Savage Kiss - Chapter 15

Xu Qingyi returned to her seat intending to grab her bag and leave, but Shen Yanzhou grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.

Not wanting to block the people behind her, she sat back down.

Shen Yanzhou draped his jacket over her shoulders and then reached for her wrist again, as if afraid she might run away.

Xu Qingyi moved her hand to the other side. “What do you want?”

She shifted slightly away from him. His closeness was already testing her composure, if he touched her again, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Shen Yanzhou watched as she avoided him, his expression dimming. “That day, my tone was too harsh.”

Just then, someone scored a three-pointer, and the sudden cheers drowned out his words.

Xu Qingyi didn’t really want to hear it anyway. “Can’t hear you. Stop talking.”

Shen Yanzhou turned his head to look at her for several seconds before finally facing forward again to watch the game.

The match was intense, but Xu Qingyi was even more unsettled.

Eventually, the team captain waved from the aisle, signaling the team members to come register their information.

The captain said, “The community organizers and sponsors are planning a dinner later. Sister Li even put in a good word for us, so we can all go. Add me on WeChat so we can stay in touch.”

Xu Qingyi didn’t think she would attend, but out of courtesy, she added him.

With that done and no further need for the cheerleaders, she was free to leave.

She glanced around and noticed Shen Yanzhou was no longer there.

“Over here.” Just as she thought of him, his voice called out from behind her near the exit.

He stood there holding her bag and belongings, waiting for her.

As Xu Qingyi started walking toward him, a guy behind her called out.

“Hey, can I get your WeChat?”

The guy was tall, Xu Qingyi had to tilt her head up to realize he was the team’s forward.

He must have rushed over on impulse because his pickup line was awkward. “You dance really well! I kinda want to learn too!”

Xu Qingyi: ?

The guy scratched his head, blushing. “We’re from the same school, just thought we could be friends.”

Xu Qingyi smiled faintly. “I’m not from Railway University. I’m a community volunteer.”

It was clear she was turning him down, and the guy, inexperienced in flirting, didn’t push it. Instead, he just asked earnestly, “Then… will you come to the next game?”

Xu Qingyi gave a polite smile but didn’t answer.

Shen Yanzhou appeared beside her at some point. “She doesn’t add people on WeChat. Thanks.”

Then he guided her out of the venue.

Xu Qingyi pulled her hand free. She didn’t like adding strangers, but she wasn’t about to thank him for stepping in.

She reached for her bag.

Shen Yanzhou held it behind his back, keeping it from her. “Let’s get dinner. Consider it my apology.”

Xu Qingyi looked at him and chuckled. “It’s not that serious. We don’t have any relationship, so there’s no need to complicate things.”

Every time she distanced herself like this, Shen Yanzhou frowned.

“That day, I really was out of line…”

Back then, seeing her step out of Shi Qing’s bike, looking like she’d just been intimate, had made him lose his temper.

But now, no matter how he tried to phrase it, nothing sounded right.

Instead, he asked, “There’s a car at the factory. Do you still want to see it?”

“No.”

Xu Qingyi finally took her bag back and turned to leave for her apartment.

She kept her cheerleading outfit on, drawing plenty of stares on the way back.

Only when she got home did she realize, the jacket she was wearing was Shen Yanzhou’s.

She had assumed he’d grabbed her own jacket from her bag to give her.

He still hadn’t returned the umbrella he’d borrowed from her, and now she had his jacket.

What kind of mess was this?

“If it’s not expensive, just throw it away?”

Xu Qingyi thought with a hint of irritation, flipping through the clothing tags only to find no brand name at all.

Her phone chimed repeatedly with new notifications.

Assuming it was Shen Yanzhou, she ignored it and went to take a shower first, changing into fresh clothes.

Only after coming out did she realize Mi Lian had sent her over a dozen unread messages.

[Qi Bao! You’re my goddess!]

[So gorgeous! Absolutely stunning!]

…

[Ahhh! How can you have both a devilish body and an angelic face at the same time?]

[I’m gonna kill Shi Qing and then pursue you myself!]

Xu Qingyi had no idea what she was rambling about until she scrolled up and saw a photo Mi Lian had sent.

It was a picture of her performing with the cheerleading squad earlier.

Surprised, she replied, [How do you have people everywhere?]

How did Mi Lian always manage to get these photos?

Mi Lian sent back a lecherous emoji.

[My connections are vast! Marry me? I’ll help you make tons of money!]

Feigning hurt, Xu Qingyi replied, [We agreed to just be online friends, yet you two keep doxxing me.]

Mi Lian, likely feeling guilty, simply ignored that remark.

A short while later, Shi Qing also sent her a sudden message:

[Very beautiful.]

The next second, Mi Lian sent her a 200-yuan red envelope with a note: [Earned this for you by sending the photo to that dog Shi Qing!]

What a pair of clowns.

Too exhausted, Xu Qingyi declined all game invites and rested for an hour before heading to her small workspace to focus on important tasks.

She left her phone outside, unable to hear any vibrations.

When she finished and came out, she saw several missed WeChat calls, all from the cheerleading captain.

Just then, Captain Li called again.

Xu Qingyi quickly removed her gloves. “Captain Li, sorry I didn’t hear the phone earlier.”

“I figured!” Captain Li, always cheerful, laughed as she spoke. “You know the organizers and the community are having a dinner together, right?”

Xu Qingyi nodded.

“Get dressed up a bit and come along. Keep it simple…”

Then she added, “Actually, forget it. You’re so pretty, you’d look decent even in a sack. Just keep it clean and modest. I’ve mentioned you to the community leaders several times. This dinner is your chance to make an impression!”

Captain Li had previously told her she’d do her best to secure a community job for her. Even if it wasn’t a permanent position, contract work offered good benefits, a stable job nonetheless.

On the day of the dinner, before leaving for the city, Xu Qingyi took a shower, tied her hair into a half-up waterfall ponytail, and wore a white knit top with a light blue A-line skirt, spritzing on a hint of fresh perfume… simple yet elegant.

At the hotel entrance, the community leader Captain Li had mentioned specifically shook her hand. “You must be Xiao Xu?”

Xu Qingyi nodded.

“About the same age as my daughter. You look like a good kid, no wonder Captain Li praises you so much. Let’s go!”

Xu Qingyi exhaled softly and followed inside.

She wasn’t comfortable in such settings, but growth was necessary.

Passing through the revolving door, she noticed the leader walking ahead quickly and hurried to catch up, only to bump into someone unexpectedly.

“Sorry-”

Shen Yanzhou had already stepped out but retracted his foot when he saw it was her. He steadied her with one hand, frowning slightly as he looked down.

He caught a faint whiff of her subtle, elegant perfume.

“Part-time job?” he asked.

Xu Qingyi removed his hand. The leader was turning back to look for her, so she quickly followed. “What did you just ask?”

“I asked if you can drink.”

Xu Qingyi paused. Aside from beer, she’d never touched alcohol. Would she need to drink tonight?

“I’m not very good at it,” she answered truthfully.

The leader smiled slightly without saying anything, gesturing for her to enter the elevator.

As the doors closed, Xu Qingyi saw Shen Yanzhou still standing there, watching her.