At that moment, Long Yubei stood behind her, his hands enveloping hers as they gripped the cue together. Every time Gu Lili leaned forward to strike the ball, he would press closer against her, drawing a flustered glare and a hushed warning from her: "Liang He and the others are right there—behave yourself."
"What have I done?" he countered with feigned innocence. "I'm merely teaching you. Focus on the game, and spare me your wild imagination."
Still, he refused to admit his mischief.
Left with no choice, Gu Lili indulged him.
A smirk played on Long Yubei's lips as he occasionally let his hand linger where it shouldn't, forcing her to maintain an air of composed indifference.
From the sofa, Liang He and Shi Xiaotian observed their antics with perfect clarity.
"Why is your face so red?" Liang He asked, slanting a glance at her.
Shi Xiaotian cupped her cheeks—indeed, they burned. "I… I'm just warm."
He chuckled but spared her further embarrassment.
By afternoon, they had returned to Qinyuan.
Gu Lili lay in bed for a brief nap, only to plunge into a nightmare.
It took several calls of her name from Long Yubei before she finally stirred.
"Bad dream?"
She sat up slowly and nodded. "An unsettling one. Disturbing, even."
"What was it about?"
"Best left unspoken." She rose and splashed water on her face in the bathroom, staring at her reflection as fragments of the dream resurfaced—trapped in a cage, surrounded by writhing snakes, while a shadowed figure in black stood motionless with a sword in hand.
The man's face remained obscured.
Why such a dream?
How bizarre.
Was it a warning?
By evening, the Long family called with news—Long Tianjiao had been hospitalized after a brawl with another student.
Gu Lili was stunned. "I thought schoolyard fights were a boys' pastime?"
"You're behind the times," Long Yubei replied. "Plenty of girls form cliques now."
As she fastened her seatbelt, she added, "Given your sister's status, her opponent must be from a wealthy family too."
"Father said it was Yeying—Yeyan's half-sister."
"Ah. That explains it."
When they arrived at the hospital, Long Tianjiao lay sullenly in bed, enduring a scolding from her parents.
Gu Lili's eyes widened—her sister-in-law's forehead was heavily bandaged, her face swollen.
"If she hadn't brought her little gang, I'd have smashed her face in!" Tianjiao fumed. "Who does she think she is? Openly declaring she'd pursue Cong Mo—as if he isn't my sister's!"
"If she wants to chase him, let her," her mother chided. "Your sister and Cong Mo split years ago. He's not your brother-in-law. Must you always be so rash?"
"It wasn't just that!" Tianjiao retorted. "You didn't hear the vile things she said about Jiejie—that she only exists because of some 'mutation' in your womb, that she'd have been handsome if born male, but as a woman? Disgraceful. I wanted to throttle her!"
Madame Long's frown deepened. "Well, if her tongue was that poisonous, she deserved it. Still—look at you. You might scar. Rest here a few days."