The Domineering CEO, but a Crybaby! - Chapter 52

Chapter 52. No “Ifs”

◎He Shu got angry: “I said, if!“◎

Inside and outside the door frame, two different people, yet the same silence.

The wind in the corridor blew a strand of white hair, which swayed back and forth in He Shu’s sight.

She blinked and opened her mouth, wanting to say something to break the silent and eerie scene, but it felt like something was stuck in her throat, preventing her from making any sound.

Her heartbeat was also ridiculous, racing fast and erratically.

What was going on… Could this be a hallucination?

How could Cen Qianyi just appear at her doorstep like this?

And in such a disheveled state!

He Shu suddenly snapped back to reality, wanting to ask what was wrong, but before she could speak, the person in her line of sight fell straight towards her.

He Shu’s body moved faster than her mind, and she stepped forward to catch her.

The moment the hot body fell into her arms, He Shu’s first reaction was: she’s alive.

It wasn’t a ghost; it was really Cen Qianyi!

She scooped up Cen Qianyi by the knees and quickly carried her into the room, walking very fast, almost running.

The person in her arms slowly opened her eyes, her gaze trembling with He Shu’s movements, and a few ripples spread in her cold eyes.

Her eyes scanned the visible parts of the room, and she didn’t see a second person. Cen Qianyi closed her eyes again.

She didn’t open them again until her body sank into the soft sofa.

After placing her on the sofa, He Shu was about to get up to check what was wrong with her.

But just as she was about to pull her hand away, a sudden force gripped her neck. Her head was held by a pair of hands, and she couldn’t straighten up.

At the same time, a hoarse female voice, low and deep like the night wind over the sea, came from beside her ear, with an indescribable danger.

“Why did you close the door?”

He Shu was startled by the voice, and her body uncontrollably lunged forward a bit.

And after asking the question, Cen Qianyi also leaned back a little, wanting to face He Shu directly to look into her eyes and hear her answer. But the next moment, her vision went dark, followed by a rush of heat on her nose.

Her half-open eyes suddenly widened, and a look of surprise flickered in her light purple pupils.

He Shu’s pupils trembled. Realizing what she had touched, she ignored the restraint on her neck, straightened up with a sudden force, and stood perfectly straight.

“No, no, no, I’m sorry!”

He Shu looked at Cen Qianyi’s nose, saw the smudge on it, and in a moment of panic, she bent down again to wipe it.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry!”

It wasn’t until her finger brushed over that straight nose that He Shu realized with a jolt, she had just accidentally touched her nose with her lips! Her mouth isn’t dirty! That smudge wasn’t from her!

Meeting Cen Qianyi’s surprised eyes, He Shu quickly explained: “Um, you have a little bit of dirt on your nose, I’ll wipe it for you, wipe it.”

With these two sudden embarrassing incidents, He Shu was so flustered she forgot her initial surprise, only wishing she could turn back time to when she first opened the door!

She nervously looked at Cen Qianyi, waiting for her response. Please don’t misunderstand, she didn’t mean to kiss and touch her, it was a complete accident!

Cen Qianyi reached up and touched her nose, then looked at the embarrassed He Shu. She realized it was just an accident and that she had, at first, misunderstood… The embarrassment in her eyes flashed and disappeared.

A small accident inexplicably changed the atmosphere. He Shu even forgot to ask how she fainted, and how she woke up…

Their eyes met, and there was another moment of silence. Just as He Shu was wondering if she should say something, Cen Qianyi spoke.

She completely skipped over the incident and returned to the original question, asking it more directly.

“What, you didn’t want to see me?”

He Shu immediately shook her head, her body reacting faster than her thoughts. But even after thinking it through, she would have given the same answer. She had originally thought it was Su Ming and was planning to open the door to tell her she’d stay one more night.

The reason was to continue looking for Cen Qianyi.

Thinking of this, He Shu returned to her initial surprise. Now she didn’t have to look; Cen Qianyi had appeared all by herself, right at her doorstep!

This was just unbelievable. Other people find someone by searching “a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly looking back to find that person where the lamps are dimly lit,” but she was even better. She had searched for “an entire day in the crowd, then upon opening the door, that person was right there.”

Remembering that Cen Qianyi had first asked about “closing the door,” He Shu quickly spoke.

