Chapter 74: Thought They Had Run Away

Duan Qingyu walked in, his eyes scanning the room, which looked the same as when he had left. His grip on the doorknob tightened slightly, and he shut the door behind him.

The lights were still on, but the place was very quiet, as if no one had been there.

He walked into the living room—empty.

His expression remained cold, but there was a chilling intensity in his gaze.

He casually picked up a cushion that had fallen to the ground and placed it back on the sofa, then noticed the black high heels left carelessly beside it.

Duan Qingyu raised his eyes, and the gloom in his eyes dissipated completely.

He looked toward the closed bedroom door, walked over, and opened it.

The room inside was dim, with only the light filtering through the slightly open curtains. He could vaguely make out a figure on the bed.

Duan Qingyu stood at the doorway for a moment, then slowly walked toward the bed.

Lying quietly on the bed was a person, eyes tightly closed, sound asleep. Her black hair spread across the pillow, pure white as snow, like a beautiful painting that immediately drew attention.

Her breathing was shallow, seeming to sleep soundly, but with a hint of exhaustion, likely from not having rested well earlier on the sofa in the living room, prompting her to rush back to the room to sleep.

Duan Qingyu stood at the bedside, the dark shadow from him enveloping her. He took her hand, which was exposed outside the blanket, and sat down beside the bed.

He remembered the change in his feelings when he first saw Ji Xueli. At first, he thought she had run away. In that split second, a single thought crossed his mind…

To tie her up and bring her back.

He quietly watched her, the faint moonlight shining through the gap in the curtains, casting light on the bed. He gently held her fingertips.

Finally, he pressed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

This time, he wouldn’t let her escape.

“Dinglingling.”

The phone rang, disturbing Ji Xueli, who furrowed her brows and turned over in her sleep.

Duan Qingyu let go of her hand, picked up the phone from the bedside table, immediately silencing it, and saw who was calling.

It was Ji Yanzhou.

Without hesitation, he hung up and powered the phone off.

---

When Ji Xueli woke up, most of the lights outside were already off.

She yawned and sat up. The first thing she did was turn on the light and look for her phone, but it had a black screen. What? Did it run out of battery?

Ji Xueli was puzzled. She clearly remembered having some battery left. She long-pressed the power button and got out of bed, preparing to find a charger.

As she opened the door, she saw a tall, dark figure on the sofa. The man had his legs crossed, lounging lazily, looking at his phone. His collar was slightly open, his pale skin glowing, and the outline of his collarbone was barely visible.

She momentarily blinked in surprise. How long had he been here? Was he waiting for her to wake up?

“You’re awake. Does your foot still hurt?” Hearing the noise, Duan Qingyu looked over and spoke.

Ji Xueli shook her head, still seeming a bit drowsy. “It doesn’t hurt as much.”

“What time is it?” she asked, noticing his presence, realizing the party was probably over.

Duan Qingyu put down his phone and stood up. “It’s just past one. Are you hungry?”

“How is it already early morning? I am kind of hungry now,” Ji Xueli said in surprise, not expecting to have slept for five hours.

In the production crew, sometimes she’d only get three or four hours of sleep in a whole day. To sleep for this long was quite unusual for her.

“How long have you been sitting here?” Ji Xueli couldn’t help asking, seeing how he looked; he definitely hadn’t just arrived.

“Three or four hours,” he answered nonchalantly, as if it had only been a few minutes.