Savage Kiss - Chapter 71

Xu Qingyi took a soft breath, feeling as if she had soared to the heavens in an instant.

“You’re not the son of Tianhua’s CEO, are you? How come you’re so effective?” she joked.

Shi Qing seized the moment to confirm it. “What a coincidence, I am.”

Xu Qingyi had assumed he didn’t want to talk about it, as he hadn’t mentioned it when they first met, so she hadn’t brought it up last time either.

“Hurry up and log in. Play a game with me!” Shi Qing quickly changed the subject.

Xu Qingyi took the cue, hung up the WeChat call, logged into the game, and invited Shi Qing.

But then Shi Qing switched his status to “Wait a moment” and didn’t move for a while.

She sent him a quick message on WeChat: [?]

Shi Qing was on a call with Mi Lian.

Mi Lian suddenly asked him, “You’ve liked Qiqi for so long, do you know where she lives?”

Shi Qing chuckled helplessly. “No.”

Lately, he hadn’t been in touch much with Mi Lian, who seemed busy with something. Now, unable to hold back, he confided in her like a buddy:

“Not only do I not know where she lives, but I almost lost her for good!”

“She only started responding to me again today and is even waiting for me in the team queue… Oh, did you need something?”

Mi Lian asked curiously, “Did you two have a fight?”

Shi Qing laughed dryly. “Would I dare argue with her?… Anyway, it’s my fault.”

Mi Lian said, “Sounds like you two are in that ambiguous phase?”

Mi Lian continued, “Then why don’t you ask her where she lives? Drop by sometime to grab a meal with her. When chasing a girl, you’ve got to be bold. If you’re too lukewarm, even a duck would fly away, let alone a swan.”

Shi Qing snorted lightly. “So, you’re giving me advice now?”

Mi Lian replied, “Sure! Talk to you later!”

After hanging up, Shi Qing immediately joined the team and sent a string of apologies along with a playful “mwah.”

The atmosphere indeed felt like their old bantering dynamic.

In the game, Shi Qing asked Xu Qingyi, “Are you free tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Xu Qingyi thought he meant having dinner with Tianhua’s CEO tomorrow and was so startled she misfired a skill.

Shi Qing laughed. “My dad’s meals aren’t that easy to schedule. I meant, how about having dinner with me tomorrow?”

Xu Qingyi thought that if she really wanted to secure the Tianhua container location, she’d need President Ke to handle the formal negotiations.

She needed to discuss this with Shi Qing in person.

“Okay,” she said after a moment’s thought. “You pick the time, just not in the morning.”

“Got it! You’re such a sleepyhead.”

…

Lately, Shi Qing had tried to find Shen Yanzhou a few times but kept missing him.

Taking advantage of his early start today, while Xu Qingyi was still sleeping, he headed to the auto repair shop specifically to lie in wait for Shen Yanzhou, convinced he’d show up eventually.

He didn’t find him at the repair shop, but as he passed by Riverside Park, he spotted Shen Yanzhou.

He was sitting in a pavilion talking with another man.

Shi Qing got out of his car, took off his earphones, and strode over.

Shen Yanzhou saw him and continued speaking to Zhou Shengjing, “So you’re saying the person she offended has some connections.”

Zhou Shengjing replied, “It’s hard to say for sure. Anyway, the specific source of the photos hasn’t been traced, the trail’s gone cold.”

Even with money and manpower, Zhou Shengjing couldn’t uncover anything, it couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

From what Shen Yanzhou knew, her social circle was very limited. Maybe it really was just a fluke.

“You go ahead,” Shen Yanzhou said, standing up.

Zhou Shengjing glanced at Shi Qing approaching. “Who’s that?”

“A rival in love,” Shen Yanzhou muttered under his breath.

Zhou Shengjing, who had already half-risen, sat back down upon hearing this, rubbing his hands together eagerly, ready to enjoy the drama.

Shen Yanzhou shot him a look, and only then did he leave.

Shi Qing entered the pavilion, walked up to Shen Yanzhou, and said firmly, “Give me back my stuff.”

Shen Yanzhou was tall, and Shi Qing was tall too, just slightly slimmer than him, but his presence was no less imposing.

