Savage Kiss - Chapter 75

Xu Qingyi furrowed her brows even tighter. “How can I trust you?”

Shen Yuqiao seemed to let out a faint laugh. “If I wanted to deceive you, what could you possibly do about it?”

From his position, there was simply no need for him to lie to her. If he had wanted to deceive her, he could have just said nothing at all.

Xu Qingyi knew this, but she still made a demand: “I want to see the surveillance footage before and after the surgery.”

Surprisingly, Shen Yuqiao didn’t hang up. After a brief silence of a couple of seconds, he said, “We’ll discuss terms after you’ve handled your matters.”

After hanging up, Shen Yuqiao lifted his gaze, his expression cold and detached. He pushed a bowl of assorted vegetables cooked together toward the chef. “Taste it yourself. Is this even edible?”

Then, with a stern face, he stood up and walked away.

The chef bowed his head, trembling with fear but unable to suppress his confusion. The young master himself had said he wanted various vegetables cooked together, and the chef had selected only the finest ingredients…

Lately, the young master had been acting strangely. Since childhood, he had been meticulous, strict with himself down to the last wrinkle in his clothes, always adhering to rigid rules. Yet, that day, he had broken his own routine by requesting a late-night snack, and specifically, noodles.

But when the chef prepared the finest pasta, he hadn’t taken a single bite.

…

Xu Qingyi watched the tall, handsome young man in the dance floor.

If she wanted to provoke Shen Yanzhou, using the same tactics she had employed on him that night would surely work on someone else.

But after watching for so long, Xu Qingyi found herself genuinely uninterested in any of these young men.

The drinks she ordered tonight were a bit expensive, similar to the pink wine Shi Qing had drunk on the yacht that day. Yet, as she drank, she found it completely unappealing.

Feeling the pinch, she forced herself to finish it.

As she picked up her phone and prepared to leave, a figure blocked the exit of the booth.

“Here alone?” The young man was quite tall, fair-skinned, and well-built. For a moment, if she hadn’t looked at his face, Xu Qingyi might have mistaken him for Shen Yanzhou, thinking he had arrived so quickly.

“Not here to play, thanks.” Her throat felt slightly scorched, her voice a bit low.

Whether she had lost her footing or tripped over the tip of the young man’s shoe, Xu Qingyi twisted her ankle and stumbled.

Zeng Huaixi reached out to steady her, his arm naturally encircling her shoulder. “Sis, can you really get drunk on a little pink drink?”

His tone clearly implied he suspected her of deliberately throwing herself into his arms.

Xu Qingyi looked up at him, removed his hand, and couldn’t resist retorting, “If you’re lacking in certain areas, is that why you wear such long shoes to compensate?”

Zeng Huaixi hadn’t expected her, so pretty, quiet, and seemingly harmless, to actually curse at him.

He was momentarily stunned, then his eyes filled with intense interest. Men always liked cats with sharp claws.

Xu Qingyi made as if to walk forward, but Zeng Huaixi pulled her back, leaning close to her ear. “Whether I’m lacking or not, sis, how would you know without trying?”

Xu Qingyi only wanted to remove his hand.

Even when Shen Yanzhou, with his immense strength, gripped her wrist, it had never felt painful.

She was being led by the young man out of the booth.

It was Xu Qingyi’s first time here, and she couldn’t tell the direction, whether they were heading toward the bar’s entrance or deeper inside.

The next moment, another force pulled her back, and the young man’s hand finally released her.

The young man frowned. “Buddy, first come, first served…”

Shen Yanzhou’s voice was icy, each word enunciated clearly. “She only likes them big.”

He didn’t specify whether he meant age or something else, but he wrapped his arm around her and walked away.

Zeng Huaixi didn’t bother chasing after them. After all, he already had her contact information.

He took out his phone and opened the WeChat chat window with Miss Zhuang.

Their conversation history still ended several days ago.

Miss Zhuang: [Don’t you like challenges? If you can chase this girl, I’ll give you a large sum, enough for you to never have to work hard again.]

Miss Zhuang: [Image]

It was a photo of Xu Qingyi.

Zeng Huaixi specialized in nightlife and business KTVs. Many wealthy women and young ladies were fond of his type. Mi Lian had booked him once before, nothing special.

But Zeng Huaixi was quite persistent with her. Mi Lian had money to spare, so she occasionally met him for tea.

The only thing Mi Lian acknowledged about Zeng Huaixi was his undeniable skill in flirting.

Zeng Huaixi replied to her outside the bar: [1]

Indicating he accepted her deal.

…

Xu Qingyi was led into the car by Shen Yanzhou, who fastened her seatbelt, probably assuming she was drunk.

Xu Qingyi took the seatbelt from him and spoke clearly, “I’m not that drunk.”

Shen Yanzhou paused, looked up at her, and his expression instantly darkened.

If she had been drunk, there might have been some excuse for flirting with another guy.

Xu Qingyi only met his gaze briefly before turning her face away, fastening her seatbelt. “Close the door, it’s cold.”

Shen Yanzhou glanced at her, stepped back to shut the car door, then walked around to the driver’s seat.

When he looked at her again, she was leaning against the seat with her eyes closed.

The car started smoothly.

The roads were extremely quiet in the early hours. Xu Qingyi couldn’t actually sleep, the alcohol had left her mind unusually clear.

The excessive silence made her uncomfortable. She opened her eyes and fiddled with his car’s system for a while but couldn’t get the music to play.

Shen Yanzhou reached over and turned it on for her.

His fingertips brushed against hers, and Xu Qingyi instinctively pulled her hand back.

Indeed, his touch felt entirely different from that of the man earlier.

Seeing her withdraw so quickly, Shen Yanzhou pressed his lips together tightly but ultimately said nothing and continued driving.

The journey was smooth.

Shen Yanzhou parked the car in the underground garage of her apartment, in the same corner spot as last time, out of the surveillance cameras’ view.

Xu Qingyi turned to open the car door, ready to go upstairs by herself. She didn’t say goodbye or invite him up.

Shen Yanzhou hesitated for about two seconds before unbuckling his seatbelt and following her.

Just before she turned the corner into the monitored area, he stopped her and pulled her back.

“Did something happen?”

He looked down at her, his gaze itself a form of indulgence. Even after seeing her close with another guy, he was still trying to find excuses for her.

Xu Qingyi felt a suffocating ache in her chest.

She had been hurt too many times and knew exactly what heartache felt like. She didn’t want to treat others this way either.

When she looked up, she smiled lightly, as if it were nothing. “What could possibly have happened?”

After speaking, she naturally tried to step past him and leave.

But Shen Yanzhou didn’t let go. “If you’re feeling down or having trouble at work, you can tell me.”

Xu Qingyi kept smiling. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Why were you drinking?” he asked, his voice low.

“Is there a law against drinking?” she retorted seriously.

Shen Yanzhou pressed his thin lips together, seeing in her eyes a coldness he hadn’t seen since they first met.

He finally frowned. “I thought things were going well between us lately.”

Xu Qingyi leaned back against the wall. With the alcohol and the ache in her chest, she looked utterly indifferent. “Were they?”

It was true, lately, she had occasionally brought him meals.

In places where no one could see, she couldn’t resist sneaking a couple of kisses, then fleeing while his hands were occupied with engine grease or repair tools, never giving him a chance to react.

That day, knowing he was still working late into the night, she specially brought him a midnight snack.

In the end, she became his midnight snack instead. Throughout the vast repair shop, the only sounds echoing were those of their entangled embrace.