Savage Kiss - Chapter 43

Xu Qingyi was about to push him away when she heard the sound of several girls crying in the distance.

“Your colleagues,” Shen Yanzhou said.

She hurried over, putting her mask back on as she went.

As she approached, she saw that her colleagues’ clothes were nearly torn to shreds, their masks hanging around their necks or tangled in their hair.

Their faces were streaked with tears, their lipstick smeared in a chaotic and suggestive mess, trembling as they sobbed.

“What happened?” Xu Qingyi’s voice softened involuntarily.

The girls, recognizing her as a colleague by her mask, cried even harder, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.

One of them, though still crying, managed to speak in broken sentences.

It took Xu Qingyi a while to piece together that they had nearly been assaulted by a group of men who treated them not as people, but as playthings.

“Are there any more of your friends on the yacht?” Shen Yanzhou asked Xu Qingyi.

“Do you know what this place is for?” she countered.

“There are so many other girls inside…”

Shen Yanzhou understood what she meant. “I’m not God. It’s not my job to save the world.”

Besides, everyone who came here did so willingly, they had all signed up for it.

Xu Qingyi still didn’t suspect Ke Yan, but the butler and the organizers were definitely involved.

No wonder their group of four had been the most attractive during the team assignments earlier.

“I’ll arrange for your friends to return tonight. Someone will be there to receive them,” Shen Yanzhou said. “You stay with me.”

Xu Qingyi wanted to refuse, but the words died in her throat.

By the time Shen Yanzhou finished arranging for her colleagues, it was already quite late.

Xu Qingyi borrowed his phone to call Ke Yan, who was even more shocked than she was and kept apologizing profusely.

After the call, Shen Yanzhou took her to eat the roast chicken Liang Fanglin had prepared.

She had no appetite, still shaken by what had happened.

The others didn’t know what had occurred and didn’t dare ask outright. Only Shen Yaoyao shot Xu Qingyi a sour look.

“An actress? The next Lin Daiyu?”

Xu Qingyi had noticed her earlier, she was the woman who had left the repair shop while reapplying her lipstick.

The one who had called Shen Yanzhou “A-Zhou” on the phone was probably her too.

And if Xu Qingyi remembered correctly, she had seen this woman several times before.

In that moment, her intuition told her that Shen Yaoyao was connected to both the Boss and Shen Yanzhou.

Shen Yanzhou gave Shen Yaoyao a cool glance.

Shen Yaoyao smirked. “Protective, huh? Is she your girlfriend?”

Xu Qingyi stood up and walked out of the cabin. She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was bothering her, but her chest felt tight.

She had never imagined encountering something like this, the world of the wealthy was beyond her comprehension.

What was even more tragic was that the organizers of their exchange event were industry peers. Did even their own colleagues see their profession as frivolous and vulgar, something to be toyed with, just like the designs they created?

Shen Yanzhou followed her out. She turned to look at him and stopped. “Can’t I take a walk?”

He walked over, studying her expressionless face. “I’m sorry.”

He had been too harsh earlier, but the situation had been urgent.

Xu Qingyi wasn’t blaming him, she just felt suffocated and didn’t want to talk.

So, she ignored him.

Shen Yanzhou reached out to pull her back, but she dodged. “Just let me be alone for a while, okay?”

Shen Yanzhou reminded her, “If you go left, there’s a heated swimming pool.”

He knew she liked water maybe it would help her relax.

Xu Qingyi followed his directions and turned left.

Shen Yanzhou trailed behind, calling Uncle Pang. “Move the things from my room to yours later. Clear it out for Xiao Xu to stay.”

Uncle Pang grunted in acknowledgment, then continued eating for a while before getting up to leave.

Shen Yaoyao watched thoughtfully.

It wasn’t until Uncle Pang returned and asked, “Is that girl staying? Where will she sleep?” that she snapped out of it.

Uncle Pang was an honest man, his eyes betrayed him the moment he was questioned.

Shen Yaoyao’s expression instantly darkened. Xu Qingyi was sharing a room with Shen Yanzhou?

She tossed the pistachios aside with a swish and stormed straight to the room.

…

By the poolside, Xu Qingyi sat for a while before heading to the restroom.

Shen Yanzhou followed as usual, stopping at a distance to wait for her.

Just as she reached the door, she heard a faint, soft gasp, “Ah…”, and thought she must have misheard.

But as she walked further, the voice came again, “Can we… do it tonight instead?”

It was Shen Sijin’s voice. Earlier, Liang Fanglin had mentioned that the intern, Luo Shiqi, had brought his girlfriend. Clearly, it was her.

Luo Shiqi scoffed. “It’s not like it’s your first time. Stop stalling. Don’t think I don’t know you’re here to reel in Brother Zhou.”

He knew?

Luo Shiqi chuckled. “Let me teach you how to please a man. Otherwise, how are you gonna hook Brother Zhou? He’s clearly got way more experience than me!”

Then the sounds continued.

Xu Qingyi turned back the way she came and glanced at Shen Yanzhou. He didn’t seem to have heard anything.

Back at the poolside, Shen Yanzhou frowned as she silently began removing her clothes. He instinctively averted his gaze but eventually looked back.

Her graceful figure slipped into the water, inch by inch, legs, waist, shoulders until even her head disappeared beneath the surface.

Shen Yanzhou’s brow furrowed tighter.

He counted silently to twenty, his expression growing uneasy. “Xu Qingyi.”

Then he started stripping off his own clothes.

The hot spring water was crystal clear. Xu Qingyi saw a surge of ripples ahead as he swam toward her, trying to pull her up.

She was a strong swimmer and didn’t budge.

Shen Yanzhou’s eyes were almost pleading, afraid she’d hurt herself holding her breath.

She was actually fine, just upset and trying to ease her mind by holding her breath, only to find it didn’t help.

Xu Qingyi drifted closer to him, glanced at his lips, and slowly kissed him.

Shen Yanzhou gripped her waist and kissed back, a little forcefully.

When he tried to surface, Xu Qingyi shared her breath with him, prolonging the kiss before finally releasing him.

Shen Yanzhou pulled her up, pushed her against the pool’s edge, and kissed her again.

Xu Qingyi realized that kissing him really did help soothe her.

“Are you angry?” Shen Yanzhou murmured against her lips.

She shook her head slightly.

His kiss grew more tender, his voice rough. “Do you want to?”

It had been nearly a month… he’d been away on business, and then she’d injured her back.

Xu Qingyi didn’t answer.

Shen Yanzhou, afraid she’d refuse, pretended to let go, only for her to press closer.

The warm, dense water of the pool enveloped them, the deeper they sank, the more intoxicating it became, pulling them into a long, drowning embrace.

So, Xu Qingyi went from tangled thoughts to utter clarity.

Only one phrase lingered in her mind: merman.

He’d mentioned it to her before. So, this was what it felt like.

Not far away, someone approached. The dim glow of a phone flashlight wasn’t enough to see clearly, but the situation was nerve-wracking nonetheless.

Shen Yanzhou looked down at her.

She was pushing him away.

He chuckled helplessly. “Want me to go out like this? You’d really let others see me?”

Fair point. Xu Qingyi stopped.

Her mood had improved by now. “Should I go out instead?”

Shen Yanzhou: “I wouldn’t let you.”

The next second, he turned in the water, shielding her from Shen Yaoyao’s view, and kissed her again.