Fu Nancheng froze, the cigarette between his fingers forgotten. Through the swirling blue smoke, the girl’s eyes fixed on him. They were startlingly clear, glittering like polished pearls—radiant and openly defiant. The tension between them was palpable, sparking like live wires. Fu Nancheng felt a tickle in his throat, followed by a deeper, more curious itch within his chest. This little clown fr