When the door opened,

it wasn’t Ban Chan standing outside, but Bai Yue’er.

Two hours earlier.

That afternoon, the clothes and shoes Bai Yue’er purchased at the mall were delivered to the hotel by the store staff.

Ban Chan helped bring everything back to the room and began packing Bai Yue’er’s suitcase.

As she was folding clothes, she couldn’t help but sigh, “Mr. Xu is really good to you, Yue’er.”

Bai Yue’er had been sitting by the window, lost in thought as she gazed outside.

Something about those words must have struck a nerve.

She suddenly snapped out of her daze and turned to look at Ban Chan.

Her intense gaze left Ban Chan momentarily stunned.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

Bai Yue’er liked Xu Xiuwen.

It was a secret she had kept to herself, never confiding in anyone.

But today, an overwhelming urge to share it surged within her.

Unable to hold back, she blurted out, “Sister Chan, I want to go see him now!”

Ban Chan didn’t quite understand. “What?”

Bai Yue’er clarified, “Xu Xiuwen! I’m afraid he’ll leave tomorrow, and I don’t know when I’ll see him again. There are things I’m scared I won’t have the courage to say later. If I don’t speak up tonight, I’ll regret it.”

Ban Chan had long noticed how often Bai Yue’er mentioned Xu Xiuwen.

Though her words were often critical or complaining, there was always a trace of joy in her expression.

Now, hearing Bai Yue’er speak so openly, Ban Chan finally confirmed her suspicions: Bai Yue’er was indeed in love with the boss.

As a rising star in the entertainment industry and still quite young, Bai Yue’er was at a stage where a public relationship could ruin her career.

As Bai Yue’er’s assistant—and essentially half her manager—Ban Chan’s future and career were closely tied to Bai Yue’er’s.

Naturally, Ban Chan didn’t want Bai Yue’er to be involved in a romance right now.

But whether it was Bai Yue’er or Xu Xiuwen, they were both out of her control.

If either of them made a decision, there would be nothing she could do to stop it.

Ban Chan fell into a dilemma.

Bai Yue’er, however, remained oblivious to her assistant’s concerns.

Her mind was entirely consumed by Xu Xiuwen, leaving her restless and uncertain.

She muttered to herself,

“Sister Chan, do you think he’ll find me shameless if I confess to him first? Would he be disgusted by me?”

“But I don’t even know if he likes me. What if I’m just deluding myself?”

“Ugh, he has a girlfriend, but I really, really like him. Why couldn’t I have met him first? It’s so unfair.”

At first, Ban Chan didn’t take Bai Yue’er’s ramblings seriously.

But when she heard her say Xu Xiuwen had a girlfriend, she froze.

“Yue’er, did you just say Mr. Xu has a girlfriend?”

“Mm-hmm.”

That was the biggest obstacle standing between her and Xu Xiuwen.

If Xu Xiuwen didn’t have a girlfriend, Bai Yue’er would have pursued him fearlessly, even if she already had a fiancé.

But not only did Xu Xiuwen have a girlfriend, but one of them was her close roommate.

Bai Yue’er truly didn’t know what to do.

Loving Xu Xiuwen was a secret Bai Yue’er had carried for far too long.

She hadn’t had anyone she could confide in before.

Now, she let go of all her reservations and confessed everything to her trusted assistant.

The two young girls stayed in the room talking for a long time.

No one knew exactly what they discussed.

But in the end, Bai Yue’er found herself standing outside Xu Xiuwen’s hotel room.

She was holding a bottle of red wine, a gift from one of the event organizers in Shanghai.

The cork had already been opened—she had poured herself a glass earlier.

The wine gave her courage.

Without it, she wouldn’t have dared to knock on the door.

After finishing that glass, she finally mustered the nerve.

So, when Xu Xiuwen opened the door, he saw Bai Yue’er standing there and caught a strong whiff of alcohol.

Xu Xiuwen was momentarily startled before asking, “Why are you here? Is something wrong?”

In truth, he already had a vague idea of what this might be about.

A young woman showing up late at night, dressed in a nightgown and holding a bottle of wine—what else could it be?

To Xu Xiuwen, this was a test of his self-control.

Looking at the youthful, lively, and adorably innocent Bai Yue’er, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted.

But with his complicated romantic entanglements—and the fact that Bai Yue’er was engaged to his roommate, Shi Xiangming—he really couldn’t afford to give in.

Bai Yue’er stood at the door for a while, waiting, but Xu Xiuwen never invited her in.

Disheartened, she bit her lip, her large, innocent eyes looking at him with a touch of sadness.

“Aren’t you even going to let me come in and sit for a while?”

This was not a door Xu Xiuwen could afford to open lightly.

He had strong self-control in most areas, but when it came to women, his resolve was significantly weaker.

If he let Bai Yue’er into the room, he wasn’t sure he could resist the temptation.

To play it safe, it was better to nip this in the bud.

