After Teasing the Heroine and Running Away, I Was Forced into Love - Chapter 49

He Roushuang nearly collapsed as she stepped out of the luxury car, acutely aware of the gazes of the driver and bodyguard nearby.

Their surprised expressions seemed to say, She’s getting out already?

Ridiculous… If she didn’t get out quickly, would they think she was about to have car s3x with Shi Qing?

Ha…

Even if she had such a fetish, now—under the wide-eyed stares of those two—was hardly the time or place.

So, despite her trembling legs, He Roushuang forced herself to maintain a calm facade, pretending nothing had happened as she slowly followed the others to the elevator.

“Next time, we should find a more secluded spot to hide,” the bodyguard muttered. He couldn’t shake the feeling that He Roushuang’s glare held a hint of displeasure, as if they had interrupted something intimate.

“You’re right,” the driver nodded. Getting fired over something like this wouldn’t be worth it.

He even imagined how he’d feel if his own kid stared at him with a toy in hand while he and his wife were trying to get romantic. All those tender, romantic thoughts would have to be suppressed.

Unaware of her subordinates’ musings, He Roushuang simply found them a bit too… straight.

She had indeed considered replacing them with a few more quick-witted young women.

Unfortunately, these were veterans who had served the original owner for four or five years, likely harboring secrets about her.

For safety’s sake, He Roushuang couldn’t rashly dismiss them. She needed to carefully assess what each person knew and what shady tasks they had performed for the original owner.

He Roushuang’s mind wandered. Noticing her distraction, Shi Qing recalled the scenes in the car… and those at the Xu Clan Mansion.

Her fingers clenched lightly. She was determined to advance their relationship, no matter what.

If only for her mother lying in the hospital bed.

But…

Shi Qing couldn’t deceive herself. It wasn’t just for her mother’s sake. More than anything, it was for herself. The feeling of attraction surged within her like boiling water, impossible to suppress no matter how hard she tried.

Even using her mother as a shield couldn’t hide this truth.

When the elevator reached their floor, they stepped out, each lost in their own thoughts. But as Shi Qing punched in the code to unlock the apartment door, He Roushuang felt as if she were waking from a dream.

I can’t afford to be distracted now, she thought. I need to handle this little cat on the verge of a tantrum properly.

As soon as He Roushuang’s attention returned to the person beside her, she saw Shi Qing’s slender fingers unlocking the door. In the next moment, she was being pulled inside.

The apartment was dimly lit, the only light source coming from the open floor-to-ceiling windows.

Beyond the windows lay the dazzling cityscape at dusk, a beautiful and vibrant panorama. Because the apartment was so high up, there was no need to worry about anyone spying on their privacy.

“Sister… focus.”

Shi Qing reached out and gently turned He Roushuang’s face toward her.

He Roushuang gathered her thoughts. She often found herself drifting off, not because she was naturally absent-minded, but because she was slightly afraid to meet Shi Qing’s gaze directly.

“I… can I…”

He Roushuang’s voice trembled as she tried to voice her request, but before she could finish, a finger pressed against her soft lips.

“No.”

“Huh?”

He Roushuang was stunned. There were few canaries in the world bold enough to peck their Gold Master.

Damn it, where did my Overbearing CEO aura go?!

He Roushuang felt a twinge of embarrassment, but then she heard Shi Qing’s slightly aggrieved voice.

“Sister, you promised me.”

“Do as you please with me.”

She had indeed said those words, so now, even as she braced herself for a punishment as fierce as a storm, she could only accept her fate.

“Alright.”

He Roushuang closed her eyes, immediately feeling Shi Qing’s kiss descend. Compared to their initial awkwardness, He Roushuang could now respond in fragmented bursts.

The short walk from the living room to the bedroom stretched into an eternity.

After bringing He Roushuang back to the room, Shi Qing said she was going to fetch something and vanished without a trace, finally giving He Roushuang a chance to catch her breath.

He Roushuang collapsed weakly onto the bed, wondering if this should be enough.

If she hadn’t genuinely been in the wrong, she would never have let her little golden canary peck at her like this.

Gently pressing the back of her hand against her lips, she could still feel a faint sting.

He Roushuang strongly suspected Shi Qing had acted out of revenge.

After all, abandoning one’s true lover in a crowd while introducing someone they’d barely met to their parents and pretending to be a couple in love?

Anyone would be furious.

But her thoughts were quickly shattered. He Roushuang stared in stunned silence as Shi Qing switched on the light and walked over, carrying a cardboard delivery box.

He Roushuang hadn’t seen the cardboard box since that awkward morning. She never expected it to reappear here today.

Shi Qing calmly opened the box.

“I was the one who initiated contact with you, so now… I should fulfill my responsibilities to the end.”

Shi Qing had washed her hands before retrieving the box, and the faint, clean scent of aloe-scented hand soap still lingered on her skin.

Under the lamplight, her slender hands looked like they had been sculpted by an Italian master, born to be admired.

He Roushuang didn’t know what to say, feeling like prey caught in a trap.

Shi Qing leaned closer.

Her dark eyes overflowed with a possessive madness, mirroring the expression she had worn before the blurred relief glass.

Cornered, He Roushuang closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable moment.

Did she hate this?

Not exactly.

He Roushuang even harbored a base thought: Shi Qing now belonged to her.

After all, Shi Qing had actively sought and demanded this.

She could have simply asked for money.

With this thought, He Roushuang seemed to grasp at the last vulnerable point to test the heart of the woman before her.

“Shi Qing, I’ll grant any request you make, even if it’s for money. There’s no need to flatter me like this.”

“Having you by my side, cooking for me, is already emotionally fulfilling.”

He Roushuang said this purely to test Shi Qing’s character. If Shi Qing valued money more than her, there was no point in developing their relationship further, as it would only lead to heartbreak.

Although He Roushuang had previously resolved to take the next step, she found herself hesitating at the critical moment.

When He Roushuang suddenly brought up money, Shi Qing froze.

She had thought herself immune to heartbreak, but this direct blow still caught her off guard.

“I don’t want money,” Shi Qing said, slowly approaching He Roushuang and whispering her true desire in her ear. “I want you, Sister.”

Most of the money He Roushuang had given her had gone toward repaying debts. With the additional support from the donation, her financial pressure had eased considerably.

Now, all that remained was for her mother to accept conservative treatment.

Money had become less important.