

"Hello?" Yu Heng answered the phone while walking.

"Are we still having lunch together today?" Shen Yueling's voice came through the receiver.

Yu Heng didn't stop walking. He passed through the bustling crowd in the teaching building and headed toward the West Gate: "If you want to have lunch together, you can come find me where I'm staying. We can cook for ourselves at noon."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.

"Where you're staying?" Shen Yueling's tone held obvious surprise. "You're not living in the dorm anymore?"

"Yeah, I rented a place," Yu Heng grinned.

"Where are you?" Shen Yueling asked directly.

"The school's West Gate," Yu Heng glanced at the school gate not far away. "Come on over, I'll wait for you here."

After hanging up, Yu Heng strolled over to a small cart in front of the school gate, bought a bottle of ice-cold Coke, and leaned against the wall, drinking it leisurely.

Less than ten minutes later, he saw Shen Yueling walking over from the direction of the teaching building.

She was wearing a cream-colored knit cardigan today, with a simple white T-shirt underneath and slim-fit jeans on the bottom.

"Let's go," Shen Yueling said calmly as she reached him.

Yu Heng threw the empty bottle into the trash can and led her toward the residential area.

"When did you rent a place?" Shen Yueling followed beside him.

"Just a few days ago," Yu Heng said with his hands in his pockets. "The dorm was too noisy, and I need a quiet place for my streaming."

Shen Yueling raised an eyebrow. "Streaming?"

"Yeah, a Virtual Streamer," Yu Heng turned his head to look at her. "Like the ones on Bilibili with an animated avatar."

Shen Yueling nodded and didn't ask further; she actually knew about this.

Yu Heng clicked his tongue inwardly. This woman was still so composed; anyone else would have been pestering him with questions by now.

Arriving at the Villa entrance, Yu Heng took out his keys to open the door.

Shen Yueling looked at the grand house before her.

The confusion in her eyes deepened. "You rented a place here?"

"Right, I rented a Villa." Yu Heng took out the key and pushed open the heavy front door.

Shen Yueling didn't follow him in immediately.

She stood at the door, her gaze sharp as she looked at Yu Heng. "Yu Heng, where did you get the money?"

She knew Yu Heng's family background—just his mother, plus his father's casualty pension.

There was absolutely no way it could support him renting a Villa in a place like this.

The monthly rent alone would probably equal his mother's monthly salary.

Yu Heng had prepared his excuse long ago. He turned to face her: "I bought a lottery ticket during summer vacation and won. I won 100,000 yuan."

"The lottery?" Shen Yueling sized him up, her eyes full of suspicion. "Really?"

"Of course it's real," Yu Heng spread his hands. "Otherwise, where do you think this money came from? Did it just blow in with the wind?"

"Did you tell your mother?" Shen Yueling pressed, taking a step forward.

"Not yet. You must not tell her," Yu Heng quickly urged.

"Why not?" Shen Yueling's brow furrowed even more. She continued, "Do you have a guilty conscience? Yu Heng, where did this money really come from?"

Her tone became somewhat serious.

"Oh, just come in first! Sit, sit, sit." Yu Heng beckoned her inside.

Then he sat down on the sofa himself.

Shen Yueling looked at him with a cold face and reluctantly sat on the sofa.

"I really did win the lottery!" Yu Heng insisted, feeling a bit guilty. This girl was too sharp.

"Fine then. I'll call your mother right now. This is a good thing; we should let her be happy."

As Shen Yueling spoke, she actually took her phone out of her small bag and made a move to dial.

"Don't!" Yu Heng panicked. He instinctively reached out and grabbed her slender wrist.

He stopped her movement, and the phone fell onto the soft carpet.

"Let go of me!" With her wrist held, Shen Yueling struggled hard, a faint anger appearing on her face.

Yu Heng was afraid she would actually make the call and let the secret slip.

In his desperation, he used force with his other hand as well, pressing her down.

One hand still held her wrist, while the other braced against the back of the sofa by her ear.

The two were suddenly extremely close, their breaths audible to each other.

Shen Yueling was firmly trapped beneath him, and her struggling movements stopped instantly.

Her breathing involuntarily quickened, and a layer of crimson quickly spread across her fair cheeks.

She stopped struggling, her body stiffening slightly. She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze which was far too close.

Her voice was much lower and softer than before: "Let go first..."

Only then did Yu Heng belatedly realize how ambiguous their current posture was.

The young woman's warm, soft body was pressed beneath him.

His Adam's apple rolled unconsciously. His grip on her wrist loosened slightly, but he didn't get up immediately.

Yu Heng steeled his heart.

He leaned down and went for it.

This wasn't their first kiss.

The memory of that out-of-control intimate contact during the summer vacation was still fresh.

But compared to the inexperience and panic of last time, Yu Heng's movements were clearly much more practiced this time.

"Mmph...!" Shen Yueling was caught off guard.

Her mind instantly went blank, and her body felt slightly weak.

An unknown amount of time passed until both of them were slightly out of breath, and only then did Yu Heng pull back a little.

A thin silver thread stretched between them.

Shen Yueling's voice was soft and reproachful as she stared at him and said, "Are you crazy?!"

Yu Heng looked at her and said, "I couldn't help myself."

"Get up first..." Shen Yueling turned her head away.

Yu Heng got up and sat on the sofa beside her.

"Why won't you let me tell your mother?" Shen Yueling straightened the hem of her clothes.

"I want to use this money to start my own business. When I've made more money, I'll tell her and give her a surprise," Yu Heng said.

"Fine," Shen Yueling glanced at him. "So you won't be living at school anymore?"

"I will. I'll just come here to stay on weekends."

"Alright then."

"You coming too?" Yu Heng looked at her.

"What would I come here for?" Shen Yueling asked in confusion.

"To come and live with me," Yu Heng said.

"Who wants to live with you?" Shen Yueling immediately retorted, then added as if possessed, "You're so restless when you sleep."

Yu Heng chuckled. "I didn't say we'd sleep in the same room. You can pick any bedroom here."

Shen Yueling was silent for a moment.

How did she end up thinking they would be sleeping together?

Her gaze swept across the spacious living room, and she said, "I'll think about it."

Yu Heng stood up. "Shall I show you the rooms?"

Shen Yueling stood up with him and nodded slightly.

After touring the Villa, Yu Heng checked the time. "What do you want to eat? We can cook or go out."

"Whatever, either is fine with me," Shen Yueling said.

"Alright then!" Yu Heng smiled helplessly. "How about a couple of stir-fried dishes with rice?"

"Okay, we'll talk about it later. It's just past ten," Shen Yueling nodded and looked around. "You're living alone?"

"For now," Yu Heng sat back on the sofa. "But occasionally, some Streamers will come here to stream."