Wen Quhua gave a soft acknowledgement and did not know what else to say. If things could be settled like this, it would actually be quite good.
He watched her leaving figure, seemingly deep in thought.
Suddenly, a female voice interrupted him. “I can help you.”
Yang Qin lifted his eyes and looked at Shen Yan, whose expression was complicated. He did not know how much she had heard.
The department store was nearby. After getting off work, Shen Yan had come to the teahouse to meet a friend. By chance, she sat next door and overheard the conversation between Yang Qin and Wen Quhua.
She felt this was an opportunity, so she boldly said, “If we pretend to be a couple, she should believe what you said.”
Yang Qin looked at her and slowly curled his lips, carrying a hint of ridicule and coldness. “No need.”
He stood up to pay the bill, not even glancing at Shen Yan behind him.
Shen Yan bit her lip in humiliation. She had already gone this far, yet Yang Qin still had no interest in her at all. What was so good about that woman? She clearly did not even like him.
Sooner or later, he would realize that girls from Langcheng suited him better.
Yang Qin has been extremely busy these past two days. His trip to Beijing had not been in vain. He had found a new material and negotiated that the intermediary profit would all belong to him.
Because of that, he had gritted his teeth and spent quite a bit of money in Beijing to buy himself a second-hand mobile phone. Aside from the old station project, he had been attending dinner meetings every night these past two days.
Langcheng was going to build a large hotel. The bidding had not yet been made public. After returning from Beijing, he immediately started looking for people to help him draw up plans. He intended to get a share of it.
As for Wen Quhua, she did not want to date right now. He was not in a hurry. He would loosen his grip a little first so as not to push her further away.
He had already said those words earlier. With her personality, she would most likely stop avoiding him.
Yang Qin felt that he was patient enough. Some things could not be rushed.
However, after finishing the dinner gathering that night, he still went to the seaside.
Seeing him arrive, Yang Tian, who had practically fed all the mosquitoes over the past two nights, went up to him. “No one has come to cause trouble these past two nights.”
“Alright. Go back and rest tonight. I’ll keep watch.”
Yang Tian truly admired his brother. Afraid that the He family might come to take revenge on Boss Wen in the middle of the night, Yang Qin had even paid him to come guard downstairs overnight.
After Yang Tian left, Yang Qin stood under a tree smoking.
Through the drifting smoke, the light in his eyes flickered on and off.
The barbecue stall had also closed. With the night wind blowing, he lifted his head and looked at the second floor.
At this hour, she was probably asleep.
He lay down on a chair behind the barbecue stall counter and closed his eyes to rest. He had drunk quite a bit, and his body did not feel comfortable.
But fortunately, things were progressing, and he was in a good mood.
In the middle of the night, Wen Quhua was suddenly awakened by a loud bang.
She sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and saw shattered glass.
Her entire body tensed instantly.
From outside the bedroom, there were also sounds of glass being smashed. It must be those thugs again!
She put on a coat and felt around beside the bed for a stick before getting up. She had prepared it for self-defense after the shop had been smashed that day.
By the light, she saw that what had been thrown in through the broken window was a stone wrapped in blood. The floor was covered with splattered crimson. She immediately sucked in a breath, her face turning pale.
Suppressing her fear, Wen Quhua reached for her mobile phone. She wanted to call the police.
Just as she was about to dial, cries of pain from the thugs came from downstairs.
She cautiously moved to the window and looked down. A familiar man’s figure came into view. He lifted his leg and kicked a thug, who was holding a blood-smeared stone, hard.
“Smash again, I dare you.”
His temper was not good. His brow was cold and fierce, and the force of his kick was both ruthless and brutal.
Wen Quhua could not help leaning against the window to look down. The next second, he suddenly raised his head and caught her gaze.
She paused, her expression a little unnatural.
Those thugs picked up their things and ran. Yang Qin did not chase after them. He raised his head again and looked at her. “Open the door.”
“Keep your voice down!” Wen Quhua glared at him, afraid of waking Aunt Lu and Uncle Zhang next door.
In fact, Aunt Zhang and the others had already been peeking out the window. When they heard Boss Wen’s voice, they quickly went back inside. Since Yang Qin had arrived, there was no need to worry about her safety.
Perhaps because of the sense of security he brought, Wen Quhua went downstairs and opened the door for him.
After he entered, he saw that the newly repaired windows on the first floor had been smashed again.
“The second floor too, and also…” She frowned in disgust.
Yang Qin went upstairs to take a look. She followed closely behind, subconsciously seeking a sense of protection.
On the living room floor, besides broken glass, there was a large patch of chicken blood. The bedroom was the same. It was impossible to stay there.
He said to her, “Pack your things.”
“Where are we going?”
“Stay somewhere safer for now. Tomorrow, I’ll come and replace the glass and clean everything up.”
Hearing this, Wen Quhua did not hesitate. It was indeed unlivable. The windows were broken. What if someone climbed up?
Moreover, the chicken blood was unsettling. She hurriedly packed a few clothes and some skincare items into a bag and followed him downstairs.
There were not many people on the road in the middle of the night. The wind was a little cold. He took the things from her hands and stood at her side, shielding her from the wind.
With his earlier promise in mind, she felt much more at ease. Yang Qin had said that after this matter was resolved, he would stop pestering her. Since He Youdao’s matter had indeed started because of him, she could accept this help with a clear conscience.
She just had not expected that he would bring her to his home.
The house he rented was not far from the old station. After walking for half an hour, they arrived.
Wen Quhua hesitated slightly at the staircase. “Isn’t this inappropriate?”
He turned back to look at her and said calmly, “You stay. I’ll make do at the construction site for a few nights.”
