CHAPTER 156: CHAPTER 135: DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WITH US?

Although he smelled strongly of alcohol and badly needed a shower, there was still a woman in the room. What if she barged in while he was showering? Or even worse, woke up while he was changing clothes? Being seen naked would be the least of his worries, but what if she misconstrued his intentions? That would be truly hard to explain. Even though he already knew she liked him, that wasn’t an excuse. This wasn’t some TV drama filled with clichéd, melodramatic scenes. He wasn’t interested in that sort of thing, and he hated such complications. So, feeling helpless, he moved a chair to another spot and, despite the discomfort, lay on it, planning to rough it out for the night.

In a daze, Chu Tian drifted off to sleep, and the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Time ticked by. Around three o’clock in the morning, the person on the bed furrowed her brows and turned over. The bed was small to begin with, and she still had her shoes on when Chu Tian first laid her down. He had only placed her sideways on the bed, with her head toward the inside. Even after he later took her shoes off, he hadn’t repositioned her. As a result, with this turn, she rolled right off.

CRASH!

Xu Qingqiu fell to the floor, with a trash bin landing on top of her head, and what felt like several pairs of shoes were bulging beneath her body. She rubbed her eyes, dazedly looking around. Unfortunately, the room was too dark to see anything clearly. However, just from the silhouettes, she had a sinking feeling. This... this isn’t my room, is it? The thought instantly sobered her up. She scrambled to her feet, her first instinct to find her phone.

Chu Tian, who was lying on the chair across the room, had been startled awake by the noise. But because he had been sleeping with his head resting on the chair for several hours, he had a stiff neck. The moment he tried to lift his head, the pain in his neck was so excruciating that it took his breath away. It took him a good while to finally catch his breath again.

"Hiss... You’re awake?"

"Ah!!! Who?! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Holy crap! Chu Tian was startled by her. He quickly stood up and said, "Don’t! Don’t scream! Why are you screaming in the middle of the night? I’ll turn on the light. Just stop screaming."

Clutching his neck, he started to walk towards the light switch. However, the moment he moved, Xu Qingqiu, who was opposite him, tensed up, unsure what to do. She instinctively fumbled on the floor, grabbed a shoe, and held it tightly. Her eyes were fixed on the approaching figure, and she gritted her teeth, ready to attack the instant he came closer.

How could Chu Tian know what she was thinking? He casually strode past her, looking for the switch. Although he hadn’t slept well that night and was still groggy, this was his room, after all. He knew its layout well enough to navigate it with his eyes closed. Just as he reached Xu Qingqiu, she, without hesitation, hurled the shoe in her hand at the shadowy figure before her.

But that wasn’t enough to vent her fear. As if facing some terrifying monster, she continued to swing the shoe, gritting her teeth and yelling, "Stay back! Stay back!"

"I’ll kill you!"

"I’ll kill you!"

Attacked so suddenly, Chu Tian gasped in pain, a cold sweat breaking out. His breath hitched in his chest, and he couldn’t seem to swallow. It was just too damn painful! That wasn’t an ordinary shoe; it was a goddamn high heel—a stiletto, no less! Who the hell could stand being hit by that heel?

He lunged forward, his fingers finally brushing against the light switch on the wall. He slammed it, and the room was instantly flooded with light. Having done that, he finally couldn’t take it anymore. He collapsed to the floor, one hand clutching his leg, the other his neck. Pain shot through him from top to bottom. He didn’t even dare to breathe too deeply, let alone speak.

"Argh... damn it..."

After what felt like an eternity, the worst of the pain subsided. He lay there, drenched in cold sweat, eyes closed, gasping for breath.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingqiu was startled by the sudden illumination. After a moment of temporary blindness, her vision gradually cleared, and she could make out the scene in the room. This... why does this place look a bit familiar? Where am I? Filled with confusion, she looked towards the figure she had seen earlier. When she saw Chu Tian lying there, his face contorted in pain, she froze.

"Chu... Chu Tian?" she stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Seeing her about to come over, Chu Tian, alarmed, quickly waved his hands. "Don’t! Don’t come any closer! Let me... let me catch my breath..."

"Huh?"

Xu Qingqiu was still bewildered. Then, she glanced down at the high heel in her hand. Her face instantly turned red, and she quickly dropped the shoe. Oh no, I hit him with this several times, didn’t I? Only then did it register.

"Chu Tian, are you okay? I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was you..." She couldn’t care about much else. She quickly scrambled over to him, her face etched with guilt as she looked at Chu Tian. Her hands hovered in mid-air, fidgeting, completely unsure where to touch him for fear of causing more pain.

Seeing Chu Tian remain silent for a long moment, she grew anxious, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I’m... I’m so sorry. I... I didn’t know it was you! I didn’t mean it!"

Fortunately, Chu Tian had mostly recovered by this point. Seeing her state, he gently patted her and said, "Alright, it’s okay. I’m fine, really. That was quite a move; with skills like that, three to five ordinary people wouldn’t be able to get near you."

He said this because, after all, he knew Tongbei Fist and had some martial arts foundation. Logically speaking, with what just happened, he shouldn’t have been injured, because he had sensed Xu Qingqiu’s attack the moment she launched it.

But this was his room; he knew its contents better than anyone. In his position just now, behind him was the windowsill and radiator, to his right were a chair and table, and to his left was Xu Qingqiu. Other than lunging forward, the only way he could have avoided the attack was to kick Xu Qingqiu and incapacitate her. But was that even an option?