61 Only us
◎"Just a short kiss"◎
His expression was so gentle that it was hard to believe such words would come from his mouth.
Song Chiyu covered her lips in disbelief, "Qi Yanzhou, you..."
"Calling me by my full name?" His fingertips explored and traced the outlines with unbridled abandon. She guessed what he was going to do, but it was too late to stop him. She covered her lips and let out a muffled groan.
She pulled her knees together, struggling to restrain him.
He didn't force her. He brushed aside her fingers and kissed her lips. Song Chiyu resisted for two seconds, then succumbed to instinct, losing the strength to resist him, and her knees, which had been drawn in, gradually relaxed.
Knowing she was prone to oxygen deprivation, he didn't kiss her for too long, instead kissing the skin below her collarbone along the slanted hem of her dress.
With her other hand, she gently rubbed the cotton pad on her ribs as if to please them.
Despite not seeing each other for so long, he remained calm and patient, doing his best to please her.
She couldn't speak, but guided him with her shimmering eyes.
He understood immediately.
The index finger that had been kneading changed its approach, exploring along the softer skin. He knelt on one knee between her calves, looking directly at her without any hesitation.
The feeling gradually welled up.
She let out an uncontrollable sob.
He suddenly tightened his knees.
He was stopped from continuing.
He waited for her emotions to calm down before kissing her lips again.
She clearly felt that she was being manipulated by him, her joys and sorrows were entirely controlled by him, while his eyes remained clear, restraining the turmoil in his heart, waiting for her to succumb and lose control.
She started making a lot of jokes.
She only wanted him to go further, but he teased her, gently kissing her collarbone and caressing her with his fingertips.
Her slender, white fingers gripped his shoulders tightly. "Husband."
"Now you remember I'm your husband?"
Song Chiyu knew what he was scheming about.
She gave him a light kick on the shin with her delicate foot. "If you keep doing that, I'm done with you."
"Don't want it?" He raised a deep smile, his brows furrowed. "Is it up to you?"
Song Chiyu was in pain from being suspended, and couldn't help but try to control him, but he grabbed her wrist and put her back in place.
The lingering water on her fingertips stirred her emotions once more.
She couldn't help but whine and soften, completely lacking her previous resolve.
"Do you still want a divorce?" Qi Yanzhou asked.
She shook her head repeatedly, grasped his arms, and gestured for him to continue.
He didn't make things too difficult for her.
He gently kissed her neck, and as she wished, no longer used his fingers to brush her off.
She felt instantly satisfied and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Her gaze softened as she looked at him.
He didn't dare to hurt her too much, gently tucking a stray hair from her forehead: "Can you breathe?"
She answered absentmindedly, cupping his cheeks and kissing him: "It's alright."
Qi Yanzhou could tell that her mind wasn't on this, so he didn't pursue the matter further.
Song Chiyu had become a bit bolder, allowing him to indulge himself a little more. He raised an eyebrow with a hint of doubt: "Are you sure?"
“Yes, I can,” she said softly.
"good."
He temporarily believed her, and held her calf and put it on his shoulder.
She kept whispering softly, until finally she started panting heavily, a bead of sweat trickling down her collarbone. He lowered his head and kissed that bead of sweat.
Her heart was stirred, and she couldn't help but turn around and pounce on him, no longer letting him tease her.
...
As a result, she didn't even have the energy to take a shower and was lying in bed struggling to breathe oxygen.
Qi Yanzhou, wiping her skin with a tissue, couldn't help but laugh at her current state, "Are you out of your mind?"
I even had the mood to tease her.
Song Chiyu turned over, her back to him. He stared at her smooth back and undulating hips, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. He lowered his gaze and pulled the thin blanket beside him over her.
Unaware of anything amiss, she lay face down on the pillow, saying, "Who told you to be so good at seducing people?"
"Me?" He felt a deep sense of helplessness at being turned on by her. "Fine, I guess you can call me that."
"Don't do that again next time," she said seriously.
Qi Yanzhou chuckled, "I understand, teacher."
Song Chiyu's previous resentment towards him had lessened somewhat, and she asked with concern, her eyes closed, "Are you getting used to being here?"
"Take a break, teacher." Qi Yanzhou could hear that she was still panting, so he patted her hair. "I'll carry you to take a bath later."
**
Qi Yanzhou had finished tidying up and was about to go to sleep when there was a knock on the door.
His fingers, which were adjusting his coat, paused: "Who?"
