"Uncle Liu, where is Su Xuan?" It was past nine o’clock in the evening when Su Zimo knocked on the red-lacquered gate of Su Xuan’s Mansion. "He’s been a bit strange today." The old Butler Liu invited Su Zimo inside and said, "He came home early and has been staying in his room ever since. He even skipped dinner!" "What?" Su Zimo immediately grew worried. "Is he sick?" Butler Liu shook his head. "He looked quite healthy. He doesn’t seem sick." "That’s strange," Su Zimo said, heading toward Su Xuan’s room. "I’ll go check on him." Su Zimo raised her slender, jade-like fingers and tapped lightly on the door. After a long moment, Su Xuan asked from inside the room in a muffled voice, "Who is it?" "It’s me, Zi Mo," Su Zimo replied. "Open the door." A few dozen seconds later, Su Xuan opened the door, shirtless with his hair in disarray. Su Zimo immediately smelled a unique fragrance that made her heart flutter. She had smelled this scent on Su Xuan before, but it was always very faint. Today, however, it was overwhelmingly strong. Driven by this scent, her gaze became momentarily hazy. She found herself admiring Su Xuan’s lazy yet handsome face and the perfectly chiseled lines of his body. She couldn’t help muttering, "Su Xuan, I suspect you’re a carbonated drink." Su Xuan had already been drinking quite a bit and had been sleeping, so he was already somewhat groggy. Hearing Su Zimo’s words made him even more confused. "Why is that?" "Because every time I see you, I bubble up with happiness!" Su Zimo said. Su Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. How could even the normally calm and rational journalist Su Zimo be saying such things to him? He sobered up considerably. It seems I still haven’t returned to normal! Su Xuan immediately shut the door, leaving Su Zimo outside. "Oof!" Su Zimo looked at the closed door, stunned for a moment. What just happened? Why did I just uncontrollably say such cheesy pickup lines to Su Xuan? So embarrassing! She called through the door, "Su Xuan, are you alright?" "I’m just a bit tired and want to rest early," Su Xuan replied. "Did you need something?" "No, not really. I just finished an interview and was in the area, so I stopped by to hang out. I was also hoping to use your pool." The last time she was visiting Su Xuan’s house, she had fallen in love with his swimming pool. It was located on an open-air platform on the second floor. It was twenty or thirty square meters, with the western side enclosed in glass, making anyone swimming inside feel like a fish, free and unconstrained. Now that it was night, one could lie back in the water and admire not only the brilliant night sky but also the culturally rich nightscape of Houhai Street. "Then go ahead and enjoy the pool," Su Xuan said. "I won’t be joining you." "Isn’t Alice at home?" Su Zimo asked. "Her father took her abroad. She won’t be back for a while." Afterward, Su Zimo went up to the second-floor platform by herself. In a chic changing room next to the pool, she chose a modest yet unrestrained swimsuit and slipped into the water. As she soaked, she noticed something bizarre. She saw the bear, Da Bai, sneaking toward Su Xuan’s room, walking upright like a person! At this time, Butler Liu was no longer in the courtyard. If he had been, seeing Da Bai behave would have surely given him a great shock. To figure out what was going on, Su Zimo didn’t have time to change. She left the pool in her swimsuit, found a corner to hide behind, and secretly observed Da Bai. She watched as Da Bai stood there upright, knocking on Su Xuan’s door with his paw. Su Zimo’s beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. I’ve known for a while that Da Bai is a bear, so walking upright isn’t that surprising. But knocking on a door like a person? That’s just too much! "Zi Mo, you finished so quickly?" Su Xuan opened the door, and then his own eyes widened. Standing outside wasn’t Su Zimo, but Da Bai. The bear stood there, straight and stiff, grinning foolishly at him. Then, Da Bai lifted a paw and presented him with a koi. This koi was clearly from the pond in the yard; its mouth was still opening and closing. Da Bai winked at him, his eyes filled with adoration and care, as if to say, "You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? Here, eat this to fill your stomach!" Su Xuan was flabbergasted. Su Zimo, hiding around the corner, was flabbergasted. After regaining his composure, Su Xuan quickly took the fish, dragged Da Bai over to the pond, and threw it back into the water. He then sternly said to the bear, "This is the one and only time. You can’t catch fish again, and besides, I don’t eat them raw!" Da Bai just kept grinning foolishly, and it was unclear if he had understood a word Su Xuan said. Su Xuan returned to his room and firmly shut the door. I’m doomed! Even Da Bai has been affected. He’s trying to win my favor by bringing me fish! The next second, he saw Su Zimo, in her swimsuit with her hair still wet, sitting at the head of his bed. Covering her mouth and nose with a towel, Su Zimo asked in a muffled voice, "Are you hiding something illegal?" Su Xuan was clueless. "What are you referring to?" "Have you been using some kind of perfume?" Su Zimo asked. "The kind that makes people fall for you? And did you use way too much of it today?" She had once interviewed a suspect in a detention center who had gotten his hands on a special perfume designed to work on women. Once they smelled it, they would obey his every command, completely at his mercy. He had used this perfume to harm several girls. Su Zimo couldn’t help but suspect that Su Xuan had gotten ahold of that same perfume. But then she thought it was unlikely. What would be the point? He was handsome and rich—that was a special kind of perfume in itself. Any girl he wanted would be his for the asking. Was it just for fun? Su Xuan immediately shook his head. "Definitely not. Besides, I’ve already showered!" "Then what in the world is going on?" Su Zimo demanded. Follow current novᴇls on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 A wretched, pitiful expression appeared on Su Xuan’s face. "I can’t explain it either!" He had already asked the system, but it hadn’t given him an answer. He could only guess that after his body had undergone a double enhancement, it might have been upgraded, greatly strengthening his natural charm. Now, regardless of gender or age, human or animal, everyone was drawn to him. Female dogs, female cats, old ladies, Da Bai... "Su Xuan, come over here." Sitting on the edge of the bed, Su Zimo suddenly waved him over. "What are you planning to do?" Su Xuan asked. "I want to see what’s really wrong with you. Just come here." Su Xuan sat down next to Su Zimo, who was only wearing a swimsuit. "Aren’t you afraid you’ll end up like Da Bai, so bewitched that you start catching fish for me?" "I trust my willpower," she said. Su Xuan looked down. "Then what is your hand doing..."