HYAT - 54

Shen Qianzhan didn’t dare to move.

The scene was like a hunter in the wilderness, hiding behind a tree, slyly peeking out from the bushes with eyes hidden under the brim of a hat. She could feel the hunter’s gaze—focused and fiery, like a desert at two in the afternoon where the sand burns your feet. She had nowhere to hide, completely exposed under his gun.

She had to pretend she didn’t know to hide her fear.

She felt too weak but didn’t dare to provoke him. She remained in a stiff, half-kneeling position on the edge of the bed.

For a moment, Shen Qianzhan felt like she was a symbol of chastity, starving for affection inside but forcing herself to kill her desires in order to maintain a graceful and dignified appearance.

But deep down, a voice remained vigilant and on guard, like a serene Buddhist chant in a moment of confusion, washing over her again and again.

After the heat in the room cooled down a bit, Shen Qianzhan lowered her eyes and brought her other leg up, kneeling on the edge of the bed. Her hand, which had been resting on Ji Qinghe’s left shoulder, moved along his shoulder line to his shirt.

He wasn’t wearing a tie, but his shirt buttons were meticulously buttoned up to his collar.

Following her impulse, she ran her hand over his shirt, stopping at his chest. Then, her fingertips moved to his heart and gestured a few times, asking: “Is this empty or full?”

“If you want it, it’s empty. In terms of weight, it’s full.” His eyes curved upward slightly. The arc of his lips as he pursed them was as beautiful as a swan’s neck dipping into the water, as if every detail had been carefully measured.

Shen Qianzhan’s lips also pursed. This time, she looked directly into Ji Qinghe’s eyes, not flinching. Her gaze was as sharp as a blade: “You came without a word, aren’t you afraid I’d be angry?”

“There’s no situation worse than the one we’re in now—neither advancing nor retreating.” He took her restless hand and pressed it to his chest: “There’s no signal here, so it would be a bit difficult for me to give you a heads-up.”

“I came to check on your safety, not for any dirty thoughts you might be having.” While they were looking at each other, Ji Qinghe was also observing her facial expressions. Her expression management was almost perfect, and it was hard to find any flaws. But many times, a subtle flicker in her eyes or a feigned, forceful raising of her eyebrows would betray her true feelings.

This scumbag really had the audacity to say that.

She wondered what kind of god had entered her room without a word and with a key card half an hour ago.

She scoffed, not bothering to hide her strong disapproval of his words.

Footsteps approached from a distance. Shen Qianzhan guessed it was Su Zan and Ming Jue. Her eyes glanced outside the wall, not wanting to waste the rare good atmosphere. She asked her last question: “Is this for the heart or the body?”

Ji Qinghe was slightly stunned.

He had assumed Shen Qianzhan’s third question would either be to confirm his sincerity or to pry into his true intentions.

“For the heart or the body?” was an unexpected question. He didn’t think for too long: “I want both.”

Shen Qianzhan didn’t ask if he was serious.

Regardless of whether Ji Qinghe was a true romantic or an expert in the art of seduction, the fact that he changed his flight to Xi’an at the last minute and came to Wuxi just because her phone was out of reach was enough for her to give her heart to him.

After she turned twenty-eight, she was always talking about how she was “getting old.” She always felt that she had been hardened by society, becoming realistic and rational. She believed she would never again experience a passionate, reckless love affair, nor would she dedicate her time, money, and remaining energy to a man who was essentially a stranger with a little bit of fate.

But today, at thirty, she found that she could still have the kind of impulse she had when she was young and reckless.

She no longer suspected that Ji Qinghe had an ulterior motive. The sense of caution and vigilance that was etched into her mind, like a set of rules, shattered into a million pieces.

The beeping sound of a door card unlocking was heard next door, and Shen Qianzhan snapped out of her thoughts.

She was too embarrassed to say, “I’ve gotten you a pass. It’s up to you to come in or not.” After all, while the mood was right, the words hadn’t been spoken, and a girl’s modesty was still a must. Besides, she had been so righteous when she rejected Ji Qinghe before, and tearing off that facade now would be too much.

To be so touched by his braving the snow to come to Wuxi that she would give him everything was not her, Shen Qianzhan. That would be a new generation of Mary Sue.

When Shen Qianzhan was being awkward, she was truly awkward. When she fought with herself, she was also unsparing. But once she understood something, everything else could be thrown away.