"I'm Liu Zi," said the leader of another group. "Want to chat sometime?"
“It’s late,” Qi Yanzhou straightened up, staring calmly at the door. “We can talk about it tomorrow.”
Liu Zi was clearly unwilling to give up, and lingered at the door for a while before leaving.
Song Chiyu glanced at the time on her phone; it was still two minutes to ten. This was naturally Qi Yanzhou's excuse, and she didn't ask any further questions despite her confusion.
Qi Yanzhou crawled into bed, pulled her into his own blankets, and closed his eyes contentedly.
Song Chiyu couldn't help but hold his hand that was wrapped around her waist.
As if bewitched, he couldn't help but sit up and kiss her again.
Song Chiyu thought he was going to continue, so she gently pushed him on the chest and said, "No."
"Mmm," he kissed her lips, swallowing her soft words between his teeth, "I know, just for a little while."
We didn't kiss enough just now.
Song Chiyu sensed his unspoken meaning, her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her hand from in front of him, responding to his kiss.
*
Song Chiyu was half asleep when she was suddenly awakened by the light of a cell phone flashing on.
Soon, the person behind her released her, stood up, gently tucked her in, and walked out the door wearing a coat.
She instantly regained her senses.
The room's heating had already made her feel thirsty and unable to sleep well, and his departure made her even more unable to sleep. She tiptoed to the door.
Zhou Yue was waiting for him at the door. "Master Qi, those guys slipped away quietly. I sent Junzi and the others to chase after them."
"No need, let Junzi and the others come back," Qi Yanzhou replied calmly.
You can still faintly smell tobacco wafting in through the crack in the door.
Zhou Yue was startled: "This..."
"If they want to cooperate with us, then cooperate; if they don't, then forget it."
Zhou Yue recalled Qi Yanzhou's original intention. This did not cause Qi Yanzhou any loss, and since Song Chiyu and Qi Zhannan were both there, he naturally did not want to take them on a risk.
“Alright,” Zhou Yue didn’t dwell on it anymore: “I don’t know if it was Qi Zhannan who sent the news of your disappearance back, but things are a bit chaotic in Anxi. Your dad and your brother have both gone back.”
"Hmm," Qi Yanzhou said nonchalantly, "If there's nothing else, go to sleep."
What time do you get up tomorrow?
"Get up when you wake up."
Song Chiyu sensed that the two people's discussion was coming to an end, so she tiptoed back to bed and pretended that nothing had happened.
Soon, the slightly ajar door was opened again.
He deliberately dispersed the smell of smoke from his clothes before wrapping his arms around her from behind again. She naturally came to her senses and snuggled into his embrace. Feeling the warmth and softness before him, he couldn't help but smile, gazing intently at her in the dim light.
She wouldn't leave him because of his position, but she would give him up because he didn't love her.
Who says she doesn't love him?
Qi Yanzhou's smile deepened.
He hugged her even tighter.
**
Song Chiyu was awakened by thirst in the early morning.
She glanced at the window and saw that it was already past seven o'clock. It was still pitch black outside the window. She was staring blankly at the moon hanging high in the sky when a firm, warm chest embraced her from behind.
Qi Yanzhou wrapped a blanket around her and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"kind of."
"Let's go down for dinner."
“Didn’t you say…” She suddenly remembered his conversation with Zhou Yue last night, and belatedly realized that she had overheard it, so she quickly shut her mouth.
"say what?"
"It's nothing, let's go."
Both of them had gone to bed early the night before and were hardly sleepy; the streets were still damp and chilly. Reaching the breakfast shop next door, Song Chiyu brought it up, saying, "I used to have breakfast here too."
The two then began to recount their experiences over the past few days.
Her nonchalant tone plunged Qi Yanzhou into a brief silence. Only then did he realize that she had been relying on her sheepskin coat for warmth in the car. He sighed silently, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, I've already forgiven you." Song Chiyu pulled out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to him.
In her view, this was not a major issue of principle, nor was it unforgivable; it was enough that it could be explained clearly.
Qi Yanzhou realized once again that he was her husband.
She needs him to be well more than anyone else.
At that moment, the beef noodles she ordered were also served.
She changed the subject: "I'll be going back in two more days. You... whatever you do, please be careful. Just let me know you're safe if you get a signal."
She is different from the people of Anxi.
When others learned he was missing, they prioritized their own interests. She wanted nothing but his safety.
He licked his lips and blinked gently: "Back so soon?"
"This is the longest I've been able to stay."
