Qiao Ling woke up from a dream in shock, the nape of her neck tingling through the skin, veins throbbing, that kind of numbing sensation as if she had really been bitten by Chen Kuang.
Her heartbeat was also very messy. She covered her neck and stared at the ceiling, repeatedly confirming it was really just a dream before slowly calming down.
Qiao Ling curled herself up in the quilt, wanting to savor it again, yet ashamed to savor it, in a mess fell asleep again.
The next day upon waking up, she discovered she got her period: “…”
As expected, it was the hormones’ fault, it wasn’t her lustful heart exploding!
……………
However, for three consecutive days, as long as Qiao Ling had free time, she would think of that spring-heart-stirring yet unreasonable dream.
Now it seemed like it couldn’t really be blamed on hormones.
Of course, spring-heart-stirring described her, unreasonable also described her.
That person Chen Kuang, at a glance… it was impossible that he would do the kind of moves in the dream.
With his level of hatred towards the noise her little shop produced, from Chen Kuang’s perspective, that biting-the-neck action, probably wasn’t flirting… but really wanting to bite her to death.
Logically speaking, no matter how vivid the dream, it should gradually fade with time, but for some reason, she just couldn’t forget that night’s dream.
But fortunately, these past few days she hadn’t seen Chen Kuang in the building. After she expressed her stance to him at the bar that day, he also never contacted her again.
Could it be that these past few days, because she intentionally reminded customers to handle lightly when doing DIY, smashing the silver with less force, it was effective?
Because the noise transmitted downstairs wasn’t as loud anymore, Chen Kuang also stopped pursuing it?
In order to reduce the noise from table legs colliding with the floor, she even wrapped shock-absorbing foam around all the table and chair legs in the shop.
Qiao Ling felt satisfied about this — what’s with calling it an irreconcilable conflict, if both sides take a step back, isn’t it possible to coexist?
That night at nine o’clock, after seeing the last customer leave and waiting for a while without new customers arriving, Qiao Ling simply closed the shop half an hour early.
The hot-post effect from Xiao M Book came fast and went fast; the shop’s business was declining in a landslide way, felt like in a few more days it would return to the previously cold and cheerless state.
It was only between evening and night time that customers were more concentrated, generally couples who got off work or finished school and had free time.
Qiao Ling stared at the slowly changing screen numbers in the elevator lobby, her mood sinking, still needed to think of a way to maintain the shop’s popularity.
When the elevator opened, she walked in. The sigh she just let out hadn’t even been taken back yet, when the elevator dropped one floor and suddenly stopped, opening at the 20th floor.
The moment the elevator doors opened, Qiao Ling suddenly had a bad premonition. Sure enough, as she looked up, she bumped into Chen Kuang stepping in.
!!!
The person who three days ago was biting her neck in her dream appeared.
There was originally still a couple in the elevator. The moment she met Chen Kuang’s gaze, she immediately lowered her head, moving to the side to avoid him.
Going out at this time, must be going to the bar for work.
Why are his dark circles so heavy?
Did he not sleep well?
Ugh ah… face looks so bad, feels like at any moment he might tear someone apart to vent his anger.
Chen Kuang’s slightly long black curly hair was still a bit wet, as if he had washed his hair and didn’t really blow-dry it before going out. The black T-shirt on him was wrinkled, the shoulder lines drooping very loosely, completely different from the neat and energetic state she had seen him in before.
The fatigue pressed his aura very low and very scary.
After Chen Kuang entered the elevator and saw Qiao Ling, his expression became even uglier, leaning against the other side and closing his eyes.
The elevator doors closed.
The couple standing in the center exchanged a glance: suddenly felt the atmosphere was so strange, was it an illusion?
Without the other party saying a single word, Qiao Ling guessed information from the atmosphere.
First, her measures to reduce noise had completely failed, his insomnia had gotten even worse.
Second, he was now very irritable, wishing he could eat her alive!
Qiao Ling uneasily fiddled with her fingers, not knowing whether her guesses were correct, was she just overthinking?
She secretly glanced over — again saw the half-sleeve flower arm tattoo on him, as always beautiful yet scary.
Then her gaze couldn’t help but float around on his body.
