Watching the little kitten’s fleeing figure and hearing the merciless sound of the door closing, Xue Yang’s eyes glittered.

Good thing Auntie didn’t arrange our rooms too far apart. Otherwise, sneaking into her bed in the middle of the night wouldn’t be so easy.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain big bad wolf had no intention of sleeping alone. However, the little white rabbit wasn’t really planning to ignore the big bad wolf, either.

After tossing and turning in bed for half an hour, Lin Xi decided the time was about right. She flipped back the covers, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and tiptoed to the door. She carefully placed her delicate hand on the doorknob, turned it gently, and the door opened without a sound.

Lin Xi’s eyes sparkled. She held her breath, but just as she was about to step out, she saw Xue Yang leaning against her doorway with his arms crossed. He seemed to have guessed that she would try to sneak over, and he was watching her with a knowing smile.

Caught red-handed, Lin Xi’s pretty face flushed, and she wished a hole would open up in the floor and swallow her whole.

She stammered, "Don’t get me wrong! I wasn’t planning on sneaking into your bed."

The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to bite her own tongue.

Lin Xi, you fool! Isn’t that just a dead giveaway?

Just as she was trying to figure out how to salvage the situation, she heard Xue Yang speak. "Oh, is that so? As it happens, I was the one planning to sneak into a bed tonight. But now that I’ve been caught, it seems my plan has failed."

With that, he turned as if to leave.

Just as he lifted his foot, a pair of cool little hands snaked around his waist from behind, crossing over his stomach.

"You were thinking of sneaking into this young lady’s bed, got caught, and now you think you can just walk away with a simple remark? In your dreams."

"Then, please tell me, miss, what would you have me do?"

"Of course... you’re coming in to take your punishment."

With that, Lin Xi swapped places with Xue Yang, pushing him into her room. She even remembered to close the door behind them. It was clear that the incident with Si Wen had made her very cautious, reminding her to always shut the door. Especially with Xue Yang; if someone saw them, she would truly die of embarrassment.

Xue Yang didn’t notice Lin Xi’s move at first. By the time he reacted, he had already been pulled into the room. The familiar, sweet fragrance that washed over him was so intoxicating it nearly stole his soul.

The next second, a faint pain bloomed in his chest. It was only a faint pain because a certain little kitten was tapping his chest with her small fists.

"Argh," Xue Yang deliberately feigned a pained expression. "Miss, spare me!"

Lin Xi paused, stunned for a moment. I didn’t even use that much force.

Hearing Xue Yang’s plea, she huffed, "You were way too bold earlier."

Right in front of my family, he... It almost made me lose my composure right then and there. I have to teach him a lesson, or he’ll definitely do it again.

"What did I do earlier?" Xue Yang feigned ignorance.

"During dinner, didn’t you... touch my foot?"

Xue Yang replied nonchalantly, "Did I?"

Lin Xi’s eyes went wide with disbelief that he would actually deny it.

Seeing his bristling little kitten, Xue Yang was secretly amused. He feigned a look of sudden realization. "Oh, you mean when I accidentally touched your foot? That wasn’t on purpose. Or could it be... that Xiao Xi was thinking something else?"

At his words, Lin Xi reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I certainly was not! If it was an accident, then why did you keep touching my..."

Her voice trailed off. With Xue Yang putting it that way, she was suddenly much less certain.

Xue Yang chuckled softly. This little kitten is so easy to fool. She believes anything I say.

"Dinner was a bit boring, so I just wanted something to do."

Lin Xi’s eyes widened again. Because he was bored, he decided to find "something to do" by secretly rubbing her foot under the table? That was like a grade-school prank! She never thought Xue Yang would be like that.

However, she’d heard that boys only get childish around the girl they like. At this thought, a sweet warmth spread through her.

"Just don’t be so bold in the future. If anyone saw, how could I ever show my face again~"

Though she said this, her words didn’t carry much conviction.

Xue Yang hummed in agreement as he began to survey her room. It was big. Really big. It was even bigger than the house in Tongfang Residential District. The sleeping and living areas were separate, and it also had a large bathroom, a huge balcony, and a separate walk-in closet. The lighting, of course, was perfectly arranged. The entire room was decorated in shades of pink, which suited Lin Xi’s personality perfectly.

"So, this is the kind of room you grew up in."

Xue Yang’s mind drifted back to the first time he brought Lin Xi to his old rental. To save money back then, I rented the cheapest place I could find. It was only 30 square meters. Frankly, my old place wasn’t even as big as the bathroom in this suite. I really can’t imagine how she convinced herself to stay with me there. Still, if she hadn’t, we wouldn’t be where we are now, would we? That’s why they say fate is a marvelous thing.

Xue Yang was overjoyed, and he cherished everything he now had. Lost in thought, he pulled the girl before him into a tight embrace.

As if sensing his feelings, Lin Xi wrapped her arms around him and returned his hug with equal passion.

...

The next day, Xue Yang and Lin Xi took Xue Yuanqing and his wife on a tour around Yancheng. On the third day, they took them to the Imperial City and the Royal Courtyard. On the fourth day, they brought them back to Xiangshan Villa.

Si Wen was in the garden petting a cat. She looked up and froze for a moment when she saw Xue Yang’s group of four return. Snapping out of her surprise, she quickly said, "Hello, Uncle, Auntie."

"Hello."

Xue Yuanqing and Zhong Hailan clearly hadn’t expected Xue Yang to bring them here. After returning the greeting, Zhong Hailan pulled Xue Yang aside and whispered, "Xiao Yang, why did you bring us to Si Wen’s house? We came completely unprepared. It’s so impolite."

Because they had been out sightseeing, they had only brought a few daily necessities for convenience. To arrive at someone else’s home empty-handed was incredibly awkward for the older generation. Moreover, judging from Si Wen’s reaction, she clearly hadn’t been expecting them either, which made it even more discourteous.

Xue Yang smiled. "Mom, this isn’t Si Wen’s house. This is my and Xiao Xi’s home."

"But isn’t your home with Xiao Xi in Tongfang Residential District?"

"Auntie, this is our home, too," Lin Xi added sweetly.

Zhong Hailan was completely stunned. Even Xue Yuanqing felt as if his son must be playing a joke on him.

Just buying an apartment near the university had been shocking enough for them. After all, this was Yancheng, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. For them, even visiting Yancheng was something they could hardly have imagined, let alone buying a house here. They were already immensely proud that Xue Yang could afford to buy an apartment.

But now, their son was telling them that this villa was also his.

...