Qin Heng stared at her, unhurriedly wiping the saliva from his face.
He didn't even have a single word of complaint.
Just then, he noticed the phone in Luo Shu's hand. The call had just connected when he snatched it away.
"Give it back! Qin Heng!"
She couldn't move, screaming hysterically.
"Still counting on him at a time like this? Hmph! If he finds out you're pregnant with his child today, he'll probably be trying to find a way to make you get rid of it tomorrow, right?"
He sneered, hung up the phone, and tossed it aside.
"He wouldn't! Not everyone is like you!"
"I did all of this for you, Luo Shu! I love you! I really, really love you!"
The reek of alcohol sprayed from his mouth.
"Qin Heng, I believe you love me. Just let me go first, and we can talk things out properly..."
Luo Shu pleaded, afraid of angering him.
But his eyes were bloodshot; he had already lost all reason.
He leaned over her, looking at her, and suddenly ripped off her already torn dress.
Riiip—
She felt a sudden chill as her bare skin was exposed to the air. A long, red mark was instantly left on her porcelain-white shoulder.
"Qin Heng! Are you crazy!"
"Yes, I am crazy!" he roared!
Just then, a loud banging sound came from the door.
"Help! Help! Mmph!"
Luo Shu's mouth and nose were covered by his large hand.
She was suffocating.
Her mind was a chaotic mess.
"Shut up!"
Qin Heng's strength was immense. He pressed down so hard that the bridge of her nose hurt, and her cheeks were squished out of shape.
Everything started to go dark…
…
But soon, Luo Shu felt her body lighten. Fresh air rushed in, and she felt alive again…
"Cough, cough…" Luo Shu choked.
And Qin Heng had been dragged to the floor by a figure. She could hear the heavy thud of flesh hitting flesh, and pained groans.
Once, twice…
By the time she had recovered, climbed up from the sofa, and come back to her senses, she saw Yu Zhan standing in the living room.
His eyes were savage. Specks of blood were splattered on his rimless glasses, and his white shirt was stained red with blood.
He was calmly wiping the blood from his hands with a tissue.
"Ugh—" And Qin Heng was lying on the floor, groaning in pain.
His blood was pooling on the floor, and the room was filled with the sickening smell of it.
"Yu Zhan?"
This wasn't a dream—
It was him.
"Mm." He glanced over at her.
Luo Shu's dried tears began to stream down her face again, uncontrollably.
Just then, Shen Yan rushed in, his feet clattering on the unhinged door.
"Call the police, and an ambulance. And notify the Qin family's people," Yu Zhan ordered.
"Okay…"
Shen Yan, out of breath, fumbled for his phone, his face pale as his trembling hands dialed the emergency number.
Yu Zhan let out a barely audible sigh, picked up the suit jacket he had tossed on the sofa earlier, and walked towards her.
He knelt on one knee on the sofa, his chilling eyes locked on her. He roughly draped the jacket over her and then pulled her towards him.
"I'm asking you one last time. Are you coming with me or not?!"
He gripped her by the collar of the jacket, trapping her small frame within it.
His tone was harsh, so harsh that if she shook her head, he would turn and leave without another word.
"I'll go."
Her tear-filled eyes looked up at him, the broken word escaping her hoarse throat without hesitation, stirring a deep sense of pity.
Yu Zhan's Adam's apple bobbed. He thought he had misheard, stunned for several seconds.
"Are you sure?"
Luo Shu didn't speak. She knelt up, her trembling eyelashes closing as she pressed her cold lips against his thin ones, which were stained with a hint of blood.
Their hot breaths mingled for an instant, then quickly parted.
Yu Zhan's eyes darkened. He reached out his warm, large palm, stroking the tear stains on her face, and then pulled her into his embrace.
Soon, the police arrived, and the questioning went smoothly.
Then, the paramedics came and took Qin Heng away.
——
"I'll take her back first. You find someone to move her luggage."
Yu Zhan held her tightly in his arms, stroking her sweat-dampened hair. Then, he carefully scooped her up into a princess carry and walked out the door.
"Okay," Shen Yan replied.
Luo Shu secretly peeked up at him, inhaling his unique scent.
He carried her the entire way, into the car, to his apartment. He didn't let her touch the ground until they were in the bathroom.
