Savage Kiss - Chapter 7

Xu Qingyi ultimately felt she needed to make things clear: [I didn’t go out.]

[Also, constantly messaging someone is very rude.]

After sending the messages, she didn’t bother waiting for his reply because she noticed an email response from Director Zhang, confirming he had received the materials.

[See? If I hadn’t pushed you, would you have delivered such high-quality designs so quickly? People should know how to be grateful. As for me, I’ll let bygones be bygones. I’ll even raise your base salary by 200 for our collaboration. How about signing the new contract this week?]

Go to hell, Xu Qingyi cursed inwardly. She never wanted to work with him again!

“Ding-dong!”

Xu Qingyi looked toward the door and walked over, peering through the peephole to see Shen Yanzhou standing outside.

Instinctively, she held her breath, a wave of irritation rising within her. She didn’t like being the center of attention so frequently.

Especially from a man who was already taken.

If she had known it would lead to so much trouble, she wouldn’t have let herself go that night.

She opened the door, her expression cold. Fine, she’d make things crystal clear.

But before she could speak, Shen Yanzhou handed her a bag first. “Cold medicine.”

“There’s something for fever, cough, and headaches. Take whatever matches your symptoms.”

Xu Qingyi had no intention of accepting it. “I can buy my own. Please don’t bother me in the future.”

Shen Yanzhou studied her carefully, naturally sensing her coldness. He braced a hand against the door just as she was about to close it.

“Did I do something to upset you? Or is there something I did wrong?”

Xu Qingyi almost laughed. “Mr. Shen, as someone who already has a girlfriend, do you think it’s appropriate to keep bothering me like this?”

Shen Yanzhou’s brows gradually furrowed. “I have a girlfriend?”

“How come I didn’t know?”

Then it dawned on him, she must be referring to the time she went to deliver condoms and ran into him.

Shen Yanzhou lowered his gaze slightly. “Are you talking about Room 808?”

Good, he knew. Xu Qingyi tried to close the door again, her head spinning from standing too long.

Shen Yanzhou held the door open and instinctively reached out to steady her, but she reflexively avoided his touch.

“Sit there.” He pointed to the shoe bench by the entrance.

Only after she sat down did he calmly explain:

“That was a business partner from the auto repair shop. She deals in used cars and was trying to use her charms to gain some favors.”

His tone was serious, not at all joking. “I didn’t sleep with her.”

Xu Qingyi didn’t believe him. With his looks and physique, she found it hard to imagine he didn’t have women around. That night had been a lapse in judgment on her part.

“Are you done?”

Shen Yanzhou looked down at her. “Are you worried I’m not clean?”

“I told you that night. Also, you were my first.”

Xu Qingyi hung her head, pretending to take it in, nodding just to get him to leave sooner.

In her mind, she scoffed, his technique that night hadn’t seemed like a first-timer’s at all.

“Take the medicine first, then get some rest.” Shen Yanzhou could see she was unwell and decided to leave the conversation for another day.

Finally managing to send him away, Xu Qingyi forced down a few pills despite her headache and went to sleep.

The next day.

She woke up starving and realized her cold seemed to have miraculously vanished overnight.

Zhang Jinsi had also transferred the full payment as promised. Seizing the opportunity, Xu Qingyi replied that she would be taking a break from work for a while.

Then she immediately accepted Ke Yan’s collaboration offer.

Ke Yan promptly sent her a smiley face: [Here are our company’s previous products, materials, and key specs.]

[You can design new products or revamp and upgrade existing ones. The terms remain unchanged!]

The contract followed shortly after in the chat. [Sign it whenever, and take your time finding inspiration. No rush.]

Xu Qingyi was stunned. The money was one thing, but the sincerity was overwhelming!

The new contract had put her in a good mood, so she went for a yoga session.

After a proper meal, she adjusted her state of mind and prepared to design a new product. She thought about going out for a walk to find some inspiration.

It was hot today, so she could only head to a café.

Coincidentally, there weren’t many seats left, and she managed to snag the only table by the window.

Xu Qingyi ordered a cappuccino and sipped it while turning to watch the passersby outside.

Before long, the café owner approached her gently, “Excuse me?”

“Miss, could I discuss something with you? Would you mind sharing your table with someone else? Or we could make you a fresh coffee to go, on the house?”

“A VIP guest wants this two-person table. What do you think?”

Xu Qingyi turned her head and immediately caught sight of that tall figure.

Her first thought was, Why do I run into him everywhere?

Standing next to Shen Yanzhou was a beautifully made-up woman and not the same one as last time.

Just as I thought. With that face of his, even dressed casually in just a tank top and an unbuttoned shirt, he looked rugged yet rough if you ignored his features.

The two of them were on completely different wavelengths, yet somehow, it still felt like the woman wasn’t good enough for him.

With looks like that, of course, he’d have no shortage of women.

Shen Yanzhou happened to glance over at that moment, and their eyes met.

Suddenly, he took a couple of steps forward, stopping the café owner, and said to her, “You stay seated.”

Then he looked at the owner. “I’ll go somewhere else.”

But the woman beside him wasn’t happy. “It’s so hot outside! My makeup will melt!”

Xu Qingyi stood up. “You two can have the table.”

She didn’t bother getting another coffee, just scanned the payment code and left.

Shen Yanzhou didn’t try to stop her.

As she walked away, Xu Qingyi overheard the woman ask Shen Yanzhou in a sweet but slightly displeased tone, “Do you know her?”

Pushing the door open, Xu Qingyi didn’t hear his response, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw him watching her through the glass.

Rounding the side of the café, she waited at a red light.

Before the light could change, Shen Yanzhou emerged.

She frowned.

“Did your cold get better?” he asked directly, as if they were already familiar with each other.

It made her uncomfortable.

They had shared the most intimate distance in bed, but in reality, this kind of interaction left her at a loss.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Yanzhou took a step back when she didn’t respond.

Xu Qingyi took a slight breath and forced herself to meet his gaze.

“I think our relationship… Could you try not to do things that make me uncomfortable? Like buying medicine, showing up at my door, it’d be best if we didn’t even greet each other on the street.”

“Your girlfriend might misunderstand, and it’s unfair to me too.”

She finished in one breath just as the light finally turned green. Without waiting, she strode across the street.

It really was hot outside, and the seaside lookout wasn’t an option, so she bought some snacks and headed home.

The coastal district wasn’t small, and didn’t he live near the repair shop five kilometers away? She’d never noticed running into the same person so frequently before.

For the next couple of days, she stayed in, working on the design sketches for the new product.

This was her first time switching tracks, and her experience with insertable products was admittedly lacking. She scoured the internet for references, but by the end, the only thing left in her mind was Shen Yanzhou.

The initial design draft was complete, but the lack of detail affected the user experience, so she had to refine it slowly.

Over those days, she occasionally took orders or played a game to unwind.

Then Shen Yanzhou suddenly texted her: [Are you free?]

Only then did she remember, why did I forget to block his number again?

Why is he still asking?

Wasn’t I clear enough outside the café that day?

Of course, she didn’t reply. Afraid he might show up at her place, she immediately put on a hat and headed to the seaside observation deck.

In the distance, waves rolled and flowers swayed, while the sun hid behind white clouds. Xu Qingyi took out her phone and snapped a photo.

Then, she wanted to capture a shot of her legs resting on the edge of the observation deck, with the sandy beach below.

But just as she tilted the phone downward, a strikingly handsome face appeared in the frame.