The Viscount Zhou's fingers stroked Aurelia's delicate little face. The moment his fingertips made contact, he was startled by his own action, staring blankly, taking a while to realize what he was doing.

Could it be that he was also drunk?

His alcohol tolerance wasn't that bad; just two drinks might have made him slightly tipsy, but definitely not to the point of being mentally foggy. He was clearer now than ever—he was sober.

Then what was he doing now?

The Viscount Zhou touched his left chest, feeling his heart pounding wildly, his cheeks burning. He looked up to see his reflection in the mirror, his face flushed not with drunkenness, but with an inexplicable fascination.

The Viscount Zhou was dumbfounded.

He was not only surprised by his own actions just now but also by the image in the mirror, so startled that it took him quite a while to recover.

He mingled in the field of love, had had many women, but to say he was truly moved by any of them? The concept of "feelings" had always been hazy and vague to him, assuming that as long as two people were physically compatible, it was enough. Although, whenever he was with those women, there was always an emptiness in his heart, as if something was missing.

As to what it was, he hadn't figured out.

But now... Viscount Zhou seemed to vaguely understand what it was, missing was this heart-pounding feeling. His heart seemed never to beat normally in front of Aurelia Shaw!

From when she protected him as a child, helping him deal with those who bullied her, to growing up with her by his side, anywhere she was, his gaze never left her. He had made this a habit, until now...

Seeing Mason Nightshade send her a message, seeing the two talk in the afternoon, his heart felt like it was pressed with a heavy stone, uneasy. He didn't want her to look at his messages, didn't want her to reply, used such a childish method to keep her by getting her drunk.

He liked her.

From a long time ago.

Realizing this, Viscount Zhou almost instinctively reached out to stroke Aurelia Shaw's cheek, his fingers pausing in the air for a moment before touching her fair and delicate skin.

"Aurelia, this girl, how does she have such good skin," Viscount Zhou murmured to calm his rapidly beating heart, his gaze fixing on her sleeping face, the heat of his eyes dimming into something tender, instinctively slightly bending down, lowering his head.

Ursa Miller came back to the living room with a blanket in hand, witnessing a scene that almost made the blanket slip from her hands in shock.

Ursa's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing. She reflexively hid, her heart pounding in her chest, fingers tightly clutching the blanket to her chest, unable to regain her composure for a long time.

Young Master Zhou actually... secretly kissed the Young Madam's forehead!

Could it be, Young Master Zhou secretly loved the Young Madam?!

Ursa was frightened by this realization, secretly peeking out, seeing that Young Master Zhou had already straightened his back, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the Young Madam, eyes blazing.

Both of them had been drinking, and if something were to happen...

Thinking of this possibility, Ursa reacted faster than she thought, rushing out, keeping her head down, eyes obediently on the ground, nudging the crouching Young Master Zhou out of the way, taking his place, wrapping the blanket around the Young Madam.

"Sorry, Young Master Zhou, it took some time to find the blanket; the Young Madam is in my care now, you've been drinking too, so you should head back." She issued a polite eviction order.

The Viscount Zhou, pushed aside, sat on the ground, his backside aching, glancing up at the bold-acting maid, curling his lips into a smile, mixing coldness with a mysterious allure, "Hey, do you still want to serve me tonight?"