The atmosphere fell silent again after those words.
Qi Rui was the first to stand. He was tall, and his profile looked cold, but he wasn't really. He just appeared unapproachable on the surface.
"Then I'll head upstairs."
He was very well-mannered.
Shen Yue also got up, "Goodnight."
Qi Rui paused, his thin lips curving slightly, a small, warm arc. His low voice seemed to carry a hint of gentleness in the night.
"Goodnight."
—
Qi Rui didn't work every day; he had his days off.
He sat on the sofa, watching the morning news, with a book resting on his lap.
—Bang!
The sound of porcelain shattering came from the kitchen. Qi Rui's fingers were still holding a page of the book. By the time he reacted, the book was already lost somewhere, and he rushed to the kitchen door almost instantly.
Qi Rui saw Shen Yue squatting on the floor, pressing a piece of snow-white towel tightly against her index finger. Blood had already stained a corner, and the bloody patch was still expanding.
Shen Yue was in tears from the pain, her face streaming with tears.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, her red eyes brimming with tears.
Qi Rui's heart clenched. He pulled Shen Yue up, turned on the faucet, and dragged her injured hand under the running water.
The wound wasn't large, but it bled a lot. Fresh red blood kept flowing out. After about two minutes of rinsing, the wound's edges had turned white and were peeling, but the bleeding hadn't stopped.
Shen Yue seemed accustomed to it, but seeing the man's furrowed brow and worried expression made her heart feel sweet. Her eyelashes were still wet with tears, yet she still tried to comfort Qi Rui.
"It's okay, it'll be fine in a while."
Actually, it hadn't been this severe before, but the pain was more intense than before. Lately, however, wounds seemed to be particularly difficult to heal completely, and the bleeding was also hard to stop. What might be a small wound for others was quite troublesome for Shen Yue. Excessive bleeding also caused dizziness and nausea.
Qi Rui's chest felt as if a stone were lodged there. The bleeding finally stopped. He asked the nanny to clean up the broken glass in the kitchen, then pulled Shen Yue to the living room, making her sit on the sofa, and quickly rummaged through the medical kit.
By the time he returned with a band-aid, blood beads had already reappeared on the formerly pale wound. Qi Rui didn't dare to delay. He used a cotton swab to clean the blood and carefully applied the band-aid.
Qi Rui's brow remained tightly furrowed. He seemed to frown a lot. Although he was only in his early twenties, the wrinkles between his brows were quite deep.
"You should go to the hospital for a check-up another day. That much bleeding..."
Qi Rui stopped midway through his sentence, his gaze darkening as he looked at Shen Yue.
The girl's fair and beautiful face was wet with tears. Her eyelids were swollen from crying, and her chin was also wet.
Qi Rui stared at her reddened eyes and felt inexplicably irritable. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, "Does it hurt a lot?"
The wound wasn't that bad; it shouldn't make her cry like this.
Shen Yue hadn't recovered from the pain yet. Her slender shoulders trembled, and her voice was choked with tears as she spoke, "It doesn't hurt that much. I'll be fine if I rest a bit."
She was lying. It hurt a lot, more than before.
Qi Rui disliked tears, believing that only the weak shed useless tears. His eyesight was very good, and they were quite close. He could clearly see her eyes, reddened from intense pain, and her long eyelashes, adorned with tear drops, trembling like wings.
Her wrist was hurting from the man's grip. Shen Yue looked up. The man was looking down at her, his deep eyes dark and unfathomable.
She was familiar with this look. It was the look Qi Rui had when he was about to kiss her, and then he would pounce like a wolfhound, biting and sucking.
Her pale earlobe flushed red. She moved her wrist, which was hurting from being grabbed. "Qi, Qi Rui."
As if just realizing he was still holding her wrist, Qi Rui released it abruptly, as if burned. His fingers clenched, his ears turned red, and two words rumbled from his throat, circling on his tongue before being spat out.
"Spoiled."
After saying that, he turned his head away, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
A wave of irritation washed over him. Qi Rui instinctively reached for his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
He bit down on a cigarette and flicked the lighter. A cluster of flame shot up, and wisps of smoke rose.
Shen Yue couldn't stand the smell of smoke and coughed twice.
Qi Rui thought how delicate this person was, but his hand moved faster than his mind. He instantly extinguished the cigarette butt, not even having time to react himself.
Shen Yue had never seen Qi Rui smoke before, but she knew that smoking too much was bad for his health, so she couldn't help but say something.
"Smoke less."
Qi Rui's body stiffened. He pursed his lips and remained silent.
Looking at the man's indifferent profile, Shen Yue seemed to realize that what she said was too intimate and could lead to misunderstandings. She paused and said nothing further.
Crisp footsteps could be heard from outside, seemingly of high heels striking the floor, the sound quite loud.
The nanny emerged after finishing tidying up the room. She also heard the footsteps and said with a smile, "It must be Miss Tong."
Miss Tong?
Shen Yue saw the man's expression, which had been indifferent moments ago, soften visibly.
Shen Yue was momentarily dazed, thinking that Qi Rui had remembered.
However, his deep eyes no longer held her.
Instead, they were on someone else.
"Qi Rui, why didn't you come find me!" a spoiled and sweet voice rang out.
Shen Yue turned her head in a daze. A fair-skinned and gentle-looking girl walked in. She seemed surprised to see another person, pausing briefly, showing a hint of shyness.
She first greeted Shen Yue, "Hello."
Then she threw herself into the man's arms.
Shen Yue felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her from head to toe. Her mind went blank, and her hands and feet felt icy cold.
Qi Rui held Tong Xue with a look of helplessness. His dark, deep eyes were filled with doting affection. Perhaps mindful of Shen Yue's presence, they didn't hug for long before separating.
The man's stern features softened slightly. When he looked at Shen Yue, the warmth in his eyes involuntarily decreased. "You've seen it. Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, her name is Tong Xue."
Tong Xue, like her name, was clean and beautiful, appearing somewhat shy.
All her fantasies were instantly shattered. Shen Yue didn't know how to face the man. She didn't even dare to meet their eyes, suddenly losing her ability to speak.
Her Qi Rui had someone else.
Then, what was she?