Yang Yushi squinted at Song Xiaodong, and said, "Stop lying to me. Have you already got a plan?"

Song Xiaodong shook his head and replied, "I don't have a plan, but I know that in this situation, if we support Ram, he won't believe us. After all, we were invited by Sadu."

"Then should we go find Sadu?" Yang Yushi immediately said, but then quickly denied herself, "We're just invited by him to treat his father. Even if we claim to be helping him, he may not trust us, and even if he does, what help could we possibly provide?"

"Help? It's not like there isn't any." Song Xiaodong smiled as he spoke.

"You mean... curing the King's illness?" Yang Yushi, as sharp as ever, guessed right away.

Song Xiaodong laughed and said, "That's the idea, but I'm afraid even if we wanted to treat him, Ram wouldn't give us the chance."

"So what exactly do you plan to do?" Yang Yushi frowned, rubbed her temples gently, and said, "This is giving me a headache. I've never encountered such a tricky problem before."

"You find it tricky only because you want some benefit from this. Honestly, I feel like we shouldn't get involved at all. From the information we have, this internal conflict in their country seems unavoidable unless one side has the means to completely wipe out the opposition. But Sadu has the status to inherit the throne, while Ram controls more real power domestically. The two are basically on par."

"So, your suggestion is... we just withdraw and wait until their country stabilizes?"

"That's what I think. Their powers are too evenly matched, and staying here is dangerous for us. You haven't experienced war, so you don't know its brutality. At that time, identity and appearance don't matter at all."

"But we're Chinese, even if there's a war, I doubt they would easily target us, right?"

"No one can say for sure. Haven't you seen the movie 'Wolf Warrior'? It basically reflects the situation in a war-torn country; people lose their sanity, and no one knows how long they can survive, so who cares about all that?"

"Can't you stop discouraging me? I feel upset giving up after all this preparation."

"Do you feel this unwilling when working in finance?"

Yang Yushi pouted and said, "Fine, I admit, in that field, I know when to cut losses. But this is my first time venturing out with you to do something, so failing feels bad."

Song Xiaodong smiled and said, "Alright, let's just book tickets to head back."

"Okay, but... my temples are hurting a bit now, can you rub them for me?"

Song Xiaodong rolled his eyes, stood up, and approached Yang Yushi. He intended to massage her from behind, but Yang Yushi kicked her feet, leaning the chair against the table, facing Song Xiaodong, and said, "Do it like this."

"Alright." Song Xiaodong shook his head, reaching out to press Yang Yushi's temples.

Yang Yushi looked up at Song Xiaodong, squinting her eyes as she said, "Don't end it so soon, I'm enjoying this."

"Do you want to lie on the bed so I can massage you better?"

"Sure, that would be even more comfortable." Yang Yushi said without hesitation, pulling Song Xiaodong's hand away and lying down on the bed.

Even though Yang Yushi's attire was orderly, her mere presence exuded such attraction to a man that it could cause a strong urge, regardless of the lack of exposed skin that might inspire imagination.

Even with Song Xiaodong's strong will, seeing Yang Yushi laying so properly stirred a desire to break this propriety.

Yang Yushi noticed the change in Song Xiaodong's gaze, but she pretended not to know, looking at Song Xiaodong with squinted eyes, her heart a bit nervous. If Song Xiaodong really made a move, how would she handle it?

Yang Yushi's feelings for Song Xiaodong were quite peculiar. If asked if she deeply liked or loved him, that wasn't the case.

She had grown up with a blank slate regarding emotions, and ever since a treatment session with Song Xiaodong where she awoke midway, she realized how embarrassing that treatment was, and that in terms of her body, she had no secrets from him anymore.

Women are funny that way; they stay reserved until they're exposed. Once that reserve is stripped away, it vanishes, so with Song Xiaodong, she became proactive.

Moreover, she discovered something in Song Xiaodong that moved her. Unlike the men she interacted with before, he was already the head of the Su Family at such a young age, and when standing up to the prominent families in Beijing, he was not at a disadvantage. Most importantly, she felt he had support from higher powers.

All this attracted her, but if Song Xiaodong truly did anything with her, she was scared. She didn't know how to react, and she certainly didn't fully want to be Song Xiaodong's woman yet.

Song Xiaodong sat on the edge of the bed, slowly placing his hands on Yang Yushi's head, saying, "I can solve your little problem in two minutes. Don't make excuses to linger here."

Hearing this, Yang Yushi felt relieved, having gained more admiration for Song Xiaodong, yet a strange dissatisfaction brewed in her, and she said, "Xiaodong, is it really hard to massage me a bit longer? Am I really that annoying to you?"

Song Xiaodong replied, "I don't find you annoying. I'm just worried about causing problems. I'm not a saint who sits idly if provoked, and with a woman like you, alone with me, I'm afraid I might do something inappropriate."

"Is that really what you think?" Yang Yushi raised an eyebrow, her eyes glistening, smiling as she asked.

Song Xiaodong shrugged, continuing to massage her temples, "Do you think I'm just saying that to comfort you?"

"Well... I don't know. But if you wanted to do something, maybe I... wouldn't refuse." She blinked playful eyes at Song Xiaodong.

Song Xiaodong squinted his eyes, "Are you encouraging me?"

Yang Yushi beamed, "What do you think?"

"Then I..." Song Xiaodong suddenly lowered his head.

Yang Yushi tensed up instantly; could Song Xiaodong be about to kiss her? Then would he start undressing her, leading to...?

Chaos ensued in Yang Yushi's mind, though her face remained calm, watching Song Xiaodong's approach.

Song Xiaodong's head kept lowering, and although Yang Yushi's face stayed calm, her eyes betrayed her disturbance, losing their previous composure and revealing a hint of panic.

As Song Xiaodong's face came closer, Yang Yushi could feel his breath, and her fist clenched the bedsheet tightly. Her usually smart mind seemed to have shut down.

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