She did not expect him to be so perceptive. When it came to this question, he no longer seemed so gentle. He stared at her directly, carrying a strong sense of pressure.
She did not know how to brush it off, but then she heard him chuckle softly, as if he was in a good mood.
“Then I’m not planning to find you either!” she suddenly snapped, irritated by how he kept pressing her.
“Alright,” he replied without getting angry. As long as she was not involved with someone else, he was happy.
He had time. He could slowly wear her down.
“I’m tired,” she said, unwilling to keep walking.
Yang Qin reached out, led her to a bench, and sat her down. He enjoyed this rare moment of being alone with her, not having to think about her in secret.
Wen Quhua was truly tired. Whenever she got sick, her body weakened. After sitting for a while, she suddenly heard a sticky, coquettish voice.
“Oh, stop touching me, take your hand out.”
“Let me touch a little.”
“It’s so ticklish, take it out quickly.”
“Don’t you like it too? Does it itch here?” The man laughed wickedly.
The sudden intimate sounds made Wen Quhua freeze completely. The man beside her also straightened slightly. For some reason, his presence suddenly became very strong.
“Baby, I’ve missed it so much. Let me have a taste.”
“What if someone sees us?”
“There’s no one here. Hurry, unbutton it.”
Wen Quhua: …
In the next second, a pair of hands reached over and accurately covered her ears.
She tilted her head and met his dark, unreadable expression. He leaned close and said softly, “Don’t listen. It’ll dirty your ears.”
“I think we should leave quickly,” she said. Knowing what that couple was doing made her increasingly uncomfortable staying here with him.
Just as she was about to stand, the girl suddenly cried out, pointing at them. “See? I told you there’s someone!”
The man hurriedly pulled his hand out of the girl’s clothes, looking extremely embarrassed.
After a moment, Yang Qin glanced over coldly. “This is a public place. Watch yourselves.”
After saying that, he took Wen Quhua’s hand and led her away.
“Acting all proper when you’re also a man. Don’t tell me you don’t think about that kind of thing,” the man’s mocking voice came from behind them.
Wen Quhua looked at Yang Qin’s stern profile and wondered if he had thought anything inappropriate just now. That night, he had kissed her.
She was so focused on this question that she did not even notice she was obediently letting him hold her hand.
When they were about to leave the park, he stopped and lowered his head to look at her seriously. “I didn’t think that.”
“Huh?”
“I think about you at night. Not just now,” he said, as if explaining. When that couple was being intimate, he had only felt annoyed. They had disturbed the rare moment he had with her.
He might as well not have explained.
Wen Quhua immediately shook off his hand and walked ahead on her own.
She felt like she was about to explode. He said he thought about her at night. Thought about what?
“Angry?” he caught up with her.
“No man doesn’t think about the woman he likes. It’s instinct.”
He was too straightforward. Wen Quhua’s face flushed slightly.
“Don’t be angry. I’ll try to think about it less in the future.”
Wen Quhua suddenly stopped and glared at him. “You’re not allowed to think. Don’t think about anything.”
“Alright,” he said with a faint smile, though without sincerity. That was something he simply could not do.
“I’m going home,” she said, unwilling to continue talking about such things with him.
Yang Qin smiled as he walked her back. This time, he did not want to stop at the corner. Following behind her, he met her dissatisfied gaze and coaxed, “We’ll go through the back door. No one will see.”
He did not want to part so quickly.
Wen Quhua did not want to stand there arguing about something meaningless, especially when it could attract attention. She let him lead her into the alley behind.
It was already nine at night. As soon as they entered the alley, they could hear voices from customers at the barbecue stall. He took a flashlight out of his pocket.
Wen Quhua felt that everything he did was premeditated. Otherwise, why would he carry a flashlight with him?
He lit the way for her. She walked carefully. The alley was narrow, and there were items piled against the wall by Aunt Lu.
But with one careless step, she kicked a box and nearly lost her balance. He reacted quickly, grabbing her waist and pressing her against the wall.
He immediately turned off the flashlight, and the entire alley fell into darkness.
Her heart pounded wildly. She felt like he was about to do something improper.
Sure enough, he leaned close to her neck, restrained yet rogue-like. “Can I kiss you? Like that night.”
“No… mm.”
Her refusal was swallowed.
Now that he knew she was not with another man, he could not restrain himself as much.
His burning presence engulfed her. Behind her was his arm braced against the wall, blocking her in. In front of her was his body pressing closer.
He pinned her against the wall and kissed her, without order or skill, only knowing to take.
A rough, domineering kiss.
Wen Quhua felt her lips being pressed painfully. She pushed against him, but he did not move at all.
Like a fierce beast that would not let go once it had seized its chance, unwilling to release her until it had its fill.
“Are you done? You jerk.” She could not take it anymore. She bit him hard, glaring at him in the darkness, her eyes reddened with anger.
His gaze darkened. He reached out and touched her cheek. It was hot and flushed.
His entire body was restless, as if something was about to break free and do something reckless.
But he could not. That would truly anger her.
He buried his head against her neck and took a deep breath, forcing himself to restrain.
After finally calming down, his voice was hoarse as he spoke near her ear, “Sorry. I really couldn’t hold back.”
It was indeed shameless.
He had just learned a new word tonight and had wanted to call her that as well. The word “baby” lingered at the tip of his tongue for a long time, but he did not dare say it, afraid of scaring her away.
But even this kiss was enough to scare her.
After regaining her senses, Wen Quhua pushed him away hard.
“Get lost, get lost, just go already.” She glared at him and quickly ran back home, opening the back door and slipping inside.
She was truly foolish to have agreed to let him accompany her to the hospital today. Now look, she had been bullied again.
