After the meal, Zhou Qin's joy dimmed by a faint melancholy. She rose to her feet and bid farewell with a gentle smile toward Li Yundong: "Alright then, I must be going now—can't intrude on your two-person world any longer."

Li Yundong smiled warmly, trying to dissuade her gently, "It's still early; why not stay a little longer?"

Zhou Qin shook her head with a wistful smile. "Another time perhaps?"

Without further protestation, Li Yundong merely chuckled and replied, "Very well then—see you tomorrow at school."

As Zhou Qin stepped out the door, she changed into her shoes and turned back with a radiant smile. "Thank you for today's hospitality—I had such a wonderful time eating."

With an easy wave, Li Yundong responded warmly, "Nonsense! You're too polite!"

Su Chan watched Zhou Qin depart through the peephole. Her sharp eyes caught the lingering sorrow in Zhou Qin's parting glance. The young girl wasted no time dragging Li Yundong toward her own room.

Bewildered by this sudden maneuver, Li Yundong followed her inside. The moment the door shut behind them, Su Chan whispered conspiratorially like a child caught stealing sweets: "Yundong... you should have gone after her!"

Li Yundong couldn't help but chuckle at this unexpected accusation. "I thought you had something important to say?"

When his words failed to register with her meaning, she blurted out in frustration: "Oh come on! Such a perfect spiritual partner and elixir furnace combination—wouldn't it be sheer waste to pass up?!"

A strange expression flickered across Li Yundong's face as he asked slowly, "What precisely are you implying?"

Su Chan stamped her foot impatiently. "You should have pursued her! Once we got together, money would never be a problem for us anymore. You could also obtain an exquisite yin furnace..."

A physical ache twisted in Li Yundong's chest as he thought: Is this girl truly heartless or simply treating me like a stranger? Who pushes their boyfriend toward another woman?

Though discontented inwardly, he merely replied with feigned cheerfulness, "Indeed? Then I'm off to go?"

Eagerly pushing him toward the door, Su Chan shoved him right to the threshold. "Hurry up! She might be too far already!"

After lacing his shoes and glancing back at her, Li Yundong asked with mock seriousness, "So am I really going now?"

Su Chan giggled and waved him off, shutting the door behind as she did so.

Back against that closed door, Su Chan's mind raced with calculations: If Yundong truly partnered with Zhou Qin, our financial burdens would vanish forever! He could focus purely on cultivation... His progress would skyrocket day by day!

Her mirthful thoughts were abruptly interrupted—what if Yundong stopped being intimate with her? What if she no longer mattered to him the way he was now toward herself?

A sharp pang pierced through Su Chan's chest. Memories of their shared moments began flashing like film reels before her eyes: every glance exchanged, every stolen kiss under moonlight... The realization struck her suddenly—she could never live without this man again!

The thought left her breathless and trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks. Without hesitation she flung open the door to chase after him, only to find Li Yundong still standing there with that same warm smile in his eyes.

Time seemed suspended between them at that moment—sweetness and sorrow intertwining into an invisible thread binding their hearts closer than ever before.

"I'm so sorry!" Su Chan wailed as she threw herself into his arms, clinging desperately to him like a drowning soul. "I won't let you go!"

Li Yundong's strong hands cradled her waist while one hand gently rubbed her back in soothing circles. "My silly girl," he murmured softly, "how could I possibly leave?"

Her sobs subsided gradually as she mumbled pathetically into his chest: "Carry me inside..."

With a chuckle Li Yundong swept her up effortlessly and carried her toward the living room sofa. Though Su Chan stood tall at 165cm, his strength made her feel weightless in his arms.

She wrapped herself tightly around him as if fearing he might vanish like morning mist. Inhaling deeply of his masculine scent, she finally lifted her tear-streaked face with blushing cheeks and whispered seductively: "Kiss me now..."

Her long lashes fluttered shut as Li Yundong bent down to kiss away the remaining tear on her cheek then kissed it gently onto her lips.

She licked away the salty taste with a giggle. "Bitter!"

He grinned wickedly, lowering his head once more to devour her plump red lips while his tongue deftly parted her teeth and slipped past them.

A soft mewl escaped Su Chan's throat as she melted into his embrace. Their kiss grew heated until their parted lips left a glistening thread between them. Li Yundong broke it with a teasing wipe of his fingers. "Still bitter?"

Her eyes darkened with desire as she giggled breathlessly, "Stinky!"

His brows arched playfully before he leaned in for another kiss. This time Su Chan eagerly met him halfway while her hands began to wander southward...

Just as Li Yundong's hands found their way onto the soft swell of her chest, a sudden knock shattered the moment. Startled by this intrusion on their intimacy, she sprang up and dashed into the bedroom in mortified panic.

Left dangling between heaven and earth, Li Yundong slumped dejectedly on the sofa, cursing whoever had dared interrupt them at that precise moment. Forcing his rising desires down with deep breaths, he finally rose to answer the door.

Standing there was a girl with striking features—her beauty rivaled even Su Chan's. At around 160cm tall, she wore a high school uniform and pigtail buns, her eyes sparkling with keen intelligence as they scanned Li Yundong from head to toe.

"Full brow bones here," she mentally noted, "deep philtrum line... clear spiritual energy in his gaze. Definitely someone trained."

Though double partnerships weren't unheard of among cultivators, this particular situation reeked more of carnal indulgence than sacred practice. With a barely concealed scoff at her own misfortune, she performed the traditional cultivation greeting: one palm raised before her chest with thumb tucked inward as she formally intoned, "Wujiang Shoufu! Fourth generation disciple Ru Hongling of Dragon-Tiger Mountain's Qinggong Sect under Master Wang respectfully greets this fellow cultivator. May I inquire about your lineage?"

Li Yundong stared blankly at the girl who spoke in anachronistic phrases while dressed in modern high school uniform. Her mention of "Dragon-Tiger Mountain" and "Qinggong Sect" only deepened his confusion—was she mad or merely playing games?

While Li Yundong stood bewildered by this linguistic paradox, Su Chan's ears had caught every word from the bedroom door. The moment realization struck her mind, all lust vanished instantly as if struck by lightning. A chilling dread gripped her chest: It was HER! She came back!