Qi Shifeng, who was defined as the "grass to turn back to", stared fixedly at her for a long while. His lips were tightly pursed, and the corners of his eyes were slightly red.
But in a moment, he smiled at her again.
"Okay, I remember. You don't like to eat the grass you've turned back to."
"Then at least don't reject my attempts to make amends and show my kindness, okay?"
Xu Tingyu's hand was still on his face. She couldn't help but stroke the corner of his mouth twice. When she looked up, she fell into his tender and affectionate gaze.
She was in a daze for a moment. The alcohol got to her head under this gentle gaze, numbing her normal thinking. All she wanted was to be entangled with him and sink into the deep sea.
She chose to follow her heart. She moved her fingertips away from the corner of his mouth and replaced them with her lips.
All the pent - up pain of being rejected again by Xu Tingyu dissipated in this gentle kiss.
In the empty private room next door, Qi Ruixi looked at the man in front of her with a cold smile. "You're really strange. Why do you care what I'm doing here?"
Zou Yu's expression looked ugly for a moment, but then he resumed his usual calm.
"They're not good for you," he trapped her in front of him and said softly, "You deserve the best in the world."
He was angry and shocked, but what followed was heartache.
Because he knew very well why she was doing this.
As a professional bodyguard with a strong sense of vigilance, how could he not know that she had been following him for half a day today?
But accompanying Cui Yin was his duty, so he pretended not to see her.
After entering the cinema, he had noticed that Qi Ruixi didn't follow in.
At that time, he was still thinking that this was not in line with her character, so he couldn't help but worry. He didn't remember anything about the movie after watching it.
Half - way through, he came out to check once, and Qi Ruixi wasn't at the door.
Finally, when the movie was over, until he sent Cui Yin back, he didn't see Qi Ruixi again.
He thought she had finally seen the light and stopped following him. He was relieved at first, but then he was immediately overwhelmed by indescribable loss and dejection.
In order not to get caught up in this self - contradictory emotion, he went back to the company, trying to numb himself with work.
When Qi Shifeng called him to leave, he didn't know what had happened.
It was on the way that he heard that Qi Ruixi had come to the bar with Xu Tingyu to pick male models.
In the car, Qi Shifeng said meaningfully, "I don't know what you two are arguing about, but don't affect others. Qi Ruixi is not thinking straight. You should make it clear to her."
As an older brother, he had long seen the undercurrent between the two of them.
But he didn't have the habit of interfering in others' feelings. After all, his own feelings were still in a mess.
But not interfering didn't mean allowing them to act recklessly.
Anyway, Qi Ruixi was his younger sister. If it got out that she was lovesick and going crazy for a man, it would be embarrassing for him as her older brother.
Most importantly, she was now dragging Xu Tingyu to go crazy with her, which was absolutely not allowed.
Zou Yu didn't say a word. He just looked solemn. There was a glint in his eyes, but it quickly faded.
He knew what Qi Shifeng meant.
It wasn't that Qi Ruixi was not thinking straight. He wanted Zou Yu to make it clear that they shouldn't be entangled anymore, as it would have a bad influence on Qi Ruixi.
"You're the young miss of the Qi family. Don't degrade yourself."
Looking at Qi Ruixi's clean little face and her slightly swollen eyes, he opened his mouth several times but couldn't say that she was a good match for someone else.
All he could do was plead with her not to humble herself in the dust for someone like him and make a ruckus in this kind of place to vent.
"How is this degrading myself? I'm just a fun - loving person. Besides, who are you to me? What right do you have to control me?"
Qi Ruixi looked up at him. The cold smile on her lips had completely disappeared, leaving only pale lips.
It was obvious that she was just putting on a tough act.
Zou Yu looked at her deeply for a long time and then seriously told her, "You're not such a person. You're very good. We all know that."
The affection in his eyes couldn't be faked, but his face showed the most distant expression.
Qi Ruixi finally couldn't stand it anymore. She grabbed his collar and forced him to get closer to her.
"Stop acting like this. Stop pretending to be good for me. I'm 26 years old. I know what I want."
"Besides, I like you, so you're worthy of me. What on earth are you afraid of? You obviously like me too."
She was really aggrieved. As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.
Back then, when she watched the love - hate entanglement between Xu Tingyu and Qi Shifeng, she thought that love really made people blind.
She vowed not to be such a blind person in the future.
But when she really fell in love, she found that reason was vulnerable in the face of emotion.
Zou Yu avoided her gaze and forced himself to be cold. "Stop making a scene. I'll take you home."
But Qi Ruixi stared at him stubbornly with tears in her eyes.
"I'm not making a scene. I know you like me. If you didn't like me, why did you respond when I kissed you?"
"If you didn't like me, would you wait for me when I worked overtime, silently send me off the elevator, and silently watch me get in the car?"
"Would you prepare medicine for me when I was sick, remember my menstrual period, and prepare hot water bags and brown sugar water for me?"
"Would you stare at me when I was asleep? Would you do these things for someone you don't like?"
"Zou Yu, I may seem willful and carefree, but I know everything."
Zou Yu turned back with difficulty and forced himself to answer rationally, "That's because you're the younger sister of my employer. I'm just doing my duty."
Qi Ruixi hated it most when he used work as an excuse.
"Just doing your duty? Would you do these things for my second brother? Would you peek at him, put clothes on him, and take him out to relax when he's in a bad mood?"
"Why don't you just admit that you like me? Do you think your love for me is so embarrassing? But I think it's very admirable."
She didn't want to cry in front of him, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Her nose even turned red.
Zou Yu finally surrendered under such a gaze. "Qi Ruixi, we have no future. Stop playing with me."
He had never liked anyone before.
Whether in school or after work, there were always people showing their affection for him because of his appearance.
But after getting along with him for a while, they would find that he was dull, boring, and not interesting at all.
Over time, those people would be discouraged by his coldness and boredom.
There had never been a girl like Qi Ruixi who had barged into his world in such a strong - willed way and expressed her love for him without any reservation.
How could he not be tempted?
After his parents died, no one had ever loved him so passionately, cared about his mood, whether he was full and warm, or whether he would get hurt.
Even for a tiny scratch, they would be extremely worried.
But he didn't deserve it.