Shen Qi heard that someone had already checked into the group ahead of time and was sharing the same room as her.
Shen Qi had already tucked away all those negative emotions by the time she reported in.
Over the past two years, she had learned to pack away her bad moods at a moment's notice.
Because she was a stylist, dealing daily with the young ladies and gentlemen of high society. If she brought her emotions to work, no one would ever hire her again.
This was a instinct honed over years of oppression under Shen Gang and Shen Cui.
She swiped her room card and opened the door. The moment Shen Qi stepped inside, she froze, instinctively stepping back to check if she had the wrong room.
Because in the room, a young person with short hair, a tall, lean figure, wearing only men's boxers and a tank top, had their back to Shen Qi, vigorously drying their hair.
Shen Qi instinctively thought she had the wrong room and quickly apologized: "Sorry, I must have the wrong room..."
"You don't have the wrong room," the person who looked like a man suddenly spoke. "Don't let my looks fool you—I'm a woman."
Shen Qi was speechless, standing at the door unsure whether to enter or leave.
The woman slowly turned around, her face radiating sunshine and handsomeness.
Her hair was already half-dry, and she tossed the towel onto a chair. Glancing at Shen Qi, who was soaking wet, she smiled with a mix of mischief and charm: "Hello, let me introduce myself. I'm your roommate for the next month. My name is Liu Yi."
"Liu Yi?" Shen Qi's eyes widened.
"Yi as in loyalty, not art," Liu Yi corrected.
"Ah... hello, I'm Shen Qi," Shen Qi said a bit sheepishly.
"Aren't you coming in? Planning to stand at the door and chat with me all night?" Liu Yi looked at Shen Qi with amusement. "Don't let my good looks fool you—I'm straight as an arrow. I won't do anything to you."
Shen Qi actually blushed for the first time at being teased by a woman!
Only then did Shen Qi pick up her luggage and enter the room.
Liu Yi smiled and came over, taking Shen Qi's bag, looking down at her.
She noticed that Shen Qi's expression seemed off.
She was smart enough to know not to ask what she shouldn't, so she simply said: "You're all wet. Go take a shower, or you'll catch a cold. It's National Day now, and the weather is still a bit chilly."
Shen Qi replied flusteredly: "Ah, okay, thank you!"
Shen Qi turned in a panic to head to the bathroom.
"Hey, wait!" Liu Yi suddenly called out to Shen Qi.
Shen Qi looked back blankly, and a clean large towel landed on her head.
"I brought a few extra towels. Here's one for you. Don't worry, it's new, never used," Liu Yi said generously.
Shen Qi's face was hidden under the big towel, and she inexplicably felt a warmth in her heart.
This woman was really something special.
She had probably noticed something was off with her and deliberately gave her time and reason to compose herself.
Shen Qi thanked her and then went into the bathroom.
Liu Yi ran her hand through her half-dry, handsome short hair and muttered to herself: "Such a delicate Oriental beauty, and she looks so good even when crying. Which clueless guy made her cry like this? He deserves a solid left hook to knock him out!"
Shen Qi quickly took a shower.
The steaming hot water finally washed away all her negative emotions.
From this moment on.
Emotions aside, everything focused on the competition and her career.
Shen Qi came out in her bathrobe, drying her hair as she walked.
Liu Yi waved the hairdryer in her hand: "Do I have the honor of serving a beauty?"
Shen Qi finally couldn't help but smile: "I still feel like I'm being teased."
Liu Yi burst out laughing: "I can't help it. I was born looking like this. I've been misunderstood countless times since I was a kid. I swear, I'm a straight woman! I also like popular young idols, and I drool over those heartthrobs! But no one believes me, and I can't do anything about it."
Liu Yi was tall, about 178 centimeters.
As a woman, being this tall really stood out in a crowd.
Shen Qi was only 165 centimeters. When they walked together, they oddly gave off a strange couple vibe.
But Shen Qi could clearly see that Liu Yi had no Adam's apple. Even though she was wearing a tank top, you could still make out her feminine curves.
Thanks to Liu Yi's cheerfulness and self-deprecating humor, the two strangers quickly became familiar.
As they sat on the bed getting ready to rest, Shen Qi's stomach growled.
Shen Qi then remembered she hadn't eaten all evening.
During the day, she had been busy registering and had no time to eat, just grabbing a quick bite at noon.
Then that happened in the evening.
Seeing the embarrassment on Shen Qi's face, Liu Yi smiled knowingly: "Hungry? It's not easy to find food at this hour. But luckily, I've got a backup plan!"
With that, Liu Yi turned and pulled a large instant noodle cup from her suitcase and tossed it to Shen Qi: "Don't mind it. It'll tide you over until tomorrow."
