Chapter 78 The walls have ears; the third person under the bed! (Part 1) ...

After that stupid snake disappeared, Shen Rong'an truly enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet.

The time he spent at the hotel was the most peaceful time of his life. Pei Qing stayed by his side almost every day, taking care of him and wiping him down. This warmed Shen Rong'an's heart, making him feel as comfortable as if he had been soaking in a hot spring.

This is what he wanted. No one, no one can take it away from him. Shen Rong'an watched Pei Qing's retreating figure and murmured to himself.

The shop is operating normally these days, but the room furnishings all need to be replaced. For Shen Rong'an's safety, Pei Qing has temporarily placed him in the hotel, and he and Xiliwen take turns delivering meals to him every day.

So for the past few days, only she and Hillivan have been in the store.

Healy was acting strangely, but Pei Qing couldn't quite put her finger on it. She started making contact and talking to him, but every time Pei Qing got a little closer, Healy's face would turn bright red, like a ripe apple, as if he were sick.

Once, Pei Qing tried to pat his head, but Hilliwen dodged her. Her hand was left awkwardly hanging in mid-air, frozen in place.

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" Pei Qing couldn't take it anymore. She seized the opportunity and blocked Xiliwen in the kitchen, preventing him from leaving.

While trying to find a way to escape, Heaven tried to give a perfunctory answer, but Pei Qing had blocked the doorway tightly, cutting off his chance to get away. "No, it's not..." he stammered.

"Then what do you mean by this? Are you looking down on me?" Pei Qing asked, crossing her arms.

"No, I'm just... I'm just a little embarrassed..." Shirley's large frame was squeezed into a small corner of the kitchen by Pei Qing, and the sweet aroma of honey bread wafted through the air.

Pei Qing was getting a little hungry from the smell. She swallowed and continued to ask, "Speak, but your voice is too soft to hear."

This time she went even further, standing with her legs spread apart and her arms outstretched, blocking Heaven in the gap between the cabinet and the wall.

“Excuse me, then tell me properly, why are you embarrassed?” Pei Qing slowly approached Hillary, deliberately slowing her speech and speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Could it be that you secretly..." Before Pei Qing could finish speaking, Hilliwen seemed to suddenly realize something. He suddenly raised his head, puffed out his chest, closed his eyes, and shouted, "I think, I want to invite you to be my temporary companion during my hot period!"

"What?! Your peak is coming? No, what's the second half of your sentence... Let me be your temporary partner?!"

Pei Qing's original intention was just to tease this honest cow-orc, but she didn't expect that the usually simple and honest Hilly would make up such a sentence, which startled her.

"No, is it not allowed? Boss Pei, you don't have a partner right now, do you?" Hilliwen tugged at the hem of his clothes, his tone somewhat hesitant. The courage he had just mustered vanished without a trace after he finished speaking.

"No, no, wait a minute, I haven't finished asking yet!" Pei Qing was fooled by Hillivan.

"No, you like me? When did you start liking me? Was it because I saved you, or was it something else?" Despite having been through so much, this was the first time Pei Qing had ever seen someone express their love for her on the spot.

"I... I don't know either. I don't know what 'liking' means. I just want to be closer to you and spend more time with you..."

Looking at Pei Qing's face, which was suddenly very close to his, Hilliwen's voice became hesitant again.

“...Every day, I feel happy whenever I see you, and sad whenever I don’t. Seeing the smile on your face when you eat your favorite food makes me even happier than I am myself…” Hilliwen said earnestly, becoming more and more certain as he spoke.

Even though his face was still flushed, and even though his lips trembled uncontrollably as he spoke.

"No, listen to me, this might not be something you like..."

Pei Qian was running out of steam; she really, really didn't want an office romance. Honestly, she really, really didn't flirt with this honest employee—of course, verbal flirting didn't count.

What kind of nonsense is this? Shen Rong'an doesn't count; she's her neighbor. How can they be the same?

Despite saying this aloud and thinking this in her heart, Pei Qing was still a little tempted. As the scent of honey bread pheromones in the air grew stronger, she couldn't help but swallow hard.

“Boss, since you don’t have a partner right now, why can’t we… resolve this? Is it because you’re not satisfied with my physique? I can train for any body type you want. If you prefer a thinner type, I can get rhabdomyolysis…” Seeing that Pei Qing didn’t speak, Hilliwen mustered up his courage and spoke again.

