Chapter Twenty-Two

After Shi Qing finished her class in the afternoon, Luo Luo came to the practice room and called out to her, "Qingqing, why did you order so much food?!"

"What? I didn't order anything." Shi Qing was picking up the mats on the floor and looked up blankly.

"No way, but your name is on the order."

"I'll go take a look."

Shi Qing and Luo Luo arrived at the front desk and found that there were not only fruit slices and milk tea, but also fried chicken and small cakes, and the shelves at the door were piled high.

Luo Luo's eyes lit up: "That's right! Could it be that your boyfriend bought it?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Qing thought it was possible, so she called Liang Yuheng.

I was worried he'd be busy, but I heard his voice soon enough: "Hello,"

Shi Qing: "Hey, are you busy?"

"It's okay, what's wrong?"

"I'd like to ask if the takeout order in this store was placed by you?"

Liang Yuheng: "Yes, I was worried you wouldn't have enough to eat at noon."

"Thank you, but there's too much stuff." Shi Qing glanced at Luo Luo and nodded.

Liang Yuheng: "I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I just bought some random things. You can share the rest with your colleagues if you don't want to eat them."

Shi Qing: "Then you've gone to so much trouble."

“Shi Qing.” Liang Yuheng’s voice became more serious.

Shi Qing: "What's wrong?"

Liang Yuheng: "Do you still remember what you promised me before?"

Shi Qing: "Hmm?"

Liang Yuheng: "I don't like it when you're always being so polite to me."

Shi Qing felt a little wronged: "Then what should I say?"

Liang Yuheng: "Think about it yourself."

"ah?"

Liang Yuheng: "I have to go to a meeting. I'll talk to you later."

"Then you go ahead with your work, I'll hang up now."

"Um."

As soon as Shi Qing hung up the phone, Luo Luo said, "Qingqing, your boyfriend is too good to you!"

Shi Qing smiled faintly: "He's a nice person."

Luo Luo: "What's wrong? Why do you look unhappy? If my boyfriend bought me all this delicious food, I would be so happy!"

Shi Qing didn't know what to say, and she couldn't say that Liang Yuheng wasn't her boyfriend.

From the kiss last night, to telling her not to move out, to the video at noon, and just now, "think for yourself," Shi Qing felt that she understood Liang Yuheng less and less.

She really wanted to ask Liang Yuheng what he meant by doing all this.

Shi Qing: "Luo Luo, I have class later. Could you help me distribute the things to everyone?"

"No problem!" Luo Luo gave an OK sign, her eyes immediately lighting up. "Wow, isn't this the cake shop upstairs from us? It's so expensive!"

At this moment, Qi Li also came out of class to get water. After hearing that it was food given by Shi Qing's boyfriend, she joked, "My daughter has been asking for this cake several times, but I haven't been able to bear buying it for her."

Shi Qing: "Sister Li, there's still a lot left. Why don't you order two for her when you get back?"

Qi Li waved her hand with a smile: "I'll just take one. My daughter will be so happy."

"You guys eat, I have class, I'm going to class now." Shi Qing took some of her favorite food.

"Alright, go ahead."

Zhao Xiaoxue happened to be free from class this period. Seeing so many things at the front desk, she assumed they were from the store and casually grabbed a cup of milk tea to drink.

"Sister Li, let me tell you, Qingqing's boyfriend is so handsome!" Luoluo said to Qili gossipingly.

Zhao Xiaoxue picked up a piece of orange with her fork and glanced at Luo Luo after hearing this.

Qi Li chose a low-sugar milk tea, looking curious: "Really? How did you know?"

Luo Luo said exaggeratedly, "I saw them during their video call at noon. He's incredibly handsome! And he's so nice to Shi Qing. They were on the phone even during lunch."

Qi Li: "Her boyfriend must be quite rich, to be willing to buy such an expensive cake."

"Did Shi Qing's boyfriend buy these?" Zhao Xiaoxue frowned.

Although Luo Luo didn't like Zhao Xiaoxue, she still nodded politely on the surface: "Yes."

"She'll definitely only date rich guys. Besides, it's not even certain he'll be her boyfriend." Zhao Xiaoxue tossed the fruit fork back into the box with a disdainful expression.

Qi Li couldn't help but remind her, "Xiao Xue, how could you say that about Shi Qing?"

