The following evening, while I was still trying to piece my soul back together, Xiao Xiao, my best friend in the world, called to vent about her younger boyfriend.

“You have no idea how utterly childish he is! I literally just had a business dinner with a client, and he threw a full-blown tantrum like it was the end of the world. I’m drowning in overtime here! Where am I supposed to find the energy to baby him?”

It was her standard rant, which naturally ended with her usual refrain: “You’re so lucky to have CEO Qin. Proof that older men are just superior, so reliable!”

I almost burst out laughing. Hearing that cue meant her meltdown was officially over and her battery was nearly recharged. Sure enough, less than a minute later, her tone did a complete 180 into full gossip mode: “Wait, I’m still curious though. Weren’t you obsessed with younger guys too? Who was the one who swore ‘Men over twenty-five are basically sixty’?”

“…That was me.”

“Right! So why the sudden U-turn? Don’t tell me… does CEO Qin have some kind of secret talent in bed?”

My heart slammed against my ribs, and I instinctively shot a side-eye across the room. Qin Yu was leaning back against the upholstered headboard, gold-rimmed glasses resting on his nose, dark lashes cast downward as he read. It was the most ordinary posture, yet he exuded the quiet, dangerous authority of a man at the top of his game.

Heat flushed up my neck. In hindsight, my old prejudice against older men was probably just misplaced confidence in my own taste.

When he didn’t react, relief mingled with a strange tinge of disappointment. I muttered defensively into the receiver, “Well… it depends.”

Xiao Xiao grew impatient. “What do you mean it depends? Either it’s great or it’s not. Don’t tell me performance varies like the weather?”

“Figure it out yourself!” I hung up abruptly, slapping my burning cheeks, they were hot enough to fry an egg.

Turning back, my eyes locked right into Qin Yu’s. His crisp dress shirt was partially unbuttoned, exposing a firm chest marked by the faint bite trace I had left the night before. It would have looked completely innocent, if we weren’t in our bedroom.

I ducked my head, flustered. “Did I interrupt your reading? Sorry.”

“No,” he murmured softly. “I just can’t seem to focus.”

He reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. The light brush of his fingertips sent a sharp shiver straight down my spine. “Your ears are turning red.”

“Someone’s probably talking crap about me,” I mumbled.

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze melting into a warmth that felt dangerously misleading. “Or maybe someone’s missing you. Take a look at me and see.”

Unable to take the intensity of his stare, I flicked off the nightstand lamp and burrowed under the duvet like a bashful turtle. A while later, sensing he was asleep, I stealthily shuffled over, settling into my usual spot against his chest. Everything was going smoothly, until, right as my eyes heavy-lidded shut, I realized something was terribly off.

The hand I had let wander was suddenly caught in a much larger, warm palm.

“Can’t sleep?” His voice was low and thick with sleep.

I couldn’t make out his expression in the pitch dark, but I felt feather-light kisses falling on my wrist, slow, deliberate, and undeniably possessive. “May I?”

I didn’t dare say a word, nodding frantically in the dark. A gentle kiss immediately landed on my cheek as a reward. “Good girl.”

When I woke up the next day, or rather, at three in the afternoon. I lay flat on the bed, my entire body feeling as if it had been flattened by a semi-truck. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but Qin Yu had been ridiculously motivated last night, almost as if he were making a point to prove just how formidable an older man could be.

Inspecting the marks on my skin that not even the heaviest concealer could mask, I let out a bitter laugh. Wearing a turtleneck in the dead of summer… what a steep price to pay for a slip of the tongue!

Once I was dressed and ready, I slipped on my shoes and called out toward the kitchen, “Auntie Zhang, I won’t be home for dinner tonight!”

Before I could clear the doorway, a hand clamped onto my wrist. The tug wasn’t rough, but it had enough leverage to spin me around in classic romance novel fashion.

Only then did I realize Qin Yu hadn’t left for work today. His usual silk robe was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a sleeveless fitted hoodie. Fresh from a workout, the veins along his forearms were subtly pronounced, radiating heat like a furnace. His naturally wavy hair fell loosely over his forehead, making him look easily a few years younger.

“Why the turtleneck? Isn’t it too hot?” He spoke while offhandedly tugging down my collar, his motion suspiciously natural. The warmth of his fingers brushed against the sensitive dip of my throat, making me recoil by instinct.

Qin Yu acted completely oblivious, his tone utterly casual: “Look how flushed you are from the heat.”

I glared at him. The culprit standing right in front of me, playing innocent, give this man an Oscar! As if everyone didn’t know who put those marks there.

I pulled my collar back up, striving to keep my face completely blank. “Leave it. It’s called youth fashion.”

Qin Yu nodded slowly, not taking the bait at all. “Ah, very youthful. Looks like you still have plenty of energy to misbehave today.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he pressed lightly against my lower waist, a fleeting touch, yet it sent my legs so weak I nearly crumpled on the spot. I was just about to glare at him in protest when I realized he had already dropped down to one knee. Effortlessly, he slid off my high heels and swapped them for a pair of soft sneakers.

His hands cupped my ankle, the heat radiating through my skin sending my thoughts down a dangerous rabbit hole. I quickly braced a hand against his shoulder for balance. Staring deep into his dark eyes, my face flared up all over again, and this time, it definitely wasn’t because of the summer heat.

Defeated, I squeaked out in a tiny voice, “Fine… I’ll come home early.”