Sheng Xiangsi frowned, enduring extreme displeasure.
"Mr. Fu, you must be paranoid. I don't know anything about it; I came when Grandma told me to! I might not be upright and righteous, but if I said I wouldn't pester you, then I won't!"
Angrily, she turned and stormed off.
"Sheng Xiangsi, where are you going?"
Was she furious out of shame?
Fu Hanjiang watched her retreating figure with a deep gaze, laughing in frustration as his chest felt tight for a few seconds, "Run, then. Fine, if I care about you again, I'm a pig!"
Meanwhile, Sheng Xiangsi stood where she had gotten off the bus, dumbfounded. There really were no return buses? What should she do now?
Looking around, she found herself in a desolate place without a village or shop in sight.
Then, a black Cayenne pulled up in front of her.
The window rolled down, "Xiangsi."
Seeing who it was, Sheng Xiangsi realized it was Qin Yanzhi, whom she had met a few days ago.
The Qin and Fu families had business dealings, so his presence here wasn't surprising.
"Mr. Qin."
"Huh?"
Qin Yanzhi laughed at the title, "Why call me Mr. Qin? I'm a few years older than you, calling me brother isn't too much, is it?"
Sheng Xiangsi brushed her hair back, "Brother Yanzhi."
"That's better."
Qin Yanzhi was satisfied, "There are no return buses at this time. What are you doing here?"
Before she could answer, he continued.
"Get in."
"Thank you."
Sheng Xiangsi didn't refuse and got into his car.
In the car, she explained what had happened.
Feeling a bit remorseful, she said, "If I had known, I wouldn't have had afternoon tea with Grandma. I should have delivered it earlier."
Qin Yanzhi immediately understood—it was likely Fu Mingzhu's deliberate arrangement.
He glanced at the girl beside him and teased, "Is that really the case? Didn't you want to stay and have a chance to spend time with Hanjiang? Maybe rekindle your relationship?"
"?"
Sheng Xiangsi was stunned for a moment, then bitterly smiled.
Given how she had clung to Fu Hanjiang in the past, it was understandable that Qin Yanzhi, unaware of recent developments, would think this way.
Sheng Xiangsi sighed, "That was the old me; it's all in the past. Besides... there was never anything to 'rekindle' between us."
So, there was no possibility of rekindling anything.
Qin Yanzhi fell silent.
Looking at the quiet girl in the rearview mirror... she was indeed very different from before.
By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already past six.
Qin Yanzhi looked down at Sheng Xiangsi, "Are you hungry? Let's eat something first. I'm hungry too and still have work to do later. Come, join me for a meal."
"Alright."
They went to the restaurant together, and Qin Yanzhi ordered for both of them.
"Eat up," he said.
"Thank you, Brother Yanzhi."
She was indeed hungry; the afternoon tea had long since worn off.
As they ate, Qin Yanzhi's phone kept ringing. He was here on business, so it was unavoidable.
After hanging up one call, another came in.
"Yes, it's me."
Whatever was said on the other end made Qin Yanzhi frown and stand up, "Really? Wait, I'll check…"
He seemed to have an urgent matter.
Putting his phone away, he said hastily to Sheng Xiangsi, "I need to handle something. Take your time eating."
He pointed to his own plate, "Eat what you like from mine, just don't overeat."
"Okay…"
Before she could finish, Qin Yanzhi hurried off.
Because he was a friend of Fu Hanjiang, Sheng Xiangsi felt more at ease without him around and ate heartily.
After finishing her drink, she noticed Qin Yanzhi's drink.
It looked like plain water?
Thinking so, she picked it up and drank several mouthfuls, "Cough, cough!"
She choked.
"What is this?"
Sheng Xiangsi's face scrunched up, sticking out her tongue, "So spicy!"
She realized it was strong liquor! She decided not to touch Qin Yanzhi's share anymore and continued eating her own meal.
After finishing, Sheng Xiangsi's head felt dizzy, and two blushes appeared on her cheeks.
The strong liquor had gotten to her.
She mumbled to herself, "What should I do tonight?"
This was a hotel, should she get a room?
That wouldn't do; even the cheapest room cost several hundred yuan, and she definitely wouldn't spend that money. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the lobby.
The lobby had a rest area with sofas.
Sheng Xiangsi sat down on a sofa, planning to stay there for the night.
During her time in Philadelphia, she worked night shifts at a supermarket and stayed up all night without issues.
However, she underestimated the effect of those few sips of strong liquor…
Her head grew dizzier, her eyelids heavier, and she slumped against the sofa, drifting in and out of sleep.
But her racing heart prevented her from falling asleep completely.
It was uncomfortable…
"Achoo!"
Feeling drowsy, Sheng Xiangsi sneezed.
Yinhu was in a mountainous area, and the night brought a chill. Sleeping here made her catch a cold.
"Achoo, achoo!"
After their meeting, Fu Hanjiang and Qin Yanzhi returned together, and as they stepped into the lobby, they heard a series of sneezes.
They looked over and saw Sheng Xiangsi slumped on the sofa.
Qin Yanzhi spoke first, "Oh no, I got so busy I forgot about Xiangsi!"
He quickly moved forward.
"What's going on!"
Fu Hanjiang frowned, grabbing him swiftly, "Didn't she leave? What do you mean you forgot her?"
"You've got nerve."
Qin Yanzhi felt his friend was being unkind, "She came to deliver documents, didn't you know there were no more buses? Letting a girl find her own way back?"
"Hmph."
Fu Hanjiang sneered, "She chose to leave, trying to cling to me. When I saw through her, she couldn't stay."
"?"
Qin Yanzhi laughed in disbelief, shaking his head, "Don't worry. From what I see, she won't cling to you anymore."
He moved forward again.
"Tsk." Fu Hanjiang pulled him back, "What's it to you?"
"Hey." Qin Yanzhi's temper flared, "Didn't you say you wouldn't care?"
"I said she ran off on her own."
Leaving those words, Fu Hanjiang headed towards the sofa area.
Qin Yanzhi hurried to catch up, "Treat her better! She's still a girl…"
At the sofa, Fu Hanjiang stood in front of Sheng Xiangsi.
She had just finished wiping her nose with a tissue, her nose slightly red. Realizing someone was in front of her, she looked up.
Her almond eyes blinked, her expression serious.
"Cough, what are you looking at?"
For some reason, Fu Hanjiang felt a bit embarrassed, "Aren't you capable? Weren't you not going to pester me? Why are you still here?"
Sheng Xiangsi pouted, not speaking, looking very aggrieved.
Wait…
Fu Hanjiang caught a whiff of her scent and suddenly became alert, "Sheng Xiangsi, did you drink?"
He squatted down, meeting her eye level. The smell of alcohol became more evident.
"Hehe!"
Suddenly, Sheng Xiangsi smiled at him.
She raised her hand and gestured, "Just a little, just a little!"
Instantly, Fu Hanjiang's breath caught.
All he could see was her smile…
That smile was like being pierced by a thousand arrows and silenced by a single sword. It was deadly!