Lin Yuxi decided to go up instead of down. She knew they would assume she had gone downstairs. Her heels clicked against the steps as she hurried upward, climbing two more floors until she reached the sixteenth floor.
But things didn't go exactly as planned. One of the guards had decided to search upstairs.
The guard checked the fifteenth floor first, which bought her a little time.
On the sixteenth floor, Lin Yuxi hurried down the hallway, trying every door until one finally opened. She slipped inside immediately.
The room was dark. She quickly scanned the surroundings and could tell that no one was inside.
While she was still catching her breath, she heard footsteps in the hallway. The person seemed to be trying the doors one by one as well.
Panic instantly filled Lin Yuxi as she looked for somewhere to hide. She spotted the bathroom door and rushed toward it.
She opened the door and slipped inside.
Just as the door closed behind her, the bedroom door opened. The guard had entered the room and heard the bathroom door shut.
Lin Yuxi stepped back from the door, trying to calm her racing heart.
Suddenly—
She was pinned against the wall.
She gasped and looked up to see a man in front of her, her eyes widening in shock.
'Where did he come from?'
Her gaze moved downward and suddenly froze.
The man was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
She glanced around and suddenly remembered—this was a bathroom.
She opened her mouth to apologize when footsteps approached the bathroom door. Panic filled her eyes as she searched for a way to escape, momentarily forgetting about the man.
The man looked at her with amusement, a faint smirk forming on his lips.
He had heard the bedroom door open and was about to check when this beautiful woman suddenly barged into his bathroom.
Seeing the panic on her face, his smirk deepened. He could immediately tell she was running from someone.
He leaned closer.
Before she could even react—
He captured her lips just as the guard pushed the door open.
Lin Yuxi had intended to push him away, but when she heard the door open, she froze.
The guard paused at the sight before him. From where he stood, he could mostly see the man's back.
Assuming he had interrupted something private, the guard bowed slightly in apology and quickly left the room.
Only then did Lin Yuxi realize she was still being kissed.
Her eyes widened as she immediately shoved the man away, breaking the kiss.
The man chuckled softly.
Lin Yuxi glared at him. Now that she could see him clearly, she noticed he was quite handsome—thin lips, a straight nose, and dark eyes. His body was lean yet muscular, and his jet-black hair was still damp from his shower.
But she had no interest in admiring him.
Right now, she was furious.
"What's your problem? Who do you think you are? How can you just take advantage of me like that?" she demanded, clenching her fists.
The man smirked and stepped closer again, invading her space.
"Shouldn't you be thanking me?" he said in a low, deep voice. "I did save your life, didn't I?"
"I didn't ask you to. I could have handled it myself."
"And how exactly were you planning to do that?"
He pinned her against the wall again.
"I—I…" Lin Yuxi tried to think of an answer.
The man raised a brow.
"You've got nothing?" he asked, his fingers idly playing with a strand of her hair.
Lin Yuxi couldn't respond. She truly had no idea what she would have done.
"Look, I'm sorry for barging in here," she said firmly. "But that doesn't mean you should have done what you did."
"Hm…" he hummed thoughtfully.
His finger moved to her chin, tilting her face upward slightly. His gaze lingered briefly on her lips before returning to her eyes.
"What's your name?" he asked, leaning closer.
"Why should I tell you?" she replied.
Noticing how close he was getting, she tried to push him away again, but he was faster. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her tightly against him.
"W-what are you doing?" she asked with wide eyes.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he replied.
His face was only inches from hers, his minty breath brushing her skin as his hand slid to her hip.
Lin Yuxi's eyes darted around anxiously.
'How am I supposed to escape now?'
The man watched her expression with amusement.
"Relax," he said. "I won't harm you."
Lin Yuxi looked at him in confusion.
He held her like that for a moment before finally letting her go and stepping back, still wearing that infuriating smirk.
Lin Yuxi quickly straightened her dress.
"T-thank you," she said stiffly.
Before he could change his mind, she hurried out of the bathroom.
The moment the door closed behind her, the man's smirk darkened.
"Found you," he muttered.
---
Lin Yuxi left the bedroom and hurried down the hallway.
Suddenly she bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly without looking up before rushing away.
The man she had bumped into—Zhao Haoyu—watched her retreating figure with a puzzled expression.
He had recognized her.
But…
'Why was she coming out of Mr. Qin's room?'
He walked toward the room and entered.
The room was still dark.
At that moment, Qin Haoxuan stepped out of the bathroom, now fully dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.
But something was strange.
His boss was… smirking?
Zhao Haoyu blinked, thinking the darkness had tricked his eyes.
He turned on the lights.
No.
His cold and emotionless boss was actually smiling.
"Mr. Qin?" he called cautiously.
Qin Haoxuan glanced at him before walking toward the bed where his belongings were placed.
"Find out everything about the woman who just walked out," he said calmly while adjusting his cufflinks.
"The woman?" Zhao Haoyu repeated in surprise.
His boss rarely showed interest in women. Now he was suddenly asking about one?
"Yes. Starting with her name."
