Savage Kiss - Chapter 4

Xu Qingyi bought a few things haphazardly and hurried back to her apartment.

She took out her phone several times but couldn’t bring herself to add him back.

She thought, He said he wasn’t a maintenance worker, but he didn’t mention which company he worked for. Riding a motorcycle and sleeping around, definitely not an auto repair shop, right?

Just then, her tablet chimed, a new order!

She set her phone aside and quickly tapped the screen.

The auto repair shop had responded to the job request she posted the night before.

[Car delivery for a client. Interested?]

After repairs, some clients couldn’t pick up their cars, so the shop hired people to deliver them back, charging by distance.

Xu Qingyi put away her phone, temporarily forgetting about that man.

Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the repair shop, after checking in, she turned around from the front desk and saw Shen Yanzhou.

Dressed casually with a cap on, he seemed not to notice her and went straight to the counter. “Where’s the car?”

Liang Fanglin pointed at Xu Qingyi. “This lady took the job. Brother Zhou, heading into the city?”

Only then did Shen Yanzhou glance at her, expressionless, even cold.

Then he replied to the clerk, “Yeah,” adding, “Got some business.”

“Any other cars going the same way?”

The clerk shook his head. “How about… hitching a ride with her?”

Xu Qingyi had been unconsciously watching him, debating whether to bring up last night.

But Shen Yanzhou simply plucked the car keys from her fingers.

After a second of hesitation, she swiftly climbed into the back seat, if she didn’t ride along, she wouldn’t get paid.

“Do you work at the auto shop?” After a long silence, Xu Qingyi finally spoke up.

Shen Yanzhou kept his eyes on the road. Only after passing the intersection did he respond, “Sort of.”

His tone was indifferent, as if he was in a bad mood today.

Was it because she’d misjudged him last night, or because he’d gotten beaten up by that group?

The more Xu Qingyi thought about it, the guiltier she felt. She kept turning her head, trying to see where he was hurt. Since it was partly her fault, she should at least buy him some medicine.

But then Shen Yanzhou suddenly pulled over, got out without a word, and walked off, radiating icy detachment.

She disliked socializing, but she hated owing favors even more.

This left her feeling unsettled.

After delivering the car, she received 1,200 yuan. When she returned to Haibin Auto Repair, she got out and waited by the shop.

Then, out of nowhere, it started raining.

The shop had closed, so she stood under the awning at the entrance.

Finally, a car pulled up and stopped at the garage entrance.

The window rolled down, and Xu Qingyi immediately recognized Shen Yanzhou. Covering her forehead with one hand, she dashed through the rain toward him.

Shen Yanzhou lit a cigarette and glanced at his phone.

The missed calls list was empty.

He dialed a number, and soon a cold, deep voice, belonging to a man in his fifties, answered, “Yeah?”

“It’s my birthday today,” Shen Yanzhou said.

The man on the other end paused for two seconds before scoffing. “Are you trying to remind me how your mother died?”

Yeah, the woman who gave birth to him was gone, and the one left behind felt like a sinner.

Who cared when his birthday was? Who cared where he was or what he was doing?

People really do laugh when they’re heartbroken. Shen Yanzhou’s lips twitched. “Not what I meant. Just wanted to say… happy birthday to you too.”

Then he hung up.

The self-mockery was fleeting, he was used to it. He brought the lit cigarette to his lips.

“Tap tap!” The car window was knocked.

Shen Yanzhou paused his smoking and turned to look at the person outside. “What is it?”

Xu Qingyi was about to speak when he glanced at the rain outside and directly opened the car door for her. “Get in.”

Qingyi climbed into the passenger seat.

“Seatbelt,” Shen Yanzhou reminded.

“Oh.” As she fastened it, she glanced at the unsmoked cigarette in his hand.

Shen Yanzhou casually stubbed it out and asked again, “What is it?”

Xu Qingyi thought for a moment. “I got stuck here because of the rain.”

Shen Yanzhou didn’t ask further and simply started the car to take her home.

The four or five kilometers passed slowly, and just as her apartment was finally in sight, he suddenly stopped the car.

Xu Qingyi looked at him suspiciously. “What’s wrong?”

He leaned back in his seat, expressionless. “Broke down.”

Xu Qingyi wasn’t sure if it was true, but she could tell he didn’t want to talk to her today. “It’s fine, I can walk the rest of the way. Thank you!”

As she grabbed the door handle to push it open, she hesitated and turned back. “Um…”

“Last night, they said you got beaten up…”

Shen Yanzhou turned toward her, one arm draped casually over the steering wheel. Xu Qingyi’s eyes widened. “You’re bleeding?”

Had he not treated the wound from last night? How was it still bleeding now?

But he didn’t answer, just stared at her coldly.

Xu Qingyi unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed over from her seat, using a tissue to wipe the blood from his arm.

Only when she got closer did she notice the bruise on his other cheekbone and the split at the corner of his mouth.

Her heart ached even more. “Are you okay?”

Those three simple words made Shen Yanzhou’s gaze darken as he stared at her. “Are you concerned about me?”

Xu Qingyi parted her lips slightly. “Yeah, last…”

“I thought you hated me,” he suddenly interrupted, his expression icy.

Deleting his WeChat, refusing his kindness.

So he’d already distanced himself, yet here she was.

“No,” she said, meeting his eyes.

Now there was even a hint of guilt in them.

“I know you’re not a bad person. Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry you got hurt because of me. I don’t mean anything else, I just wanted to check on you…”

“Get out,” he suddenly snapped, his tone unmistakably cold.

Xu Qingyi was stunned. Was it necessary to be so harsh when she was just showing concern?

Whatever. She’d been ungrateful yesterday too. Call it even.

But Xu Qingyi decided to finish what she wanted to say. “I want to check your injuries and get you some medicine.”

“Want to test it?” The man’s lips barely moved.

“What?” She paused, staring at his lips, the only part of him that had moved.

He said, “Whether I’m bad or not, you’ll only know after trying.”

Suddenly, his large hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her toward him as he kissed her.

Xu Qingyi was hypersensitive to his touch, and electricity shot through her body once again. Her hands instinctively braced against his shoulders.

He sucked and bit her lips, rough and domineering. “I gave you a chance to leave.”

The thought of resisting flickered weakly in her mind, but her body was far more honest.

She wanted him.

Xu Qingyi’s skin hunger had actually been cured before; she had no reaction to other men.

But him…

A single kiss was already making her gasp for breath.

Just this once, she’d indulge. That’s what she told herself.