Leon paced at the top of Kelly's dark little lead, wondering if he had taken the joke a bit too far. He looked downright terrified.

Amidst the chaos, Kelly felt thirsty and left her study to get some water.

Leon was in the living room, legs stretched out on the couch. He was wearing silver-framed glasses and reading a book intently. It was the first time Kelly had seen him wearing glasses. The silver frames rested on his high cheekbones, and the warm light outlined his features, making him… He stared for a moment until Leon suddenly looked up, and their eyes unexpectedly met. His gaze was deep, like ink, as though it could pull one in.

She pretended to stay calm as she nervously said, “I’m just going to get some water.”

Leon stood up from the carpet and casually grabbed the water jug from the table. Kelly reached for it, but her fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of his hand. The warmth of his hand made her flinch. At that moment, Leon had already filled a cup with water and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” Kelly quickly took it, her lips dry from nervousness. She took a sip of water to wet them.

Leon glanced at the time and asked, “What time are you planning to go to bed?”

Kelly used to stay up until 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM, but that was when she worked part-time at The Sippery and still had to review her studies. Today, she had been…

“I’ll warm up a cup of milk for you before bed,” Leon offered. He seemed quite insistent on this nightly milk ritual. Kelly knew it was pointless to refuse, so she nodded obediently.

Her gaze shifted to the book he was reading, and she became curious about what could captivate a university professor so much. If it were an anatomy book, would it be considered first-hand learning material for her?

Unable to help herself, Kelly asked, “What book are you reading?”

Leon bent down, picked up the book, and showed it to her. The book was titled “The Pregnancy Bible.”

This was what he was reading so seriously. She already had some experience with pregnancy and the changes it brings; she was simply researching how to adjust a pregnant woman's diet and maintain her… Kelly struggled to find something to say. “What… chapter are you on?” she stammered, then abruptly trailed off.

“I just finished Chapter Seven,” Leon said, flipping the book to the bookmarked page. Then, his voice dropping, a curious Kelly leaned in to glance at the chapter title: “Managing Emotions and Sexual Activity.”

As the saying went, curiosity killed the cat. Right now, Kelly wanted to slap herself. Leon closed the book, his expression unreadable. “You should rest early. You look tired,” he said. With the perfect opportunity to exit, she quickly dashed off. “Goodnight, Professor Butler,” she mumbled.

In the living room, Leon reopened the book he had briefly set aside.

Back in her room, Kelly leaned against the door, feeling a bit flustered. After a moment, her phone buzzed.

It was a message from Caleb Hanley, the owner of The Sippery. Caleb texted, “Kelly, can you come in? You’ve taken a few days off, and it’s getting busy at the shop.”

For nearly two years, Kelly's living expenses had been covered by her part-time job, and she definitely didn’t want to give that up. As her belly grew larger, she wouldn’t be able to work part-time anymore, so she needed to make as much money as possible while she could. She couldn't just…

But she had a feeling that he wouldn’t agree to her working part-time, so she would need to come up with an excuse. Kelly replied to Caleb, then started thinking hard about what that excuse might be.