Not long after, Qi Yue came rushing over. The tension in his shoulders only relaxed when he saw the red-haired girl on the bench.
His friend’s booth had a blind spot, so he couldn’t see what Shen Yusi was doing. Qi Yue had planned to just have a couple of drinks and come right back, but those guys kept dragging him into catching up.
He’d barely managed to get away, only to find her missing. Even Xie Sheng didn’t know where she’d gone. Their group scattered to search for her.
Thankfully, she was fine. Qi Yue let out a relieved breath and walked towards the bench.
Seeing the person sitting next to her, he was shocked. “What are you doing here?”
Lin Yingzhou, the man with the elegant tastes and freakishly rigid schedule, who would never stoop to hanging out with them, the idle rich.
In all his life, Qi Yue never thought he’d see Lin Yingzhou in a bar.
It was no different from seeing a ghost.
Maybe even scarier.
Lin Yingzhou glanced at him but said nothing.
Qi Yue’s gaze shifted back to Shen Yusi. It seemed he had discovered something monumental.
He let out a scoff.
Interesting.
Extremely interesting.
Noticing that Lin Yingzhou was ignoring him, Qi Yue paid him no mind. He crouched down and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Shen Yusi’s ear. “Little Island?”
Shen Yusi murmured something but showed no signs of waking.
Qi Yue chuckled. “How did you manage to get so tired?”
He continued in a gentle voice, “How about we go home and sleep, okay?”
Lin Yingzhou just watched coldly from the side.
Qi Yue stood up and bent over, about to lift Shen Yusi from the bench.
Lin Yingzhou reached out and blocked him. “Until she’s fully conscious, no one is taking her anywhere.”
“Lin Yingzhou.” Qi Yue said, “I’m her friend.”
“Prove it.”
Not wanting to waste words on the man, Qi Yue opened his chat history with Shen Yusi. He carefully selected the most ambiguous exchange and shoved the screen in Lin Yingzhou’s face.
Lin Yingzhou didn’t even glance at it. His tone was icy. “And?”
Qi Yue countered, “And who are you to her? On what grounds are you stopping me?”
“At least I’m not trying to take her away. I’m watching over her.”
Qi Yue fell silent. They were at a standstill. He sat down and sent a message to Xie Sheng, saying he’d found Shen Yusi and she was fine, but he’d run into an idiot who wouldn’t let him leave.
He was truly baffled. How did Shen Yusi get mixed up with someone like this?
The two of them looked like they were from completely different worlds.
Just then, Lin Yingzhou’s phone rang. Without a moment’s hesitation, he silenced it.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
Qi Yue’s voice was cold. “Either put it on silent or answer it. Don’t wake her up.”
Lin Yingzhou’s jaw tightened slightly. He picked up the phone. The caller ID showed his grandfather.
He took a deep breath, walked a few paces away, and answered. “Grandfather.”
Lin Yunzhi’s voice came through the receiver. “Where did you go this late at night?”
Lin Yingzhou was silent, watching Shen Yusi lying on her side on the bench, a few strands of hair hanging down.
Qi Yue crouched down and said something to her. Then she seemed to wake up.
He even reached out and touched her face.
What would it feel like?
As hard as her words, or as soft as her arms?
Lin Yingzhou answered, “Xu Huaichuan had some business with me. I might be back a little late.”
“Mhm.”
Shen Yusi, woken up by Qi Yue, felt groggy. She rubbed her temples, trying to remember how she’d gotten here.
She came to the bathroom, got too sleepy, and fell asleep on the bench in the corridor?
And then…
She had a dream.
About Lin Yingzhou.
Seeing her in a daze, Qi Yue snapped his fingers. “Still not awake?”
“No way.” Shen Yusi shook her head, her neck resting against the back of the bench. Her voice was nasal, muffled. “I just don’t have any energy.”
“Do you want me to carry you up?” He asked the question, but he was already bending over, his arms open wide.
Shen Yusi looked up at him. The laughter in his eyes was like a whirlpool, inviting her to drown.
Seeing her hesitate, Qi Yue raised his palm just a little higher, tilting his head as if it were only natural for her to fall into this waiting embrace.
Acting on instinct, Shen Yusi reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and let him lift her from the bench by the crook of her knees.
As they left, Shen Yusi didn’t look back at Lin Yingzhou, who was still standing behind her.
