“Dad, we’re off,” said Liang Si-Yao said to Liang Zheng-Chun after he alighted from the car. There was a blissful smile on her face.

“Be careful on the roads,” nagged Liang Zheng-Chun.

“Yes, Dad.” Liang Si-Yao waved at him.

Liang Zheng-Chun walked through the doors of the martial school and Liang Si-Yao suddenly hit Xia Lei and said huffily, “It’s all your fault! I didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

“I didn’t sleep either,” said Xia Lei.

“Were you thinking about naughty things?” Liang Si-Yao asked teasingly.

Xia Lei’s face reddened. They didn’t go 100% in the study last night but they did get to 30%. Oh, let the Heavens have pity on him - he was a virgin who had never touched a woman and he could only do a third of it the first time. How could he bear it?

“So you were thinking naughty thoughts, you bad man!” Liang Si-Yao hit him again.

Her hit did not hurt but Xia Lei let out a fake cry of pain.

“Does it hurt?” Liang Si-Yao asked in concern.

Xia Lei laughed. “How can it hurt when you couldn’t bear to hit me hard?”

“Liar, liar! It wasn’t enough that you bullied me last night, you have to bully me again today.” Liang Si-Yao batted at him with her fists and her blows fell on him like raindrops. Punches like these wouldn’t harm a hair on him even if she hit him a thousand times.

Xia Lei caught Liang Si-Yao’s hand and looked at her silently. He suddenly found her very beautiful. Her face, her eyes, her pet.i.te mouth - everything about her looked the best. The expression ‘beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’ fit his feelings exactly.

Liang Si-Yao also quieted and looked back at Xia Lei silently, her large dark eyes unblinking. She also felt like he was very handsome. His face, his eyes and his lips were all s.e.xy. She and him were still Senior and Junior Disciple before yesterday but they had lost control of themselves in the study and had been honest with their feelings. The paper window between them had been torn when they’d almost done the deed. They could never go back to the simple Senior and Junior relations.h.i.+p they had; it was now replaced by a new lovers’ relations.h.i.+p. Yes, lovers. In her heart, Xia Lei was her lover and a good man worthy enough for her to entrust her whole life to.

As they looked quietly at each other, they imperceptibly drew closer and their lips met at the same time in a kiss. Their kiss deepened and their tongues entwined. It was as if each of their tongues were the most exquisite dessert in the world and eating this dessert was the most enjoyable and exhilarating thing ever.

Beep, beeeeep!

The car behind them suddenly honked.

They hurriedly sprang apart and Liang Si-Yao moved the car forward nervously.

The driver behind them stuck his head out his window to scold them. “d.a.m.n you two, having car s.e.x first thing in the morning? Go to a hotel and get a room, not on the road! Are you f.u.c.king kidding me?”

Liang Si-Yao stuck her tongue out in the red BMW M6, her face red. “The guy behind us must have road rage.”

“Yep, road rage. We shouldn’t argue with him.” Xia Lei’s face was red too and his trousers were tented.

Liang Si-Yao peeked and giggled. “You know, last night, I…”

“I’m sorry, I was too impulsive last night. I shouldn’t have done that, “ said Xia Lei anxiously.

“Oh, so you know your mistake?” Liang Si-Yao grinned happily. “Okay, I’ll forgive poor wretched you.”

Xia Lei couldn’t help looking down at his trousers and suddenly feeling like he was indeed rather wretched.

Liang Si-Yao peeked at Xia Lei’s crotch again and her cheeks flushed as she said in a small voice, “We’re both adults in our twenties so impulsiveness is fairly normal. Um, I actually left the door unlocked for you last night. Why didn’t you come over if you felt like you couldn’t bear it?”

Xia Lei was speechless.

She was such a gentle and thoughtful woman - she had even thought of that but he had stupidly sought relief with his hand. When he heard her say those thoughtful words, he felt like slamming his head into the winds.h.i.+eld in regret.

Liang Si-Yao reached out to hold Xia Lei’s hand in hers and said gently, “Lei, when will we tell Dad about us? I want to be with you and not have to hide it.”

Xia Lei’s heart was mush. “Wait for me to be done with helping Shentu Tian-Yin solve her problem and we’ll tell Master. Is that okay?”

“You’re still going to pretend to be her boyfriend?” Liang Si-Yao pouted her peach-lips in unhappiness.

No woman would like her boyfriend to date another woman, even if it was fake. The heart of a woman in love was most jealous and Liang Si-Yao was no exception. Her heart was full of love for Xia Lei and no one else - of course she didn’t want another woman in his heart.

“Si-Yao, me and her… are fake, not real. I’m just helping her.” Xia Lei could sense the jealousy from her and knew that the situation was unfair to her but he still wanted to go to Shentu Tian-Yin because she needed him and he’d promised her.

Liang Si-Yao was quiet for a long while before she said, “Okay, but you’re not allowed to hold hands, kiss or have s.e.x.”

Xia Lei was speechless.

“How long must you pretend?” asked Liang Si-Yao.

“I don’t know. Probably till Shentu Yi and Shentu Tian-Feng show their hand. I think she wants to get evidence and get rid of the opposition within the clan in one move,” said Xia Lei.

“From what you told me I think she really is quite the poor thing. Her grandparents, clan members and relatives are all plotting against her; she’s all alone,” said Liang Si-Yao compa.s.sionately.