“I just saw you suddenly and was a bit surprised. I thought I was mistaken. How are you here? Weren’t you taken away by Yao Bing? And what’s wrong with you? Why do you look like this? What happened? Did you just faint?”

He Shu asked a bunch of questions in one breath, while also using her eyes to check Cen Qianyi’s body.

She was still wearing the dress He Shu had given her, and surprisingly, the dress was very clean. Only her exposed face, hands, and ankles had varying degrees of dirt on them.

Where had she been? What had she done? He Shu looked at Cen Qianyi’s face again. From her overhead angle, she saw that besides the dirt on her face, the dark circles under her eyes were also frightening, and her light purple eyes were bloodshot.

She looked like she hadn’t slept for a very long time…

Cen Qianyi had indeed not slept for a day and a night. As she looked up at the person in front of her, she realized a very bad problem in the day and night she had been away from her.

She couldn’t seem to sleep when she was away from this person.

This made her worse off than before. Previously, although she didn’t sleep much and didn’t sleep well, and was plagued by nightmares, she still got enough sleep to stay alive.

But now, she didn’t know if it was because she had slept so well by this person’s side, but she no longer wanted that kind of sleep that was just for the sake of living…

Cen Qianyi’s eyes narrowed slightly. After taking care of her business, she immediately came back to find this person. But just now, this person had closed the door in her face…

Recalling her feelings from just now… Cen Qianyi didn’t know how to describe it, but if that door hadn’t reopened… she felt like she had a sudden urge to destroy the world… It was a very strange emotion, one she had never felt before.

She didn’t understand the origin of this emotion. Shouldn’t she have just destroyed the person in front of her?

She looked at He Shu. After a day apart, this person hadn’t changed at all…

It seemed to her that whether she was there or not, it didn’t make any difference. Thinking of this, a shadow of gloom filled her light purple eyes.

Cen Qianyi sat up, her gaze softening as she re-examined the room, confirming that all the signs of use belonged to only one person.

Her expression eased slightly, and Cen Qianyi adjusted her posture, leaning back against the soft armrest of the sofa, and continued to look at He Shu.

He Shu had asked a bunch of questions, but Cen Qianyi just looked at her without saying a word, which made her feel nervous.

Seeing the other person looking up at her, He Shu felt a bit condescending standing there. She thought for a moment, and worried that the other person might find her posture offensive, so she went and sat on the other end of the long sofa.

She didn’t dare to rush Cen Qianyi and just waited quietly for her. She didn’t know what Cen Qianyi was hesitating about.

Since she had come back, shouldn’t she have already prepared a story on the way?

What He Shu wanted to know most now was about the matter of the Island of Oblivion. She wanted to know if Cen Qianyi was responsible… If possible, she really wanted to ask her directly.

Cen Qianyi looked at the anxious look in He Shu’s eyes. She seemed to be in a hurry to hear her answer.

Was she worried about her, or was she afraid that her sudden return would cause trouble?

No… The second thought came to her, and Cen Qianyi immediately rejected it. How could this person be afraid of trouble? She was better at causing trouble than anyone else…

So, she was worried about her?

Thinking of this, some of the lingering coldness in her eyes was melted by the warm light in the room.

Cen Qianyi slowly began to speak: “Yesterday, after I left with them, I took advantage of a moment when no one was looking and ran away. I’ve been hiding until today, when I met some people who came to the island to scout for information, and I followed them to escape. I just felt a little dizzy.”

Except for the last sentence, the previous part was a story she had already thought up.

She was supposed to tell her as soon as they met, but she closed the door…

She didn’t know why, but when the door reopened, instead of wanting to teach her a lesson, she decided to try “fainting” to see what her reaction would be.

If she had closed the door again… Cen Qianyi thought, then she would have torn down that door, and then torn apart this person’s bones…

He Shu frowned after hearing Cen Qianyi’s words. She immediately knew it was a lie… How could Cen Qianyi possibly hide…

She was a person who disdained hiding even from the strongest protagonist group; how could a single Yao Bing make her hide?

He Shu tentatively asked: “Do you know that the Island of Oblivion exploded? Where were you hiding? Were you affected?”

Cen Qianyi found out about the explosion after she came back. She was a little surprised that the island had exploded after they left.

