Chapter 69

Chapter 69

To ease her lovesick symptoms, Xia Wanzhi dragged Zhuzi out for a stroll around the night market. When she got home at nine that night, the last thing she expected was to run into Xie Qiyan in the elevator.

Honestly, she could have done without this kind of coincidence.

Xia Wanzhi stepped into the elevator, forcing down her own awkwardness.

“What a coincidence. Back from having fun, Teacher Xia?” Xie Qiyan spoke languidly from behind her. His gaze lowered slightly, landing on the shopping bags stuffed full in both her hands, and he offered the greeting in a lazy drawl.

Xia Wanzhi stiffly tugged at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, yeah. What a coincidence.”

Hearing the faintly gritted-teeth edge in her voice, Xie Qiyan let out an exasperated laugh.

Fine. This was his fault. He really had gone too far teasing her lately.

“Give them to me.” Xie Qiyan reached out to take the things from her.

They were quite heavy, the handles biting into her fingers until they had gone a little pale.

Xia Wanzhi was just about to refuse when he had already taken them from her with the utmost naturalness.

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

This man really couldn’t fix his habit of just putting his hands on things.

After they got home, Xia Wanzhi went ahead to scan her fingerprint. As soon as she approached, she noticed an extra box by the door. The box wasn’t large, and there was no shipping label on it, but the number 2701 had been written on it in marker.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Qiyan stood behind her. Seeing the puzzled look on her face, he immediately guessed that she had no idea who had sent the box.

Xia Wanzhi picked it up and weighed it in her hands. “I don’t know who sent it.”

“Mm. No idea which wild man sent it,” Xie Qiyan said coolly, alluding to a certain ex-boyfriend surnamed Zhou.

The Zhou Family was the most snobbish of all. Now that they knew Xia Wanzhi was the Little Princess of the Becker Family, they were bound to come crawling over to curry favor.

As for someone secretly sending something without leaving a name, the only person he could think of was that member of the Zhou Family.

Xia Wanzhi shot him a reproachful glare. After opening the door and going in, she prepared to find a knife to open the box.

She needed to know what was inside before she could figure out who had sent it, but she wasn’t going to let some unfamiliar object into her home.

After Xie Qiyan carried the bags inside, he sorted them, putting half on the table and half into the fridge.

As Xia Wanzhi walked toward the door, she kept an eye on what he was doing. Suddenly remembering something, she turned back, took a box of shrimp dumplings he had just put into the fridge, and handed it to him. “Yours.”

She had eaten with him several times, and the fact that Xie Qiyan liked shrimp dumplings was obvious. When she had seen them at the night market tonight, she had bought some on a whim.

“They’re still warm. You can have them as a late-night snack in a bit.” Xia Wanzhi sounded a little awkward. After saying that, she grabbed the knife and hurried back to the door with quick, thudding steps.

Hiss. She was a little nervous.

The corners of Xie Qiyan’s previously level mouth curved up bit by bit. He raised a hand and touched the tip of his nose, trying to hide the delight he couldn’t quite suppress.

“Ah-” In the very next instant, a terrified scream and the sound of the box hitting the floor came from the doorway.

At the sound, Xie Qiyan abruptly set down what he was holding and rushed over.

“Ahhh! Xie Qiyan-” Xia Wanzhi’s face had gone deathly pale. After opening the package and seeing what was inside, a chill shot through her from head to toe. Screaming instinctively, she spun around to run back inside, only to crash headfirst into Xie Qiyan’s solid chest.

“What happened…”

That familiar embrace and voice were right beside her. Before Xie Qiyan could finish speaking, Xia Wanzhi leapt onto him and clung there, her scalp tingling with numb fear. Crying, she trembled as she stammered, “It scared me to death-sob-it scared me… so much-sob…”

Her arms wrapped around him tighter and tighter, and both her legs clamped firmly around Xie Qiyan’s waist. Xia Wanzhi’s mind went completely blank.

At the doorway, the bloodstained box lay discarded on the floor, and a horrifying doll covered head to toe in needles had rolled out from inside. Its two perfectly round eyes stared in their direction.

The instant Xie Qiyan saw it, his expression sank. A sinister chill and fury stained his eyes.

As if a storm were about to break.

