“Indeed, this room has been defiled. We should find a new one.”
“There are plenty of empty rooms in the hotel anyway. Just pick any one.”
That cold voice echoed in her mind once more.
Right on its heels came the gentle one: “How could we just pick any? We need to choose carefully.”
Seated blankly on the sofa, Zhao Qingyu launched into another internal debate.
“Oh? Beating around the bush. Why not just say go to his room?” the cold voice sneered.
“No, choosing carefully doesn’t mean going to his room. It just means selecting one that suits you better. After all, you’re picky about this sort of thing, and who knows if you could even sleep on a strange bed.”
The gentle voice defended.
“Tch, tch. You’re getting better and better at making excuses for yourself.”
The cold voice sighed in exasperation, as if disappointed in her for not shaping up. “If it’s just about sleeping well, then call the hotel manager up now and have him show you room by room.”
“That would be too much hassle, wouldn’t it? And checking them one by one—who knows how long it would take? Plus, it might disturb the other members’ rest.”
“If someone saw you, how would you explain it then?”
“Shut up. If you want to go to him, just say so. No need for all this beating around the bush!”
“I never said that. I’m just reminding you to be cautious.”
“Cautious? Hah. Then why not just skip sleep tonight altogether? It’s not like one night matters.”
“That’s not a bad idea, but… is it only the room that’s defiled? This sofa, this chair—they all seem to carry traces of her scent.”
“Ah, yeah, yeah.”
The cold voice seemed to take the attitude of out of sight, out of mind, and simply vanished.
It had clearly realized that its presence was growing weaker by the day, and the source of it all—the root of all evil—was that detestable guy.
Now, only the gentle voice remained, representing the soft, emotional side of Zhao Qingyu’s heart.
“You’re not going to him on purpose. You just don’t want to stay in this room anymore, right?”
“Even if he asks later, you’ll have a reason to give him.”
“Besides, this hotel is basically your home. The room he’s in belongs to you too. If his room works out and you don’t want to cause a misunderstanding, you can always kick him over here instead.”
“He wouldn’t mind where he sleeps anyway. Give him a bed, and he’d snooze like a pig.”
The voice tempted her mind, and she nearly nodded in agreement on instinct.
“Wait, no. If I kick him over here… and he sleeps in my bed… then it wouldn’t just carry her scent anymore, but mine too…”
“I wouldn’t mind that, but if he picks up her scent…”
Zhao Qingyu’s gaze sharpened. “No, absolutely not.”
This was something she would never allow.
Even though it was just a wild hypothetical—the bed might not have anyone’s scent at all, since air circulated.
But her possessiveness wouldn’t tolerate even that imagined scenario.
“Hm. Don’t put him in my room. Put him in some other room instead.”
Zhao Qingyu muttered to herself.
“But if he asks, how do I explain? I can’t just say the hotel is mine—that’d be too unreasonable.”
“Or say I don’t want to sleep in my own bed? That’d put me in a weak, begging position. No way.”
Zhao Qingyu pouted, propping her chin up in a touch of petulant charm.
This was tricky.
At that moment, the gentle voice in her heart piped up again: “Silly, it’s not that hard.”
“He’s alone in his room with no phone. He’s probably even more bored than you are.”
“He’d be thrilled if you went over. After all, someone to chat with? He wouldn’t deliberately ask tricky questions to put you on the spot, right?”
Right…
Zhao Qingyu’s eyes lit up, and she sprang to her feet.
But she paused at the door and hurried back to her room.
Well…
She was going to see him, but heading over in just a bathrobe felt too provocative.
Gritting her teeth through a twinge of disgust, she pulled a fresh set of casual clothes from her suitcase and threw them on.
Then she headed to the bathroom and studied herself in the mirror.
After a moment’s thought, she went back for a tube of lipstick.
Her lips were a bit pale—not very appealing.
Once she’d painted them a vivid red, Zhao Qingyu smoothed her still-damp hair. Without makeup, her features took on a cool clarity, tinged with a faint vulnerability.