As their figures disappeared, the empty corridor was left with only Lin Yingzhou. A loud noise came from the dance floor, mixed with the shouts of men and women.
He looked at his watch expressionlessly. The hands pointed to twelve. His regular routine had been disrupted again.
Lin Yingzhou confirmed once more. He needed to stay far away from Shen Yusi.
Even farther.
—
Carrying her back like that would draw too much attention. Knowing Shen Yusi hated that, Qi Yue put her down at the entrance. “Next time you drink too much at a bar, no matter what you do, make sure you have friends with you. Or at least let someone know.”
Shen Yusi nodded absently, her mind still on the dream she’d just had.
It felt so real.
She had even…
Smelled the unique scent of oolong tea and Huimo ink that belonged to Lin Yingzhou.
Qi Yue stopped and called her name. Seeing that she was still walking forward, he reached out and gently pinched her neck from behind, his tone deliberately harsh. “Did you hear me?”
Shen Yusi snapped back to reality. “Got it.”
Qi Yue softened his tone. “Still very sleepy?”
“Yeah.”
She’d gotten used to sleeping early and waking early while she was recovering. This hour was already past her bedtime.
Qi Yue understood and fell into step beside her. “Alright. Go say hi to them, and I’ll take you home to sleep.”
The scent of amber wood, mixed with the crispness of cedar, drifted between them as their clothes brushed against each other. Shen Yusi suddenly said, “You smell really good today.”
The sudden comment caught Qi Yue off guard. His throat moved. He saw the serious look in her eyes, free of any erotic intention, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
When they got back to the booth, Xie Sheng saw Shen Yusi from afar and rushed over, looking worried. “Where did you go just now? Why didn’t you say anything before you left?”
“I went to dream.” Shen Yusi answered truthfully.
And I dreamed of a handsome guy. It was Lin Yingzhou.
Of course, Shen Yusi didn’t say that. Dreaming about someone else’s boyfriend wasn’t a good thing.
Xie Sheng laughed and scolded her. “You’re insane. Dreaming in the bathroom?”
“I was just too sleepy.” Shen Yusi also thought she was insane. Good thing she’d already vented and cursed in her dream.
Xie Sheng emphasized, “You absolutely cannot do this again at a bar. It’s too dangerous.” She picked up her bag from the booth. “I’ll take you home to sleep now.”
Shen Yusi stopped her. “No need. Qi Yue will take me. It’s still early. You guys keep having fun.”
Xie Sheng nodded in understanding. “Okay. Send me a message when you get home.”
“Okay.” Shen Yusi picked up her bag and left the booth.
Qi Yue was about to follow when Xie Sheng grabbed him. She asked in a low voice, “What about that idiot who wouldn’t let you leave?”
“I got rid of him.”
“He didn’t do anything to Little Island, did he?”
Qi Yue thought back to the scene of him guarding Shen Yusi and shook his head. “No.”
Xie Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. You scared me.”
Shen Yusi came back. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing.” Qi Yue stepped forward, playfully twirling a strand of Shen Yusi’s hair around his finger. “Let’s go.”
Qi Yue had already called for a driver. As soon as Shen Yusi got in the car, she fell asleep in the back seat.
The car drove smoothly until it hit a speed bump. Qi Yue felt a weight on his shoulder as the scent of roses washed over him.
It was her usual perfume, a bright and bold fragrance.
He turned his head. The broken gold of the streetlights filtered through Shen Yusi’s hair, casting a saw-toothed shadow under her eyes. Her hair, pressed against his shoulder, spilled into his neck, causing a tingling sensation.
A red light suddenly came on, and the driver braked.
Shen Yusi’s head lurched forward from the momentum. Qi Yue reached out hastily, the base of his thumb cupping her cool chin, his thumb pad pressed against it.
Her face…
It was so soft.
In this position, Shen Yusi’s lips were almost touching the jumping pulse on Qi Yue’s wrist. Every breath was scorching hot.
He looked away, not daring to make another move.
—
When she woke up from her hangover, it was already three in the afternoon. A sharp, heavy pain shot through her lower abdomen.
Stumbling into the bathroom, she almost fainted when she saw the red. She regretted being so reckless the night before, drinking her liquor with so much ice.
Shen Yusi took a painkiller from the drawer and obediently lay on her right side, as the internet instructed, waiting for the medicine to kick in.
