Savage Kiss - Chapter 88

When Shen Yuqiao opened the door, he was dressed in a dark ink-blue robe, his hair slightly disheveled and unruly, and he seemed to look at her with a hint of impatience.

Backlit, Xu Qingyi couldn’t see him clearly.

Even if she could, she had to pretend not to notice. She spoke to him across the courtyard gate, “I need to talk to you.”

Shen Yuqiao leaned slightly against the doorframe, raising a hand to run through his hair, which did little to improve his appearance. He said simply, “Come in.”

He pressed the quick-release button for her on his side.

By the time Xu Qingyi entered the living room, Shen Yuqiao had already taken a seat, looking somewhat languid and listless, with one hand propping up his forehead.

“What is it?”

Unsure if he was in a state to process what she was about to say, Xu Qingyi first asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Yuqiao lifted his eyelids slightly to glance at her.

He remained still for about two or three seconds before asking in a cool, detached tone, “Do you have any candy?”

A question mark first appeared in Xu Qingyi’s eyes.

Then she remembered the first time he had low blood sugar, she had given him a piece of white chocolate.

She always kept some in her bag.

This time, she was particularly generous. Opening the inner pocket, she grabbed a handful and passed it to him.

Shen Yuqiao’s gaze fell on her slender, pale hand but he didn’t take it.

Xu Qingyi had no choice but to place it on the coffee table in front of him before getting to the point. “It’s similar to last time, but the situation is more serious, almost like a scandalous photo incident.”

To preempt any excuses from him, she laid it all out clearly: “I haven’t met up with Shen Yanzhou recently, so I can’t pin it on him and have him handle it again.”

“Since we’re in a cooperative relationship, I assume you wouldn’t stand by and do nothing?”

Shen Yuqiao sat up a little, reached for a piece of white chocolate.

Last time, he had complained it tasted bad, but this time, he unwrapped it slowly, placed it in his mouth, and chewed deliberately, savoring it carefully.

Xu Qingyi waited, but he remained silent. Just as she was wondering about his stance, he suddenly asked:

“Haven’t met up recently?”

What did he mean by that?

Afraid he might nitpick and accuse her of not fulfilling her duties, Xu Qingyi preempted him: “Last time, you said yourself that from now on, I only need to supervise him, and whether we maintain a relationship is secondary.”

Shen Yuqiao looked at her again.

Xu Qingyi was certain he wasn’t angry with her. On the contrary, it seemed he was quite pleased that she had followed his instructions and kept her distance from Shen Yanzhou lately.

“Your scandalous photos?” Shen Yuqiao asked again.

His words were always delivered in a cold, detached manner, a few syllables at a time, with no discernible emotion.

Xu Qingyi had to rely on guesswork.

The photos weren’t of her, but if she said so directly, he probably wouldn’t bother to intervene.

So, she nodded. “You know my line of work. Designing those things requires taking precise body measurements so the products can better fit and enhance physical pleasure.”

She explained in as much detail as possible to gain his trust. “There are also a few photos of a friend. I’ve dragged her into this.”

Shen Yuqiao leaned back against the sofa, crossed his legs, and gestured with his chin toward the kitchen.

Xu Qingyi didn’t need to ask further; she understood and went to prepare food for him. “The same as last time?”

Shen Yuqiao gave a vague “Mm” in response.

As Xu Qingyi turned and entered the kitchen, Shen Yuqiao’s dark, inscrutable eyes slowly opened, following her until she disappeared from view.

Then he sat up, reached for the cordless phone on the side of the sofa.

Shen Yuqiao was always proper, refined, and benevolent, almost never making employees work overtime. Calling his assistant to handle something in the middle of the night was an exception.

Xu Qingyi looked around and found there were very few types of ingredients. Making mala tang seemed too far-fetched, so she decided to make noodles instead.

Afraid that Shen Yuqiao would nitpick, she specifically went out to ask for his opinion.

