Moonlight poured bright and clear through the window, casting mottled tree shadows across the head of the bed.
The young woman's eyelashes were wet. She clutched a tiny bit of warmth tightly and gave it a gentle tug.
With a muffled thump, a flash of confusion crossed Lin Du's dark eyes. His nose filled with the fresh scent of fruit as he tumbled onto the mattress, momentarily forgetting to push her away.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Daju the orange cat leaped down to the floor.
In the pitch-black room, the cat fixed a pair of glowing, luminous eyes on the bed, blinking steadily as it stared at the two small, mound-like lumps beneath the covers.
Daju thought to itself: *The mood is already set to this level, so I suppose I'll just go out and hunt.*
Lin Du felt a cool little hand resting across his waist, still tightening its grip.
He tried to push her away, but the young woman let out a soft moan, her chin trembling as she burst into tears.
"..." The man furrowed his brows slightly and stopped moving.
The moonlight grew heavier, falling through the white curtains onto the young woman's glowing, delicate profile.
Her dense, long eyelashes, damp with teardrops, looked pitiful. Tear tracks stained her face as she occasionally murmured fragments from a nightmare.
"Daju, your fur has grown back. It's so thick... and so long..." The young woman stroked Lin Du's hair.
"There's still some fur that hasn't grown back yet. It's fine... I'll go steal a few chickens from Black Fatty's place again to help you recover..." She stroked Lin Du's cheek.
"Did you eat too much chicken? How did you... grow this big?" The young woman pinched the man's pectoral muscles.
A cold breeze drifted in through the window, making the moonlit curtains ripple. The young woman shivered and burrowed closer to the source of warmth, occasionally letting out choked sobs after weeping.
"Daju, have your wives bring over some fish tomorrow, okay? I'm so starving..."
The man watched as the young woman gradually rested her head upon his arm. His dark eyes flickered a few times before he let out a long, helpless sigh. Inhaling the fresh scent of fruit that lingered around her, he drifted into a deep sleep a few minutes later.
Bright morning light filled the room, the curtains swaying slightly as a sudden burst of warm sunlight swept across the young woman's eyes.
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened them.
The phone on the bedside table kept buzzing. Bai Yu tapped on the screen and discovered that Dobin was going crazy in the group chat.
Dobin: It's over! Dad is having another episode and has gone missing again! ! !
Dobin: That damn fat cat couldn't even keep an eye on my dad. I've been saying we should just stew it.
Dobin: Grandma is almost worried out of her mind, and dozens of cars have already been sent out. Dad, where are you? Are you still coming back for lunch?
Bai Yu sat up abruptly, a sharp, throbbing pain piercing her temples. Her swollen eyes narrowed her field of vision.
Wasn't Lin Du doing fine yesterday?
Why was he having an episode again today?
And how on earth did she get back to her room last night?
After following Bai Yujiao into the psychologist's office, she had completely lost consciousness.
Had she cried all night, too?
All signs pointed to one conclusion: the culprit who had framed Lin Du last night had struck again, and succeeded, causing Lin Du to have another relapse!
No, she had to...
The young woman turned around, only to see Lin Du's handsome face resting right on her pillow, and let out a piercing shriek!
"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Lin Du frowned, his gloomy dark eyes slowly opening. Seeing Bai Yu with two tufts of hair sticking straight up and an innocent expression on her face, he rolled his eyes.
Instead of getting up, he simply turned over and went right back to sleep...
"How did he end up in my bed?"
"Was the place haunted last night?"
"Where did Daju run off to?"
Muttering softly to herself, the young woman got out of bed from the other side, opened her bedroom door, and caught sight of Assistant Liu walking swiftly down the corridor. She hurried to block his path.
"Assistant Liu, Lin..."
"Miss Bai Yu, I have an urgent matter right now. Young Master Lin is missing. If you're hungry, go find something to eat in the kitchen yourself."
"No, I..."
"Miss Bai Yu, Young Master Lin is having an episode and isn't in his room. Everyone in the Lin Residence is searching frantically for him right now. Whatever you need, it will have to wait."