But that splash of red kept her from seeming too delicate, preserving her usual pride.
All set, she switched off the light and padded straight to Shen An’s room in her slippers.
Meanwhile, Shen An was indeed bored out of his mind in his room.
He’d finished his shower ages ago, and even his hair had dried.
Staring at the mindless TV drama before him, he wore an expression of utter despair.
But he wasn’t sleeping.
He was waiting.
It was a slim chance, but not impossible.
Given how the night was unfolding, if Zhao Qingyu actually came to find him, it would mean their relationship had taken another step forward.
He was that much closer to the deepest door in her heart.
Of course, the odds were higher that she wouldn’t come. Late at night, a man and woman alone together—even if nothing happened—could still feel awkward.
He didn’t mind, but with Zhao Qingyu’s thin skin, she might not handle it well.
But what if?
Hey, a man’s gotta have dreams.
Besides, it was still early. Bored as he was, Shen An felt no trace of sleepiness.
With the door locked by Zhao Qingyu, he was calling for help to deaf ears—utterly helpless.
The show on TV seemed to echo his hopes.
This episode featured the heroine dithering over whether to go to the hero and share a room.
Shen An chuckled dryly at her endless waffling.
Suddenly, a noise came from outside the door.
Shen An whipped his head around, quick as a flash.
Click.
The lock disengaged, and the door swung open.
A graceful figure appeared before him—none other than Zhao Qingyu.
She wore a cool summer short-sleeved top and shorts, her long legs bare of the black stockings he liked, but all the more pink and tempting for it.
He narrowed his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.
Zhao Qingyu, on the other hand…
She hadn’t expected to meet Shen An’s gaze the moment she stepped in, as if he’d known she was coming.
His stare stirred her embarrassment, making her avert her eyes guiltily.
But she was already here… leaving now would look even more suspicious.
“Ahem~”
She cleared her throat lightly, suppressing her unease and feigning calm. “You’re still up?”
With that, she closed the door behind her.
Shen An’s smile widened, his tone laced with smugness. “Who goes to bed this early? More like you, Senior Sister. What, got nothing better to do late at night?”
Hmph~
Zhao Qingyu pursed her lips and walked slowly over to him. “I was just worried you’d be bored all alone, so I came to check on you.”
On the TV’s big screen, the heroine finally mustered the courage to seek out the hero, only to bump right into him at the door.
After some back-and-forth explanations, the sound made Zhao Qingyu’s embarrassment surge.
Seeing Shen An’s teasing half-smile only irked her more. She snatched the remote and switched off the TV.
Shen An raised a brow. “You turned off the TV. Now I’ve got nothing left to do.”
Zhao Qingyu tossed the remote aside and plopped down beside him. “You’ve got me now, don’t you?”
“Heh, you’re not planning to start a water fight in here, are you?”
“As if! I already showered!”
“I can tell. You didn’t even dry your hair.” Shen An reached out and casually lifted a lock of her damp strands. “You’re really not worried about catching a cold?”
Zhao Qingyu puffed out her cheeks. “If I catch one, I catch one. It’s not like it’d be the first time.”
Shen An rolled his eyes. “Trying to make me feel guilty, huh?”
“I didn’t say that. You’re twisting my words.”
Zhao Qingyu wasn’t about to admit she’d skipped blow-drying on purpose.
“Sigh~” Seeing this, Shen An sighed and stood. “You’re really putting me through the wringer.”
Zhao Qingyu secretly rejoiced but played dumb. “Off to bed?”
“Sleep my ass. Come here—I’ll dry it for you.”
His commanding tone sparked her rebellious streak.
You think I’ll just come because you say so?
No way.
She turned her head away and planted herself firmly on the sofa.
Shen An chuckled inwardly and softened his voice. “It’s for your own health, Senior Sister. Come on.”
Hmph~
With a touch of tsundere pride, Zhao Qingyu rose from the sofa as if reluctant.
