Page 48

Embarrassment spread throughout the room.

Quan Shaoqing slammed the bathroom door shut with a bang, wishing he could smack himself.

He had been too excited, bursting through the door just like that.

He was wrong!

His mind was flashing with all kinds of guilty images, stirring his heart into a rapid thump.

He ran to the living room, annoyed, taking deep breaths; it was only a moment, but it felt worse than if he’d lost a battle.

In a panic, he picked up a cigarette from the table, lit it, and sat on the sofa, inhaling deeply.

Gu Xiaoxi came out of the bathroom, clutching her towel, and saw Quan Shaoqing sitting in the living room, smoking.

She tiptoed, stealthily moving toward her room from behind him.

Because only Quan Shaoqing lived in this apartment, there was just one bathroom; one had to walk through the living room to get to her room.

At this moment, Quan Shaoqing’s back was towards her.

Gu Xiaoxi tiptoed quietly, dashed into the bedroom, then “bang” closed the door behind her.

Dammit!

Even now, her face was still hot, her heart thumping wildly.

She suppressed the flutter in her chest, looked herself in the mirror; the girl’s cheeks were flushed with crimson, her beautiful eyes gleamed with a sly light, though the hint of springtime feelings in her eyebrows and eyes was not so apparent.

…

After a long time, Quan Shaoqing’s voice came through, “Dinner’s ready!”

Gu Xiaoxi was already dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, hesitantly poking her fingers in her room.

Every time she reached the door, she would turn back angrily and sit on the bed, fuming.

Why did he barge in all of a sudden?

What did he see?

Did he see everything?

Then, the knock on the door from outside, “Gu Xiaoxi, come out for dinner!”

Gu Xiaoxi dawdled before finally going out, and upon seeing Quan Shaoqing sitting at the dining table, she lifted her chin with a proud little peacock’s air, “You owe me an apology for what just happened.”

Quan Shaoqing immediately stood up from the table and gave a military salute to Gu Xiaoxi with utmost sincerity, “Sorry!

I didn’t mean to do it.”

Gu Xiaoxi looked him up and down, not expecting him to be so amenable; seeing his straightforward approach, she decided not to hold it against him for now.

Thus, she pulled over a chair and sat down opposite Quan Shaoqing.

Gu Xiaoxi picked up her bowl and looked at the peeled shrimp inside, then smiled up at Quan Shaoqing, “Old Quan, tell me, do I have a good figure?”

Quan Shaoqing choked on his food, nearly asphyxiating.

It took him half a day to catch his breath, while Gu Xiaoxi ate her meal, squinting her watery, big eyes at him.

Without his military uniform, he looked like a noble young master from a rich family, with jet-black hair, strikingly handsome features, absolutely demonic.

His high nose bridge glistened like jade, and his thin lips revealed a tempting flush of red.

Most importantly, he could cook, even peel shrimp for her, cared about her, took care of her—he was simply the world’s number one man.

She contemplated whether to take advantage of her position and get her way first.

“Gu Xiaoxi, girls should have self-respect!” Quan Shaoqing finally found his voice, picking up the water next to him for a drink.

It took him a long while to compose himself, anguishing over Gu Xiaoxi, his eyes full of anger.

“You were the one who pushed the door and came in!” Gu Xiaoxi shrugged, her delicate little face filled with innocence.

Quan Shaoqing patted his chest, calmly admitting his regret, “I was wrong.

Little ancestor, please remember to prepare your own towel next time before you bathe.”

Gu Xiaoxi, looking at the frustration in his eyes, lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting a shadow to hide the fleeting disappointment.

Just then, her heart, leaping with throbs, was instantly doused with cold water.

She was wrong!

She shouldn’t have had those wicked thoughts about him.

In his heart, perhaps he simply saw her as a child.

He took care of her, helped her, protected her, and he played his role as a guardian very well.

Even though he had seen her nude, it didn’t spark any feelings in him.

The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly became quiet and eerie.

Quan Shaoqing’s deep eyes fixed on Gu Xiaoxi, not understanding why someone who was fine just a moment ago suddenly stopped talking.

Could it be that she was still brooding over the incident in the bathroom?

Quan Shaoqing felt that the knowledge he had acquired over more than twenty years was suddenly inadequate.

Perhaps he should buy some books on education and study them properly?

“I’m full!” Gu Xiaoxi put down her chopsticks and gave Quan Shaoqing a military salute.

“I’m going to sleep now.”

Quan Shaoqing gave her a once-over, still the same Gu Xiaoxi—somewhat arrogant, stubborn, and a bit ruffian.

But why did it suddenly feel like she had changed?

“Zookeeper, are you reluctant to see me go?

How about I keep you company tonight?” Gu Xiaoxi narrowed her eyes mischievously, her gaze sweeping toward Quan Shaoqing’s strong chest visible through his unbuttoned shirt.

Quan Shaoqing’s face darkened.

He had hoped that after what had just happened, she would have quieted down a little.

However, it seemed she hadn’t changed in the slightest.

He was wrong again!

To expect her to restrain herself was like expecting a leopard to change its spots!

“I order you to go back to sleep, in your own room,” Quan Shaoqing said loudly.

“Roger that!

Goodnight, zookeeper!” Gu Xiaoxi turned around and ran to her room.

The bedroom door slammed shut, followed by the sound of a lock clicking into place.

Gu Xiaoxi headed straight for the computer in her room.

The budding feelings of infatuation she had just experienced were like new shoots on the branch, ruthlessly pinched off as they began to emerge.

It couldn’t even be considered a heartbreak.

Gu Xiaoxi made a face at the door, as if to dismiss her earlier self as having a moment of madness.

The computer booted up.

To her surprise, it had a password lock.

For a disciple of a top hacker like herself, it was child’s play.

In thirty seconds, she cracked the password, successfully started the computer, and logged into her Jin account.

In the account’s chatroom, there were many people, all of whom recognized her, though she didn’t know any of them.

She suspected her master and the others were present, but since they didn’t acknowledge their identities, she had no idea who was who.

“Little X has come online.

I heard about Gu Lirou’s car accident, is it true?” A person named Su San sent out a message.

Instantly, the chatroom exploded.

“Our senior sister died?

Why didn’t we get any messages?”

“Who did it?”

“Little X, such a big thing has happened, why didn’t you tell us?”

Gu Xiaoxi remained silent for a moment, a cold expression crossing her delicate face, “The incident was indeed a car accident.

I didn’t tell you because my mom said she didn’t want to trouble you all.”

“Then why have you only come online now, where have you been for over a month?” Su San asked.

Gu Xiaoxi’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, in a gloomy mood, “It’s a long story.

From now on, I might seldom visit here.

However, I need a favor from you all.

I’ve heard from Zhang San’s old crew that there may be more to my mom’s death.

Help me find out, who were her enemies!”

After Gu Xiaoxi’s words, the chatroom went silent—deathly silent.

It took a while before Su San finally responded, “Little X, take care of yourself!

I’m going to delete you from the chatroom.

We will avenge your mom’s enemies.

You live well and fulfill your mom’s last wish, to become a successful ordinary person.”

Damn!

Gu Xiaoxi’s hand had just touched the keyboard when the computer screen suddenly went blank.

Three seconds later, the computer returned to normal, but she was already logged out of her Jin account!

When she tried to log in again, the message displayed said that the webpage had been deleted.

Fuck!

She had been kicked out!