To Sweep Across Like Wildfire - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After a long while, only Meng Chi and Shen Qingruo remained in the booth; Xie Zhen had run off to the dance floor.

Meng Chi lowered her head and took a sip of her drink. Her brows furrowed slightly before she forced them to smooth out.

Although the expression on her face was fleeting, Shen Qingruo caught it anyway.

Resting the arm holding her glass on her leg, Shen Qingruo casually swirled the liquid, watching Meng Chi with a smile. Soon, her other hand picked up the serving chopsticks from a plate, placing some food into Meng Chi’s porcelain dish. “Eat something. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you.”

“Oh.” Meng Chi had just put the food in her mouth when she looked up and saw the smile on Shen Qingruo’s face. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the wasabi squid from that other night. However, the taste of the food in her mouth was normal—neither pungent nor spicy. After a half-second of hesitation, she chewed boldly.

Noticing Meng Chi’s reaction, Shen Qingruo thought back for a moment and realized what the girl was worried about. She laughed. “What? Afraid I’m poisoning you?”

The smile in her eyes deepened, her tone incredibly charming, like an enchantress whispering to a wayward emperor.

She rested her chin lightly on the back of her elegant hand, watching Meng Chi swallow the food. “The little one has developed a sense of vigilance; that’s a good thing. But it’s still not quite high enough. If I had actually poisoned it, you’d be down by now.”

Gazing at Shen Qingruo’s smile, Meng Chi’s head felt dizzy. She unconsciously swallowed the bite. She thought to herself: No wonder there were historical tyrants who would throw away half their kingdom just to win a smile from a beauty.

At this moment, Meng Chi’s cheeks were slightly flushed. Her usually cold eyes were mixed with a trace of secret fervor, like a little white flower in the dark night, quietly burning, drawing the gaze of any passerby.

Shen “Passerby” Qingruo stopped resting her chin. Her gaze slid from Meng Chi’s face to her fair hand. Swirling her glass, she said something seemingly out of nowhere: “Is your wrist still sore?”

Anyone else hearing this would be bewildered. Weren’t we just talking about vigilance? Why are we suddenly talking about sore wrists?

Before that night at the hotel, Meng Chi wouldn’t have understood either.

Shen Qingruo’s eyes were naturally flirtatious. When she looked quietly at someone, it was enough to make them blush, their heart race, and force them to look away in a panic, unable to meet her gaze.

And now, there was an extra hint of seduction in Shen Qingruo’s eyes—as if she had cast a fine silver thread from her pupils, accurately hooking the person she was looking at and slowly pulling them into her hunting range.

Shen Qingruo had frequented the nightlife scene for years. As a natural hunter, even though she lacked “field experience,” it didn’t weaken the predatory instincts in her bones. She disguised herself as prey to paralyze her opponent, thereby securing a sumptuous dinner.

Had it been any other opponent, they would have been misled by the illusion long ago and plunged headfirst into her territory.

“It’s fine.” Meng Chi lowered her head, slightly flexing her wrist. “It’s not sore anymore.”

Shen Qingruo slightly raised one fine eyebrow, feeling a bit surprised that the prey wasn’t taking the bait.

People who first met Shen Qingruo would think she was scattered and casual; only friends who had known her for years knew her true personality. As someone who knew a bit about Shen Qingruo’s past, Xie Zhen had once remarked that Shen Qingruo was a person of immense “resilience.”

For Shen Qingruo, once she set her sights on prey, there was no reason to give up.

Looking at Meng Chi’s beautiful face and remembering the intoxicating taste of that night, Shen Qingruo bit her lip and whispered, “That’s good then.”

To anyone else, the word “good” would be confusing. Good? What’s good? Good in what way?

But Meng Chi understood perfectly. She looked deeply at Shen Qingruo.

The atmosphere between them was ambiguous to the extreme; even a stranger could sense the undercurrents. At this point, there was really no need for more words. Between adults, a hint is enough.

…

Shen Qingruo asked a friend to take Xie Zhen home. As soon as she saw Xie Zhen off, she turned back to the “Chunfeng DO” bar and walked casually toward the counter.

