A subtle atmosphere seemed to settle between them.
After this incident, Qin He discovered that she and Gu Qichen were surprisingly compatible in their endeavors. It wasn't just about their collaboration on the West City project at the company; they were also remarkably well-coordinated when it came to tricking people.
She took out her phone. "The restaurant is booked. Let's head over now, and we'll arrive right on time."
Before taking action this time, both of them had discussed it. Gu Qichen had proposed that after the plan succeeded, Qin He should treat him to a dinner.
This was no small favor, so Qin He booked the best waterfront restaurant in Haicheng. It was a local specialty.
Yu Jing was driving. The waterfront restaurant was quite far, on the river in the northern part of the city. They drove for an hour, and dusk began to fall.
Qin He, feeling bored, chatted idly with Yu Jing.
Yu Jing chuckled as he drove, "Miss Qin, that over a hundred kilograms of gold nearly broke my back."
"Why didn't you have someone else carry it? You're young, it wouldn't do to hurt your back," Qin He said casually.
Gu Qichen, sitting beside her, turned to look at her.
Qin He froze, meeting the man's amused gaze.
"My back is very strong."
Qin He: "..."
Whether his back was strong or not seemed to have nothing to do with her!
Qin He touched her abdomen and turned her face away.
The car stopped at an intersection. Qin He rolled down the car window and looked outside.
"The early autumn evening breeze is quite pleasant."
As soon as she rolled down the window, a motorcycle sped past, almost scraping the car!
Qin He was startled. The rider's hand directly reached into the car, trying to grab her bag!
Qin He's bag was slung over her shoulder. If it were pulled like that, she might be yanked out of the car by the momentum!
She immediately tried to pull herself back, but the space inside the car was limited. The rider had already touched the edge of her bag—
A hand moved with incredible speed, encircling Qin He's shoulder and pulling her back.
Gu Qichen pulled Qin He into his embrace. Seeing that the bag he was about to snatch was gone, the rider cursed and sped away.
The motorcycle was extremely fast!
A fierce glint appeared in Gu Qichen's dark eyes, and his voice was low and chilling, "Yu Jing!"
Yu Jing's expression turned cold and serious. "I'll contact people immediately. We will catch him!"
Qin He was held tightly by Gu Qichen, hearing his rapid heartbeat.
This heartbeat was abnormal, she thought, perhaps from fright?
The scent of aged sandalwood emanated from the man, mixed with a crisp, sharp aura, like the scent of melting ice and snow.
Qin He wanted to sit up straight.
"Thank you, but—"
She looked up and met Gu Qichen's deep, piercing eyes.
The sky was already dim, and the inside of the car was even darker.
Gu Qichen's features held a beauty that was both hazy and sharp in the confined space. The juxtaposition of these contrasting qualities made Qin He pause.
The hand around her shoulder did not loosen; it tightened slightly.
Qin He pursed her lips, her own heartbeat seeming to become erratic.
Outside the car, it was precisely the time designated by the city, and all the streetlights flickered on simultaneously.
Light flooded in through Qin He's open car window, illuminating her face clearly.
Gu Qichen's lips were thin and well-shaped, yet they held an air of aloofness. Above them was a proud, straight nose, and beyond that, those dark eyes, which seemed to hold swirling galaxies.
Qin He felt a dizzy spell. She coughed lightly. "I—"
The next second, that face moved closer to hers.
Warm lips pressed against hers.
Qin He's mind went blank. The car window and the partition slowly rose, courtesy of a "driver" who had become almost invisible.
The temperature in the car seemed to rise, and the interior returned to dimness. However, with the streetlights on, it was slightly clearer than before.
Qin He's eyes were open, meeting Gu Qichen's gaze.
He was staring at her, his gaze possessing a dark possessiveness, firm yet fervent.
Qin He trembled, then closed her eyes.
In the darkness, it was as if poppies had bloomed, the air filled with an illusionary scent like a dream.
Like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water, all of this caused Qin He's hands, which had been resting against Gu Qichen's chest, to gradually loosen.
Her occasional tension, her small efforts to push away, were like a cat's scratch, only making the man kissing her delve deeper.
Gu Qichen cradled Qin He's head, his other hand gently embracing her waist.
Aside from those accidental, electric touches.
This was likely their first kiss.
Gu Qichen had never experienced such a wonderful taste, so much so that he forgot everything around him.
As long as he had her, he needed nothing else.
He was careful, yet couldn't resist delving deeper, bit by bit.
The kiss was lingering and passionate. The person in his arms responded with light touches and subtle reactions, each of which made him want to capture her, to possess her entirely.
"Beep—!"
A long, drawn-out horn blast shattered the dreamlike atmosphere in the car.
Qin He snapped back to reality and, biting her lip, pushed Gu Qichen away.
She sat up straight, taking a few shallow breaths to calm herself.
Gu Qichen paused for a moment, then turned his head, his eyes shooting icy arrows towards the car behind them.
It was a Hummer, and the car was impatiently honking its horn.
"Yu Jing," Gu Qichen said. "Lower the partition."
The partition was lowered. Gu Qichen glanced at the traffic light ahead.
It was a green light for turning, giving way to pedestrians.
There were quite a few pedestrians crossing the crosswalk, yet the car behind them kept honking its horn!
Gu Qichen glanced at Qin He. She had turned her head away.
He took a deep breath.
If this continued, he felt a sense of impending closeness, a desire to hold her.
But everything was ruined by the car behind them.
The window of the Hummer's driver's seat was rolled down, and a man's head, with half a tattooed arm resting on the window frame, emerged. He pinched the cigarette from his mouth.
"Hey, you in front, why the hell aren't you moving? I'll swear on your ancestors, get the hell out of my way!"
Yu Jing turned to look at Gu Qichen. "Mr. Gu."
The man was still shouting, spewing a string of classic Haicheng dialect curses.
"What's with all this yielding to pedestrians? If you're gonna yield, don't block my road, or I'll crash you into the sky, damn it!"
Qin He: "..."
It was rare to hear such an authentic Haicheng classic string of insults!
At the front of the line, an elderly man leaning on a cane looked flustered by the curses, struggling to walk faster.
Yu Jing got out of the car, took off his jacket, placed it in the car, and then rolled up his sleeves, standing beside the car.
The Hummer's driver saw this and laughed, "Skinny as a pole, what, you wanna fight?"
Yu Jing was not thin; on the contrary, he had a good build and was over 1.8 meters tall.
Qin He watched Yu Jing roll up his sleeves, then looked at the old man at the front of the line.
A fight was about to break out here, yet the surrounding car owners dared not make a sound.
Some were watching the spectacle, with their car windows rolled down.
The tattooed man from the Hummer quickly ran over and reached out to grab Yu Jing's collar.
"Damn it, still trying to be cool, huh? I'll beat you so bad your own mother won't—"
The burly man's words were cut short.