[Without a moment’s hesitation, she immediately threw herself into his arms.]

It wasn’t until 9:45 PM that Hou Zihao finally returned home, only to be greeted by a torrent of verbal attacks from President Su.

Lately, President Su’s mood had been terrible, primarily due to a series of setbacks at work.

More than a decade ago, the real estate business in China was booming. Those who caught the wave all made fortunes. How easy was it to make money back then? Buy a plot of land, dig a hole, draw up some blueprints, and you could start selling properties. Buyers would pay the down payment upfront, giving developers the funds to begin construction later. It was truly a case of making money out of thin air. And it didn’t stop there—developers would then inflate housing prices, marketing an ordinary ditch as a “natural water system” or a crooked tree as “ecological vegetation.” Housing prices soared repeatedly, and big bosses raked in profits hand over fist.

But now, the tide had turned.

With the country’s development, regulations across various industries had tightened. In recent years, new rules stipulated that developers could no longer collect payments from consumers with just a blueprint. Land purchased had to be developed within two years, or the government would reclaim it. A series of policies were introduced to restrict purchases and control housing prices.

These regulations greatly benefited the public but inevitably squeezed smaller and medium-sized real estate companies to the brink of collapse.

Houting was already one of the most influential companies in the industry, but Su Ruini faced numerous thorny challenges lately.

The biggest issue was the cash crunch. As national policies tightened, banks became more cautious with lending, while buyers’ payments were delayed. Meanwhile, housing prices were under strict macroeconomic control. With less money coming in and more going out, Houting’s cash flow problems were inevitable.

Su Ruini currently had two ongoing projects in Shanghai and Wuhan, both of which were struggling financially. She urgently needed to kickstart the Fengyuan project in City A. The land’s appreciation potential was enormous, and completing this project would untangle all their financial knots, revitalizing the entire situation once funds were recouped.

Yet, among all her projects, Fengyuan was proving to be the biggest headache.

The land was nearing its two-year deadline. If they didn’t start construction soon, the government would reclaim it, meaning Houting would have to pay a hefty fine—a blow that could potentially bankrupt the entire company. Su Ruini was beside herself with worry. A few stubborn households refused to relocate despite her offering generous compensation packages well above market rates. These families had initially shown interest but inexplicably hardened their stance later.

One household, the Yans, led the resistance. The head of the family, Yan Hai, was utterly unreasonable during negotiations. He blindly demanded 10 million yuan and insisted on receiving a fully furnished apartment after construction was completed.

Wasn’t this outright extortion? Houting couldn’t possibly fork out 10 million yuan just like that. Even if they could, there was no justification for being extorted!

Frustrated, Su Ruini personally visited Fengyuan to meet with the Yan family and other holdouts but left empty-handed. Reasoning with them was futile. Whenever things escalated, they’d dramatically collapse onto the ground, feigning helplessness and daring demolition crews to run them over.

Su Ruini was driven nearly mad.

In such a state, how could President Su possibly remain calm? At the office, she lashed out at her subordinates; at home, she vented her frustrations on her husband. Now, with her son returning, it was his turn to bear the brunt.

Seated on the living room’s leather sofa, she berated Hou Zihao as soon as he walked in: “Coming home so late again! So late again! How many times have I told you to come home earlier? You’re ignoring everything I say! What were you doing today, huh?”

Her tone was aggressive.

Hou Feng had endured two hours of verbal bombardment since coming home from work. Though he was secretly relieved his son had returned to share the burden, he still felt sympathy for the boy. So, sitting beside Su Ruini, he tried to mediate: “Well, today’s the last day of the semester. It’s normal for kids to hang out with friends. Don’t get upset—it’s not good for your health…”

Su Ruini was indiscriminately firing at everyone around her, and Hou Feng’s attempt to soothe her was akin to feeding himself to the tiger. Hou Zihao deeply appreciated his father’s sacrifice. Taking advantage of Su Ruini’s focus on Hou Feng, he swiftly slipped upstairs, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Entering his room, closing the door, putting down his bag, pulling out his phone, and opening the chat window with Zhou Leqi—all in one fluid motion.

“What are you doing?”

Even as he typed those mundane words, he couldn’t stop smiling. An unprecedented surge of excitement and joy overwhelmed him, leaving him restless. At the same time, he could still feel the warmth of the kiss she had given him over an hour ago—the soft touch of her lips and the sweet scent lingering on his cheek. Everything kept swirling through his mind.

…He was losing it.

Meanwhile, Zhou Leqi was in a similar state.

