“You’ll get distracted if I watch you?” he asked again, deliberately.

“Mm,” Jiang Yi nodded. His gaze was too intense, making her feel uncomfortable.

“Mm,” Zhong Lin replied casually, dropping the video call suggestion.

After a couple of seconds of silence, Jiang Yi glanced up at his video frame. Zhong Lin, who had been watching her all along, met her gaze directly.

Almost instinctively, Jiang Yi looked away, pretending to focus on something else, her feigned disinterest unconvincing.

Zhong Lin chuckled softly, the sound revealing his good mood.

That chuckle reached Jiang Yi's ears, sending a sudden warmth through her, her heart skipping a beat.

As her heart raced, realization dawned.

How strange. Why was her first reaction to his happy chuckle to think how nice it sounded, and to feel a surge of joy…?

Flustered, she blurted, “I… I need to do my homework now.” A thinly veiled attempt to end the call.

“Yi Yi,” Zhong Lin said, his voice incredibly gentle.

Jiang Yi’s ear tips turned crimson.

Zhong Lin’s eyes held a thousand unspoken endearments and longings, yet all he said was a restrained, “Goodnight.”

Jiang Yi, head bowed, hesitated for two seconds, gathering her courage. Finally, she whispered, “Goodnight, b-brother.”

Hearing that soft “brother,” Zhong Lin’s expression softened, a look of contentment spreading across his face.

As soon as the call ended, Jiang Yi slammed her phone onto the desk, covering her face with her hands.

It was the first time she had consciously called someone “brother” while sober.

“Oh, so embarrassing, so embarrassing, so embarrassing…” the young woman muttered, as if genuinely distressed. But her flushed cheeks and soft voice betrayed her true feelings.

“So happy?”

A sudden voice made Jiang Yi jump. She spun around to see Zhong Cheng standing there.

When had he arrived?

Zhong Cheng stood by the door. Seeing her look at him, he pushed it open wider, then stepped inside, closing it behind him as he walked towards her.

He stopped at her desk, his eyes falling on her phone.

“Was that Big Brother?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

He had heard everything as he passed her room. The door had been slightly ajar, a crack in the fortress, allowing the sounds to escape.

And he had heard it all. Including that soft, sweet “brother.” He couldn’t quite place the feeling that washed over him, but before he knew it, he had spoken.

It was truly an unsightly display, her shy, almost flirtatious reaction after calling someone else “brother.”

The young man’s eyes seemed to burn with fire, yet also held an icy chill, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yi with a silent intensity that was unnerving.

Just then, her phone vibrated again.

Both their gazes shifted to the screen.

A video call request flashed, the caller ID displaying—

Mr. Qin.

Zhong Cheng’s expression darkened.

Husband*?

*T/N: The Chinese word can both mean Mister and Husband.

His gaze, sharp as a blade, felt like it could cut through her.

Jiang Yi flinched, a chill running down her spine.

She hesitated to answer, instinctively looking at Zhong Cheng.

He took a step back, sat down on a chair, and tilted his chin, gesturing for her to answer. “Take it.”

Jiang Yi didn't want to, but Zhong Cheng's posture made it clear she had no choice.

Slowly, she picked up the phone and answered.

A man’s voice, eager and full of magnetism, filled the air.

“Wife, did you miss me today?”

The man's voice was rich and alluring, like a lover's murmur.

Zhong Cheng's face turned completely dark.

Wife?

His gaze, if it were tangible, would have surely burned a hole through her.

Jiang Yi cowered, feeling the icy chill emanating from him.