Wen Quhua usually went to bed at ten sharp for her beauty sleep, but today was an exception. She stared at the mosquito bite on her face in the mirror. When she woke up in the morning, she realized she had still been bitten. Otherwise, she would not have been wearing a sun hat and sunglasses even as it was getting dark. Annoying.
It was still itchy. She did not dare to scratch, afraid she would break the skin. But the itch was piercing. Her arms and legs were all bitten! It was only May. How could there be so many mosquitoes? Wen Quhua angrily pounded the table.
The next day, she went to the hospital. It was not that she was being delicate. Early in the morning, when the hotel staff saw her, they were all startled. Her body was covered in red, swollen bites, big and small, all over her cheeks, neck, arms…
In the hospital, Wen Quhua both scolded and felt afraid. “These aren’t ordinary mosquitoes, they’re poisonous mosquitoes! Doctor, I won’t be left with scars, right?”
“Don’t worry, you won’t. The mosquitoes in Langcheng are a bit toxic. I’ll prescribe you a stronger medicinal ointment. Go back and apply it for a few days. Just make sure you don’t scratch.”
“I promise I won’t scratch!” She even raised her hand to swear, obedient to a fault.
“Doctor, I promise I won’t scratch. Can you guarantee there won’t be scars?” She leaned forward nervously.
Doctor: …
A snort of laughter came from outside. Wen Quhua glared over angrily and met a firm, handsome face.
“Here to get medicine?” The doctor also saw him and spoke in a familiar tone.
The man had originally been leaning against the wall. Hearing this, he straightened up and walked in. As soon as he entered, Wen Quhua felt the air grow thinner and the space shrink.
Her face was covered in bumps, ugly like a ghost. She hurriedly put on her sunglasses, along with her sun-protective clothing and sun hat. In no time, she wrapped herself up tightly, took her medicine, and went out, just brushing past him.
His arm was hard. Even through the clothes, she could feel a sense of threat. Wen Quhua had just been laughed at by him. After walking out, she turned back and secretly glared at him again. Unexpectedly, he also turned around and looked at her.
Wen Quhua instantly felt guilty and left. After walking out of the hospital, she suddenly remembered she was wearing sunglasses. What was she afraid of? He could not even see her glaring at him.
“You probably earn money just to spend most of it on buying medicine for your grandmother, right?” Doctor Chen looked at the calm and steady man and sighed.
“It doesn’t matter. Money is meant to be spent.” Yang Qin did not care. If it were not for treating his grandmother’s illness, he would not even have much desire to earn money.
“How old are you this year again? Twenty-five? Twenty-six? It’s time you found a partner, right?”
Yang Qin: …
Why had everyone been asking him about finding a partner these past two days?
He subconsciously thought of that face just now, covered in mosquito bites, red and swollen. Yet he did not find it ugly at all. Truly strange.
“Stop dragging it out. Your grandmother is also anxious to see you settle down and start a family. If you meet someone suitable, just decide.”
What counted as suitable? Someone he did not like but could live with? Or someone he liked but whose conditions clearly did not match his?
Yang Qin curled his lips in a mocking smile. In other aspects, he was average, but in one thing, he had self-awareness. He was unwilling to settle, and he would not covet what he could not match.
Doctor Chen sighed again. Seeing how he would not listen to advice, he knew it was useless to say more.
Yang Qin left carrying the bag of medicine. He walked quickly. Before long, he saw ahead of him a conspicuous small Western-style parasol. The umbrella was tiny, with embroidery on its surface and a pendant hanging from its handle. Every detail was exquisite.
He strode past it without sparing it another glance.
As he passed, it was like a gust of wind sweeping by. Wen Quhua was stunned. She stared at his back and snorted twice. No manners. The road was so wide, yet he had to brush past her.
Wen Quhua stayed in the hotel for three days without going out. The windows were tightly shut. Disinfection was done everywhere. Mosquito coils were lit, and she even hung up the mosquito net she had just bought. After applying the medicine continuously for three days, the swelling on her body finally subsided.
The renovation company called her, saying the renovation was finished and asked her to go for an inspection.
Wen Quhua went out fully equipped with sun protection and mosquito protection. She did not care whether others found her strange or not. When she arrived at the shop, she found out there had been a mistake during the electrical testing. Aunt Lu had called Xiao Xin over. Xiao Xin could not fix it and then called Yang Qin.
As soon as she arrived, she saw several people gathered around the man in the middle. The man looked somewhat familiar. He was holding tools and dismantling the electric meter box. From a side profile, she recognized him. The one who had laughed at her.
Wen Quhua spoke to remind him, “Be careful. Don’t break it.”
At her voice, several people turned to look back and only then noticed she had arrived. Xiao Xin explained nervously, “Boss, Brother Yang’s skills are very good. He definitely won’t break it.”
