The moment Jiang Qingli spoke, she sensed Qin Muye freeze for a couple of seconds. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

It was as if the word "date" had stunned him. The young man’s breath hitched, and the tips of his ears turned red.

Perhaps because he’d opened the door in a hurry, his pajamas hung loosely on his frame, revealing a large expanse of his pale yet powerful musculature. He wasn’t deliberately posing, yet he was filled with an undeniable air of virility.

Jiang Qingli realized then that she’d never really taken a good look at his body before.

While Qin Muye had an arrogant, untamable personality, his physique wasn’t that of a bulky bodybuilder. Instead, it was beautifully sculpted.

Every muscle was perfectly defined. Veins coiled on his forearms, radiating a potent sense of power and wildness.

In the morning light, her appreciative gaze roamed over him, inch by inch, and seemed to be drifting lower...

Every place her eyes touched seemed to grow hot, as if caressed by an invisible hand.

Qin Muye felt a slight urge to hide, but when he saw the corners of her lips curve into a smile, he found himself wanting her to look a little longer.

Lately, when he wasn’t studying or thinking about her, he was practically living in the gym.

’This body is just too perfect. Definitely better than that damn snake and that damn fox!’

As she continued to watch, Jiang Qingli raised her hand.

’Is... is she going to touch me?’

Qin Muye’s abs clenched. Just as he was about to take a deep breath, the tip of his ear twitched. He heard footsteps.

He instinctively grabbed Jiang Qingli’s wrist and pulled her inside.

As he moved, her warm body pressed against his.

"What’s wrong?" Jiang Qingli whispered.

She wasn’t shy about it either. Taking advantage of their proximity, she gave his muscles a couple of exploratory squeezes, her breath grazing his skin.

Qin Muye’s breath hitched, and his scalp tingled. He almost lost control.

After a moment, he managed to say, "Someone’s here."

"Who?"

Just as she asked, the footsteps drew near, followed by a knock on the door.

Qin Muye raised his voice. "What is it?"

"Prince." It was Yi Nuo’s voice.

The Gray Wolf Butler’s tone was formal, all business. "The Imperial Family sent over some health supplements. Would you like to take them now or later?"

Qin Muye tsked.

’Couldn’t come earlier, couldn’t come later. Had to show up just as Jiang Qingli was about to touch me.’

’This damned gray dog is so conniving.’

Qin Muye said lazily, "I’ll have them with breakfast."

Yi Nuo acknowledged the order but didn’t leave right away.

He lingered for a few minutes before finally departing.

Inside, Jiang Qingli asked, "What supplements? Are you hurt?"

"I don’t know. Maybe they’re from Qin Shu." Qin Muye walked further into the room. "Have a seat on the sofa. I’ll be ready in a minute."

Returning to the walk-in closet, Qin Muye opened his wardrobe. He had just pulled out an outfit when he suddenly felt something was off. He turned his head and was surprised to find Jiang Qingli had followed him in.

She was standing beside a sofa, eyeing a mountain-like pile of clothes, and a smile touched her lips.

Qin Muye instantly bristled. "What are you laughing at?!"

"I just think you’re cute," Jiang Qingli said with a grin. "So, even the Prince can be indecisive."

Qin Muye hadn’t wanted her to know he’d spent ages picking out clothes just for their outing.

’That would make me seem too indecisive, not masculine enough. She’d probably laugh at me.’

But she’d called him cute, and the tips of Qin Muye’s ears burned hot again.

Qin Muye averted his gaze. "Then you pick one for me."

’We’re going out together, after all. It’s only right that she chooses.’

Jiang Qingli didn’t object. She walked over, rummaged through his wardrobe, and began holding a few items up against him to see how they looked.

Qin Muye looked away, watching her reflection in the full-length mirror.

Jiang Qingli was wearing an off-the-shoulder white dress with a soft, ruffled hem that revealed her long, slender legs.

Her dark hair was braided on the sides, with the rest cascading over her shoulders, exquisitely adorned with bows and pearls.

She looked sweet and beautiful, like a pampered little princess.

Qin Muye’s lips curved. "Did you braid your hair yourself?"

"As if I could do this," Jiang Qingli said, putting the shirt she was holding back and grabbing another. "Gu Nian did it for me. He’s really good with his hands, great at styling..."