He was about to say something more when he suddenly heard the sound of screeching brakes behind him. Liu Zi and his gang, who had left yesterday, were back. Qi Yanzhou wasn't surprised at all, and glanced at him indifferently: "Back again?"
Liu Zi sat down next to him with an oxygen tank, his body covered in mud, looking extremely disheveled.
Seeing his appearance, Qi Yanzhou knew that he must have gone somewhere and suffered a loss again yesterday. The people in the car were also staring at him expectantly, looking like they were still in shock.
"What happened?" Qi Yanzhou asked without any hesitation.
Song Chiyu had calmed down and sensibly wanted to get up and leave, but Qi Yanzhou grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to her seat.
There are no secrets between them.
She doesn't need to avoid it.
Song Chiyu sensed his intention, paused slightly, then pretended to be calm and waited for Liu Zi to continue.
"The group that tricked me yesterday and I are all Rong's men. We've always been rivals in the team. When they came over suddenly this time, I thought I was going to help them, but it turns out they wanted to steal what I had. I... It took a lot of effort to get everyone out of here."
Qi Yanzhou seemed thoughtful: "So you want to cooperate with me again? You hope I can help you deal with that group?"
Qi Yanzhou didn't know who this "Master Rong" was, but since he was working under someone else, he had to follow the rules. He didn't dare to take action against that group, so he wanted to use Qi Yanzhou's help.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Liu Zi took the initiative to take out the feng shui formulas and map he had.
Qi Yanzhou glanced at it indifferently, "No need."
"What's wrong?" Liu Zi asked, looking bewildered.
“I have no intention of interfering in your affairs, and I have no interest in what you want. I just want to verify whether that history exists.”
"Huh?" This was beyond Liu Zi's comprehension. "What?"
“I told you before, if you want to do business in the antiques industry, you can go to Anxi. Someone will guide you into the field. But you are still stubborn and I can’t help you.”
After a moment of deep thought, Liu Zi finally voiced his concerns, "Master Qi, it's not that we don't trust you, it's just that people at our level..."
"What level?" Qi Yanzhou asked.
Liu Zi was taken aback, and suddenly realized that in Qi Yanzhou's mind, there was no hierarchy, only whether the things he did were right or wrong.
He hadn't been treated like a human being in a long time, and it took him a while to come to his senses: "Back then, our Master Rong went to great lengths to get into the Northwest market, but he couldn't even get an audience with the Qi family. I don't think I have the luck to personally make you go to such lengths for me."
To put it bluntly, I think Qi Yanzhou is fake.
Qi Yanzhou chuckled softly: "The Buddha spoke of fate; this is your destiny."
If they had approached him a day earlier or a day later, the outcome would have been different.
But the timing was just so coincidental.
“You deserve this kind of luck,” Qi Yanzhou replied.
Liu Zi found it hard to believe that he had been accepted so easily.
"But what about Master Rong..."
"What can he do if you go to the Northwest?"
Every trade has its own rules. In the area south of the Huai River, those who trade in antiques all have to be apprenticed to the Qin family and obtain their permission before they can do business on their territory.
The same applies after crossing the Qinling Mountains; without the Qi family's approval, you can forget about getting involved in the antique business.
Master Rong's background was illegitimate; he didn't even get to meet the Qi family before being driven out of the Northwest in disgrace. Liu Zi didn't even offer a pledge of allegiance, yet this man, who was called the leader, accepted him.
No matter how you look at it, it seems like a scam.
People in this line of work are ruthless and cunning; he couldn't believe that someone who could sit in this position would have such a compassionate heart.
I always felt there was a backup plan in store.
Liu Zi asked with a hint of doubt, "Master Qi, do you mean you're willing to protect me?"
Qi Yanzhou did not deny it.
Liu Zi fell silent.
Qi Yanzhou didn't continue the conversation with him. Instead, he called Zhou Yue to come down and continue talking with him.
Zhou Yue, having been tricked by Liu Zi and his gang, naturally didn't give them a friendly look. "Oh, you're back again."
Liu Zi was embarrassed. "Brother Yue."
Qi Yanzhou simply pulled Song Chiyu away.
Song Chiyu felt relieved, "Can Zhou Yue manage on his own?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several men from Suzhou came out of the elevator.
Qi Yanzhou patiently explained, "Don't worry, he's not alone."
"Where do we go now?" Song Chiyu was completely confused. In her opinion, this should be a big deal for him, and it shouldn't just be Zhou Yue and them talking about it.