Qin Haoxuan checked his phone and saw several missed calls from his grandfather. Without any reaction, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and headed for the door.
"Her name is Lin Yuxi," Zhao Haoyu said.
Qin Haoxuan stopped walking.
He slowly turned.
"How do you know her?" he asked coldly.
"I met her earlier today at Young Master Jiayao's school. She's Chaoxing's mother," Zhao Haoyu replied calmly, hinting at her being a mother.
'Even if Mr. Qin liked that woman, the Qin family would never accept another man's child.'
Qin Haoxuan's eyes narrowed.
"Chaoxing?" he remembered his nephew mentioning the name while pointing at them.
"She's Young Master's friend." Zhao Haoyu replied.
"How old is she?"
"Around the same age as the Young Master. Probably five."
Qin Haoxuan's smirk slowly returned.
"Five is just perfect," he murmured before leaving the room.
Zhao Haoyu's eyes widened.
'What on earth has gotten into my boss?'
He quickly followed after him.
---
Lin Yuxi hurried out of the hotel, glancing around cautiously to make sure none of Zhou Hongyi's guards were nearby. Once she was certain she wasn't being followed, she quickly hailed a taxi and headed home.
When she arrived, Lin Yuxi quietly opened the apartment door and peeked inside.
Mo Lixue was fast asleep on the couch, while Lin Chaoxing's bedroom door was closed.
Relieved, Lin Yuxi slipped off her heels and tiptoed inside, trying not to make a sound.
Just as she was about to sneak past the living room—
"Mom?"
Lin Yuxi froze.
She slowly turned around to see Lin Chaoxing looking at her with a raised brow, clearly suspicious.
The little girl had caught her.
Lin Yuxi had originally planned to quickly change out of her dress before either her daughter or her friend saw her like this, but now that plan had completely failed.
"Sweetie, why are you still awake?" Lin Yuxi asked gently, forcing a soft smile as she walked toward her daughter.
"Nothing," Lin Chaoxing replied calmly. "Where are you coming from?"
Lin Yuxi had expected this. Her daughter was interrogating her again—like a husband who had just caught his wife sneaking home late.
Suppressing a sigh, Lin Yuxi crouched down to her daughter's height and gently stroked her hair.
"Were you waiting up for me?" she asked, skillfully avoiding the question.
Lin Chaoxing noticed the obvious attempt to dodge her question but didn't call her out.
"No," she said firmly. "I was just about to go to bed."
Lin Yuxi smiled slightly.
She knew her daughter was lying. Lin Chaoxing had always been like this—pretending she didn't care when she actually did.
"Alright," Lin Yuxi said softly. "Do you want me to tuck you in?"
"I'm not a kid," Lin Chaoxing replied coldly.
She swatted her mother's hand away and began walking toward her bedroom.
But just as she reached the door, she paused.
Lin Yuxi raised a brow curiously.
"Mom," Lin Chaoxing called, glancing over her shoulder.
"Yes, dear?" Lin Yuxi replied, wondering what her daughter wanted to say.
"You look beautiful."
With that, Lin Chaoxing entered her room and shut the door.
Lin Yuxi blinked in surprise.
Then she smiled.
Her daughter rarely gave compliments. In fact, this was probably the first time she had received such a direct one.
Lin Yuxi stood up, still smiling, and went to her room. After freshening up and changing into comfortable clothes, she grabbed a blanket from her closet and returned to the living room.
Mo Lixue was still sleeping soundly on the couch.
Lin Yuxi placed the blanket on the table, gently helped her friend remove her shoes, and then covered her with it.
She couldn't help smiling at the strange sleeping position Mo Lixue had somehow twisted herself into.
Just then, a phone rang from the table.
It was Mo Lixue's phone.
Her brother was calling.
Lin Yuxi picked it up and answered.
"Hello?"
"Yeah, it's me," she said after hearing the voice on the other end. "She's sleeping at my place tonight. I'll tell her you called. Mm. Bye."
She ended the call and placed the phone back on the table.
After that, she walked into the kitchen to find something to eat.
She hadn't eaten lunch today. Earlier she had lied about being hungry, but after Zhou Hongyi invited her to dinner, she had completely lost her appetite.
Lin Yuxi opened the fridge.
Inside was a bowl of ice cream with a small tag stuck to it.
FOR MISS LIN.
MISS MO, KEEP OFF.
Lin Yuxi smiled as she recognized the slightly messy handwriting.
It was Chaoxing's.
Her daughter had left the ice cream for her.
Lin Yuxi grabbed a spoon and sat at the dining table to eat.
As she slowly ate the ice cream, the events of the night replayed in her mind—from the private bar with Zhou Hongyi and Mei Zhenhua… to the bathroom encounter with that strange man.
Then the kiss flashed through her mind.
Her fingers unconsciously moved to her lips.
Suddenly, a blurry memory surfaced.
A fragment of that night five years ago.
Lin Yuxi immediately shook her head, forcing the thought away.
"What am I thinking?" she muttered under her breath before continuing to eat the ice cream.
That night five years ago had always been a blur to her. She had almost completely forgotten it.
So why had that memory suddenly appeared now?