"No, no, no, wait a minute, my mind is a bit muddled right now. Let me think about it and then I'll give you an answer, okay?"

Pei Qing stumbled as Hillary's breasts suddenly pressed against her face, her brain pounding as if it were about to explode! So soft, and so fragrant! Like a giant honey bread roll!

Speaking of which, she was really a gentleman that night at the hotel. She didn't make a move even when things got to that point, which was quite admirable.

Now that they've sincerely invited her, why is she still pretending? She should know when to stop and just agree. No matter how reserved she acts, no one will reward her with some kind of "remaining unmoved" award; it's better to just accept directly.

"Wait for me..."

"What are you waiting for? What were you talking about?" A eerie male voice suddenly came from the kitchen doorway, like a vengeful ghost in the middle of the night.

Sorrowful and indifferent.

Pei Qing suddenly turned her head, "Hey! Shen Rong'an, aren't you lying in the hotel?"

“Yes, I was indeed lying in the hotel, but I got a little anxious when I saw that you hadn’t come back yet. I’m almost fully recovered, so I came over by myself. What were you talking about just now? Can I hear you?” Shen Rong’an, pale-faced, limped into the kitchen, leaning on her cane.

"What were you talking about just now? I heard something about a hot season or something?" Shen Rong'an, leaning on his cane, limped into the kitchen. Deliberately avoiding Pei Qing's location, he came to stand in front of Xiliwen, staring at him intently.

"No, nothing, you must have misheard me?" Pei Qing realized that Shen Rong'an had probably been standing at the door listening for who knows how long. He probably already knew the gist of it and was deliberately coming to cause trouble for Hillary.

"Speak up, why are you not talking anymore? You were speaking so well just now, what, is your tongue dead now?" Shen Rong'an's eyes were icy cold, as if he were looking at a lump of dead flesh.

Helivin, not to be outdone, stood directly in front of Pei Qing, refusing to back down. The atmosphere between the two was tense, as if they were about to pounce on each other and start fighting at any moment.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop! Let's not say anything more, let's just let that go, okay? Shen Rong'an, listen to me, you should go and rest now. As for Xiliwen, why don't you go out and buy something? I want to drink pork tripe soup tonight."

Seeing that things were not going well, Pei Qian quickly jumped between the two to block them, separating them with one hand.

"You stopped me? You stopped me for him?" Shen Rong'an frowned, his eyes red, staring at Pei Qing in disbelief. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and the next second he almost couldn't support his body.

"Alright, Hillary has been helping me set up the shop these past few days, cooking and cleaning, she's already exhausted. Shen Rong'an, when are you going to stop this nonsense? I already said nothing happened just now, do you understand?"

Seeing that Shen Rong'an was still so persistent, Pei Qian felt a surge of anger.

"Ah-Qian, are you really going to protect him like this? You won't even call him 'brother' anymore?" Shen Rong'an clutched her aching chest, leaning against the cabinet, almost collapsing.

How could you treat him like this? What right do you have to treat him like this? Pei Qing has no idea what he's done for her!

Shen Rong'an bit his lip hard, the force causing it to split and bleed, filling his mouth with a metallic taste. Enraged, he didn't think twice and swung his cane at Heliwen!

The sound of something cutting through the air came, and Helivin couldn't dodge in time. The hard cane was about to strike his face!

"Enough!"

At the critical moment, the dark tendrils stretched out and tightly wrapped around the cane, protecting Helivin behind the giant black curtain.

Seeing that his first strike missed, Shen Rong'an raised his hand and slapped Heliwen across the face.

"Snap!" Pei Qing grabbed the outstretched hand tightly, rendering it unable to move an inch.

"How long are you going to keep making a scene? Go back and rest!" Pei Qing took a deep breath, suppressing her anger once again.

Shen Rong'an's lips twitched, and his emotions suddenly collapsed. He threw down his cane, knelt on the ground, and tears streamed down his face. "You don't understand at all! You don't understand anything! You don't understand! What have I done for you? Why are you treating me like this? Why?! Why should I get entangled with these lowly scum!"

