Savage Kiss - Chapter 40

She used to be afraid of showing her face, worried about being doxxed by classmates or colleagues. But now she’s let go of that fear, if anyone causes trouble for her, her BOSS would probably be more anxious than she is.

Xu Qingyi was on her way back via subway when she heard the notification for a text message. She didn’t reply.

Partly because she wanted to keep him hanging.

And partly because it wasn’t convenient on the subway, she was afraid the person next to her might see that photo.

When she got back, she found that Shen Yanzhou had only sent one message:

[Wearing that for a date?]

She washed her hands but didn’t change her clothes, opting to rest on the sofa for a bit.

Then she replied to Shen Yanzhou:

[You know I don’t do relationships.]

[I might be doing a photoshoot at a studio in a few days, just testing the look in advance.]

Shen Yanzhou: [What kind of studio shoots stuff like that?]

Xu Qingyi didn’t make anything up.

Lately, she’d taken on a few side gigs for shoots, stockings and the like, which more or less helped with her design inspiration.

The upgrade for her third product was a bit complicated, with high requirements in every aspect, so she had to take it slow.

But she couldn’t share any of this with Shen Yanzhou, so she simply replied: [Just saw your message. It’s a legit studio.]

Truth be told, the reason she had been so confident when agreeing to their deal was because of how Shen Yanzhou had treated her the last two times.

Sure enough, after waiting a few seconds, Shen Yanzhou called.

Xu Qingyi answered, continuing the earlier topic. “The studio has a daily contract.”

Shen Yanzhou asked, “Getting ready to sleep?”

She could faintly detect a hint of fatigue in his voice, probably busy with that bidding thing.

Disrupting someone’s work gave her a slight twinge of guilt, but there was no helping it. She had to protect herself.

“Later. Haven’t showered yet,” she said.

After she spoke, there was a brief silence on both ends. Xu Qingyi figured he might be thinking about the last time they’d been on the phone together while showering, while…

He cut straight to the point: “Haven’t changed yet?”

Xu Qingyi was puzzled, how did he know? “Did you secretly install cameras in my place last time you came over?”

Shen Yanzhou chuckled lowly, leaning back into the leather sofa. “Wouldn’t dare. Afraid of getting slapped.”

Suppressing a laugh, Xu Qingyi headed to the bathroom, grabbing her pajamas along the way. “If you wouldn’t dare, then you must be thinking about it.”

Shen Yanzhou must have heard her close the door.

He let out a quiet “Hmm,” not bothering to hide it. “Thinking.”

“Want to see,” he said.

Xu Qingyi’s hand paused mid-motion.

The next second, she noticed another text and tapped in, it was a photo Shen Yanzhou had sent.

It was from the basketball game, where she’d worn a sexy cheerleader outfit and danced a belly dance. From his perspective, she looked mesmerizing.

“You even took photos?” Xu Qingyi feigned displeasure.

Shen Yanzhou was unapologetic. “You took one of me. We’re even.”

“I already deleted mine. Aren’t you going to delete this after seeing it?”

Shen Yanzhou was serious. “My phone never leaves my side, and my gallery is locked. Don’t worry.”

That left Xu Qingyi with nothing to say. As long as he didn’t do anything with her in public, it didn’t violate their agreement.

She raised a brow slightly. “You’re actually pretty good at taking photos.”

She couldn’t help but save the picture herself.

Shen Yanzhou seized the opportunity. “I’m good at everything. I can take any kind of photo for you in the future… if you’re willing.”

With his skills, he could even handle wedding photos.

But Xu Qingyi’s mind went straight to the gutter, assuming he just wanted to photograph her in the black stockings tonight.

She replied directly in the message: [Not in the mood to flirt tonight. Tired.]

Shen Yanzhou’s breath was slightly uneven over the call, as if he was smiling faintly. “I’m being perfectly serious talking to you. What are you thinking about?”

Xu Qingyi: “…”

She took a deep breath and deliberately said, “Fine, you’re serious, huh? Then don’t make a sound later.”

Shen Yanzhou: “…Don’t mess around. I have to-”

“…Xu Qingyi.” Shen Yanzhou sighed helplessly, his tone almost indulgent.

