You are my heartbeat

After returning to the dormitory, they took turns showering.

Shen Ning was the first to finish her shower, she sat on the bed, towel-drying her hair. Reaching for her phone, she turned it on and noticed the notifications lighting up her screen.

She raised her eyebrows. Hmm? Seven missed calls. All from Qin Yuheng.

She went to Weibo to see his scandal

To her surprise, the top post was an official clarification from ShengTian Group, accompanied by Qin Yuheng's personal statement.

YH : [The rumor is half true and half false. The truth: Yes, I am no longer single. The false: The woman in the photos has nothing to do with me. Please stop spreading baseless rumors, or I'll have to go home and kneel on durians.]

Shen Ning's lips curled faintly at the unusual humor in his response.

Darkhorse : [Damn it! Mr. Qin personally clarified the rumours!?]

Screamlouder : [WTH! Did anyone notice the last line in his post? OMG, is President Qin afraid of his wife? LoL]

Veiledflames : [He is married!?]

Screamlouder : [Didn't you see, he said 'home', I guess it's his wife.]

Veiledflames: [I need to see this 'wife'! Can someone track down who she is?!]

GossipQueen: [Wait, isn't the timing a bit suspicious? Did he only 'clarify' after the photos blew up?]

WhisperingGhost: [It's honestly so cute how he's low-key terrified of his wife. Who is this mysterious woman that made Mr. Cold CEO turn soft??]

TrueLoveFan: [My heart can't handle this! He's so protective of her, I bet she's a total queen. His whole tone changed when he mentioned her, I'm screaming.]

ConfusedCat: [Mrs. Qin, please show yourself up!]

Screamlouder : [Mrs. Qin please show yourself up!]

WhisperingGhost : [Mrs. Qin please show yourself up!]

Darkhorse : [+1]

TrueLoveFan : [+1]

And just like that, the hashtag #MrsQinPleaseShowYourself started trending, turning into the next hot topic.

As Shen Ning scrolled through the comments, her phone lit up again. The familiar name flashed across the screen: Qin Yuheng.

She stared at the screen for a moment before answering. "Hello?"

"Ah Ning," his voice was hoarse, "Why didn't you return my calls earlier?"

"My phone was off," she replied, her tone calm.

A brief silence followed.

"Ning," his voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of urgency. "...Did you see the clarification?"

"Yes," she replied simply, her tone giving nothing away.

He hesitated. "I didn't want you to misunderstand. There's nothing between me and that woman. She approached me out of nowhere. I had no idea the photos were taken."

There was a pause on the other end. "Do you believe me?" he asked, his voice soft, almost pleading.

"I do," Shen Ning replied, her tone steady yet distant. "But I don't like being caught off guard like this."

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly. "It won't happen again."

"I just want to hear your explanation," she said evenly. "...Actually I already received those photos two days before."

"Who was that person?"

"Anonymous," she replied curtly. "Alright, I'm busy. Goodnight."

The line went dead before he could respond, leaving him staring at his phone in silence.

Shen Ning placed her phone aside and joined her friends to finish their assignment.

Zhao Min glanced at her drawings and asked, "Hey, Shen Ning, you said you trust him. Then why do I feel like you were a little distant when talking to your boyfriend?"

Lu Nan chimed in, "Yeah, I felt the same way."

Shen Ning smiled heartlessly. "Hmph! Who asked him to get so close to another woman and smile at her! It's my way of punishment to him. If don't do this, he won't learn his lesson!" Jealousy was evident in her tone.

The three girls burst into laughter. "Haha. Shen Ning, you are so ruthless!"

An hour later, their assignment was finished.

Suddenly, Shen Ning's phone rang again. It was Qin Yuheng.

"Hello?"

"Come down. I'm outside your college gate."

"You're here?" she asked, surprised.

"Hmm."

Shen Ning blinked, momentarily taken aback. "...Okay."

Yun Xi, noticing the sudden shift in Shen Ning's expression, patted her shoulder. "Hey, where are you going?"

Shen Ning smiled. "My husband is outside the gate. I'm going to see him."

Yun Xi grinned. "Then don't be too late! The gate closes at 9 PM. You've got half an hour to be lovey-dovey."

-----

When she stepped outside, she spotted a low-key Bentley parked in the shadows. Qin Yuheng was standing near the door.

As soon as he saw her, he walked over and hugged her tightly. "Why are you out here in such thin clothes? Get in the car."

Shen Ning sat in the co-pilot seat.

"Is your assignment done?" he asked, glancing at her.

Through the faint glow of the car's interior, she noticed the exhaustion in his eyes. "Yes. I'll submit it tomorrow. You look so tired. Why didn't you rest instead of coming here?"

"I have nothing to do with that woman." He focused solely on whether she misunderstood him.

Shen Ning sighed.

"Ah Ning, don't be angry anymore."

"I'm not angry, really."

"But you're not talking to me like you used to," he said softly. "You're not even sitting closer to me." He glanced at the empty space between them.

If it were before, she would have already been in his arms or sitting on his lap. He hadn't heard her call him 'hubby' or 'Ah Yu' since that night.

"You—"

He suddenly paused. "By the way, who sent you those photos?"

Shen Ning showed him the number.

Qin Yuheng took a deep breath. "I'll get Wang Xu to look into the sender's details."

He turned to face her again. "Did Mu Chen show you the rumors?" he asked even though knowing the answer.

Shen Ning nodded.

"You believed his words and thought I was having an affair with another woman?" His voice was calm but there was a hint of hurt beneath the surface.