Savage Kiss - Chapter 6

Almost the next second, Shen Yanzhou instantly accepted her transfer of 2000 yuan.

Xu Qingyi smiled, this was great!

Though 2000 was a bit expensive, thinking of it as product development costs made it sting less.

The rent still wasn’t covered, so after jotting down her inspiration, she continued searching for gigs and actually landed a high-paying instant job.

Delivering condoms to a hotel, with the note: “Hurry!”

Xu Qingyi dashed out the door and headed straight for the largest convenience store in the area.

The condom display was overwhelming, and since she’d never used them before, she had no idea how to choose. She decided to ask the clerk.

“Hi, do you have large-sized ones with cat-tongue texture and big bumps?”

The clerk gave her a “how shameless” look and walked away without a word.

Xu Qingyi bent down to search for herself.

The next second, a hand appeared in front of her, holding out a box of condoms, exactly the size and style she needed.

“Thanks!” Xu Qingyi reached for it but found the other person wasn’t letting go.

A bad feeling crept up on her, and she slowly looked up.

Sure enough, Shen Yanzhou stood there, his expression unreadable. “For you? Tonight?”

Xu Qingyi was baffled, but then he added in a low voice, “I might be busy tonight.”

Her using them meant he’d be using them, she was the one who’d said there’d be a next time.

The logic wasn’t wrong, but Xu Qingyi didn’t have time to argue.

She withdrew her hand and prepared to keep searching.

“This is the last box,” Shen Yanzhou quietly reminded her.

No sooner had he spoken than she suddenly snatched it from him and bolted to the checkout.

“Hey!” Shen Yanzhou clicked his tongue against his canine tooth. She really had a knack for catching him off guard, every single time.

After paying, Xu Qingyi left the store only to face a major problem, not a single shared bike in sight!

The hotel was two kilometers away, and walking would make her late.

“Need a ride?” A motorcycle pulled up in front of her, and Shen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow at her.

Xu Qingyi hesitated.

For less than two seconds.

Then she took the helmet, swung onto the bike, and said, “Vacation Hotel.”

They arrived in two minutes. Xu Qingyi hopped off and strode inside without a word.

Once in the elevator, Shen Yanzhou followed her in and pressed the button for the eighth floor.

Same floor as her? Her outstretched hand paused mid-air.

With the deadline looming, Xu Qingyi didn’t have time to dwell on it. The doors opened, and she rushed out to find the room number.

Shen Yanzhou followed at a leisurely pace, hands in his pockets. “Which room?”

Xu Qingyi: “808!”

“Come on.” Shen Yanzhou strode ahead, gesturing for her to follow.

She instinctively trailed behind and soon found herself in front of Room 808. She raised her hand to knock.

But Shen Yanzhou grabbed her wrist to stop her. “You sure it’s this one?”

Xu Qingyi frowned at him. “Why are you following me?”

Shen Yanzhou smirked. “I’m the one headed here. You’re the one following me.”

Xu Qingyi’s gaze flicked between him and the door. She fell silent for two seconds.

Then, suddenly, the door swung open from inside. The first thing she saw was a woman’s expanse of pale skin, clad in designer sleepwear, pouting at Shen Yanzhou. “What took you so long?”

Xu Qingyi’s shock lodged in her throat, he had a girlfriend?

Then why had he… with her?

She averted her eyes. “Here, take it.”

She shoved the condoms into Shen Yanzhou’s hand and turned to leave, not wanting to interrupt whatever was about to happen.

“Wait,” Shen Yanzhou called after her.

Xu Qingyi walked even faster, not stopping for a second, her fingers jabbing at the elevator button.

When the doors finally opened, she stepped inside. The spacious elevator suddenly felt suffocating.

Outside the hotel, Xu Qingyi exhaled sharply, her brows furrowed.

Even if she hadn’t thought to ask, why didn’t he mention he had a girlfriend?

It left her with a vague sense of discomfort, those hands of his had touched her…

Ding!

Her WeChat chimed.

A new message popped up on her screen from a contact labeled “LL”:
[I accidentally took something of yours that day. Should I return it tomorrow?]

Xu Qingyi replied bluntly:
[No need. Just throw it away.]

She pressed her lips together. No matter how much inspiration he could give her, it was better not to engage. The transaction was over anyway.

She deleted him from WeChat immediately!

Better to avoid any drama with his girlfriend later.

Because of her skin hunger disorder, she had been treated like an outcast, from university to her two years in the workforce, those were her darkest days.

Once people caught wind of her condition, she had to switch jobs frequently. Eventually, she withdrew from social life altogether, moved to the seaside, and kept to herself. Even her contracts with suppliers were handled entirely online.

This was the life she had built, and she didn’t want it disrupted.

That night, Xu Qingyi slept poorly. A moment before waking up in the middle of the night, she dreamed of that man pressing her against the bar wall, their bodies entwined.

She asked if he had a girlfriend, but he refused to answer, only growing more wicked and relentless.

Xu Qingyi began pushing him away violently, and then jolted awake!

She grabbed her phone to check the time and noticed a new WeChat friend request.

From “LL”:
[Deleted me again? What time will you be home tomorrow? I’ll bring it over.]

Frowning, she deleted the request. Out of sight, out of mind.

…

The next day.

Xu Qingyi had just woken up feeling groggy, her head and eyelids throbbing.

She’d been feeling off since getting caught in the rain a couple of days ago, but her obsession with inspiration had distracted her. Now, it seemed worse.

With no medicine at home, she threw on a long sun-protective jacket, pulled on a hat and mask, and headed to the pharmacy fully armed.

Past the apartment gate was a stretch of greenery. At the end of the path, a row of shops stood around the corner.

Xu Qingyi headed straight for the nearest pharmacy.

As a homebody who avoided social interaction, she made a habit of never looking at people’s faces while walking. So she completely missed Shen Yanzhou and his colleagues standing outside the pharmacy.

“Are you sick?” Shen Yanzhou’s voice suddenly reached her ears.

For a second, she thought she was hallucinating. She looked up.

Shen Yanzhou was staring right at her, already stepping toward her.

Her mind blanked. With so many people around, why was he talking to her? Was he not afraid his girlfriend would find out?

Especially since the seven or eight pairs of eyes beside him were now laser-focused on her, expressions varied, but one thing was consistent:

Curiosity.

Her arms tightened around herself. The only thought in her head was to leave immediately.

“You’ve got the wrong person!” she muttered coldly, lowering her head.

Shen Yanzhou visibly paused in surprise.

As she tried to walk past, he blocked her path.

“Move,” she said.

He shifted slightly to the side, and she hurried past, only to realize she was going the wrong way.

Gritting her teeth, she turned back toward her apartment.

Behind her, she faintly heard the group of guys teasing Shen Yanzhou for his failed attempt:
“Since when are you such a player? That girl didn’t even acknowledge you. We almost thought you actually knew her!”

Xu Qingyi leaned against the elevator wall, her eyelids heavy and sore.

Her phone chimed again.

She checked it, a text from Shen Yanzhou:
[?]

Oh. She’d forgotten to block his number.

The elevator arrived. Xu Qingyi put away her phone and entered her apartment first, stopping in front of the full-length mirror by the entrance to look at herself.

An ankle-length sun-protective jacket, a hat, and a mask, she might not even recognize herself, so how could he?

Another message from Shen Yanzhou came through: [What do you need medicine for? A cold?]