A tingling numbness coursed through her, along with a vague sense that this wasn’t quite right—yet she couldn’t suppress the faint anticipation bubbling up from the depths of her heart.
It was this tangle of conflicting emotions, a mishmash of flavors both bitter and sweet, that left Zhao Qingyu with an impression she could only describe as “weird.”
She vaguely remembered feeling something similar the last time she had stayed in a hotel with him.
But this time, the sensation was far more vivid.
It drummed relentlessly against her heart, like a cautious thief skulking in the dim glow of fading lanterns, plotting some illicit deed.
Ha~
What on earth was she letting her mind wander to?
It made no logical sense at all.
Zhao Qingyu fluttered her long lashes. She desperately wanted to reclaim her usual composure, but her delicate frame trembled beyond her control.
This inexplicable weirdness was gradually overtaking her mind, leaving her utterly unable to think straight.
The quieter it got, the more brazen it grew, the harder it was to rein in.
Everything felt so clear—clear enough that she could hear her own heartbeat surging like a storm.
Zhao Qingyu pressed her plump red lips together tightly. Even her naturally seductive, fox-like eyes glistened with a watery sheen, a chaotic mix of tension and anticipation swirling within them.
It was as if her heart and body had split apart, her spirit peeling away from her form.
She realized this silence couldn’t go on any longer.
She was on the verge of losing all calm.
But… was he feeling it too? Was he, right now, teetering on the edge of losing control just like her?
Zhao Qingyu turned her head ever so carefully, casting a tentative glance his way.
Why was she so nervous…?
It felt like she was engaging in some illicit act forbidden by the world.
She dreaded his gaze piercing her secrets, dreaded him noticing her lack of composure.
She didn’t understand why, but she simply couldn’t bear the thought of him finding out.
This was a secret buried deep in her heart, words meant only for her ears.
Her stiff face and neck twisted slowly in place. Such a simple motion somehow consumed a full minute of her time.
All of it just to stay hidden, to keep him from seeing.
At last, her eyes settled back on his face.
Fortunately, their gazes didn’t meet. He wasn’t looking at her.
This was exactly the outcome Zhao Qingyu had hoped for, yet when she realized Shen An truly wasn’t watching her, a strange mix of shame, annoyance, and dissatisfaction welled up inside.
Why… wasn’t he looking at her?
They were lying there side by side. Was her allure really that unappealing?
Her tightly pursed lips curved into a faint pout of discontent. She wanted to know what had captured his attention so completely—what could possibly be more captivating than the woman right in front of him.
With that, she gently lifted her head, letting her gaze trace from his cheek up to his eyes.
Eh?
Zhao Qingyu saw it.
And it shocked her even more.
Shen An wasn’t looking at her, but he wasn’t looking anywhere else either.
His eyes were closed, and the breaths from his nostrils had steadied into a gentle rhythm.
He was asleep?
This guy was actually asleep?
Rage flared up in Zhao Qingyu instantly. The scene was akin to a stunning beauty stripping bare before you, only for you to wave her off indifferently and say, “Nah, I’d rather sleep.”
She would have preferred if he was fidgeting with nervousness and unease like her, his eyes darting away in reluctance to meet hers.
But no—he was just sleeping!
That surge of anger shattered the weirdness in her heart and dispelled the subtle intimacy she had mustered with such effort.
She raised her fair little hand and slammed a heavy fist straight into Shen An’s chest.
Thud~
Shen An, who had only just closed his eyes moments ago, stiffened from the sudden blow and let out a pained yelp.
Seizing the moment, Zhao Qingyu flipped over with agile grace, rising to her feet and glaring down coldly at his writhing in agony.
Rubbing his chest, Shen An stared up in utter bewilderment. “What happened?”
His puzzled gaze met the icy sharpness in Zhao Qingyu’s eyes, deepening his confusion. He asked again, “What happened?”
Her eyes pierced like daggers, her tone frigid. “You’ll have plenty of time to sleep tonight. Get up now.”
She turned on her heel. “We still have things to do.”