“Don’t worry. If it breaks, I’ll pay for it.” He did not turn his head. His voice was low.
Wen Quhua pursed her lips. Finding the air here stuffy, she simply went upstairs to inspect instead.
To move in as soon as possible, she had already ordered her furniture, and it had been delivered and arranged.
The second floor was not big. It was a one-bedroom, one-living-room layout, with a kitchen and bathroom. The furniture had a good texture and looked quite nice. Wen Quhua was fairly satisfied.
She had just wanted to try the light switch when a voice came from behind.
“The second floor isn’t connected to electricity yet. I’ll come up and take a look.”
“Oh.” She stiffly stepped aside and went to sit on the sofa. With nothing much to do, she watched him check the wiring.
The gaze from behind was obvious. Yang Qin could not help but tense slightly. He pressed his lips together and focused on checking. After going back and forth several times, the electricity was finally connected.
He instructed, “If there’s a short circuit later when you’re living here and using high power, call me again. It’s under warranty.”
For a job that only cost a few yuan including materials, there was even a warranty? Wen Quhua wanted to praise him for being conscientious, but she did not want to praise him.
So she frowned and said critically, “I’m about to move in. What if the power cuts off in the middle of the night, or the electricity goes out when I’m showering? Wouldn’t that be troublesome?”
Yang Qin: …
She said the word “showering” so casually.
“Then what do you want? I can’t possibly move in ahead of time to test whether there’ll be a short circuit in the middle of the night while you’re showering, can I?”
There was a teasing tone in his words. Wen Quhua, wearing sunglasses, boldly glared at him. “How can a man stay in my house?”
Her tone did not carry disgust. It was very frank.
Yang Qin was only joking. He did not expect her to respond so angrily, her cheeks even puffing up. After the mosquito bites faded, her face looked a size smaller. It was unknown whether she had been exposed to the sun, but her skin was fair and almost glowing.
“I don’t live far away. No matter what time the power goes out, I’ll be there within ten minutes.”
“What if it’s in the middle of the night?” She seemed to be deliberately finding fault.
He curled his lips, half-smiling. “If you dare to call me in the middle of the night, I’ll dare to come.”
Only then did Wen Quhua notice that his eyes had double eyelids that were not very prominent. When he lowered his gaze to look at someone, there was a hint of careless frivolity, giving him a slightly roguish air. He did not look bad, but she felt he was not easy to get along with. She snorted and said, “Anyway, it must not affect my moving in.”
He noticed a small red mark still remaining on her neck. Thinking of something, he still gave a rare, kind reminder, “A newly renovated house is best aired out before moving in.”
“I used the best materials.”
“No matter how good the materials are, there will still be some impact.” He paused. “Suit yourself. I’ll go downstairs first.”
Why was he bothering about her so much? Anyway, if her delicate skin had an allergic reaction, it would not be caused by him.
“What kind of person is he?” Wen Quhua muttered.
When Wen Quhua went downstairs, Yang Qin had already left. Xiao Xin was waiting downstairs to apologize to her.
Wen Quhua waved her hand. “It’s fine. As long as it’s fixed.”
When Xiao Xin went back, he praised her to Yang Qin. “I think the female boss is quite nice, gentle and kind.”
Gentle?
Only now, after breaking free from the halo through which he used to see her, did he realize just how delicate and pampered she was. Her temper wasn’t small either. One look and it was obvious she was a spoiled young lady who had been doted on and indulged since childhood.
Yang Qin didn’t respond, so Xiao Xin continued talking to himself. “The lady boss changed into another dress again today. That blue one with white trim is really pretty, like the sea. But it must cost several hundred, right? Tsk tsk. I wonder what kind of family raised her.”
“Do you have nothing better to do?” Yang Qin finally shot him an impatient glance.
“I just felt like talking… what’s wrong with that?” Seeing Yang Qin’s expression darken, Xiao Xin quickly ran off.
Wait… does Brother Yang really dislike the lady boss? Just mentioning her makes him annoyed. Has he been too irritable lately?
He poked his head back in again. “Brother, if you need to relieve yourself, just do it. Don’t bottle it up. It’s not good for your health.”
“You damn—” Yang Qin lifted his foot to kick him.
Yang Qin slammed the door shut with a bang and locked it. He rubbed his face. These past few days, he really had been unusually irritable. It had never been this frequent before. Ever since that night he saw her at the barbecue stall, he hadn’t had a single peaceful night. Every night was restless, and during the day, he lacked energy and had little patience.
This couldn’t go on. This woman’s effect on his body was a bit too strong.
He had never been like this before. It made him feel a bit perverted, like he had never seen a woman before. It was embarrassing. His whole body felt uncomfortable and irritable.
Wen Quhua, of course, had no idea about his troubles. She had already started looking into this man, Yang Qin. At the very least, she needed to find him first, then observe him secretly and see if he showed any abnormal psychological behavior.
