This was Mu Keren's third day living in an apartment under Huang Qingtian's name.
She knew it was dangerous to stay in this strange man's apartment.
Yet for Mu Keren, who was practically out of options, it was like a drowning person clutching at a floating log. She knew the log might carry her to shore or drag her into an abyss, but she couldn't help but grasp onto it...
As it turned out, Mu Keren had placed the right bet. In the three days she had been living there, Huang Qingtian hadn't come back once.
And she had gone from sneaking around at first to acting openly now.
After putting the promotional frozen dumplings she snatched up from the supermarket into the fridge, Mu Keren turned and headed to the bathroom.
The sticky humidity of summer was what she could least tolerate. She must take a shower as soon as she entered the house; it was a habit she had developed over many years.
After washing off the sticky sweat under the showerhead, Mu Keren took her towel and carefully wiped every part of her body in front of the mirror.
It wasn't until she reached her buttocks that her brows lightly furrowed, for on her fair and pert bottom was a bruise—a red mark tinged with blue—clearly imprinted there.
It was left by Huang Qingtian that day! And up until today, the mark had not faded.
Every time she saw the bruise during her showers, Mu Keren's brows would furrow. So every time, just like now, she would gently rub the bruise, hoping to speed up the dispersal of the discolouration.
"Hiss... that hurts!" After rubbing a few times, it hurt, and she couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
And just as she was softly moaning, the curtain in another part of the bathroom was pulled open with a "whoosh."
Startled, Mu Keren looked up and saw in the mirror behind her, Huang Qingtian lying unexpectedly in the bathtub.
At that moment, his grey-green eyes were boldly scanning her small figure...
When his gaze landed on the bruise on Mu Keren's pert bottom, a "chuan" character formed between Huang Qingtian's brows!
"Are you hurt?" This was the first thing Huang Qingtian said to Mu Keren during this encounter.
Huang Qingtian's voice made Mu Keren, who had been petrified from the start, scream out loud, "Ah..."
Then, she quickly snatched a hanging towel, wrapped it around her small figure, and dashed out of the bathroom as fast as she could.
And Huang Qingtian, who had witnessed all of Mu Keren's actions, picked up the strawberry-patterned towel she had left behind in her haste.
Huang Qingtian swore he had no wish to walk around his room with such an oddly patterned towel. But since Mu Keren had taken his towel earlier and he hadn't brought any clothes into the bathroom, naturally, he could only use hers.
However, Mu Keren, who was now dressed and had come out, clearly minded this very much.
"How could you wrap my towel around yourself?" Seeing the strawberry-patterned towel wrapped around Huang Qingtian's waist, Mu Keren's face turned beet red.
Huang Qingtian walked past Mu Keren with long strides, went to the fridge to take out a bottle of mineral water, and unscrewed the cap to gulp down most of the bottle in one go.
He acted with ease, completely disregarding the girl's accusation.
After finishing his water, he turned his head to glance at the girl with a powdered pink face, standing stunned like a penguin.
"What?"
Just now, he seemed not to have heard her words. Mu Keren could only bite her pink lips and point at the towel tied around his waist.
"That's mine!"
"Do you need me to return it to you now?" he said, his large hand already landing on that strawberry towel, clearly implying he would pull it off immediately if she nodded.
Her head shook like a bobblehead. If he pulled off the towel now, wouldn't that mean she would have to face his naked body?
Just thinking about that scene made the blush on Mu Keren's face reach her little ears.
"I just got back from a business trip! I might stay here for two days..." said Huang Qingtian, after gulping down a bottle of mineral water and tossing it into the trash.
His voice brought Mu Keren, who was blushing, back to her senses for a moment.
"Ah?" Truth be told, his explanation-like words took her by a little surprise.
"You're back, so you're back. I can move out..." after all, this was his home, not hers.
"Who told you to move out? Just stay!"
Ordinarily, Qingtian didn't think there was anything bad about living alone. But this time, coming back didn't feel the same.
Mu Keren had only stayed here for three days, yet she had already made many changes to his apartment. Of course, she was a proper girl and had not altered any other decorations in the room.
She had only hung clothes on his balcony, placed facial cleanser next to his shaver, and hung her small towel beside his large bath towel...
These changes were actually no big deal. Yet, they added a soft touch to the entire room.
"I'm a bit tired and going to take a nap. You keep doing what you're doing!" After glancing at the girl who stood still by his side, uncertain of what to do, Huang Qingtian took steps toward another bedroom in the apartment...
Huang Qingtian was a bit tired; when he woke up, it was already dark. And inside the house, there was the fragrance of food.
Following the scent, he saw Mu Keren busy at the stove.
Because she was facing away from him, Mu Keren naturally didn't notice Huang Qingtian's approach and kept busy.
Actually, bringing her back had been an unintentional act. But today, her busy little figure gave him a sense of warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.
"What are you cooking?"
His sudden voice startled Mu Keren, and she almost dropped the spoon in her hand.
"You scared me to death!" After she regained her composure and saw clearly that the person beside her was him, Mu Keren patted her heaving chest with her hand and gave him a coquettish glare.
Just one small look was enough to tickle the lips of Huang Qingtian, who was slightly grumpy from waking up.
"You're scared just like that?" He couldn't help but smile when he saw the redness on the tips of her ears.
"Suddenly having a big living person by your side, it would be weird not to get scared!" She pouted her pink lips, expressing her displeasure. Then, she took the spoon again and stirred the contents of the pot with poise, proudly announcing, "I'm making dumplings."
Mu Keren was sure her words didn't imply an invitation for Huang Qingtian to join her for the meal. But who knew, the man still said, "Give me a portion..."