The night was dense, and the willow branches were laden with starlight and moon shadows.
Li Qiao, with one hand in her pocket, pushed open the double doors of the laboratory building, and a faint cool breeze wafted through the night air.
She walked step by step down the stairs, gazing toward the business car ahead.
Under the neon lights, the automatic door of the business car slowly opened, and within the dimly lit cabin, Shang Yu leaned against the seat with a slight lift of his thin lips, looking at her through the twilight.
Li Qiao strolled unhurriedly, her eyelids slightly drooped, concealing the joyful smile beneath.
As she approached, the man stepped out with long legs and leaned down from the car, his tall figure standing under the shade of the trees, his features deep and his demeanor noble and extraordinary.
At this moment, Li Qiao, with a restrained smile, came to Shang Yu, looked up at him, her doe eyes filled with reflections of neon lights.
But before she could speak, the man had already leaned in slightly and embraced her, patting her back soothingly, "Finished with your work?"
His magnetic voice fell from above her head, and Li Qiao nodded gently within his embrace, "Why are you here? Don’t you usually come back on weekends?"
She thought she would have to wait a couple more days to see him.
"You don’t wish for me to return earlier?" Shang Yu supported her arms, pulling back to create some space between them, a playful curve on his thin lips.
Li Qiao glanced at him and murmured, "I wish you had never left."
A day apart felt like an eternity.
How many eternities had they spent in the five days they hadn’t seen each other?
Shang Yu’s inscrutable gaze fixed upon Li Qiao, who had grown thinner and more haggard in just a few days.
Beneath the dim streetlights, the young girl’s eyes were tinged with redness, bloodshot, clearly lacking her usual vibrancy.
The man felt a twinge of heartache and cradled the back of her head in his embrace, rubbing it gently before pulling back to look at her again, moved by a sudden impulse, he lowered his handsome face to kiss her lips lightly and asked softly, "Tired?"
Li Qiao, compelled to tilt her head back, felt the cool touch on her lips, her heart rate accelerating as she cleared her throat, "A little."
"Let’s go, head home and sleep," Shang Yu said, wrapping her in his side and leading her onto the car.
Perhaps it was the fatigue from a day’s worth of experiments or sheer drowsiness, but Li Qiao completely forgot the household rule set by Mr. and Mrs. Li against staying out overnight.
Once in the car, she nestled against the man’s neck, her fingers firmly grasped in his, and in the quiet and cozy atmosphere, she fell asleep soon after.
The business car entered the main road and sped toward the South Sea Mansion.
During the journey, Liuyun kept his gaze straight ahead, but the silence must have been too much, as he couldn’t resist glancing at the rear-view mirror.
There he saw their family’s formidable Yan Emperor, with his left arm around Miss Li and his right hand caressing her cheek, occasionally lowering his head to kiss her.
Forehead, nose tip, corner of the eye, cheek – any exposed area was kissed, and no part of her was left untouched.
At that moment, Liuyun suddenly felt their boss was quite the beast.
The girl was asleep, what was he doing?!
Then, a car suddenly changed lanes and cut in front of them, causing Liuyun, who was holding the steering wheel, to jolt his hand, and a stern warning came from the back seat, "Keep your eyes on the road, and drive properly."
Liuyun immediately straightened his chest and lowered his voice, "Yes, Boss."
Forty minutes later, the car arrived at the South Sea Mansion.
Li Qiao seemed to be sleeping soundly in Shang Yu’s arms, the usually vigilant girl appearing to have let down all her defenses.
Liuyun pressed the switch to open the automatic door, stepping out first.
A few seconds later, Shang Yu carried Li Qiao out from the car.
The man’s broad arms effortlessly lifted the girl horizontally, and he walked steadily into the mansion.
From the outdoors to inside, the lights suddenly came on.
Shang Yu, standing at the entrance of the hall, slowed his pace and looked down at Li Qiao, whose eyelashes were trembling in his arms, his rich voice tinged with laughter, "How much longer do you want to pretend to be asleep?"