She didn't care about the taste of the cherry at all. What she cared about was that he had actually snatched half a cherry from her mouth right at her guest room door!
Seeing Shen Qi standing there with her mouth slightly open, holding half a cherry in her daze, He Yining felt immensely pleased.
Just as Shen Qi was about to get annoyed, He Yining suddenly pulled out his phone, moved close to her, and switched to selfie mode. "Come on, smile. This photo is for Grandma. If you don't want her to call and ask why you're unhappy, then smile brightly."
Shen Qi finally snapped back to reality and immediately cooperated, putting on a smile.
*Click.*
The image froze on the phone screen.
He Yining nodded in satisfaction and saved the photo.
Shen Qi instinctively moved a little farther away from him and said, "Please tell Grandma that I really like these fruits."
"Alright." He Yining gave her a deep, lingering look.
"Well, I'll head inside now," Shen Qi said. "During the competition, it's not good for me to have too much contact with others."
He Yining chuckled softly. "Okay, see you later."
"Yeah, see you." Shen Qi picked up the fruit basket, turned quickly, and closed the door.
The moment the door shut, she leaned against it.
Her heart was pounding like a drum.
Damn it, damn it.
That jerk, pulling a surprise attack like that!
Did he have any idea how... suggestive that move was?
Shen Qi couldn't help but touch her lips. The spot where his had brushed past still seemed to tingle with a faint electric sensation.
That was close, so close.
She had almost lost her composure just now.
That guy was simply... impossible to deal with!
He Yining watched her scurry into the room, and the smile on his lips widened.
With a light tap of his long fingers, he sent the photo to the old Madam He.
She immediately noticed the faint trace of lipstick on the corner of He Yining's mouth and smiled warmly, her eyes full of kindness.
The housekeeper couldn't help but ask, "Madam, what's made you so happy?"
"Yining has truly taken a liking to this girl." The old Madam handed the phone to the housekeeper, beaming with joy. "Not bad. This granddaughter-in-law is finally one I approve of."
The housekeeper glanced at the photo and naturally spotted the half-cherry in Shen Qi's mouth and the faint lipstick mark on He Yining's lips.
"Young Master may have grown up with his parents, but his path was shaped by you. He's still on your side," the housekeeper said. "Look how close he and the young mistress are now."
The old Madam laughed even more happily. "Yes. The better their relationship, the happier I'll be."
"Maybe it won't be long before you can hold a great-grandchild!" the housekeeper continued. "At this rate, perhaps she'll be pregnant before the Madam returns."
The old Madam gave the housekeeper a meaningful look and said in a measured tone, "Yes, that would be best."
Liu Yi carried a large box back to the room and saw Shen Qi standing there in a daze, holding a fruit basket, her cheeks flushed.
"Xiao Qi, what's wrong? Your face is so red. Are you sick?" Liu Yi asked with concern.
Shen Qi snapped out of it and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, a little flustered. "No, it's nothing! Maybe the air conditioning is set too high, and it's a bit warm in here?"
Liu Yi looked at her suspiciously. The AC had been at the same temperature all along.
Was Xiao Qi really okay?
But her face had been really red just now.
Shen Qi picked up the fruit basket and headed to the bathroom. "I'll wash some fruit for you."
Watching her hurried retreat, Liu Yi grew even more puzzled.
Hmm?
Xiao Qi hadn't left the room at all. Where did this fruit basket come from?
Liu Yi glanced at the big box in her hands.
Never mind, she'd first see who had sent her such a huge box.
It was so heavy—what on earth was inside?
Without even using a box cutter, Liu Yi grabbed the box with both hands and tore it apart with a loud *rip*, sending pieces flying everywhere.
Shen Qi came out with the fruit just in time to see this.
"Xiao Yi, you're like a human gorilla!" Shen Qi exclaimed.
Liu Yi grinned. "Well, I'm a boxer, so I've got the arm strength. Anyway, what is this stuff?"
