Leaving Er Ya’s room, Xia Qingtian wore a slightly somber expression.
Her phone and Er Ya had both been handed over to Xia Shang, so theoretically, the night’s affairs were settled.
But why did she still feel like something was off? It was as if she had forgotten something, and her chest felt uncomfortably heavy.
As she passed the stairs, Xia Qingtian heard Aunt Liu’s voice from downstairs.
“Oh my!” Aunt Liu exclaimed. “Miao Tong, why are you lying here? You child… get up quickly!”
“Oh no!” Xia Qingtian suddenly remembered something and hurried downstairs, helping Miao Tong up with Aunt Liu.
Miao Tong looked utterly lifeless.
*Tired, let there be destruction.*
“Miao Tong, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Xia Qingtian quickly apologized. “Does it hurt?”
“What do you think?” Miao Tong looked at Xia Qingtian with a mournful gaze. “You tricked me…”
“I’m sorry… I really didn’t know Er Ya would…” Miao Tong interrupted Xia Qingtian before she could finish.
“It’s my fault too. I knew that getting close to the Tang family would bring misfortune, yet I was careless…” Miao Tong shook her head and said, “I was terribly wrong…”
“Miao Tong…” Xia Qingtian tried to comfort her. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I thought since she was so drunk, she wouldn’t recognize anyone…”
“What happened?” Aunt Liu asked, completely confused. “Did Er Ya hit you? That child, I’ll have a good talk with her later.”
“Ai… I’ll go back to my room now…” Miao Tong said. “And, if there’s any dinner left, send some up. I’m a bit sore, and a bit hungry…”
“I’ll take you,” Xia Qingtian said, about to help Miao Tong, but was stopped.
“Don’t!” Miao Tong made a stopping gesture. “I can go upstairs myself. You stay away from me…”
“…” Xia Qingtian blinked, looking at Miao Tong, feeling a bit lost.
“Then go slowly, I’ll get you something to eat,” Aunt Liu said softly to Miao Tong before heading into the kitchen.
Xia Qingtian watched Miao Tong leave, patting her chest lightly.
It seemed… this wasn’t the reason for her uncomfortable feeling…
What was it then…
After Miao Tong left, Xia Qingtian also went upstairs to her room.
As soon as she reached the door, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Xia Qingtian took out her phone and saw the caller ID. The vague, uncertain feeling in her heart suddenly became concrete.
“Hello?” Xia Qingtian answered, holding the phone to her ear, and said softly, “Mr. Gu, the busy man, has time to contact me?”
As soon as she spoke, Xia Qingtian wanted to hit her own head.
What kind of tone was that? Was she jealous?
Jealous?
Thinking of this, Xia Qingtian froze.
Was she jealous?
The person on the other end of the line seemed to freeze too. Then, his tone was as usual. “I heard from Wen Ning that you were being followed, you intercepted the other party’s phone, and haven’t cracked it yet.”
“I planned to have Xia Shang help me,” Xia Qingtian replied, walking back into her room and closing the door. She leaned her back against the cool door, her eyes showing a hint of panic.
“Xia Shang? Mm.” Gu Yaoyang knew Xia Shang’s capabilities and responded with an “mm.” “However, their department is quite busy recently with a new project launching. To avoid type-face plagiarism, the entire project is rushed, and all departments are working overtime.”
“I know,” Xia Qingtian replied. “Xia Shang is back, and he said he’ll be resting for the next three days.”
“Mm, if you need anything…” Gu Yaoyang paused. “You can give the phone to Assistant Lin or Wen Jiu, and have them pass it to me.”
Hearing Gu Yaoyang’s words, Xia Qingtian furrowed her brows slightly.
She had already found this roundabout method troublesome before, but considering Gu Yaoyang was indeed very busy, Xia Qingtian hadn’t said anything.
However, recalling what Xia Shang had told her, Xia Qingtian suddenly had a strong feeling: “Gu Yaoyang, are you avoiding me?”
Hearing Xia Qingtian’s question, Gu Yaoyang choked. His eyes, which were usually as calm as a deep, still pool, actually showed ripples of disturbance, leaving him at a loss.
Listening to Gu Yaoyang’s silence, Xia Qingtian also fell silent, not saying a word.
After some time had passed, Xia Qingtian felt her question was indeed a bit presumptuous, and she didn’t want to be too impulsive on this issue. Just as she was about to change the topic to ease the atmosphere, she heard a voice from the other end of the phone.
“Yaoyang, I’ve finished your body wash, remember to buy more.”
A stranger’s female voice came from the other end of the phone, and Xia Qingtian’s mind went blank.
Gu Yaoyang’s expression changed upon hearing this. Just as he was about to explain, he heard the sound of the call being terminated.
Holding his phone, Gu Yaoyang tried to call back, only to find that Xia Qingtian’s phone was already switched off.
“Ai…” Gu Yaoyang pressed his aching temple with one hand, his vision going dark.
“Yaoyang, I’m talking to you!” A woman in pink loungewear with wet, disheveled hair pushed open Gu Yaoyang’s study door. Seeing Gu Yaoyang looking drained, she made a disgusted “yih” sound and asked, “You weren’t looking at something… inappropriate, were you?”
“Wen Yao…” Gu Yaoyang didn’t even have the strength to open his eyes. “You’ve really killed me…”
“Nonsense! I’m here to protect you!” Wen Yao crossed her arms, her cute and conservative loungewear somehow accentuated by her proud figure, giving it a different vibe. “Are you questioning my abilities? The last person who questioned me was crying and begging me, wishing they could offer me mountains of gold to continue protecting them!”
“I’m not some prince from the Arabian Peninsula who can offer mountains of gold,” Gu Yaoyang sighed, then slowly opened his eyes and said, “How could the Wen family bear to send you over? I haven’t received any news lately that someone is targeting me.”
“This is just being prepared,” Wen Yao said, twirling a lock of her semi-dry hair around her finger. “If Wen Jiu hadn’t bolted first, I wouldn’t have been assigned to protect you.”
Wen Yao gave Gu Yaoyang a disdainful glance. “I haven’t even complained about your small place yet~”
The people she had protected before, even if they didn’t live in royal palaces, lived in manors, villas, and grand mansions.
As a bodyguard for Gu Yaoyang, she could only sleep on the sofa, unable to even stretch her legs. She hadn’t said anything, yet Gu Yaoyang dared to question her abilities!
Honestly!
If it weren’t for the sake of being old classmates, she would have bolted too!
Seeing Wen Yao like this, Gu Yaoyang could only sigh again.
It seemed he would have to explain things to Xia Qingtian himself.
On the other side, Xia Qingtian held her switched-off phone, completely stunned.
Only the image of a beautiful, seductive woman with a charming voice, wrapped in a bath towel, echoed clearly in her mind: “Yaoyang, I’ve finished your body wash, remember to buy more.”