Chapter 12
The hug lasted a bit too long.
The room was already warm, and Li Qinyue’s body was hot. Zhuo Zhi was naturally prone to feeling hot, and soon, she felt sweat forming on her skin.
But she didn’t move or rush to make Li Qinyue let go. If she had to find a word to describe how she felt at this moment, Zhuo Zhi thought for a moment, it would be “secret delight”.
She rarely had the chance to be hugged like this. Living on the mountain year after year, she only had close contact with a few people. Her master had a fiery temper, and the nuns from the neighboring temple were gentle, but they would at most pat her head.
Zhuo Zhi, who grew up in the wild, thought hugging was something only people on TV did. It was a bit embarrassing, a bit shameful, a bit awkward, but also a bit happy.
Especially being hugged by Li Qinyue. These wealthy people, wearing expensive brand-name clothes, spraying expensive perfumes, even their hair was smoother than ordinary people like Zhuo Zhi.
Li Qinyue being willing to have this kind of physical contact with her was like a collapse of class barriers, a warmth between strangers who had become closer, and also an affirmation of her first job.
From the initial confrontation filled with anger to now being hugged and kissed by her, Zhuo Zhi’s lips curved up slightly. Staring at a painting on the wall that she didn’t understand, she thought, I guess I’m quite charming after all.
Her mind wandered in circles like this until finally, Li Qinyue moved, her hand on her back gently patting her shoulder.
“Hmm?” Zhuo Zhi still didn’t move, showing with her actions that if Li Qinyue needed, she could continue hugging her for a long time.
“Okay,” Li Qinyue said, her voice against her neck, damp and warm.
Zhuo Zhi moved back slightly, and Li Qinyue let go of her, smiling at her, “Good night.”
Her tone was so gentle, her eyes as moist as a forest after rain. Zhuo Zhi stared at her for a few seconds before responding in a daze, “Good night.”
Li Qinyue didn’t hesitate any longer, turning and walking towards the bed.
Zhuo Zhi didn’t repeat her mistake from earlier and quickly left the room.
That night, both of them felt a mixture of emotions.
The next day, Li Qinyue slept until almost noon again. There were several missed calls on her phone, and her WeChat messages were about to explode.
Their circle was small. After such a big event last night, it was like the gossip of the year, everyone wishing they had been there to witness it firsthand and report it live.
As the person involved, Li Qinyue naturally became the focus of attention.
Li Qinyue didn’t get up in a hurry. She leaned against the headboard and browsed through all the messages, replying to two people she deemed worthy.
Then she threw aside this phone and dug out the other one from under her blanket, surprised to find it surprisingly quiet.
Her father hadn’t contacted her, nor had her grandfather. In the family group chat, there were only two WeChat articles posted by her aunt in the morning, written in a shocked tone.
Li Qinyue suddenly wanted to laugh. Her head was still a little dizzy, but she laughed for a while.
She got out of bed, and just as she finished washing up and left the room, she saw Zhuo Zhi standing outside the door.
“Hmm?” Li Qinyue looked at her questioningly.
Zhuo Zhi moved aside, revealing the mop behind her, “I’m cleaning.”
“No need,” Li Qinyue thought she was really silly, “I’ll call a cleaning lady.”
“Why waste money on that?” Zhuo Zhi bent down and mopped the floor with great effort, “Although the house is big, we only use a small part of it. It’ll be clean after a quick clean.”
Li Qinyue leaned against the doorframe, not telling her that the cleaning lady had a yearly contract, and the money would be spent whether she came or not.
Zhuo Zhi was usually quite agile, but she seemed particularly clumsy doing housework.
Li Qinyue found it amusing. She stared at her for a while, sighing, young people were great, with their long legs, perky butts, and slim waists.
After mopping the corridor within her reach, Zhuo Zhi started mopping the stairs.
Li Qinyue straightened up and took two steps towards her, “Do you usually do housework at home?”
“My master and I share the chores,” Zhuo Zhi said.
