Chapter 17
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The stairwell returned to silence. Qiao Ziman discreetly pulled her hand away, lowering her eyes to the steps. After a moment, she suddenly spoke, “Chi Yin. Didn’t I tell you to run earlier?”
Her voice, still trembling from fear, carried a hint of anger that even she hadn’t fully realized. “Didn’t you see he had a knife?”
Chi Yin lowered her head without replying. Qiao Ziman pressed on, “Why were you here in the first place?”
Chi Yin glanced at the spilled soup on the ground and explained, “I wasn’t following you. When you suddenly hung up the phone, I was worried something had happened to you, so I asked Cheng Peng for your address.”
That simple “worried about you” snapped Qiao Ziman back to her senses.
What was she doing? Chi Yin had risked her safety to save her, and here she was blaming her? It really was like Chi Yin had said before—”denying someone after they’ve stripped down for you.”
Qiao Ziman inwardly cursed herself. After a brief silence, she took her bag back from Chi Yin’s hand, then gently took her hand again and softly said, “Let’s go home.”
The two of them continued walking upstairs in the dark. Suddenly, Qiao Ziman remembered something crucial—they hadn’t called the police! She stopped in her tracks. “Boss Chi, can I borrow your phone for a moment?”
Chi Yin, “Hmm?”
Qiao Ziman narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. “We can’t let him get away with this!”
Was the bold, fearless Qiao Ziman finally back? Chi Yin smiled in relief and gestured for her to keep walking. “Let’s not make a fuss tonight. Leave it to me tomorrow. He won’t escape.”
Chi Yin’s words felt like a calming reassurance, and Qiao Ziman believed them without a doubt. She thought, perhaps it wasn’t just those words—but the person herself. Chi Yin just exuded trustworthiness, a sense of safety. Obediently, Qiao Ziman responded with a soft “Okay.”
She pulled out her keys, and with a “creak,” the iron security door opened. Before they could react, a swift, dark figure darted out from the shadows.
“Meow.”
Qiao Ziman felt the body behind her tense up, the breathing stop, and then a pair of arms tightly wrapped around her waist. Qiao Ziman laughed. “Don’t be scared, it’s just a cat.”
She then shouted loudly, “Qiao Xiaohua! Behave yourself!”
“Meow! Meow, meow, meow!” The cat protested, clearly unwilling to back down.
Qiao Ziman gritted her teeth and threatened, “We have a guest today, so behave! Or else, no fish treats for a month!”
Hearing that, Qiao Xiaohua immediately darted off, vanishing like a shadow into the darkness. From behind, Chi Yin muttered softly, “Quite like you, actually.”
Qiao Ziman: “…”
Oh, so now you’re not scared anymore?
“And aren’t you going to let go already?” She grumbled, “Are you planning to hold on forever?”
Chi Yin released her and, with a light pinch of her fingers, remarked, “Nice figure. Didn’t expect you to be so slim.”
Qiao Ziman understood the implication. Wasn’t she basically saying Qiao Ziman eats a lot?
“Gee, thanks!” Qiao Ziman mumbled, flipping the switch to turn on the overhead light.
The bright light instantly flooded the room, revealing a scene of absolute chaos—so messy it was almost unbearable to look at. And with that, Qiao Ziman felt the overwhelming urge to just sit down and disappear. She glanced at the mess Qiao Xiaohua had made, then at the dishes in the kitchen that she hadn’t gotten around to washing from the night before, and at the pile of clothes waiting to be laundered.
Suddenly, she spun around, placing her hands on Chi Yin’s shoulders and turning her toward the door. “Goodbye, Boss Chi,” she said, trying to push her out.
She couldn’t bear the embarrassment. Maybe they’d meet again… someday.
Smiling, Chi Yin held back a laugh. “I’ve already seen everything,” she said, sidestepping Qiao Ziman and walking straight into the room. There was no stopping her.
Qiao Ziman: “…”
Chi Yin first cleaned up the mess Qiao Xiaohua had made, then walked over to the washing machine and picked up Qiao Ziman’s laundry. At the top was one of her personal undergarments. Chi Yin casually picked it up, filled a basin with water, and began washing it by hand.
Qiao Ziman’s face flushed red. She rushed over and snatched it away. “I’ll do it myself!”
