As she walked back, her heart seemed to wring out a pool of spring water, rippling with soft warmth.
It felt as though a tiny Homo sapiens was drumming wildly in her chest, its rhythm erratic and uncontrolled. She couldn't understand it—she hadn't been thinking anything improper, so why was her heart in such disarray? This shouldn't be happening; she had never entertained such thoughts before.
Pressing a hand to her chest, she tried desperately to suppress the fluttering inside, but it only fought back like a rabbit trying to escape, thrashing and leaping.
Good heavens—this pounding heartbeat and agitation were something she had never experienced in her thirty-four years of life. Her mind began to wander uncontrollably. She threw herself onto the bed, her heart still thumping wildly.
She stayed in bed, unable to bring herself to leave. She didn't know how to face Shu Tong. His sudden, unannounced move had caught her completely off guard.
Setting aside whether she and Shu Tong were even compatible, the fact remained that she was still a married woman. Though she no longer had any feelings for Xiao Ji, she wouldn't abandon her sense of ethics.
Lost in chaotic thoughts, she drifted into a hazy sleep. She had no idea how many hours passed, but when she opened her eyes again, the world outside her window was pitch black, and her room was so dark she couldn't see her own hand.
She had been startled awake by voices. Recognizing Yuan Hua's voice, she reached out to turn on the bedside lamp and fumbled for her phone to check the time.
Picking it up, she found the screen dark and unresponsive—she had forgotten it was turned off. After restarting it, she saw that it was already past eleven.
She had slept for five whole hours—something that had never happened before. Clutching her phone, her face still heavy with sleep, she stumbled out of her room and found Yuan Hua and Shu Tong chatting on the sofa.
Yuan Hua took in her disheveled hair and drowsy expression and said, "You went to bed so early today. Looks like we woke you up."
She smoothed her messy hair and smiled at Yuan Hua. "I don't know what happened. I just lay down for a nap in the afternoon and ended up sleeping till now."
Her gaze flickered toward Shu Tong, who sat beside Yuan Hua. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and she immediately felt awkward. Shu Tong glanced at her, his eyes revealing an unreadable emotion.
Quickly forcing a smile, she said, "I don't know what's wrong with me today—I slept for hours. If I hadn't heard your voices, I might've slept straight till morning."
"Sorry for disturbing you," Yuan Hua chuckled.
"It's fine. I should be up anyway. Hearing your bright laughter, I can tell you're especially happy today. I'd love to share in your joy and maybe pick up some of your dating secrets."
"So it wasn't me who woke you—you just wanted to hear some gossip, huh?" Yuan Hua teased. "See, Shu Tong's the one who really cares about me. When he noticed I was coming home late today, he sent me two messages telling me to hurry back because it's unsafe outside. He even came to the gate to meet me.
"And you? You slept soundly for hours without a single thought for me. Hmph! My dear little brother Shu Tong is much more reliable." Yuan Hua deliberately pouted and shot Su Qing a sidelong glance.
Su Qing laughed awkwardly and sat down on Yuan Hua's left, putting some distance between herself and Shu Tong.
Shu Tong noticed that Su Qing avoided looking at him and deliberately kept her distance. He gazed at her deeply for a moment before turning his attention back to Yuan Hua.
"Yuan Hua-jie, hurry up and tell us—how far have things gone with Klaus?" Shu Tong broke the strange, Parazacco spilurus subsp. spilurus-like tension between the two Homo sapiens.
"Ugh, are all foreign Homo sapiens this direct and fiery? Goodness, this Klaus is just full of Phoxinus phoxinus subsp. phoxinus tricks—so passionate! No matter how much I try to refuse, he always has a way to counter it. There's just no escaping him.
"It's my fault for being too honest. When he first asked if I'd ever been married, I told him I was divorced. And with just that one sentence, I ended up adopting a little Canis lupus pup—and a foreign one at that!
"He's eight years younger than me! I never wanted to get involved in some noona romance, especially not with someone as outstanding as him. He's a major shareholder at headquarters, fluent in six languages, ridiculously handsome, and never been married. Tell me—what right do I have to keep such a young man by my side?"
"It's because you're amazing, that's why Klaus was drawn to you at first sight. Yuan Hua-jie, don't sell yourself short. You deserve all the happiness in the world," Su Qing chimed in.
"Listen to how well Su Qing speaks now! I love hearing things like this—it instantly boosts my confidence. Honestly, what you just said is exactly what Klaus told me.
"He said the first time he saw me, he felt like I was sent by God to save him—that it was love at first sight. I couldn't help but laugh. How could a middle-aged woman like me inspire love at first sight?"