Before she could finish, Jiang Qingli felt the atmosphere in the room instantly turn frigid. But when she glanced over, Qin Muye’s expression was normal, so she looked back down and continued her search for an outfit.

She didn’t see that the moment she looked away, Qin Muye’s reflection in the mirror showed his face instantly darkening.

’Fuck.’

’That damn rabbit really knows how to piss a guy off.’

’He knew damn well Jiang Qingli was going out with me today, but he still had to butt in.’

’I bet while he was braiding her hair, he was acting like some unweaned little brat, whining ’Big Sister, Big Sister’ over and over again.’

’Tomorrow, I’ll have to ask if the orphanage for special needs kids accepts eighteen-year-olds.’

After changing into the outfit Jiang Qingli had picked out, Qin Muye opened his mouth to say something several times, but always swallowed his words.

He was terrible at hiding his emotions; everything was written all over his face.

Jiang Qingli asked with amusement, "What’s wrong?"

Qin Muye desperately wanted her to change, but she looked so beautiful, and he had no good reason to ask her to. After struggling for a moment, he finally choked out, "So, where are we going?"

Jiang Qingli said, "I was thinking we could go to an amusement park. Do you have other ideas?"

The moment he heard the destination, Qin Muye had his opening.

"Your... your dress looks great," Qin Muye began, laying the groundwork. "But amusement parks have roller coasters. That skirt is a little too short, you know? It might... ride up."

’It was only a few centimeters above the knee, but he made it sound scandalously short.’

’Still, the fact that he noticed shows that this little puppy does care about his owner.’

Since it was their date, Jiang Qingli decided to accept his suggestion. "Alright, then you can pick something out for me."

Qin Muye’s eyes instantly lit up.

-

Ten minutes later, Jiang Qingli, now dressed in a red flutter-sleeve top and slim-fit jeans, was settling into the passenger seat of Qin Muye’s sports car.

Qin Muye fastened her seatbelt, looking at the splash of vibrant color, very pleased with his choice of clothing.

’Red really brings out the fairness of her skin. It looks incredible on her.’

The car pulled up to the entrance of XN Amusement Park.

It was the most popular amusement park in the First District. The decor was fantastical, with colorful balloons floating in the air and costumed cartoon animals standing by the entrance, smiling and greeting every visitor. The whole place radiated a fairytale-like charm.

While waiting in line, Jiang Qingli could hear distant screams from the roller coaster, which made her eager to try it herself.

Tickets had to be purchased on-site. When it was her turn, she was just about to pay with her terminal when a robot shaped like a cartoon rabbit beeped. "Welcome, Miss Jiang Qingli, lifetime member of XN Park."

"It has been a long time, Miss Jiang."

"We hope you have a wonderful time today."

Jiang Qingli froze.

A woman’s fond, resigned laughter echoed in her mind. "Alright, alright. Since Xiao Li loves the amusement park so much, I’ll get lifetime memberships for you and your brother."

"But you’re just kids, so you’re not allowed to come here on your own, understand?"

SNAP.

A pair of long fingers snapped in front of her face. Qin Muye leaned down to look at her. "What are you spacing out for?"

Jiang Qingli looked around, still in a bit of a daze. "I just have a strong sense of déjà vu."

"You must have come here often," Qin Muye remarked, remembering her lifetime membership.

’Came here often? Not me. That must have been the original owner of this body.’

’Was that one of her memories?’

’Why does my chest feel so tight all of a sudden? It’s so uncomfortable.’

She felt a gaze fall upon her, intense and searing with a prying quality.

Jiang Qingli scanned the area, but no one was looking in their direction.

’Was I imagining it?’

Her eyes fell on a visitor wearing a cartoon headband, and her attention was diverted. She grabbed Qin Muye’s hand and pulled him toward a gift shop.

A security camera in a corner flashed with a red light, its lens swiveling to follow her.

In a shadowy corner near the entrance, someone spoke quietly into a Bluetooth earpiece. "Target has appeared. Proceeding toward the theme shop in Zone A."

"Copy that."

"The target... is with Qin Muye." The person hesitated. "A member of the Imperial Family is with her. It’s not a good time to make our move, is it?"

The person on the other end was silent for several seconds before replying in a vicious tone:

"The order came from above. She must be eliminated today. If you fail, you’ll pay with your life!"