"Shhh…" Shu Lanzhou rushed over and clamped a hand over his mouth. "You can't say that! Don't say it—this is a secret, my secret! I'm not telling anyone!"
"All those bad people… they're all going to prison. I'll make sure they're locked up, every single one of them… hmph!"
Maybe it was because Mu Side had spoiled her too much over the past year that she'd let her guard down completely around him.
Mu Side grabbed her by the wrist. "Who are the bad people? Who's going to prison?"
"You're so handsome, gege!" Shu Lanzhou tilted her head back to look at him and giggled. "Why are you so good-looking?"
She reached out to touch his face, even leaning in to kiss him.
Mu Side looked helpless—clearly, she was drunk and talking nonsense. And to think he almost believed she was hiding some huge secret!
Her "secret" was probably just the pain inflicted by those people in her past—nothing worth recalling. Mu Side had never asked her about it, because he couldn't bear to see her reopen those wounds.
"I'm taking you somewhere," Mu Side said, scooping her up in his arms.
Shu Lanzhou let out a startled gasp and instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
By the time Mu Side placed her in the car, she had already fallen asleep in his arms.
He didn't have the heart to wake her, so he told the driver to start the car.
Still, he couldn't figure it out—wasn't this girl allergic to alcohol? Why was she drinking recklessly again?
Or was there more to that "allergic reaction" than she had let on?
She didn't wake until the next morning.
Crap!
Shu Lanzhou sat up with a start—she had something important to do today. What time was it?
Panicking, she searched for her phone. In her haste, she fell out of bed—and that's when she realized something was off.
Where was she?
Why was she here?
She looked around, completely baffled—a cozy bedroom decorated in a cute style, lavender curtains, a heart-shaped lamp, and a soft, comfy bed.
This definitely wasn't a hotel. Not the Mu family residence either. And it couldn't possibly be the school dorms.
She scrambled up from the floor and noticed her clothes had been changed—she was now wearing cartoon-print pajamas.
"Ah—!"
"What's wrong?" Mu Side came running in from outside.
He was wearing an apron and holding a spatula.
The moment she saw him, Shu Lanzhou's face turned scarlet—but at the same time, she breathed a small sigh of relief. "N-Nothing's wrong."
She rubbed her sore backside instinctively—it still hurt from the fall!
"You fell off the bed?" Mu Side chuckled, reaching out to help her up. "Where does it hurt? Let me see."
"No, I'm fine!" she stammered, waving him off, her cheeks flushed. "Gege, where is this place?"
Mu Side gently ruffled her hair. "Don't remember?"
She shook her head, eyes lowered, fingers fidgeting nervously.
Even though they'd grown closer over the past year, they hadn't yet shared a bed. And now… after she'd gotten drunk last night…
She couldn't bear to imagine what might've happened.
Mu Side sighed. "Go change and come out. I'll explain everything."
He quickly returned to the kitchen, where something delicious was sizzling in the pan.
Shu Lanzhou sniffed the air, feeling drawn by the smell, but she turned back to get dressed.
That's when she noticed that her clothes from yesterday were gone. Inside the wardrobe were brand-new clothes—all her size, in a wide variety of styles.
Her cheeks flushed again, but this time with a flutter of joy. She reached for a sleek, professional-looking outfit, got changed, washed up, and stepped out of the room.
"Come eat," Mu Side said, bringing breakfast to the table.
Shu Lanzhou sat down, glancing around the apartment with curiosity.
Why did this place feel so… familiar?
Mu Side handed her a glass of milk. "I told you last night, remember nothing at all?"
"You said you were taking me somewhere…" she thought hard, "but after that, it's all blank."
She didn't even remember how she got changed or into bed.
"Eat first. I'll show you around after," Mu Side said, not in a hurry to reveal anything yet.
"You're not supposed to drink, remember? And you got yourself drunk again—what if something had happened?" He sounded a little annoyed.