But halfway there, Shen An called out: “Oh, hey, the hairdryer pulls out. You can stay put.”
Zhao Qingyu froze, hands on hips. “Teasing me?”
“I’ve never used this one before. Usually at other hotels, they’re fixed in the bathroom.”
“Besides, isn’t this your family’s hotel? You could’ve at least given me a heads-up.”
Shen An approached step by step, blow dryer in hand.
Zhao Qingyu was too lazy to retort. She returned to the sofa and sat down quietly.
Shen An stopped in front of her, plugged in the dryer, and turned it on. He tested the temperature with his hand first.
Once it felt right, his fingertips gently lifted her damp hair, and the warm air began to blow through it bit by bit.
His technique was remarkably skilled, and it left Zhao Qingyu feeling quite comfortable.
She couldn’t help glancing at him. “You’re pretty good at this.”
“Practice makes perfect. I used to have long hair myself.”
Shen An chuckled softly.
“Long hair?” Zhao Qingyu covered her mouth and laughed. “I’ve never seen you with long hair, but I can already picture how ugly it’d look.”
Shen An’s fingertips glided through her hair, his tone as gentle as the warm breeze from the dryer. “Of course, it wouldn’t look anywhere near as good as yours, Senior Sister.”
“But I’ve never seen you with long hair either, Senior Sister.”
Zhao Qingyu suddenly lowered her voice. “I did have long hair before.”
“Then why didn’t you keep it that way? Didn’t like it?”
Zhao Qingyu fell silent.
“Too hard to manage?”
Shen An pressed.
Zhao Qingyu tilted her head up slightly and looked at him. “Do you prefer long hair?”
The corners of Shen An’s mouth curved up. “I just want to see you with long hair, Senior Sister. I think it’d suit you even better. If you’d had long hair back then, I probably would’ve fallen for you at first sight.”
Zhao Qingyu leaned back contentedly. “I’ve heard that one before—guys usually go for long hair, right? The classic long straight black kind?”
“It depends on the person.”
Shen An’s fingertips brushed the nape of her neck. “In your case, Senior Sister, even if you were bald, you’d still turn heads.”
Zhao Qingyu blinked in surprise. She’d thought he meant it depended on the guy, but he was talking about the girl?
She let out a helpless laugh. “If I were bald, you’d probably run the other way the second you saw me.”
“That’d just prove your point, wouldn’t it, Senior Sister? If I bolted at the sight of you, you wouldn’t have had to deal with me bothering you for directions.”
Zhao Qingyu arched a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean? Still holding a grudge? That was ages ago!”
“Heh, I took a huge detour because of it!”
“You’re impossible…” Zhao Qingyu laughed despite herself, thinking how petty he could be.
She muttered, “Fine, I’ll take a detour for you sometime. What’s the big deal? No need to keep bringing it up.”
“You said it, Senior Sister. When we get back, you have to show me.”
“Just remind me when the time comes.”
Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved into a sly smile. “Speaking of which, we’re actually on the same route anyway.”
Shen An paused, then grinned. “Almost forgot—you live in the North District too, right, Senior Sister?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“So is the North District your third home?”
“Eh, sort of. But these days, it’s pretty much my main one.”
Zhao Qingyu’s tone was languid. “Ever since I started university, I’ve spent most of my time in my North District apartment.”
Right now, she had three homes.
An exclusive suite in the Vacation Resort, a suite in the Azure Sea Grand Hotel, and her apartment in the North District.
Shen An twirled a lock of her now-dry hair between his fingers, rubbing it thoughtfully. “So, will you invite me up for a visit sometime, Senior Sister?”
“That way, I’ll have been to every one of your homes.”
Zhao Qingyu propped her chin on her hand. “You want to go?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Well…” Shen An’s voice softened. “No special reason. I just want to leave a little trace of myself in every one of your homes.”
It was probably the most special reason of all.
Those light words made Zhao Qingyu duck her head, unable to hide her shy blush.