Even with such a stinky face he was still so handsome, having dark circles made him even sexier, could this be said…
His figure was still so eye-catching… height was tall too, every time looking at his neck she had to tilt her head until it ached.
At least 1.85 meters and more, right?
Today’s T-shirt doesn’t have holes… can’t secretly see abs.
Thinking of this, Qiao Ling blanked out for a moment, suddenly thinking of the dream from three nights ago.
Now that she saw the real person, the blurry images from the dream became clear again, that kind of warmth and numbing pain when Chen Kuang bit on her neck once again…
The dream was too real, even the rough texture of his tongue tip when he bit down felt extremely real.
Qiao Ling raised her hand to rub her neck, in the corner of her vision the man’s powerfully defined arm muscles intensified her heart rate.
Don’t think anymore… don’t you have any shame…
If the other party knew that in her dream, he was a pervert who came up and just gnawed on a girl’s neck, he’d probably get so angry he’d directly throw her out of the elevator.
Qiao Ling’s thoughts jumped around a bit, in her panic thinking, Chen Kuang wouldn’t really have some special ability like mind-reading from novels, right.
Shouldn’t have, Heavens, you must bless that Chen Kuang is just an ordinary handsome guy.
Chen Kuang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze shifted over, glancing at her switching between more than ten different expressions in fifteen seconds, his slightly twitching brows carrying an air of not understanding.
He pressed down the breath in his chest and abdomen.
The elevator had stopped and gone for over ten floors already, she still didn’t have anything she wanted to say to him?
Had he even gotten a total of fifteen hours of effective sleep these past three days?
She really didn’t feel even a little bit guilty?
If she had even a bit of sense, she should at least ask him how he’s been feeling these past few days, right?
The elevator, under the pressure-filled atmosphere, seemed to descend three parts faster than usual, in a flash arriving at the first floor.
When Chen Kuang straightened up, he couldn’t help but open his mouth first: “Hey, you—”
As a result, almost at the same moment, Qiao Ling, face flushed red, suddenly rushed out of the elevator doors. Hearing him call her, her back shuddered, and she ran even faster.
In just three seconds, her figure was gone.
The couple in the elevator glanced at him for no reason, also holding hands and quickly left the elevator.
Chen Kuang’s face instantly turned ashen and rigid, his already heavy-feeling temples throbbed fiercely, his pupils as deep as being soaked in ink.
This was completely refusing communication?
Whatever he did, she couldn’t be bothered to care, is that it?
Before the elevator doors could close again, he slammed the open-door button hard, stepped out, and the fist tucked into his pocket clenched with a creaking sound.
Although he didn’t know what her relationship with Qiao Jing was.
To be able to play together, sure enough, both were unreasonable people.
Fine.
Next time there’s no need to show her any courtesy.
……………
Chen Kuang’s sleep disorder these years was very serious, his hearing while resting seemed much sharper than when awake.
Perhaps it was because these years, the experience of accompanying patients in the hospital never stopped. Any little movement around him was life-and-death related, so wanting to sleep soundly was very difficult. Not to mention he always dreamed while asleep, even the slightest sound would make him reflexively open his eyes like a nerve reaction.
So the on-and-off noise from her DIY silver jewelry shop upstairs became a torture instrument tormenting his spirit.
That day at noon, twelve o’clock, after eating, Chen Kuang lay on the bed, starting today’s second round of sleep.
The business upstairs seemed a bit quiet, he could finally get a moment of peace, stuffed in earplugs and closed his eyes.
Finally fell asleep with great difficulty, but again kept dreaming nonstop.
Although it was the same few scenes repeating.
There were a few moments like that, cruelly occupying Chen Kuang’s life.
Both times his parents died, he was sitting in the hospital corridor, looking around, all was pale white.
The white of the emergency room doors, the cloth white of the doctor’s coat, the paper white of the signature form, his vision swaying back and forth, turning his head, discovering the light outside the window was also so blindingly white.
He wanted to move, wanted to stand up, yet found his soul nailed dead onto that long bench, could only endure the fly-mosquito-like swollen pale vision, swaying dully, until his flesh was about to split, his brain giving a self-rescue-like jolt to wake him up before he could escape.
Dong dong dong——
Dong dong——
Deng deng deng——
Chen Kuang opened his eyes, yanked off the earplugs in his ears in one go, stared at the ceiling from which the noise kept coming and cursed.
