Chapter 39: Acting Too Hastily (Requesting Monthly Tickets!!!)

As noon approached, Ying Qin arrived at the entrance of the Ode to Joy residential complex, and Qiu Yingying volunteered to go pick him up.

In the kitchen, only Qin Hao and Guan Ju'er remained.

Qin Hao looked at Guan Ju'er with great interest and walked toward her.

Guan Ju'er instinctively backed away, but there was nothing behind her but the refrigerator door; she had nowhere left to retreat.

Seeing her nervous little expression, Qin Hao suddenly played a prank on her. He pulled her to one side, and under her stunned and shy gaze, he grabbed two eggs and then closed the refrigerator door again.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Qin Hao said with a wicked smile.

Only then did Guan Ju'er realize she had been teased, and she swung her small fists in a mix of shame and annoyance. However, in the next moment, Qin Hao had already held her firmly and leaned down to kiss her.

But before Qin Hao could enjoy his triumph for long, his lips felt a sudden numbness and a sharp sting.

Seeing Guan Ju'er's slightly vindictive little expression, Qin Hao lamented inwardly: *This girl is learning bad habits.*

However, Qin Hao was not the type of person to admit defeat easily. Of course not.

Ignoring the pain on his lips, Qin Hao leaned in to kiss her again, and this time it was even more aggressive. The assault, like a sudden storm, quickly caused Guan Ju'er to lose herself.

Guan Ju'er felt as if she were a small boat in a vast ocean, merely drifting with the waves, completely unaware of where she was.

Guan Ju'er wanted to struggle, but her body refused to obey. It was as if Qin Hao was punishing her; he showed no intention of stopping, and it looked as though they were about to reach a breakthrough.

Suddenly, a knock came from the door. It was Qiu Yingying and the others returning.

With strength from who-knows-where, Guan Ju'er pushed Qin Hao away. Her face was as red as a boiled lobster, and with a stomp of her foot, she ducked into the bathroom.

Qin Hao's right hand remained suspended in the air, frozen in the position of his last grasp, and he could only let out a helpless sigh.

Naturally, Qin Hao's expression was not great after having his moment interrupted.

Ying Qin had been chatting happily with Qiu Yingying all along the way, but seeing Qin Hao's face, he immediately wilted, feeling an impulse to run away.

"Sit down for a bit, there's just one more dish left," Qin Hao said, ignoring Ying Qin as he turned back to the kitchen.

Ying Qin asked cautiously, "Is the boss in a bad mood today?"

"No, he was perfectly fine when I left just now," Qiu Yingying said, looking puzzled.

After a while, Guan Ju'er also emerged from the bathroom. To make herself appear calm, she had spent quite some time tidying up in there and had to build up her mental fortitude before she dared to come out.

"Eh, Guan Guan, why did you tie your hair up?" Qiu Yingying asked curiously.

Guan Ju'er explained, "I was helping Brother Qiu cook just now, and I was afraid my hair would fall in, so I tied it up."

Qiu Yingying didn't suspect anything and introduced Ying Qin to her.

"Guan Guan, this is Ying Qin from our company. He's in charge of software development and he's amazing. Everyone in our company uses the analysis software he made. He's even from my hometown."

"Oh, hello Ying Qin. I've heard Yingying mention you many times," Guan Ju'er greeted Ying Qin with a smile.

Ying Qin said somewhat shyly, "Actually, it's not as exaggerated as Qiu Yingying makes it out to be. It's just my job; we IT guys only know how to type code."

After the three of them chatted for a while, Qin Hao called out: "Dinner is served."

Qiu Yingying volunteered to go to the kitchen to bring out the dishes, even pinning Ying Qin to his chair to keep him from moving, which made Ying Qin quite embarrassed.

To Ying Qin's surprise, however, Guan Ju'er did not go to the kitchen either.

Seeing that Guan Ju'er hadn't come in, Qin Hao realized he had been too impatient; the fruit wasn't quite ripe enough to pluck yet.

"Eh, Guan Guan, why aren't you coming to help with the dishes?" Qiu Yingying noticed Guan Ju'er's unusual behavior.

Qin Hao brought out the remaining three dishes himself and gave Qiu Yingying a gentle pat on the head.

"Don't talk nonsense. Guan Guan is a guest; you don't make a guest serve dishes."

Guan Ju'er wanted to say she wasn't a guest, but she quickly realized—if she wasn't a guest, what was she? Qiu Yingying's best friend? That's still a guest. The mistress of this house? Even if she and Qin Hao entered a relationship, they would only be boyfriend and girlfriend; she hadn't reached the status of mistress yet.

"Does Ying Qin drink?" Qin Hao took a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet. It wasn't anything like an '82 Lafite, just an ordinary dry red, the kind that costs about a hundred yuan a bottle in the supermarket.

Ying Qin originally wanted to say no, but seeing that the boss had already brought it out, he had no choice but to reply, "I can drink a little."

"Then drink a little with me," Qin Hao said as he used a corkscrew to pull out the stopper.

At the dining table, Qiu Yingying talked the most, chatting with Ying Qin about their hometown. This gave Ying Qin a sense of familiarity, and he ended up drinking quite a bit.

Tipsy from the wine, Ying Qin opened up and recounted his experiences over the past few years.

Qiu Yingying looked at him in surprise. "Ying Qin, you've even bought a house in Shanghai and a car? You're too amazing!"

"Yeah, being able to buy a house in Shanghai at this age is truly impressive," Guan Ju'er added, feeling a sense of admiration.

Ying Qin, having had quite a bit to drink, shouted with a flushed face, "Ha, what's that compared to this? The boss is the truly amazing one. If he wanted to buy a house, it would be effortless for him."

Only then did Qiu Yingying remember, "That's right, Brother, why haven't you bought a house? You're still renting."

Qin Hao spread his hands. "I haven't met the social security requirements yet."

Of course, if he truly wanted to, he certainly could—through second-hand homes, judicial auctions, or finding a middleman with the eligibility to purchase. However, Qin Hao felt quite comfortable living in Ode to Joy, so he couldn't be bothered to move.

"I see."

Since Ying Qin was too drunk to go home, he could only be settled in the guest room to rest. In the afternoon, Qiu Yingying continued playing games in the living room, leaving Guan Ju'er with no choice but to hide in the bay window of Qin Hao's room to read a book.

Qin Hao did not disturb her; he also pulled a book from the bookshelf and began to read.

During this time, Guan Ju'er occasionally cast curious glances at Qin Hao—partly curious about what kind of book he was reading that he could go through it so quickly, and partly wondering if he was actually reading seriously or just reading along because he saw her reading.

Sensing Guan Ju'er's gaze, Qin Hao picked up the book and showed her the cover: "Topology from a Differential Perspective. I didn't go to university, so I have to self-study some things."

Guan Ju'er's face felt hot. So he really was reading; she had been overthinking it.

"Of course, what I prefer more is the atmosphere of reading together with you," Qin Hao added.

Guan Ju'er's heart felt as if it had been filled with honey; even the air she breathed felt sweet. In the process, she completely wiped away Qin Hao's excessive behavior in the kitchen earlier.

***

[Author's Note: To share some good news with my friends, this book has advanced to the next round of recommendations. Of course, this also means facing more and better competitors, so all data points are very important. Seeking recommendations, monthly tickets, tips, collections, and completed reads. Thank you all for your continued support.]