He wanted your heart to stir, yet wanted you to hold back

The car sped through Harbor City's night. Xun Yuan had no destination in mind; she was simply upset. One thing was certain: she was fine.

She turned the steering wheel and drove toward the outskirts.

At three in the morning, Xun Yuan parked outside her maternal grandparents' house.

The night was quiet, all the more so in the outskirts.

Her grandparents were surely asleep at this hour. Though she had come on impulse, Xun Yuan did not want to go back. She would lie down in the car for a while and go inside at daybreak.

She had not meant to fall asleep, only to rest her eyes. But as time passed, perhaps because the drive had given her emotions an outlet and settled them, Xun Yuan actually drifted off for several hours.

At eight in the morning, Xun Yuan woke in the car. She rubbed her aching neck, tidied her hair, then got out.

When she went through the gate, she saw her grandfather watering the flowers. She walked over and called, "Grandpa."

Old Master Yuan turned around. Seeing Xun Yuan, he was surprised, but even more delighted.

"What brings you here so early?"

"Have you had breakfast?"

As he spoke, her grandfather set down his watering can, ready to go inside with Xun Yuan.

Xun Yuan answered with a grin, "I hadn't seen you and Grandma in ages, so I climbed out of bed and drove straight over."

She went over and took his arm. "Grandpa, when did you get these new varieties? I didn't see them last time."

"They were delivered a couple of days ago. They haven't bloomed yet, but they will if you come back in a little while."

Xun Yuan readily agreed, coaxing the old man into a good mood. "All right. If I don't come, remember to call and tell me to come see them."

"I'm just afraid you'll be too busy to visit this little courtyard of mine."

Old Master Yuan sounded almost petulant; he was complaining that Xun Yuan did not visit enough.

"Whenever you call, Grandpa, I'll have time."

Xun Yuan smiled as she helped her grandfather inside. Not seeing her grandmother, she asked:

"Where's Grandma?"

"Your grandmother's in the backyard."

Xun Yuan went to the backyard to find her grandmother and chatted and laughed with the two elderly people. At noon, she cooked with her grandmother in the kitchen. Her grandmother did the cooking; Xun Yuan knew only a little of the culinary arts.

After lunch, the cultural artifacts in Xun Yuan's studio were still sitting there waiting, so she had to hurry back to work.

Xun Yuan felt she was fairly dedicated to her work. She worked until nine that evening, when the piece she was working on finally began to resemble its original form. Her lips curved into a smile.

It was already nine thirty when she left the office. Yun Tang called to ask whether she wanted to go out and have fun.

Xun Yuan said, "No. Catching up on sleep."

Between fun and her life, she chose her life.

Inside the club, the enormous private room was filled with the same people from the second-generation rich circle.

"Is Xunxun coming?"

Seeing Xun Yuan's reply, Yun Tang pressed a hand to her forehead and turned to answer Jiang Yulin beside her.

"She's not coming. Says she needs to catch up on sleep."

There was a questioning note in her voice. "What did Xunxun get up to last night that she needs to catch up on sleep?"

As she spoke, Yun Tang's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the crown prince nearby. Zuo Tingyue sat on the leather sofa, his expression languid and tired, as indolent as ever. Under the lights, that face was enough to make people scream.

"Don't look at Tingyue. She wasn't with him."

Noticing where Yun Tang's eyes had darted, Jiang Yulin spoke up to interrupt the jumble of thoughts in her head.

"He was in his room watching the stock market all night, right up until six this morning."

"Oh," Yun Tang said with a smile. "I didn't say anything."

Jiang Yulin had nothing to say. Sure, you didn't say it. You just had it all written on your face.

As if anyone couldn't read it.

Zuo Tingyue knew nothing of the little thoughts passing between them. More than that, he did not care.

He was run off his feet every day. Who had time to concern himself with their thoughts all day long? Relaxation was what truly mattered.

With Xun Yuan absent, Yun Tang found it utterly boring. She really did need Xunxun's company. She said goodbye to Jiang Yulin and was the first to leave.