Shen Qi caught the noodle cup: "You brought this with you? Isn't our life fully arranged by the competition committee?"
"For emergencies, like now," Liu Yi replied nonchalantly.
Shen Qi blushed again.
Shen Qi had to admit, Liu Yi was so handsome and had such a great personality that she could easily attract girls.
Too bad she was straight.
Seeing Shen Qi shy, Liu Yi said with a grin: "Hey, I find you really interesting."
"What about me?" Shen Qi couldn't help asking.
"This is the first time I've seen a woman who blushes so easily," Liu Yi said, scratching her head. "It makes me feel like I'm a man."
Liu Yi's words instantly dispelled the awkward atmosphere, and Shen Qi burst out laughing.
"I deal with a bunch of guys every day, so I'm not used to a cute girl like you," Liu Yi continued. "But it's a good thing you're my roommate. If it were one of those pretentious women, I'd probably end up punching them within three days."
Shen Qi grew even more curious: "Dealing with guys every day?"
"Yeah," Liu Yi said proudly. "I'm a professional boxer!"
Shen Qi's mouth dropped open so wide she could have stuffed the instant noodles in.
A professional boxer!
Wait a minute!
I thought this was a... design competition?
Not a boxing match?
Shen Qi pointed at her own face in shock: "Are you sure you didn't sign up for the wrong event?"
"Hahaha!" Liu Yi laughed heartily at Shen Qi's exaggerated expression. "I'm a professional boxer, sure, but I'm also a designer! That's not a conflict, is it?"
Shen Qi shook her head.
No, it wasn't a conflict, but the shift in style was too abrupt!
Aren't designers supposed to be especially sensitive and delicate?
Well, that's not to say boxers are emotionally coarse.
But the vibe just didn't quite match.
"Though, to be honest, studying design wasn't my idea. My family forced me into it," Liu Yi said helplessly. "They also pushed me into this competition. I'd rather be boxing."
Yeah, I believe that!
"So I'm the best designer among boxers and the best boxer among designers. Makes sense, right?" Liu Yi asked Shen Qi.
Shen Qi laughed and nodded in agreement.
"Come on, the water's boiled. I'll help you with the noodles," Liu Yi said cheerfully to Shen Qi.
Shen Qi didn't stand on ceremony with this straightforward, straight woman and handed over the opened noodle cup.
As Liu Yi poured the water, she said to Shen Qi: "Hey, Shen Qi, look down at the hotel. Is there someone standing there? Is that guy crazy, standing out in this heavy rain?"
Shen Qi's heart skipped a beat. She jumped off the bed and rushed to the window to look down.
The rain was too heavy, the night too dark.
Shen Qi couldn't see anything clearly.
But she recognized that ultra-cool Koenigsegg at a glance.
The only one of its kind in the world, custom-made.
He Yining.
Why was he out there in the rain?
Was he crazy?
Shen Qi wanted to rush down, but reason held her back before her body could move.
"Do you know him?" Liu Yi asked.
"No... I don't," Shen Qi said, turning abruptly, refusing to look downstairs again.
Let him stand there if he wanted.
That was his choice.
It had nothing to do with her.
Hadn't he already given up on her?
If he was here now, it wasn't for her, was it?
She shouldn't flatter herself.
Better not get slapped in the face again.
He Yining stood beneath the hotel, not knowing which room Shen Qi was in.
He hadn't alerted the hotel staff, just stood quietly in the rain, tall and upright.
Earlier, Wen Yibo and Fan Sheng Fan Li had given him a lesson on how women behave in love, and he realized he had been wrong—terribly wrong!
He could never expect a woman in love to be as calm and rational as a man in the boardroom.
In love, everyone is blind.
Any love that stays clear-headed isn't deep enough.
By the time He Yining came to his senses, he was already standing under the hotel. He finally understood what Wen Yibo meant.
When someone repeatedly acts against their principles or habits, that person has already fallen in love.
He Yining didn't mind standing in the rain.
At least this spot was the closest he could get to her.
Shen Qi stared blankly at the instant noodles in front of her, suddenly losing her appetite.
Liu Yi looked at her curiously: "What's wrong? Not hungry anymore?"
Shen Qi snapped back to reality and replied flusteredly: "No, no!"
With that, she grabbed her chopsticks and shoveled the noodles into her mouth.
But the freshly brewed noodles were scalding hot, and Shen Qi ate too fast. She burned herself, and the mouthful she hadn't swallowed ended up in the trash.
"See? Even if you're hungry, eat slowly," Liu Yi said, pouring Shen Qi a glass of water. Then she noticed tears welling up in Shen Qi's eyes. "Are you okay?"
Shen Qi shook her head, hiding her feelings behind the noodles: "Just burned myself. I'm fine."
She didn't admit that she had actually been feeling sorry for He Yining.