A hairstyle is important for girls—change your hair and you change your whole style. But this was the first time I'd realized that a man could be completely transformed by a haircut too.

Saying I didn't recognize him at all would be an exaggeration, but my first instinct was genuinely that he was someone else.

Han Che had gotten a buzz cut.

The mature, polished executive vibe he'd carried before was gone. In its place was a clean, fresh look that made him seem like a college student who had just graduated. With his broad forehead fully exposed, he somehow looked two shades fairer.

The craziest part was the silver stud earring.

It made him look dangerously handsome in a rebellious sort of way.

I'd always believed that men wearing earrings looked a little effeminate. One glance at him shattered that prejudice completely.

I stood there dumbfounded for so long that I forgot to take off my shoes.

Han Che was wearing a white tank top and lifting dumbbells by the wall in the living room. His muscles were pumped from the workout, sweat glistening across his skin. Combined with the low grunts escaping his throat, the sight was almost wickedly attractive.

He ignored me.

With a cold snort, he deliberately turned his head toward the balcony.

"A man working out is way too handsome," I said jokingly.

In reality, I'd left out at least twenty additional compliments.

Setting down the dumbbell, he curled one corner of his mouth.

"People who choose romance over friendship aren't attractive."

Clearly the same person, yet even his familiar expressions and tone felt different. Right now, Han Che seemed more like a cocky younger guy from university.

"I agree."

I nodded seriously and crossed the room in three quick steps.

Up close, I examined him carefully.

Unable to control myself, I reached out and touched his abs through his shirt. Sweat slicked my fingertips as I traced the contours beneath the fabric.

"The men outside aren't nearly as appealing as the ones at home."

Without Han Che, I'd probably be lying in bed right now overthinking Zhang Duo—wondering what exactly he wanted, whether he was looking for a hookup or something more.

But with Han Che around, my attention was completely diverted.

Like a shameless playboy, I'd tossed Zhang Duo from my mind and immediately began stroking Han Che's buzz cut.

The hair was extremely short. Up close I could practically see his healthy scalp. The heat of masculine hormones seemed to radiate from the roots, warming my palm.

Looking up at him with unconcealed admiration, I asked:

"What made you decide to cut it like this?"

He shot me a cool glance.

"Am I handsome?"

I licked my lips and smiled.

"What do you think?"

Around him, I'd become increasingly straightforward about expressing desire.

At that moment, my urge to devour him alive was practically written across my eyes.

He looked down at me, observing my obvious attraction with a complicated expression.

When I rose onto my tiptoes and puckered my lips, moving closer, he slowly extended a finger and pressed it against my forehead.

Still holding a grudge, he said:

"I don't think the women at home are particularly good either."

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There was a lakeside lounge bar called Night Breeze near Moon Lake, not far from Han Che's apartment complex.

He dragged me there to have some fun.

By then he'd swapped the silver stud for a dazzling blue diamond earring and was deliberately keeping an arm's length away from me.

Before we left, he'd asked me to help choose an earring.

I pointed at a pink one.

He immediately looked at me with disdain.

"Your taste in earrings is just as bad as your taste in men. If I wear that, people will think I'm gay."

I glared at him.

"Then why did you buy it?"

Looking smug, he replied:

"I used to wear it when I was pretending to be gay."

I had clearly underestimated the extent of his colorful history.

On the way there, I questioned him about that period.

"Did the other person ever find out?"

He refused to answer.

"Trade me a secret."

I said,

"Actually, pretending to be gay suits you. Lots of hugging and touching, but you never have to go any further. No risk of exposing your shortcomings. The girls would probably make you their best friend too."

He looked at me meaningfully.

"Kind of like right now?"

Completely distracted by how attractive he looked, I failed to understand the implication and nodded foolishly.

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Night Breeze was extremely cozy and artsy.

The moment you walked in, you could tell.

A small performance stage sat in the center, surrounded by tables and chairs. The place was crowded, yet somehow didn't feel cramped. Alcohol washed away everyone's exhaustion, and people swayed gently to the music.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were several lakeside patio seats.

November weather made sitting outside somewhat chilly.

Leaning against the glass, I watched Han Che carry a Mojito over to a woman sitting alone in the cold wind.

He claimed she looked upset and that he was going to cheer her up.

Judging by how eager he seemed, I mocked him.

"Just don't end up cheering her up with your mouth attached to hers."

He snorted.

"You think everyone's like you?"

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It had to be cold outside.

I breathed onto the glass, creating a patch of fog. By the time I'd wiped it away, Han Che had already moved from the opposite seat to the one directly beside the woman.

I blinked.

What kind of god-tier progress speed was that?

Curiosity nearly drove me crazy. I wished I had a recording device to capture the entire conversation.

After watching for a while, I noticed the woman seemed much happier.

Though I could only see her back, even through her coat her posture appeared far more relaxed.

Unable to resist, I texted him:

〚 What trick did you use? 〛

He didn't reply.

Half an hour later, both of them came back inside laughing.

I hid behind my drink and stared.

Han Che snapped his fingers at the bar, apparently asking what she wanted.

After thinking for a moment, the woman leaned close and whispered something into his ear.

The two of them chatting intimately beneath the warm bar lights made for a rather beautiful picture.

A male singer on stage was performing The One I Love.

Driven by the music, it would've been a lie to say I felt absolutely nothing.

For a brief moment, I felt like an abandoned animal sitting in a corner.

Like a lonely single dog.

Fortunately, my phone vibrated.

The moment I saw it, I remembered I wasn't alone.

That was the beauty of having options.

No wonder playboys always seemed so happy.

