Savage Kiss - Chapter 29

It was almost 3 a.m., and she had nowhere to go. She was still wearing her nightgown, with only a trench coat hastily thrown over it. If she had to sleep on a park bench tonight, she’d definitely freeze to death.

With no other choice, she walked back to the apartment.

Even if the apartment had no door, at least the main entrance downstairs had security, it was still better than sleeping on the streets.

When she swiped her access card, she noticed a new security guard in the lobby.

As soon as she entered, the guard asked, “Are you a resident here? What’s your unit number? I need to register you.”

Perhaps sensing her confusion, the guard explained, “There was an incident in the building, so the landlord temporarily increased security. Everyone has to register their ID for the next couple of days.”

Xu Qingyi immediately realized it must be because of the break-in at her place.

Because of that, the landlord added security?

As she filled out the form, she asked skeptically, “Is the landlord for this entire building… the same person?”

The guard chuckled. “You just moved in, didn’t you? Not just this building, the same person owns a lot of properties in this tourist area.”

He himself had been transferred from the security team at a nearby hotel.

Xu Qingyi genuinely hadn’t known.

So, her landlord was that wealthy, no wonder he’d been so understanding the two times she couldn’t pay rent on time, never even asking for a reason.

Maybe the truly rich were more tolerant of the world and its less fortunate.

The guard continued chatting, “In the next few days, the building’s getting another upgrade, installing video intercoms for every unit.”

“After that, if a delivery person or stranger comes by, residents can refuse entry if they don’t recognize or approve of them.”

Xu Qingyi put down the pen. That was way too high-end.

She was suddenly afraid her rent would go up.

She’d already thought the apartment was pretty upscale before, not only did it have dynamic access codes, but each unit even had its own delivery locker with one-time passwords.

She took the elevator upstairs, exhausted to the point where she felt she could sleep like a log even without a door.

But when she reached the door of Unit 601, she saw several people bustling around.

One of them spotted her and held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t come any closer! There’s water everywhere, and the power’s still on, be careful of electrocution!”

Xu Qingyi froze. “Unit 601 is leaking?”

Several men in uniforms, some looking like electricians, others like plumbers, were busy with their tasks.

As for her front door, it had been completely removed and was now leaning against the hallway. A new door and lock were placed nearby, waiting to be installed.

Her brain was too foggy from exhaustion to process anything, so she texted the landlord:

[Unit 601 got broken into and flooded. Did you know?]

After sending it, she realized it was past 3 a.m., this was incredibly rude.

To her surprise, the landlord replied instantly:

[Xiao Xu, you’re still awake? Didn’t you go to a hotel?]

[The apartment isn’t livable tonight, actually, it might take a few days. The repair guys said your pipes were damaged, probably by that bastard who broke in.]

She could tell the landlord was furious too.

But then he quickly asked:

[Do you have somewhere to stay?]

Of course, Xu Qingyi replied:

[Yes.]

But right now, she was truly desperate.

Water had already seeped into the hallway, which meant the floors inside were completely soaked.

This would take days to fix.

She was out of options.

She couldn’t just stand here all night watching the repairmen fix the pipes and floors, could she?

Between dignity and survival, Xu Qingyi ultimately chose the latter, what use was dignity if she was dead?

Hesitantly, she opened Shen Yanzhou’s contact and typed a message, her pride making it hard to ask directly:

[Are you awake?]

Shen Yanzhou didn’t reply.

Those few seconds of waiting were agonizing for Xu Qingyi, especially since she was the one who had drawn the line between them before.

“What’s wrong?” A familiar deep voice suddenly sounded beside her.

Xu Qingyi was startled. Turning around, she saw Shen Yanzhou already standing behind her, she had no idea when he’d arrived.

Thinking she was so tired she was hallucinating, she blinked. “Why are you here?”

Shen Yanzhou stepped forward, but Xu Qingyi instinctively grabbed his wrist. “There’s electricity!”

The repairman called out from inside, “The power’s already cut! Need to grab something? Come on in!”

Shen Yanzhou glanced at her hand.

Xu Qingyi quickly let go.

He studied her for a moment before saying, “Your landlord contacted me. Said you had nowhere to go.”

Oh. Xu Qingyi remembered her landlord had texted earlier, mentioning someone had asked about her. She’d guessed it was Shen Yanzhou.

Her landlord was really too kind.

“You know my landlord too?” she asked, then answered her own question. “Oh, right, you rented the place next door.”

Shen Yanzhou said, “I don’t live next door.”

Not wanting her to feel awkward, he added, “I just store some things from the repair shop here. I only come by occasionally to pick them up.”

“Need to get your luggage?” he asked.

Since she wouldn’t be able to stay here for the next few days, Xu Qingyi did need to grab her tablet and another phone.

After a moment’s thought, she also went to the small storage room and packed two sample products into her bag, work still had to go on.

All of Xu Qingyi’s belongings amounted to two sets of clothes, a toiletry kit, and a small suitcase. Her backpack held work materials and some adult products.

Shen Yanzhou took her to his room at the repair shop, opening the door to show her. “Can you stay here?”

The room wasn’t large but was clean, a roughly 40-square-meter studio with a bathroom.

The question was, how would two people stay here?

Shen Yanzhou said, “I’ll stay somewhere else.”

Xu Qingyi replied, “All the nearby hotels are fully booked. I checked every one.”

“Do the other workers have dormitories? Or could you share a room with someone?” Anything would be better than sleeping on the floor.

Shen Yanzhou looked at her.

Xu Qingyi suddenly understood. “No dorm? This is the only room in the shop?”

He nodded. This room was just his usual break room, and he rarely slept here at night.

Xu Qingyi pointed at the floor. “I’ll sleep here. You take the bed.”

She was exhausted and would’ve loved the bed, but there was no way she could share it with Shen Yanzhou.

She was afraid her self-control wouldn’t hold up against her body’s urges.

Shen Yanzhou worked quickly, laying out a makeshift bed on the floor in no time. “I’ll sleep here.”

Xu Qingyi didn’t have the energy to argue. It was already 4 a.m., and if they kept this up, dawn would break soon.

She wanted to leave before the repair shop employees arrived in the morning, otherwise, explaining her relationship with Shen Yanzhou would be awkward.

So, she didn’t protest further, lying down on the bed and falling asleep instantly.

…

At this time of year, mornings were slow to brighten, and Beijing’s winter haze kept the sky dim even close to 8 a.m.

Xu Qingyi’s mind struggled to wake up, leaving her unsure whether she was truly awake or still dreaming.

She sat up, intending to go to the bathroom, but forgot that Shen Yanzhou’s room layout was the reverse of hers.

Stepping off the bed to the left, she found herself heading straight for Shen Yanzhou’s makeshift bed on the floor.

Completely unprepared, Xu Qingyi tripped over the bedding and tumbled forward.

Her only instinct was to reach out to break her fall.

A second later, instead of hitting something hard, she found herself sprawled mostly on top of Shen Yanzhou without feeling any pain at all.

It really seemed like a dream.

The next second, Xu Qingyi’s mind exploded with a single thought: He sleeps naked!

Her fingertips brushed against Shen Yanzhou’s shoulder and abdominal muscles, softer than in reality, just a little.

Nice to touch.

And her face happened to press right against his neck.

That was the spot she loved most to kiss during intimate moments. Now, served straight to her lips, she couldn’t help but inhale lightly, pressing her lips and cheek against it.