So handsome, so incredibly handsome—I really want to kiss him.

Xiao Qi tiptoed over, ready to remove her skin disguise, when the man suddenly turned around.

Their eyes met in the air.

What on earth—why did he turn his head so silently?

“Xiyang?” An expression of joy surged in Yichen’s dark eyes, followed by a glimmer of surprise. “How did you get in here?”

“I...” Xiao Qi’s big eyes darted around. Forget it, she’d check first and talk later. She grabbed his hand, inspecting it closely, her fair fingers scratching lightly at the back.

Strange. He didn’t seem to be wearing a disguise.

So why then...

Caught off guard, she found herself pinned against the wall once again.

She suddenly realized Yichen had two particular habits—no, two particular habits toward her.

First: grabbing her by the back of the neck.

Second: pinning her against the wall.

The man before her was strikingly handsome and upright, a heroic aura about him, his deep black eyes fixed intently on her.

So handsome, so dashing—she wanted to kiss him.

“Xiyang,” he lowered his gaze, a faint smile at his lips, “coming here so early—were you hoping to see me?”

“N-no,” Xiao Qi tried her best to look composed. “I, I...” She stammered, unable to finish, when inspiration struck. “I came to ask you—did you lock up your brother again?”

He looked at her with clear eyes. “It’s not locking him up. I just want him to quietly pursue his art.”

“Mr. Lin, I have four words for you,” she said.

Yichen’s lips curled. “Go on.”

“High-sounding pretexts.”

“...”

Faced with someone who played by no rules, the usually eloquent man was momentarily at a loss for words, perhaps for the first time in his life.

He rarely explained himself. “Yiyang enjoys painting. Holding an exhibition was his wish.”

Xiao Qi was unimpressed. “But you can’t just lock him up!”

“Xiyang,” Yichen sounded helpless, “those words are too harsh to use lightly.”

Xiao Qi huffed. “Well, do you know you can’t just pin someone to the wall whenever you like?”

“...”

Yichen chuckled, lowering his hand, and circled back to his earlier question. “Without an employee card, no one can enter the company. How did you get in?”

...Damn, why was he still hung up on that?

Maybe she could ask him indirectly?

Xiao Qi twirled a lock of hair, saying offhandedly, “You know, you’re really in good health! Yesterday, I was freezing, and you held me like that, yet you didn’t catch cold at all.”

“Xiyang, please don’t change the subject.”

...

Smart men are really hard to fool.

But if she just played mute, he wouldn’t pry open her mouth—would he?

And so...

“Xiyang?”

“Playing mute now?”

...

Yichen was rather helpless, so he let it slide. “Didn’t I say we’d go to the movies? Let’s go after work, all right?”

As long as the topic wasn’t about her being an alien, she was fine with seeing a movie.

Still, Xiao Qi couldn’t stay here all day—she had deliveries to make!

Sigh! Trying to get any information out of Lin Yichen was as hopeless as finding her signal transmitter.

Maybe she’d have better luck with Yiyang.

With that thought, she took out her phone and texted Auntie that she’d be home for lunch.

She’d already told Fang Yun she was going to see Yichen this morning.

Fang Yun was probably hoping she’d stay out late.

All the bodyguards knew Xiao Qi, so she made her way unimpeded to Yiyang’s studio.

Entering, she saw the young man sitting before the floor-to-ceiling window, paintbrush in hand, wholly absorbed in his work.

Golden sunlight poured in, pooling on the floor.

Xiao Qi was entranced all over again.

Wow, truly handsome.

The elder brother was striking and commanding.

The younger brother, bright and charming.

No wonder they were siblings!

As she approached, her gaze was instantly drawn to a small daisy in the corner of the painting.

The canvas depicted blue skies and white clouds, bathed in brilliant sunlight—so why, in the lower corner, a daisy?

It felt oddly out of place.

“Yiyang.”

Absorbed in his painting, Yiyang started at the sound of her voice. Looking up to see her, his handsome face broke into a smile. “Xiyang, what brings you here?”

“I came to see you!” Xiao Qi couldn’t help her curiosity, pointing at the painting. “You’re painting the sky, right? Why is there a little daisy in the corner?”

Yiyang glanced at the flower, a faint smile curving his lips, but it never reached his eyes before it faded.

“I just painted it on a whim.”

Xiao Qi studied him. The first time she’d met this young man, he’d seemed carefree, his handsome face radiant with unrestrained sunshine. But now, his eyes held a hint of gloominess.

She thought of the way he’d looked that night, drinking.

Could it be he was troubled by something?

A daisy...

Suddenly, a saying came to her.

Looking at the painting, Xiao Qi said unconsciously, “Though this daisy is in the corner, under the golden sunlight it stands out all the more. And the daisy’s meaning is hidden love. So, are you expressing your feelings for someone?”

Yiyang was dumbfounded.

She could even see through that?

Still, he naturally wouldn’t say more.

He pulled her to sit beside him. “I wasn’t sure what to paint. How about I paint you? I rarely do portraits—the last time was three years ago!”

Xiao Qi seized on the detail. “Who did you paint last time?”

...

She suddenly realized Xiyang wasn’t nearly as naïve as before.

Yiyang picked up his brush, his expression unreadable. “Just an ordinary friend.”

An hour later, Xiao Qi picked up the painting, looking utterly disgruntled. “This looks like some old crone.”

...

Yiyang snatched the painting and compared it to her. “I think it’s beautiful!”

“Look at my big eyes,” Xiao Qi protested, equal parts disdain and astonishment, “then look at these squinty eyes you drew. And my cherry lips—look what you’ve made, sausage lips! My perfect oval face—now it’s a flat pancake. My beautiful, enchanting face, and you’ve turned it into something only a mother could love. It’s a crime against beauty.”

...

Yiyang pouted. “If you’re that unsatisfied, how about I paint you again?”

Xiao Qi glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s nearly noon. I have deliveries to make. Let’s do it another day.”

“All right then.”

#

Fang Li came in with a file. “President Lin, the schedules for several special guests at the art exhibition have been submitted.”

Lin Yichen opened the file and scanned the list. His dark eyes landed on a familiar name, puzzled. “Kroos is coming too? I remember he refused our exhibition before, saying he had to meet an important friend. Look into it—find out who this friend is. I want to see what kind of person could matter so much to Kroos.”

“Yes, sir!”

For the first time in his workaholic life, Yichen left work on time.

He drove to the restaurant.

Xiao Qi hadn’t expected him to pick her up by car.

But since he’d come to drive her, she wasn’t about to be polite—it wasn’t as if she’d asked him.

The cinema was close by, less than ten minutes away.

The striking and commanding man drew admiring glances from the young women in the cinema.