67: Highly educated women are the hardest hit.

The night was a bit chilly. Yu Heng fished out a cigarette case and shook one out, dangling it from his lips.

He just kept it there, thinking about what had happened earlier.

His grip wasn't exactly light.

He hadn't held back earlier either.

Qin Lu's skin was fair, and he had left many marks.

But her reaction—she didn't dodge, nor did she cry out in pain.

There were many other reactions he was all too familiar with.

Those M's were all like that.

The more roughly they were treated, the more excited they got.

As expected, highly educated women were the hardest hit.

Under high pressure and exhausted from keeping up appearances, they sought more excitement to release it all in private.

However, Qin Lu had been conservative for so many years; there was still room for development.

But given her attitude today, how to start next time would be an issue.

He'd take it one step at a time.

When Yu Heng returned to the Villa, it was already nearly eleven o'clock.

He took out his keys and opened the door; only a wall lamp was left on in the living room.

Bai Xinran was sitting at the dining table eating a late-night snack.

A bowl of instant noodles with an egg added.

Hearing the door open, she looked up. "You're back?"

Her voice was indifferent as she picked up a mouthful of noodles with her chopsticks.

"Yeah." Yu Heng changed his shoes and casually draped his jacket over the back of a chair. "Just finished streaming?"

"About half an hour ago." Bai Xinran slurped some noodles, her gaze drifting over again. "You watched a movie until this late?"

Yu Heng sat down opposite her and rubbed his brow. "Ah, right."

He didn't explain much.

Bai Xinran raised an eyebrow. "What, was there something else?"

"No." Yu Heng didn't want to say more and changed the subject. "How was your stream tonight?"

"It was okay, over eight thousand in revenue." Bai Xinran put down her chopsticks and pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth. "A few new Captains joined, all because of the dog persona."

As she spoke, her eyes flickered toward Yu Heng.

There was a faint scent on this guy.

It wasn't the smell of the body wash he usually used, nor was it the smell of cigarettes.

Was it a woman's perfume?

Jasmine mixed with sandalwood, with a hint of rose.

Bai Xinran had a sharp nose; she was very sensitive to smells.

This scent was a mature one.

Qin Lu's face flashed through her mind.

When Qin Lu came by this afternoon, she seemed to have this scent on her.

So Yu Heng returning like this meant he went to... Bai Xinran pursed her lips, stopping her train of thought.

What did it have to do with her?

But... maybe it wasn't entirely none of her business?

"By the way," Yu Heng suddenly said, "we're participating in the club recruitment event tomorrow. You need to get up early."

"How early?" Bai Xinran asked.

"Seven-thirty, I guess." Yu Heng took out his phone to check the time. "We need to go to that advertising shop on the Commercial Street to pick up the roll-up banners and posters, then set up the stall at the Activity Center before nine."

"Okay," Bai Xinran replied, picking up her bowl and heading to the kitchen to rinse it.

Yu Heng sat still and took out his phone to check WeChat.

Ning Yutong had sent a message an hour ago: "Yu Heng, is everything okay on your end? Are things finished? (｡•́︿•̀｡)"

It was followed by a worried kitten emoji.

Yu Heng typed a reply: "Nothing's wrong, it's all handled. Did you finish the movie?"

Almost as soon as the message was sent, she replied instantly.

"Finished it! 'the truman show' is really good. I cried when he walked out that door at the end QAQ."

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you."

"Are you coming to the club recruitment tomorrow?"

Looking at this string of messages, the corners of Yu Heng's mouth curled up unconsciously.

This girl really did care about him.

"I'm coming," he replied. "Tomorrow morning at nine, at the Activity Center entrance, our club's stall."

"Great! Then I'll head over early tomorrow to help! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"

"Mm, get some rest early."

"You too! Goodnight!"

Yu Heng put down his phone and looked up, seeing that Bai Xinran had already washed the bowl and come out of the kitchen.

She was standing by the counter, drying her hands with a towel.

The hem of her loose T-shirt rode up with her movements, revealing a section of her fair waist.

Yu Heng's gaze lingered on that waist. Had this kind of scenery become somewhat common at home lately?

"What are you looking at?" Bai Xinran hung up the towel and glared at him.

"Looking at how slim your waist is," Yu Heng said candidly.

"Pervert," Bai Xinran scolded, but there was no anger on her face as she turned toward her room. "I'm going to sleep. See you tomorrow!"

"Mm." Yu Heng waved his hand.

After Bai Xinran's door closed, Yu Heng sat in the living room for a while longer.

His mind was a mess.

From going to the Escape Room in the afternoon to the stunt Qin Lu pulled tonight.

To the two or so hours he spent messing around with Qin Lu tonight.

Today has been truly dramatic.

And... He looked down at his phone.

In the WeChat list, Shen Yueling's profile picture was quiet; the two of them hadn't chatted much lately.

Not even a single message was sent today.

He didn't know what this girl had been up to these past couple of days.

Yu Heng sighed, got up, and went back to his room, closing the door behind him.

The lights weren't on in the room. He tossed his phone onto the bed but didn't lie down himself.

Instead, he walked to the window and lit a cigarette, the spark flickering in the darkness.

After a few puffs, he fished out his phone and opened WeChat.

In the pinned chats, Qin Lu's profile picture sat quietly.

He stared at it for a few seconds and typed.

「How are you doing?」

Send.

A red exclamation mark immediately appeared in front of the message.

A small line of text below read: 「Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.」

Yu Heng was stunned for a moment, then realized what happened.

Blocked?

Tsk.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

This woman sure moved fast.

Fine!

I'll ask someone else!

He exited the chat with Qin Lu, scrolled down, and found Qin Ya.

He opened it and typed a line: 「Any word from your mom?」

The message was sent, but there was no immediate reply.

With the cigarette in his mouth, Yu Heng just stood by the window and waited.

A long length of ash had accumulated, and just as it was about to fall, the phone vibrated.

Qin Ya really wasn't asleep.

Qin Ya: 「Reporting, none.」

Yu Heng typed: 「You didn't go check?」

Qin Ya: 「I'd like to, but if she knew I was still awake, it would probably be even more awkward.」

Qin Ya: 「For the sake of you two having a 'next time,' I'd better not go look.」

Yu Heng grimaced at the message.

This girl was actually quite considerate at a time like this.

He replied: 「Your mom blocked me.」

Qin Ya: 「Standard procedure. She's concerned about her image; she needs a couple of days to recover.」

Qin Ya: 「Don't worry, she'll be fine once she processes it.」

Yu Heng: 「Why would I be worried?」

Qin Ya: 「Then why are you asking about my mom?」

Yu Heng was left speechless.

He stubbed out the cigarette and typed: 「Alright, go to sleep.」

Qin Ya: 「Oh, and you? Can you sleep after having your fun?」

Yu Heng: 「...」

Qin Ya: 「Heehee, goodnight, Brother.」

Yu Heng didn't reply again.

He exited WeChat, threw his phone back onto the bed, and lay down himself.

Tomorrow is the club recruitment; will Qin Lu, as the Supervising Teacher, show up?

They'd have to meet again eventually, right?