Chapter 18: She Would Have Thought He Was Taking Liberty with Her
She wondered if she would ever be able to have a good night’s sleep on that bed again. She feared that the exact scene—of Qi Chengzhi lying on her bed that night—would pop up in her mind once she laid down on it.
Song Yu could feel her face burning. She dropped her gaze quickly.
Qi Chengzhi seemed to be fully absorbed in her draft. He was not aware of her presence.
To make her presence felt, she had no choice but to break the silence first and said, “Young Master Cheng, do you have any other questions on the design proposal?”
Qi Chengzhi looked up, reacting to her voice. For a brief moment, he looked dazed. The look faded away as Song Yu’s question interrupted the flow he was in while studying the design proposal.
“Oh. I’m not aware that you have your draft here. Let’s base our discussions on this. It’d be easier,” replied Qi Chengzhi. He continued to study the draft before him.
Song Yu was not sure whether it was a blunder. She went straight to the point, “Uhm, Young Master Cheng, are you coming down? We can continue our discussion here.”
Qi Chengzhi looked up, with a slightly stunned expression, and said, “Why don’t you come over here?”
Song Yu looked back and forth at him and at the bed. She blushed. Deep inside, she was sulking.
It seemed like he did not mean any harm. If not for his surprised look and serious tone, she would have thought he was taking liberty with her.
Judging from Song Yu’s expression, Qi Chengzhi, at last, acknowledged how the statement sounded inappropriate. He smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry. I was too absorbed in this and said something inappropriate.”
Qi Chengzhi took off from the bed, carrying the design with him. He sat down at the computer desk. Song Yu carried a chair and sat next to him.
The computer desk was not big, and since both of them were staring at the same piece of paper, they were in close proximity.
“I feel that, given it’s a landmark building by a Chinese designer, there’s nothing we’re more familiar with than the ancient Chinese buildings. If we were to pursue a contemporary design blindly, it may end up being neither fish nor fowl. However, given a classic one like Dynasty’s is already in the city, I’ve referred to the Star Palace 1 from Chinese mythologies and the Babel from the Bible for Qilin’s hotel.”
Song Yu halted unnaturally. Qi Chengzhi was indeed getting too close.
His chest brushed her shoulder and arm as he leaned forward to get a clearer view of the paper. Similarly, as his head leaned closer, she could feel his breath on her ears. The warmth had blurred her consciousness. She was not sure what words she was uttering.
Song Yu could feel her mouth getting dry. She licked her dry lips. She took a sip of water that was conveniently by her side.
Qi Chengzhi stared at her intently from the side. He did not hide his desire, and it made Song Yu feel nervous and awkward. She wanted to ignore it, but his gaze was too intense, and the two were too close.
For the lack of a better option, Song Yu turned around to ask what the matter was with him.
Unexpectedly, it was not the intense stare that she had expected—Qi Chengzhi looked embarrassed.
He pointed at the cup Song Yu was holding. Embarrassed, he said, “That’s my cup.”