Leaning against the door, Wen Quhua took deep breaths. Her face was flushed. Aside from annoyance, she did not feel much anger. She even thought that the feeling of being kissed was… not bad?
This was bad.
He clearly had no technique, so why was he so good at kissing?
He had left her completely disoriented.
“Sister Wen?” Manman had just delivered a dessert to the barbecue stall and returned, looking confused at Wen Quhua.
When had Sister Wen come back? Why was her face so red? Had her fever not gone down yet?
Seeing Manman’s confusion, Wen Quhua hurriedly brushed her off with a few words and went upstairs.
She needed to take a shower and clear her head.
Downstairs, Yang Qin took out a cigarette pack and looked up at the light that had turned on on the second floor.
He did not light it. He just held it between his fingers and took a sniff, trying to suppress the restless agitation in his body.
After a while, he let out a soft laugh. There was still a trace of satisfaction and lingering aftertaste in his eyes.
*
Yang Tian noticed that his brother had been in a really good mood these past two days. Everyone at the construction site could tell. It was as if he was basking in success.
Yang Qin and Chen De had finally negotiated terms and signed the contract. He had even gone through the procedures to register a license for his construction team.
He was full of drive. Just from the early demolition work at the old station, he had not only earned back the money he had put up by mortgaging the old house, but after paying his workers, he still had a considerable amount left.
These past two days, he has also been busy looking at houses. If it was just for himself, poor conditions did not matter.
But he had plans in mind. He did not want Wen Quhua to have to endure such a harsh environment if she came to his place again.
In these times, it was not easy to rent a house. But he was willing to spend money. He found a second-floor place near the old station. It was clean and bright. There was even an osmanthus tree planted in the courtyard downstairs, and the view from the second-floor window was quite pleasant.
Yang Qin did not have many belongings. After a quick tidy-up, he could move in.
Yang Tian and the others insisted on coming over to celebrate his housewarming. They brought alcohol and food.
When men drank, they talked either about making money or about women.
During this period, Yang Tian had followed Yang Qin around and witnessed how he secured the deal. Now that Yang Qin had capital, he could even take a share in projects.
Yang Tian raised his glass to Yang Qin. He was truly happy for his brother.
“When we finish this job with Brother, we’ll probably each save up this much. Then I’ll go back to my hometown, go on blind dates, and find a wife.”
The other workers laughed along, feeling that life had something to look forward to.
Listening to this, Yang Tian could not help but glance at Yang Qin. Others might not know his brother’s feelings, but he did.
Then he saw Yang Qin’s slightly upturned lips, his expression relaxed yet clearly in a good mood.
Yang Tian was shocked. He thought to himself, no way, right?
But seeing Yang Qin like this, it did not seem possible that his brother had changed his feelings to someone else.
That could only mean things were progressing with Boss Wen…
After drinking until around nine or ten, Yang Tian called out to the others to take the empty bottles and trash downstairs together. Yang Qin also went downstairs.
“Brother, no need to see us off.”
Who said he was seeing them off?
Yang Qin lazily walked out of the courtyard and headed toward the seaside. The dessert shop was in that direction.
“Where’s the boss going at this hour?” Yang Tian asked with a sly smile, telling the others not to ask.
Where else could he be going? To see the one he liked.
Yang Qin walked quickly. In just over twenty minutes, he saw the barbecue stall and the dessert shop.
There were many customers in the summer. The shop assistant inside the dessert shop was busy, but he did not see Wen Quhua.
As he got closer, Aunt Lu called out to him curiously. “Xiao Yang, what brings you here? I heard you’ve been extremely busy at the old station.”
Yang Qin chatted with her casually, talking about random things, occasionally glancing toward the dessert shop.
This time, he finally saw her.
She was holding a large mobile phone, smiling brightly as she talked.
“Tell Grandma that in a few more days, I’ll go back and stay with her. Keeping a good mindset is the most important thing.”
“No need for you to pick me up. I can take the bus myself. It’s not like it’s my first time.”
She declined Sheng Cheng’s offer to come pick her up.
“My mom is going too?”
“Mm, mm, okay, I got it.”
Just before hanging up, she accidentally met Yang Qin’s gaze not far away. Her smile faltered, and a hint of unease appeared.
After that night, the two had not met again. Wen Quhua had almost forgotten the ambiguity of that night, but seeing him suddenly brought those memories back.
Perhaps because of that intimacy, the way he looked at her was much bolder than before, dark and unrestrained.
She hung up the phone. Seeing him about to walk over, she instantly became nervous, feeling that if he came in, people would definitely misunderstand.
Amid her tension, he curled his lips into a smile at her, then walked into the small shop next door.
Wen Quhua let out a breath of relief.
“Manman, let’s close up.”
She checked the time. It was almost ten thirty. Once they closed, he would leave, right?
Manman worked quickly, moving the tables, putting away the umbrellas, and turning off the lights at the entrance.
Yang Qin stood at the entrance of the small shop, holding a bottle of water he had just bought.
Manman glanced at him curiously. She had seen him a few times before. The last time at the construction site, he had even taken over the work from Sister Wen to help.
So before she left work, she told Wen Quhua.
Wen Quhua did not expect him to still be there. She bit her lip, knowing exactly what that man intended.
“You can get off work now.”
After Manman left, Wen Quhua turned off the lights on the first floor. After a moment’s thought, she still headed toward the back door.
As soon as she opened it, she saw the man leaning against the wall, smiling at her.
Under the moonlight, his smile was quite obvious, unlike his usual restrained demeanor. She could smell a faint trace of alcohol.
“Why are you here?” she asked, standing by the doorway and keeping a safe distance.