"I don't understand what you're saying. Let's stop here. Don't forget how you lied to me back then. Even now, can you honestly say you've told me everything? Why don't we just leave some things as they are, instead of making things so awkward?"

Pei Qing coldly shook off Shen Rong'an's hand, walked past the person slumped on the ground, and pulled Xiliwen out of the kitchen.

After leaving the kitchen, Hillivan was still a little worried. He took Pei Qing's hand and spun her around. Only after seeing that she was not injured did he feel relieved.

Then he began to worry about Shen Rong'an's condition, "Brother Rong'an... is he really alright? Should we go check on him again? He might just be injured and in a bad mood lately..."

"No need. If he wants to sit there and cry, let him cry. I haven't done anything to wrong him. Besides, every day I've taken care of him, every day you've brought him a meal?"

"Why does he talk to you like that? Who does he think he is? What right does he have to tell me what to do?" Pei Qing was still angry. She pulled Hillary to sit on the sofa and launched into a tirade.

"I haven't even held a grudge against him for lying to me about something so serious before, and I still kindly took him in. I didn't ask about anything that happened to him in the past, even though I knew he was lying to me. I treated him kindly, and how did he treat me in return?"

"Don't tell me you asked me for help because of this craze. Even if there's something else going on, what does it have to do with him? This is between the two of us. We're not partners, so he has no right to tell me what to do."

Upon hearing this, Hillyvin suppressed the elation rising within him, maintaining a feigned concern. He felt he had essentially figured out Pei Qing's preferences. "But, is it really alright to leave him there alone?"

"I told you, he can stay where he wants. What, do you want to go and keep him company?"

Helivin, seeing that he had achieved his goal, didn't say anything more.

“My hot period should be over in two days. Should we go out and find a hotel then? Or do you want any tools or clothes you like? I can buy them in advance…” Helivin’s tanned face flushed slightly.

"No need to go to any hotel, just come to my room. This is my shop, why should I care what other people think? If he can't stand it, he can leave. I can't control him," Pei Qing said sarcastically.

"By the way, speaking of clothes you like, I want to see you wear the one we wore when we first met, the black waiter's uniform..." Hearing about something she was interested in, Pei Qing became quite enthusiastic and started talking non-stop.

"A black waiter's uniform? When we first met, wasn't I wearing a white shirt? Which one are you talking about?" Hillivan asked, puzzled. He didn't recall ever wearing a black waiter's uniform here.

"Haha, oh dear," Pei Qing laughed awkwardly at Helivin's questioning look, trying to brush it off. She was terrified, almost scared to death; she'd completely forgotten that their first meeting was in Saihan City.

"Oh, I misspoke. It is indeed a waiter's uniform, but I accidentally saw it on the StarNet before, and I thought it would suit you perfectly. Then, I couldn't help but imagine what you would look like in it, and then..." Pei Qing quickly covered for herself.

"Oh, I see. What kind of clothes are they? May I take a look first?" Hilliwen understood and moved closer to Pei Qing.

"Haha, it's this kind," Pei Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he didn't ask any further questions. "It's this kind with two thin black straps and lace trim. Don't you think it looks great? I think it would suit your figure perfectly!"

Pei Qian spared no expense in showering him with praise, even raising her voice a little louder, as she was speaking directly to Shen Rong'an.

What she does and who she sleeps with has nothing to do with him. They're not partners. And this neighbor, who's a complete liar and has no blood relation to her, is trying to control her.

Why is Shen Rong'an so rude? It's ridiculous.

"Ah!" Pei Qing covered her mouth and yawned. "Ha, it's getting late. Let's go back and rest. You've been working hard these past few days. Get some rest and recharge. We'll continue watching tomorrow."

“Okay, can I call you Achen from now on?” Hillivan asked softly. “I think it’s more friendly that way…”

“Sure, whatever you want to call me, whatever you like,” Pei Qing said with a smile, patting his head. This intimate gesture made Hilly’s heart flutter, and he mustered up his courage to hug her.

"I... I need to tidy up the kitchen again," he said, then suddenly felt a little shy and took several steps back after the hug.

Pei Qing found it amusing and nodded in agreement, "Go ahead, I'll go back to my bedroom now."

Helivin entered the kitchen and found that Shen Rong'an was long gone; only a few broken plates remained. He pursed his lips, silently picked up the cleaning tools, and began to tidy up.