A faint scent reached his nostrils. In the dark living room, the distance between Lin Xiao Tian and Guo Lin Qing was less than a centimeter.
Lin Xiao Tian did his best to keep his breathing steady, as any sign of panic would surely make the situation awkward.
Because Lin Xiao Tian had excellent eyesight, he could see more clearly than an ordinary person even in the pitch darkness of the living room. However, Guo Lin Qing did not possess such good vision. To the point where Lin Xiao Tian had already opened his eyes, but she hadn't noticed anything.
Still, it wasn't entirely Guo Lin Qing's fault.
It was three in the morning, and most people were fast asleep. Who would have expected Lin Xiao Tian to be so alert and awake?
At this moment, Guo Lin Qing and Lin Xiao Tian faced each other. Guo Lin Qing found an empty spot on the floor beside the sofa and sat down, then simply stared at Lin Xiao Tian.
Fearing he would give himself away, Lin Xiao Tian simply closed his eyes.
Just as he was wondering what Guo Lin Qing intended to do, the next moment, a soft touch brushed against his lips.
Huh?
Lin Xiao Tian froze for a moment, unable to react.
However, the softness was fleeting, and Guo Lin Qing quickly pulled back.
Due to the darkness of the living room, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't see the expression on Guo Lin Qing's face, but hearing her rapid breathing, he knew how nervous she had been just then.
Fortunately, Guo Lin Qing didn't proceed further, which brought Lin Xiao Tian immense relief.
In this situation, if he had remained dazed, he might not have felt anything, but now he was perfectly awake!
As he was thinking this, the next moment, he felt Guo Lin Qing lean in again.
Lin Xiao Tian was startled.
Here she comes again?
Just as he thought this in his mind, the next moment, Guo Lin Qing kissed him again.
This time, Guo Lin Qing didn't pull away immediately but pressed against Lin Xiao Tian.
After a while, Guo Lin Qing finally parted.
Following this, they repeated this process several more times.
At first, Guo Lin Qing was a little clumsy, but gradually, she became more proficient. And since Lin Xiao Tian remained still, she grew bolder.
By the end, when their lips finally met, Guo Lin Qing fully let go.
Thus, they kissed and parted, with Guo Lin Qing not making any more significant moves, until the very end of the night, when she reluctantly departed, clearly unsatisfied.
After Guo Lin Qing left, she went back to sleep soundly. But Lin Xiao Tian was completely unable to sleep.
He stayed awake until dawn.
Guo Lin Qing was clearly still lost in a sweet dream, occasionally letting out a silly giggle. Lin Xiao Tian didn't want to disturb her, so he decided to prepare breakfast.
Just as he was about to leave, a mobile phone ring echoed from the living room.
Lin Xiao Tian glanced over; it was Guo Lin Qing's phone, which she had left there in the middle of the night.
Not wanting to disturb Guo Lin Qing, Lin Xiao Tian answered the call.
"Hello!"
The voice on the other end of the phone clearly paused for a few seconds upon hearing Lin Xiao Tian's voice.
Immediately after, a magnetic male voice came through.
"Is Ling Qing there?"
"She's sleeping. Who is this? Is there something you need?" Lin Xiao Tian asked.
"I am... her father," the other party paused.
Lin Xiao Tian was stunned.
Was this man truly Guo Lin Qing's father?
As a father, upon hearing a strange male voice on his daughter's phone, his first question wasn't to inquire about the other person's identity. Wasn't that rather negligent of him as a father?
Furthermore, the man had displayed a cowardly demeanor from beginning to end, which made Lin Xiao Tian extremely displeased.
With such a father, it was no wonder Guo Lin Qing was upset.
"Hello, Uncle. I'm sorry to bother you," Lin Xiao Tian replied politely, maintaining his patience.
Hearing Lin Xiao Tian's polite reply, the person on the other end of the line hesitated.
"May I ask who you are?"
"I am her friend."
"You're not with that group?" Father Guo asked in surprise.
Lin Xiao Tian was taken aback.
He knew exactly who "that group" was – the debt collectors who had shown up yesterday.
This meant that Father Guo had assumed he was part of that group and had acted so timidly from the moment he answered the call.
Consider this: if he had indeed been part of that group, it would imply his daughter was being held captive. As a father, to appear so indifferent – who wouldn't be angry?
"Where is Ling Qing? Where is she? Put her on the phone!"
Upon learning that Lin Xiao Tian was not one of the debt collectors, Father Guo's demeanor clearly became more assertive, and his tone became a bit harsher. Yet, even so, he didn't display any genuine concern for Guo Lin Qing's predicament.
After all, there was a stranger claiming to be a friend in his daughter's home.
Didn't Father Guo have any worries at all?
"It's inconvenient for her to take a call right now," Lin Xiao Tian replied directly.
"Inconvenient? What's inconvenient? Put her on the phone, I need to talk to her."
"How about this! Uncle, why don't you tell me what it is, and I'll relay it to her later. Would that work?"
"Who are you? Why should I tell you?"
Lin Xiao Tian pondered. He thought that if he answered that he was Guo Lin Qing's colleague, Father Guo would insist on coming to see Guo Lin Qing, or even come to her place in person. Thinking of how Guo Lin Qing had cried the previous day, Lin Xiao Tian felt sympathetic.
"Oh... I'm just a regular businessman. Um... Uncle, do you know Wei Ge from Dong Jie Kou?"
"Wei Ge?"
Father Guo on the other end of the line was taken aback.
"Are you referring to Brother Yang from Dong Jie Kou?"
"Yes!"
"Heh heh, so you're with Brother Yang. My apologies. Are you here to collect a debt? My daughter has money, you can get it from her."
Listening to the cold voice on the phone, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't help but sigh.
Were these words a father should utter?
"By the way, what is it that you need with Ling Qing?"
"It's nothing much, really. We had a little disagreement yesterday, and I was planning to have a good chat with this girl today!" Father Guo said with a seemingly amiable tone.
Lin Xiao Tian couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
It was now seven in the morning. To solidify his daughter's commitment, Father Guo was indeed in a hurry!
But according to what Guo Lin Qing had said last night, Father Guo had asked her to spend the entire night considering the repayment of the debt, and she was to give him an answer the next day.
Comparing the two statements, it was obvious that Father Guo was lying.
"Later then! You're not in a hurry, are you?" Lin Xiao Tian asked.
"Heh heh, no rush, no rush. I'll call again later then."
Lin Xiao Tian hummed in response and hung up the phone.
Hearing Guo Lin Qing talk about her family matters before had already made Lin Xiao Tian feel incredulous. Experiencing it firsthand today, Lin Xiao Tian truly understood how pitiful Guo Lin Qing was.
With this thought, Lin Xiao Tian dialed a number on his phone.
"Hello! Yang Wei, do you have an outstanding debt regarding Guo Xu on your end? See if you can write off this debt. I'll cover the fees!"