Savage Kiss - Chapter 59

Xu Qingyi suddenly pinpointed the reason why Shen Yanzhou had been ignoring her even after she apologized.

Shi Qing was still on the other end, saying he had reached his transfer limit and could bring her cash instead, as much as she wanted, as long as she wasn’t angry.

Xu Qingyi hung up directly.

She opened Shen Yanzhou’s WeChat and tapped the voice call button.

It was already dark outside.

Watching the call connect, Xu Qingyi spoke first without waiting for him to say anything, “Are you busy?”

“What’s up?” Shen Yanzhou’s tone had been like this for days, neither high nor low, neither warm nor cold, neither distant nor close, just perfectly bland.

“I can’t sleep,” she said, her voice a bit muffled, then chuckled softly. “Maybe I got scared today. I slept all afternoon but kept dreaming.”

Silence again on the other end.

The silence stretched on so long it made Xu Qingyi uncomfortable.

Finally, Shen Yanzhou asked, “Do you want me to come over and keep you company?”

She thought for a moment. “If you don’t want to come, I can go to you. Are you at the workshop?”

Shen Yanzhou fell silent again.

So difficult. She took a quiet breath. “I just thought you might not want to come over, so…”

As she spoke, she looked up and saw Shen Yanzhou stepping out of the repair shop.

She was standing by the roadside in front of the workshop, looking as if she didn’t dare enter without his permission.

She had left home right after making the call, but her legs still felt a bit off, so she hadn’t driven and took a taxi instead.

Once the taxi left, she was left standing in the cold night wind, freezing.

Shen Yanzhou seemed to be about to come find her, but as his gaze swept past her, his motion of putting on his jacket suddenly froze.

Then he strode over, practically scooping her up and carrying her into the workshop.

Feeling her icy-cold hands, his expression darkened.

“You saw Shi Qing’s painting, didn’t you?” Xu Qingyi asked directly. “That’s why you haven’t wanted to see me lately, you think I’m tainted.”

Shen Yanzhou glanced at her, his brow slightly furrowed. He hadn’t thought of it that way.

“You thought I was with other men while you were away on business?”

“No.” he replied quickly, not looking at her.

She had said she wouldn’t be with anyone else at the same time, and Shen Yanzhou believed her.

It was cold outside, so Xu Qingyi followed him into the break room.

Hearing his answer, she was a bit confused. If he didn’t think that, then why had he been ignoring her?

Sitting on a chair, she looked up at him and was caught off guard when he asked, “Do you like that sort of thing?”

What sort of thing?

She stared at him, puzzled.

Shen Yanzhou’s gaze shifted slightly, his handsome features still expressionless, as if discussing something perfectly normal.

His voice was low. “I don’t know how to paint.”

Xu Qingyi slowly opened her mouth, a little lost in his train of thought.

“You think I like painting men and being painted by others? And since you can’t paint, you’re planning to break things off with me?”

Seeing his frown, she knew he didn’t agree.

Xu Qingyi pressed on, “If that’s not it, then why didn’t my apology work?”

She let a hint of displeasure show. “To maintain our relationship, I’ve already done everything I can. We’re not even a couple, and I came all the way here in the middle of the night…”

“The painting?” Xu Qingyi suddenly changed the subject, not bothering to explain further.

She definitely wanted the painting back, she wouldn’t feel at ease with anyone else holding onto it.

Shen Yanzhou didn’t move.

She looked up at him. “Should I look for it myself?”

“Then I’ll come back tomorrow to find it.” She was too tired and cold today, with no energy left.

At the doorway, Shen Yanzhou stopped her.

He finally spoke: “If you think drawing such things between each other is perfectly normal, I probably can’t agree.”

Xu Qingyi couldn’t help but laugh.

“I may have a bit of a thing for you, but that doesn’t mean I lack principles.”

“Who in the world would consider it normal to draw nude sketches with someone of the opposite sex?”

Shen Yanzhou just looked at her, as if asking whether she didn’t see the contradiction herself.

Xu Qingyi deliberately didn’t explain first why Shi Qing had drawn her.

Instead, she asked: “Since it’s already done, no matter what, do you feel like you’re sharing me with someone else?”

“Don’t want to continue?”

When she asked that last question, the muscles along Shen Yanzhou’s jaw visibly tightened.

After several seconds, he finally spoke in a strained, low voice filled with resolve: “Maybe I want too much. I truly can’t handle it.”

Xu Qingyi smiled faintly, “No matter how many times you want it, it’s not like I won’t give it to you.”

“You know what I mean.” he said, lowering his gaze to look at her.

Of course, Xu Qingyi understood, he wanted more than just the physical relationship they had agreed upon.

That was what she wanted too, but moving too fast wasn’t good. She couldn’t just give him everything he wanted right away.

She stood there silently, then tilted her head up slightly to look at him.

Still silent.

Her tacit consent that he could like her was obvious, but it was still different from her saying it out loud.

“How much you want is your own business. I can’t stop you, as long as it doesn’t interfere with me.”

Shen Yanzhou’s expression softened slightly.

Xu Qingyi said, “Get some rest early.”

She moved past him to open the door, then paused and turned back, finally explaining clearly: “I took a part-time job at the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts as a model. One of the sessions required nudity.”

“Shi Qing is a student there.”

After saying that, Xu Qingyi stepped out.

The factory was pitch black. When they came in, Shen Yanzhou had been holding her hand and hadn’t turned on the lights.

Now, as she walked out, she could only rely on the light spilling from the open door of the break room.

When a tall figure emerged from the shadows and caught up to her, she paused slightly.

Shen Yanzhou took her by the arm and pulled her back.

It was too dark for Xu Qingyi to see the expression on his face, but she could feel that every time he lowered his gaze to look at her, it was easy to get lost in his eyes.

After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, slightly breathless from hurrying, “I’ll walk you.”

Xu Qingyi thought he might do something. He had been cold and distant these past few days, as if they were a couple in the middle of a cold war, and it had been hard on her.

She pressed her lips together. “No need, I’ll call a car.”

In truth, she hadn’t called one yet. Only now did she take out her phone and open the ride-hailing app.

Shen Yanzhou gripped her wrist, making it clear he intended to see her home.

Xu Qingyi didn’t stop. She selected her usual address and was about to tap “Book Ride” when Shen Yanzhou finally took her phone away.

He could no longer hold back and lifted her chin to kiss her.

His kiss carried the clear weight of the tension from the past few days.

Xu Qingyi didn’t push him away, nor did she respond, simply letting him kiss her.

Fortunately, he only kissed her, with no further actions or intentions.

“Wait for me.”

He turned back to grab a coat and wrapped it around her. “I’ll get the car.”