It felt like a pair of pliers was twisting and turning inside her stomach. Soon, she was drenched in a cold sweat.
After a little while, she felt better. She opened her phone and, sure enough, saw a long list of unread messages.
She first opened her chat with Xie Sheng, which was pinned at the top: [How did it go? Any progress?]
Island: [I was going to make some progress, but I was too tired. I slept the whole way.]
The night before, the car had stopped at the hotel. Qi Yue had called her name softly at first. Seeing no signs of waking, he’d just let her sleep, leaning against his shoulder, for over an hour.
Shen Yusi had woken up groggily to the sight of a sharp jawline. She blinked, rebooting her system.
“Shen Yusi.” Qi Yue’s voice came from above, and she felt the slight vibration in his chest. His voice was laced with fatigue. “If you’re awake, get up. My arm’s gone numb.”
He looked down at her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Shen Yusi then realized she had been using Qi Yue’s arm as a pillow the whole way. No wonder she had been dreaming of being surrounded by amber. She sat up, feeling a rare twinge of embarrassment.
“Do you want me to rub it for you?”
Qi Yue raised an eyebrow and extended his left arm.
Her hands were slender and white, with clean, rounded nails painted with a light pink top coat. Her soft fingertips pressed into his forearm. It felt like a tickle, not at all relaxing, and it seemed to make his arm even number.
Shen Yusi kneaded and patted for a while. Her arms were getting sore. “Is that enough?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll go up now, then.”
“Okay.”
Xie Sheng’s response was: [……]
She seemed genuinely speechless. Her status showed ‘typing…’ for a while before she finally sent: [I didn’t ask you to let me take you home because I thought you’d be kissing each other on the way. And this is what I get?]
Island: [That would be too hooligan-ish of me. Do I look like someone who makes a move just because of a pretty face?]
Sheng Sheng: [You are]
Yesterday, when she woke up on the bench, Shen Yusi had been puzzling over why she had dreamed of someone else’s boyfriend.
She came to the conclusion that it had been too long since she’d been around any other men, so Lin Yingzhou’s presence in her mind was abnormally strong.
Since that was the case, she just needed to let someone else overwrite that presence.
Qi Yue was handsome and smooth. If the mood was right, a kiss wouldn’t be a big deal.
And she wouldn’t even have to take responsibility for it. What a good deal.
Too bad she’d been too tired yesterday and had fallen asleep before she could act on it.
Ending her chat with Xie Sheng, Shen Yusi continued scrolling down and clicked on Z’s chat.
All the anger and sadness had been fully vented yesterday. All that was left was clarity.
Regarding yesterday’s behavior and that video, since Z hadn’t mentioned it, Shen Yusi didn’t feel like explaining either: [Teacher Z, I’m not feeling well. Can I give you the homework tomorrow?]
When Lin Yingzhou received this message, he was at an event he’d been invited to. He paused for a few seconds after hearing the notification before opening it.
Before this, every time a message came in, he had expected it to be from Shen Yusi. He had actually been waiting.
Waiting for what?
He asked himself.
Last night was, for Lin Yingzhou, absurd. He couldn’t understand his own actions. Yet, as he was leaving, he wondered about the coincidence of his timing. Would Shen Yusi guess that he was Z?
If she did, how would they continue to interact?
It wasn’t until he saw that she was still addressing him with her usual ‘Teacher Z’ that Lin Yingzhou breathed a sigh of relief, even as a hint of… disappointment stirred in his chest.
Z: [What’s wrong?]
Shen Yusi answered directly: [Period cramps]
There was silence on the other end for a few minutes. Then: [Do it when you have time]
Shen Yusi was pleasantly surprised: [Wow, you’ve finally grown a conscience]
Z: [?]
Island: [Hehe, just kidding]
Lin Yingzhou was not amused by her glibness. He put down his phone and went back to his own matters. A few minutes later, he opened his phone again and asked: [Is it very painful?]
She must have drunk a lot of iced alcohol yesterday. No wonder she’s suffering now.
Island: [Yeah]
Island: [Very painful]
Lin Yingzhou frowned.
Lin Yunzhi had an old friend from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. He had once overheard that they were very good at gynecological issues, including menstrual problems.
Even though he had already decided he wouldn’t meddle in Shen Yusi’s messy affairs anymore, the thought of her discomfort affecting her progress in calligraphy lessons prompted him to dial that person’s number anyway.