The bathroom light glared with piercing brightness inside the darkened room.
Qin Yuchen had just finished showering. A bath towel was tied securely around his waist, leaving his upper body bare and revealing a chiseled torso with eight-pack abs.
Droplets of water were still dripping from his short, dark, cropped hair, sliding down his sharp jawline onto his firm, masculine chest, before slowly rolling down into the hidden regions beneath the towel.
Gu Qinghe merely glanced up briefly before lowering her gaze, not daring to look another second. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to come in. I thought this room was empty—"
Qin Yuchen raised his eyelids to look at her.
Out of shyness and panic, the young woman had her head almost buried against her chest, her face flushed crimson, a faint pink hue spreading all the way down her porcelain-white neck.
"Mom didn't arrange a room for you?" Qin Yuchen asked in a low voice, devoid of emotion.
Gu Qinghe shook her head and explained softly, "Aunty Qin had already gone to sleep, so I just picked one of the remaining rooms..."
Who could have guessed it would be such a coincidence that Qin Yuchen was staying in the room at the very end of the corridor, and that he would step out of the bathroom at that exact moment?
The faint, clean scent of soap gradually filled the air. When Qin Yuchen's cold, emotionless gaze landed on her, it made her feel as though she had nowhere to hide, and her legs grew weak.
She could not stay here any longer.
"You go change your clothes, I'm heading out first." Gu Qinghe shook her dizzy head and turned to twist the doorknob.
In her haste, she failed to notice the floor mat in front of the door, and her foot caught on the edge, sending her pitching forward.
If Qin Yuchen hadn't acted, Gu Qinghe would have slammed hard against the bedroom door.
His reflexes were faster than his thoughts. By the time he registered what was happening, his strong arm had already wrapped around Gu Qinghe's soft, slender waist.
Her delicate, smooth cheek collided squarely with his chest.
The impact was quite forceful, and Qin Yuchen let out a muffled grunt, yet his stance remained entirely unshakable as he firmly caught her in his arms.
Her petite and soft frame meant that he could completely encircle her in his embrace with just a single arm.
The familiar scent of jasmine rushed straight into his nose, mingling with the soapy fragrance of his own skin to make the scent even more intense, causing every muscle in his body to tense up instantly.
Gu Qinghe had it no better. Her head was already spinning, and now she had smashed straight into Qin Yuchen's rock-hard chest, the pain so sharp it nearly brought tears to her eyes.
"Mmph... It hurts."
She let out an involuntary whisper, pressing against Qin Yuchen's chest with her eyes half-closed as she tried to push off him to regain her balance.
Only then did she realize that Qin Yuchen was completely naked, and her hand had pressed directly against one of his hardened peaks.
She felt the small, soft nub in her palm gradually stiffen beneath her touch.
With a loud roar in her mind, her brain went completely blank, and her face turned utterly crimson.
Meanwhile, his iron-clamp of a hand was still tightly locked around her waist.
Blistering heat radiated through the thin fabric of her clothes against her skin, making her heart flutter uncontrollably.
Gu Qinghe was so nervous she didn't know where to put her hands. Stammering until she almost bit her tongue, she apologized once more, "S-Sorry..."
Qin Yuchen looked down, taking in her thoroughly reddened earlobes. The expanse of white skin visible at the collar of her shirt reminded him of the place he had nearly managed to cup earlier in the day.
She was slender and petite, and even her waist was exceptionally thin. He would never have guessed that those curves were so full and soft.
Only when his nose began to sting with a sudden wave of heat did he finally snap out of it. His Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "I'm not going to eat you. What are you running blindly for?"
Indeed, he wouldn't eat people, but a lone man and woman were locked in a room together, and he wasn't wearing any clothes.
If Qin Hongying were to suddenly come looking for Qin Yuchen right now and see this scene, they wouldn't be able to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River.
Gu Qinghe's eyes were glistening with moisture, carrying a slight nasal twinge. "I know, Brother Yuchen. Can you let go of me first?"
Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a hint of crying tone. If one listened closely, there was also a trembling note of forced calm, making her sound like a frightened, helpless little kitten letting out a faint whimper.
Hearing her call him "Brother Yuchen" made the majority of Qin Yuchen's heart melt instantly. The steel-like grip of his hand finally loosened a fraction, though he still didn't let her go, instead frowning as he looked her up and down.
The young girl's eyes were red, a few teardrops clung to her eyelashes, and her tiny cherry lips were pursed in grievance, as if she were in severe pain yet didn't dare to cry.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
With lightning-fast reflexes, he had scooped her into his arms before she could fall, so she shouldn't have been seriously hurt, but looking at Gu Qinghe's expression, he couldn't quite be sure if she had sprained her ankle.
Gu Qinghe didn't dare let her hands wander anywhere else for fear of touching something inappropriate again.
She could only steady herself by holding onto Qin Yuchen's shoulders. Although her bruised temple was still faintly throbbing, her head at least wasn't as dizzy as before.
"I'm fine." Gu Qinghe pressed her palm against her forehead, rubbing it gently as she let out a soft hiss of breath. "It's just that I bumped this spot and it hurts a bit."
With that, Gu Qinghe shot a petulant glance at Qin Yuchen's bulging chest.
She had no idea how he worked out to make his chest so hard, practically giving her a bump on the head.
Seeing those damp, watery eyes staring hungrily at his chest muscles, Qin Yuchen almost failed to suppress a shudder, his body growing even stiffer.
Unaware of his internal turmoil, Gu Qinghe steadied herself, slipped out of his embrace, and twisted the doorknob.
Before leaving, she felt she should say something to ease the subtle, awkward tension between them.
She turned back to give Qin Yuchen her signature gentle and obedient smile. "Goodnight, Brother Yuchen."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left, pulling the door shut softly behind her.
As the sound of footsteps faded away, the room fell quiet once more.
Aside from the faint, lingering fragrance in the air, it was as if no one had ever been there at all.
Qin Yuchen looked down at his large hand, where the soft sensation seemed to still linger, and slowly closed his eyes.
He had always believed that no matter what he faced, he could remain calm, unshakable, and firmly in control.
Yet when facing Gu Qinghe, he discovered that his vaunted self-control had utterly crumbled into defeat.
After leaving Qin Yuchen's room, Gu Qinghe found another vacant room right next door.
The room was furnished very simply: a vanity, a chair, and a double bed with a neatly folded quilt resting against the headboard.
It looked to have been prepared specifically for guests, and Gu Qinghe was finally able to relax completely and lie down for a while.
The journey north had been long and exhausting, and her nerves had remained tightly strung without a proper rest.
Now that she and her father had successfully moved into the Qin Family, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief, though she had no intention of staying here long-term.
Even though the Qin Family members were kind, relying on others was never a permanent solution; she had to establish her own footing to truly feel secure.
That way, she could also give her father more confidence within the Qin Family, leaving him with zero worries for the future.
And besides...
Gu Qinghe's mind flashed with Qin Yuchen's handsome, abstinent face, causing her heart to skip a beat inexplicably.
That convenient stepbrother of hers was not someone easy to fool. Living under the same roof with him every day, there was no telling when her dimensional system might be exposed.
She had suffered enough at the hands of the Chen Family in her past life, and she had no desire to taste that bitterness a second time.
So no matter what, once her father and Aunty Qin got married, she was definitely moving out!