Savage Kiss - Chapter 38

Xu Qingyi’s heart skipped a beat.

He had been really… these past two days.

“Did something happen recently?”

She had been joking earlier. The last time on the yacht, running into him had already been awkward enough.

How could she possibly play with that thing right in front of him?

“Does a long business trip count?”

Shen Yanzhou sat beside her, his dark gaze fixed on her face. “The car is great in every aspect. Want to test it?”

She didn’t know much about cars, but even she could tell that its appearance and performance were far beyond just “great.”

“Can I?”

She meant taking it for a test drive.

Truthfully, she would’ve bought it even without a test drive. But since this was her first car, she was excited and wanted to take it for a spin.

Shen Yanzhou’s brow twitched slightly. “Why ask me? When have I ever said no to you?”

Xu Qingyi said, “Okay,” then sat up. “You take the passenger seat.”

A clear question mark rose in Shen Yanzhou’s eyes. She wanted to… by herself?

Then he remembered what he had stumbled upon on the yacht.

His brow arched. “Do you carry toys with you when you go out?”

Xu Qingyi froze, realizing they hadn’t been talking about the same thing earlier.

“I don’t mind joining,” he said, looking both relaxed and somewhat serious.

The back seat was spacious, but with Shen Yanzhou suddenly there, tall and imposing, it felt a little suffocating.

The moment his presence enveloped her, she wanted to say she was just testing the car, not doing that. But her brain seemed to short-circuit.

The moment her lips parted, Shen Yanzhou kissed her, seizing the opportunity to deepen it.

Xu Qingyi really did want to refuse. He was just going on a business trip, not disappearing forever. Did they have to be this wild in the car at night?

But reason lost to instinct. While her body leaned back, her face tilted up subconsciously.

Shen Yanzhou’s restraint and exploration never lasted more than a few seconds before turning fervent. His broad, solid shoulders nearly engulfed her as he kissed her deeply.

The only thing that kept Xu Qingyi rational in the face of his overwhelming temptation was privacy.

Just like the first time, she mustered the strength to push against his shoulders. “I still owe you a meal.”

Shen Yanzhou’s breath was warm as he chased her lips. “No time. I’m heading to the airport in two hours.”

“Save it for when I’m back.”

So, he was leaving today.

She didn’t know how long he’d be gone. Since Shen Yanzhou hadn’t specified, it was probably uncertain but at least a month.

“No surveillance here,” he murmured in a low voice.

But he still respected her. “Here, or should we drive out?”

Xu Qingyi naturally chose the latter.

Shen Yanzhou drove out of the underground garage, heading south until they reached the park she had visited last time.

Though the park was lit at night, it was eerily quiet. There seemed to be a young couple in the distant pavilion.

They started naturally, and as always, things quickly spiraled out of control.

…

While Xu Qingyi lay dazed in the aftermath, Shen Yanzhou, still full of energy, asked, “Which do you prefer?”

She weakly cracked her eyes open to glare at him.

Though they didn’t have any other special relationship, a single glance was often enough to understand each other.

She knew exactly what he meant.

Xu Qingyi answered with complete honesty. “They’re different. I like both.”

Shen Yanzhou lay beside her as they both stared at the dark sky through the sunroof.

“Liang Fanglin will help you with the car paperwork,” he said.

“Okay.” Not knowing what else to say, she simply added, “Thanks.”

Shen Yanzhou gave a faint, enigmatic smile. “Hmm, just don’t forget me completely after a month or two.”

She laughed too, teasing him, “Is that why you were so… intense earlier?”

The corners of Shen Yanzhou’s lips curled slightly as his gaze lingered greedily on her face.

Xu Qingyi immediately regretted her unrestrained words. She had underestimated his stamina, he really went all out.

Another half hour passed.

Finally, Shen Jianzhou escorted her back to her apartment’s underground parking before leaving.

Returning to her room, Xu Qingyi, as was her habit after such encounters, sought inspiration for her design work.

She didn’t sleep until three in the morning.

This month, Huang Jiamei hadn’t called to ask for money yet. She wondered if her mother had actually struck it rich at the mahjong table.

But as if summoned by her thoughts, the day she completed all the paperwork for her car, Huang Jiamei called.

[I’ve brought you a big gift. Get ready to welcome me!]

Xu Qingyi detected the venomous tone in her voice and had an extremely bad feeling. “What do you mean? Are you coming to Jing City?”

Huang Jiamei scoffed. [Hmph, I can’t let you enjoy all the luxuries there alone while I live like a ghost here, can I?]

Xu Qingyi couldn’t make sense of her words. “What about Xu Chen and Grandma? Who’ll take care of them if you come here…”

[Enough talking. They don’t allow calls on planes.]

“Hello?”

Huang Jiamei hung up abruptly.

Xu Qingyi was at her wit’s end. Huang Jiamei had only finished second grade and had never traveled far. How did she even think of coming to Jing City? And by plane?

Every detail was baffling.

The flight from their hometown to Jing City took two and a half hours. Xu Qingyi agonized over every minute.

Two hours later, she stood outside her apartment.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Huang Jiamei would actually appear before her like this.

Huang Jiamei strode up, carrying the comatose Xu Chen on her back, and unceremoniously dumped him, mattress and all, onto the ground.

Xu Chen rolled out of the bedding. Xu Qingyi’s heart clenched as she hurriedly crouched down. “What are you doing?!”

She helped Xu Chen up and laid him back properly, only to realize how alarmingly thin he had become, his body emitting a foul stench.

“How could you let him deteriorate like this?”

Huang Jiamei eyed her delicate, pampered appearance and sneered. “So, you’ve really latched onto a rich man!”

“If you think I’ve done a poor job, take care of him yourself from now on. Xu Chen is your responsibility now. I’ll handle that old hag.”

At this point, Xu Qingyi still couldn’t fathom what had driven Huang Jiamei to this madness until she pointed at a man approaching them. “If it weren’t for him telling me, I’d still be in the dark about you cozying up to such a wealthy, handsome man!”

Xu Qingyi turned to look at the man.

Who was he?

She didn’t recognize him at all.

Yet the man spoke to Huang Jiamei. “Ms. Huang, you can go back now. I’ll take care of them.”

Huang Jiamei, who had seemed ready to tear Xu Qingyi apart moments ago, obediently smiled and left at the man’s words.

The man signaled his driver to move Xu Chen.

“What are you doing?” Xu Qingyi tried to stop him but was halted by his calm reply:

“Don’t panic. I’m here to propose a deal. I’ll handle your brother’s hospital stay, surgery, and rehabilitation… everything.”

Xu Qingyi shielded Xu Chen. “What do you mean?”

The man was thin, around thirty, but his glasses lent him a refined, mature air. He spoke deliberately. “It means I’ll solve your problems, and in return, you’ll do something for me.”

“No-”

“Don’t refuse so quickly. It’s simple: make Shen Yanzhou fall in love with you.”

Only then did the pieces fall into place for Xu Qingyi. So, this was about Shen Yanzhou?

“If you refuse to agree, you won’t last a single day in the capital. Xu Chen will be a corpse by tomorrow.”

He appeared refined, but his gaze was icy, making it clear he truly saw Xu Chen as already dead.

He had the means to make good on his threat.