Savage Kiss - Chapter 20

She had always preferred speaking the truth, this was something she never concealed, and he knew it well.

But careless words might be taken to heart. Shen Yanzhou’s gaze darkened as he looked at her. “Is that so?”

The next second, Xu Qingyi suddenly found herself pulled by the waist, half-carried, half-dragged straight into the men’s restroom by Shen Yanzhou.

The entire time, her feet barely touched the ground. It wasn’t until Shen Yanzhou locked the door behind them and then lifted her onto the nearby counter that he kissed her without giving her a chance to protest.

There was an impulsive urgency to it, his breath turning rough and heated in an instant.

She had known this seaside restaurant was upscale, but she hadn’t understood just how upscale until now.

Even the restroom was more expensive than her apartment, complete with a dedicated counter for guests to change clothes or place their bags, covered in fine Australian lambskin.

Xu Qingyi had thought it would just be a kiss until she realized he wasn’t stopping there.

A little startled, she murmured, “Shen Yanzhou…”

“Hmm.” A low hum escaped his throat, but his lips never left hers.

Forced to endure it, Xu Qingyi squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to restrain herself. “We can’t do this…”

For one, it was happening too often, she couldn’t afford it.

For another, this was a public restaurant. Someone could need the restroom at any moment.

If they got caught and had to be shooed out, she’d never be able to show her face in the coastal district again.

After all the trouble she’d gone through, she had planned to live here for the rest of her life, saving up desperately to buy a small place maybe even bring Xu Chen here for treatment.

Shen Yanzhou barely managed to rein himself in, pressing his forehead against hers, his gaze molten like scalding cheese, impossible to dissolve. “Are you trying to kill me? Teasing me every time and then running away.”

Xu Qingyi looked wronged. When had she ever teased him?

Shen Yanzhou bit down on her lip in dissatisfaction. “If that’s not teasing, then what is? Do you say things like that to everyone?”

Xu Qingyi pressed her lips together, seizing the chance to revise her words:

“…I meant I was interested in him, the basketball team guy. What’s wrong with that?”

Shen Yanzhou let out something like a laugh.

He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

Hers were beautiful, glistening like a cat’s, clear yet irresistibly alluring.

“The way you were looking at me just now was like a cat spotting a fish.”

Xu Qingyi didn’t believe it. Though she really did enjoy their moments together, she was usually careful to hold back.

She scoffed lightly. “Even if I were a cat, are you a fish? A merman?”

She gave him a slight push, enough was enough. They’d already been in here too long.

If they kept this up, she was afraid she’d lose all self-control.

Shen Yanzhou watched as she exhaled, her expression turning as composed as a monk in meditation.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “No one’s coming. Really don’t want to?”

Xu Qingyi cleared her throat. “I’m the one paying. The decision is mine.”

To his credit, he respected that, smoothing out the hair and clothes he had mussed up, even adjusting her skirt to prevent any accidental exposure.

“Even for a part-time job, you dress up so nicely.”

Xu Qingyi: “What can I say? I look good in anything.”

She paused, lately, she’d gotten too used to bantering with Mi Lian and Shi Qing.

Shen Yanzhou chuckled. “Can’t argue with that.”

Xu Qingyi suddenly remembered something and cupped his face. “That injury on your head last time, have you gotten it checked again?”

She didn’t want it leaving any lasting damage.

Shen Yanzhou: “I’m young. I can take a beating.”

“If you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to.” He reminded her kindly.

Xu Qingyi finally went to turn the doorknob without a moment’s delay.

Shen Yanzhou reached from behind to open the door for her. As she stepped out, he leaned slightly forward and murmured, “Next time we go out to sea, I’ll let you experience what it’s like with a male mermaid.”

She broke free from him and walked away swiftly, afraid of running into anyone.

Fortunately, she made it out of the restaurant smoothly, crossed the street, and only relaxed completely once she was far enough away.

Glancing back, she saw Shen Yanzhou standing by a beach chair outside the restaurant, nodding at her in farewell.

The restaurant owner was seated beside him. Even from a distance, Xu Qingyi didn’t dare respond in any way, she simply turned and left.

Ma Xu glanced at Shen Yanzhou. Every customer who had tried to use the restaurant’s restroom had been redirected to the public one nearby.

He teased, “Brother Zhou, should we build you a private bathroom?”

It was just a jab, meant to provoke a reaction, especially since he’d been so cold and rigid with the girl last time.

But Shen Yanzhou merely raised an eyebrow. “Good idea. You pay for it.”

“…”

Shen Yanzhou wasn’t joking. If she didn’t want a relationship, maybe she just enjoyed the ambiguity before one.

He’d accompany her, then.

Not just accompany, he’d help her explore things further. Sooner or later, she’d be willing to take love seriously.

Seeing that shamelessly smug look on his face, Ma Xu lost interest in keeping him company. “I’m leaving. Customers are coming.”

After a few steps, though, Ma Xu paused. “Huh? Why’d they leave?”

That black car had been parked there for a while now. He’d assumed they were coming to eat.

Shen Yanzhou glanced up as well. The out-of-province license plate suggested tourists.

But the next second, the black car made a U-turn and drove off in the direction Xu Qingyi had gone.

Shen Yanzhou frowned, pulling out his phone to type a message: [Keep an eye on a car for me. Plate number: Dong G**4.]

Xu Qingyi stopped by a convenience store to restock before heading back to her apartment, completely unaware that a black sedan had been tailing her the entire time.

The coming days would keep her busy again.

The product upgrades sent by CEO Ke, she wanted to tackle all of them. That way, the upgraded products would bear her design label, boosting her reputation in this new field.

Back in her small workspace, she mulled over signing a long-term contract with CEO Ke.

For the new products, CEO Ke had already paid her 80,000 yuan. With the upgraded contract, she’d also receive a share of the profits from future product sales.

The thought had kept her awake last night, wondering if she was finally about to strike it rich… maybe even become a millionaire.

Could she finally afford a house?

The more she thought about it, the more motivated she felt!

Xu Qingyi spent three days thoroughly studying the functions and features of all the older product models, diving deep into their details.

In the end, she picked one to experiment with for upgrades, focusing on design and user experience.

Her approach was unique. She texted Ke Yan: [CEO Ke, can I see the negative reviews for this one?]

Negative feedback would highlight the most critical areas needing improvement.

However, many of the complaints had been filtered out by the sellers.

Ke Yan was straightforward, sending her screenshots right away.

She even summarized for her: [For wearable products, the main issue probably lies in the experience across different scenarios.]

That aligned with Xu Qingyi’s own thoughts.

CEO Ke suggested she go out for inspiration, the outside world was full of ideas.

Lying in bed, Xu Qingyi browsed through attractions in the coastal district, looking for places to get some fresh air.

Tourist spots were crowded, which could be stimulating.

But she wasn’t comfortable with that, so she settled on a riverside park that likely wouldn’t be too packed.

Xu Qingyi left her apartment a little after two in the afternoon.

The weather was nice today. The big trees in the seaside park still had their leaves, and the grass in the lawn area retained some greenery. Sitting by the Willow River, she felt completely at ease.

There were few tourists. About a few hundred meters away from her, a family seemed to be camping, but it didn’t disturb her search for inspiration.

Xu Qingyi walked to a small pavilion not far away, made sure no one was around, and took out her remote control, ready to activate the mode.