Sheng Qi stared at Bai Tang without speaking, merely watching her in silence. He couldn't help but let out a sigh, softening his voice. "Bai Tang, you're a girl. You should be mindful of your own safety and not do such dangerous things casually!"
"In this world, not everyone you think is safe is actually safe!"
"Nor is everyone you see as kind and harmless truly kind and harmless!"
"You're home alone—do you really need someone to teach you these basic safety rules?"
"Sheng Qi..."
Bai Tang interrupted him, her voice flat, her face devoid of emotion.
Sheng Qi paused. In his memory, she had never called his name so seriously before—his full name, no less!
She was used to doing whatever she pleased, calling him whatever she wanted!
She never cared how coldly he treated her.
At first, Sheng Qi felt that this girl should address him like everyone else, and he had corrected her countless times for her habit of calling him "Beauty"!
But not once had he succeeded in correcting her!
She always did things her own way.
Whether she was aggrieved, excited, radiant, coquettish, mischievous, calm... she called him "Beauty" with all sorts of emotions uniquely her own.
He went from being annoyed at first to gradually accepting this inexplicable nickname she had given him.
After that so-called bodyguard appeared yesterday, he brought up again that she shouldn't call him "Beauty," and she obediently dropped it just like that.
Even today, when she saw him, she still cooperated and called him "Mr. Sheng."
It continued until now—so serious, even devoid of any emotion, as she uttered: "Sheng Qi!"
At this moment, he felt that those two words, spoken by her, were unbearably harsh and grating!
Sheng Qi pressed his lips together, staring fixedly at her. The young girl before him looked at him calmly, her eyes carrying a seriousness he had never seen before—so serious that it inexplicably made Sheng Qi nervous.
His hands gripping the steering wheel tightened even more.
"Hmm..."
After a long moment, he found his voice and responded flatly.
"Could it be that you..." The girl gazed deeply at him, her glass-like eyes reflecting his expressionless face, but he knew his heart had already been thrown into chaos by those two words, "Sheng Qi."
Her voice continued in the cramped car, but in that instant, it carried a hint of the playful, roguish tone he felt he hadn't heard in ages: "Like me?"
Sheng Qi stared at her, silent, but her fragmented words echoed in his mind, now pieced together: Sheng Qi, do you like me?
A unique, unrestrained smile spread across the girl's lips, tinged with a familiarity that stirred him.
Sheng Qi said nothing, just quietly watched her.
He was asking himself too.
Sheng Qi, do you like this girl in front of you?
This girl who makes you want to hit her, yet you can never bring yourself to do it!
Every time she infuriates you to the point of losing it, you still swallow all your anger under her repeated attempts to please and provoke you.
That self-control you've always prided yourself on seems to crumble every time in front of this girl, pushing your boundaries again and again, indulging all her unreasonable antics!
You stayed up all night because she didn't reply to your messages!
You were furious because she let a man stay overnight at her place!
Angry that she doesn't know how to stay safe, and angry at her special treatment of that person!
Even angrier that she ignored your existence because of that man!
Sheng Qi, do you... like her?
Bai Tang didn't wait for his answer. She blinked, her smile curving. "You don't like me? But I really like you. What now?"
Bai Tang smirked, wicked and enchanting. "How about you just give in to me?"