LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 202
On the day Sheng Mumu left for the city of Shen, Qi Shaobai didn't accompany her to the airport.
The unfortunate third-year high school student received a notice to report to school earlier before she could even finish celebrating the Lantern Festival.
As she walked out of the airport, Sheng Mumu shivered from the cold.
The temperature in Beijing during winter was already quite low, but compared to Shen, it was nothing.
Before she could take out warm clothes from her carry-on suitcase, a man's coat enveloped her, and his warm hand held hers, leading her towards the parking lot.
The person sent by Qi Corporation's Shen branch to pick them up was already waiting in the parking lot.
The two of them bent down and got into the car, which then headed towards a resort.
After about half an hour, the car stopped in front of a villa.
It was the same villa they stayed in during their last visit to Shen.
As they stepped inside, Sheng Mumu pursed her lips.
She remembered there was an open bathtub in the master bedroom.
During their last visit to Shen, Qi Mo didn't wait for her to speak and voluntarily suggested he would use the adjacent master bedroom for his grooming.
But today, the man didn't mention a word.
Before going to bed, he took his change of clothes and bypassed the conspicuous bathtub, entering the bathroom that was only shielded by frosted glass on a few sides.
The sound of trickling water seeped into Sheng Mumu's ears.
She couldn't concentrate on anything else.
Her heart was in turmoil.
If he stayed in there, she wouldn't be able to take a bath.
No, she didn't want that.
Her favorite thing to do every day was to take a relaxing bath before bed.
When the sound of water in the bathroom ceased, Sheng Mumu collected herself and pretended to casually scroll through her phone's screen.
Qi Mo emerged from the bathroom, wearing a clean and loose T-shirt, and rubbed his towel-dried hair.
Sheng Mumu didn't lift her gaze, keeping her eyes downcast.
Suddenly, a pair of men's slippers appeared in her line of sight.
Then, she saw Qi Mo's well-shaped calves beneath his loose shorts.
Qi Mo didn't say a word. He walked to the edge of the bed.
He pressed one knee onto the bed, leaning forward.
Sheng Mumu's breath hitched, and she looked up in a daze.
His handsome and captivating face grew closer, hovering above her head.
A droplet of water from his short hair fell onto her hand.
Almost touching her body, his arm supported him on the mattress as he leaned in.
Sheng Mumu shifted backward slightly, so as not to collide with his chest.
Qi Mo extended his long arm, brushing against Sheng Mumu's shoulder.
He picked up his phone from the nightstand and straightened up.
Standing casually by the bed, he looked at his phone.
The light from the screen illuminated his face, creating a play of light and shadow, and his expression appeared as naturally calm as always.
Sheng Mumu was dumbfounded.
Why did he take his phone?
After a while, Qi Mo turned off his phone, rubbed his hair with the towel, and said,
"You take a shower first. I'll go to the study. There's an impromptu video conference I need to attend."
With that, he strode away, closing the door behind him.
Sheng Mumu was left speechless.
Having a video conference late at night?
Doubt lingered in her mind regarding the authenticity of his words. Sheng Mumu filled the bathtub with water and added some essential oil.
Oh well.
She decided not to dwell on whether he was telling the truth or not.
While he was away, she could enjoy the privacy and take a bath first.
Sheng Mumu lay back in the bathtub with her head resting on a towel, making two small buns with her hair on either side.
The water temperature was just right, and steam rose in the air.
The fragrance of carefully selected tea leaves filled the air, offering a soothing and healing aroma.
She comfortably squinted her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the scene from earlier appeared in her mind.
Something was off.
Something was wrong.
He could have easily walked straight to the bedside table to get his phone just now.
Why did he have to cross over from the bed?
Wasn't that taking the long way around?
Her fair and delicate fingertips gently skimmed the water's surface, creating ripples in the calmness.
As the ripples spread and the outermost wave disappeared, Sheng Mumu's eyes suddenly narrowed.
With a belated realization, she sensed the subtle atmosphere that Qi Mo brought with him as he approached her with his phone.
