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Chapter 18

◎ You lit the fire of love, so you must take responsibility. (Second update) ◎

When she said that, Shen Qingshi seemed to come back to his senses. He gently kissed her lips again, pressed his finger to her chin, and let her go a little.

In a low, husky voice, he said, “—Sorry.”

Her hair was messy, her clothes rumpled from being pulled around, and her lipstick smudged from his kisses. Her face was flushed like it had been boiled.

Leaning against the pillar, barely able to stand, she hugged her arms and said, “What are you apologizing for? I’m telling you—when you start a fire of love, you have to take full responsibility for it.”

Shen Qingshi quickly steadied her, his manner calm and gentle. “I will take responsibility for you.”

Chu Zhixia: “…”

Why did it feel like he misunderstood what she meant?

He lowered his head and somewhat clumsily helped smooth her hair and straighten her clothes.

“Alright, alright, stop fussing. Isn’t someone coming over there—” The way he was tidying her made it look like they had actually done something, though they hadn’t at all… Chu Zhixia faintly felt there was movement from that direction, maybe a teacher getting off work and walking this way.

“Someone is coming,” Shen Qingshi said, his tone calmer now, his gaze clear again.

“Then let’s go—what if it’s the teacher who just interviewed me?” Chu Zhixia didn’t bother arguing anymore. She grabbed his hand and ran toward the end of the path. “Run!!”

---

Back at the hotel, it was already close to ten o’clock.

How long had they been kissing…?

Stepping slowly into the hotel elevator, she still didn’t quite get it. Tilting her head to look at him, she asked, “Dr. Shen, you really won’t stay in the same room with me?”

I mean, hadn’t they just been all over each other for half the night…

She hinted madly, “I booked a standard room, two beds.”

“No need. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” Shen Qingshi replied, as if completely set on not staying with her. He’d returned to his earlier cool, gentle, unruffled demeanor.

Acting all proper now… when clearly just earlier…

Thinking of that scene, Chu Zhixia couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

His room was right next to hers—there were plenty of empty rooms since most people had left after the afternoon exams. The elevator quickly reached the fourth floor. He let her go out first, carrying her big bags, and asked curiously, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

Their rooms were just around the corner. Chu Zhixia took her bag and erhu from his shoulder, pulled out her room card, and noticed he was swiping his too.

She couldn’t help but tease him again: “I was just thinking about the part of you that’s harder than your mouth.”

Shen Qingshi: “…”

He was sharp enough to catch her innuendo instantly.

It was a bit much, especially for a gentleman like him—this wasn’t just the usual “husband-wife” joke.

His face darkened slightly, as if a little embarrassed. He pressed his lips together and was about to go inside.

Chu Zhixia, quick as lightning, added, “Very, very hard—”

And very big…

Ridiculously big…

Tall and slim guys are just…

She finished the thought in her head before she could say it aloud.

The door closed.

Good manners. Good upbringing.

Even then, he didn’t slam the door in her face.

Chu Zhixia was perfectly satisfied—not just with his body, but because she loved a beautiful man with a good temper, someone she could mold as she liked.

But it was already late, and after several exhausting days, she finally felt the relief of having finished the exams. She didn’t even bother packing for tomorrow, took a shower, and passed out on the bed.

---

The next morning, she woke up to find it was almost eleven.

Glancing at her phone, she pulled back the curtain a bit. Bright, blinding sunlight streamed in, and she instantly sat upright, wide awake.

Where was Shen Qingshi?

Then she remembered—he was in the room next door.

A little disappointed, she ran her fingers through her hair, got up, and washed up. Since the exams were over, she had all the time in the world. She’d already decided before bed—if the train ticket could be refunded, fine, if not, also fine. She was going to pester Dr. Shen to spend a whole day with her in Haishi, and only after she’d had her fill would she return to Nancheng.

Luckily she’d brought plenty of clothes. She picked a clean set she hadn’t worn yet, tied her hair into a ponytail, put on light makeup, and went to knock on his door.

No answer?

She knocked again and again, starting to feel uneasy. Could she have actually scared him off last night? Spotting a cleaning lady, she asked, “Excuse me, has the guest in 8406 checked out?”

“No, I don’t think so,” the cleaning lady replied uncertainly. “You can check with the front desk.”

Chu Zhixia rushed to the elevator and headed down. As soon as the doors opened, she rounded the corner into the lobby and let out a long sigh of relief.

The hotel lobby was the only part that looked remotely stylish—bright windows, soft green sofas, warm orange low chairs, walnut long tables, neat and clean. There was a coffee machine, hot milk, orange slices, and hard orange candy. The air was filled with fresh citrus fragrance.

Grabbing a handful of candy, Chu Zhixia walked toward Shen Qingshi.

The other exam candidates had long gone home, and with the new campus being remote, the lobby was quiet. He sat by a large window facing the street, legs crossed, leisurely reading a business book—looked like some kind of financial journal from the cover.

She didn’t know he was into business.

But then again, he was an elite among elites.

She was just about to sneak up and scare him when he looked up, as if he’d known she was there all along.

His gaze had returned to its usual calm and quiet.

---

“Awoo~” Chu Zhixia still let out a little “awoo,” making claw shapes with her hands before sitting down beside him. She teased, “You’re really no fun at all.”

She naturally rested her head against his shoulder, slowly unwrapping the foil of an orange hard candy for him, and handed it over. “Here—since I got up late and kept you waiting, I’m treating you to candy.”

Shen Qingshi glanced at her, slowly closed the book resting on his lap, set it down beside the wooden table, then took her hand. Bringing it to his lips, he lowered his head and took the candy straight from her hand with his mouth.