Pretending not to understand her intentions, Xu Xiuwen said, “I was just about to head out. If you have something to say, just tell me now.”

Bai Yue’er stared at him, looking deeply wronged.

“Then you go ahead. I’ll just wait for you in your room.”

She lowered her head and tried to squeeze past him into the room.

Instinctively, Xu Xiuwen blocked her with his body.

“Xu Xiuwen!”

“What’s wrong?” he feigned innocence.

“Why won’t you let me in?!”

“I didn’t say that,” Xu Xiuwen denied flatly.

Bai Yue’er felt a mix of sadness and anger.

She had already cast aside her pride and taken the initiative to seek him out, yet he wouldn’t even let her step inside.

What a heartless man.

Realizing that forcing her way in wasn’t going to work, Bai Yue’er quickly changed tactics.

“I’m here to have a drink with you. Isn’t today my birthday? You came all this way to celebrate with me. The other day, an event organizer gave me a nice bottle of wine, so I brought it for you to try. Consider it my way of thanking you for being here for my birthday.”

Xu Xiuwen froze in awkward silence.

Although Bai Yue’er’s excuse wasn’t entirely flawless, it was at least plausible.

He could refuse her again, but that felt unnecessarily cruel.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, “Come in.”

A smile lit up Bai Yue’er’s face.

In the corner of the room was a round table with two leather chairs.

Once inside, Bai Yue’er headed straight for the table.

After Bai Yue’er sat down, she looked at Xu Xiuwen, who was still standing some distance away. Smiling, she beckoned him over.

“Xu Xiuwen, come here!”

Xu Xiuwen walked toward her, though his steps were slow and deliberate.

At that moment, Bai Yue’er suddenly realized something. “Oh no, I forgot to bring wine glasses. Xu Xiuwen, do you have any wine glasses here?”

Before he could answer, she murmured to herself, “Ah, you probably don’t. What do we do now?”

Watching her fret over such a small issue, Xu Xiuwen found her a little adorable.

“Wait here. I’ll step out for a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll go get some glasses and maybe grab something to eat. Are we just drinking wine?”

“Alright,” Bai Yue’er nodded, not opposing the idea.

Xu Xiuwen stood up and started heading toward the door.

Just as he took a couple of steps—

“Wait!”

Bai Yue’er called out from behind.

Xu Xiuwen turned back, confused. “What is it?”

Bai Yue’er bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Xu Xiuwen, you’re not planning to avoid me and not come back, are you?”

Xu Xiuwen froze for a second.

He had actually considered that very idea a moment ago—but it had only been a fleeting thought.

Now that Bai Yue’er had called him out, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.

Scratching his nose, he shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll come back after I’m done.”

Bai Yue’er responded with a soft “Oh. Alright, then.”

“Mm,” Xu Xiuwen nodded and walked out.

Once he was gone, the room felt much quieter with only Bai Yue’er left.

At first, she sat patiently in the armchair, waiting. But as time passed, her patience began to wear thin.

Her eyes wandered to the bed, where Xu Xiuwen’s clothes from earlier in the day were neatly laid out.

It was a white shirt.

For a moment, Bai Yue’er was lost in thought. She shook her head, muttering to herself, “No, Bai Yue’er, you’re an actress. Can’t you stop acting like some lovesick fool?”

But barely a minute later, she found herself standing by the bed.

Carefully, she picked up Xu Xiuwen’s shirt with both hands.

Unable to resist, she buried her face in it and took a deep breath.

There was a faint scent of lavender mixed with a light hint of sweat.

It wasn’t unpleasant at all—in fact, it was strangely intoxicating.

Bai Yue’er’s face flushed red in an instant.

Even though she was the only one in the room, her heart pounded wildly in her chest.

Twenty minutes later, Xu Xiuwen finally returned.

He placed the barbecue he had bought and two wine glasses on the table.

Bai Yue’er was still sitting in the armchair, in the same position as when he had left.

Xu Xiuwen didn’t notice the subtle avoidance in her gaze, nor did he realize the position of his shirt on the bed had shifted.

“What did you get? It smells amazing,” Bai Yue’er asked.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled as he put the food down. “Barbecue.”

“Oh no, what do I do? I can’t eat barbecue.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too greasy. I’ll gain weight, and then I won’t look good on camera.”

“Haha, it’s fine. Eating it once in a while won’t hurt. Besides, you’re already slim enough. Any thinner, and it wouldn’t look good either.”

Bai Yue’er rolled her eyes at Xu Xiuwen and said, “Everyone says the thinner you are, the better you look on camera, but you’re the only one who says being too thin isn’t good. Fine, I’ll eat. But if I gain weight and my fans scold me, I’ll tell them it’s your fault.”

“Mm, go ahead and eat.”

Hearing this, Bai Yue’er felt reassured.

She unwrapped the foil-covered plastic box, revealing it was packed full of skewers—both vegetarian and meat.

She picked up a lamb skewer but didn’t take a bite. Instead, she held it out toward Xu Xiuwen, her voice soft. “You try it first...”