Ahem…
Shen An coughed lightly. “You didn’t have to hit me that hard… It really hurts.”
He struggled to sit up from the bed. “The heart and lungs are right below the chest, Senior Sister. You really don’t hold back at all.”
Zhao Qingyu flicked a strand of short hair from her face, replying casually, “Even if I turned you into a vegetable, I could more than cover the medical bills and compensation.”
“Heh, then why not just finish me off?”
Shen An flopped back down, sprawling out in a big “大” shape. “I really don’t wanna move. This bed is so comfy…”
“Fine, then. You can stay here and rest all you like by yourself.”
Zhao Qingyu huffed in defiance, grabbing her suitcase and heading for the door.
Seeing this, Shen An’s lips quirked into a slight smile. He rose leisurely from the bed. “I was just kidding. How could we manage without me?”
He quickened his pace, circling around to Zhao Qingyu’s side and taking the suitcase from her grasp. Whether by design or accident, he didn’t grab the handle directly—instead, his fingertips brushed the smooth back of her hand.
Zhao Qingyu yanked her hand away on instinct, letting the handle fall neatly into his palm.
He turned to her, gazing at her cheeks now tinged with a blush, his voice soft. “So, where’s your room, Senior Sister?”
Zhao Qingyu twisted away from his stare, mumbling coyly, “Just follow me.”
“Got it.”
Shen An opened the door, and the two of them stepped out, ready to leave.
But as one foot crossed the threshold, Shen An halted abruptly. “Wait, I almost forgot—we haven’t done something yet.”
Zhao Qingyu frowned in confusion. “What?”
“You go on ahead and wait for me.”
Shen An released the handle and retreated back into the room.
Puzzled, Zhao Qingyu followed him inside.
No sooner had she returned than she saw Shen An pull out his phone and start snapping photos of the room from all angles—click, click.
The corner of Zhao Qingyu’s mouth twitched. “What, you planning to post on your Moments to brag about it?”
With his back to her, Shen An focused intently on his shots. “Of course not. I hardly ever post on Moments.”
“Then what are you taking pictures for? A souvenir?”
Zhao Qingyu leaned against the nearby sofa, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Reporting my status, obviously.”
Shen An stated it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Reporting… her status?
Zhao Qingyu’s idly relaxed expression sharpened with sudden wariness. “Reporting to who? Xu Yijing?”
“Of course not. Senior Sister Xu couldn’t care less where I am.”
Not Xu Yijing…
Zhao Qingyu’s suspended heart eased quietly. “Then who? Your parents? Or…”
She almost said Zhao Li.
But after a thought, she held her tongue.
Shen An, however, was straightforward. “Reporting to Senior Sister Nannan, obviously.”
Zhao Qingyu furrowed her brows. “Chen Nannan?”
“Mm-hmm~” Shen An snapped a few more shots, then turned toward Zhao Qingyu and took several of her as well. “I told Senior Sister Nannan I’d be heading out for the weekend.”
“You know how warm-hearted she is. She got a bit worried and asked me to let her know once I arrived safely.”
Shen An chuckled. “I think she’s worrying over nothing. With you here, Senior Sister, what could possibly go wrong? Right?”
“Oh…”
Zhao Qingyu nodded, then turned slightly, asking as if offhand, “You and Nannan seem pretty close, huh.”
“Mm-hmm. She’s the first senior sister I truly got to know since enrolling, and she’s my assistant senior sister too.”
Shen An didn’t hide his connection with Chen Nannan in the slightest. “From the start of term till now, I’ve caused her no end of trouble, and she’s helped me out a ton.”
“Is that so…”
Zhao Qingyu’s eyes flickered, a hint of displeasure lurking in her gaze, though she quickly masked it before Shen An could notice.
“Yes~ Yes~”
Shen An tilted his head. “Hey, Senior Sister, could you step a bit farther away? I don’t want to get you in the shot.”
Zhao Qingyu shifted her feet impatiently. “Hurry up and finish.”
Click, click~
Shen An sent the photos to Chen Nannan, adding a message: “Senior Sister, I’ve arrived!!”
