Guide Her to Nowhere (NPH) - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: She Smells Good

Faced with triple the salary, Qu Tang shamefully stayed. She guessed that Shi Xi probably did not notice her abnormality, because after being knocked down by the black wolf dog that day, she had never seen Shi Xi and his spirit beast again.

It seemed she could still linger on. Qu Tang’s work at the Shi family was very simple – she only had to walk the dog once in the morning at 8 o’clock and once in the evening at 6 o’clock, each time for an hour, and the rest of the time Qu Tang arranged on her own.

So in addition to the Shi family’s work, Qu Tang had two other jobs – teaching home tutoring for elementary school students and taking care of a disabled elderly woman. The work was flexible, paid by the hour, and paid weekly. Most importantly, she was unlikely to come into contact with sentinels, so her safety value was maxed out.

Originally, she did not want to take the dog-walking job at the Shi family, but who could resist the high salary? It turned out that wealth indeed had to be sought in the midst of danger.

Qu Tang planned to quit after walking the dogs at the Shi family for two more months. This triple salary would be enough to support her in finding her next suitable job.

The future looked promising, and Qu Tang was in a good mood. She hummed a song while making dinner for Grandma Li, cleaned up the kitchen, and said goodbye to Grandma Li:

“Grandma Li, I’m leaving first, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Under normal circumstances, she worked from 10 am to 5 pm, and her job was just to keep Grandma Li company, play chess with her, and occasionally push her wheelchair downstairs for a walk. It was quite relaxing.

Grandma Li took a big, red apple from the fridge and handed it to Qu Tang, “You still have to work, take this apple and eat it on the way.”

“No need, Grandma Li.” Qu Tang didn’t take it, quickly changed her shoes at the door and left, “Goodbye, Grandma Li.”

In this mutated world, a normal apple was worth a week’s salary for her, she was too ashamed to accept it, and staying to eat lunch was already her limit.

After leaving Grandma Li’s, taking the elevator, Qu Tang calculated this month’s income and the materials and daily necessities she needed to buy, but before she could figure it out, the elevator stopped halfway and the door ‘dinged’ open.

A man entered.

The man was in his mid-twenties, very tall, over 1.85 meters, and exceptionally burly, exuding a sense of oppression in the narrow elevator.

He was dressed in black, with a handsome face that could not be covered by his crew cut, but his eyes were blue.

Heterochromia, he was most likely a sentinel, and judging by his rapid breathing and restlessness, he was a sentinel in need of soothing.

This was Qu Tang’s first time being in such close contact with a sentinel, and she dared not gamble on the effectiveness of the suppressant.

She quietly pressed herself into the corner, trying to minimize her presence, praying that the sentinel would not notice her, but lady luck did not seem to be on her side.

The sentinel pressed the button for the basement floor.

The elevator reached the first floor, the door opened, but the sentinel did not move, and Qu Tang did not dare to move either.

The sentinel was standing very close to the elevator door, and if she wanted to get out, she would have to brush past him.

Too close, close enough for ordinary people to smell each other’s breath, let alone a sentinel whose five senses were several times more evolved than an ordinary person’s.

The sentinel turned to look at her.

Qu Tang felt she was undergoing the lingering death penalty. She held her breath and tried to remain calm. “I’m also going to the basement.”

The sentinel’s voice sounded deep due to the effort to control his emotions, “When I came in, only the first floor was lit.”

“I pressed the wrong button.”

“…”

The sentinel’s sharp gaze forced Qu Tang to avoid eye contact.

As the time came, the elevator door began to automatically close, but the sentinel quickly grabbed the door, and the door opened again in response to the sensor.

The sentinel shifted to the side, leaving enough space for Qu Tang to walk out.

Qu Tang looked up at him in amazement.

Sentinels, with their overly sensitive senses, were immersed in the negative factors that ordinary people could not understand, such as harsh noises and pungent smells, so their tempers and patience were usually not good, often resorting to violence at the slightest provocation. Ordinary people respected them, but in reality, they often avoided them.

So, was this sentinel thinking that she was afraid of him and deliberately giving her space?

“Thank you.”

Qu Tang nodded slightly in gratitude and tried to walk past the sentinel as far as possible. However, just as she stepped out of the elevator, her wrist was suddenly grasped by the sentinel.

The sentinel’s palm was scorching hot, and Qu Tang flinched as if she had been electrocuted, but she did not pull away.

She turned and glared at the sentinel, “What are you doing? Let go!”

She didn’t know that there was more fear than anger in her eyes.

Shi Xi met Qu Tang’s gaze, and while his rational mind told him he should let go, his instinct made him grip even tighter.

“You…”

Shi Xi wanted to ask, are you a guide? But he had seen guides before, and if she was one, he would have been able to confirm it at first glance. If she wasn’t, then why did her scent seem so… alluring?

His spirit beast was restless, yearning to come out, to touch her, to embrace her, to gently kiss her…

He could barely suppress it.

“I’m sorry.” Shi Xi released his grip, averted his gaze, and pressed the button to close the elevator door.

He heard the sound of the girl running away quickly.

The elevator doors slowly closed, and Shi Xi rubbed the bridge of his nose, his breathing heavier and more rapid than before.

He urgently needed a guide’s soothing, but as a sentinel not in the White Tower’s roster, he had to submit an application to the White Tower and wait for their arrangement.

He had already submitted his application, but he had not yet received any news on when his turn would come.

He could only wait.

Qu Tang took the bus out of the community, covering her still-pounding heart, pondering the recent events.

That sentinel must have noticed something, but not much, otherwise he wouldn’t have let her go so easily. However, if she encountered him again, he might detect even more.

It seems her father was right, she must stay away from sentinels.

She had been working at Grandma Li’s for a month and a half, and this was the first time she had encountered this person. She hoped he was just a visitor and not a resident here, as she did not want to lose her job at Grandma Li’s place as well.

Encountering the sentinel had instantly dampened Qu Tang’s good mood, and even the three fluffy dog heads couldn’t restore it.

She frowned as she led Shi Xi’s three dogs, putting their collars on one by one, when suddenly a pleasant voice came from above.

“Qu Tang.”

“Hm?” Qu Tang looked up towards the source of the voice and saw Shi Xi, just three steps away.

The handsome Shi Xi.