“Why do you enjoy playing housemaid so much?” Qiao Ziman mumbled under her breath. When she saw Chi Yin heading into the kitchen, she cried out in surprise, “Put down those dishes, I’ll do it!”
Chi Yin calmly replied, “I have a thing for cleanliness.”
Qiao Ziman was momentarily speechless, then finally blurted out, “Well, thank you for the trouble!”
She buried her head in the laundry, but soon the sound of chopping vegetables echoed from the kitchen. Qiao Ziman looked up and saw Chi Yin wearing her apron, diligently preparing ingredients. The soft, warm light bathed her shoulders, giving the scene an unexpected coziness.
For some reason, Qiao Ziman felt a sense of warmth and comfort from this image. She set the laundry aside and moved closer. “What delicious meal are you making?”
Chi Yin glanced at the figure beside her, sighed softly, and then issued a direct order, “Go wait outside.”
Qiao Ziman: “…”
So now I’m in the way, huh?
“Fine, I’ll go.”
Qiao Ziman hung up the laundry, took a hot shower, and when she came out, two bowls of tomato and egg noodles were set on the small table. The sight of the food made her stomach growl, and she couldn’t help but swallow in anticipation. When she saw Chi Yin coming out of the kitchen, she quickly tried to hide her eagerness.
Chi Yin handed her a pair of chopsticks. “I found these ingredients in your fridge, so let’s make do with this.”
Qiao Ziman leaned in to take a whiff. As the steam rose, she was surprised to realize she could actually smell again. It smelled delicious.
Chi Yin added, “Eat up, take your medicine, and then we should get some sleep early.”
Cough, cough, cough…
Qiao Ziman choked on her first sip of broth, coughing hard. Once she regained her breath, she shot Chi Yin a playful glare. “Boss Chi, you always know how to surprise people. What do you mean by ‘we’?”
Chi Yin cut her off, “Honestly, I had a feeling Lu Yu wouldn’t actually do anything.”
Qiao Ziman: “???”
Did the topic just shift that quickly? Still, Qiao Ziman found herself intrigued.
“Why?” Qiao Ziman asked.
Chi Yin calmly picked up a bite of noodles and ate slowly before explaining, “Gamblers value their lives because they always think there’s a chance for them to turn things around.”
“But that’s a probability issue. What if—what if he really became desperate and lashed out?”
Chi Yin, still unhurried, replied, “I don’t take risks I can’t control. I trained in sanda (Chinese boxing) for five years abroad.”
Qiao Ziman was stunned. No wonder her moves were so quick and precise. She asked, “Boss Chi, is there anything you can’t do?”
Chi Yin smiled faintly. “Life isn’t easy. You have to be versatile.”
This woman always used a light tone to cover up her past struggles. At such a young age, she had gone abroad alone, living in empty rooms with no one to care for her. Even when she got sick, she had to handle it on her own. Cooking, doing laundry—she must have done these things countless times to become so proficient. And training in sanda… was that because she often found herself in dangerous situations?
Qiao Ziman suspected that Chi Yin’s “life isn’t easy” was far more difficult than she let on. The thought made her heart ache a little. After a moment of silence, Qiao Ziman softly said, “Thank you for today.”
Suddenly, Qiao Ziman looked up, her expression serious and sincere as she gazed at Chi Yin. “Thank you for taking care of me. And thank you even more for saving me.”
After finishing their meal, they cleaned up the dishes. Qiao Ziman took her medicine and leaned against the bed to rest. Chi Yin followed her over.
Their eyes met. Qiao Ziman slowly sat up straighter. Chi Yin sat down beside her.
Qiao Ziman was full of questions—why hadn’t she left yet? So, she repeated, “Thank you again for today.”
The “thank you” over dinner was heartfelt; this one was a polite hint for her to leave. Any reasonable person should be able to catch the signal, right? At least, that’s what Qiao Ziman thought.
But Chi Yin continued to gaze at her intently, showing no signs of leaving.
Finally, Qiao Ziman decided to be direct. “It’s getting late, Boss Chi. Shouldn’t you be heading back? I remember your neighborhood’s notice said the water supply was restored this morning.”
Chi Yin nodded and looked at her seriously. “I’m a little worried about you. What if Lu Yu comes back to cause trouble in the middle of the night?”
Qiao Ziman paused to think, then laughed. “Didn’t you just say earlier that he wouldn’t dare?”