In the very last photo he sent her, a blurry figure lingered in the corner. All that was clearly visible were a pair of slender legs and a set of high heels.
No doubt, the owner of those legs and heels was Zhao Qingyu.
Shen An had framed the shot with utmost subtlety, but he trusted Chen Nannan’s sharp instincts to pick up on such details. She might even zoom in with a magnifier to scrutinize them one by one.
His photography skills weren’t wasted here—the single image carried a wealth of implication, all hints and no outright declarations.
Even if spotted, he could always claim it was accidental.
Neither Chen Nannan nor Zhao Qingyu would have grounds to call him out.
It was foolproof.
Why go to such lengths?
Simple: progress was moving a tad too slowly~
Arms still crossed, Zhao Qingyu prompted, “Not done yet?”
“All done.”
Shen An pocketed his phone, his smile warm and gentle.
“Alright then, let’s go.”
“Sure~”
Back at the door, Shen An grabbed the room key and suitcase, trailing after Zhao Qingyu to her exclusive room.
Hers was undoubtedly the presidential suite—perhaps even more lavish and “expensive” than that.
The suite was nearly 150 square meters, even though she lived there alone—about the same size as Xu Yijing’s apartment or Zhao Qingyu’s “home” at the Azure Sea Hotel.
Every conceivable appliance and amenity was present, making it feel nothing like a typical hotel room. It was more like a space reserved specifically for her daily rest and relaxation.
No wonder Zhao Qingyu had asked him to fetch her luggage.
This went far beyond staying just one night. Shen An figured she probably settled in here every time she visited.
This room was her “home” away from home.
Shen An took the suite’s opulence in stride. After all, he’d seen it all before.
Zhao Qingyu shut the door behind them the moment they stepped inside.
She bent down to slip off her high heels and set them neatly on the nearby shoe rack.
“Take your shoes off too.”
She tossed him a pair of slippers before padding barefoot into the living room, her movements slow and leisurely.
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the plush carpet and highlighting the fair skin between her toes. The vibrant polish on her toenails provided a striking contrast, the visual impact utterly mesmerizing.
Shen An changed into the slippers and followed her inside, still carrying the suitcase.
Zhao Qingyu had made herself right at home on the sofa. She propped her long, slender legs up on the coffee table, her fair feet dangling casually as she picked up her phone and dialed the hotel manager with a few lazy instructions.
When she noticed Shen An still lugging the suitcase, she pointed offhandedly toward her bedroom, motioning for him to drop it off there.
Shen An felt a flicker of surprise.
It wasn’t her relaxed posture that caught him off guard, but rather…
She was sending him into her room.
That was no small thing.
Zhao Qingyu was wary enough of the hotel staff that she rarely let them set foot in her suite.
Clearly, she was sensitive about certain boundaries.
Her bedroom, by extension, had to be an even more private sanctum.
And that casual gesture of hers? Pure instinct—no hesitation whatsoever.
Hmm~
Shen An narrowed his eyes. The effects of sharing a bed seemed more potent than he’d thought.
Even if they’d only lain there together for a couple of minutes.
A wave of perfume washed over him as he pushed open her bedroom door, her signature scent permeating every corner.
But the sight that greeted him made Shen An frown on reflex.
This…
The fragrance was intoxicating, sure…
But the room… wasn’t it just a tad… too chaotic?
The corner of Shen An’s mouth twitched. He wondered if anyone had ever bothered to tidy it up.
This…
Hang on?
As Shen An stepped further inside and took a deeper sniff, something struck him as off.
Two different perfumes lingered in the air.
The second one was faint, but unmistakable up close.
This wasn’t Zhao Qingyu’s scent.
Had someone else been staying in this room?
Shen An blinked, caught off guard.
Either another person had been living here long-term—and it wasn’t Zhao Qingyu—or…
Given her personality, Shen An dismissed that idea outright. The odds were vanishingly small.
Maybe the faint trace was from one of her other perfumes, a different brand.
But Zhao Qingyu couldn’t clone herself. She’d been at school the whole past few days.
Strange…