Stepping out of the private room, Yun Tang saw Special Assistant Lin. Like piled jade, like rows of emerald pines-those were the words that surfaced in Yun Tang's mind at the sight of Lin Sheng. He had been born with fine looks.

The man in a suit and polished shoes emerged from the shadows of the corridor, tall and slender, his features elegant. Yun Tang unconsciously narrowed her eyes, struck by his looks.

"Special Assistant Lin," Yun Tang called.

Lin Sheng stopped a short distance from Yun Tang.

"Miss Yun."

He's quite tall.

As Yun Tang thought this, Lin Sheng stood before her, blocking the light pouring down from overhead.

The next day, Xun Yuan continued restoring cultural artifacts in her studio.

Doing this allowed her to quiet her mind and concentrate, without her thoughts wandering.

Special Assistant Lin knocked at the door.

Xun Yuan looked up and saw Lin Sheng. Surprised, she went over to open the door for him.

"Miss Xun Yuan, the boss asked me to pick you up and take you to Shen City with him."

Special Assistant Lin explained why he had come.

Xun Yuan paused, then asked, "Now?"

Special Assistant Lin nodded. "Now."

"Where's your boss?"

"The boss is waiting for you at the airport. The plane will take off once you arrive."

Xun Yuan nodded. Without further hesitation, she picked up her clutch and went to the airport with Lin Sheng.

Neither Lin Sheng nor Xun Yuan spoke along the way. She was wondering why Zuo Tingyue wanted to take her to Shen City.

After boarding, Xun Yuan took in the interior: leather sofas paired with a solid wood coffee table, a comfortable, homey feel. The wealthy young master really knew how to enjoy himself, choosing whatever was most comfortable. One glance was enough to tell it had been built with piles of money, the private kind.

Zuo Tingyue sat on the sofa, a laptop on the coffee table. He wore a black shirt today. Xun Yuan's gaze shifted slightly. The deep color suited his presence perfectly, an understated air of wealth, both ascetic and steeped in desire, enough to catch anyone's eye.

Xun Yuan concealed all her emotions and walked over without betraying anything. She sat on the sofa beside him, very close, the hem of her qipao brushing his expensive suit trousers in an ambiguous entanglement.

Unable to work it out, she asked directly.

"Why are you taking me to Shen City?"

Zuo Tingyue turned his head and looked at her, a hint of a smile appearing in his deep-set eyes.

"Weren't you blaming me for not taking you to Southeast Asia last time?"

His low voice, threaded with a faint smile, reached Xun Yuan's ears.

The implication was that he was taking her along this time.

Xun Yuan was momentarily dazed. It really was hard not to fall for Zuo Tingyue like this, holding you in the palm of his hand, remembering what you said. He was so good at charming women.

"What are you going to Shen City for?"

Xun Yuan wanted to know.

"Work."

Zuo Tingyue's voice was very mild, his gaze on the laptop screen.

"Won't bringing me along affect your work?"

Xun Yuan's voice was light, without much inflection, as though it were simply a question.

Zuo Tingyue's lips curved slightly. His smile was seductive and rakish, a shimmering flirtatiousness rising in his eyes.

"Without you, it's work. With you, it's a pleasure trip."

Every word was low and magnetic. Together with the haziness in his eyes, it seemed like deep, enduring affection. His amorousness was wrapped in an alluring exterior, designed specifically to numb a woman's will.

Sometimes Xun Yuan wondered: just who was bewitching whom?

He was plainly flirting with her.

Flirtatious and full of desire.

He always left her heart itching, then took no responsibility after flirting with her, tossing her to the back of his mind the moment he turned away.

He wanted your heart to stir, yet wanted you to hold back.

What exactly did he want her to do?

No wonder people always said the trial of love was hard to pass.

Her heart stirred, she was on the verge of falling, yet she feared sinking into it.

Better to enter the Buddhist fold and be done with it, cleanly and decisively.