Chapter 109 Always Follow
As dawn broke, the silence in the apartment grew even deeper.
As Ruan Yi walked into the entryway in front of the man, her fingertips unconsciously tightened, her mind already preoccupied with her calculations all the way.
She had already made up her mind. The vigilance from her last imprisonment hadn't completely dissipated, so how could she let her guard down again?
But given the situation just now, even if she went with someone, Gu Zhi would go crazy, especially since he had a gun at the time.
Gu Zhi wouldn't hurt her, but what about others?
It would be troublesome no matter who she went with. If she insisted on going with Fu Jingchen and he got hurt because of her, that would be the end of her.
The best approach was to go with the flow and cooperate by returning with him, even though I couldn't resist and acted recklessly.
The moment their lips touched, she convinced herself that it was just a delaying tactic.
It's not that she's infatuated, it's not...
Just as Gu Zhi closed the apartment door, Ruan Yi took a half step back to create distance, her soft expression completely vanishing.
"I'm going back to my room now."
Ruan Yi left those words and headed towards her room.
Gu Zhi had already taken half a step forward, as if he was about to follow him into the room.
"Smack—"
Ruan Yi's palm rested lightly on his face, and he could feel the warmth under his skin.
She looked up, her voice betraying a barely suppressed panic, "What are you doing here?"
Gu Zhi didn't dodge; his cheek, which had been slapped, flushed slightly, but he smiled instead.
"Didn't my sister respond to me?"
He reached out and lightly ran his fingertips over the spot where he had been hit.
"My sister's kiss was compensation, and also... an acknowledgment of how much she cares about me, wasn't it?"
The man was certain that Ruan Yi's feelings for him were more than just brotherly affection; he was certain that the feelings hidden beneath his resistance were about to sprout.
Looking at him like this, Ruan Yi suddenly laughed, but the laughter didn't reach her eyes.
"That's just compensation, don't overthink it." She paused, deliberately tilting her head to look at him.
"If I don't kiss you first, it's like you won't come to me on your own?"
One sentence left the man speechless.
"I only have a clue what you, you pervert, will do next, so don't overthink it."
Ruan Yi pulled her hand back and lightly pinched his arm with her fingertips. "Get out! I want to sleep."
It was a surge of hormones, and also a desire to take the initiative; rather than being forcibly kissed, she preferred to be the one to take the initiative.
At least this way, the rhythm is in her hands.
She could kiss him and then leave, push him away before he tried to take things further, or even slap him without hesitation halfway through a kiss.
Gu Zhi stared at her, his eyes darkening.
Ruan Yi ignored him and turned to close the door.
It feels really good to be in control of others; that feeling of being in control is damn addictive.
Ruan Yi closed the door tightly and watched the sky outside the window gradually lighten, but she was wide awake and listened carefully to the sounds outside the door.
Her phone is still with Gu Zhi; without it, everything is difficult for her.
Last night's absurd tug-of-war had taken a lot of energy, and Ruan Yi's eyes were bloodshot. Gu Zhi was probably even more tired than her.
After the footsteps in the corridor completely disappeared, and after what seemed like an eternity of silence, I finally dared to slowly straighten up.
It was already bright outside the window, and the morning light cast shadows on the floor through the gauze curtains.
Ruan Yi held her breath, tiptoed, turned the lock, and sneaked out of the room.
The soft clanging of metal was amplified infinitely in the silence. She froze for a moment, and only after making sure she hadn't disturbed anyone did she sneak out, crouching low.
The living room was empty, and the sunlight clearly illuminated the outline of the sofa. With a clear goal in mind, she headed straight for Gu Zhi's room. When her fingertips touched the cold doorknob, her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her throat.
The door wasn't locked.
Ruan Yi gently pushed open a crack and peeked at his figure, which was buried in the bedding.
Gu Zhi was sleeping soundly, but his brows were furrowed. His profile looked particularly delicate in the morning light, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on his forehead, as if he were trapped in some unsettling dream.
Ruan Yi took a deep breath and moved in as if she were diving in.
My gaze swept quickly across the tabletop and the corner of the cabinet, but there was nothing there.
It wasn't until her gaze fell on the headboard that she saw her cell phone, lying quietly beside the man's pillow, no more than half an inch from his ear.
She stood there for a few seconds, brainstorming.
Take it or not?
Gu Zhi's breathing suddenly became erratic, and he uttered indistinct murmurs, his voice low and hoarse.
"Sister...don't go..."
Ruan Yi paused, watching the sweat on his forehead slide down his temples, his eyelashes trembling violently, and his vulnerable appearance made her heart tighten for no reason.
But it was only for a moment. She closed her eyes and suppressed that unwarranted wavering.
Staying here would only lead to certain death, but Gu Zhi had promised her he wouldn't keep her locked up anymore.
If he dares to go back on his word, she won't care even if she has a Gatling gun pointed at her head!
Ruan Yi tiptoed closer, her knees almost touching the edge of the bed.
Just as her fingertips hooked the edge of the phone, Gu Zhi's breathing suddenly became heavy. Before she could pull her hand away, she was pulled away by a brute force.
He closed his eyes, his arms encircling her waist like iron hoops, pressing her tightly into his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his hot breath spraying on her skin.
"Sister...don't leave me..."
He murmured, and a hot, wet kiss suddenly landed on her cheek, with a hurried, almost biting force, before sliding down her earlobe and leaving a trail of hot, wet marks on her neck.
