Shen Qi followed He Yining's gaze and saw her ID and wallet neatly placed on the table. She remembered pawning those items off to the taxi driver... How did they end up here?
He Yining dried his hair and said, "Alright, let's eat! I've been soaking in that medicinal bath with you for so long, I'm starving!" With that, he turned and walked away.
Shen Qi, flustered, asked again, "Then, what about my phone?"
He Yining stopped, slightly turning his head to look at her. "After we eat, I'll give you your phone."
How could Shen Qi have any appetite? Her brother was still missing somewhere!
Just then, Shen Qi's phone suddenly rang. She followed the sound and saw it was actually under her wallet...
He Yining couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even rolling his eyes, he looked so handsome. Shen Qi almost couldn't suppress a smile.
"I'll wait for you in the dining room." He Yining no longer blocked her from answering the phone and went downstairs.
Shen Qi quickly ran over, picked up the phone, and saw it was Wei Wei's number. She immediately answered, "Hello, Uncle Wei..."
"Xiao Qi, why did you leave without locking the door? Luckily, nothing was stolen from the house." Wei Wei rambled on the phone. "Thanks for giving me the day off today, letting me have a proper meal with my son..."
"Wait, Uncle Wei, where's my brother?" Shen Qi couldn't help but interrupt Wei Wei, raising her voice.
"Xiao Liu? He's resting in his room!" Wei Wei's voice carried a hint of confusion. "Why do you ask?"
What? Her brother was at home? Why hadn't she found him anywhere in the house when she was there? If she hadn't failed to find him, she wouldn't have fallen for the trap. Still, it was a relief, a huge relief, that her brother was okay.
"Nothing. I might not be able to come back tonight..." Shen Qi let out a bitter laugh. It seemed that as long as she was at Jinghua Manor, He Yining wouldn't let her leave. She had already seen her clothes in the dressing room... In just two days, he'd had a batch of clothes custom-made for her.
Wei Wei replied cheerfully, "No problem, I'm home. I'll take good care of Xiao Liu."
After hanging up, Shen Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief. A false alarm. Thankfully, her brother was fine. Thankfully, she was fine too. Everything had been too close a call.
Putting her things away, Shen Qi changed into a different outfit and slowly walked down the stairs.
He Yining lounged lazily in his chair, reaching out to take the milk handed over by a maid and pushing it to the seat across from him. As soon as Shen Qi came down, someone immediately pulled out a chair for her and helped her sit. Still a bit uncomfortable, she quickly thanked them.
He Yining, looking utterly indifferent, said to Shen Qi, "Here, this milk was airlifted from Hokkaido, just arrived."
Shen Qi's eyes nearly popped out. "For me?" She found it hard to believe. This milk was a true aristocrat among dairy products—not something you could drink just because you had money. It was said that a single cup of this yogurt cost several thousand RMB! And the key was, even with money, you couldn't get it!
"Otherwise?" He Yining looked at her with a "you know the answer" expression.
Shen Qi hugged her arms nervously. "But it's too expensive... I, I don't have that much money."
"You already owe enough as it is." He Yining didn't look up. "Just the custom clothes and shoes I've had made for you have already cost thirty million."
"Thirty million!" Shen Qi shot up in shock, her eyes nearly falling out. "Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?"
"Then pay it off with your body! Ten thousand per night for sleeping over!" He Yining loved seeing her stunned like this, deliberately teasing her with a mischievous tone.
Shen Qi frowned. "You're not interested in me!"
"Your figure might be a bit lacking, but it's still barely passable for propping up my legs." He Yining kept teasing her. "I've got money, and I like spending ten thousand a night to hire someone to prop up my legs!"
Shen Qi glared at him. He really was still that awful! And here she was, touched by him in the bathroom just now!
The butler stepped forward. "Young master, shall we serve the meal now?"
"Yeah, serve it." He Yining tossed aside what he was holding and looked at Shen Qi with a half-smile. "Starting tonight, each night you sleep over deducts ten thousand from your debt."
Shen Qi plopped down defiantly. "Women who want to prop up your legs could probably line up across the Pacific Ocean. Why do you have to pick me?"
"Because I like the look of you." He Yining answered with a perfectly natural expression.
Shen Qi was speechless.
The food was quickly brought out. Shen Qi was gradually getting used to the luxury of Jinghua Manor, and seeing such a lavish dinner no longer surprised her as much.
Shen Qi opened the yogurt defiantly, stuck in a straw, and started gulping it down. She already owed so much anyway! What was another five thousand in debt? But this milk was really good. Mmm, the taste was amazing!
As she drank, Shen Qi forgot all about being mad at He Yining and happily finished the entire bottle, even licking the straw reluctantly at the end.
Seeing her action, He Yining's Adam's apple moved rapidly twice. This little thing... Really... Did she have any idea how tempting that unconscious gesture was to a man?
Shen Qi was completely oblivious. After finishing the yogurt, she lowered her head and started eating. After all that fuss, she was genuinely hungry.
Seeing Shen Qi eat so happily, He Yining's appetite improved as well.
After the meal, Shen Qi immediately stated her position: "I think we should sleep in separate rooms. Otherwise, if word gets out, it won't be good for your reputation."
"You think word can get out?" He Yining looked at her in surprise. "Who do you think would dare to stake out my place?"
Shen Qi was taken aback. That's not what I meant!
"No... I mean, between you and me, a man and a woman alone..." Shen Qi tried to reason with him patiently.
But He Yining shook his head. "I didn't expect your math to be so bad, studying aesthetics."
Shen Qi was dumbfounded. "What's wrong with my math?"
He Yining pointed at the butler and maids. "Don't you count them in when you're counting?"
Shen Qi: "..."
Really, she was too tired for this!
Shen Qi felt she simply couldn't reason with He Yining. Fine, they'd sleep together! Nothing was going to happen anyway!
Shen Qi stood up angrily.
Suddenly, she felt a warm rush in her lower abdomen. Her entire body stiffened instantly. Oh no! Her period had arrived! This was going to be even more embarrassing! There was no end to the humiliation!
Seeing Shen Qi's sudden change in expression and stiff body, He Yining was a bit puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Shen Qi looked at him in despair. How was she supposed to bring this up with a man?