“But you don’t seem very skilled,” Li Qinyue laughed, “Just like me, clumsy.”
Zhuo Zhi paused and straightened up, looking at her.
Light shone in through the window, falling right on Zhuo Zhi’s face. The girl’s features were soft and fuzzy, like a fresh peach.
Her lips moved a few times before she confessed honestly, “I don’t usually do it like this.”
“Then why are you doing it like this now?” Li Qinyue bent down slightly, staring at her.
Zhuo Zhi’s cheeks flushed, now a ripe peach, “Just putting on a show.”
“Hahahahaha…” Li Qinyue was already in a good mood early in the morning, and now, she laughed out loud without holding back.
The corner of Zhuo Zhi’s mouth twitched, seemingly hesitating whether to laugh along with her.
Li Qinyue laughed so hard that she could barely stand up straight. She patted Zhuo Zhi’s shoulder hard twice.
She usually didn’t hold back her strength when fooling around with others, but with Zhuo Zhi, she didn’t have any reservations. She patted her as hard as she laughed, making Zhuo Zhi’s shoulders sink two inches.
“Is it… that funny?” Zhuo Zhi gripped the mop handle, feeling awkward.
Li Qinyue waved her hand, “Stop… stop putting on a show, is… is there anything to eat? Damn, I’m starving from laughing.”
“What do you want to eat? I’ll make it,” Zhuo Zhi threw down the mop and was about to run off.
Li Qinyue had a flash of inspiration and grabbed her wrist, “Don’t.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll take you out for a feast,” Li Qinyue flicked Zhuo Zhi’s forehead.
“Snap”, it was loud.
Zhuo Zhi thought Li Qinyue was just in a good mood and didn’t want to eat at home.
But after waiting downstairs for more than half an hour, she realized that it wasn’t that simple.
When Li Qinyue reappeared, she was wearing exquisite yet subtle makeup and a bright, beautiful, and tasteful outfit.
Her high heels made her a whole head taller than Zhuo Zhi. As Zhuo Zhi looked up at her, she felt that she should grow taller faster.
Li Qinyue was holding a box, as delicate as herself, and threw it into Zhuo Zhi’s arms, “Here.”
Zhuo Zhi caught it and looked it over.
Li Qinyue smiled at her, “Hold it tight, it’s valuable.”
Zhuo Zhi hugged the box tightly, “As long as the box is safe, I’m safe.”
This time, no car came to pick them up. The garage door opened, revealing a low-key yet luxurious starry blue sports car.
Zhuo Zhi didn’t know much about cars, but she still let out a “Wow,” expressing her admiration for things that looked expensive.
Li Qinyue was playing with the car key in her hand. She asked Zhuo Zhi, “Can you drive?”
“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi said, “But I don’t have a driver’s license.”
Li Qinyue understood, probably because she hadn’t reached the legal driving age before.
“Want to try?” Li Qinyue twirled the car key in her hand, looking at her provocatively.
“No,” Zhuo Zhi answered readily, “I can’t afford to scratch it.”
“It’s on me if you scratch it,” Li Qinyue said.
“What if I crash it?”
“It’s still on me.”
“No,” Zhuo Zhi shook her head, “I have to take responsibility for my own mistakes.”
“So you choose not to make mistakes?” Li Qinyue saw that she couldn’t be tempted and got into the car.
“Yes,” Zhuo Zhi nodded and quickly went to the passenger seat.
The car started, the engine roaring. Li Qinyue smiled smugly, “Don’t regret it then.”
Having been strapped to a bungee jump once, Zhuo Zhi immediately understood her thoughts and hurriedly tried to dissuade her, “President Li, the mountain road is not easy to drive, there are several sharp bends on this mountain…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the car sped off.
The braking of a luxury car was really fast. Zhuo Zhi could only let out a single exclamation, “Ah—”
There was no dissuading Li Qinyue. Once she went wild, no one could stop her.