I see…
Wen Quhua followed him upstairs in small steps.
He opened the door and turned on the light. Wen Quhua glanced inside. The place was clean, but there were not many things. There was a cup on the table, and the bathroom showed a bit of personal living traces.
Yang Qin went into the bedroom and closed the door. He first casually put away his clothes into the wardrobe, then took out a new bedsheet and spread it neatly.
After tidying up, he opened the door. “You stay here first.”
“The bedsheet is newly changed. I’ve washed it.”
Wen Quhua stood at the doorway and took a look. The square room had only a bed and a wardrobe, but it was quite clean.
She walked in, put her things down, and then turned back to look at him.
Yang Qin knew that he could not be as attentive as before. She would only overthink it. So he casually gave a few instructions, “There’s a new toothbrush in the cabinet. There’s a kettle in the kitchen. Just help yourself.”
He lifted his leg to leave, but Wen Quhua stopped him. “How are you going to sleep at the construction site?”
He turned his head and looked at her, his expression unreadable. “I can lay out a bed on the floor in the office.”
“Oh.”
After saying that, he closed the door and really left, leaving Wen Quhua standing alone in a strange man’s house.
She looked around, planning to go to the kitchen to boil some hot water. When she entered the kitchen, the clay pot on the counter caught her attention. Beside it were red dates, goji berries, and other ingredients for making soup.
For some reason, she thought of the shredded chicken soup she had drunk at the hospital.
That could not be, right?
She brushed those thoughts aside, did not even boil the water, and returned to the bedroom to lie down and prepare to sleep.
But the moment she lay down, she smelled Yang Qin’s scent. Although the bedsheet had been changed, there was still a clean, fresh smell that belonged to a man.
Wen Quhua: …
She could not help thinking again about how he had appeared downstairs tonight. That could only mean he had been keeping watch for her. Otherwise, he could not have arrived so quickly.
She let out a deep sigh and stared at the ceiling.
Could he really make things even between them?
The next day, after Yang Qin finished his work at the construction site, he drove the van to the dessert shop. On the second floor, he personally went up to measure the size of the glass. He did not let anyone help him. He first swept up the glass shards on the floor, then crouched down and used a brush to scrub the dried chicken blood.
He worked carefully, cleaning everything bit by bit for her.
If it could not be cleaned properly, she would definitely find it unpleasant. Yang Qin spent the entire afternoon on the second floor before finally cleaning it.
Ordering the glass would not be that quick. The building materials market told him it would take three to four days. He paid the deposit and left.
He wondered whether she was used to staying at his newly rented place. Yang Qin wanted to go back and take a look, but he was afraid of scaring her.
After returning to the construction site, Yang Tian happened to come back and said to him, “Brother, we’ve found the home addresses of those thugs.”
“Mm, let’s go.”
Yang Qin still had to deal with those thugs. Of course, those thugs were only acting under instructions. He reported it to the police, and the few of them were taken to the station for questioning.
He had connections there. Someone walked over and said to him, “Brother, you need the victim to come in as well.”
Yang Qin glanced at the time. “Now?”
“Tomorrow is fine too. But the sooner, the better.”
Yang Qin nodded. After leaving the station, he checked the time. It was already nine o’clock. She was probably not asleep yet.
Yang Qin smelled the sweat on his clothes and frowned. In the night, he went back and knocked on the door.
“Who is it!?” She might have truly been frightened. Her tone was very cautious.
“It’s me,” he said.
Only then did Wen Quhua open the door. She had just finished showering, and there was still moisture on her body. Her eyes looked soft and glistening.
Yang Qin glanced at her once and quickly averted his gaze. He stepped inside sideways. There was a kettle on the table. He poured himself a cup of water and quickly drank it.
“Those thugs have been arrested. You need to go to the station to give a statement.”
“Now?” She paused in the motion of drying her hair.
Hearing the man say, “Tomorrow is fine too. I came back to let you know.”
“Oh.” Wen Quhua definitely did not want to go out right now. She had just taken a shower.
Yang Qin hesitated for a moment, then still asked, “Do you mind if I take a shower and change clothes before I leave?”
Wen Quhua: …
“This is your home.”
She turned and went to the kitchen to give him space.
Yang Qin raised his hand and wiped his face, then went into the master bedroom wardrobe to get a change of clothes.
As soon as he entered the room, a faint fragrance drifted over. He paused. She had only stayed for one night, yet the room was already filled with her scent.
He took his clothes and went into the bathroom. The bathroom smelled even stronger. She had just finished showering, and the moisture had not yet dissipated. Yang Qin stiffened for a moment.
He took off his shirt and simply rinsed himself with cold water, muttering a curse under his breath at his own lack of control.
Just from the scent, he was already restless.
He showered quickly, coming out in about ten minutes.
Wen Quhua had already returned to the bedroom and shut the door tightly.
He walked over and knocked lightly, saying from outside, “I ordered the glass today. It’ll take three or four days for delivery and installation. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come take you to give your statement?”
After a while, her soft voice came from inside. “Okay.”
He closed his eyes briefly, suppressing himself, feeling it was unbearable.
“Lock the door after you come out. I’m leaving.”
This time, she did not respond. Yang Qin turned and left.
Wen Quhua paused in applying her skincare. Hearing the sound of the door closing, she got up and ran to the window. She just happened to see his figure leaving after going downstairs.
She suddenly felt something indescribable.
Was staying at his place too intimate? He could have taken her to stay at a hotel.
Who knew that as he walked, the man suddenly turned his head and looked in her direction.
Wen Quhua quickly hid behind the curtain like she had been caught, her hand pressing against her chest.