Xu Xiuwen froze momentarily before smiling. He took the skewer from her hand rather than letting her feed him directly.

Seeing his action, Bai Yue’er felt a pang of disappointment in her heart.

After Xu Xiuwen took a bite, his gaze fell on the bottle of red wine on the table. He asked, “What kind of wine is this?”

Bai Yue’er lightly shook her head. “I don’t know either.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen picked up the bottle and examined it carefully.

“Pétrus?!”

“You recognize it?” Bai Yue’er asked with a smile in her eyes.

Xu Xiuwen nodded and explained, “Pétrus is one of the most expensive wines in the world. A case can sell for over £20,000, second only to Romanée-Conti.”

“Xu Xiuwen, you really know a lot,” Bai Yue’er complimented him.

Her praise brought a faint smile to Xu Xiuwen’s face. He continued explaining more about Pétrus, completely unaware of the deep, intense emotion flickering in Bai Yue’er’s gaze.

“In Bordeaux’s eight great estates, Pétrus is the only one that doesn’t produce second-label wines. The quality of their wine is remarkably consistent, thanks to their unwavering focus on excellence. In years with poor weather, they limit production to ensure only the best grapes are used. In particularly bad years, they even halt production entirely. For instance, there was no Pétrus in 1991.

“This dedication to quality has allowed Pétrus to not only surpass other Bordeaux wines in terms of quality but also price, earning it the title of ‘King of Kings’ in Bordeaux.”

“So this bottle must be really expensive,” Bai Yue’er said, her left hand propping up her chin on the table as she stared at Xu Xiuwen with wide, smiling eyes.

Xu Xiuwen, still oblivious to anything unusual, nodded. “We’re pretty lucky. This one’s from 2000, which happens to be one of Pétrus’ best vintages. If this bottle were sold, it would easily fetch at least 30,000 yuan.”

“That expensive?” Bai Yue’er was visibly surprised. She glanced down at the wine bottle on the table.

This bottle had been a gift from the organizers of an event she attended recently. At the time, she thought it was just an ordinary bottle of wine and hadn’t given it much thought.

Before coming to see Xu Xiuwen tonight, she’d opened the bottle and had a glass to steady her nerves.

If she had known it was so valuable, she might not have opened it so casually.

“Yeah, drinking something this expensive with just the two of us feels like such a waste,” Xu Xiuwen joked self-deprecatingly.

Neither he nor Bai Yue’er was particularly skilled at appreciating wine. For people like them, drinking something as high-quality as Pétrus was unlikely to make much of a difference.

And pairing barbecue with red wine? If any true wine enthusiasts saw this, they’d probably roll their eyes to the heavens.

“Xu Xiuwen, how come you even know so much about wine?” Bai Yue’er asked curiously.

Xu Xiuwen chuckled and replied, “It’s a secret.”

After saying that, he took another sip of the wine.

Pétrus is perhaps Bordeaux’s most aromatic wine, brimming with notes of spices, coffee, cinnamon, chocolate, plums, black cherries, truffles, damp earth, and fresh flowers. Its texture is rich, velvety, and smooth, with a silk-like quality.

Of course, Xu Xiuwen didn’t discern all of this on his own—it was information he’d read in research during his past life.

The reason Xu Xiuwen knew about Pétrus was actually a coincidence. In his past life, he had happened to watch Speeding Life.

There was a scene in the movie where, after Zhang Chi went bankrupt, he still kept a bottle of 1991 Pétrus, carefully wrapped in layers of newspaper and stored in his cabinet. When the rising star, Lin Zhendong, came to Zhang Chi’s house offering help, Zhang Chi refused but still took out the bottle of wine to treat Lin Zhendong with great reverence.

Lin Zhendong sniffed the wine in his bowl and smiled, saying, “This vineyard had a poor grape harvest that year, so they didn’t make any wine. This bottle you have is fake.”

Xu Xiuwen had watched the movie on his computer. After finishing, he casually looked it up online and discovered that, just as the movie said, Pétrus only selects the best grapes. In years with bad harvests, they would even stop production rather than lower their standards. In 1991, the vineyard had suffered from severe frost, and the owner decided the quality of the grapes wasn’t up to their high standards. To preserve the reputation of the vineyard, they chose to forgo production that year. So when Zhang Chi took out the 1991 Pétrus in the movie, Lin Zhendong was able to confidently declare that the wine was fake.

Xu Xiuwen had remembered this incident, and that’s why he had such knowledge now.

When Bai Yue’er asked how he knew, Xu Xiuwen certainly couldn’t tell her the real reason. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he also didn’t want to tell the whole truth. So, he chose to answer in this way.

Seeing that Xu Xiuwen was keeping her in suspense, Bai Yue’er felt a sense of curiosity growing in her. She suddenly leaned closer to him, using a playful and coquettish tone. “Xu Xiuwen, just tell me, please? Pretty please...”