Chapter 1657 - 670: Stockholm_2

Chapter 1657: Chapter 670: Stockholm_2

If it were an ordinary person, they might not sober up until tomorrow morning.

...

Zhou Wang stepped out of the attic, fully dressed, into the tranquil surroundings, but he considered and tentatively called out:

"Gao Xing?"

No response.

Instantly, Zhou Wang understood... It seemed that Qu Peining was on duty at the close quarters today.

"Peining?"

He continued.

This time, after a brief silence, a figure emerged from around the corner.

Due to the formal occasion tonight, her attire was also somewhat formal: a pure black women’s suit paired with a white shirt, straight-cut trousers softly tracing her impossibly long legs.

Her ebony hair was tied into a ponytail, clean and sharp, her face like jade with thin lips, eyes as bright as autumn waters and cold stars; it was indeed Qu Peining.

"What’s the matter?"

Qu Peining showed no expression, not even looking in Zhou Wang’s direction, only asking faintly.

"Ahem..."

Zhou Wang felt slightly awkward.

Since Qu Peining was stationed outside the door, most of the movements in the attic could hardly be concealed from her. Even though, in Qu Peining’s eyes, he was already seen as quite a player—after all, she’d witnessed even more embarrassing situations—Miss Di was a respectable woman at least...

Nonetheless, Zhou Wang still felt somewhat guilty.

He couldn’t help but open his mouth to explain a bit, "Well, Miss Di and I knew each other in Paris before; back then, we... hit it off quite well."

Half of Qu Peining’s pretty face was hidden in the shadows and she paused, feeling somewhat inexplicable, because she didn’t know why Zhou Wang was suddenly telling her this.

But ultimately, Qu Peining, who was somewhat perceptive, quickly understood... Zhou Wang might be trying to explain to her.

Wanting to tell her that he and Miss Di weren’t just fooling around, they actually did have a bit of an emotional foundation.

But why did he want to explain to her?

Qu Peining pursed her lips, her mood becoming somewhat complex, but she still maintained a cold demeanor, "You don’t need to tell me this."

Zhou Wang opened his mouth but indeed didn’t say anything further.

The atmosphere plunged into an awkward silence.

Just as Zhou Wang exhaled, preparing to break the awkwardness, Qu Peining suddenly shifted her neck uneasily, "Hmm" she said and then spoke:

"That Miss Di... I think I’ve seen her series on TV, she’s quite famous, right?"

This time it was Zhou Wang’s turn to be stunned.

Immediately he realized, she might have sensed his stiffness, and was trying to forcibly find a topic to break the awkwardness.

That being said, Qu Peining pretty much accepted his explanation?

This subtle change made Zhou Wang somewhat delighted; in any case, it was as if the ice between them was broken.

He hurriedly followed up with a smile, "Yes, she’s quite famous, she might be considered a top-tier actress back home... Peining, do you have any favorite stars?"

"No."

Qu Peining shook her head at first, then hesitantly said, "But there are some people I’m interested in, like Mr. Jet Li."

"Interested? How so?"

Zhou Wang responded in surprise.

"I’d like to have a combat match with a superstar like him, I’m somewhat curious about their actual skill level."

Qu Peining answered frankly.

Zhou Wang could only think of the phrase "unconventional mindset," and wasn’t sure how to follow up for a moment; he merely chuckled awkwardly, "Once I get to know more people in showbiz, I’ll see if I can arrange something for you."

Qu Peining replied with a "hmm," and then they fell into silence once more.

As Zhou Wang was about to move forward, Qu Peining suddenly spoke again, "Mr. Zhou, after a month I want to leave."

Zhou Wang paused, raising his eyebrows, "Leave?"

"You mentioned there’s a one-month trial period, I... I had promised you earlier to act as your bodyguard, can’t just back out abruptly, so let’s stick to the one-month duration."

Qu Peining avoided Zhou Wang’s suddenly sharp gaze, yet continued firmly, "Once the one-month duration is over, I’ll leave."

"Why?"

Zhou Wang suddenly stepped forward, staring at her.

"Why what?"

Qu Peining instinctively leaned back but was already pressed against the wall, with nowhere to escape.

"I don’t understand, why say this suddenly, I thought you were already adapting to this lifestyle... Is it because the salary isn’t high enough, or the holidays insufficient?"

"No, none of that... The treatment you offer is great; it’s my own problem."

Qu Peining shook her head; she felt Zhou Wang was still closing in on her, she could even faintly feel Zhou Wang’s breath and the warmth his body was transmitting.

A familiar yet alien sense of unease started to envelop her, making Qu Peining’s body tense up, not knowing how to escape.

Fortunately, Zhou Wang ultimately did nothing but made a decisive conclusion at the last second:

"We’ll talk once the one-month period is up, but I must warn you, Qu Peining, if you leave without a word, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!"

After throwing down this words decisively, Zhou Wang finally turned and walked down the corridor.

"Why suddenly so aggressive..."

Once Zhou Wang had walked away, Qu Peining couldn’t help but mumble a bit, but she also exhaled a breath of relief, feeling strength returning to her stiff limbs.

Once Zhou Wang’s silhouette vanished around the corner, Qu Peining’s gaze became complex again.

She took out her phone from her back, with the screen still paused on an AI chat interface.

"Stockholm syndrome is a rare psychological disorder, its specific mechanism is not yet clear..."

Her eyes glanced across those words, and eventually, Qu Peining tightened her grasp on the phone.

She knew she was likely sick, but perhaps the actual onset of this illness might have been earlier than she imagined.

Most importantly... she didn’t know how to cure herself.

...

When Zhou Wang returned to his master bedroom, he hesitated slightly.

Because his personal maid, the girl named Zhang Manzhi, was not at the door either.

It wasn’t that Zhou Wang thought she had to be there, but it was one of her work protocols, yet she didn’t abide by it, suggesting there must be a reason behind it.

Nonetheless, Zhou Wang didn’t ponder much, directly opened the master bedroom door and walked in.

As the owner’s bedroom, Zhou Wang’s room naturally had an extravagant size; with a living room, reception area, study, and bathroom, the total area exceeded 150 square meters.

Only when Zhou Wang entered the room did he hesitate a bit.

In the reception area connected to the corridor, on the luxurious branded long sofa, some clothing was scattered...?

This raised a question mark in Zhou Wang’s mind.

Not to mention that the clothes clearly belonged to women, Zhou Wang saw long dresses, short skirts, and women’s jeans among them, the key point being, how did these clothes appear in his room?

He lightly sniffed the air, even sensing a mix of perfume aromas.

With a head full of confusion, Zhou Wang shifted his gaze to the bedroom door, it was ajar, with a warm orange light emanating from inside.

Zhou Wang felt he might have forgotten something, headed there, and then found four pairs of women’s shoes lined up at the doorway, some were high heels, and others were Xiao Bai shoes... judging by the sizes, they belonged to different owners.

Creek!

Zhou Wang pushed open the door, finally revealing the scene in the bedroom before him.

On the bed, which was over 2.5 meters wide and covered with black silk sheets, lay four young girls haphazardly, wearing various styles yet sheer JK uniforms, some with cold faces, others charming, seductive, or cute...

At their pale wrists, were bows tied with satin ribbons, resembling the packaging of a delicate gift awaiting its owner to open.

Perhaps since waiting too long, they were asleep, their indecent sleeping postures showcasing enchanting sights causing one’s eyes to blur.

Zhou Wang slapped his forehead, only then remembering... he indeed had a "Gift" from Charles which he forgot to claim.