Xu Tingyu summoned all her strength to stagger to the parking lot and get into her car. As the car door closed behind her, she slumped forward onto the steering wheel, feeling as if she had just emerged from a downpour. Her forehead was beaded with fine sweat.
The pain wasn't just psychological; it felt as if her head was about to split open. The ringing in her ears showed no sign of subsiding. She pressed her hands tightly against her ears, but the sweat continued to trickle down her forehead.
Not only was she sweating profusely, her heart was pounding, her breathing was rapid, and she felt nauseous. She reclined the driver's seat, turned on the music and air - conditioning circulation in the car, and lay down.
As the soothing music filled the car, she gradually regulated her breathing. After about half an hour of listening to the songs, she finally managed to calm down. Her heart was still beating a bit fast, but thankfully the nausea had subsided and the headache had lessened. She was fit to drive.
So she started the car and drove slowly back to the hotel. Then she took a shower and wrapped herself in the quilt. The temperature in the room was just right, but her body was shivering under the covers.
She didn't know how much time had passed when the door of the room opened. Someone walked in, and then she heard the rustling sound of clothes being taken off. Before she could open her eyes, a warm body pressed against her back. A pair of large hands encircled her waist and gently pulled her back. She was embraced in a familiar embrace.
She opened her eyes and heard a deep voice by her ear, "Did I wake you up?"
Actually, Qi Shifeng knew she was awake when he entered the room. Her shivering under the thin quilt was too obvious.
It took Xu Tingyu a while to turn around and face him after hearing his voice. The man stared intently into her eyes. There were no traces of crying, but her pupils were dilated, and she looked like a lost soul.
He didn't rush to ask what was wrong. Instead, he tightened his embrace and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Don't be afraid, Tingyu. I'm here."
After they got off the plane today, they were supposed to go home together. But Xu Tingyu said she wanted to visit Zhang Qiu and told him it would be better for him to see Liu Ning. Qi Shifeng couldn't persuade her, so he could only watch her leave alone.
However, he didn't go to see Liu Ning. Instead, he sent Youyou home and then went to the company to handle a lot of work. When he checked the time, he realized it was getting late, but Xu Tingyu hadn't contacted him at all, not even a single message.
He was so worried that he asked Jiang Li to go to the sanitarium. Jiang Li called him and said that Xu Tingyu had left the sanitarium early, but her face had looked very pale when she left.
Qi Shifeng immediately put down all his work and contacted the hotel right away to confirm that she had returned. Since she came back from the sanitarium but didn't go home and instead came to the hotel, there must be something on her mind.
He rushed over immediately. When he entered the room, he saw her buried completely under the quilt. This was a sign of insecurity.
"Qi Shifeng, hold me tighter." Xu Tingyu's hands clutched tightly at Qi Shifeng's shirt. Her eyes were panicked and helpless.
The man said nothing but tightened his hold on her.
The two held each other tightly for a long time before Xu Tingyu gradually calmed down. Her eyes regained focus, and her body stopped shivering.
"How did you know I was here?" She lay with her head on his arm, her hand still resting on his chest.
"I just called the hotel. I was really worried about you because I didn't get any message from you." Qi Shifeng's eyes were extremely soft, and his tone was gentle, as if he wanted to reassure her.
She smiled faintly and asked him, "Qi Shifeng, did you worry about me during the four years I was abroad?"
She was very confused today. It was as if her past life had been completely overturned, and she felt like a rootless duckweed on the verge of decay.
Qi Shifeng took her hand and placed it on his chest.
"Yes, I worried so much that I went to see you three times." A faint smile played on his lips, and there was a flicker of concern in his eyes. But he still didn't ask what had happened to her. He just answered her question.
Xu Tingyu was a bit shocked. But she had received so much information today that she felt a bit numb. After a while, she asked, "When? I never saw you."
She was sure that the next time she saw him was after she returned to Jingdu.
"The first time I saw you was two years after you left. I was on a business trip to Dubai and managed to squeeze out two days."
After Xu Tingyu left, Qi Shifeng had to stay in the hospital bed for two months. After he was discharged, he learned that his shares had been taken back. The old man said that if he did anything irrational again, Youyou would also be taken away. The old man always kept his word.
For the sake of his child, he had to endure. He no longer appeared in any public场合. Besides spending all his free time with Youyou, he finally became the heir the old man wanted him to be. Calm, low - key, decisive, and not impulsive.
But the old man was always very suspicious and never fully trusted Qi Shifeng. So he had no chance to go looking for her.
He could only find out about her situation through his own channel. But since she was so far away, a lot of the information was very vague. It wasn't until two years later that he learned she had become a dance teacher in New York.
So during that business trip to Dubai, he concentrated all his work and almost stayed up all night with all his staff. Then he managed to carve out two days.
He rushed non - stop to New York. He knew that there were people monitoring Xu Tingyu from time to time, so he didn't dare to get too close. He was afraid of being discovered.
That day, Xu Tingyu happened to be a backup dancer for a female pop star. The once天之骄女 (daughter of heaven, a term for a highly talented and outstanding girl) had now been reduced to being a backup dancer. Qi Shifeng's heart ached terribly.
He went into the venue, wrapped himself up tightly, and just wanted to take a look at her. The stage lights that day were very dazzling, and Xu Tingyu's dance was very beautiful. But he knew that wasn't what she wanted. She was good at classical dance, but now, for the sake of money, she was dancing breakdance.
His eyes were sore as he watched. In order to give her a flower, he asked someone to send one to all the backup dancers backstage.
Xu Tingyu rummaged through her memories for a long time and finally recalled this incident.
"So it was you who sent that flower?" She was a bit shocked.
At that time, she had thought it was strange. There were plenty of people sending flowers to the main performer, so why would a spectator send flowers to the backup dancers? She had thought someone was trying to pursue one of the backup dancers and thus sent flowers to everyone.
"Anyway, I was really happy that day because no one had sent me flowers for a long time. I took that rose back to my place and kept it for over a week." A gentle smile played on her lips as she talked about this. Although they didn't meet, that single flower had brought her a week of happiness.