"I can do it myself."
The bathroom was large, but the enclosed space made her feel nervous and scared.
"Okay. I'll go get you some clothes. You can make do with them for now."
Yu Zhan didn't linger and turned to leave.
Luo Shu let out a sigh of relief. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself, unable to shake off the trauma of what had just happened.
She looked at the jacket on her, took it off, and secretly gave it a kiss. "Thank you."
Knock, knock… A knock sounded on the bathroom door.
Luo Shu opened a small crack. A large, veiny hand holding a white shirt reached in.
She took it. A pair of slippers were also tossed onto the floor.
"Thank you."
"Call me if you need anything."
"Okay."
After some time, she had dried her hair in the bathroom and pulled her long tresses to the front to cover her chest, because she didn't have a bra, and wearing his black shirt would be too revealing.
To put it simply, she was wearing nothing underneath.
She mustered up her courage and walked out.
There was no one in the room. She passed through the study, walked through the walk-in closet, and finally arrived at the familiar 'battlefield' from that night.
Her hands clenched, and a wave of nervousness and fear washed over her.
Just then, she heard a rustling sound outside the door. She quickly dove under the covers.
Knock, knock, knock… A knock on the door.
"Come in," she replied cautiously.
The person who opened the door was Yu Zhan. He walked in, pulling a suitcase behind him. It was her suitcase.
"All your luggage has been brought over. I've requested a day off for you tomorrow. Rest for a day before going back to work."
"Change your clothes first. Call me when you're done. I'll put some ointment on for you later."
"Okay."
He had showered at some point and had already changed into clean loungewear.
His tone was as cold as ever, without a trace of emotion. He didn't even look at her as he walked out, gently closing the door behind him.
Luo Shu stared blankly at the door.
She admired his composure, his gentlemanliness. She had to admit, if she loved him, he would be a very good partner.
She opened her suitcase. She was used to living alone, so all her pajamas were of the most fabric-saving kind. In the end, she decided not to change. Over his large shirt, she put on her underclothes and then called him in.
Yu Zhan came in with a first-aid kit and placed it by the bed.
Luo Shu hadn't noticed until now, but her hands were covered in scrapes.
His movements were gentle. He held her hand with one hand and carefully applied the ointment with the other.
Her wrists were completely red, and her face was also slightly swollen.
"How did you get here so fast?"
She was very curious. He had arrived right after she had called him.
"I followed you from the hospital. We only left after you had gone upstairs. As we were leaving, we saw Qin Heng get into the elevator. I was worried he would hurt you, so we turned back. And that's when I got your call."
"You followed me back?"
"Mm."
"It's a good thing you came…" she replied softly.
Yu Zhan's ears turned bright red.
"But I broke your door again."
"Pfft…" Luo Shu chuckled.
This was the second time he had broken her door. Another three thousand yuan gone.
"Now for your face," Yu Zhan said, letting go of her hand and picking up a new cotton swab.
Luo Shu swallowed, not knowing where to look.
Yu Zhan still had his ice-block face on, his expression unreadable. She could only see him gently holding her chin and applying the medicine to her face.
His clean scent washed over her. Their breaths mingled, and the atmosphere began to grow ambiguous.
Luo Shu could faintly hear both of their heartbeats. Only then did she realize how close they were.
This was the first time she had looked at him so closely, so close that she could even see the fine pores on his face.
His face was flawless—thick brows, almond eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin, cherry-red lips. So kissable…
Luo Shu felt a bit shy about her own wild thoughts and quickly lowered her head.
"Did I hurt you?"
Even his gentle words were spoken in a cold tone.
"No, no…"
Yu Zhan noticed the blush on her cheeks and averted his gaze as well.
"The other side," he reminded her.
Luo Shu quickly turned her face. To prevent herself from having any more wild thoughts, she closed her eyes, choosing not to look.
A corner of Yu Zhan's mouth curled up as he looked at the girl who was flushed completely red.
After applying the medicine, he began to pack up and said:
"You haven't had dinner today, have you? Shi Fu sent over some food. Let's go down and eat together before you sleep."
"Okay."
"I'll wait for you on the first floor."
Yu Zhan left first, giving her some time to compose herself.