Chu Zhixia stared at him in shock, her face instantly flushing red.

The warmth from his breath still lingered in her palm.

This man…

Since last night, had he been possessed or something? Cool and aloof yet somehow so provocative…

How could he perform such a seductive action so casually!!!

“Let’s go,” he said after finishing the candy, standing up to put the book back on the shelf. Turning back, he saw her still frozen on the sofa. Glancing at his watch, he added, “Let’s check out first, then get some food. Where do you want to go?”

It was only then that Chu Zhixia noticed he had dressed up today as well.

White shirt, black trousers, a long deep-gray trench coat with a weighty drape—fresh and clean, like a refined, noble young man who had just graduated. But she had sharp eyes; no matter how understated the brand, she could still recognize it. These few pieces were all high-end designer—expensive enough to buy out this shabby hotel.

She admired him for a while, then leaned lazily to the side. She was still quite tired, after all—they’d been staying up late for a long time. “We’re actually very close to Disneyland here—just a few subway stops away.”

“Don’t want to go?” Shen Qingshi could tell.

Chu Zhixia answered honestly, “Truthfully, I just want to find a nicer hotel and sleep.”

When she finished speaking, she noticed the look he gave her—it carried an unclear meaning.

“What are you thinking? I just want to sleep, not sleep with you.”

She gave a light hum, only to see him avert his eyes with that cool, restrained expression.

What kind of person was this?! Wasn’t he the one who thought something dirty first?!!

Chu Zhixia felt there was no reasoning with him, so she simply stopped trying and spoke her true thoughts. “Or we could just play games. I really want to play games—really, really want to play! Best if there’s somewhere I can both play games and sleep… play while sleeping…”

Shen Qingshi: “…Got it.”

Forty minutes later—

Shen Qingshi drove them into the city. His driving was fast yet steady, and the faint scent in the car was pleasant. She had slept so much she still felt sleepy, dozing off most of the way. When she came to, they were already in an extremely comfortable and luxurious hotel suite.

“Wow—” Chu Zhixia walked to the window. From here, one could overlook the entire gorgeous river view. Today, there was a thin layer of mist; yachts drifted faintly on the water, and directly across stood the city’s iconic, sky-high skyscrapers—steel and glass forming the familiar bustling cityscape seen in films.

She had wanted a nice hotel to sleep in, but she didn’t expect this nice.

Nice to the point of being ridiculous.

She turned around, feeling a little unnatural—mainly because she had actually been here before on a work trip, and she knew the price: over 300,000 yuan per night.

Back then, her colleagues had joked about pooling 50–60,000 each just to come up and “see the place.”

Her family background wasn’t bad—she had stayed in hotels costing tens of thousands before—but that was during vacations. Spending over 300,000 just to catch up on sleep was a bit much.

But judging from Shen Qingshi’s demeanor—he probably looked the same last night in that tiny rundown hotel. Just… staying. And this did match her request: a very good hotel.

Shen Qingshi had already sent away the attentive suite butler. Because of work, he always carried a laptop, and now he had set it up for her on the dark long desk in the reception area with the best view.

“What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw her standing still.

“Don’t overthink it—it’s my family’s long-term suite. If it’s empty, it’s empty; the price isn’t the same as market rate.” He bent down to plug in the internet and power, turned on the computer, and gestured with his eyes: Come and play.

“Oh.”

Well, since it was already open, she might as well accept it. Expensive was expensive—just a little bit more expensive.

She quickly sat down, and he leaned against the desk, watching to see if she needed anything else. She reached out to take his hanging hand, gently rubbing his fingers and the spaces between them.

Chu Zhixia said, “Then stay here with me. In a suite this big, I’d be scared alone.” It was indeed huge—walking from one end to the other was like navigating a little maze.

“Alright.”

There were many rooms, and it was daytime—he didn’t think anything would happen.

Feeling reassured, Chu Zhixia noticed his laptop desktop was full of neatly organized documents, data, and academic papers—but no games.

“Can I really install a game? I won’t crash your computer, will I?” she asked doubtfully.

“No, you won’t. Go ahead.” He glanced down at her hand—while she was focused on the screen, she was still tenderly and playfully caressing his fingers, weaving between them. Several times he tried to pull away, only for her to hold on tighter.

“Forget it.”

With such a beauty in front of him, Chu Zhixia lost interest in using his laptop anyway—plus she didn’t want to mess it up.

He had teased her all day and still wanted to avoid her?

She tightened her grip on his hand, palm to palm, got up from the chair, and directly sat on the long desk. Hooking her calves around him, she tilted her head up and gazed at him. “Dr. Shen, give me a kiss—”

Her eyes sparkled, moist and luminous, reflecting bits of sunlight scattered across the river view behind him. The mottled, delicate light danced on her curled eyelashes as they fluttered. Her voice was soft and sweet.

He paused—how could he resist such temptation? Without waiting for her to embrace him, he leaned down and captured her lips.

The first time is unfamiliar; the second time comes naturally.

Last time, it was both of their first kiss—teeth bumped into teeth, and they didn’t know when or how to use their tongues.

They were both smart; this time went much smoother.

Lips and tongues explored, entwined.

Chu Zhixia soon felt tingles down her spine—his kissing skills had improved at an astonishing rate. If she hadn’t been holding his hand, she would have melted backward onto the desk. She bit his lip lightly to stop.

“Hmm?” he looked down at her through lowered lashes.

“I want to do it here,” she said, gazing straight at him, voice soft to the point of collapse—gentle, yet openly, honestly confessing her desire.

Three hundred thousand yuan…

And the view here was so beautiful, surrounded on all sides by windows.