He grabbed his phone and saw the latest message sent by the landlord.
Because this set of rooms was originally positioned as a hotel homestay provided for tourists, Chen Kuang had taken a fancy to this place’s convenient walking distance to the bar, decided to pay extra to rent it long-term, and gave the landlord the chance to set conditions as he pleased.
If he moved out less than a month after checking in during tourist season, according to the previous contract, not only would there be no refund of rent, but he’d also have to pay compensation.
Chen Kuang suddenly felt very puzzled, at that time was he brain-dead to actually agree to such an unreasonable rental contract.
It wasn’t like there wasn’t spare money in his card, it’s just that after all these years he had long gotten used to budgeting carefully, if money that shouldn’t be spent was thrown away, somewhere on his body would feel unspeakably uncomfortable.
Moreover, for what reason.
Because after waking up from that dream, his entire body felt physically uncomfortable close to a somatic reaction, as if a thousand, ten thousand strings in his head were being plucked simultaneously, buzzing endlessly.
Right at that moment, upstairs suddenly—“Peng!”
A loud bang.
Chen Kuang could no longer endure it, locked his phone and tossed it aside, flipped out of bed, and strode furiously toward the door.
Happened to settle both old and new accounts together.
……………
Half a minute earlier, upstairs.
At noon today, there was only one male customer in the shop. Judging from the looks of it, he seemed to be here to make a gift for his girlfriend, but for some unknown reason, from the moment he sat down he had a face full of irritability, sending voice messages while hammering silver bars.
When she went over to teach the process midway, he was half-listening, half-not, completely perfunctory, acting as if he was already very skilled.
Qiao Ling wasn’t unfamiliar with this kind of customer, nor did she get annoyed, just did what was her own duty and went to handle other things.
But the more he worked, the more irritated he became. By the time it got to the step of engraving patterns, that man suddenly slammed the table with a loud “peng,” “Boss! What’s going on here!”
His sudden outburst startled Qiao Ling, her back hairs stood up, and she quickly walked over: “What’s wrong, please tell me.”
The man threw the silver bar onto the table, his rough voice extremely intimidating: “Look at this! Why is it all crooked! How am I supposed to look at this!”
His roar made Qiao Ling’s scalp tighten. She picked up that silver bar and saw the twisted, crooked engravings, inwardly calling it bad, patiently explaining: “This… we already mentioned it to you earlier, once it’s hammered…”
“What do you mean?” the man clicked his tongue at her.
Qiao Ling pulled out a smile, adjusting her attitude: “Before this step just now, I already explained it to you, at the engraving step you have to be careful, once you hammer it on, it can’t be reversed, so you need to practice first on this silver plate next to it.”
“Did you perhaps not practice—”
“I think you simply didn’t teach at all!!”
She responded reasonably: “Sir, there’s surveillance in the shop. If you suspect that I didn’t teach this step, I can pull up the surveillance for you to watch.”
“Hey!” The man patted the table, stood up, his height towering over her immediately making him look even more aggressive: “You mean to say I spent money in your shop and didn’t do it well, it’s all my own fault then? That I’m a useless waste who can’t learn this little crap?”
With a casual swing, the rubber mallet placed on the edge of the table fell to the floor, making a bang as it hit the floor with a loud noise.
The other party was completely unreasonable. After hearing this sentence, Qiao Ling’s heart turned cold by a few degrees.
Luckily, there was only him as a customer in the shop at this moment, so it wouldn’t affect others.
“I already wanted to say earlier, I come to your shop to make something, how come it feels like I’m stealing or something?”
The man pointed at her and cursed in one breath: “Hammering the silver bar, you tell me to keep my voice down, I move a chair, send a voice message, you also tell me to keep my voice down, what, did I fucking get in your way or something?”
“So many problems, you people shouldn’t be opening a shop at all! Just saying you women can’t do anything right.”
After hearing this sentence, Qiao Ling’s eyelids twitched from anger, and the smile on her face could no longer be maintained. She immediately decided to break some wealth to avoid disaster, get him to leave as soon as possible.
“Alright, it really is my failure to serve you well. Coming out to make something to give a friend is also for happiness. This order is on the house; could you perhaps go check out another handmade shop?”