Wen Quhua had planned it well, but she couldn’t find any information about Yang Qin.
She actually couldn’t find anything!!!
Wasn’t it said that he had been in Langcheng a year before the incident? She had come ahead of time, so at this point, he definitely hadn’t left his hometown yet.
“Are there a lot of people with the surname Yang in Langcheng?”
The informant replied, “If not ten thousand, then at least several thousand.”
Wen Quhua’s vision went dark. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be an informant? I paid you 500 yuan and this is what you tell me?”
“As long as you didn’t remember the name wrong, then it’s correct. There are plenty of people surnamed Yang in Langcheng, but there really aren’t any named Qin. The character ‘Qin’ sounds like ‘owing gold’ and carries bad connotations, so no one uses it. Or his registered name on his household registration might be different from what he uses in real life.”
So that’s how he explains it, just brushing off my information fee?
Could it be that he changed his name before leaving? Then what name is Yang Qin registered under now? How am I supposed to find that? It’s like searching for a needle in the ocean.
“Fine, keep looking. If you find him, I’ll give you another 500 yuan as a reward.”
The informant’s eyes lit up. “I’ll go investigate. Forget the household registration name, I’ll even dig up the nickname he had when he was born.”
Thanks, but that’s really not necessary.
Before she could even find the person, the dessert shop was about to open.
Wen Quhua wasn’t good at housework, but making sweet soups was something she excelled at. She liked desserts and enjoyed researching them. She couldn’t just focus on Yang Qin. She needed something to do during her time in Langcheng.
On opening day, she wore a red long dress and high-heeled sandals. Her wavy hair fell to her waist. She didn’t wear a sunhat or sunglasses. She simply sat behind the counter in the shop, waiting for customers to come in.
It was opening day, so quite a few people came to watch. Of course, many of them came because of her mysterious beauty. Everyone wanted to see whether she was just someone who looked good from behind.
In the end, every person who came in was stunned. With a sweet smile, she handed them the order slip. No one left empty-handed.
The business… was unexpectedly good.
Xiao Xin was one of those who came to join the excitement. He even had a bowl of mango pomelo sago. The lady boss also gave him a complimentary chilled mung bean dessert, which he brought back, planning to let Yang Qin try it as well.
Yang Qin had been running around outside all day. When he came back, he was drenched in sweat. He took a quick cold shower and came in, just as Xiao Xin eagerly handed him a small bowl of soup.
He didn’t think much of it and drank it in one gulp. It was sweet, cloyingly so.
“It’s a pity it’s not cold anymore, otherwise it would be really refreshing. The lady boss said sweet soups in summer are meant to be eaten cold. Her shop is really cool too. Even the breeze there feels cool and fragrant.”
Yang Qin frowned and interrupted him, looking at the empty bowl of mung bean soup he had just finished. “You got this from her place?”
“I didn’t buy it. It was a buy-one-get-one offer. She said it’s a promotional giveaway for the opening. She’s beautiful and knows how to do business.”
“Brother Yang, you missed out. You should’ve gone to see it. The lady boss isn’t just someone who looks good from behind. She’s like a big star stepping out of a television. We didn’t even dare to look at her for too long.” Xiao Xin was still immersed in the scene.
Yang Qin put down the bowl and said nothing, then lay back on the bed.
Xiao Xin kept rambling, “Brother Yang, you really should go try the sweet soup and see the lady boss.”
“Do I look that idle?” He couldn’t be bothered to go. That would make him look like some kind of creep.
So what if she was pretty? What did that have to do with him? He wouldn’t go, and he wouldn’t let her affect him anymore.
But things rarely went as people wished. Three days later, a call from an unfamiliar Hong Kong number came to the construction site.
They were looking for Master Yang.
“There are so many Master Yangs at the construction site. She told me to find the one with the worst temper, and said the second floor of the sweet soup shop has a power outage!!!”
So it was the lady boss from the dessert shop calling.
The coworkers even remarked that the lady boss actually had her own mobile phone.
After finally getting a single day off, Yang Qin had gone two days without sleep. His head throbbed as if it were about to explode.
“Brother Yang? Should I go instead? You’ve been working during the day and staying with your grandmother at night these past two days. You’re exhausted.”
Xiao Xin felt a bit embarrassed. Yang Qin’s grandmother had been sick these past few days. After working all day, Yang Qin still went back to the small fishing village at night to keep her company. Today was his rare day off.
“Can you fix it if you go?” Yang Qin glanced at Xiao Xin indifferently.
Xiao Xin said, “I might not be able to, but you definitely can.”
“Alright. I’ll wash my face and go. She specifically asked for me. If I don’t fix it, she’ll throw a tantrum again.”
“The lady boss wouldn’t throw a tantrum. She’s very gentle.”
Yang Qin gave a meaningful smile. The more delicate a person is, the harder they are to serve.