"Let's go somewhere where it's just the two of us."
"What?"
He repeated it solemnly.
Song Chiyu still found it hard to believe, "Are we just going to leave this matter alone?"
"Hasn't it already been taken care of?"
“You don’t…” Song Chiyu suddenly realized that he had given the other party two options: one was to follow his connections and go to the Northwest to do antique business steadily, and the other was to continue to take risks and go to find that feng shui treasure land that might not even exist.
As long as the other party doesn't have a criminal record, they can still pull back from the brink and know what to choose.
But things don't seem that simple.
Those people were engaged in dangerous business, and you could tell from the homemade gun they carried that they were practically outlaws in that era.
Don't be fooled by their easygoing nature now; they might turn against you again at any moment.
Their actions last night were a clear indication of this. Song Chiyu didn't want him to consider her feelings and harm Zhou Yue and the others, so she truthfully expressed her thoughts.
Qi Yanzhou stopped hiding it from her and openly expressed his thoughts.
“Zhou Yue can’t talk to him. When I was talking to him, he was calculating the whole time. You can’t win a sincere heart from someone like that just by being honest with him. What I said earlier was also a test for him. If I’m not mistaken, he definitely has a case on his hands. There must be some people in his group who want to follow in my footsteps, but the group with cases on their hands probably won’t allow it.”
He had almost foreseen the other party's fate, but he didn't say it outright.
"Therefore, it's good to keep your distance from them."
Song Chiyu then realized that he had been preparing to withdraw from this matter for a long time.
The so-called "letting Zhou Yue take over" was just a way of keeping his true intentions hidden from the other party.
At this moment, he laid out his truest self before her.
Song Chiyu belatedly realized what was happening, "Then now we..."
"Let's go somewhere where it's just us."
He was serious.
Song Chiyu, carrying her luggage, tiptoed out of the room. As she glanced at Qi Zhannan and Heizi's room, she was momentarily given the illusion that they had abandoned their families and eloped.
Qi Yanzhou drove an inconspicuous car out of the hotel's backyard.
As Zhou Yue and Liu Zi drove past the hotel, they were still talking, and no one noticed their departure.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Song Chiyu watched the crowd gradually recede into the distance and felt a sense of relief and satisfaction.
At this moment, it was already beginning to get light.
Sunlight streamed onto the straight, clean road, with the majestic snow-capped mountains rising at the end.
In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, it seemed as if only the two of them remained. All the troubles that troubled them were irrelevant; he and she were just an ordinary couple in love.
"Are they not going to care about Anxi either?" Song Chiyu was still somewhat uneasy.
For a responsible person like her, such an "escape" of abandoning everything would also make her feel guilty.
Qi Yanzhou then realized she had overheard him and couldn't help but smile: "You woke up yesterday?"
Song Chiyu responded with embarrassment.
"Let it get chaotic." He didn't mind.
"What?" Song Chiyu had never heard him say such an irresponsible thing before. "Really?"
“The old man has already gone back, and there’s a limit to how chaotic things can get,” Qi Yanzhou replied truthfully. “Don’t worry about it. Just remember that I’m your husband. Let others worry about the rest.”
How selfish.
But the moment he said it, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief and couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "Okay! Let's run!"
Song Chiyu put on sunglasses and gazed at the road ahead, which seemed to lead nowhere. Suddenly, she became very curious about the civilization he had mentioned. "However, I've memorized the map and incantation he just gave me. Would you like to go and take a look?"
In the end, she was still looking out for him.
Qi Yanzhou's lips curled into a smile: "Do you want to go?"
"I'm fine with either."
“The altitude over there is over 5,000 meters, and it might be a bit difficult to walk there. Are you sure you can handle it?” Not only her, but in those few seconds, he also got a general idea, which was almost identical to the records he had read in the local chronicles.
He just doesn't have that strong curiosity anymore.
There are things in this world far more important than his thirst for knowledge.
“I’m fine,” Song Chiyu said, not caring where they went, as long as she was with him. She treated it like a trip, took a deep breath while holding the oxygen tank, and said, “Let’s go.”
After a while, her excitement faded, and she asked worriedly, "Will you be back in two days?"
Before he could answer, she had already given her own answer: "Forget it, I'll just take whatever comes my way. At worst, I'll take a few days off and go back later."
His smile deepened, and he nodded: "Yes."
[Author's Note]
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More updates tomorrow and the day after~ Sweet treats~ [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] Thank you for the donations and support!!
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