Her bold invitation caused Li Qingshuo to pause for a moment. Could such a gentle and adorable young lady also so openly invite a man to a hotel?
Besides, they weren't at that stage yet.
They were still in the process of getting to know each other.
Seeing his hesitation, Tang Ke Ke knew she had been too forward. After all, they had only known each other for about a month.
Fearing that Li Qingshuo might look down on her, she quickly explained, "Do you think I'm too forward? I booked a suite with three rooms. I just didn't want you to have to book another room. Looking at your expression, you must think I'm an indecent girl."
For a fleeting moment, Li Qingshuo had indeed thought of her as a casual girl.
However, it still wasn't right. He didn't want to hurt any woman, unless it was someone he truly loved.
"Ke Ke, I'll take you back first," Li Qingshuo said, his attitude ambiguous.
Tang Ke Ke frowned slightly, then nodded and obediently got into the car with Li Qingshuo.
Looking at the man's straight back, tall and refined, and his charming appearance, she became infatuated.
From their previous interaction, she knew that Li Qingshuo didn't like her as much as she had imagined. He was a second-generation rich man whom her mother had worked hard to introduce her to. She absolutely couldn't give up like this. Moreover, he had a good relationship with Mu Jiuchen and the He family.
She had looked into He Mingrun's girlfriend. She was very ordinary, a woman without even a proper job. Mu Jiuchen also seemed to have a woman he liked. With only Li Qingshuo left, she was determined to hold onto him.
Her hand instinctively clenched. She blinked her pure black eyes, looking at the stone steps in front of her, and deliberately stepped on them with her high heels.
"Ah..." she cried out.
Li Qingshuo, with quick reflexes, caught her.
Suddenly falling into his broad and warm embrace, breathing in his pleasant scent, Tang Ke Ke's face instantly flushed red.
Li Qingshuo looked at her blushing face, finding it somewhat alluring, but he didn't feel any stirrings of emotion.
Tang Ke Ke was pure and radiant. Yun Xia, on the other hand, was gentle and soft, exuding a comfortable aura from her entire being. That aura wasn't deliberate or feigned; it was innate.
Li Qingshuo's eyes widened suddenly. He had only met Yun Xia three times, so why was she so clearly imprinted in his mind?
Damn it!
Li Qingshuo roared inwardly.
It wasn't until Tang Ke Ke in his arms cried out in pain that he snapped back to attention. He looked at Tang Ke Ke and asked, "Are you alright?"
Tang Ke Ke slowly straightened up, then suddenly cried out again and fell into Li Qingshuo's arms, "Qingshuo, the road is slippery because of the rain, and I've twisted my ankle. We might need to go to the hospital."
Li Qingshuo felt a little annoyed, but he couldn't just ignore Tang Ke Ke, or his mother would nag him again.
"Get in the car first, I'll take you to the hospital." After helping Tang Ke Ke into the car, Li Qingshuo went to the driver's seat.
Sitting in the back seat, Tang Ke Ke looked displeased. Li Qingshuo seemed unwilling to let her sit in the passenger seat.
In the month they had known each other, she had always sat in the back seat and never in the front passenger seat.
Li Qingshuo drove her to the hospital. After examining Tang Ke Ke's ankle, they found she had sprained a ligament. It wasn't a serious injury and required a period of rest.
After getting the medicine, Li Qingshuo took Tang Ke Ke back to the hotel suite.
He helped Tang Ke Ke sit on the bed and placed the medicine on the table beside her. "Ke Ke, get some rest early. I won't be coming for lunch tomorrow...!"
Tang Ke Ke interrupted him, smiling, "I can still go, Qingshuo. I'm so happy that you're willing to take me to see your friends. You care about me, so how can I be absent? But are you really not staying tonight?" For the last sentence, she looked at Li Qingshuo with a hint of pitifulness.
Li Qingshuo: "..." Did he care about Tang Ke Ke?
He couldn't even remember what Tang Ke Ke looked like when he turned away. This didn't count, did it?
Li Qingshuo felt that indescribable annoyance surge within him again.
He said in a hoarse voice, "Then I'll come pick you up tomorrow."
After saying that, he strode out of the room.
Hearing the door close, Tang Ke Ke finally clenched her fist tightly. She had thought he would stay since her foot was injured.
Tang Ke Ke picked up her phone and made a call.
She coldly instructed, "Release the photos from tonight."
The other party replied with a smile, "Okay, Miss. You'll see satisfactory news first thing tomorrow morning."
After Tang Ke Ke hung up the phone, her mood improved considerably.
Li Qingshuo returned to his hotel, feeling very agitated. After showering, he lay in bed unable to sleep. He tossed and turned, only falling asleep in the latter half of the night. In his dreams, however, he was with Yun Xia, engaged in passionate encounters.
Upon waking, Li Qingshuo had a look of disbelief on his face. He glanced at the bed, feeling so angry he wanted to curse.
He slowly closed his eyes. In his dream, there was also a beautiful little boy crying out for him as "Daddy." The boy had large, dark, bright eyes and a particularly cute smile.
The boy's exquisite appearance made him want to pick him up and kiss him. The little boy's resentful big eyes accused him, "Daddy, why don't you want me anymore?"
"Ahhhh..." Li Qingshuo agitatedly kicked the covers to the floor.
He should have stopped Yun Xia back then. This wasn't the first time he had dreamed of this child.
This was already countless times. Every time he dreamed of him, his mood soured considerably.
Seeing that it was past ten o'clock, Li Qingshuo got up to wash up. Their lunch meeting was at twelve at a traditional restaurant in Modu.
Li Qingshuo was in no mood to pick up Tang Ke Ke. He thought about sending her a message, but as he picked up his phone, he saw a pushed news alert.
[Jingshi's Second Generation Rich, Li Qingshuo, Displays Affection with Girlfriend, Embracing by the Roadside]
The news below was accompanied by various praises and blessings.
Li Qingshuo's brow ached slightly. Who had done this?
He angrily called his assistant.
"Mr. Li."
"Go, clear all the news online for me. Also, find out who sent it and have them shut down their business. How dare they write such untrue news? If they want to court death, we'll send them on their way."
After saying that, he angrily hung up the phone.
"Hoo..." Li Qingshuo let out a breath of turbid air before leaving.
Downstairs, he received a call from Tang Ke Ke.
Li Qingshuo frowned slightly, but he still answered the phone. "Hello!"
"Qingshuo, you don't need to come pick me up. I'll come to you. Send me your address. I happen to be going out to run some errands nearby, so I'll drop by to see you, saving you another trip." Men liked understanding and considerate women, and Tang Ke Ke was skilled at such things.
"Okay, I'll send you the address later." Li Qingshuo hung up the phone, sent Tang Ke Ke a message, and then sent messages to He Mingrun and Mu Jiuchen.
He then took a taxi to the agreed-upon location.
Upon arriving at the traditional restaurant, Li Qingshuo received another message from his assistant.
"President, this is bad. The design drafts for this quarter have been stolen, and the company's computers have been hacked. We can only contact designer Y again." Sheng Huan's voice was very anxious. This was a serious matter.
Li Qingshuo's brow ached subtly. He said, "Investigate who did this. Then send me Y's contact number."