Ruan Yi tensed up, trying to pull away, but he held her too tightly. The slightest movement from her caused his arms around her waist to tighten even more, almost embedding themselves into her body.
His kisses grew more intense, filled with intense desire, as if marking something, or as if afraid of losing it if he let go.
"Please... stay with me..." His voice, mingled with his breath, clung to her neck. "Don't go to anyone else..."
The warm touch crept up her skin, and Ruan Yi bit her lower lip, resisting the urge to push him away so as not to wake him.
You could feel the heat of his body, smell his scent, and even hear the rapid beating of his heart.
After a while, taking advantage of a brief pause in his breathing, I slowly and very gently pried open his fingers.
Every movement felt like walking a tightrope, afraid of waking him. When my fingertips touched his palm, my heart tightened inexplicably, but I didn't stop moving.
When she finally broke free of that restraint, she almost immediately retreated to the doorway, bracing her back against the door frame to steady herself.
She gripped her phone tightly in her hand.
Ruan Yi looked back and saw that Gu Zhi was still lying on his side, his brows furrowed, as if he was still struggling in an uneasy dream and had not yet woken up.
Ruan Yi breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and quickly closed the door.
The pockets of the clothes I changed into contained my wallet and keys—the lightest of my belongings.
She opened the door, and sunlight rushed in, making her squint. She didn't want to be trapped by anyone.
Just as the girl stepped out of the door, a very soft sigh came from behind her, drifting out through the crack in the door.
The older sister didn't want to stay by his side.
"Then I'll follow my sister, forever..."
"Follow me until I die."
Ruan Yi paused, a chill running down her spine. Without turning around, she gripped her phone and strode into the morning light.
There seemed to be an invisible shadow behind her, creeping closer and closer along her footprints.
The moment the screen lit up, she froze. It was unusually clean; there wasn't even a single spam text message.
Ruan Yi frowned and swiped the screen. Just as she was about to open the call log, a new message suddenly popped up at the top, from her dear Hanhan.
Are you alright?
Ruan Yi felt a sense of relief and her fingers flew across the keyboard.
"I'm fine now, I'm free again, just letting you know I'm safe!"
After sending the message, she belatedly realized that she hadn't even had a chance to complain to her best friend.
It seems some pervert has been exposed.
As she was pondering this, she casually opened her contact list, and her face immediately darkened.
The list was empty, missing many people, all of whom were men, even those who had no connection whatsoever.
Ruan Yi's fingertips paused; she knew without a doubt that it was Gu Zhi's childish behavior.
She took a deep breath, opened the blacklist in the settings, and sure enough, a long string of names was crammed into the list.
The person who kept saying he was afraid she would leave had long been quietly trying to cut off her other options.
"Crazy." Ruan Yi cursed under her breath, tapping the screen hard with her fingertips as she began to pull people out of the blacklist one by one.
Ruan Yi stood under the billboard on the street corner, her mind still a little conflicted.
Looking back at Zhi's side is impossible; that would be like carrying a time bomb that could explode at any moment.
Find a temporary place to stay? But she always felt that Gu Zhi's shadow was everywhere, and who knew when he would break into her house and get into her bed.
And she still has to work. The thought of work makes her furious. These past two days, Gu Zhi has been bothering her, and she's completely forgotten about her work.
Will Fu Jingchen mark her as absent without leave?
She had stayed up countless nights recently for the business battle between NovaVoy and the Anderson family, and it was promised that she would be promoted and receive a raise, with her salary doubling as her level was upgraded.
Although Ruan Yi didn't lack that money, the sense of accomplishment from being promoted and recognized was more gratifying than the salary increase itself.
Now that this mess has been stirred up, everything is in chaos. She's even wondering if she should try to charm Fu Jingchen.
She nipped the idea in the bud as soon as it popped into her head.
She hesitated for a few seconds looking at the nickname in her phone's contact list, but finally pressed dial.
The moment the call connected, Ruan Yi took a deep breath, her tone dry and without any preamble.
Are you coming to pick me up?
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line. She didn't ask why she called or what happened afterward.
Only a deep male voice faintly drifted over.
"Okay." He paused, then added.
"Xiaoyi, send me your location. Stand on a busy main road and wait away from any secluded places."
Do you have any money left? I'll transfer some to you now.
"Is there a convenience store nearby? I'd like to buy some water so I don't stand in the sun."
"..."
He went on and on with a whole bunch of instructions.
Ruan Yi felt a throbbing pain in her temples and couldn't help but interrupt him.
"Oh dear! Come here quickly."
"Sorry, Xiaoyi, I was too long-winded." The man's voice was only agreeable, without any hint of impatience at being interrupted.
"I'm already in the car, I'll be there in twenty minutes."
Ruan Yi responded and hung up the phone, looking at the words "Call Ended" on the screen with a sense of helplessness.
After recalling those memories, she shouldn't have been so harsh on Fu Jingchen, but she couldn't break the habit.
My phone screen suddenly lit up, and a bank transfer notification popped up.
Quanzi glanced at it, and stopped in her tracks when she saw the contents: a million US dollars had been deposited into the card she had opened in the US for receiving her salary.
Ruan Yi raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit amused and exasperated.
Is this what Fu Jingchen meant by transferring some money to buy water?
"What kind of water should I buy..." she muttered to herself, her tone tinged with helplessness.
"Even gold water wouldn't cost that much."
Is this person just too worried about her, or does he have some misunderstanding about the concept of money?
It's almost too reliable to be true.
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