Qin Shu had conversed with Xu Wei for a considerable length of time and she was sure that Fu Tingyu had heard a good portion of their conversation. Yet, she did not know if it was enough to dispel the doubts in his heart.

Biting her lips, she reached out and held his hand. His fingers were long and wiry, and his nails were cut short. His large palm was big enough to engulf her own.

She traced the palm of his hand, gently exploring the nooks and crannies that comprised its whole. His fingers twitched with the feather-light caress dancing over his skin but she could evoke little else by way of a response.

Fu Tingyu stubbornly stared out the window, refusing to look at her. Unperturbed, Qin Shu redoubled her efforts and increased the frequency of her ministrations. A hint of impatience bled into his form. Gripping the offending hand firmly, he stopped her.

Qin Shu edged closer to him and asked, “What was I writing in your palm just now?”

Fu Tingyu did not look at her. He merely squeezed her hand a little tighter.

Seeing how unmoved he was, she leaned towards him and whispered plaintively in his ear, “Baby Yu.”

Finally, he moved. Turning away from the window, he fixed his dark eyes on hers.

They faced each other in a hungry contest of wills. So close were they that either one of them could feel the breath of the other brus.h.i.+ng against their cheeks.

Fu Tingyu's obsidian eyes seemed to swallow the surrounding light and within its depths lurked a beast tethered to the fraying cords of reason.

Qin Shu blinked, planting a kiss on his lips before pulling back.

Fu Tingyu's hooded eyes darkened like a pair of black diamonds. He reached out, grabbing her by the back of her head, and finished what she started.

He only broke the kiss when the car came to a halt. He was the first out of the vehicle.

Qin Shu patted her cheeks, breathless. A raging inferno colouring her cheeks in a vivid shade of burgundy. She breathed in and breathed out, repeating the process twice over to calm herself.

Stepping out of the car, she felt the chill in the air. It was a cold night but not unbearably so – it was only a little cooler than the car's air-conditioning. Up above, the moon shone brightly and its pale light illuminated the surroundings.

She breathed in the fresh air and immediately felt a difference. She did not feel as muddle-headed as she had been in the car.

Fu Tingyu slipped to her side in a heartbeat, tracking her every move in the way a hunter stalks prey. He smirked, recalling the events that had transpired in the car. “Tsk. How long have we been together? Your lung capacity has yet to improve.”

Qin Shu blushed. She had worked so hard to compose herself but, with a single sentence of his, it had all been undone.

Kisses made her dizzy… Especially ones as long as those Fu Tingyu seemed to enjoy!

Rather than say she was bad at kissing, wouldn't it have sufficed to say he was just very good at it?

Fu Tingyu stared at Qin Shu's cheeks. They resembled freshly plucked cherries and he could not help but pinch them. Her skin was smooth and supple, carrying with it a milk-like consistency. It was exceedingly pleasant to the touch.

It reminded him of a child's. Though she was already an adult, she still looked child-like with her plump, rosy cheeks and the baby fat around her limpid eyes. She was cute even while angry. It was impossible for anyone to tire of her.

So much so that he was reluctant to let go.

Peering up at him, Qin Shu could see how his expression had turned limp – seemingly enthralled by the act of pinching her cheeks.

No sooner had she looked at him than he retracted his hands from her cheeks and led her towards the house.

Qin Shu accompanied Fu Tingyu to the house. Absently, she rubbed her flaming cheeks. Did he really have to pinch her so hard?

At 10:00 p.m., just as they were about to head off to bed…

Dressed in a light robe, Qin Shu stood on the balcony, letting the evening air blow dry her hair in the persistent breeze.

When Fu Tingyu returned to their bedroom, he saw Qin Shu's slim figure standing on the balcony. He opened their closet and picked out a robe that matched her and made for the showers.

It did not take him long to wash up. A few minutes later, he arrived by Qin Shu's side with his hair still wet, hanging in a mess of tangled strands.

It was late September and the days were growing colder as autumnal winds signalled the end of summer.

The wind gusted with the force of a fresh breeze, throwing his water-logged hair into disarray.

Qin Shu brushed the stray locks of her hair behind her ear. Her hair had mostly dried by then. As she was about to head back into the bedroom, Fu Tingyu's tall silhouette sidled up beside her. He sported a robe identical to hers save for the fact that it had been fitted for a man instead of a woman.

Fu Tingyu leaned against the balcony's railing. The railing was made of ironwood and was extraordinarily hard.

With his back against the railing, his long legs were obvious for the world to see.

Qin Shu regarded his casual appearance with a smile. Touseled by the wind, his water-logged hair sent droplets of water dancing in the air, scattering it in all directions.

His pitch-black eyes captured her within their dark orbs. “Come here.”

Qin Shu took two steps to her right and stood before him. Before she could do anything else, she was swept into his strong arms. He pulled her deeper into their embrace such that faces touched. Cold droplets of water fluttered against the skin of her face.

She tried to put some distance between them, using her arm to push herself off him. She studied his handsome figure that was but a few inches away from her. His suave looks were not marred by the water framing him. Gently, she wiped the water on his face away with a dainty hand.

Fu Tingyu leaned into her tender caress. His eyes never strayed from her form, quietly watching, scrutinizing her every action in silence.

Behind him stood a magnificent ginkgo tree, proud and tall. Faerie lights flickered with a mult.i.tude of colours amidst its golden leaves. It was a breath-taking sight she never grew weary of.

Under the ever-changing lights, her elegant eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a b.u.t.terfly.

Her pursed lips formed a meek line.

She felt nervous under Fu Tingyu's heated gaze. In the end, she wound her arms around his neck and rested her chin in the crook of his shoulder.

Fu Tingyu had broad shoulders that lent her a sense of security while she snuggled in his embrace.

She could smell the floral scent of his shampoo in his hair. It was the same shampoo she used for her own. Together, their scent mixed as one.

Staring at the ginkgo tree he had gifted her with, the lambent lights frolicked in her eyes.

She remembered the words Xu Wei had said to her earlier – how Fu Tingyu had been cultivating ginkgo trees for over six years.

Yet… Six or seven years ago was a time whereby she did not know Fu Tingyu at all.

Back then, Fu Tingyu would have been a handsome young man of eighteen years.

Did he really have a girl he liked at that time?

Qin Shu told herself not to dwell on the past. Even if he did, it was of no consequence to the present.

They hugged, locked quietly in each other's arms.

Tired of standing the way they were, Fu Tingyu swept her off her feet and whispered into her ear, “Bao'er, say something nice.”

Nice?

Qin Shu thought for a while. “Shall I sing for you?”

“Okay.” Fu Tingyu chuckled, mildly interested in what she would sing. Qin Shu hadn't ever sung for him before.

Clearing her throat with a few light coughs, she sang:

She sang of solitude and strength.

Of the times she was hurt, but her tears never flowed.

Calling on wings unseen.

Begged them to carry her through despair.

Not thinking of the beautiful sun,

The inconstant sun.

Calling on wings unseen.

To give her hope beyond her fears,

To see her dreams come to life.

In the loud chorus of youth.

Soaring beyond her fears.

With the wind beneath her wings, she flew for as long as the wind showed.

Fu Tingyu listened to Qin Shu's hypnotic voice. Unconsciously, his arms tightened around her, an indescribable feeling stirring in the depths of his soul.

“What is the name of this song?”