Chen Ling withdrew her gaze awkwardly. "It's nothing, I'm here to deliver the quilts."
"Oh." She nodded, not moving from her spot.
The living room fell silent for two seconds before Chen Ling uncomfortably reminded her, "I advise Madam to step aside. The bodyguards will be bringing the items up shortly."
"Step aside from what?"
Unable to get an answer from Chen Ling, Qin Yige's gaze fell curiously on the maid.
The maid coughed softly and pointed to her own neck.
Qin Yige looked down, seeing nothing.
She had no choice but to return to the bedroom with her toothbrush and walk to the mirror. Peering into it, she saw—
Her fair neck was covered in shocking marks, mottled blue and purple, and indeed, all over her body.
Flashbacks of certain moments from the previous night surfaced in her mind. Qin Yige closed her eyes, desperately suppressing the scream that was about to escape her lips.
Shang Sheng!
It was all Shang Sheng! The dog of a man had left this on her.
Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a victim of domestic violence.
Forgetting about brushing her teeth, she took out her phone, took a close-up photo, and angrily bombarded him with messages.
"Shang Sheng, look at what you've done!"
"Is this something a human would do?"
"Is this how you treat your wife?"
"Are you trying to rob me and then murder me?"
His reply, however, was a casual "Are you awake?"
Qin Yige suppressed the urge to strangle him and typed, "Otherwise? Am I a ghost texting you?"
"You woke up a bit early."
It was nearly noon, and she was still waking up early?
Qin Yige suspected he was being sarcastic.
A moment later, another message arrived: "Think about what happened at the bar last night. Give me an explanation when you get back tonight."
The woman's brushing motion stopped. She looked at herself in the mirror, her mouth full of foam.
What could have happened? She got drunk, and on impulse, she decided to play the hero!
As she was changing in the walk-in closet, her bedroom door was knocked.
"Who is it?" she called out from the doorway.
"It's me." It was Chen Ling's voice.
"Come in!"
Chen Ling pushed the door open. The bedroom was empty. Seeing the walk-in closet door ajar, she guessed Qin Yige was inside.
She pushed open the closet door. Qin Yige was indeed inside.
It was just...
The woman stood before the full-length mirror, wearing only a light gray bra and panties. Her skin, as fair and smooth as a peeled egg, was completely exposed to the air.
Her figure was curvaceous, but it was marred by many marks. Her back was not spared, and there were even one or two finger imprints on her waist.
It was evident how wild last night had been...
Qin Yige didn't bother to hide from her. Barefoot, she stepped onto the plush carpet and held a long dress against herself, trying it on.
Perhaps sensing the lack of response, she turned to Chen Ling. "Secretary Chen, is there something you need?"
Chen Ling, snapping out of the visual shock Qin Yige had given her, said softly, "I just came in to ask how many quilts this room needs."
"Oh, no need. Shang Sheng and I can share one. Put the rest in the guest rooms!"
"Okay." Suppressing the ache in her heart, Chen Ling turned and left the walk-in closet.
Passing by the bathroom, she inadvertently saw their matching couple's toothbrushes, as well as the disheveled large bed... Her heart ached even more.
Did she truly have no chance?
Thanks to Shang Sheng, the wedding photoshoot scheduled for today had been postponed by two days.
Xia Lanqing had even called specifically, "Why was the wedding photoshoot postponed? The wedding is happening soon, and you must have wedding photos."
Qin Yige glanced down at the silk scarf around her neck. How could she possibly take wedding photos like this?
"Oh, maybe Shang Sheng has a business trip. I'm not too sure." She shifted the blame to Shang Sheng.
"If Shang Sheng is on a trip, you can take individual portraits first to save time." To be honest, Xia Lanqing was worried her daughter would cause trouble.
"I'll have the individual portraits taken at the same time as the wedding photos. Otherwise, changing outfits and doing makeup will be too troublesome! Mom, if you're worried, why don't you call Shang Sheng and urge him?"
"..." How could Xia Lanqing possibly urge Shang Sheng?
Hearing this, she could only say, "Alright, just arrange your time then."
"Mom, I have to go. I'm meeting a client." Poor me, I almost died in bed last night, and today I still have to get up and see a client.
Fortunately, the appointment with the client was in the afternoon, giving her some buffer time.
"You're about to be a bride, you shouldn't be taking on projects." Besides, she wasn't a well-known designer, and a single project didn't earn much.
With the wedding next month, if it weren't for her and Kou Juqing working behind the scenes, wouldn't Qin Yige be this idle?
"That won't do. The wedding and work go hand in hand." She had been idle long enough recently. Now that she finally had an order, she not only had to accept it but also design it well.
"Okay, okay, you go ahead and be busy. Remember to come back for dinner when Xiao Sheng is done with his work."
"Got it."
After ending the call with Xia Lanqing, Qin Yige dismissed her words and entered the coffee shop with her phone put away.
Her client was a middle-aged woman who had just bought a house of over a hundred square meters and wanted a cream-style interior design.
Just as Xia Lanqing had predicted, Qin Yige didn't have much fame yet, so her quote wasn't expensive. The client was very satisfied with the price and paid the deposit on the spot.
As they were parting ways, the woman suddenly said, "Miss Qin, I'm sorry to say this, but it's good to have a loving relationship with your husband. However... leaving hickeys is not safe. In severe cases, it can lead to carotid artery rupture or stroke."
Realizing what she was referring to, Qin Yige's eyes widened abruptly, and she covered her neck.
The woman was amused by her reaction. "Don't be nervous, it's not that scary. The chances of a stroke are small; it's quite rare."
Qin Yige nodded quickly, blushing. "Thank you."
She hadn't expected that even with a silk scarf, someone had still seen it.
"You're welcome."
After meeting the client, Qin Yige quickly took out her phone to search for the dangers of hickeys.
Then, she screenshotted the results and sent them to Shang Sheng. "Be honest, are you trying to kill me?"
That dog of a man, she knew why he'd been nibbling and biting!
Shang Sheng was in a meeting. When his phone rang, he initially intended to ignore it. But considering a certain possibility, he picked it up.
It was indeed Qin Yige. He could sense her anger even through the screen.
A faint smile flickered in his eyes. He replied with a few words: "I didn't use much force."
Her skin was just too delicate.
"If you didn't use much force and it's like this, if you did use force, wouldn't I die on the spot?"
In Qin Yige's eyes, he had no good intentions.
While it wouldn't kill her, the client had mentioned a risk of stroke.
A stroke would lead to a crooked mouth, paralysis of half the body, and then he would have an excuse to kick her out.
In front of the conference table, the man tapped his fingers silently on the table. After a moment, he typed a few words and sent them: "I'll let you suck it out tonight."