Qi Li was more senior than Zhao Xiaoxue, so Zhao Xiaoxue didn't dare to refute her and turned away with a dark face.

As she passed the trash can, she angrily threw the milk tea in: "Who hasn't drunk milk tea before? What's with having a boyfriend all the time?!"

Luo Luo whispered to Qi Li, "Why did she go to the store manager's office again?"

Qi Li shook her head: "They don't even know how to behave in broad daylight."

"Sister Li, you also know about her relationship with the store manager?" Luo Luo opened her mouth.

Qi Li: "There are no secrets in the world. You've made the atmosphere in the store so messy and unpleasant."

Luo Luo: "The store manager is biased, giving all the good customers to her. Luckily, you and Shi Qing are capable and can retain the old customers."

Qi Li sighed, "I don't really want to work here anymore. Besides, I get off work too late every day and don't have time to spend with my daughter. I'm thinking of moving to a more laid-back shop in the suburbs."

"Oh, if you really leave, Shi Qing and I will be very sad." Luo Luo put her hand on Qi Li's arm and said sadly.

Qi Li patted her and comforted her with a smile, "Don't tell anyone yet, I'm still considering this."

"No problem, I'll definitely keep it a secret."

-

At nine o'clock in the evening, Shi Qing planned to go back to her place after getting off work.

She remembered there was still a lot of food in the refrigerator, and it would be a waste if it spoiled.

Yesterday, she agreed to Liang Yuheng's request not to move out without thinking. Now that she's calmed down, she still feels it's inappropriate, but the words have already been spoken.

Fortunately, Liang Yuheng was away on a business trip, so it was acceptable for her to stay at his place alone. She could just consider it as helping him look after the house.

Liang Yuheng said that she could have her driver Zhao Fei pick her up and drop her off during this period, but Shi Qing really didn't like to trouble others, so she took the subway home as usual.

Shi Qing's rented apartment was some distance from the subway station. It was almost 10 o'clock when she came out of the subway station, and there were very few people on the street at that time.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Shi Qing always felt that someone was following her.

But she turned her head several times and found nothing unusual.

A sense of danger sent chills down her spine, and she unconsciously quickened her pace.

Buzzing.

The sound of her phone vibrating startled Shi Qing, but she relaxed slightly after seeing the message from Zhou Han.

"Hey, Qingbao, are you off work yet?" Zhou Han's cheerful voice came through.

Shi Qing: "Yeah, almost home."

Zhou Han: "Are you still living with my cousin? I heard from my aunt that she moved back yesterday."

"Yes, I am. But I came back to my place today to pick up some things." Shi Qing said, glancing behind her again.

Zhou Han asked, "Why does your voice sound a little shaky? Are you that tired?"

Shi Qing quickly ran into the elevator and pressed the close button: "I felt like there was someone behind me just now, so I ran all the way back. It scared me to death."

Zhou Han: "What! Should I call the police for you?"

"No need for now. Maybe I'm overthinking it." Shi Qing felt that she had no evidence, so even if she called the police, it wouldn't be of much use.

Zhou Han: "Aren't you scared living alone? How about I come over and keep you company?"

Shi Qing stepped out of the elevator, took out her key, and opened the door: "No need, the door to my room is quite sturdy."

Zhou Han: "I still feel uneasy. I'm afraid that you're that perverted store manager from last time. Could it be that he's still not giving up and knows where you live now?"

Memories from six months ago came flooding back like water pouring from a bursting floodgate.

The Pilates shop where Shi Qing worked last year was in another district of Beijing.

She entered this industry for the first time two years ago.

The store manager, Hu Kuancheng, is a married man in his fifties, and his daughter is about the same age as Shi Qing.

He was slightly overweight and had a kind face. When Shi Qing first arrived at the shop, he asked the other experienced coaches to help mentor her, and he was very caring towards her.

Shi Qing assumed that Hu Kuancheng was a decent person and probably treated her like a junior.

However, one night, Hu Kuancheng suddenly sent a WeChat message saying that he had been dreaming about her every day recently and that he had fallen in love with her.

Shi Qing was shocked and speechless when she saw it. At first, she thought Hu Kuancheng was joking, so she politely and directly refused his "kindness".

But Hu Kuancheng wouldn't let it go, sending her long posts on WeChat every day, all of which were cheesy and disgusting confessions.

Shi Qing had just switched to this industry and spent a lot of money on training courses.

