At the Rose Hotel lobby, the farce came to an end with Dai Mubai's humiliating escape.
The front desk manager nervously handed over the room key, afraid the white-clad young man—who had just scared Young Master Dai to his knees without even lifting a finger—might have some complaint.
"Y-Young Master Su, here's your room key. The top floor, the Red Ocean Suite."
Su Yun took the key and turned around, his gaze sweeping across the lobby to the stubborn black-clad figure at the entrance.
The rain was still falling outside. Zhu Zhuqing was soaked through, her leather outfit clinging tightly to her body and outlining a breathtaking figure, but her slender silhouette looked especially lonely in the wind and rain.
She hadn't left.
Or rather, in this city where she had no one to turn to and her fiancé had utterly disappointed her, she had nowhere to go.
"Brother Su Yun, that big sister looks so pitiful."
Xiao Wu tugged at Su Yun's sleeve. She might have been jealous by nature, but as a hundred-thousand-year-old Rogue Rabbit, she had an instinctive sense of right and wrong.
She could feel that the young woman at the entrance radiated a deathly stillness, the kind born of utter despair.
Besides, that blond tiger of a man had been so disgusting. The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Su Yun gave Xiao Wu an approving look, then headed for the entrance.
"Miss Zhu."
Su Yun stopped three paces away from Zhu Zhuqing, keeping a distance that was neither intrusive nor unsettling.
"If you don't mind, come inside and rest for a while."
"You probably don't feel like looking for another hotel right now, and besides..."
His gaze fell on her left leg. Her black pants concealed it, but the barely perceptible stumble she'd made when turning around hadn't escaped his notice.
"You've traveled a long way, and you're injured. If you don't treat it soon, it might leave lasting damage. How will you trample the person who drove you to this point underfoot otherwise?"
Zhu Zhuqing jerked her head up. A flicker of surprise crossed her cold eyes.
He noticed?
Dai Mubai had been standing right next to me, yet he didn't realize I was hurt.
But this man, whom I'd only met once, noticed?
"I..."
Zhu Zhuqing had just started to refuse when the Diary Copy in her arms grew faintly warm, as if reminding her of something.
Trust?
She looked into Su Yun's clear (or so he pretended) and sincere eyes, then nodded as if in a trance.
"...Sorry for the trouble."
Third floor, Red Ocean Suite.
When the door opened, all three of them wore rather peculiar expressions.
It truly lived up to its reputation as a romantic suite.
A vast expanse of suggestive pink met their eyes. Blush-inducing paintings hung on the walls, and in the middle of the living room stood an enormous heart-shaped waterbed covered in rose petals.
A heady, aphrodisiac incense filled the air, and even the lighting was a dusky, warm yellow.
"Whoa!"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. She curiously poked at the waterbed.
"Brother Su Yun, this bed is so soft! It's like jelly!"
Zhu Zhuqing's pale face instantly flushed crimson. She stood in the doorway, unsure whether to go in or turn back.
So this was Dai Mubai's favorite room?
As expected... totally indecent!
She couldn't help looking at Su Yun strangely, too.
Su Yun cleared his throat and smoothly dispelled the awkwardness without changing expression.
"Ahem, don't worry about the details. This is the best hotel in the city, and only a room like this has the best security and soundproofing."
"Xiao Wu, open the window and air the place out. The smell's too strong."
"Miss Zhu, make yourself comfortable."
With that, Su Yun sat down on a nearby sofa and, with perfect composure, took out his diary.
At a time like this, he had to use words to consolidate his gains—and soothe the startled little wildcat.
[Date: X/X/X, night, heavy rain.]
[I checked into the Red Ocean Suite without a hitch. The room's indecent, but the people in it are respectable.]
[Seeing Zhu Zhuqing drenched like this really makes my heart ache.]
[She looks aloof on the outside, like a hedgehog, but deep down she feels less secure than anyone.]
[She grew up in that kind of family, was hunted by her own elder sister, and pinned her only hope on her fiancé—only to find he was a spineless coward who knew nothing but how to run away.]
[Anyone would have fallen apart in her shoes.]
[And judging by the way she walked earlier, her left leg must be injured. She probably got hurt evading the Hell Spirit Cat Clan's pursuit.]
[What a waste on that blind fool, Dai Mubai.]
[Such a wonderful girl, such... Ahem, such wonderful legs, and he doesn't know how to cherish her.]