By the time she stepped out, Shen Yuqiao was already on a phone call. He raised his hand, signaling her to stop, probably not wanting the person on the other end to hear her presence.

Xu Qingyi had no choice but to tear a sticky note from the fridge and write: “Make noodles?”

Shen Yuqiao saw it and showed no sign of objection, so she went back in to cook.

By the time she brought a bowl of noodles to him, it was almost ten o’clock.

Shen Yuqiao sat upright at the dining table and, before eating, asked her to write down the recipe so his chef could make it for him as a quick meal.

Xu Qingyi chuckled, “Just take a photo. The chef will know how to make it just by looking.”

Shen Yuqiao didn’t move.

So, Xu Qingyi took out her own phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to him via MMS.

“And the photo issue… how long will it take to resolve?”

Shen Yuqiao didn’t answer, eating with extreme elegance.

Xu Qingyi opened her mouth but didn’t have the courage to ask again. She could only stand there, waiting for him to finish and give her an answer.

The clock hands slowly pointed to eleven at night.

Shen Yuqiao finally finished eating, and Xu Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief, worried he might take all night and she’d have to stay over.

He went back to the living room, and after washing the bowl, Xu Qingyi followed.

Shen Yuqiao instructed her, “Get an ice pack.”

She went to the kitchen, and only when she came out did it dawn on her, “Do you have a fever?”

Xu Qingyi found a thermometer and took his temperature, it was close to 39 degrees!

What use was an ice pack now?

“You need to take fever-reducing medicine,” she told him.

Shen Yuqiao closed his eyes. “Don’t have any.”

Xu Qingyi gritted her teeth. Since she needed his help, she had to show the right attitude. She turned and went out to find a place to buy medicine.

After driving for over ten minutes with the navigation on and then returning, nearly half an hour had passed.

Shen Yuqiao was probably burning up, leaning on the sofa in a daze.

Feeding him medicine was difficult for Xu Qingyi, and she casually asked, “How long have you had this fever?”

Shen Yuqiao replied calmly, “Two or three days.”

Xu Qingyi was shocked. With such a high fever for two or three days, he still went to work as usual?

“You’re really something,” she said sincerely. “Most people would’ve been done for by now.”

Hearing the praise, Shen Yuqiao drowsily opened his eyes.

He suddenly felt like laughing, she could even find a way to compliment this.

Xu Qingyi fed him medicine and checked his temperature again, being careful not to touch him too much, which ended up making her sweat.

Unable to hold back, she said, “I’ve saved your life twice now. Be nicer to me in the future.”

Shen Yuqiao may or may not have glanced at her. He leaned back, raising a hand to cover his eyes.

“Lock the door,” he said.

She understood, he was telling her to leave.

Xu Qingyi bit her lip slightly. “What about my matter…?”

“Tomorrow.”

She nodded. If only he had said so earlier, one word had kept her waiting until the early hours of the morning.

Xu Qingyi drove back to the coastal district. With the roads clear in the early morning, she arrived half an hour faster than usual.

She parked the car directly in a roadside spot, figuring she’d probably have to go back into the city early the next morning anyway.

After getting out of the car, she had only taken a few steps when she spotted a tall figure in the dim light in front of the apartment building, the ember of a cigarette glowing and fading in his fingers.

Even without seeing clearly, Xu Qingyi knew it was Shen Yanzhou.

For a moment, her heart felt torn, an indescribable sense of fracture.

“What are you doing here?” she walked over and asked softly.

Shen Yanzhou looked up, and the moment he saw her, his entire expression relaxed.

A slight curve touched his lips. “Just finished a last-minute social engagement.”

Xu Qingyi frowned slightly. “Had too much to drink?”

The scent of alcohol was rather strong.

Shen Yanzhou extinguished his cigarette and waved away the lingering smoke in the air before approaching her. In a low voice, he asked, “Can I stay in the small bedroom upstairs? I won’t disturb you.”