As Zuo Ye leaned closer, about to kiss her, Yu He’s phone suddenly rang.
Yu He flinched, her eyes snapping open. Seeing the man’s face so close, she instinctively kicked out.
Caught off guard, Zuo Ye stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.
Noticing Yu He’s cold gaze, he quickly raised his hands in surrender and explained, "Sorry, I thought you were asleep and was going to carry you back to bed."
Yu He looked at him, a hint of doubt in her eyes. She then glanced at the caller ID on her phone and frowned slightly, not answering.
"Get some rest. I'm going upstairs to sleep," she said, turning to head upstairs.
Zuo Ye watched her retreating back, his gaze filled with longing. He rubbed his fingertips, which had just touched Yu He’s lips, thinking how close…
Back in her room, just as the call was about to end, Yu He tapped to answer. Before she could utter a greeting, a deep, magnetic male voice questioned from the receiver.
"Why did it take you so long to answer?"
*Thank goodness you got a call at all*, Yu He thought. "Tsk, in the middle of the night, not sleeping, you calling out to ghosts!"
Qin Beiting on the other end of the line heard her impatient tone and paused before asking, "Are you asleep?"
Yu He: "What else would I be doing?"
"Sleeping alone?" Qin Beiting pressed.
Yu He: "Lord Qin, do you live in the Pacific Ocean!"
His concern was too broad.
Her words caused a flicker of displeasure in Qin Beiting’s heart. "I'm just reminding you, remember your identity!"
Yu He laughed. "What identity? A one-night stand? Or a bed partner?"
Qin Beiting faltered. Regardless of which, she had no official status.
"Esther, are you hungry? Want some supper?" Zuo Ye asked, pushing open Yu He’s slightly ajar door.
Yu He turned around, realizing the door hadn’t been locked. Her brow furrowed slightly as she covered the phone with her hand. "No, I’m going to sleep."
With that, she closed the door.
Qin Beiting vaguely heard a man’s voice, speaking English. He recalled Yu He’s intimate behavior with the curly-haired foreigner at the airport, and a chilling aura emanated from him.
She was staying under the same roof as another man!
"You are… so…"
"Alright, I’m done with your nonsense. I’m going to sleep!"
Yu He hung up the phone without waiting for him to finish.
Qin Beiting stared at the disconnected call, his face darkening.
She dared to hang up on him!
He dialed again, only to be prompted that the other party had turned off their phone.
An inexplicable anger surged within him. This woman had some nerve!
Beyond the anger, there was a restlessness he couldn’t quite name. The thought of her currently sharing a roof, or possibly a bed, with another man made every cell in his body scream and explode, wishing he could rush to Yu He’s side and claim her as his.
Even if she was just a bed partner, he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch her before he was tired of her!
"Sect Master, those people outside, should we keep them?"
At that moment, the office door was knocked, and Bei Ming entered, asking.
As soon as he entered, he felt a heavy atmosphere. Despite the heating being on, he felt a chill.
Looking at the man seated at the desk, his eyes bloodshot, his gaze terrifyingly cold, like a Shura crawling out of hell.
Bei Ming couldn't help but shiver. Before Qin Beiting could speak, he silently mourned for the people outside. Their mistake wasn't grave, but they were unlucky enough to run into him at his worst.
"Should we keep them for New Year’s?" Qin Beiting retorted coldly.
"I'll take care of it immediately," Bei Ming replied, then quickly exited.
He feared staying even a second longer would involve him.
—
The next day.
When Yu He woke up, Zuo Ye had already prepared breakfast. The two children were eating at the dining table, with Zuo Ye telling Dora a story, making her giggle.
Yue Yue sat beside them, silently eating his breakfast, a hint of annoyance on his brow.
He didn't like talking while eating. His mother had said, "Don't talk while eating, don't sleep while speaking."
He had reminded Uncle Zuo, but Uncle Zuo said he was too proper.
"Mommy, you're awake~" Dora waved when she saw Yu He come down.
"Dora, don't laugh so loudly while eating, you might choke," Yu He reminded her.
"Mmm~" Dora pouted aggrievedly.
"Esther, being lively is a child's nature. You restrict them too much," Zuo Ye said, standing up to pull out the chair next to him for Yu He.
"When you have children, you can let them maintain their nature," Yu He replied.
In other words, *my children, my rules, none of your business.*
Zuo Ye closed his mouth sheepishly.
As Yu He ate breakfast, her phone on the table beeped, indicating that the code she had designed had finished running.
After finishing breakfast, she picked up her phone to check the results.
It displayed the bank accounts and real estate information she had compiled from across the internet using her code. She wanted to save enough funds before buying the courtyard house with Qin Beiting.
The results were not quite as she had hoped. She seemed to have been even poorer back then. Her scattered bank accounts totaled only fifty to sixty thousand yuan.
"…"
What could this little money do?
However, the real estate section indicated she owned two properties, both in the capital.
One was a fifty-square-meter apartment; the other was a siheyuan (courtyard house).
A siheyuan?
She immediately checked the address and discovered it was the very siheyuan she had always wanted to acquire.
It was hers?
But Shen Yao had said that siheyuan belonged to Qin Beiting.
"Mommy, can we go shopping today? Tomorrow we're visiting the science exhibition at Di Yi Hotel, we need to dress up beautifully," Dora asked, pulling on Yu He’s hem.
Tomorrow, she wanted Daddy and Mommy to "accidentally" meet, so Mommy had to look her best.
Yu He, still pondering the siheyuan, coaxed, "Why don't Auntie An Ran take you shopping first? Mommy has something to do and will go out for a bit. I'll find you once I'm done."
Although Dora was reluctant, she obediently nodded when she heard Mommy was busy.
After placating the two children, Yu He told Zuo Ye to take care and went out herself.
She had arranged to meet Shen Yao at a coffee shop.
"What's with the sun rising from the west? You actually remembered to ask me out," Shen Yao said, his smile splitting his cheeks when he saw Yu He.
"You have extensive connections, right?" Yu He asked directly.
Shen Yao assumed she needed his help finding a suitable house and declared magnanimously, "Of course, what is it? Speak up, and I’ll handle it for you."
"Do you know anyone at the Real Estate Registration Bureau? Can someone help me find the owner’s information for that siheyuan?" Yu He asked.
Shen Yao instantly choked, sounding slightly displeased. "Why are you so fixated on that place?"
"I'm very familiar with that place," Yu He replied.
This was true, and she wanted to regain her memories, ideally by returning to a familiar place.
Most importantly, she needed to confirm the information.
Seeing his silence, Yu He didn't press further, as it wasn't a difficult matter.
"If you can't do it, forget it. Waiter, the bill," she beckoned a waiter.
After paying, she left the coffee shop and headed for the parking lot. Suddenly, Shen Yao's casual voice called from behind her, "Take my car."
He couldn’t refuse her requests.