Meng Chi followed behind her, confused. Seeing her return to the bar, she thought she had dropped something or wanted another drink. Instead, Shen Qingruo stopped at the bar counter.

Behind the bar stood a younger bartender who had been skillfully shaking a mixer. Upon seeing Shen Qingruo, her movements stiffened, and her expression became uneasy, as if she were feeling guilty about something.

Shen Qingruo smiled at her and said, “Little sister, what about those photos you took of me?”

Before the bartender could answer, she added, “Did you delete them?”

The bartender blurted out, “I deleted them!”

As soon as she said it, her face flushed with embarrassment. Wasn’t that a confession? She could have tried to struggle a bit more.

Although the bartender had worked for a few years, she was still young. Combined with how incredibly beautiful and charming the woman in front of her was, she crumbled under the pressure and told the truth.

A few days ago, a friend of hers said he was looking for someone and mentioned a striking characteristic: “extremely beautiful.” So when she saw this customer today, she thought she fit the description perfectly. She tried to take a few photos, but the flash accidentally went off. At that moment, the customer had looked back at her with a half-smile. Until now, the customer hadn’t said or done anything, so she thought she hadn’t been noticed.

This bartender’s friend was, of course, the same bartender Jiang Sitian had commissioned.

The girl behind the bar didn’t know the whole story, nor did she recognize Meng Chi standing beside Shen Qingruo. She didn’t know that Meng Chi was actually the one looking for her. Seeing how close they were, she assumed they were good friends.

Earlier, when Shen Qingruo and Meng Chi were drinking at Table 19, the bartender had glanced at them several times. She had originally thought the first person at Table 19 was beautiful and rare enough, but then this second one arrived, and her looks were actually on par. The two of them sitting together was truly a feast for the eyes—it looked like a movie scene, making even the ordinary bar interior look high-end.

Now that the truth was out, the bartender had no choice but to apologize and promise, “I’m sorry, I really deleted the photos. If you don’t believe me, you can look at my phone.”

She really had deleted them. She took out her phone and shoved it into Shen Qingruo’s hand.

Shen Qingruo glanced at it briefly before placing the phone on the bar. The wooden surface made a soft clack. Her eyes were full of mirth as she said, “Little one, if you want to take my picture in the future, you can just come and tell me.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll reject you to your face,” Shen Qingruo said.

…

After leaving the bar, Meng Chi followed slowly behind Shen Qingruo.

Long ago, when Meng Chi first received those photos, she noticed Shen Qingruo looking toward the lens and guessed she might have been spotted. But she didn’t know who had taken them. When Shen Qingruo turned back into the bar, she didn’t even consider it would be for that reason.

When Shen Qingruo was talking to the bartender just now, Meng Chi’s nervousness was no less than that of the staff member.

Thinking about it… why was she nervous? She was… nervous about Shen Qingruo discovering her feelings. Nervous about someone finding out that she actually cared deeply about something.

Although she was worried about being found out, she also didn’t want the bartender to be blamed because of her. She was about to confess her role in it, only to find that Shen Qingruo hadn’t made things difficult for the girl at all.

At this moment, Meng Chi’s thoughts were spinning a thousand times, eventually circling back to the fact that Shen Qingruo had called someone else “little sister” and “little one.”

So she wasn’t the first person Shen Qingruo called “little sister,” and she wouldn’t be the last.

Just how many “little sisters” does Shen Qingruo have?

The atmosphere in Meng Chi’s home was quite serious, and her family was always busy. From a very young age, she was required to be “sensible.” To be a child that satisfied the adults, she had learned to hide her emotions.

Right now, she was hiding her disappointment. She seemed to be doing it so well that even Shen Qingruo didn’t notice.

…

Twenty minutes later, they checked into a room at their usual hotel.

The moment Shen Qingruo entered the room, she opened another bottle of red wine. This seemed to be a habit of hers.

She took a sip, turned around, and smiled at Meng Chi. “You shower first, or should I?”

“I’ll go first,” Meng Chi said.

“This time, surely you won’t take forever?”

