When the police arrived, they took Xiao Ma into custody as the culprit and took a statement from Ningning. Shuyi, still caught in her episode, was blindly hitting Shaoqing's back. He set her down and told her to calm down, but she wouldn't listen. She struggled against him, trying her best to push him away.
To restrain her, Shaoqing caught her hands and pinned them against the roof of the car so she couldn't move. As she continued to struggle, he wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him.
Suddenly, they were so close that only an inch and a half separated their lips. Shuyi's heart raced; her nervousness made her completely forget her previous rage. She found herself getting lost in his eyes.
Shaoqing smirked and whispered, "I know I'm handsome, but don't look at me like that. I might die if you keep staring at me." The romantic tension between them was undeniable.
Shuyi finally snapped out of her daze. She pushed him away and snapped, "It was you who came near me and grabbed my waist! And by the way, how could you even touch me? Aren't you a germaphobe? Are you scheming against me?"
Shaoqing leaned in close again, causing the tension between them to flare up once more. "But I think you were the one who got lost in my eyes," he countered smoothly.
"As for being a germaphobe... I am," he continued. "But I don't think that applies to my future wife—which is you. In the future, we'll be intimate with each other, right? If I stayed a germaphobe, how would you ever get close to me, or kiss me, or touch me wherever you want?"
He gave her a playful wink, and Shuyi found herself turning shy.
She tried to laugh it off, but her nerves got the better of her, and she pushed him away. Flustered, Shuyi stammered, "We—we will decide everything the day after tomorrow. Until then... just shut your mouth and keep your distance from me!"
She turned and bolted toward her room. Shaoqing watched her go, feeling triumphant; he could sense that Shuyi was finally starting to feel something for him too.
As soon as Shuyi reached her room, she slammed the door and leaned against it, her heart racing. She couldn't stop reliving that intimate moment outside, and she felt her face heating up with a blush.
Suddenly, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "No, no! What are you doing, Shuyi?" she scolded herself. "You are supposed to be a cold-hearted person. Why on earth did you get so nervous?When Shaoqing gets close to you, you should be the one to turn him down coldly with harsh words!" Shuyi scolded herself. "No, no, no... are you actually falling for him? Ha! How is that even possible? But... he is just so handsome. How is anyone supposed to control themselves when a boy that handsome comes so close? Hey! What are you doing, Shuyi? Argh!!" She let out a frustrated scream into her blankets before finally trying to sleep.
Meanwhile, Shaoqing was over the moon. He didn't stop smiling the entire way home. When he arrived, Liu Ma—his nanny and governess—was shocked to see him looking so cheerful. He was smiling while he ate his dinner, and even while he was getting ready for bed, the grin never left his face.
As he lay in bed, Shaoqing couldn't stop reliving the moment they had almost kissed. He was surprised at his own actions. He thought to himself that if he had simply wanted to calm her down, he could have slapped her or splashed water on her face.
Instead, he had chosen to get intimate to distract her, wanting her entire focus to be on him—and he had succeeded. All she could see was him. He was starting to feel that, deep down, Shuyi might actually love him.
He realized that while her condition usually prevented her from expressing her love, her current state of partial amnesia was allowing her to show a little of how she truly felt about him.
The day of the competition finally arrived. This was the day that would decide whether the marriage alliance between the Shen and Wen families would continue or be broken. The atmosphere was incredibly tense.
Sun-wan was the only one not participating in the race. Meanwhile, Shuyi and the other competitors were in the changing rooms at Leo's place. Leo's grandfather, who manages the farm, was also there.
The crowd was full of familiar faces: Ryan, Shaoqing, and Leo's parents had all gathered to watch. Shuyi's father was currently abroad on a business deal, and her grandfather was also overseas for a health checkup, but the rest of the inner circle was present.
As everyone else stepped out to begin, Shuyi remained inside. Interestingly, Shaoqing's mother is actually Shuyi's godmother, and Shuyi affectionately calls her "Mamma".
Shuyi's mother had passed away while giving birth to her, so all the motherly warmth she ever craved was provided by Mrs. Wen. Their families were longtime friends, and because Shuyi and Shaoqing were born on the exact same day and month, they even shared the same zodiac sign. Because of this bond, Shuyi had called her "Mumma" since she was a child.
When Shuyi finally stepped onto the field, she looked absolutely stunning. Shaoqing found himself completely lost in her beauty, and the two of them couldn't help but exchange secret glances. However, Shuyi quickly pulled herself together, reminding herself that she had a reputation for being ruthless to maintain.
