With the news of the twins' identity slowly dying off, Qiu Wen had gotten busier in the office with his onboarding. He had a lot of stakeholders to meet and prepare before the official inauguration so he often head home late. While getting familiar with the business structure and operations, he couldn't understand the rationale of setting up a branch in a small town like Cravine just to manage the headquarters operations. He was whining to himself noticing he had to travel often to Wai Tao due to such arrangements as he reminded himself to speak with Qiu Yeh on this when he had the chance.

Xue Ting had begun to notice Qiu Wen's routine of coming home late and drunk on certain nights. Guessing he must have a lot of entertaining to do, she decided to leave some warm soup for him only to find him not drinking it at all the entire week.

She caught herself being overly worried on one heavy rain night when she had just finished touching up her monthly new art for May's gallery. It was pouring outside but Qiu Wen was nowhere at home yet. She felt uneasy about it but she couldn't reach out to him as they still had not exchanged numbers. Instead, she sat by the couch trying to wait for him as she gradually fell asleep.

Qiu Wen was at a dinner meeting with one of the company's biggest suppliers that night as he had to sit in on behalf of Qiu Yeh who was on a business trip. Qiu Wen had drunk a lot that Jia Yi had to drive him home in the heavy downpour late into the early morning.

The sudden barge in from the house's main door threw Xue Ting awake and realise Qiu Wen was drunk again as she quickly rushed over to help Jia Yi to lay him on the couch.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Qiu Wen asked in his half-sober state as Xue Ting couldn't help but sigh.

"It's raining really heavily and you're not back… I don't have your number either..." Xue Ting said as Qiu Wen quickly fumbled with his mobile phone from his pocket before passing it to her.

"Pin is 080208. Save your mobile number in there and call yourself." Qiu Wen instructed as he held his pounding head.

Upon hearing the pin, Xue TIng's eyes' twinkled noticing the combination were significant dates of their birthdays; he was on the second of August and hers on the eighth of August. However, she snapped herself awake from thinking too much as perhaps the combination was just a lazy one since the pin needed six digits and he probably repeated his birth month.

"Jia Yi, send your mobile number to Xue Ting." Qiu Wen instructed.

"Yes, sir." Jia Yi immediately passed his mobile to Xue Ting as she stood up to key in her mobile number into Jia Yi's phone. When she wanted to do what Qiu Wen asked earlier, she noticed his phone had run out of battery.

"You must be his assistant?" Xue Ting asked as she observed Jia Yi who looked reliable. "Yes, ma'am. I am Chen Jia Yi. You can call me Jia Yi."

"Jia Yi, thank you for sending him home so late and still working. It's very late. Why not stay over? It's raining heavily too. We have an extra room down there." Xue Ting said as Jia Yi shook his head politely to reject.

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"It's alright, ma'am. I will make a move first." Jia Yi said politely when the thunder struck.

"I think you should just stay for your own safety…" Xue Ting said sternly as they looked out the door at the sky.

She immediately went to get him some toiletries from the store room. Jia Yi looked in Qiu Wen's direction as Qiu Wen nodded in agreement before enduring the pain of his pounding head. As Jia Yi went to rest, Xue Ting slowly guided Qiu Wen up the stairs to his room.

"Go ahead and shower first. I will charge your phone. It had run out of battery." Xue Ting said as Qiu Wen obediently obliged.

While he was in the washroom, he was too tired to get himself showered that he fell asleep in the tub after soaking in it for a while. Xue Ting who had gone to fetch a glass of warm milk for both Jia Yi and Qiu Wen had noticed Qiu Wen was taking a long time in the shower. Feeling worried that something might happen to him, she had no choice but to enter the washroom after multiple knocks only to find him asleep in the bathtub.

"Qiu Wen… wake up… You will catch a cold this way." Xue Ting shook him but he didn't barge.

She tried to shift him in the tub. Her action jolted him awake as he hold her tightly on her wrists while she supported herself on the tub, facing closely to his face. It took him a lot of willpower to not pull her into the bathtub with him while feeling her breath so close to him.

"You need to shower quickly. You will catch a cold this way." Xue Ting said after a moment before loosening his grip and running out of the washroom. Qiu Wen blinked and smiled to himself before lazily stepping out of the tub to shower.

She waited for him to finish showering in his room nervously as she wanted to ensure he didn't head to bed with a half-empty stomach. Just when he stepped out of the washroom and saw her, he instantly fell onto her. She was standing in front of his bed and his body weight pushed her down to the bed. Xue Ting was flabbergasted for a moment. The fragrance of his shampoo and body soap was enticing and gently reminded her of that night, sixteen years ago.

However, the reality caught up with her that she was a mother now. The tonnes of responsibilities she had as well as the fact that it was contractual with Qiu Wen, made her push him aside only to find his body was burning up. She quickly took a wet towel to put over his head and ensure he drank the warm milk before she get him to swallow some fever medicine. When she was assured that he was in good hands, she finally could head to sleep peacefully.

However, he managed to catch her arm and didn't want to let go. "Wen Wen, let go. I am heading to sleep." Xue Ting gently persuaded.

"Don't go… Stay with me, please?" Qiu Wen pleaded but Xue Ting wasn't going to as she attempted to loosen her arm.

"Don't go…please… Ting Ting… Don't go…" Qiu Wen pleaded even more as tears flow out from his eyes in his sleep. She then realise, he was dreaming as she climbed onto the bed to comfort him.

"Wen Wen, I am here. I am here..." Xue Ting wiped away his tears with the tissue by his bedside while gently coaxing him. She continued to hold him by her side as he eased in and slept through the night with her instead.

The next morning, it was still raining when the twins rushed down for breakfast only to find they had a guest joining them.

"Good morn…ing…" Joy's cheerful greeting slowly tuned down as she noticed Jia Yi.

"Morning darlings, meet Jia Yi, the assistant of…" Before Xue Ting could finish her sentence, Joy interrupted.

"Daddy's secretary? Oh, nice to meet you! I am Joy and this is my brother, Matthew." Joy greeted as Jia Yi's expression didn't change from smiling all the way.

"Nice to meet you both, Ms. Liew and Mr. Liew." Jia Yi said as Matthew sat by the dining table.

"You can just call me Matthew," Matthew said feeling a little uncomfortable at the formality.

"Yes, sir…" Jia Yi said as Joy laughed. "You can call me Joy too, please. Don't worry about formality with us." Joy said as she went to hug Xue Ting's waist who was busy at the stove while Xue Ting gave her a quick peck on her forehead.

"Yes, Miss…" Jia Yi's sentence stuck mid-air when the twins threw him a look. "Yes, Matthew and Joy." Jia Yi quickly said as they both smiled and nodded.

"Jia Yi, I think we should let Qiu Wen rest today as he caught a cold last night." Xue Ting said as she place the fried slices of bacon on the serving plate.

"Understand ma'am. Let me send them to school instead?" Jia Yi said pointing to the twins as Xue TIng thought about it for a while.

"Sir had instructed this before." Jia Yi further explained as Xue Ting finally nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then. Be careful on the road. It's still pouring heavily. And if there's anything you need my help with, just let me know." Jia Yi nodded at Xue Ting's concern.

"Hurry up with breakfast, both of you. Jia Yi has to get to work too." Xue Ting instructed as the twins nodded.

Xue Ting knew Qiu Wen wouldn't be awake so soon as whenever he fell sick, he would sleep the entire day. Even so, she still ensured she left him a message to tell him she had kept some lunch in the refrigerator before heading to work.