Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"What, don't recognize this place anymore?" Seeing Yang Ce staring blankly, Zhao Ying patted Yang Juehuan on the shoulder and laughed. "Get out of the car! The car can't go any farther—we have to walk from here. Did you forget?"

"Oh, oh." Yang Ce got out and, together with Zhao Ying, carried that big bag of groceries toward the compound.

"Why still no voice-activated lights here?" Yang Ce looked at the dark stairwell and couldn't help frowning. "It's dangerous for you to come back alone every day. Move to the new apartment tomorrow."

"It's fine, I'm used to it," Zhao Ying said with a smile. "I've lived here over two years now—it's not as if you haven't been here before. Back then I used to get off work even later than this. Besides, once school starts in a few days, I'll be living on campus."

"Move over there anyway. That apartment's just sitting empty, and you're still paying rent—it's not as if you've got money to burn," Yang Ce said, half annoyed. "Or how about this: treat it as if I'm renting the place to you, and you pay me the rent."

Hearing this, Zhao Ying felt helpless. There was no way she could actually pay Yang Ce rent. She had no choice but to say, "All right. Once school starts in a few days, I'll move over."

"How about tomorrow? I'll come by tomorrow morning to help you move. Or—how about I just sleep here tonight?" Yang Ce said shamelessly.

"..." Zhao Ying was speechless. She had long known Yang Ce was thick-skinned, but she hadn't expected it to be this limitless.

"Oh, then it's settled. Actually, I'm pretty tired too," Yang Ce said when Zhao Ying said nothing. "I'll take that as a yes."

"No!" Zhao Ying cried out in alarm—though after she said it, she felt her reaction had been a bit too intense, so she softened her tone. "What if—what if Wang Yanqiu comes back in the middle of it?"

What if? That was easy enough—if he came back, the three of them could just do it together. But aloud he said, "I was only joking."

Zhao Ying breathed a sigh of relief. She could never tell which of Yang Ce's words were serious; he left her utterly muddled.

Yang Cenbin was always crying wolf; Zhao Ying wondered whether he would scare her to death one day.

The two went up the stairs one after the other. Dark as the stairwell was, to Heng it was as bright as day. Yang Ce walked ahead, holding Zhao Ying's hand, and soon they reached the door of Zhao Ying's apartment.

Zhao Ying was about to unlock the door when Yang Jiyan grinned, pulled out a key, and opened it himself.

"You—how do you have the key to my place?" Zhao Ying was startled and gave Yang Ce a suspicious look. Could Wang Yanqiu have given it to him? At the thought, a pang of bitterness rose in her. Wang Yanqiu had even given Yang Ce the key to this place—then their relationship must be far from ordinary.

"You gave it to me," Yang Jiyan said with a smile. "What, you don't remember?"

"I gave it to you?" Zhao Ying was stunned and asked foolishly.

"That's right. Just after vacation started, I came to get some things, and you had a classmate from your school dorm bring it to me," Yang Yanzhou said.

Only then did Zhao Ying remember: she had given Yang Puqi a spare key back then, but so many things had happened afterward that she had forgotten all about it and never asked for it back. At the thought, she was both startled and pleased—Yang Ce actually still carried it with him.

"Give it back! If you hadn't mentioned it, I really would have forgotten—if you sneaked in, I wouldn't even know," Zhao Ying said, holding out her hand.

"I'm moving tomorrow anyway, so it doesn't matter whether I give it back or not." Yang Jiyan casually tucked the key back into his pocket. "Perfect—tomorrow while you're in class, I'll come help you move."

This time Zhao Ying was utterly speechless. It seemed there was no avoiding the move; Yang Cenbin was going to force the issue. By the time she came home from school tomorrow, the place would probably be empty.

"I don't have class tomorrow afternoon. Don't go doing whatever you like in the morning—wait for me and we'll move together," Zhao Ying said, conceding. "Otherwise, some of the things belong to the landlord. What if you take them away?"

"Heh, fine then, the afternoon it is. I'll find you some free labor," Yang Lanxu said. He'd have Qingshuang send over some security guards—though wasn't that a bit of overkill?

The two of them went inside. Zhao Ying sorted the groceries into the refrigerator by category, keeping out only what they would need today, and then set to work bustling about the kitchen.

With nothing to do, Yang Ce began wandering idly around the flat. Seeing Zhao Ying busy in the kitchen, he tiptoed into her room.

It was Yang Yongjin's first time in Zhao Ying's room—well, not counting the first visit, when he had not dared be too forward, or the second, when Wang Yanqiu had caught him. This time, at last, he could take it easy.

Yang Ce tossed his coat aside, then sprawled lazily across Zhao Ying's bed, breathing in wave after wave of fragrance that left him utterly relaxed and refreshed. After a whole night of carrying on with Wang Yanqiu, followed by hours online, he had barely rested at all.

Now, lying on the soft bed, drowsiness washed over Yang Puqi, and he drifted hazily off to sleep.

When the food was ready, Zhao Ying called Yang Juehuan's name to come eat. She called and called, but not a sound answered her. With no other choice, she left the kitchen to go find Yang Ce herself.

She pushed open the door to her own room and found Yang Ce lying on her bed, fast asleep. Zhao Ying was caught between annoyance and amusement. Honestly—this Yang Ce, carrying on as though this were his own home!

She called his name softly a few times, but he did not wake. At her wit's end, Zhao Ying sat down at the desk, turned on the computer, and got on with other work while she waited for him to stir.

In truth, Yang Ce had woken the moment Zhao Ying pushed the door open. As a killer, his reflexes were razor-sharp—he had simply been feigning sleep.

But Yang Shuoxuan really was somewhat tired, and knowing Zhao Ying would never do him harm, he had let his eyes close again in peace.

To be continued

1003. I Really Didn't Mean To

How long he had dozed, Yang Ce could not say. When he woke again and looked up, Zhao Ying was still at the desk by the computer, working through some documents.

Yang Ce stretched and sat up in bed. Watching Zhao Ying so completely absorbed, a mischievous urge seized him. He crept out of bed and stole up quietly behind her.

She was analyzing a classic business case study. Yang Ce darted out a hand and covered her eyes. Naturally, what he most wanted to cover was her chest—he simply did not dare. Their relationship had not yet reached that point. An accidental brush was one thing, but doing it on purpose would be a damnable offense. Zhao Ying would certainly not let him off lightly; she might even throw him out on the spot.

"Eek!" Zhao Ying jumped half out of her skin and let out a startled cry. Lately she had grown used to studying alone at the computer every night, so for a moment it did not occur to her that Yang Ce was still in her home. When she remembered, she let out a breath of relief and huffed indignantly, "Yang Ce, what are you playing at? Trying to scare me to death?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see whether you could still see with your eyes covered," Yang Ce said with a grin.

"You—" Zhao Ying was furious. "If I covered your eyes, could you still see?"

"Sure I could," Yang Jiyan said, still grinning.

"Oh, you could, could you?" Zhao Ying was beside herself. "Fine then. I'll cover your eyes right now and see whether you can see."

As she spoke, Zhao Ying stood up, pressed both hands firmly over Yang Juehuan's eyes, and said, "If you can't see, then—hmph—tomorrow I won't move house."

"Fine. Go ahead and ask me. What am I supposed to see?" Yang Jiyan asked, wholly unconcerned.