Shu Lanzhou stuck her tongue out. "It was fruit wine—it was sweet and not spicy. Besides, I only remembered the allergy after I drank it. I thought it was just a small amount and wouldn't matter…"
She pouted, thinking back to that night. "Sorry. I forgot to tell you."
Mu Side felt a pinch in his chest remembering how scared he'd been that night.
Forget it. It had been a while ago, and now this silly girl was his girlfriend. What was the point of holding a grudge?
"Alright, I won't scold you. Just eat—there's more I want to show you after."
Shu Lanzhou chewed thoughtfully, sensing she was missing something.
Then suddenly, it clicked.
"Wait… the décor? The furniture? Even the little items—they're all things I said I liked before, aren't they?"
She wasn't being narcissistic—it was just all too familiar. Exactly like what she'd once seen in a home design magazine.
A long time ago, she'd casually flipped through a home décor magazine on the Mu family's coffee table. He Sixin had asked her what kind of style she liked, saying Second Uncle Mu was moving out and looking for ideas.
She had no idea that Mu Side had remembered everything she said…
Mu Side smiled warmly. "Glad you still remember. You noticed, huh?"
He tapped her on the nose. "Your graduation present—our home."
"From the moment I bought this place, to the renovation, to picking out every piece of furniture and decoration—it took over a year. Do you like it?"
Tears welled up in Shu Lanzhou's eyes. "Yes. I love it. How… how could you be this amazing? You started preparing this so long ago…"
"From the day you agreed to be my girlfriend, I wanted a space that belonged just to the two of us." Mu Side walked over, bent down, and scooped her into his arms.
"There are too many people at the Mu house. School isn't private enough. And I couldn't bear to take you somewhere else. I wanted to be alone with you, so I had to make you a home."
"Decorating is exhausting. I thought about doing it with you, choosing everything together. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want you to get tired."
"Shushu, I love you. From now on, this is our home. Okay?"
Shu Lanzhou burst into tears. "Okay. I have a home now. I love you. I love you so, so much!"
Maybe she didn't fully understand how to love someone yet—but when it came to Mu Side, she knew she could never let him go.
Mu Side gently tucked her hair behind her ear. "Then don't go anywhere today. Stay with me, just for today, okay?"
"…"
Shu Lanzhou really wanted to agree—but there was something important she had to do today. A promise she'd made long ago.
"I…" she wrapped her arms around his neck, "how about this—I stay with you all afternoon and evening, and all of tomorrow too?"
"Got something planned?" Mu Side raised an eyebrow.
She nodded. "It's something I've prepared for over a year. I can't miss it. We have all the time in the world, right?"
"You silly girl." Mu Side pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "We're going to spend forever together. If it's important, of course I won't hold you back."
"Where are you going? I'll come with you."
"The research institute. I'm meeting with Yi Ming." Shu Lanzhou leaned into him, her voice soft. "I promise I'll be quick. The rest of the day is all yours."
At the research institute, Yi Ming could hardly contain his grin when he saw Shu Lanzhou.
"Junior, you're here! Want to take a look around the lab?"
"Not today. I still have to finalize the paper," Shu Lanzhou waved him off. "You've already finished your revisions, right? Confirmed the results again?"
Yi Ming nodded eagerly. "Don't worry—it's solid. Once it's published, it'll make waves. Oh, and Leader Ni's team has already validated the results. This will be huge for our next phase."
"Shu Lanzhou, how did you even predict this outcome? It's incredible!"
Shu Lanzhou just smiled and shook her head. "I'm not that great—I just have a wild imagination. You're the one who made it real. Trust me, all your hard work this past year will pay off."
"I'm heading out now."
Seeing that she had no intention of staying to chat, Yi Ming couldn't help feeling disappointed. After more than a year, there had been no progress between him and Shu Lanzhou.
He had thought that once the experiment succeeded, she'd finally see him in a different light.
But now… it seemed…