“I’ve put up with you several times now.” Shi Qing tossed his crossbody bag onto a nearby bench. “If you don’t return my things today, we’re not getting past this!”

Shen Yanzhou let out a light scoff, not even bothering to acknowledge him. Yet here he was, coming to pick a fight.

He turned to leave, afraid he might not hold back from throwing a punch.

Shi Qing wasn’t about to tolerate it. He yanked him back and threw a punch right at him.

Shen Yanzhou had anticipated it but didn’t dodge.

The next second, he retaliated with a punch of his own, delivered with unapologetic confidence.

Shi Qing’s jaw immediately throbbed with pain, and he staggered back two large steps, barely steadying himself by colliding with a pillar.

Blood instantly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Put up with me? Who do you think you are?” Shen Yanzhou looked at him coldly. “She’s not interested in you. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Shi Qing laughed. “Interested in you, then? For your poverty or your roughness?”

“Let’s make a bet, who will she have lunch with today?”

Shen Yanzhou curled his lip.

Just then, Shi Qing’s phone rang.

Xu Qingyi had probably been a bit too excited last night and woke up early.

She had come out in the morning, parked her car at the southern corner of the park, and was working on upgrading her design drafts inside the car.

As she was about to leave, her gaze swept around and she caught sight of a figure in the pavilion with his back to her, raising her suspicions.

“Is that you?” she asked, looking toward the pavilion.

Shi Qing turned his head in her direction.

It really was him.

Xu Qingyi got out of the car and walked straight over.

As she got closer, her angle shifted, and she noticed Shen Yanzhou standing behind the pillar, partially hidden from view.

Xu Qingyi frowned and quickened her pace, first glancing at Shen Yanzhou.

Then she looked at Shi Qing. “What are you two doing?”

The bleeding side of Shi Qing’s mouth was turned away from her, and he angled his face slightly to hide it from her. “Nothing.”

He asked her, “What do you want for lunch? My treat.”

Xu Qingyi glanced at Shen Yanzhou again before answering Shi Qing, “I’ll treat.”

Shen Yanzhou’s brow furrowed slightly.

This time, without regard for anyone else, he reached out and took her hand. “There’s an order. Will you deliver it?”

The moment Shi Qing saw Shen Yanzhou touch her hand, he reacted strongly, stepping over and slapping Shen Yanzhou’s hand away. “What are you doing!”

That was when Xu Qingyi noticed the blood at the corner of Shi Qing’s mouth. She froze. “What happened to your mouth?”

Shi Qing snorted softly. “Got bitten by a dog.”

Shen Yanzhou immediately retorted coldly, “Who are you calling a dog?”

“You, that’s who! What about it? … Let’s go.”

Just as Shi Qing wrapped an arm around her and started to lead her out of the pavilion, Shen Yanzhou grabbed Shi Qing’s arm, twisted it, and threw a punch.

Shi Qing didn’t back down, swinging his fist right back.

Before Xu Qingyi could even react, the two of them were exchanging blows, the tension escalating instantly.

When Shen Yanzhou moved to strike again, she quickly stepped in to stop him.

Shen Yanzhou was strong, and she was pushed back by his force.

Xu Qingyi’s voice turned cold. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Shen Yanzhou snapped back to reality, his gaze softening as he looked at her. “Stay out of it. Go back first.”

Xu Qingyi had no choice but to look at Shen Yanzhou. “Try hitting him again.”

Shen Yanzhou’s expression stiffened for a moment, and he lowered his eyes to look at her.

After a long pause, he asked as if he couldn’t believe it, “Are you taking his side?”

Shi Qing wiped the blood from his mouth. “You’re old, but your eyesight is still sharp. She is taking my side.”

But what Shi Qing didn’t realize was that when someone tries to break up a fight, they often instinctively pull back the person they feel closer to.

Xu Qingyi couldn’t discuss work matters with him and took a step back. “I’m not taking any orders today.”

Then she turned and left.

Glancing back at Shi Qing, her tone remained just as unfriendly. “What are you standing there for? Aren’t we going to eat?”

Shi Qing picked up the earphones that had been knocked off and quickly followed, but not before looking back at Shen Yanzhou. He would still go back to retrieve his things.