Ever since parting ways with Hou Zihao, she had been distracted, unable to focus on anything. Her mind kept replaying the events of the evening: her confession, the words she said to him, the kiss she initiated…

…The more she thought about it, the redder her face became, her heart raced faster, and her emotions grew increasingly hard to contain.

She realized she was missing someone she had parted with less than an hour ago.

This longing-induced restlessness only subsided when she received a text from him. Eagerly grabbing her phone, the simple four words “What are you doing?” seemed magically charged, quickening her heartbeat.

She stifled a smile, contemplating how to respond, when her phone vibrated again—it was him calling.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

It was nearly 10 PM by then, and Yu Qing had already gone to bed. Fearing she might wake her mother, Zhou Leqi quietly closed her bedroom door, crawled under the covers, and buried herself along with her phone before cautiously answering the call, her voice barely audible: “Hello?”

On the other end, low laughter responded.

Though familiar with his voice—hearing it every day hadn’t stirred her before—today, for some reason, it sent shivers down her spine. His voice seemed imbued with an irresistible allure.

Her cheeks flushed red.

“Are you asleep?” he asked.

“No,” she whispered softly. “But my mom is. I can’t talk too loudly.”

He acknowledged her response, unconsciously lowering his voice as well. “Then I should hang up… I don’t really have anything important to say. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

…Deadly.

Zhou Leqi’s fingers curled slightly. She couldn’t contain her growing smile, her heart overflowing with sweetness as if an entire jar of honey had spilled over.

“Mm,” she replied. “…We can text instead.”

There was something subtle about her words, almost like an invitation. Even she hadn’t expected herself to say that, and neither had the person on the other end. He seemed to pause momentarily before his soft laughter traveled through the miles, reaching her ears and leaving another indelible mark.

“Alright,” he said. “Goodnight.”

They continued chatting until 1 AM.

Two people who saw each other every single day somehow found endless topics to discuss, exchanging messages from 10 PM to 1 AM. By the time three hours had passed, Zhou Leqi’s phone was scorching hot, and she received a notification from her telecom provider warning her of an impending balance shortfall.

Finding this amusing, Zhou Leqi sent another message to Hou Zihao: How much does one text cost? Why am I running out of credit?

He: Let me check.

She had only intended to complain casually, not expecting him to actually look it up. To her surprise, a minute later, she received another notification from her telecom provider: “Your phone number ending in XXXX has been successfully recharged with 500 yuan.”

Zhou Leqi: …?

She was utterly speechless, torn between laughter and exasperation. Sending him another text: What did you do?!

He: ^_^

He: Recharged 500. Chat longer.

She: If you keep doing this, I’ll never dare tell you anything in the future. Every time I mention something, you send money.

He: Nonsense. When have I relied on you telling me? I always observe silently.

Zhou Leqi fell silent for a moment, reflecting. He was right—she rarely explicitly asked for help, yet he always seemed to appear whenever she needed him. This was because… he had been quietly watching over her.

Her heart swelled with even more sweetness. By 1 AM, an overwhelming desire to see him surged within her. She longed to rush into his arms the moment she saw him.

Suppressing this impulsive urge, she replied: Then I’ll recharge your phone bill too. Wait.

He: Don’t bother. I just topped up. It’d be a waste. Next time, treat me to a meal.

She: You always say that, and then it gets postponed. Eventually, you end up paying anyway.

He: That’s not true.

She: Pfft.

He: Or…

She: ?

He: …How about giving you a chance to treat me now?

She: Huh?

He: Sigh.

He: Take a look outside the window.

Staring at those words flashing on her screen, Zhou Leqi froze momentarily, her mind blank. Then, an absurd thought crossed her mind.

Could he possibly…

Though she dismissed the idea as impossible, her body had already sprung out of bed. Without bothering to put on slippers, she rushed to the window and yanked open the curtains.

Outside was a silent night bathed in hazy moonlight.

The area below was pitch dark, save for a small glowing dot—the screen of his phone.

He looked up, his gaze meeting hers across five floors. Even in the dim light, she seemed to see the brightness in his eyes and the handsome depth of his features.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest!

Forgetting to reply or tidy herself up, she grabbed a down jacket, slipped it on, and quietly dashed out of her room. Closing the front door behind her, her heart was filled with boundless joy and exhilaration.

She ran as fast as she could, faster than she ever knew she could. By the time she reached the fifth floor, she was already out of breath.

Finally reaching the ground floor, she saw the boy who had crossed half the city in the dead of night, standing quietly before her.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she immediately threw herself into his arms.