Edge of A Burning Kiss - Chapter 22

Qin Yu wrapped one arm around her waist to steady her while using the other to gently wipe the tears from her cheeks with his fingertips.

His movements were tender, carrying a patience he had never shown before.

“Alright, no more crying,” Qin Yu coaxed softly, his voice gentler than before. “If you keep crying, your face will be all messy, and you won’t look pretty anymore.”

Xia Jin sniffled, perhaps exhausted from crying, or maybe because Qin Yu’s embrace felt so safe. She buried her face in his broad chest like a kitten seeking shelter, whimpering softly.

Qin Yu patted her back rhythmically, as if comforting a wronged child.

Xia Jin felt the erratic throbbing of her heart gradually settle, leaving only a quiet sense of peace.

For a while, the car was filled only with the girl’s faint sobs and the man’s deep, soothing murmurs.

After some time, the crying in his arms gradually quieted, replaced by steady, even breaths.

Qin Yu looked down, the girl had curled up in his embrace and fallen asleep.

Her long lashes still glistened with teardrops, the corners of her eyes slightly red, yet her sleeping face was unexpectedly serene and sweet.

Qin Yu watched her silently, his gaze profound.

Are you still unable to forget Ye Tiyan? Does he still mean so much to you? Is he worth all these tears?

Outside the car window, neon lights flickered past, casting shifting shadows in the depths of his eyes.

He held her in his arms, motionless, as if afraid of disturbing her peaceful slumber.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and silently raised the partition between the front and back seats.

The night deepened as the car glided smoothly forward, carrying with it a quietude and an undercurrent of tenderness.

The elevator chimed as it reached their floor.

Qin Yu stepped out steadily, still cradling the peacefully sleeping Xia Jin in his arms.

The hallway was silent, the motion-sensor lights flickering on with his steps.

Just as he reached the doors of their two apartments, frantic scratching and the sound of “werwer” barks came from behind the door of Xia Jin’s unit, 601. Fanbao was pawing at the door anxiously.

Qin Yu paused. He glanced down at the girl breathing evenly in his arms, then looked at his own door, listening to the persistent scratching.

Should I take her back to her place to be with Fanbao?

Or… should I bring her to mine?

For a moment, Qin Yu hesitated.

Just then, the girl in his arms stirred, murmuring something incoherent in her sleep.

Xia Jin’s eyelids fluttered before slowly opening.

The first thing she saw was the sharp line of the man’s jaw and the movement of his Adam’s apple.

Dazed for a few seconds, the remnants of alcohol still clouding her mind, a sliver of rationality reminded her that she was being carried.

“Put… put me down…” Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse.

Qin Yu obliged, carefully setting her on her feet but keeping a light hand on her waist in case she stumbled.

Xia Jin shook her head, seeming a little more awake, and staggered to her door to unlock it.

Watching this, an inexplicable flicker of something like disappointment passed through Qin Yu’s eyes.

Fine. It’s better this way, let her go home and rest.

With a soft click, the door opened. Qin Yu was about to release his hold on her.

But in the next second, a golden blur shot out from inside.

“Woof woof!” Fanbao excitedly pounced towards Xia Jin, his thick tail wagging like a lethal weapon, swatting directly against Xia Jin’s calf.

Xia Jin gasped in pain, staggering and nearly falling, but luckily Qin Yu caught her in time.

Gritting her teeth with a mix of love and exasperation, she rubbed Fanbao’s fluffy big head. Then, as if suddenly remembering some important mission, her eyes lit up.

She abruptly raised her head, her gaze sparkling, and with a wave of her small hand, pointed at the door of Qin Yu’s house.

“Fanbao! Let’s go!”

Fanbao tilted his head, seemingly confused.

“We’re going to eat apples!”

At the word “apples,” Fanbao immediately started circling excitedly in front of Qin Yu’s door.

Xia Jin turned around, standing in front of Qin Yu, her flushed little face upturned as she urged, “Hurry up and open the door! Apples! Fanbao and I want apples!”

Qin Yu: “…”

The earlier disappointment vanished in an instant, replaced by a helpless, amused exasperation.

What else could he say? He could only resign himself and open his door.

“Come in,” he said, stepping aside.

Xia Jin immediately wobbled inside.

Fanbao sniffed around here and there before effortlessly jumping onto Qin Yu’s large bed.

The last time Xia Jin had visited his place, she hadn’t paid much attention to the layout of the living room.

This time, though still bleary-eyed from drinking, the massive bookshelf covering an entire wall instantly caught her attention.

“Wow…” she murmured in awe, stumbling toward the bookshelf with unsteady steps, so unsteady it seemed she might kiss the floor at any moment.

Qin Yu watched with bated breath, quickly following behind her and extending an arm to hover protectively at her back.

His palm lingered just centimeters away, ready to catch her if she fell.

Xia Jin seemed to sense the movement behind her and, displeased at being treated like a drunk, suddenly stopped and turned around.

Puffing her cheeks, she irritably swatted at his hand though she embarrassingly missed.

“I-I’m not drunk!” she slurred, trying hard to prove herself.

To demonstrate, she turned back, stood on tiptoe, and randomly pulled out a thick English novel from the shelf.

She flipped through a few pages, pointed at a random line, cleared her throat, and with a serious expression, read aloud:

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

Finished, she proudly lifted her chin like a student waiting for praise.

Qin Yu chuckled softly. “Impressive. What does it mean?”

“Mm… what does it mean again?” She blinked, muttering to herself.

Watching her bewildered expression, Qin Yu let out a quiet laugh.

He stepped closer, smoothly taking the book from her hands.

He stood so near that Xia Jin could clearly catch his scent, clean, with a faint hint of tobacco, uniquely his.

“But soft…” His deep voice resonated in the quiet living room, carrying a mesmerizing charm. “It means, ‘Hush, be gentle.'”

Qin Yu’s face was mere inches away from hers. Xia Jin could even see the shadows cast by his long, thick eyelashes as they lowered over his eyes.

“What light through yonder window breaks,” he paused, lifting his gaze from the book to meet her dazed eyes, “What light is that, coming through the window over there?”

His gaze was deep and intense, as if charged with electricity.

Xia Jin’s heartbeat faltered uncontrollably for a beat.

“It is the east, and Juliet is the sun,” he continued, his voice softer, gentler, almost whispering against her ear, “That is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, sending a faint shiver down her spine.