Yang Qin curled his lips into a faint smile and turned to leave again.
At nine the next morning, Yang Qin came to take Wen Quhua to give her statement. If it had been before, he would have gone to great lengths to prepare breakfast for her, but now he did nothing, maintaining a strictly businesslike attitude.
Wen Quhua looked at him with some hesitation as he led the way in front.
When Wen Quhua was questioned, she had nothing to hide. Aside from the part where she had seen He Youdao threatening someone, she told everything else.
“Involved because of you?” Yang Qin’s acquaintance nudged his shoulder.
Seeing Yang Qin nod, he said with a slightly teasing tone, “What’s the relationship between you two? They’ve even taken revenge on the girl.”
Yang Qin explained calmly, “There’s no relationship.”
He wanted there to be one, but she did not.
Just then, Wen Quhua, who had finished giving her statement and was walking out, happened to hear this. It was the first time she heard him distancing himself from her in front of others. She quietly pursed her lips and walked ahead.
Yang Qin followed. “I’ll take you back first.”
“No need. Go take care of your own business,” Wen Quhua refused decisively. Besides, she did not plan to return to Yang Qin’s place. With business on hold for the next few days, she was bored and intended to wander around.
Yang Qin did not say much. “Alright.”
The two of them parted ways at the entrance of the police station. Wen Quhua went to have breakfast first, then went for a stroll around the department store.
Langcheng was a small place. Aside from the department store, there was not really anywhere else to go.
As a result, she forgot that Shen Yan worked there. The moment she arrived, she ran into her again. She felt a bit regretful, but turning around to leave now would only seem stranger.
Instead, Shen Yan deliberately came up to greet her.
She insisted on accompanying Wen Quhua while she browsed, acting very enthusiastic. Wen Quhua glanced at her and thought that Shen Yan had not been like this the last time.
Then, as if unintentionally, Shen Yan said, “Yang Qin and I are planning to try dating.”
Wen Quhua: …
The motion of holding an item paused for a moment. Very quickly, she returned to normal. “Then congratulations.”
Shen Yan looked slightly shy. “I don’t know if it’ll work out yet, but my family is quite satisfied with him.”
It had already reached the point of involving family. Things were progressing quite quickly.
No wonder he had said that once this matter was over, they would be even. So he really could take it and let it go.
On the contrary, she still felt a bit guilty.
Wen Quhua gave a faint acknowledgment. In her heart, she thought that she could not continue staying at Yang Qin’s place. Since he already had someone he was seeing, it would be inappropriate for her to remain there.
After returning, Wen Quhua began packing her things. Fortunately, she had not brought much.
In just a short while, she finished packing. She also straightened the bed, then left a note on the table before closing the door and leaving.
*
After a long day of work, Yang Qin returned. The construction site was dusty, so he had to come back to shower and change clothes.
But the moment he entered today, it felt unusually quiet.
He glanced at the time. It was already eight o’clock. After wandering around all day, she had not come back yet?
Yang Qin raised his eyebrows. After walking past the living room, he suddenly turned back, picked up the note on the coffee table, and read it.
‘Thank you for taking care of me. I’ve left.’
His expression dimmed slightly, a trace of gloom flashing in his eyes.
She had left without a word.
No, she had said something. He tightened his grip on the note, gradually clenching it.
Suppressing the restless frustration in his chest, he had originally planned not to care about her. But when he entered the bedroom and saw that all her things from yesterday were gone, his brows twitched, and the irritation became hard to suppress.
He called her. She did not answer.
He called again.
Finally, on the third call, she picked up, sounding tired.
“Where did you go?”
Her voice was cold. “I left you a note.”
The dessert shop had not been repaired yet, so it was unlivable. She could not go back there. Where could she go?
Yang Qin asked directly, “Which hotel?”
Wen Quhua grew a little annoyed. “What does that have to do with you?”
He pressed his throbbing brow, suppressing his temper. “Wen Quhua, I’m not discussing this with you. Where are you?”
For some reason, although he lowered his voice and did not sound particularly angry, she could still hear a trace of fire in it.
She did not understand why he was reacting so strongly. Was he not already seeing someone else? It was even more inappropriate for her to stay at his place.
She said sullenly, “Hongqi Hotel.”
It was considered the best hotel in Langcheng.
“Wait there.”
He hung up the phone and slammed the door as he left.
After hanging up, Wen Quhua felt that she might have angered Yang Qin.
She straightened her clothes, went downstairs, and stood at the entrance of the hotel. Within just a few minutes, she saw a figure walking quickly toward her.
Yang Qin looked at her expressionlessly, making her heart skip a beat.
“Yang Qin, what are you trying to do?” she said first, taking the initiative.
Yang Qin restrained his anger. He stepped forward, trying to keep his voice calm. “Go upstairs, pack your things, and check out.”