Supporting Xia Wanzhi securely with one arm, Xie Qiyan shut the door. While carrying her back to the living room sofa, he called Yu Fei with a taut expression. “Ten minutes. Come over with Huo Yang and get rid of the thing outside the door.”
There weren’t many occasions that called for deploying both Yu Fei and Huo Yang at the same time.

Yu Fei guessed how important the matter was and didn’t dare delay for even a second.

Xie Qiyan didn’t say anything unnecessary. Once they arrived and saw what was at the door, they would know what to do.

Badly frightened, Xia Wanzhi buried her face in the crook of Xie Qiyan’s neck and shoulder, trying to calm herself down. Her tears soaked through his clothes and dampened the skin at his neck.

Xia Wanzhi wasn’t a public figure, and Lanting Bieyuan’s access control had always been strict. No one would have expected something like this to happen.

Xie Qiyan wanted to set her down on the sofa, but Xia Wanzhi clung to him with all her strength and refused to let go. Her body trembled faintly as she choked out what she wanted. “I’m scared. Don’t go…”

It was as if Xie Qiyan had been shot through the heart. The ache was so sharp that even his breathing went unsteady. “I’m not going. Don’t be scared. I won’t leave.”

He stood there holding her like a child, gently patting Xia Wanzhi’s back. As he kept patting, his body began to sway from side to side without him even realizing it.

As though he were coaxing a child.

Xie Qiyan didn’t say another word. He simply waited for Xia Wanzhi to slowly come back to herself, waited for her to gradually calm down.

When he could no longer hear her sobbing, Xie Qiyan carried her toward the kitchen. With one hand, he washed a cup, then filled it halfway with warm water from the dispenser.

“Teacher Xia, will you come down and drink some water to steady yourself?” Xie Qiyan tilted his head and brushed his forehead lightly against her ear.

Xia Wanzhi’s arms abruptly tightened around him again.

This time, it was because she felt as if she’d been electrocuted.

Now that she’d calmed down, Xia Wanzhi wished she could just die on the spot. Her head stayed buried firmly against Xie Qiyan’s neck and shoulder, and she had no idea how she was supposed to lift it.

What inhuman things had she just done?

She had embarrassed herself all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

“Teacher Xia, be good.” Xie Qiyan’s low voice sounded by her ear again.

“Teacher Xia? Xiao Wanzi? Can you at least make a sound?” Xie Qiyan continued coaxing her.

Xia Wanzhi muffled out, “Stop talking.”

Knowing she had recovered, Xie Qiyan let out a breath of relief, but he also couldn’t help laughing softly. “Be good.”

Xia Wanzhi obediently lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying, making her look pitiful and fragile, and damp teardrops still clung to her lashes.

She sniffled. When she saw the patch of fabric on Xie Qiyan’s left shoulder that she had thoroughly ruined, her gaze instantly had nowhere to go from sheer embarrassment.

“I’ll find out everything tonight. No matter who that person is, they won’t get away.” Xie Qiyan held her with one arm and freed his other hand to wipe her wet eyes. He was very obviously suppressing his anger as he apologized to Xia Wanzhi in a gentle voice. “I’m sorry.”

Xia Wanzhi wanted to cry again and instinctively burrowed back into his arms. “Why are you apologizing? I was the one who wanted to open the box.”

“How can a princess open boxes herself? As her knight, I neglected my duty. I deserve punishment.” Xie Qiyan was still coaxing her.

Knowing he was deliberately joking to comfort her, Xia Wanzhi’s ears warmed. She mumbled, “My hands are dirty. Take me to wash them.”

Xie Qiyan turned and walked to the kitchen. Xia Wanzhi finally let go and got down from him, then squeezed a full palmful of hand soap and scrubbed her hands hard.

There wasn’t anything dirty on her hands, but the moment she remembered opening the box, she felt physically nauseated.

Xie Qiyan went to bring over the water he had poured. Seeing the way she was washing her hands as if venting her anger, he immediately reached out and blocked the faucet, stopping her.

His palm was very broad, wide enough to cover the back of her hand with just one hand. Then he gently guided her movements until all the foam was rinsed clean. He turned off the tap and brought the water to her lips. “Princess, drink some water.”

Xia Wanzhi stared at him openly with her reddened eyes, then took the cup and gulped down the half cup of water.

For a moment, she had the strange illusion that she had returned to childhood.