It was an ambiguous atmosphere named "testing."
Should she avoid it or not?
Should she suddenly withdraw or take a small step back?
Every move, even the slightest micro-expression, would probably be caught by that cunning wolf-like man.
He was indeed a modest and composed gentleman, no doubt about it.
But before being classified as a "gentleman," he was first and foremost a man.
Certain hidden and unspoken desires, even if not explicitly voiced, were concealed within his actions.
Sheng Mumu turned over and leaned on the edge of the bathtub.
The steam, infused with the aroma of tea leaves, rose up.
Amidst the misty and moist atmosphere, her ears turned slightly red in secret.
She had a faint premonition that something would happen during this trip to Shen City.
That evening passed without incident.
The next day, both of them revealed their workaholic tendencies and immersed themselves in their respective tasks.
In the following days, Sheng Mumu was busy conducting one-on-one meetings with her employees, selecting suitable candidates to be dispatched to neighboring cities for the establishment of branch offices.
Qi Mo also had no time to relax.
He did have work to attend to during his visit to Shen City. The revenue of the resort was quite impressive, and the group planned to acquire several plots of land nearby to create a larger-scale vacation and tourism complex.
It wasn't until the fifth day when Sheng Mumu finished her work and was flipping through her phone's memo schedule that she suddenly noticed the reminder she had already turned off: "Did you watch a movie today?"
She glanced at the time.
21:47.
Qi Mo had called ten minutes ago, saying he would come to pick her up from the company, and he was probably on his way now.
Sheng Mumu pursed her lips and pondered for a moment before calling Qi Mo.
She asked directly, "Are you up for watching a movie? Right now."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, followed by the magnetic and gentle voice of a man. "Sure, I'll buy the tickets."
Two sentences efficiently decided upon a spontaneous date.
Sheng Mumu estimated the time.
It was getting late, and there were probably not many showings left at the movie theater.
It would be quicker if they agreed on a meeting point and went separately.
"You don't have to come to pick me up. I'll go by myself. Just pick a seat and send me the address," she said before finishing her words, only to be interrupted by a low and mellow voice on the other end of the line.
"I'm downstairs."
Sheng Mumu was taken aback, feeling somewhat helpless. She let out a soft sigh. "...Alright."
She had told him several times not to wait for her downstairs at the company. If he insisted on coming, there was no need for him to arrive so early.
It made sense if he came to pick her up after work when they were in Beijing, but the branch office in Shen City required a significant detour. Coming all the way here just for this was unnecessary.
But her words had no effect.
Every time she walked out of the office building, she would always see his car parked by the roadside, his face wearing an innocent and pure expression, claiming that he had just arrived.
Sheng Mumu felt helpless and shrugged before heading downstairs.
Well, forget it.
I'll have a chance to reason with him another day.
As soon as she settled into the passenger seat, Qi Mo handed her his phone.
"I've picked a movie, take a look."
The screen displayed a brief description of the film.
Sheng Mumu glanced at it briefly. It was an obscure art-house romance.
The man focused on the road ahead, started the car, and casually said, "There aren't many options for movies. We only have two choices, and the other one is a horror film. If you want to watch a horror film, we can still change it now."
"No, I don't dare watch horror movies." Sheng Mumu quickly declined, crossing her hands in front of her chest, forming a large "X" gesture.
"In that case, this one?" Qi Mo's gaze shifted over, and the corners of his lips curled up by a few pixels. He added, "This film is more niche, with a bold directorial style. Take a look at the synopsis first."
Sheng Mumu handed the phone back with an indifferent expression.
"No need to look if you don't want to. Being niche isn't scary, and a bold style isn't scary either, as long as it's not horror."
The man chuckled softly, nodded slightly, and tapped his forehead.
"Alright."
One hour later.
When the male protagonist on the screen grabbed the female protagonist's hand, kissed her hand, and then moved up to her neck.
Sheng Mumu blinked in a daze, held her breath, blushing, and tugged at the man's clothes beside her.
"So... it's this kind of... boldness."