Xia Lei raised her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss, smiling as he said, “Our Si-Yao is highly principled. You must be the greatest gift from the G.o.ds; I am content just having you.”

“What sweet words. I’m not going to listen to you.” Liang Si-Yao said that but a smile bloomed on her face. This was her actual first day in a relations.h.i.+p with Xia Lei and she was feeling great; it was all sweet as honey.

Xia Lei then spoke seriously, “I had my own considerations when I agreed to help Shentu Tian-Yin. It is important to have connections when doing business. If we can have a good relations.h.i.+p with Vientaine Group, our company would benefit no matter what.”

“Mm, I support you. Go.”

“Heh heh,” laughed Xia Lei, “Our Si-Yao’s the best.”

Liang Si-Yao suddenly glared at Xia Lei again. “No holding hands, no kissing and no s.e.x! I’ll check your body every day when you come home. If I smell her on you… Humph! I’ll make you kneel on a washboard!”

Xia Lei was flabbergasted.

Did she have a washboard at home?

The red BMW M6 arrived at Thunder Horse Manufacturing as they chatted and laughed. A Rolls Royce Phantom was parked by the side of the road in front of the manufacturing plant. Shentu Tian-Yin was waiting.

Liang Si-Yao drove her BMW M6 straight to the front of the Rolls Royce Phantom, then opened the door and alighted. Fu Ming-Mei got out of the driver’s seat at that moment and smiled as she greeted Xia Lei. “Morning, Brother-in-law.”

Xia Lei glanced at Liang Si-Yao and didn’t dare answer.

Liang Si-Yao suddenly grabbed Xia Lei by the arm and pulled him to the side of the Rolls Royce Phantom.

Fu Ming-Mei looked at Liang Si-Yao in astonishment. She wasn’t sure what was going on.

The back window of the Rolls Royce Phantom wound down and Shentu Tian-Yin’s face of unearthly beauty emerged from within. She looked at Liang Si-Yao holding onto Xia Lei’s arm and something flashed in her eyes but had no other outward reaction. She said a placid greeting, “h.e.l.lo, Miss Liang.”

“h.e.l.lo, Miss Shentu.” Liang Si-Yao greeted her too.

No further words were exchanged between the two women. She stared at her and she stared back. Weirdly enough, there seemed to be the smell of smoke in the air.

Xia Lei was caught between them with a huge heachache. He wanted this embarra.s.sing encounter to end but didn’t know what to say.

Shentu Tian-Yin gave a small grin. “Get in the car. We’re going to pick some gifts for my grandparents. It’s your first time going to visit our clan so it won’t be good to go empty-handed.”

Xia Lei was about to agree to get into the car when Liang Si-Yao blocked him off with her body.

“Your tie’s a little crooked. I’ll help you fix it.” Liang Si-Yao straightened his tie tenderly. Xia Lei’s tie wasn’t actually crooked at all.

Fu Ming-Mei’s brows wrinkled and she looked like she was going to take action but one look from Shentu Tian-Yin stopped her.

Liang Si-Yao finished straightening his tie and suddenly planted a kiss on his lips. “Go. Remember what I said to you.”

Xia Lei smiled wryly and nodded. He knew what she meant - no holding hands, no kissing and no s.e.x. However, he had already committed the sins of holding hands and kissing. Should he come clean about it?

Xia Lei got in the car and Liang Si-Yao tapped on the door. “I’ll be leaving our Lei in your hands. Take care of him,” she said to Shentu Tian-Yin.

‘Our Lei’ - this was an obvious staking of territory.

Strangely, Shentu Tian-Yin was still calm after hearing Liang Si-Yao say that. She calmly nodded. “You can be at ease.” Then she spoke again, “Ming-Mei, start driving.”

Fu Ming-Mei glared at Liang Si-Yao and drove the car away from Thunder Horse Manufacturing.

Liang Si-Yao watched the Rolls Royce Phantom go off into the distance and only spoke when she lost sight of it. “Will Xia Lei resent me for this? But… this is ridiculous. He’s my boyfriend but he has to be her boyfriend. She even came to fetch him away. Isn’t this stepping on my kindness?”

In the Rolls Royce Phantom.

“Miss Liang knows?” said Shentu Tian-Yin.

“Yes, I had to tell her certain things but you don’t have to worry. I trust her. She won’t tell anyone,” said Xia Lei.

Fu Ming-Mei interrupted, “She won’t tell anyone? She kissed you right there! If Shentu Tian-Feng or Shentu Yi saw that we’d be busted.”

“Ming-Mei.” Shentu Tian-Yin’s tone was sharp.

Fu Ming-Mei shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll shut up and drive.”

Shentu Tian-Yin looked at Xia Lei. “That… When did you two start?”

“We… I don’t remember.” This question put Xia Lei in a spot. They had officially begun their relations.h.i.+p last night in Master Liang Zheng-Chun’s study but that was just the result. He couldn’t be sure of the start or process of their relations.h.i.+p; he did not know when Liang Si-Yao had stolen into his heart. He had lost control and erupted last night with the stimulation she gave him.

“Let’s go pick gifts.” Shentu Tian-Yin changed the topic.

Xia Lei silently let out a breath of relief. “Nn.”

Silence then reigned in the ambiguous atmosphere of the car.