Chapter 30: “Who is that woman?”

The elevator rose slowly, but Lu Zhao’s heart raced faster.

What’s worse than death?

The wait for it.

Lu Zhao felt like he was either heading to his execution or social suicide.

On the bright side, he could play dumb and blame everything on Ling Chenxi—it was her fault anyway.

But that thought was quickly dismissed.

Yan Qingxin’s attitude was off.
In all the time they’d known each other, she’d never spoken to him so coldly.

She must have found something out.

The only explanation was that Ling Chenxi had spilled what happened, selling him out.

It was entirely possible.

If Yan Qingxin knew, Ling Cang would too.

To preserve her image in her daughter’s eyes, Ling Chenxi could easily shift the blame to him.

He didn’t think he mattered more to her than Ling Cang.

Sighing heavily, “Sigh… I knew it. Getting tangled with that woman was nothing but trouble.”

Ding—

Lu Zhao desperately wished that sound was a system notification for money.

Sadly, it was just the elevator arriving.

With a nervous heart, he trudged toward his room.

At the door, he noticed it was slightly ajar.

Swallowing hard, he pushed it open.

“Qingxin? You here?”

He called out tentatively, reaching for the light switch, but Yan Qingxin’s voice stopped him.

“Don’t turn it on. Close the door and come here.”

Her tone wasn’t as cold this time, but it carried a hint of excitement.

At this point, Lu Zhao didn’t want to argue over small things.

He closed the door and fumbled in the dark to the bed.

Unable to see her face, he spoke to the vague shadow sitting there:

“Qingxin, I…”

Before he could finish, the shadow lunged, hugging him tightly, and they fell onto the bed together.

“Where were you so late? Do you know how worried I was? Why didn’t you tell me you were going out… It’s dangerous…”

Held tightly, Lu Zhao heard his girlfriend’s voice, tinged with a sob, full of concern.

He understood why she didn’t want the light on—she’d probably been crying and didn’t want him to see.

Feeling her overwhelming care, his anxiety melted away.

He hugged her back, his tone gentle.

“Sorry, Qingxin. I couldn’t sleep, felt a bit hot, so I went out to get some air.”

“Seriously, don’t scare me like that. What if something happened to you?”

He could feel her trembling—she was genuinely scared.

Pressing his forehead to hers, “I promise, I’ll tell you wherever I go from now on, okay? Don’t worry, I’m back now.”

He patted her back gently, trying to comfort her.

But her next question froze him solid.

“Who was that woman in the red dress? And why is your bed so wet? It can’t be from me.”

“…”

The first question he could dodge, but the second? How to handle that?

Fine, focus on the first to distract her.

“Ahem.” Lu Zhao cleared his throat, acting reluctant.

“Qingxin, don’t get mad, okay?”

Yan Qingxin pinched his ear, pulling back slightly.
“Tell me. I won’t get mad.”

Not mad? This is your “not mad” face?

Steeling himself, “That woman was a senior I worked with before. You know my situation—I had to work part-time to get by.”

“Yeah, I know. So what? A senior’s just a senior. Why would I be mad?”

“Well, she had a thing for me back then, looked out for me too, but!”

Feeling her grip tighten, Lu Zhao hurried to pivot.

“I didn’t go for it. Her family’s loaded—I’m not good enough for her. People would’ve called me a gold-digger.”

Yan Qingxin laughed, exasperated.
“You’re so annoying. My family’s got money too, and you’re not scared of that?”

“Sigh… I got tricked by you, didn’t I? If you’d told me about your family upfront, I’d never have said yes.”

Lu Zhao’s tone dripped with mock regret.

“Hmph~ Too late to back out now. You’re mine. No running, no going anywhere!”

Seeing her back to her usual self, Lu Zhao relaxed.

Sorry, Sister Rong, you’re taking the fall for now. I’ll apologize in person if I get the chance.

After silently apologizing to Zhao Rong, he asked:

“Qingxin, why are you here? Where’s Ling Cang? Is she okay alone?”

“Uh…”

If he hadn’t mentioned it, she’d forgotten.

After her “sage time” passed and seeing Ling Cang fast asleep, Yan Qingxin wanted another round.

She wasn’t lying about being picky with beds—outside her home or dorm, she couldn’t sleep well without Lu Zhao nearby.

She didn’t know why.
Maybe it was that young love, craving intimacy?

But so what? He was her boyfriend, and they’d already been intimate. Sleeping together was normal.

She’d snuck to his room, found the door ajar, and went in—no one.

It freaked her out.
Looking downstairs, she spotted him.

But she also saw another woman with him.

After watching and seeing no inappropriate behavior, she didn’t go down.

It’d make her look petty and might embarrass Lu Zhao.

They could talk it out privately, not in front of others.

The whole ordeal made her forget Ling Cang, and now Lu Zhao’s question left her awkward.

Seeing she couldn’t answer, he knew she’d forgotten.

“Go check if she’s awake.”

“Fine…” After all that, her mood was gone.

She kissed his lips lightly and returned to the next room.

Sprawling on the bed like a starfish, Lu Zhao let out a long breath.

“What a night…”

Wait!

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up, flipping on the light.

He had to thoroughly check every inch of this room for a third person!

A Saint Seiya doesn’t fall for the same trick twice? No way!

Bathroom, wardrobe, behind the curtains—he inspected every possible hiding spot.

Confirming Ling Chenxi wasn’t there, he finally collapsed onto the bed.

But the damp sensation on his back made him grimace.

“Seriously… so wet. How does that woman… produce so much?”

He refused to admit it was him.
At most, it was self-defense—her fault for flooding, not his.

*

The next day, the three continued exploring Bin City.
No Yun Shuiyao, no Zhao Rong, and even Ling Chenxi seemed to have vanished.

The following days were blissfully relaxed for Lu Zhao—no anxiety, no sneaky advances.

In two words: pure comfort.

Time flew, and soon it was time to return to school.
Lu Zhao went back to his rented apartment.

Yan Qingxin had to visit home first, so she didn’t come along.

On the third floor, he glanced at the neighboring apartment.

The door was ajar, and a faint burning smell wafted out.

“What the—? Did that drunk burn the place down?”

Worried, Lu Zhao yanked the door open, only to freeze at the sight inside.