Savage Kiss - Chapter 74

Different locations and perspectives indeed seemed to allow for more perfect adjustments.

In the end, she still couldn’t hold on and fell asleep, not even knowing how she ended up leaving the bathroom.

When she woke up the next day, Shen Yanzhou was sleeping in the small side bedroom, unusually waking up later than her.

There was no time to make breakfast, so they ordered takeout.

But just as she brought the food in, Shen Yanzhou received a call and prepared to leave.

She had no choice but to pack the breakfast into a bag and hang it on his finger.

Shen Yanzhou’s expression while on the phone was slightly grave, but he still took a moment to exchange a glance with her in farewell.

After stepping out, Shen Yanzhou entered the stairwell and walked downstairs. “What does it have to do with me?”

Forget being a director, he wasn’t even qualified to be the security guard at the company building.

Shen Yanzhou didn’t bother making things difficult for the staff and simply asked, “The date?”

The person on the other end replied, “February 18th.”

Shen Yanzhou’s footsteps halted, his brows furrowing. “Doesn’t the company take a holiday every year on February 18th? Why hold a board meeting this year?”

February 18th was the anniversary of his mother’s death.

Everyone in the company knew that the entire staff had the day off, it was the only condition he had demanded when he agreed never to join the family business.

The person on the other end stammered, “I’m not sure about that either. The CEO made the decision.”

Shen Yanzhou snorted coldly and hung up.

They always said his mother died because of him, condemning him with their words, but when it came to this day of remembrance, who truly remembered her?

Shen Yanzhou went downstairs and called Shen Yuqiao from the roadside.

He said only one thing: “You’d better change the date. Otherwise, if I really get elected on February 18th, don’t say again that Mom favored me, that even in death she’s watching over me.”

Shen Yuqiao chuckled. “Confidence is a good thing. It’d be great if you get elected.”

Shen Yanzhou frowned. “Have you taken the wrong pills and changed your personality?”

Shen Yuqiao didn’t respond.

Shen Yanzhou hung up.

…

Half a month later, Xu Qingyi received instructions from Shen Yuqiao and went to meet him in the city.

It was the same villa as before.

After she entered, Shen Yuqiao, as usual, nodded toward the kitchen.

Xu Qingyi walked in with practiced ease.

But then she heard Shen Yuqiao’s request from behind: “Make something else.”

No more scallion oil noodles? She turned to look at him.

For a moment, she couldn’t think of what to make. The main issue was that many of the ingredients in his freezer were things she couldn’t cook or had never even seen.

“How about instant noodles?” she asked directly.

Shen Yuqiao’s eyes swept over her, his lips barely moving as he replied expressionlessly, “Are instant noodles worth 100,000?”

“…”

In the end, seeing the variety of ingredients in his freezer, Xu Qingyi simply made him a bowl of spicy hot pot.

Shen Yuqiao looked at the hotpot in front of him, then at her.

She was quite bold, not asking any questions. He picked up his chopsticks and took a slow, deliberate first bite.

His eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and he took a second bite.

Xu Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief while finding it amusing. Had he grown tired of rich foods and wanted something simple to cleanse his palate?

As usual, she prepared to leave.

Shen Yuqiao didn’t look up but spoke to her between bites: “The plan might need to be moved up.”

“Sometime in mid-February.”

Her footsteps halted, and she turned to look at him. “What do you mean?”

With only a little over a month left, how was it possible to make Shen Yanzhou marry her according to his demands and plans?

Shen Yuqiao also looked at her.

“Not exactly ahead of schedule, just giving him a jolt in the middle. It’d be best if he were emotionally or behaviorally erratic during those days.”

Xu Qingyi frowned.

She understood every word he said, but the sentence as a whole left her bewildered.

“Why?” she asked instinctively.

Why did Shen Yanzhou need to be thrown off balance? To make a fool of himself? To give his family a reason to criticize him?

But from what Shen Yanzhou had said, it seemed his family already didn’t think much of him.

“That’s not your concern,” Shen Yuqiao continued eating, his tone turning cold.

When she didn’t respond, he slowly lifted his head, his gaze fixed on her.

“I believe I’ve told you before, it’s best you don’t fall for him. Otherwise…”

Xu Qingyi’s expression remained neutral as she insisted, “I haven’t. I was just asking for a reason so I’d know how to proceed. Otherwise, I’d be acting blindly.”

Shen Yuqiao expressionlessly averted his gaze.

He continued eating with refined elegance, but his words were utterly shocking.

He said, “How about you stab him?”

Xu Qingyi’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you insane? You want me to break the law?”

Shen Yuqiao hadn’t finished his meal, but he set down his chopsticks and leisurely wiped the corners of his mouth.

“Then figure it out yourself. I believe in you.”

With that, he left the dining table.

Xu Qingyi washed his dishes before leaving the villa, driving slowly on her way home.

She received a notification that 150,000 yuan had been deposited into her bank account.

But this time, she didn’t feel particularly happy or excited.

During that period, Shen Yanzhou would occasionally appear in Xu Qingyi’s room.

He knew the passcode to her front door and sometimes let himself in, bringing food or just himself.

She indulged him quite a bit during that time, perhaps subconsciously feeling that their relationship would likely end soon.

There were only half a month left until February 18th.

Shen Yanzhou seemed to have grown accustomed to this routine, so much so that when Xu Qingyi hadn’t returned home by midnight one day, he called.

He asked directly, “Learning to stay out all night now?”

Xu Qingyi was at a bar, and the noise made it hard to hear, so she hung up on him.

Shen Yanzhou called again, his voice slightly deeper. “Where are you?”

She said, “At a bar.”

About twenty minutes later, Shen Yanzhou must have gone from her apartment to Zhan Nan.

“Where exactly are you?” he asked again when he called, his tone shifting slightly.

Xu Qingyi was at a bar in the city.

But she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, just sat there the whole time, barely even glancing at any men.

That evening, she had visited Xu Chen’s hospital room and found it empty.

In that moment, she felt as though she had plunged into an icy abyss, no amount of money she saved seemed to matter anymore.

Just then, Shen Yuqiao’s call came through.

“Today is February 15th,” he reminded her.

Xu Qingyi gripped her phone, feeling utterly lost.

Not only had she not given Shen Yanzhou the cold shoulder during this time, but she had also warmed up to him considerably.

Shen Yuqiao’s voice was icy. “If you can’t handle it, how about letting your brother take the punishment for you?”

“The surgery can succeed, or it can leave him unconscious forever.”

Xu Qingyi exclaimed, “No!”

She took a soft breath. “I’m not ignoring your instructions. Since we’re in a partnership, can’t you give me a little trust? What’s the point of threatening me like this all the time?”

At that moment, she no longer cared about their respective positions.

Shen Yuqiao snorted coldly. “Explain.”

Xu Qingyi’s thoughts had only flashed through her mind for a second.

But she spoke with conviction, “Isn’t it true that the higher one stands, the harder they fall?”

“I haven’t been doing anything these days not to oppose you, but to lull him into a false sense of security.”

Shen Yuqiao seemed somewhat interested, his attitude softening slightly. “We’ll see.”

“My brother!” Xu Qingyi hastily raised her voice as he was about to hang up.

“He won’t die. He’s being taken abroad for surgery.”