Sweet Nothings (Qing Qing Wo Wo) Chapter 7.2 Baby

The phone rang again relentlessly. Huo Yunshen frowned and turned to Min Jing. “Explain the situation to them if needed. Tell them to be on time tomorrow.”

Min Jing hadn’t thought about how to explain this. President Huo’s wife is in a girls’ group competition show. President Huo is worried that she’ll be bullied or suffer troubles, but he didn’t trust others to look after her, so he wants to deploy his own troops to stand guard? But if Huo Corporation threw their resources into this, it might create rumors. So he was afraid that his wife would be angry, which meant he was going to drag the two of them along as shields?

Min Jing busily prepared his narration in his head, as he saw Huo Yunshen grab his jacket and stand up. The hand he had on his desk swayed lightly as he stood.

Min Jing quickly asked, “Shen ge, where are you headed? It’s getting dark, you haven’t truly rested in two days.”

Huo Yunshen’s back was perfectly upright. He looked completely fine. “Don’t bother with me. Don’t follow me.”

November nights were cold and with heavy winds. The winds blew straight into pedestrians’ bones.

Huo Yunshen drove to a wellknown restaurant specializing in medicinal cuisine and selected some midnight meals. As he waited for everything to be packed up to go, he forced himself to eat some porridge. But just a few bites led to a retching feeling, leading him to push the meal away.

It’s been another six hours apart.

Qing Qing didn’t respond to his message or phone calls. It was like she didn’t exist in his world.

He had only been reunited with her for just over a day. It still felt surreal. Every once in awhile, he’ll think that this was all a dream. Every hug and every kiss, every warmth she’s given him, was all just a hallucination before his death.

Huo Yunshen wanted to see her. He didn’t want to wait until tomorrow, even if all he could do is catch a glimpse of her from the distance.

Yan Qing danced to Renai Circulation for about a hundred times. Sweat dripped down like rain. Her legs felt like spaghetti noodles.

Ou Yang energetically demonstrated a move to her. “Baby, for this part, you need to make sure your butt sticks out. Don’t be shy. Dancing is all about letting loose.”

Yan Qing lowered her head. Oh, dancing requires sticking out the butt.

….

She hated this.

Ou Yang clapped her hands to the beat. “Ready — stick it out! Sexy, adorable, both!”

Yan Qing’s body was moving on muscle memory now. She flipped her hair, stamped her feet, with her cheek rosy pink as sweat trickled down her forehead.

The other girls from Ou Yang’s group applauded for her. “Great! Great! I’m going back to sleep, you’re too beautiful! I can’t take it anymore!”

As everyone left, Ou Yang glanced at her watch. “Should we also go back and rest? It’s pretty late. We still need to get up early tomorrow. I heard that the filming site is being redesigned over night. It seems that the program structure is being changed. They are bringing in another panel of judges, besides the original mentors. So scary.”

Yan Qing wiped her sweat with a towel. “Panel?”

“Yup, apparently they are all super big names. The staff is being very tightlip about it. I’m guessing the ranking standards are going to be more strict now too.” Ou Yang said, “So let’s hurry up and sleep. We gotta have enough mental energy for tomorrow. Your dancing has progressed well. Your abilities are enough for this dance.”

Yan Qing shook her head. “You go back first, I’m going to keep practicing for awhile.”

Ou Yang couldn’t persuade her, so she left first. Before closing the door she hollered, “Babe, then I’m gonna head out. If you need anything call me.”

Yan Qing waved. “Alright, see ya!”

Ou Yang shut the door behind her. She suddenly felt a chill, and shivered. She looked to her left and right but didn’t spot anything unusual. But why…did she feel like she could feel someone’s murderous glare?

Huo Yunshen stood in a distance, the veins in the hand holding his to-go meal bulged out.

After a few minutes, the sounds of the crowd disappeared from the hallways. The only sound left was the faint music seeping through from the practice room.

Huo Yunshen looked down, covering up his dark emotions. He slowly walked out of the shadows and towards the practice room. He pushed open the door slightly.

Yan Qing was working hard in front of the mirror. Her shirt was drenched from her sweat. As she danced to the music, her shirt moved too, revealing the snow white waist beneath.

Huo Yunshen clutched the metal door handle. Ruthless thoughts and grievances swirled in his chest.

She was his baby.

But she was letting others call her that. In the future, thousands of men and women will be after her.

Huo Yunshen felt pain pricking from his temples. As he steadied himself, he hit the door and created a sound.

Yan Qing thought Ou Yang had returned. She copied her intimate greeting. “Babe, did you forget something?”

As she spoke, she looked up, and met the man’s eyes.

Yan Qing stumbled back in fright. Losing her balance, she was about to fall to the floor. Huo Yunshen quickly stepped forward and steadied her by the waist.

Her soft body met with his. She was the remedy to his suffering. With her in his arms, all torment was soothed. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

“!!!!!! Let go! There are cameras! They are filming!”

Huo Yunshen’s lips were near her ears. “Before coming here, I had them turn it off.”

Flustered, Yan Qing struggled away. “It’s still not okay. Just this afternoon, we had said intimate contact was excluded from negotiations! Could you have a bit of integrity, don’t always go back on your word! How hateful.”

Huo Yunshen slowly let go of her.

He didn’t want to be hateful.

Yan Qing took the chance to create distance between the two of them. Glancing at him, she awkwardly asked. “What are you doing here so late?”

Huo Yunshen sat down and pulled out the food container. The rich broth’s aroma filled the air, making Yan Qing gulp.

“Qing Qing, come here. I brought food.”

Yan Qing’s stomach growled in agreement. She tried to cover her face from embarrassment, stubbornly saying, “I’m not hungry. Also, why does it sound like your calling a dog over.”

Huo Yunshen glanced up at her. He had a soft smile. “Not a dog, but a kitten.”

With his alluring voice, he earnestly called out: “Kitten Qing Qing, come over here.”

Kitten Qing Qing’s ears reddened and shamelessly licked her lips.

What did this demon buy? It smelled so good!

Anyway, there isn’t anyone here. She’ll just…take one small bite. That’s not too humiliating right?

Yan Qing sluggishly walked over. She took the captivating food container out of President Huo’s hands. Chicken, vegetables, and stew. She cleanly finished it all.

Still not satisfied, she looked up to fill up a second bowl of chicken, meeting Huo Yunshen’s eyes. In his gaze, she saw constrained, burning desire.

Yan Qing hurriedly lowered her head. She haphazardly refilled her bowl and then pushed everything else away. “Don’t say I’m heartless. The rest is for you.”

Holding her bowl in her arms, she scooted away. With her back to Huo Yunshen, she hunched down and ate.

Huo Yunshen didn’t force her to turn around. With his back against the wall, he relaxed his posture with his eyes fixated on her.

Only half of the lights in the practice rooms were on. She and him both were seated in corners where there was no overhead lighting.

Two shadows were lengthened on the wall.

They were sitting so far apart. But the shadows were close to each other.

Huo Yunshen lifted his hand. The him on the wall also lifted his arm. That shadow reached forward, gently but cautiously touching Yan Qing’s shadow.

They blended together, like they were hugging.

Huo Yunshen smiled.

Lightly he whispered, “Qing Qing, when I came in, you called me ‘baby’.”

“I want to hear it again.”

“Just once more.”