The car left the villa complex and turned onto a road Zhuo Zhi had never been on before. There were unfamiliar signs on both sides, “Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,” they flashed past. Zhuo Zhi finally realized that this must be a special racing track.
So, the idea of using traffic safety laws to persuade Li Qinyue had to be abandoned.
“Sigh…” Zhuo Zhi let out a long sigh.
“What are you sighing for?” Li Qinyue glanced at her.
“Don’t look at me, don’t look at me,” Zhuo Zhi hurriedly said, “President Li, President Li, keep your eyes on the road.”
“I’ve driven this road eight hundred times, I could drive it with my eyes closed…”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Zhuo Zhi’s hair stood on end, “It’s my first time, my first time.”
“You’re not the one driving,” Li Qinyue glanced at her again.
Zhuo Zhi had a sudden inspiration, “I have a fear of speed.”
“Huh?” Li Qinyue was stunned.
“I have a fear of speed! This speed, it scares me!”
Zhuo Zhi felt she was so smart. She hadn’t mentioned her fear of heights during the bungee jump because she wanted to maintain a reliable image in front of her boss. But now, Zhuo Zhi believed that they trusted each other and had a certain level of camaraderie, so showing a little weakness was appropriate.
As expected, Li Qinyue abruptly slowed down the car.
This time, she looked at Zhuo Zhi seriously and asked, “What did you say you have?”
“A fear of speed,” Zhuo Zhi insisted stubbornly.
“Hahahahaha…” Li Qinyue laughed and honked the horn, “You’re so cute, little silly girl…”
Zhuo Zhi was happy to be called cute, but she wasn’t happy about being called a silly girl.
“I’m not silly,” she defended herself.
“Oh,” Li Qinyue didn’t speed up again. She paused and said, “Guess where we’re going?”
Zhuo Zhi put on her professional demeanor, “If we were simply going to eat, you wouldn’t have dressed up for so long. If we were going to meet friends, you wouldn’t be dressed so formally. If it were for business, you wouldn’t be driving yourself. The box contains a gift, judging by its weight and size, it should be some kind of nutritional supplement.”
The smile on Li Qinyue’s face faded.
“In conclusion,” Zhuo Zhi snapped her fingers, looking pleased, “You must be going home to see your grandfather.”
“Why would I take you with me to see my grandfather?” Li Qinyue pouted.
“Because I’m your bodyguard,” Zhuo Zhi emphasized, “Your personal bodyguard.”
“Who allowed you to be personal?” Li Qinyue was a little annoyed.
Zhuo Zhi lowered her head and laughed softly, “You hugged me for a long time last night.”
It was better not to mention last night. Mentioning it was like announcing to the world Li Qinyue’s uncontrollable blunder.
Even though there were only the two of them in the car right now, the temperature of the air seemed to rise rapidly.
Li Qinyue knew exactly what had happened last night, so she thought it was understandable for her to blush. But Zhuo Zhi, this piece of wood who had just come of age, also suddenly blushed, which made Li Qinyue feel a mixture of emotions.
She didn’t look at Zhuo Zhi again, staring straight ahead at the mountain road outside the window. After driving for a while, she finally said, “That doesn’t mean anything.”
After saying that, she felt like she was protesting too much, so she slapped the steering wheel angrily and frowned.
Zhuo Zhi looked at her, her gaze direct and pure. Even with her peripheral vision, Li Qinyue felt like she was adding fuel to the fire.
Zhuo Zhi paused for almost half a minute, the silence so thick it could stretch hot candy into threads, before finally saying, “At least it means you’re quite satisfied with my services, right?”
Damn, damn, damn, Li Qinyue wanted to bang her head against the wall.
Logically, she knew that Zhuo Zhi was talking about bodyguard services, but her wicked desires insisted on twisting it into something indecent.
After Zhuo Zhi left last night, she had taken care of herself three times in that big bed. Once the memory was triggered, even her foot on the gas pedal felt weak.
“Shut up,” Li Qinyue said through gritted teeth.
Leave a Reply