Hui Yin and Jiang Xu were not the only ones out by the lakeside. There were big and small families, couples, and friends that came to enjoy the fantastic view of the cityscape just beyond its walls.

In particular, one couple had attracted much attention when they passed by the lake. The man was startlingly handsome, the girl elegant and delicate in her bearing. There were a few guards walking behind them, looking alert and vigilant.

The entourage was Nian Zhen's; Lu Shen had a few guards with him too, but they hid in the shadows. It didn't really affect his plan by much. If the culprit could trespass inside a well-guarded villa, three or more guards should be child's play to him.

They were on their way to the carnival, where a lot of people could see them. Nian Zhen felt slightly uneasy that a man like her Brother Shen who hated noisy places would want to go to a carnival, but her happiness overruled her gut feeling. The more people who could see them, the better. She wanted to let the whole world know that Brother Shen was hers!

Nian Zhen felt even more gleeful when she imagined what that slut must be feeling. Seeing her together with Brother Shen must have broken her heart; she should be crying pitifully right now, soaking her pillow with her tears. Hmph, that's what you get for flaunting your relationship with Brother Shen right in front of me. Did you really think that your relationship with him would last long?

"Brother Shen, can you get me that cone of ice cream? I suddenly want to eat it!"

Nian Zhen gazed at him through lowered eyelashes. There was an expression of wanting to be spoilt on her face as she tugged at his hand and pointed at an ice cream vendor.

Lu Shen was feeling impatient, but he had to put on an act. He obediently walked towards the vendor when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Brother Shen?"

Confused, Nian Zhen looked at him.

Lu Shen's gaze swept his surroundings, taking in the boats on the lake and the groups of people having a picnic on the grassy clearing. There was an itchy feeling in his heart, but he didn't find anything suspicious. There were too many people out there, and any one of them looked just like an average person enjoying their day out on the park.

So where did this dark sense of foreboding came from?

Feeling unsettled, Lu Shen knitted his eyebrows into a frown.

"Brother Shen, what's wrong?" Nian Zhen followed his stare, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She tugged at his hand again, successfully pulling his attention back to her.

Lu Shen shook off his inexplicable mood, and bought her the ice cream. The two of them continued their way to the carnival, leaving the lakeside behind them.

Hidden behind the silhouette of several families, Hui Yin and Jiang Xu faced each other. Her hand was still holding his chin, and they were both leaning forward. She could count the flecks in his irises; her warm and sweet breath caressed his face.

For a brief second, neither of them moved.

Hui Yin could almost see the boundary line of friendship between them, and the unspoken question that hung in the air. Should we cross it? Or should we not?

Initially she had tried to pretend that nothing had happened when she fell on top of him earlier, because she was deeply aware that this man was her best friend. Her seat mate for several years, the goofy sleepyhead who was too lazy to properly brush his hair.

But then Jiang Xu answered the question for her as he covered the remaining distance between them and pressed his lips against hers.