When she first heard the news, she was worried that He Shu had been affected.

Even after she found out that He Shu was fine, she still felt uneasy… It wasn’t until she saw the person just now that her heart finally calmed down.

But the moment her heart was at ease, this person closed the door in her face… Cen Qianyi clenched her hands, recalling the scene of He Shu closing the door on her. She felt an indescribable annoyance and a barely controllable surge of aggression.

Cen Qianyi didn’t know why, so she took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself down.

“I know. I was hiding at the security checkpoint when it happened. It was far from the explosion, so I was fine.”

Cen Qianyi’s information was that the explosion on the island was in the area of last night’s banquet, and the surrounding areas were fine. He Shu also knew this, and hearing Cen Qianyi’s seemingly reasonable explanation, she was even more certain that she was lying.

“Many people died on the island,” He Shu said, her voice very low. “Many, many people…”

She didn’t want it to be Cen Qianyi’s doing, she really didn’t want it to be.

Cen Qianyi looked at her sad expression, her eyes twitching. She didn’t like her like this. Thinking that the explosion happened last night, she also had a question to ask.

“Did the explosion affect you? Were you injured?”

Even though she could see with her own eyes that the person was fine.

He Shu shook her head: “I’m fine… but a lot of people died… all those people who attended the banquet last night… the island staff, and the butler at our residence… they’re all dead…”

Her voice got lower and lower, and her mood visibly sank.

Cen Qianyi frowned: “Is it related to you?”

They were all people she had just met, and some couldn’t even be called acquaintances, having only met once.

He Shu looked at Cen Qianyi with a furrowed brow. There was no emotion in her eyes, which was completely in line with her villainous nature.

For some reason, He Shu felt a little sad, but she didn’t know why.

This is how she’s supposed to be, heartless and unfeeling… This matter could even be her doing.

Thinking of this, she looked at her: “I almost died too.”

There was a ripple in Cen Qianyi’s calm eyes: “Huh?”

He Shu: “I was just a little bit away from dying in that explosion.”

She thought about Cen Qianyi telling her to leave last night. Did she also think of this? Did she already have the idea of blowing up the island… So why did she let her go? Was it because she still had some other use, or was it a tiny bit of mercy?

Should she be grateful that she hadn’t completely lost her mind…?

Cen Qianyi looked at the sadness in He Shu’s eyes, and her brows furrowed.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave? Didn’t you leave in time?”

She had heard the general story and estimated the time. He Shu should have left by the time of the explosion, as long as she hadn’t delayed too much… The explosion was in the central area, and she would have been safe as long as she was away from there.

He Shu closed her eyes: “I almost didn’t make it out.”

She simply recounted what happened after they separated.

“After the security checkpoint, I fell into a basement, and there were two people waiting there, who I don’t know. One had a syringe in her hand and was going to inject me with—”

“Inject?” Cen Qianyi interrupted, getting up and kneeling in front of He Shu. Before she could react, she pulled her head by the neck, checking for marks. “Inject you with what?”

He Shu felt the hurried breathing on her neck, paused slightly, then explained: “I don’t know what it was, but the injection wasn’t successful. I subdued them.”

She said this while reaching out to pull Cen Qianyi away, seeing the suspicion in her eyes.

That look seemed to be saying, there were two of them, how did you subdue them?

He Shu: …

She was actually very strong, but the situation at the time would have indeed been tricky without her little cheat.

“I had a stun gun with me,” He Shu admitted.

Cen Qianyi thought of the time He Shu had knocked herself out with it before. That thing was indeed powerful. She was surprised that she was smart enough to bring it with her, but at the same time, something felt off. Where did she get it from?

When she was playing with her waist chain, she didn’t see anything in her pockets, and how did that thing get past security?

She pushed aside these questions, which were not the focus for now, and Cen Qianyi continued to ask the crucial question: “And the syringe? Where is it?”

“Officer Judy took it. She said she would test it and let me know the results.”

Cen Qianyi didn’t trust anyone but herself. It would be more accurate if the item were given to her to analyze.

But there was nothing she could do now. She looked at the person, and for some reason, she felt a lump in her throat.

Even though He Shu didn’t say who did it, Cen Qianyi could tell from her story that it was Yao Bing. She hadn’t expected her to do such a thing!

