Upstairs,
There was no grisly scene that Cheng Jinyan had imagined.
But it wasn't as harmonious as expected either - after Qiao Ying got up to open the door, she went back to sit on the bed with a blank expression as she watched Qin Hanyue follow her in.
The two of them looked at each other in silence, the room was strangely quiet.
After a long while, Qin Hanyue attempted to break the awkward atmosphere, speaking gently, innocently and apologetically, "I thought you were awake."
Having learned from knocking on her door last time that Qiao Ying was not a morning person, on his way here Qin Hanyue had specifically sent her a message.
She had replied too, albeit with just a period.
He assumed she was awake, but it didn't seem to be the case...
Qiao Ying neither spoke nor reacted, still staring at him.
Her gaze made Qin Hanyue feel so uncomfortable that his body tensed up instinctively.
The prestigious Young Master Qin seldom found himself in such situations where he was the one subjected to someone's stare.
Today, Qin Hanyue truly experienced how it felt to be stared at like those who he himself had scrutinized.
Qin Hanyue opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something more, but at that moment Qiao Ying got up and went into the bathroom, ignoring him.
The words he was about to utter were forcefully swallowed back.
Qin Hanyue had wanted to wait for her outside, but thinking of Cheng Jinyan downstairs, he shamelessly stayed and waited for her in the room instead.
After washing up, Qiao Ying came out.
"Didn't we agree to contact each other by phone if anything comes up?"
Qin Hanyue instinctively analyzed her tone - it was cold, but not angry.
Given her tendency to use her fists rather than words when enraged, if she was angry, she would not have spoken to him at all.
Qin Hanyue silently breathed a sigh of relief - she didn't seem too upset.
"I also said I'm able to guarantee my own safety, and even yours, as long as you need it," Qin Hanyue responded.
Qiao Ying did not say anything more.
It was true that as the leader of a prominent family and a powerful organization, his immense influence and power commanded respect and caution from anyone.
Unless absolutely necessary, the Shadow Organization was unlikely to provoke such a mighty force.
But there were no absolute guarantees, and Qiao Ying did not want him to get involved.
Seeing that Qiao Ying remained silent,
Qin Hanyue cautiously ventured, "Are you angry?"
He looked at the girl's fair and exquisite face. She had just washed her face, rather roughly it seemed, simply cupping water in her hands and splashing it on her face before wiping it off.
There were still quite a few water droplets on her face, crystal clear, setting off her jade-like complexion even more immaculately.
Her curly lashes quivered lightly, trembling straight into one's heart.
Qiao Ying responded swiftly, "Drank too much last night, didn't sleep well. It's got nothing to do with Mr. Qin, please don't take it to heart."
However, the quicker she responded, the more uneasy Qin Hanyue felt.
Clearly she still had some emotions about it, otherwise how would she instantly know he was referring to the interruption of her sleep...
Seeing Qiao Ying fall silent again,
Qin Hanyue ventured cautiously, "Are you angry?"
He looked at the girl's fair and exquisite small face. She had just washed her face, with a somewhat rough technique - simply cupping water in her hands and splashing it on before wiping it off.
There were still a lot of water droplets on her face, crystal clear, setting off her jade-like complexion even more brightly.
Her curly lashes quivered lightly, trembling straight into one's heart.
Qiao Ying responded very quickly, "Drank too much last night, didn't sleep well. It's got nothing to do with Mr. Qin. Please don't take it to heart."
However, the quicker her response, the more uneasy Qin Hanyue felt.
It was obvious she still held some resentment, otherwise how would she instantly know he was referring to the interruption of her sleep...
With both hands holding something, Qin Yan stood beside the sofa, alternating his gaze between Cheng Jinyan and glancing upstairs in the direction Cheng Jinyan was looking.
After waiting for quite some time without seeing anyone emerge, Cheng Jinyan was just about to head upstairs when he saw the two coming down one after another.
"When did you wake up?" Cheng Jinyan asked.
"Just now," Qiao Ying briefly replied.
Cheng Jinyan followed up, "Did someone wake you?"
Qiao Ying threw him a look - Isn't it obvious?
Having fully understood her expression, Cheng Jinyan immediately turned to look at Qin Hanyue walking behind - the Young Master was completely unharmed.
The Blood Shadow had not laid a finger on him.
Was she hiding her combat skills from Qin Hanyue? Highly unlikely, since they referred to each other as friends, there was no way they didn't know the truth about each other.