With that, Assistant Liu vanished around the corner like a gust of wind.
The words stuck in Bai Yu's throat, demanding to be let out. Suddenly raising her volume, she blurted out, "Lin Du is in my room!"
Assistant Liu's bewildered head popped back around the corner.
Straightening his glasses, he followed Bai Yu into the room. Seeing the missing Young Master Lin there, the nerves that had been tightly wound all morning instantly relaxed.
"Madam Fang, Young Master Lin has been found. He's in Miss Bai Yu's room," Assistant Liu whispered into his walkie-talkie.
He stepped closer to Young Master Lin and, noticing nothing unusual, escorted Bai Yu out of the room.
With a single sentence, the Lin Residence, which had been in turmoil all morning, instantly returned to peace.
Madam Fang rounded the winding corridor and hurried to the door of Bai Yu's room.
Catching a glimpse of her son through the crack in the door, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"You scared me to death. I even took my quick-acting heart pills, and I almost couldn't catch my breath."
Madam Fang's face was deathly pale, clearly the victim of severe shock.
Bai Yu stood rigidly against the wall, her hands twisted together in front of her, momentarily at a loss for how to face Assistant Liu and Madam Fang.
"Um... I really don't know how Lin Du ended up in my bed. Do you believe me?"
Assistant Liu remained silent, merely pushing up his glasses.
A dark cloud of gloom hung between Madam Fang's brows as she said with a grim face, "Come with me."
Bai Yu's pretty face crumpled into a mask of distress as she cast a pleading look at Assistant Liu.
As she followed Madam Fang all the way toward the tearoom, Bai Yu nudged Assistant Liu's arm with her elbow. "What should I do? Am I going to be kicked out of the Lin Residence again today?"
"Madam Fang is very kind-hearted, Miss Bai Yu. There's no need to panic."
"Do you perhaps have some sort of strange misunderstanding about the word 'kind-hearted'?"
Assistant Liu stopped at the doorway, ignoring Bai Yu's pleading gaze, and turned away.
The lingering gloom had not yet faded from Madam Fang's cold, composed face as she kept her eyes lowered, brewing tea.
The clock on the wall ticked steadily. Time in the tearoom felt like years.
When a cup of amber tea was placed before Bai Yu, the young woman could no longer hold back before Madam Fang could even speak.
"I'll move out today."
Bai Yu stood up, her apricot-shaped eyes clear and resolute.
"I know that no matter how I explain, Madam Fang has already made up her mind.
"Even though I come from a village, I am not that kind of casual girl.
"However, there is one thing I must tell Madam Fang, and it concerns Lin Du's safety."
A flash of cold light pierced Madam Fang's cool eyes as she stared fixedly at the young woman's face.
"What do you mean by that? My son is in his own home—how could he possibly be in danger?"
Wiffs of fragrant steam rose from the coffee table. With clear, untroubled apricot eyes, Bai Yu met Madam Fang's gaze without a trace of fear.
"He is.
"On my very first night staying at the Lin Residence, Lin Du had an episode, and there was something wrong with the aromatherapy in his room.
"To catch the person who framed Lin Du, I staked out the place all night and saw a shadowy figure, but I couldn't catch them. The injuries on my face were simply from a fall.
"Last night, I don't remember how I got back to my room, let alone why Lin Du was in my bed.
"Madam Fang, I don't think you should let word out right now that Lin Du has been found."
When Bai Yu finished speaking, a look of grave concern settled over Madam Fang's face. Although the matter still needed investigation, when it came to her son's safety, it was better to be safe than sorry.
She quickly dialed Assistant Liu's number and specifically instructed him to let the news of Lin Du's disappearance continue to circulate.
"Madam Fang, I know you value your reputation and influence, and I have no desire to shake a mountain with my meager strength. Once I collect my reward, I will leave of my own accord. As for my grandmother..."
"You can rest assured about your grandmother's medical team. The Lin Family isn't that cold-blooded."
"Thank you."
"However, you certainly cannot continue living in the Lin Residence."