Did that count as an indirect kiss?

Luo Lianqing met Wen Ce's intent gaze and suddenly felt her face grow hot. She couldn't get the rest of her words out.

Yet Wen Ce seemed unwilling to let her off the hook, still watching her and patiently waiting for an answer.

Just then, a knock came from across the hall, and Luo Lianqing's phone rang at the same time.

She let out a sudden breath of relief, only then realizing she had forgotten to breathe.

Wen Ce looked away, a little disappointed, then picked up the glass on the table and took a sip. "Answer your phone. Someone's knocking, too. Is that your friend?"

Luo Lianqing watched him take a sip, too late to stop him, and said quietly, "That glass is mine..."

Did that count as an indirect kiss?

Wen Ce's hand paused. He set down the glass, a little embarrassed. "Sorry."

He felt his ears burning. They must be red, right?

Fortunately, Luo Lianqing's phone was still ringing. Wen Ce didn't dare look at her.

He was only aware of her rising from the sofa, answering the call, and heading toward the balcony. "Hello, Miaomiao..."

Wen Ce abruptly reached up to touch his burning ears, his gaze falling on the glass he had just put down. Was that a kiss?

Soon, Luo Lianqing came back from the balcony. "Sorry, my friend's here."

Wen Ce drew his gaze back and stood up. "It's fine. Go ahead."

Luo Lianqing hesitated. "We probably can't have lunch together."

She looked a little disappointed, but Wen Ce actually felt relieved.

Otherwise, if they kept staying together, he was afraid he would embarrass himself.

"It's fine. We can eat together another time."

Luo Lianqing nodded, went over to the sofa, and picked up the cat teaser. "Then I'll head back?"

Wen Ce walked her to the door and saw that the girl from last time was indeed standing across the hall.

The girl waved at him. "Hi."

Wen Ce nodded at her without much expression. "Hello."

"I'm heading back," Luo Lianqing said softly.

Wen Ce lowered his gaze to her, his eyes softening. "Go ahead."

Standing on the other side, Miaomiao saw it all clearly. This guy isn't quite how Luoluo described him...

He definitely has a thing for our Luoluo!

She knew it. Luoluo was so perfect; how could anyone not like her?

Wen Ce watched Luo Lianqing open the door and go inside with the girl.

Before closing the door, she even gave Wen Ce an adorable little wave.

Wen Ce waited until her door closed before closing his own.

The moment the door shut, Luo Lianqing heard Miaomiao declare confidently, "That guy definitely likes you!"

"Huh? How can you tell?" Luo Lianqing tightened her grip on the cat teaser and stared at Miaomiao with wide eyes. "You just said hi to each other. How can you tell?"

"With my eyes~" Miaomiao headed toward the living room as she spoke. "Egg Yolk, where's my little Egg Yolk~?"

Luo Lianqing followed anxiously behind her. "Forget Egg Yolk. Are you serious?"

Her voice sounded a little urgent.

Miaomiao sat on the sofa and watched her eyes sparkle, feeling a little sour. "He's only so-so. You like him that much?"

"He's not so-so!" Luo Lianqing protested. "He's really gentle, he's a good person, and he's pretty tall and handsome, too."

Miaomiao clicked her tongue. "I reckon you'd definitely be a love-brain if you got into a relationship."

Luo Lianqing frowned, hurried over to sit beside her, and hugged her arm, shaking it a few times as though wheedling. "Stop saying that. How could you tell~?"

"Damn, what guy could resist you like this?" Watching her wheedle, Miaomiao offered a sincere suggestion. "Do that to your neighbor, and you'll have him in the palm of your hand."

Luo Lianqing imagined herself acting that way with Wen Ce, and her face instantly turned red.

Seeing this, Miaomiao thought, ...It's over. Didn't she say last night that she only liked him a little? This doesn't look like just a little.

"Just tell me already..." Luo Lianqing said quietly. "I did what you said and had a bit more physical contact with him today. He didn't seem to mind..."

She then began earnestly recounting everything that had happened, from breakfast that morning to their supermarket trip just now and after they came back.

Her final conclusion was, "Wen Ce is really gentle."

As one of Luo Lianqing's few friends, Miaomiao had plenty of relationship experience. After hearing her friend out, she felt as though she had been force-fed a huge mouthful of dog food.

At the same time, she said with certainty, "You two have a chance. Seriously, I could tell from the way he looked at you just now. He was expressionless when he looked at me, but when he looked at you, oh, those gentle eyes..."

"Really?" Luo Lianqing was a little happy. "Then should I try pursuing him?"

Meanwhile, Wen Ce felt like a pervert. Sitting where Luo Lianqing had just sat, he stared at the glass of water she had drunk from and actually wanted another sip.

Fuck, I even seriously sat here thinking about it for five minutes!

In the end, he picked up the glass and went into the kitchen.

The ingredients were still on the counter. He had planned to cook lunch.

Now that Luo Lianqing wasn't coming over for lunch, Wen Ce stuffed everything into the fridge and sighed at the sight of it full of ingredients.

Just as he was considering what to do that afternoon, his phone rang.

Wen Ce went over and picked it up. It was actually a call from Uncle Chou.

A call from Uncle Chou meant the problem was serious.

Wen Ce answered quickly. "Hello?"

"The car will be at your complex entrance in three minutes. You can head out and wait now. There's been an intrusion."

Uncle Chou's voice was brisk and grave.

Wen Ce stood up at once. "Okay, I'm coming down now."

He went to the shoe cabinet, changed his shoes, and headed out with his phone.

He also knew that there was no telling how long his meal with Luo Lianqing would have to be postponed.

Wen Ce sighed inwardly.

But he didn't stop moving. When he ran to the complex entrance, he saw a black Honda just pulling up. The window slid down, revealing Zhao Li's face. "Get in."

Wen Ce got into the passenger seat, and the car pulled away before he could fasten his seat belt.

"What happened?" Wen Ce asked in a low voice.

Zhao Li said, "I don't know the details. Our database was suddenly breached just now. Uncle Chou and the others are dealing with it."

"Which section was breached?" Wen Ce frowned. Their database wasn't something that could be cracked in one go. If the other party had prepared in advance, they couldn't possibly have left no traces.

"The bioengineering section we handed over to the Special Management Department last time. You weren't in charge when that section was entered into the database."

In other words, the responsibility didn't fall on Wen Ce.

Wen Ce lightly tapped his fingers against his knee. "Looks like you didn't catch everyone."

There was obviously a mole.

Zhao Li swore. "That's not our problem, either. Didn't the Special Management Department take it away?"

"Did they catch that fish, then?" Wen Ce asked.

"No. We weren't responsible for it, and Uncle Chou wouldn't let us ask anymore. They only came to us because this problem suddenly cropped up. Otherwise, they wouldn't have contacted us." Zhao Li sounded exasperated. "Useless at everything, first in line to snatch the credit..."

Just then, Wen Ce's phone vibrated. He took it out and glanced at it. It was a message from Luo Lianqing: [Shall we have dinner together tonight?]