She rummaged through the box and found a mess of items: women's bags, shoes, even underwear and swimsuits.
There were also plenty of plush toys.
But everything, though new, was cheap junk—knockoffs from street stalls, some of them shoddily made.
Shen Qi set down the fruit, walked over, and picked up a rabbit plushie with crooked eyes and a lopsided mouth. She looked at Liu Yi. "Which deity did you offend to get such a pile of rejects?"
"How should I know?" Liu Yi kicked the pile in annoyance. "If I find out who did this, I'll skin them alive!"
Shen Qi started picking through the pile, pulling out various parts.
"What are you doing? Just toss this trash out," Liu Yi said, seeing Shen Qi carefully disassembling pieces. "You're not planning to keep this garbage, are you? Even the prizes in arcade games look better than this."
Shen Qi replied calmly, "This stuff may be low-quality, but some of the parts are still usable."
Liu Yi leaned in and watched as Shen Qi expertly removed a bow from a bear plushie. "What do you need that for?"
"For buttons!" Shen Qi answered matter-of-factly. "Buttons can be used for so many things—not just clothes, but shoes, bags, and other accessories too. So I need to make lots of buttons, for different purposes."
Liu Yi thought about it and found it made sense. She sat down on the floor and started helping Shen Qi dismantle things.
They kept what was useful and had the hotel staff toss the rest into the trash.
Half an hour later, a hotel cleaner carried a pile of junk to the dumpster.
Wen Yibo and the Fan brothers, Fan Sheng and Fan Li, suddenly appeared.
"Hey, pretty lady, was the person who threw out this trash really angry?" Wen Yibo asked the cleaner, full of anticipation.
The cleaner blushed at being called "pretty lady" and stammered, "N-no, they were laughing and chatting, seemed really happy."
"Happy?" Wen Yibo was stunned. "Why would they be happy?"
Looking at the torn-up, shabby plushies, clearly destroyed by force, why weren't they furious instead of cheerful?
Was that Liu Yi out of her mind?
Fan Sheng and Fan Li leaned against a pillar, laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces.
"Yibo, you sent her a pile of junk, and she just made it even more broken," Fan Sheng said, wiping his eyes.
"And she wasn't even mad! You gave away trash for nothing!" Fan Li added, twisting the knife.
"But why isn't she mad? I sent her a box of garbage, and she happily tore it all up?" Wen Yibo refused to give up. "No way, I'm getting another box of junk for her! That time she threw me, my back still hurts! If I've ruined my back, how am I supposed to pick up girls anymore?"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li grabbed him. "Give it a rest. You're always bragging about being a playboy who never gets caught up. Why are you so fired up this time?"
Wen Yibo got worked up. "Is she even a woman? Look at her! So tall, and a boxer! Fine, but she looks like a man! Her chest is flat! I'm not into that! Hey, why are you two laughing so hard?"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li were in stitches. "You say you're not paying attention to her, but you've even noticed her chest! Did you notice the cup size of the two girls you drank with last night? No? Clearly, you've got your eye on Liu Yi!"
"I really don't!" Wen Yibo was genuinely panicking now. "I..."
Just then, He Yining walked over from a distance. Seeing them still arguing, he shook his head. "Come on, we need to go sign the contract. By the way, Yibo, didn't you call that internet celebrity to keep you company?"
Wen Yibo snapped, "Forget it! They're all so ugly, with those pointy chins. I'm getting face-blind!"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li couldn't stop laughing.
Wen Yibo stormed off in a huff.
He Yining looked confused. "What's gotten into him?"
Fan Sheng and Fan Li, still laughing, explained, "He sent Liu Yi a box of cheap clothes, bags, and plushies, and she happily cut them up and threw them out. Now he's sulking and says he'll send another box. We told him he's into her, but he won't admit it!"
He Yining couldn't help but smile. "Well, it takes all kinds. At least Yibo's finally rid of those internet celebrities! I was getting face-blind from them too."