“I don’t want to.” She was unwilling. She did not want to go back to his place.
Yang Qin did not understand why she was suddenly being stubborn. He tried to persuade her. “Those thugs have been arrested. If the He family finds out you’re staying at a hotel, what if—”
“Even so, I won’t stay at your place.”
He paused, a frightening glint appearing in his eyes. His rough hand grasped her slender arm.
“Explain clearly. What’s wrong?”
She had already stayed there for two nights. Now she suddenly refused to stay. There had to be a reason.
It was the first time Wen Quhua saw him holding back his temper, yet his eyes were cold. She did not dare meet his gaze. Irritated, she said, “You already have someone you’re seeing. It’s not appropriate for me to stay there.”
…
Where did he get someone he was seeing?
“You’re making up a terrible excuse.”
“You’ve already met her parents, and you’re still lying. Yang Qin, I’m telling you, that’s not right!”
His brows furrowed. Just as he was about to explain, he met her fierce expression and suddenly quieted down, studying her.
“What are you looking at?” she snapped at him.
“You care a lot about me seeing someone else?”
“Of course not.” She turned her face away. How could she care about him seeing someone else?
“Alright.” The anger in his heart inexplicably dissipated a lot. Finally, he could calmly explain, “I’m not seeing anyone. I don’t know where you heard that rumor.”
“Now check out and come back with me. If anything happens to you because of the He family, I won’t be able to live with it for the rest of my life.”
…
It was the first time Wen Quhua had seen him this serious. She pressed her lips together and finally compromised. “Okay.”
Seeing that she had finally calmed down, the gloom on Yang Qin’s face completely faded.
He accompanied her into the hotel to pack her things and check out. The money could not be fully refunded, but Yang Qin did not care. He made up the difference for Wen Quhua.
She refused. She did not lack that bit of money.
Yang Qin did not argue with her there. He simply took the money and brought her back to his place.
After arriving home, he took his clothes to shower, not bothering with her.
Wen Quhua had already washed up. She stayed in the bedroom and gradually came to a realization.
Yang Qin would not bother lying. That meant Shen Yan had been making things up.
She let out a soft sigh, thinking that a woman’s jealousy could be quite frightening.
After waiting for a while and not hearing the sound of the door closing, she hesitantly opened the door and walked out, only to see him lying on the sofa in the living room.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
Yang Qin had his eyes closed. He was quite tired. He had been working nonstop these past few days and had not rested properly.
And tonight, he had also been stirred into anger because of her.
He gave a soft acknowledgment. “Lock the bedroom door from the inside. I’ll keep watch outside.”
Was he afraid she would leave again in the middle of the night?
“I won’t leave again. I’ll go back once the shop is repaired.” In other words, he could rest assured and leave.
Yang Qin opened his eyes and sat up, looking at her.
“After all this trouble, I’m tired too.”
Only then did Wen Quhua notice that his eyes were full of bloodshot veins. He indeed looked very exhausted.
“Don’t worry, I won’t touch you.” When he said this, there was a hint of mockery in his tone, extremely cold.
Wen Quhua silently went back inside. She did not doubt him. After all, he had accompanied her all the way to Beijing and back, and he had never done anything inappropriate.
Ever since that day when she clearly rejected him, he had not kissed her again. After they made things clear at the teahouse, he had become even more distant toward her.
Even if Shen Yan was not his partner, he should indeed have given up on her.
Wen Quhua lay back down, but for some reason, perhaps because there was a man lying in the living room next door, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
Fortunately, she was also tired and soon fell asleep.
When she woke up the next day, there was indeed no one in the living room.
Wen Quhua planned to go to the dessert shop to check on the progress. When she arrived, she found Yang Tian leading a group of people repairing the walls on the first floor. The paint needed to be redone.
Seeing her, Yang Tian stopped what he was doing to greet her while explaining the progress.
“Once the paint is done, just let it air out for a few days. As for the second floor, Brother Yang said he’ll handle it himself. It should be finished around the same time.”
Wen Quhua nodded.
Aunt Lu saw her and came over to ask about her situation. The neighbors naturally knew about the thugs smashing the shop.
Wen Quhua briefly explained that she had already reported it to the police and that there would be no more trouble.
Aunt Lu could not help but sigh. “Yang Qin is really reliable.”
She had heard the commotion that night. Yang Qin had not only arranged for people to repair the shop for Wen Quhua, but had also kept watch in the middle of the night.
In any case, Aunt Lu was quite surprised. She had not expected Yang Qin to be so attentive to Wen Quhua. It seemed he was truly sincere.
Hearing his name, Wen Quhua did not know how to respond and only gave a faint smile. It was really difficult to explain her relationship with Yang Qin.