…

In the bathroom, Xu Qingyi suddenly let out a low cry, sucking in a sharp breath from the pain.

“What happened?” Shen Yanzhou’s voice came through.

The pain left her breathless, unable to speak for a few seconds. “…I fell. It hurts so much.”

“Where did you fall?” Shen Yanzhou’s voice immediately returned to its usual calm. “Can you move?”

Xu Qingyi gasped in pain, she had genuinely taken a bad fall. Her voice even carried a hint of a sob. “I don’t know if it’s fractured, but it hurts whenever I move…”

“Then don’t move around. I’ll call a doctor for you. Find a friend to go with you, it’s too late…”

Shen Yanzhou went on to give her several more instructions before realizing she hadn’t responded at all. He paused. “Xu Qingyi?”

“I don’t have any friends.”

Xu Qingyi said it so casually, but Shen Yanzhou fell silent at her words.

“It’s fine. You rest first. I’ll handle it myself. I’m hanging up now,” she said.

Just before the call ended, she thought she heard Shen Yanzhou ask, “Do you have money to go to the hospital?”

Xu Qingyi was indeed in a bit of a sorry state at the moment. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she left the bathroom, too preoccupied to clean herself up or the mess in the bathroom. She’d deal with it later.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzed with a notification.

A text from Shen Yanzhou appeared on the lit-up screen.

[If it’s really unbearable, call an ambulance first. I’m taking the earliest flight back, it’ll take two hours to get there.]

She stared at the message for a while. Though this was the outcome she had expected, she still felt a little surprised.

Was he really coming back overnight?

Exhausted from the day’s events, she clutched her phone and dozed off on the sofa, her mind hazy.

When the call came in, she was startled awake.

“I’m downstairs. Just letting you know,” came Shen Yanzhou’s voice.

Even at a time like this, he remembered to inform her before coming up to see her.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Xu Qingyi found it somewhat amusing. If she had known she’d one day be used as a pawn to seduce him, she wouldn’t have been so harsh with him before.

Xu Qingyi hummed in response. “I’ll open the door for you.”

But after dozing for a while, moving only made the pain worse, even her neck had stiffened.

Shen Yanzhou: “Tell me the door code. You can change it tomorrow.”

That wasn’t necessary.

She gave him the code directly.

On the way to the hospital, Xu Qingyi glanced at him apologetically. “When were you originally supposed to return from your business trip?”

Shen Yanzhou didn’t seem bothered. “Don’t worry about it. Someone else is handling the work there.”

Oh. Well, that made her feel a little better. After all, her task was already complete.

She had bruised her tailbone and the surrounding area: sitting hurt, walking hurt, even bending over hurt.

Fortunately, there were no other issues. The pain would gradually ease in a few days, and the doctor prescribed a topical spray.

By the time they returned to her apartment, it was already one in the morning.

Xu Qingyi slowly got out of the car and looked back at him. “You can drive back now. It’s quite a distance.”

Shen Yanzhou rested one hand on the steering wheel. “Sure you can get upstairs by yourself?”

She nodded.

“I thought you might invite me up. No credit for my efforts, at least acknowledge the hard work?”

Xu Qingyi paused mid-step as she got out of the car.

“Just kidding. I’ll take you up and then come right back.” So, he got out from the other side and came around to carry her out of the car.

Neither of them spoke the entire way.

Xu Qingyi’s gaze mostly lingered on his profile or jawline before she looked away.

Being held so intimately, normally, she would have freaked out by now, but her injury left her no choice.

As he was about to leave, Xu Qingyi suddenly remembered something and called out to stop him.

Shen Yanzhou turned back to look at her. “What is it?”

Xu Qingyi felt a little awkward. “That medicine you gave me last time, where did you buy it?”

He seemed confused about which medicine she meant.

She clarified, “You know… the one you told me to apply after the first time…”

She coughed lightly to mask her discomfort. “It worked really well. It seems to have nourishing effects, so it suits me.”

Given her profession and her current mission, she needed to take extra care, frequent use made maintenance essential.