Normally, Meng Chi would say “I’ll be quick.” Now, she said coolly, “Hard to say.”

She didn’t like Shen Qingruo treating her like a child, but she also minded her calling others “little one.” She didn’t want Shen Qingruo to see this, but when Shen Qingruo really didn’t see it, she felt… stifled.

I guess I really am difficult to deal with, Meng Chi thought.

Shen Qingruo watched Meng Chi walk to the bathroom door and asked, “Are you angry?”

Meng Chi had one long leg already inside the bathroom, but she stopped and waited for Shen Qingruo to continue.

Shen Qingruo added: “Hurry up, okay? I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep.”

Then she watched the girl “swish” into the bathroom, closing the door with considerable force and even locking it.

Shen Qingruo was in a good mood and had been walking ahead of Meng Chi, so she hadn’t noticed any abnormality. Seeing such a big reaction now, she rubbed the back of her neck, thinking: The kid is probably just shy.

Meng Chi finished twenty minutes later. Shen Qingruo had drunk half a bottle of wine. To keep herself from nodding off, she forced herself to stay alert, even considering whether to order some late-night BBQ.

Shen Qingruo stepped into the bathroom. Finding it filled with steam and the lingering traces of someone else’s shower, she felt less sleepy. She decided to take a bath to hydrate her skin.

Time ticked by. Meng Chi was reading the latest economic weekly on her phone. As she flipped another page, her gaze drifted to the time in the corner of the screen.

Shen Qingruo had come out in twenty minutes last time. This time, double that had passed and she still hadn’t emerged. Meng Chi hesitated; she was worried that if she went to ask, she’d be mocked for being impatient.

Suddenly, she realized she hadn’t heard the sound of water in the bathroom for a long time.

Did she fall?

Realizing the possibility, Meng Chi immediately stood up, walked quickly to the door, and knocked gently. Getting no response for a while, she panicked and pushed the door open, calling out anxiously, “Shen Qingruo, what’s wrong?”

Shen Qingruo had accidentally fallen asleep in the bathtub. In her daze, she heard a soft knocking. Then she heard someone calling her name, which woke her instantly. Her eyes were a bit dry; she blinked and looked at the girl rushing toward her.

“How do you know my name?”

She was certain she had heard her name, which surprised her quite a bit.

Seeing her lying in the tub, Meng Chi thought she had fainted and hurried forward to pull her out. Just as she reached the edge of the white porcelain tub, Shen Qingruo opened her eyes, looking groggy.

Hearing her voice, Meng Chi felt a slight wave of relief, but also remembered that in her haste, she had blurted out the woman’s name. She didn’t know where to begin explaining—the woman clearly hadn’t intended to tell her, yet she had snooped for it at the front desk.

“The bar was too noisy that night; I didn’t hear your name clearly. Can you tell me again?” Shen Qingruo’s fatigue vanished. Her eyes were moist, holding a faint, rippling smile. Her skin was fair, and her cheeks were flushed from the heat, making her look incredibly seductive.

Shen Qingruo’s teasing look reminded Meng Chi of how she had called someone else “little one” earlier, smiling at them in the same way.

The steam from the tub rose upward.

Meng Chi didn’t know if it was the steam or Shen Qingruo’s smile that made her lose her head, but she couldn’t hold it back any longer. She muttered sullenly, “Do you call everyone younger than you ‘little one’?”

The “old driver” didn’t think twice and crashed right here. Shen Qingruo lifted a slender arm to pull Meng Chi toward her. “Of course not. Only the good-looking ones get called that.”

Shen Qingruo thought she was being playful, but she didn’t expect the girl to suddenly pull back.

Meng Chi had intended to leave the bathroom, but she couldn’t swallow her pride. After staring at Shen Qingruo for a moment, she took action.

Shen Qingruo had just realized the girl was genuinely upset and was about to say something when Meng Chi leaned in and kissed her senseless.

Feeling a slight sting on her lip, Shen Qingruo let out a soft cry. Only then did the girl pull away with satisfaction, whispering in her ear: “Don’t call me ‘little one’ anymore… call me Meng Chi.”