Beijing-Hong Kong Rosemary

Chapter 15 You won't leave me behind first, will you?

Shen Guining was startled and hurriedly put down her phone, making an excuse for herself: "I want to take a landscape photo."

Qu Yanci locked her gaze and remained silent.

His brown eyes were unfathomable, as if they could see through everything.

Feeling guilty, Shen Guining had to feign composure and added, "We just passed by the Ferris wheel."

Fortunately, Mr. Qu did not pursue the matter.

After that, she behaved herself and didn't dare to look around, for fear of being caught red-handed.

We arrived at our destination half an hour later.

Even though it was already 9 p.m., the store was still very crowded.

Qu Yanci requested a private room, decorated in a Chinese style, quiet and elegant, isolating it from the noise downstairs.

The waiter brewed the tea and stood by to help take our order.

Shen Guining opened the menu and politely asked the man opposite her, "Mr. Qu, what would you like to eat?"

She has now successfully replaced "您" (nín) with "你" (nǐ), feeling that it makes them feel closer. It felt strange to keep using honorifics, as if he were an elder.

Qu Yanci took a wet wipe from the table and wiped his hands. "Vegetables and seafood."

"I'd like some seafood congee too, but I'm on my period," Shen Guining conceded. "Never mind, just give me a mushroom and chicken congee, thank you."

"Okay, please wait a moment." The waiter put away the menu and left the private room.

The air fell silent.

Shen Guining wanted to find a topic to avoid an awkward silence, but just as she was about to speak, Mr. Qu's phone rang.

"I'll take this call." He got up and walked out.

Shen Guining swallowed back what she was about to say and picked up her phone to pass the time while waiting for him to return.

She sent the photos she had secretly taken in the car to Zhu Sixuan.

Because the photo was taken in a hurry, it's a little blurry, but that actually adds to the atmosphere. The profile of the face still looks great under the interplay of light and shadow.

Zhu Sixuan replied instantly: 【Which celebrity is this? I don't think I've ever seen them before.】

Shen Guining: [This is Mr. Qu.]

Zhu Sixuan: [Wow, she's so beautiful!]

Zhu Sixuan: [This photo has such a great feel! So elegant! Much more handsome than those young heartthrobs!]

Shen Guining: [I took this secretly, and almost got caught red-handed...]

Zhu Sixuan: [So, you two are together now?]

Shen Guining: [Mm.]

Zhu Sixuan: [Go for it, baby, get him! It would be such a waste not to sleep with a man like that.]

Shen Guining's cheeks flushed. What nonsense!

Mr. Qu had been on the phone for a long time, and the congee was already on the table, but he still hadn't returned.

Five minutes later, the door finally opened.

Seeing that she hadn't touched her utensils yet, Qu Yanci asked, "Why don't you eat first?"

Shen Guining put down her phone, looked at him, and blurted out, "I'll wait for you."

Qu Yanci did not respond, but pulled out a chair and sat down again.

Shen Guining was already used to his taciturn nature and didn't mind. She picked up a porcelain spoon and began to eat.

She was indeed hungry, and her appetite had inexplicably improved, probably because the porridge at this restaurant was really well-cooked.

After eating the hot porridge, my stomach felt much better.

Along the way, Shen Guining's gaze was always drawn to the other side.

Some people can make even the act of eating look so pleasing to the eye.

Mr. Qu has very long fingers, and the veins on the back of his hand protrude slightly when he holds the spoon handle, exuding both sexiness and strength.

He rolled up his shirt sleeves slightly, revealing firm, well-defined muscles in his forearms.

Shen Guining didn't dare to be too obvious, so she glanced at him twice and then lowered her head.

Qu Yanci finished eating first, put down his spoon, took a tissue to wipe his mouth, and didn't urge the girl. But Shen Guining still sped up, finished the last bite of porridge, rubbed her stomach, and said, "I need to go to the toilet."

The man gave a soft "hmm".

Shen Guining wiped her mouth, picked up her bag, and stood up. After taking a few steps, she seemed worried and returned to the table. "Mr. Qu, you're not going to leave me behind, are you?"

Qu Yanci frowned slightly, his expression calm. "No."

Shen Guining nodded, then said in a conciliatory tone, "Thank you for waiting for me, Mr. Qu."

She was gone for ten minutes, and when she came back, she asked the waiter to pay the bill.

Qu Yanci didn't try to take it from her, but instead let her carry forward the traditional Chinese virtues.

Back in the car, Shen Guining gave the driver her apartment address.

The driver glanced at Mr. Qu in the rearview mirror and only started the car after seeing his tacit approval.

On the way, Shen Guining, still unwilling to give up, brought up the matter of exchanging contact information again, "Mr. Qu, can't we really add each other on WeChat?"

Before he could answer, his phone vibrated.

Qu Yanci pressed the answer button.

Work phone calls are conducted entirely in English.

Shen Guining had been an exchange student abroad, so her English was not bad; she could understand about 80% of what was being said, although some technical terms were beyond her comprehension.

She doesn't understand business matters; her focus is more on the sound.

Mr. Qu speaks English very well and standardly, with a pleasant pronunciation. His deep, magnetic voice is a pleasure to listen to.

After he ended the call, Shen Guining wanted to continue the previous topic, "Mr. Qu..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qu Yanci reminded her, "Miss Shen, you've arrived."

The car stopped slowly.

Shen Guining glanced out the window, a hint of dejection flashing across her face.

This is the third time, and it has ended in failure again.

Beijing is such a big city, how could we possibly bump into each other every time? Without her contact information, how could she pursue her?
"Then I'll be going, goodbye Mr. Qu." She gathered her things, bent down, and got out of the car.

Just as her feet touched the ground and she was about to close the car door, Qu Yanci suddenly called out to her, "Wait a minute."

Shen Guining stopped what she was doing, her heart filled with joy, thinking that he had changed his mind, and her eyes lit up.

Unexpectedly, he simply handed over a suit jacket.

"Wear it on, the skirt is dirty."

Shen Guining took a few seconds to realize what was happening and asked nervously, "I didn't put it in your car, did I?"

Qu Yanci checked; the seat was clean. "Nothing."

Thankfully, Shen Guining breathed a sigh of relief, took the suit from him, put it on, and thanked him.

She felt no shame about her period; it was just a normal physiological response for women.

Mr. Qu's coat was very large, reaching just to her thighs.

The refreshing scent of ambergris lingered in my nostrils, neither too strong nor too weak, just right, with a very unique aroma.

"Mr. Qu, I'll take the clothes to the dry cleaners to get them cleaned and then return them to you."

"No need," Qu Yanci said calmly.

“But this dress is very expensive…” Shen Guining paused, guessing that either he was a germaphobe and wouldn’t want clothes that other people had worn, or, to him, it was just an ordinary piece of clothing, even though it was worth six figures.

"Okay, I'll go in then. Thank you, Mr. Qu, for bringing me back."

When I got back to the apartment, my roommate hadn't returned yet.

They're going to karaoke after dinner, so it probably won't be over anytime soon.

Shen Guining took off her coat and hung it in the closet, then found her pajamas and went to take a shower.

There was a little bloodstain on the skirt, not much, but I just squeezed out some laundry detergent and rubbed it clean.

After taking a shower, she took her clothes to the balcony to hang them up. As she passed through the living room, she inadvertently noticed a cigarette butt on a pile of trash cans.

Shen Guining was stunned. How could there be cigarette butts in the trash can at home?

Could it be that He Jie brought a friend back?
(End of this chapter)