Her fingers, which were being held in his palm, slightly curled and gently, through his shirt, stroked his chest twice.

Ji Qinghe didn’t get the hint immediately. When he looked up, Shen Qianzhan was staring at him. Her other hand lightly scratched his Adam’s apple: “If you want both, let me go now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, there were a few light taps on the door. Su Zan’s voice, as if it was squeezed through a crack in the door, was a little distorted: “Sister Zhan?”

“CEO Ji?”

“Are you guys asleep?”

Shen Qianzhan was silent for a few seconds.

She felt that at least half of her gossip news came from Su Zan’s inappropriate choice of words.

After knocking, Su Zan pressed his ear against the door for a while.

After confirming that there were no strange sounds of grunting or a squeaky bed, he became a little bolder and called out again: “Sister Zhan, if you’re not asleep, open the door for me.”

A quiet, tug-of-war-like struggle could be heard in the room, followed by the sound of feet hitting the floor. All the noises in the darkness seemed to be magnified a thousand times, each frame weaving into a scene.

Su Zan’s unhealthy mind immediately started fabricating an erotic movie. He cleared his throat and pressed his ear to the door crack, unwilling to leave for a moment: “I’ll count to three. If you still don’t answer me, I’ll assume you two are about to get down to business.”

Whether it was because the prelude was long enough or because his threat had worked, the door opened right after Su Zan spoke.

Shen Qianzhan stood in the doorway, fully dressed, holding a flashlight: “I’m afraid I’ve disappointed you.”

________________________________________

To be honest.

Su Zan was a little disappointed.

He was a man with bad luck. His luck with hotels was especially poor. From the time he was old enough to get a room until now, he had never once stumbled upon a romance film in action.

He had thought that with how bad the soundproofing was in this hotel, he would finally get to hear some live sounds tonight. But alas, your mother is your mother, and your father is your father; youthful regrets remain regrets.

________________________________________

Ji Qinghe had a low-grade fever, but it wasn’t serious.

The girl from the medical team gave them some fever reducers and said she would come back to check his temperature tomorrow, then went back to her room with a yawn.

The situation wasn’t chaotic, but after all the back and forth, everyone looked tired.

Shen Qianzhan had planned to squeeze in with Song Yan, but when she saw the time, it was almost daybreak, so it was clearly not a good idea to disturb her. But she also couldn’t bring herself to share a room with Ji Qinghe.

After a long time of pondering, thinking she might as well brazenly go back to the medical team girl’s room, Ji Qinghe seemed to have read her mind. He was about to tease her, but his eyes caught sight of Su Zan, who didn’t seem to realize he was in the way. He paused and said: “Before I came up, I borrowed a folding bed from the front desk. It’s in your room.”

Su Zan, who had gotten too much exercise from running up and down, was stunned: “...How did I not know about that?”

Ji Qinghe didn’t even look up this time: “You’ve been in here the whole time, how could you have known?”

Su Zan, who thought he had been in on the excitement, was now dead.

Shen Qianzhan, who had received this good news, was naturally relieved. At this moment, she finally didn’t hesitate to show her thoughtfulness and generosity. She personally escorted the two gods next door, and after reminding Su Zan not to sleep too soundly tonight, she successfully retreated to her room to sleep.

On the other side, the three men were still awake.

The sound of the wind and snow outside seemed to have quieted down, leaving only the rustling of the snow.

Su Zan lay on his side for a while, unable to sleep, and turned over to look at Ji Qinghe on the folding bed.

Sensing his gaze, Ji Qinghe turned his face and looked at him.

That look was like opening Pandora’s box. Su Zan, who had temporarily closed his mouth, suddenly started chattering endlessly. He went from highly praising Ji Qinghe’s determination to brave the hardships to teaching him seduction tricks, talking for a good fifteen minutes. Just when he thought Ji Qinghe had fallen asleep, he heard him say: “She’s different.” His voice was a little hoarse and raspy.

With Shen Qianzhan, being forceful didn’t work. Playing hard to get didn’t work. The tragic hero routine didn’t work either. He had tried every trick in the book, patiently going through all of them, only to find that none of them were as effective as seduction.

The thought of this gave Ji Qinghe a faint headache.

Su Zan didn’t know Ji Qinghe was having this inner debate. He was just about to shower him with compliments about his devotion to Shen Qianzhan when he was caught off guard by Ji Qinghe’s question: “What about those male fox spirits?”