[If it were me, I'd hold her in the palm of my hand, terrified she'd melt.]
[Anyway, I'm a respectable person. I just want to help her apply some medicine. After all, I have the system's divine-grade wound medicine, the kind that doesn't leave scars.]
[Besides, a girl's legs would be a terrible waste if they were left scarred.]
On the other side of the room.
Zhu Zhuqing sat in a chair, clutching the Diary Copy tightly in her hands.
As she read the words appearing on it, a warm current seemed to flow into her once-cold heart.
"Less secure..."
"Hunted by her own elder sister..."
"Doesn't know how to cherish her..."
Every sentence struck the softest, most wounded part of her heart with pinpoint accuracy.
So there really was someone in this world who understood her suffering, who understood her pain.
He had even kept her injured leg in mind.
"I'm a respectable person..."
At that, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help glancing at Su Yun, who sat on the sofa with an earnest expression (though he was actually sneaking looks at her). The faintest curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Would a respectable person write, "such wonderful legs"?
Still...
She didn't dislike it.
It was even ten thousand times more appealing than Dai Mubai's hypocritical "devotion."
"Miss Zhu?"
Su Yun closed the diary. A delicate porcelain bottle appeared in his hand: the Muscle-Regenerating Jade Bone Paste he had received as a sign-in reward.
"I noticed you weren't walking very easily. Is your leg injured?"
"This is a secret medicine. It works wonders on cuts from blades and swords, as well as injuries caused by Soul Skills. It also removes scars and lightens the skin."
"Would you like me to take a look?"
Xiao Wu came over, too, blinking her big eyes.
"Are you hurt, big sister? Let Brother Su Yun take a look. He can be a little naughty sometimes, but he's great at medicine!"
(Su Yun: When did I learn medicine? The system gave me the ointment!)
Looking at their concerned faces, Zhu Zhuqing finally let down her guard.
"Th-thank you."
Her head bowed, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
Under the suggestive lights, beside the enormous heart-shaped bed, the Hell Spirit Cat, famous for her coldness, slowly extended her left leg.
Her tight black leather pants were undeniably alluring, but now they were an obstacle.
The wound was on the outside of her thigh.
Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip, her cheeks rosy as the clouds. With trembling fingers, she slowly rolled up her pant leg.
As the black fabric slid upward, a stretch of skin as pale as jade came into view, marred by a shocking wound.
The gash was deep. Torn flesh curled at its edges, and blood still seeped from it, a stark contrast against the fine, smooth skin around it.
"Yikes..."
Su Yun sucked in a sharp breath.
Not because her leg looked too good (though it certainly did), but because of the wound.
"Your injury's this bad, and you still managed to run all the way here—and stand at the entrance for so long?"
Su Yun frowned. There was less teasing in his voice now, and more concern and heartache.
"You little fool, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled.
That reproachful concern made her nose sting, and her eyes reddened in an instant.
Dai Mubai only ever blamed her for being cold and unromantic.
Her elder sister only wanted to kill her.
No one had ever gotten angry at her for neglecting her own health.
Su Yun said no more. He lowered himself onto one knee and gently cleaned the blood around the wound with warm water.
"Bear with it. It might hurt a little."
His fingertips touched her cool, smooth skin. Su Yun's thoughts stirred, but he quickly forced them back down.
He was a lecher, but he had his limits.
Taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable moment wasn't his way.
He wanted both her heart and her body to surrender!
The ointment spread over the wound, bringing a cool sensation that made the pain vanish at once.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at the young man carefully tending to her wound, at his profile so close to hers. The ruins in her heart, the place once called "Dai Mubai," collapsed completely.
In their place, a new seed had quietly begun to sprout.
"Su Yun..."
She suddenly spoke, her voice a little hoarse.
"Hmm?" Su Yun didn't look up. "What is it? Does it hurt?"
"No."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head and looked at him with determination.
"I'm not going to Shrek Academy."
"You said you were going to reform the workplace?"
"Count me in."
"I want to see what the future you talk about is really like."
Su Yun's hands paused. Then he looked up, a familiar mischievous grin appearing on his face.
"Sure."
"But once you're aboard my pirate ship, there's no getting off."
"Especially..."
Su Yun glanced meaningfully at her long leg, its pant leg rolled up.
"Refunds come with interest."
Zhu Zhuqing blushed, but she didn't pull her leg back. Instead, she quietly said:
"Do as you like."
Before you continue