"Herman, I feel we are taking things a bit too quickly," Zhi Xun shivered, but he had pinned her down under his larger body.

"We have been together for three months," Herman said. "Just how long more do I have to wait?"

She gave him a sheepish look. "I didn't mean for you to think of it this way... after all, we will be together after graduation, right? We're in our second year now, so there's still a lot of time."

"What if I say, I can't wait?" Herman stared at her intensely, reaching over to undo the buttons on her blouse.

"I..." she uttered nervously. "I've never done it before. I'm scared, Herman."

"I know," Herman looked into her eyes, attempting to reassure her. "I promise you that you will enjoy it, okay?"

Her heart was beating hard due to her nervousness. Though she was intelligent enough to know what was about to happen, she didn't think it was the right time for them. Since the meeting with the stranger, she had been unable to get the man out of her mind. Originally, she thought that being with Herman would clear her thoughts of the man, but she thought wrong. Even with Herman in bed with her, her thoughts were just on the man. She knew that it wasn't right for her to do it with Herman while thinking of another.

"Not now, Herman. Please," she begged with her most adorable puppy eyes. "Let's sit down and watch TV, okay? The girls will be back soon."

"They won't," he said in a dark tone. "It was me who bribed them with a ticket to a concert. I told you I would give you a surprise."

"Herman," she squeaked, "There's a lot of other things couples can do... We don't need to go up to this stage yet."

"Oh?" Herman asked. "How long do you plan to make me wait? I can tell you, Huo Zhi Xun, there's a lot more women who are more than willing to be with me, but I chose you, because you are special, Zhi Xun."

I'm special? Zhi Xun felt confused. Her thoughts swirled in her mind, and apart from a few sweet dates they had in the university grounds, she suddenly could not feel anything special between them. But when the stranger had caught her, she felt an entirely different feeling. It was like they had a bond, even though it was their first meeting. When their lips brushed against each other, she had wished he had kissed her. Those feelings were feelings she had never felt when she was with Herman. All of a sudden, she felt guilty, as if she was cheating on Herman.

"Yes, Zhi Xun. I want to be your first," he said, biting on her earlobe gently, causing her to shiver in fright. Getting up from where he had her pinned under him, he lay beside her intimately. His deft fingers waded down her skirt and felt her thighs. Zhi Xun felt torn. As a virgin, her body was already responding to his exploration, but she didn't want it to happen between them yet until she clarified her feelings. She didn't see the point in giving herself to a man she didn't love.

"Herman, I understand that you have been with a few girls before me," she said, attempting to pull the blanket over her half-exposed body. "Just give me a bit more time."

The calmness on his face turned to rage, and he replied in a furious tone, "NO. Your first time is mine, and I will not have anyone else taking my prize."

Prize? She was taken aback by his statement. Herman's voice started turning nasty.

"Zhi Xun, did you think I wanted you because you were good at studies, or won a few medals? Every girl I dated before were not virgins, and you were the exception. Give yourself to me, and I will give you the best treatment. I'll be with you forever like you wished."

She felt tears stream down her face. In the past, she might have considered what he had just said, but now that the stranger was continually in her mind, she was unsure if Herman was her destiny, any longer. What if she was meant to be with the man in her dreams? She couldn't possibly give herself to Herman when they weren't meant to be.

Before Herman could reach her, she leapt out of bed and rushed as far as she could to the door. She was breathing so rapidly that she couldn't absorb what was happening, but when she opened the door of the apartment, she realised something was wrong. Smoke was billowing outside, and firefighters were at the scene. Her eyes stung with pain, and her vision was blurred. She coughed uncontrollably as she struggled to make her way to the lift. The alarm came on too late, and she had already inhaled some smoke. She saw Herman push past her to escape and was momentarily distracted. Then, she heard someone shout, "FIRE! GET READY TO EVACUATE THE BUILDING!"

At that juncture, she felt her knees buckle under her. In her last minutes of consciousness, she recognised the voice to be the man of her dreams, and the man in the library had owned the same voice. But in a flash, everything had turned pitch-black, and before long, she had collapsed.

Just minutes ago, Tian Yu had been in the area, having completed a discussion with his male assistant Ying. Ying resided in one of the apartments in the building adjacent to the one Zhi Xun lived with her roommates. As Tian Yu was about to leave, his keen eyes noticed that one of the units of the building she resided at had caught fire.

He headed towards the vicinity of her apartment for a closer look and immediately alerted the authorities. Just as soon as he got off the call, he happened to see Zhi Xun rush out of her apartment half-dressed, and in his frenzy, he caught her in his arms a second time. As she was already unconscious, he did what he had to do, and gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He repeated the procedure until she showed some faint signs of recovery. She opened her eyes and looked at him for a few seconds, before falling back into his arms weakly.

Her lips tasted so sweet when their lips met, and unable to contain himself, he kissed her again. If only she were his, he thought and took off his jacket. He covered her carefully with his jacket, realising how warm she felt in his arms, and he enjoyed having her close to him.

If only, she were his, the thought repeated itself in his mind, and he held her more tightly to him as he descended the stairs of the building, eager to send her to the hospital at the quickest opportunity.