Her composure was shattered when her grandfather arrived, unexpectedly accompanied by Xiao Ningning. Shuyi was shocked to see them together. Her grandfather looked at the group and asked sternly, "Since you were all coming here, why didn't you invite Ningning to join you?"
Shuyi explained Ningning's past actions to her grandfather, but he remained unmoved. "It wasn't her fault at all, so why are you so intent on punishing her?" he asked. Shuyi tried to defend her position, but her grandfather interrupted her. "Whatever. Let's just continue with the game."
Fuming with anger, Shuyi headed out to the track to meet her horse, Maximus. She immediately noticed that Maximus was behaving abnormally, and a sense of dread washed over her. She wasn't imagining it—Ningning had actually hired someone to sabotage the horse. Su-wan was originally supposed to ride Maximus, but she had backed out at the last second, leaving Shuyi to take the saddle. Despite her instincts telling her something was wrong, the race was about to begin.
Even though Ningning's initial plan had failed, she was still happy to be taking revenge on Shuyi on her mother's behalf. The coach shouted, "Get set, go!" and the race officially began.
As expected, Shaoqing and Shuyi quickly took the lead. One by one, the other competitors fell behind: first Wanqing was eliminated, then Leo. Ryan was far behind both of them and was eventually eliminated as well. Soon, only Shuyi and Shaoqing were left on the track.
Suddenly, Maximus began acting anxious and irritated, causing his speed to drop drastically. Without warning, the horse went wild. Shuyi had no idea what was happening or why Maximus was out of control. Suddenly, Shuyi's feet slipped from the stirrups, and she became entangled in the saddle. She was no longer riding; she was being dragged along as Maximus continued to bolt across the field.
Terrified, Shuyi screamed, "Maximus! Maximus, wait! What are you doing?!"
Shuyi's hand was injured, and her feet were bleeding. She screamed for help as Shaoqing rushed back to protect her, but Maximus had grown completely wild. Everyone watching was terrified—except for Ningning, who was actually smiling. Both Wanqing and Leo caught her chilling expression.
Suddenly, Shuyi fell violently from Maximus. The horse, still crazed, turned as if to attack her. The sheer terror caused Shuyi's past trauma to resurface; she began to hyperventilate, struggling to catch her breath.
Shaoqing reached her just in time, pulling her away from the horse's path. He scooped her up into his arms and ran away from the danger. Shuyi was in the middle of a full panic attack, and Shaoqing tried everything to settle her. When nothing else worked to break her out of her fear, he leaned in and kissed her.
While the farmkeeper and the others struggled to handle Maximus, the rest of the crowd fled toward the farmhouse in fear. When Shaoqing kissed Shuyi, she once again lost herself in the moment, just as she had before. They shared that kiss for nearly three minutes.
When Shuyi finally came to her senses, she pushed Shaoqing away and demanded, "What are you doing?!" She tried to stand up, but her legs were too weak; as she began to stumble, Shaoqing quickly caught her by the waist to steady her.
The tension between them was overwhelming. Shuyi fought with all her might to push him away, but eventually, exhaustion took over and she began to cry. Seeing the others gathered anxiously outside, Shaoqing told them to stay back, insisting that he would be the one to calm her down.
Shuyi was sobbing uncontrollably as Shaoqing held her tightly in his arms. Through her tears, she looked up at him and asked, "Why? Why do you love me? Why is it always you who calms me down during my panic attacks? Why are you so gentle with me? Why do you care this much?"
She began hitting his chest again in frustration, but Shaoqing gently caught her hands and cupped her face, wiping away her tears. He leaned down and slowly kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and finally, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.
"Because I love you," Shaoqing said softly. "You are my lifeline."
Shuyi looked at him, surprised yet filled with affection. However, a shadow of doubt crossed her mind. "And what if I am not the person you love?" she questioned. "If I'm different... will you still love me?"
Shaoqing placed his hand gently on her cheek. "I know," he said softly. "After that accident, you aren't the same person you used to be. But I'm happy because I know you love me, and I know you won't leave me alone."
The atmosphere became incredibly romantic, and they leaned in for a kiss. But suddenly, Shuyi remembered what had happened seven years ago. Panicked, she pushed him away. "No... No! We can only have a marriage alliance. This cannot be a marriage for love. I am not perfect for you!"
She rushed outside, sobbing uncontrollably. Uncle Wang appeared and escorted her to the car, and they drove away immediately. Shaoqing stood there, completely shocked. He couldn't understand why she had suddenly rejected him at the very moment they were about to kiss.