Disguised as a Man, She Has Eight Men Fighting Over Her - Chapter 72 - Another Breath, Part 1

Lin Cheng dragged her weak-limbed body back to her room and took a quick shower.

Looking at her flushed cheeks and wet eyes in the mirror, she buried her face in her hands.

Fine. She admitted it.

It had been… pretty good.

She slipped out of her room again, wheeling her luggage behind her.

Her pace quickened as she passed Shen Qingrang’s closed door.

On her way downstairs, she thought she heard a faint footstep. But she was nearly late and paid it no attention.

Back in his room, Shen Qingrang slowly wiped his fingers and adjusted the position of his ring, his gaze deepening.

After a while, he swallowed. Another long moment passed before he picked up a glass and drank some cold water.

He looked at the empty sofa, as though he could still see her lying there, the two characters he had written across the skin of her lower back:

Qin Rang.

—

As soon as Lin Cheng reached the ground floor, Pei Jinye took her luggage from her. His sharp eyes lifted, his tone knowing.

“So excited about going to City Z with me that you spent forever getting ready upstairs?”

A curse reached her lips. She swallowed it.

Forget it. He really had given her far too much.

Beside them, Shi Yu draped a familiar arm around her shoulders and drew her closer, speaking slyly.

“Jinye, stop. Ci will tell you off again if he hears.”

Pei Jinye scoffed and led the way.

Why else would the little sissy volunteer for City Z, if not to go on a date with him?

So shy.

Throughout the journey, Lin Cheng was sandwiched between Pei Jinye and Shi Yu, their bickering giving her a headache.

What she didn’t know was that, not long after she boarded, a tall figure in a black outdoor jacket, baseball cap, and mask silently entered the first-class boarding lane.

He hadn’t even booked a hotel. He had simply followed.

He thought he might be losing his mind.

Rain poured over City Z.

When they reached the hotel, Pei Jinye told reception, “Cancel the rooms we booked. Give us a presidential suite.”

Lin Cheng inwardly groaned.

Stay together? Then how was she supposed to sneak out to see her mother at night?

She spoke apologetically. “Jinye, I have a friend in City Z who said they’d come see me tonight. It might disturb you, so I’ll stay on my own…”

His smile froze. He and Shi Yu asked at the same time.

“A friend? Guy or girl?”

“Guy or girl?”

“A girl!”

Shi Yu inwardly exhaled.

Only after saying it did Lin Cheng realize that might be a problem. She quickly added, “There’s a guy too.”

Pei Jinye heard only one thing: a girl! The little sissy’s first answer had been a girl!

A thunderbolt from a clear sky.

Where had this random woman come from?

He patted Lin Cheng’s shoulder and addressed reception in the weary tone of a man who had seen too much.

“Keep the presidential suite. And give this… royal pain the room we booked.”

Lin Cheng took the key card. “Thanks, Jinye.”

He ground his teeth. “Enjoy… catching up.”

Watching her leave, he hauled Shi Yu into the elevator in wounded indignation.

Shi Yu said nothing. He glanced in the direction she had disappeared, the innocent smile fading from his face.

Back in the lobby, a man checked in.

His gaze passed beneath the brim of his cap toward the elevators, then paused for one second on two room numbers on the receptionist’s screen.

He lowered the brim and headed for another elevator.

In her room, Lin Cheng planned to slip out to the mall after tomorrow’s event and buy a decent dress. She couldn’t turn up tomorrow evening dressed as a man.

The thought made her notice how tight her chest felt. She took off her binder.

She rolled comfortably across the bed twice. The loose neckline of her T-shirt slipped sideways, revealing pale skin. As the hem lifted with her movements, several lingering red marks on her lower back came briefly into view.

Buzz.

[Pei Jinye: Friend there yet?]

Lin Cheng rolled her eyes.

[Lin Cheng: It’s raining. They’re not coming.]

The instant she sent it, her phone vibrated again.

[Pei Jinye has transferred you 300,000 yuan.]

[Note: Consolation money for the abandoned little brat.]

This time, she accepted without blinking.

Being polite with him was a waste of emotion. Call it compensation for emotional distress.

The night stretched ahead. Lin Cheng scrolled through Weibo, but something about the room felt inexplicably wrong.

She held her breath and listened.

Apart from her own heartbeat, there seemed to be another extremely faint breathing sound in the darkness.

Was she imagining it?

She was instantly on guard. Without making a rash move, she scanned the room with sharp eyes.

The slightly moving curtains.

The half-open cabinet at the foot of the bed.

Where?

Or under the bed?

She went to reach for the hotel phone on the nightstand. Her fingertips had just touched the receiver when the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong.

Lin Cheng looked warily toward the door. “Who is it?”

“Room service, sir. Mr. Shi ordered some warm milk to help you sleep.”

She frowned. Setting her suspicions about the room aside for the moment, she went to the door and checked the peephole. A hotel attendant stood outside with a trolley.

She opened the door.

The attendant glanced through the gap into the room several times, then smiled and handed her a tray.

On it sat a steaming glass of milk and a handwritten card.

“Good night, Little Chen.”

She thanked him, accepted it, and closed the door.

She left the milk in the entryway without drinking any.

On the other side of the wall, Shi Yu stood wearing a mask, leaning against the wall a short distance down the corridor.

The attendant hurried over and bowed respectfully.

“Sir, I delivered it as you instructed. And I looked.”

Hands in his pockets, Shi Yu asked lightly, “You got a good look? There really wasn’t anyone else? Especially a guy?”

“I did. The young gentleman was alone.”

The only visible part of Shi Yu’s face—his eyes—flashed with innocent harmlessness.

He took another small stack of notes from his pocket and set it on the trolley.

“Good work.”

Inside, Lin Cheng opened the minibar, casually took out a bottle of citrus soda, and drank a few mouthfuls.

Perhaps the interruption had helped. The strange feeling of being watched seemed to have eased a little.

She sat back on the bed and continued scrolling, but remained alert.

After a while, her mouth began to feel dry. Her head was faintly dizzy too.

Something was wrong.

Her gaze snapped to the half-full glass bottle on the nightstand.

There was definitely someone in the room. She hadn’t imagined it.

She clenched her fist hard. Good. She still had a little strength.

Thinking quickly, she let herself fall onto the bed and mumbled, “Mm… So dizzy… What’s happening… I’m so sleepy…”

Sure enough, the barely perceptible breathing in the room grew faster with excitement.

This time, she could pinpoint it clearly.

Under her bed.

She picked up the half-full bottle from the nightstand and held it against the pillow. The liquid quickly soaked into the soft goose down without a sound.

Gripping the empty glass bottle, she switched off the light.

Click.

The room went dark at once.

The scene before her began to spin. The drug was clearly affecting her nerves. She bit hard on her tongue and regained a little clarity.

Then she began breathing heavily, her eyes watchful as a leopard lying in wait.