So what exactly was going on?
Overhearing their conversation made Qin Hanyue also glance at Cheng Jinyan.
He actually even knew about her morning temper, while Qin Hanyue himself hadn't noticed it at all during the two months they had lived together on M Province.
Just what was the relationship between these two?
The Young Master of a prominent gang, a top lawyer, had first lowered himself to help Qiao Ying fight the "cheating" lawsuit,
then rushed back overnight from overseas due to a bet, just to support Qiao Ying at the bar. The two had gone drinking and caused trouble together, and afterwards he had even spent the night here...
From the student posts on Peking University's forum and Cheng Jinyan's lecture videos, Qin Hanyue learned that Cheng Jinyan and Qiao Ying were close friends and old acquaintances.
But old acquaintances...?
Didn't that term require at least five or six years of friendship, plus not having seen each other again for many years, before it could be used?
How old was Qiao Ying now?
With his mind running through numerous speculations just walking downstairs, upon reaching the living room Qin Hanyue saw Qiao Ying sit down on the sofa.
"Weren't you rushing back to Canada? How come you haven't left yet?" Qiao Ying asked.
Cheng Jinyan casually responded, "No hurry." But he glanced at Qin Hanyue as he said it.
Then,
Beating Qin Hanyue to it, he sat down beside Qiao Ying.
Qin Hanyue's footsteps paused slightly as his deep gaze covertly swept over Cheng Jinyan, subtly concealing his aura before sitting down across from them.
"I haven't had the chance to ask, Mr Qin, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"To bring you hangover soup and breakfast."
Qiao Ying looked at the two thermal containers on the coffee table.
Hangover soup?
Qiao Ying couldn't help turning to ask Cheng Jinyan, "Was last night really that chaotic?" If even Qin Hanyue knew about it, could it have made its way onto the Peking University forum again?
Cheng Jinyan casually replied, "Didn't feel like anything out of the ordinary to me. It was fine." Then in a low voice, he whispered beside Qiao Ying's ear, "Back when the three of us partied together, if the army didn't get involved then it didn't count as kicking up a ruckus."
As he opened the thermal containers, Qin Hanyue's gaze sunk heavily onto the two whispering intimately to each other.
Qin Yan: We're doomed!
"Mr Qin is too kind, but I'm not actually hungover," Qiao Ying said. Then to Cheng Jinyan she added, "You should drink it, don't let it go to waste."
"My head is still throbbing, so I won't stand on ceremony," Cheng Jinyan straightened up from his relaxed posture, reaching out to grab a bowl.
Qin Hanyue had just finished pouring the hangover soup into a bowl when Cheng Jinyan's hand shot out, fingers clasping firmly around the rim.
Almost reflexively, Qin Hanyue pressed down on the back of Cheng Jinyan's hand, stopping him.
Qin Yan: Oh no no no!
Cheng Jinyan raised an eyebrow. "Can Young Master Qin not bear to part with it?"
Then he grinned understandingly, "My mistake, this was prepared by Young Master Qin for little Ying. Of course it's not appropriate for me to drink it."
His tone then took on a subtle shift, "But she and I have always shared everything, and it's merely a bowl of hangover soup. I shouldn't have overlooked Young Master Qin's feelings."
As he moved to retract his hand,
Qin Hanyue was a step faster in pulling his own hand back, still smiling graciously, "It's just a bowl of hangover soup. Since Lawyer Cheng is Miss Qiao's friend, then he is my friend as well."
Intrigued by his words, Cheng Jinyan laughed softly without responding, and started downing the hangover soup in big gulps.
Qin Yan: Does Young Master kind of regret not putting some rat poison or something in there for extra flavor?
Qin Hanyue said to Qiao Ying, "Have some breakfast then."
"After drinking so much, some light porridge is good for the stomach in the morning." He opened the other thermal container, which contained lean meat and vegetable porridge.
As Qiao Ying watched the suited-up Qin Hanyue ladling porridge for her, she remembered last night at the bar when she had pictured him fighting in a suit while watching Cheng Jinyan brawl.
And now, the man himself was right before her eyes, wearing the very suit, pants and leather shoes she had imagined...
As her thoughts wandered, Qiao Ying's gaze unconsciously raked over the man's figure, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
She suddenly chuckled out loud by accident.
Qin Hanyue asked in puzzlement, "What's so funny?"
Cheng Jinyan looked between Qin Hanyue and the somewhat odd-behaving Qiao Ying.
What was she up to?
