Chapter 148: Is It That Intense?

"Oh my goodness, someone listen to my explanation!" Qin Tian groaned inwardly, kicking himself for not tidying up. How could he have just left those photos sitting right on the desktop?

Jiang Yingying took a few deep breaths, glared at Qin Tian, and then stomped furiously up the stairs.

"Hmph! Tough guy, I never expected you to be that kind of person!" Shen Xiaoqing also put her hands on her hips, crinkled her nose at Qin Tian with a soft huff, and then followed right behind Jiang Yingying with rapid, thumping steps.

"I really..." Qin Tian looked at the two figures disappearing upstairs, then glanced back down at the photos, letting out a helpless sigh.

Qin Tian hurriedly gathered up all of Mi Xue's photos. Tang Bo would be coming back soon, and he certainly didn't want him stumbling upon this scene.

Once he had cleared away the photos, Qin Tian bounded up to his second-floor bedroom, locked the door behind him, and carefully stashed the pictures away in a secure hiding spot.

Still feeling like it wasn't safe enough, he resolved to go out and buy a small lockbox right after dinner to store them properly!

Just then, Qin Tian's phone suddenly rang.

He pulled it out and saw that it was a call from Mi Xue!

"Mi Xue, what's wrong?" As Qin Tian asked, his heart was pounding wildly. Could Mi Xue be calling to confess her feelings to him?

"Qin Tian, um... well..." Mi Xue stammered, sounding hesitant and tongue-tied.

"It's fine, go ahead, I'm ready," Qin Tian said.

"Did you... happen to receive something strange?" Judging by her tone, Mi Xue seemed quite embarrassed.

"Something strange? Are you talking about those photos?" Qin Tian chuckled foolishly.

"Ah? You saw them?" Mi Xue felt like crying, her expression as bitter as if she had just swallowed a basin of raw gourds.

"Yeah," Qin Tian nodded.

"I... you..." Mi Xue was utterly speechless.

Those photos were sample prints she had mailed to a business partner! She had recently endorsed an lingerie brand, and the clothes she wore in the pictures were from that collection.

"Qin Tian, can you mail those back to me? I accidentally sent them to the wrong place," Mi Xue took a few deep breaths and explained.

"Huh?" Qin Tian's eyes widened, a sudden wave of slight disappointment washing over him. It seemed he had been reading too much into it and making assumptions.

"Alright then, should I mail them back to the return address on the envelope?" Qin Tian asked.

"Mhm!" Mi Xue replied softly.

"Okay, I'll do that. I need to go cook dinner now," Qin Tian said, preparing to hang up.

"Wait!" Hearing the nonchalant tone in Qin Tian's voice, Mi Xue worried that he might be upset.

"What is it?" Qin Tian brought the phone back close to his ear.

"If you like them, you can keep a few of your favorites," Mi Xue offered timidly.

"Huh?" Qin Tian's eyes widened all over again.

"No, wait! I... you... don't get the wrong idea! I just mean for you to keep as a souvenir!"

"Ah! No, that's not... I mean..." Mi Xue was rambling incoherently on the other end of the line, her cheeks burning as if she were being scorched at the edge of a volcano.

"I'll pick out a few good-looking ones to keep. Alright, I'm going to go make dinner now," Qin Tian grinned. This little girl was quite amusing.

After hanging up, Mi Xue immediately covered her face with her hands, questioning herself over and over in her mind: What on earth was she doing?!

How could she possibly have told Qin Tian to keep a few of her lingerie photos?!

Those were lingerie photos!

After sitting in silence for a moment, Mi Xue suddenly rushed over to the mirror, pulled back her clothes, and checked her reflection, thinking to herself: Well, my figure should be pretty decent, right?

Qin Tian, naturally, had no idea about the fierce internal struggle Mi Xue was going through, as he was currently busy in the kitchen.

What troubled Qin Tian now was how to properly explain things to Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing. After all, anyone walking in on a scene like that would inevitably misunderstand.

"I'm back! I bought braised duck! The braised duck from this place is super delicious!"

As it neared five-thirty, Tang Bo walked in holding a container of chopped braised duck.

"Even if you sneak a bite, you could at least wipe the corner of your mouth," Qin Tian said, looking at Tang Bo's mouth and shaking his head slightly.

*Sluuurp!*

Tang Bo quickly licked the corner of his mouth, making a distinct slurping sound.

"Where are your two girlfriends? Why aren't they coming down to eat?" Tang Bo asked as he placed the braised duck on the table.

"I'll go call them in a minute. The dishes aren't quite ready yet," Qin Tian said.

"Oh," Tang Bo replied flatly.

"Brother Tian, thank you for taking care of me during this time. I've figured things out, and I'm sure I'll meet someone much more suitable eventually!"

"From here on out, I won't bother you guys anymore. It feels a bit awkward staying here all the time," Tang Bo said, scratching his head with an honest, earnest expression.

"If you don't stay here, where would you go? Back to let that Pei Zhijun bully you?" Qin Tian carried a freshly stir-fried dish out of the kitchen and glared at Tang Bo.

Qin Tian had already made up his mind to let Tang Bo stay here indefinitely. If Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing had any objections, Qin Tian would simply move out and rent a place with Tang Bo.

Qin Tian certainly didn't have the heart to watch Tang Bo go back and continue suffering abuse from Pei Zhijun.

"A man has to face what's coming to him. After all, it was the Pei family that raised me, and that debt of upbringing can never truly be repaid no matter what," Tang Bo sighed, proving himself to be a loyal and grateful person.

"Psh! The moment they started bullying you, that debt of upbringing lost all its meaning! Did they ever treat you like family?" Qin Tian shrugged.

"That may be true, but without them, I probably would have starved to death on the streets years ago, wouldn't I?" Tang Bo said.

"Bah, bah, bah! Couldn't you have gone back to the orphanage? The old director wouldn't have let you starve!" Qin Tian retorted.

"Speaking of the old director, I wonder how her health is doing. I haven't gone to visit her in ages," Tang Bo sighed.

"We'll take a day off next week and go visit her together," Qin Tian said. Even he hadn't seen the old director in over a decade.

"Awesome, awesome!" Tang Bo brightened up instantly.

"Being happy is one thing, but why are you starting to eat without us?" Qin Tian noticed Tang Bo's hand sneakily reaching for a duck leg.

Tang Bo gave an embarrassed chuckle and quickly put the duck leg back down.

"I'll go upstairs and call them," Qin Tian took off his apron and bounded up the stairs with quick, heavy steps.

Just as Qin Tian was about to knock on the door, he heard the sound of heated activity coming from inside.

Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing seemed to be breathing heavily, which instantly piqued Qin Tian's curiosity. He pressed his ear tightly against the door.

"Do you think this way will feel comfortable?" Jiang Yingying's voice drifted out.

"It probably doesn't give as much of a thrill as the other way," Shen Xiaoqing shook her head.

"Should we try this one instead?" Jiang Yingying asked.

"Which one?" Shen Xiaoqing countered.

"Well, you know, a threesome," Jiang Yingying said.

Pressed against the door and nursing a sudden headache, Qin Tian was so startled that he stumbled backward several steps in a flurry. My goodness, things were getting this intense in there? They were already talking about doing a threesome inside?!