Fortunately, Aunt Lu did not probe further. Young people’s dating was not something she would ask too much about.
However, Aunt Lu invited Wen Quhua to have dinner at the stall. There were new dishes at the barbecue stand.
Wen Quhua had been bored anyway, so she naturally did not refuse. Coincidentally, Manman had also returned from her hometown and had been helping at the barbecue stall these past two nights.
While chatting casually with Manman, she ordered a few dishes. Aunt Lu also brought her a glass of freshly brewed draft beer.
“Xiao Wen, try this beer. You can only drink it here in Langcheng. It’s not strong.”
Wen Quhua took a small sip. The taste instantly burst across her tongue. In the summer, by the seaside with a gentle breeze, eating barbecue and drinking a little alcohol was very pleasant.
Her body relaxed, and when Manman finished her work, she came over to sit with her.
The draft beer did not feel strong at first, but Wen Quhua forgot that she rarely drank alcohol. When the aftereffect hit, her face turned very red, and she became a little dazed.
Checking the time, Manman went to find Aunt Lu to ask where Wen Quhua would be staying tonight. They all knew the dessert shop next door was unlivable.
Aunt Lu came over, saw Wen Quhua’s flushed cheeks, and smiled. “Go call Yang Qin.”
Xiao Wen had someone to look after her. That night, she had left with Yang Qin.
When Yang Qin received the call, he was momentarily caught off guard. He was still at a dinner gathering and had not gone back, so he did not know that Wen Quhua had not returned home.
“Please keep an eye on her. I’ll be there soon.”
He hung up and said to the people at the table, “Sorry, everyone. There’s an urgent matter at home. I’ll drink three penalty cups and leave first.”
Since he said so, no one could stop him.
After finishing the three drinks, Yang Qin walked out of the restaurant. The night breeze sobered him a little.
He headed toward the seaside. He had expected that Wen Quhua would be a bit dazed after drinking, but he had not expected that just one glass of draft beer would make her eyes watery.
She was sitting obediently at the table, staring blankly. Though she was naturally bright and beautiful, at this moment she looked as docile as a child waiting to be taken home.
He could not help but smile before walking over.
“Yang Qin, how are we arranging Boss Xiao Wen tonight?” Aunt Lu came over to ask while busy.
Yang Qin said, “Leave it to me.”
He stepped forward, his shadow blocking the light. Wen Quhua lifted her eyes and met his dark, unreadable gaze.
“Are you here to take me home?” she asked, smiling softly, her eyes curved, incredibly charming.
Yang Qin’s heart, which had been battered recently, suddenly warmed.
How could she ask him so softly, so obediently, “Are you here to take me home?”
Yes, I am here to take you home, little ancestor.
After thinking that, he walked over and crouched beside her. “Get on. I’ll carry you.”
Wen Quhua looked at his broad back, hesitated for a moment, then softly leaned onto him. Her whole body was limp, and she really could not walk.
When he felt her warmth and softness, Yang Qin took a sharp breath before standing up, steadying her legs with both hands and carrying her firmly.
“Xiao Yang, I didn’t expect Xiao Wen to have such low alcohol tolerance. She’ll probably have a headache tonight. Give her some hot water when you get back,” Aunt Lu reminded.
“Mm, thank you, Aunt Lu.”
Only then did Yang Qin carry her toward home. The distance was not short. It took more than half an hour to walk back.
He felt her lying against his back, her breathing steady. She had fallen asleep.
A trace of a smile flashed in Yang Qin’s eyes. Being relied on by her like this for the first time made him feel extremely content.
After going upstairs, he took out the key with one hand, opened the door, and carried her straight into the master bedroom.
She murmured drowsily, “Are we there? I feel so dizzy.”
“We’re here. Don’t move around.”
The more she moved, the dizzier she would feel. He soothed her for a moment, then went out to pour hot water and get a towel.
When he came back, he used the towel to wipe her face and neck, then supported her to lean against him. “Drink some water?”
With the cup brought to her lips, she cooperated and drank.
“No more.”
He set the cup aside. Looking at her lips, now even more moist after drinking water, his gaze darkened, recalling certain memories.
He had kissed those lips before. He knew how soft and sweet they were.
But now he could not.
If she forgot after sobering up, it would be fine. But if she remembered, she would definitely get angry again.
Yang Qin did not want to be looked at by her with cold rejection.
He let go of her, intending to let her sleep properly.
But unexpectedly, she held onto him and refused to let go, pressing her entire body against him, seeking to be held.
“I’m dizzy…”
She muttered while tightly hugging his waist.
When she was sober, she was difficult. When she was not, she was even more difficult.
Yang Qin was tormented by her to the point that the veins on his forehead bulged. His back was covered in sweat, and his hands clenched and unclenched.
“Wen Quhua…!”