Cen Qianyi curled her fingers into a tight fist. What a shame, she couldn’t bring that person back to life just to kill her again.

She looked at He Shu, thinking about why Yao Bing would target this person, and asked: “Do you regret it?”

“Huh?” He Shu was confused as to why Cen Qianyi would suddenly say that. And it seemed this wasn’t the first time she had asked her if she regretted something.

“Do you regret it, causing trouble and being a busybody, which almost cost you your life?”

He Shu’s brows furrowed. Busybody? Was she talking about her?

How was she a busybody? In last night’s situation, was she supposed to happily and willingly hand Cen Qianyi over?

Yes, she knew that Cen Qianyi was capable and not some helpless little creature to be bullied.

But on the surface, she didn’t know any of this. If she had done that, Cen Qianyi might have held a grudge against her.

For some reason, He Shu disliked her question, her expression, and her attitude very much. A fire began to surge from her heart.

“Was I nosy? Was I supposed to ignore you and let you get taken away? Was it not my responsibility to let you get taken away by people I don’t know if they’re good or bad? Was I supposed to be someone who doesn’t cause trouble and stands by when you’re in a difficult situation?”

Each “was I?” was said louder than the last.

“Yes,” Cen Qianyi snorted and gave a direct answer. “If I were to fall into such a situation without the ability to fight back, it would be my own problem. If I were that useless, I might as well be dead, I don’t need anyone’s meddling.”

He Shu snorted in return: “Well, I’m not like you. If I were to fall into that situation—”

“You won’t fall into that situation,” Cen Qianyi interrupted her directly.

He Shu got angry: “I said, if!“

“There are no ‘ifs’,” Cen Qianyi looked at He Shu, her tone firm, as if there was no room for negotiation.

He Shu: !

She was so infuriating, completely unreasonable. He Shu took a deep breath, and at the same time, a wave of remorse washed over her. What was she doing? Why was she arguing with Cen Qianyi?

She was a big villain, could she be reasoned with?

She was stupid enough to try and reason with her…

He Shu tried her best to take a deep breath.

Cen Qianyi looked at the rapid rise and fall of her chest, her eyes darkened, and she was also annoyed with herself for wasting time arguing.

She would never let her fall into that kind of situation.

There were no “ifs” where she was concerned.

Cen Qianyi waited for her to calm down and then skipped the topic.

“Where’s my thing?”

“What?”

He Shu looked at her, a puzzled expression on her face.

Cen Qianyi pointed to her wrist: “My diamond bracelet.”

He Shu finally understood, and was a bit surprised: “Didn’t you say you didn’t want it?”

She had given it back to her yesterday.

Cen Qianyi frowned. When did she say she didn’t want it? She just felt it wasn’t convenient to wear it for what she had to do, and it might get dirty, so she asked her to hold on to it for the time being.

“Did I say I didn’t want it?”

He Shu thought back, and it seemed she hadn’t… As Cen Qianyi mentioned the diamond bracelet, He Shu just noticed that her palm was hurting a bit.

“What, did you lose it?” Cen Qianyi saw He Shu’s hesitation, considered another possibility, and her eyes darkened. “Or did you give it to someone else?”

Beneath her lowered eyebrows, black clouds seemed to be brewing. She wasn’t sure what she would do if the other person said “yes”…

Just as the thought crossed her mind, her eyes suddenly lit up.

In He Shu’s open palm, a diamond bracelet lay, quietly sparkling.

He Shu remembered that when she went to open the door, she had been holding it in her hand. After being startled and then angry, she had clenched her fist, forgetting that she was holding it.

She only just realized that she had been clenching it so tightly that the hard diamonds had dug into the soft flesh of her palm, leaving a distinct mark.

Cen Qianyi looked down at the diamond bracelet in He Shu’s palm, surprised that it hadn’t been lost or given to someone else, but had been held tightly in her hand the whole time…

She looked at the mark in He Shu’s palm, the same kind of mark that was left on her own wrist, and her eyes flickered slightly.

She gently took the bracelet, and before the person could pull her hand away, she held onto her fingers.

When Cen Qianyi looked up at He Shu again, it was as if the brilliant sparkle of the diamonds had been crushed and blended into her light purple eyes.

Dazzling and moving.