Zhang Duo had messaged me:

〚 Already asleep? 〛

10:15 PM.

Of course I wasn't asleep.

I was a night owl.

〚 Not yet. I just finished showering. You? 〛

Obviously neither of us was sleeping, but I followed my principle of never letting a conversation die as long as I could throw another question mark into it.

We started chatting casually.

Face-to-face conversations had mostly been proper topics. People who had just met and were trying to disguise sexual intentions didn't openly make dirty jokes.

Online chats, however, were perfect for letting those hidden desires peek through.

He replied:

〚 Can't sleep. What about you? 〛

I glanced at Han Che and typed:

〚 Same. Thinking of finding a movie to watch. 〛

I deliberately avoided saying "film."

〚 Let's watch one together. 〛

〚 Sure. What should we watch? 〛

He sent me a torrent link.

The title was Anna's Erotic Adventures.

It didn't sound remotely respectable.

Since I wasn't at home and didn't want him knowing I was still out, I pretended it was downloading.

He said he'd go mix himself a drink and we'd start together.

Meanwhile, I searched online, found a streaming version, and skimmed through it.

A strange smile appeared on my face.

Definitely not a respectable movie.

Typical man.

When Han Che turned around, I was sitting in the darkness laughing to myself.

A text arrived:

〚 Wow. You're that happy watching me flirt with girls? 〛

〚 I'm looking for my next kissing partner. 〛

〚 ? 〛

〚 You're about to become contaminated. 〛

Knowing Han Che, there was no way he'd spend all that effort charming a girl without at least kissing her.

People didn't invest that much mental energy just to make someone smile.

If sleeping together was impossible, kissing was the bare minimum.

Otherwise, how had he become so skilled with words?

The thought of him kissing another girl made me strangely uncomfortable.

I couldn't explain it, but my chest felt tight.

〚 Then how were you planning to kiss me tonight? That's pretty hypocritical, isn't it? 〛

I wasn't!

I stubbornly typed:

〚 I'm not being hypocritical. 〛

A long while later, he replied:

〚 Fine then. 〛

About fifteen minutes later, he sat down across from me.

I looked around nervously and realized the girl was gone.

"Done already?"

He lazily rolled his neck.

"Why else would I be here?"

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By the time Han Che and I got home, Anna's Erotic Adventures was already one-third finished.

Because I hadn't been paying attention, I barely remembered what I'd been texting during the walk home.

The moment we entered, I scrolled back through the conversation.

Zhang Duo really was interesting.

During a scene where the female lead and her boyfriend were happily painting walls together, he messaged:

〚 Standing positions really test your hip and lower-back strength. 〛

I wasn't innocent.

Since he worked out, asking "How's your hip strength?" at that moment would've been incredibly suggestive.

Han Che glanced at my phone and curled his lip.

"Want me to drive you over there right now?"

Holding my forehead dramatically, I sighed.

"It's too late. Besides, I don't handle alcohol well. I'm just talking big."

He cleared his throat and sat down.

"Then how are you planning to talk big?"

He tried to look serious, but I caught the obvious amusement underneath.

"What do you think?"

"You should reply: If your hips are strong, your core strength has to be strong too, otherwise you won't be able to keep it up."

He couldn't stop himself from laughing.

While typing, I asked:

"What's core strength?"

"If your hips are moving aggressively, wouldn't your body lose balance? What part keeps you stable?"

I looked down at myself and pointed cautiously toward my abdomen.

His expression immediately showed approval.

As expected, the moment I sent it, Zhang Duo replied:

〚 Then... how's your core strength? 〛

"Say it's weak."

Having a strategist was wonderful.

No thinking required.

Following Han Che's instructions, I sent the reply and burst out laughing.

I wasn't even sure what was so funny.

Yet somehow we ended up laughing together.

〚 Then how about I train you sometime? 〛

Clutching my phone, I squealed.

"Train me how? At the gym or through practical experience?"

Han Che raised an eyebrow.

"Ask him."

So I typed:

〚 How? 〛

〚 Tomorrow night? 〛

Han Che snorted.

"You asked for the method. He answered with time. Classic veteran move—avoiding the question."

"I think he assumes I'm a veteran too."

I replied:

〚 How exactly? 〛

Han Che looked at me sideways.

"Are you one?"

"If not, you've got talent."

Delighted, I hugged his arm.

"Really? How many years of training do you think I need?"

Most girls are raised to be sweet and conservative.

Traditional culture teaches women to be that way.

I used to be like that too.

But after meeting Han Che and dealing with players, I'd discovered how thrilling it was to exchange moves with people like them.

I no longer wanted to be the obedient type.

I wanted to be wild.

I wanted to take unconventional paths.

Looking at me meaningfully, he said:

"You don't need years. Just one qualified man."

I considered that.

"Zhang Duo?"

Whether he was a liar or not, he seemed qualified enough.

As long as we could handle each other's moves.

And if I couldn't...

Well, I still had my strategist.

Unexpectedly, Han Che's face darkened.

He pulled his arm away.

"Then you two can play by yourselves."

"Wait, wait! He replied!"

I waved my phone frantically.

"He asked: How do you want to train? Han Che, don't leave! Hurry and teach me!"

I blocked the bathroom door to the master bedroom.

When he tried to close it, I jumped onto his back, wrapped my arms around his neck, and whined:

"Come on, teach me!"

He held back a sigh.

"Idiot. Have you even looked at the time?"

I estimated.

"Midnight."

He answered firmly:

"Exactly. Don't reply."

"You're a girl. At midnight, you're supposed to accidentally fall asleep."

"Huh?"

It took me a second to understand.

Then I planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

A true master indeed.