But today, Yue Dingtang did not come back early as usual.

He used to leave work early, take a detour to buy Ling Shu's favorite egg tarts, and then read the newspaper at home.

The old housekeeper, Uncle Zhou, noticed the bruise on Ling Shu's chin and was shocked. He quickly took him to get some medicine.

After a while, Yue Dingtang finally appeared at the door of the Yue family's residence.

"Why are you so late today?" the old housekeeper asked with concern.

Ling Shu glanced at the sky outside, it was already dark.

"There was something going on at school."

Yue Dingtang looked a bit tired, not from lack of sleep, but from mental exhaustion.

His eyes were fixed on Ling Shu, but his mind was miles away.

Ling Shu could sense that something big must have happened at his school.

"If anyone at school bullies you because of their seniority, don't forget that you have a newspaper boss behind you," he joked.

Normally, this kind of joke would have made Yue Dingtang laugh, but today he didn't.

He just forced a smile.

Ling Shu realized that something was bothering him, and it was likely not a small matter. After a distracted meal, Yue Dingtang went to take a shower, and Uncle Zhou handed Ling Shu Yue Dingtang's suit, asking him to hang it on the second floor.

Ling Shu walked absentmindedly and accidentally shook something out of the suit pocket.

He bent down to pick it up and saw that it was a lipstick.

Obviously, it was a woman's lipstick.

Nowadays, no man would use lipstick unless he was a movie star. Yue Dingtang was not a movie star, so someone else must have used the lipstick in his pocket.

Who could this woman be that left her lipstick in Yue Dingtang's pocket?

Or perhaps, what kind of woman would Yue Dingtang give lipstick to?

This was a serious question. Ling Shu subconsciously touched his head, as if he had been wearing a green hat without realizing it.

Yue Dingtang finished his shower and sat on the bed, reading a book, looking refreshed and unchanged from his usual self.

The lipstick had already been returned to his suit by Ling Shu, but he still had many doubts.

"Old Yue, if you encounter any difficulties, don't hide it from me. I'm not a little girl who needs to be sheltered by you."

Over the years, they had weathered many storms. From the heart-stopping experiences in Shanghai to moving their belongings to Hong Kong, it had not been an easy journey.

They were like an old married couple who had shared in each other's hardships.

Yue Dingtang looked up and smiled at him.

"Don't worry, how could there be anything I'm hiding from you?"

But his mind was elsewhere, his soul seemed to have left his body. Even Uncle Zhou noticed the bruise on Ling Shu's chin, but he acted as if he hadn't seen it.

With Ling Shu's recent habit of leaving early and returning late, they rarely had the chance to go out and enjoy the sea view. Yue Dingtang always seemed to be in a hurry, as if he had too much to do.

Compared to their life in Shanghai, it was like night and day. Ling Shu couldn't help but think of the lipstick in Yue Dingtang's suit pocket, and his heart sank.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Ling Shu asked, unwilling to give up.

Yue Dingtang gave him a reassuring answer. "Everything's fine, don't worry."

Ling Shu felt that it might be necessary for him to return to his old profession.

Back in the day, he had never lost track of anyone he wanted to follow.

What was Yue Dingtang doing that he couldn't let anyone see?

Did he have a new lover outside?

Perhaps there would be an answer soon.

The next morning, Yue Dingtang wasn't in a rush to leave the house, but Ling Shu woke up early. He didn't let the driver take him to the newspaper office, instead he turned back halfway and kept watch outside the Yue residence.

At noon, he finally saw Yue Dingtang leave the house. Instead of going to school, he had the driver drop him off on a street and then sent the driver back home.

Yue Dingtang then walked to the next street and entered a café.

"He's quite cautious," Ling Shu thought.

He knew very well that the other party's actions were undoubtedly to prevent him from tracing their whereabouts through his family driver. It was just that they had been through battles together and entrusted their lives to each other, but now the other party was guarding against him like this.

Ling Shu let out a sigh.

He didn't follow into the cafe, but instead went around to the back door, bribed one of the waiters, changed into his clothes, and transformed into a waiter who delivered coffee and afternoon tea.