The burly, thick-backed man put his hands on his waist, squinted his eyes: “What you said sounds like I came here on purpose to cause trouble!”
“Right now, I’m telling you to help me solve my problem, and you’re trying to kick me out, what’s the meaning of that?”
“Doing business like this, no wonder there’s not a single person for half the day. Serves you right that this shop is getting worse and worse!”
From leaving campus to opening her own shop to start a business, it had only been a little over a year for Qiao Ling. Usually, she served mostly female customers, and had never encountered a person like this.
Facing such oppressive nitpicking and sarcasm, she couldn’t control her grievance, a sense of helplessness surging up.
Was what she said and did still not dignified enough? Why was he still being so aggressive…
Qiao Ling lifted her head, her eyes watery yet stubborn and unyielding.
“How about this, I’ll give you…” she was just about to say she would personally remake it for him.
The man took the chance to vent his private emotions on her, grabbing his leather bag and pointing at her threateningly: “You dare glare again? Who are you glaring at!”
“Going out to do business, you don’t listen around to who calls the shots in the area?! I spend a little money to get some of my guys to plant some water army online and smear your shop until you don’t even dare to open your doors, you believe it or not?! Huh?!”
Qiao Ling trembled, completely panicked, sourness welling up in her eyes.
Facing the man’s action of holding up his leather bag and threatening with a swinging motion, she shrank her shoulders and dodged in fright.
Yet in the next moment, a presence of someone approaching from behind came.
A somewhat familiar voice struck solidly to the ground:
“Is your mouth as loose as your dad’s ass? Bragging is even easier than farting.”
Qiao Ling was stunned, turning her head to meet Chen Kuang’s dark and cold brows and eyes.
Didn’t even know when he came in, already standing behind her.
She had never heard him curse at someone before, and it was even this vicious.
Was he angry?
Though it was a bit out of place, she felt… explosively sexy.
Why would someone’s sexual tension skyrocket because of cursing and losing their temper?
The male customer was provoked by that sentence, reached out wanting to grab her collar, but his speed couldn’t match Chen Kuang at all. In one move, he was intercepted halfway.
The struggle between men sometimes wasn’t much different from dogs and wolves, as long as they bit each other once, strength decided superiority immediately, and there would instantly be a difference between high and low, noble and base.
Chen Kuang wasn’t as burly and thick-backed as the male customer. His figure was tall and lean, but with just a light move, he managed to lock down one of the man’s arms so it couldn’t even move.
Living this long, what man hadn’t mixed it up before? He could instantly tell Chen Kuang was definitely someone who had fought a lot. His arrogance weakened by more than half.
Seeing him scared, Chen Kuang flung his hand away, stepped forward, squeezing Qiao Ling behind himself.
He lifted his chin, the eyes under his messy, sleep-mussed curls sharp and frightening: “I’ll also spend a little money, buy you rolling out of here right now.”
Already annoyed to the extreme from insomnia, and this guy dared to hit his gun muzzle head-on.
He hadn’t vented his anger like this in a long time.
“I’ve got matters with her too.” Chen Kuang used his chin to point at the woman behind him. “Right now, I can’t stand even one more second of you.”
He glanced around the shop, finally fixing his gaze on the surveillance camera’s location, silently warning this man, lazily saying: “Say a number.”
The male customer followed Chen Kuang’s line of sight and saw the surveillance, understood he wouldn’t gain any advantage. This guy was so ruthless, couldn’t even tell if he was here to protect this woman or really here to settle accounts.
The man could only pick up his things, glare at them once, and admit to himself “bad luck,” leaving the shop.
Qiao Ling, coincidentally rescued from being cornered by Chen Kuang, finally let out a breath of relief. Just as she was about to say thank you, another, even more familiar voice sounded from the entrance.
“I’m telling you, I saw everything! Don’t let me catch you again. If you dare stir up trouble next time, I’ll call the police!”
A tall, slender, and refined middle-aged woman carrying a lunchbox pointed at the fleeing male customer and shouted.
Qiao Ling hurriedly turned her head, looking at the person at the entrance, eyes widening round: “…Mom!?”
“You—why are you here?”
Chen Kuang paused, his eyes lowering to look at her.
His agitated and irritable mood was suddenly interrupted.
—Huh?