She had worked here for more than half a year and was about to pay off the money she owed Zhou Han, so she cherished this job very much.

Moreover, Zhang Mei was strongly against her doing this job. If she had known that she was going to resign again, she would definitely have given her a good scolding.

Shi Qing felt extremely troubled by Hu Kuancheng's harassment.

On one occasion, Hu Kuancheng actually made unwanted advances towards Shi Qing in the store. She could no longer tolerate it and said to him, "If you do this again, I'm going to call the police!"

Hu Kuancheng's face immediately turned fierce, and he threatened, word by word, "You dare to call the police and see what happens!"

Shi Qing still remembers how terrifying his eyes were back then.

Fortunately, after a while, Hu Kuancheng calmed down and returned to his usual kind and amiable demeanor: "Little sister, let's just pretend this never happened. Sigh, I really do like you, and your reaction really hurts me. I've been good to you all this time. If I hadn't arranged for someone to tutor you, do you think you'd even be able to attend classes now?"

Shi Qing was afraid that saying anything else would upset him, so she just agreed on the surface.

In the following days, Shi Qing discovered that Hu Kuancheng had no intention of letting her go. He continued to harass her with messages after get off work every day, and the content became increasingly explicit and disgusting.

Every day at work, facing Hu Kuancheng's blatant gaze, Shi Qing was constantly on edge, worried that he might actually do something to her.

One day, she couldn't take it anymore and resigned.

That evening after get off work, but after everyone else had left, Hu Kuancheng kept Shi Qing behind.

He lit a cigarette and stopped Shi Qing in the changing room.

Shi Qing was so frightened that her hands were trembling, but she still asked him calmly, "What are you going to do?"

"Why did you resign?" Hu Kuancheng looked at her calmly, but his eyes sent chills down her spine.

Shi Qing: "I don't want to work here anymore."

Hu Kuancheng took a step forward, stared at her, and laughed: "Have you forgotten what level you were at when you first came to the store? If I hadn't arranged for someone to train you, would you have been able to start classes so quickly? Have I been bad to you? How have you repaid me? Have you ever thought about how you could possibly have such a smooth experience at another store? If you stay, I guarantee you have a lot of room for improvement, and I'll train you to be the best coach in the store. Shi Qing, you're smart, but you're also naive. Don't do anything foolish, understand?"

Shi Qing took a step back, afraid that Hu Kuancheng might do something, so she could only nod: "But I've been under a lot of pressure lately, and I'd like to rest for a day."

Hu Kuancheng expressed his satisfaction with Shi Qing's reaction. He patted Shi Qing on the shoulder and said, "Okay, I'll give you a day off. Think it over carefully. Acting impulsively won't do you any good."

"I understand, store manager." Shi Qing's voice was trembling, but she still pretended to be calm and walked out.

At that time, she had not yet moved out of her home. Zhang Mei and Shi Yongwei were both busy with Shi Jian's wedding, and neither of them noticed Shi Qing's unusual behavior.

Shi Qing knew that even if she told her parents, they wouldn't do anything.

When Shi Qing said she wanted to become a Pilates instructor, Zhang Mei was so angry that she didn't speak to her for a month. It wasn't until Shi Qing earned more money than in her previous job that their relationship improved.

Shi Qing couldn't even imagine how many hurtful things Zhang Mei would say if she knew she had encountered such a situation.

After blocking Hu Kuancheng, she never went back to work at the store. But she hadn't received her salary for the month and didn't have any extra money to rent a place.

The next day, Shi Qing had no choice but to stay with her maternal grandmother in the countryside for a while, and asked her grandmother to keep her resignation a secret from Zhang Mei.

In order to get her wages for more than half a month, Shi Qing complained to the store's boss about Hu Kuancheng.

Later, I heard from a former colleague that Hu Kuancheng had been fired, and they lost contact after that.

Fearing another encounter with Hu Kuancheng, Shi Qing never dared to look for work in her original district.

Later, a friend of Shi Qing introduced her to her current store.

She prayed that she would never meet Hu Kuancheng again, and she even considered working in another province.

Zhou Han's words sent a chill down Shi Qing's spine. If it were true, she dared not imagine what Hu Kuancheng might do.

But this place is quite far from the previous district, and only her closest relatives know where she lives now.

"Hanhan, don't scare me."

Shi Qing locked the door from the inside, turned on the light, and walked to the sofa to sit down.