Throughout the meal, except for Li Qian, whose face remained dark and who couldn’t swallow her food, everyone else was chatting and laughing. Chuxia saw that Li Qian had finally lost the power to retaliate and slowly let out a sigh of relief.
She thought that today’s ordeal was over, and although it had been dangerous, fortunately, it was covered up.
Chuxia couldn’t help but steal a glance at Shi Che. The man had a solemn look, calm and composed, as serene as ever. Even just sitting quietly, he radiated an imposing aura.
Although she didn’t know why Shi Che had come, she knew that if he hadn’t been there today, she wouldn’t have been able to fend off Li Qian so easily. She might have lost all her dignity by now.
For the first time, she felt a sense of security by his side, as if no matter how great the trouble that might befall her, there was no need to be afraid because he was there.
Chuxia was startled by her own thoughts; her eyes flickered slightly. She realized she had been staring at Shi Che all this time, and Shi Che, at some point, had turned his deep gaze to hers, looking at her intently.
Chuxia shuddered and hastily dropped her gaze, grabbing a cup at random from beside her and guzzling its contents to hide her embarrassment. It turned out to be alcohol, and given the haste with which she drank, she choked and started coughing.
Shi Che’s brow furrowed slightly, but he still reached out, placing his hand on her back, gently patting to help her catch her breath.
When Shi Che’s palm touched her back, Chuxia felt her coughing intensify, blood rushing to her cheeks, which turned bright red.
His palm was large, warm, and her back was exposed; Shi Che’s hand was directly in contact with her skin. Despite the air conditioning being on full blast in the private room, Chuxia could feel the searing heat of his palm, as if it were going to burn her skin. She clenched her hand and involuntarily shrugged her body.
Noticing her shrink away, Shi Che’s hand hesitated, the light in his eyes dimming slightly before he withdrew his hand and turned his face away expressionlessly.
Chuxia suddenly felt the atmosphere around her tighten again. She subconsciously glanced at Shi Che once more, only to see the profile of his face, stern and taut.
From her years of knowing Shi Che, he seemed to be angry again. She didn’t know why his mood had suddenly changed, but Shi Che had always been unpredictable, and she dared not ask any questions. The relaxed emotions from before tightened up again.
After a satisfying meal and as time passed, the evening got late. Everyone had families and children to return to and couldn’t linger outside for long, so they all got up to leave.
Taking the elevator down from the upper floor and walking to the hotel entrance still covered some distance. Since everyone was leaving together, Chuxia couldn’t show her respect and fear for Shi Che, so as she walked out of the private room, she still mustered the courage to link arms with Shi Che once again.