No sooner had he entered the Suite and headed toward the bedroom than he heard a woman’s sobbing. He opened the door—and sure enough, it was her, crying.

Qin Qinxi hastily wiped her face and scrambled to her feet from the low sofa.

Her movements were so hurried that her legs went weak for a moment, and she nearly lost her balance.

Vio frowned and scanned her from head to toe.

She was still wearing the same outfit she’d worn yesterday: a light-blue-and-white striped T-shirt paired with a white miniskirt.

He didn’t even have to guess—she must have asked the room service to take it down for dry cleaning during the day.

Her hair was tousled, which meant she’d just taken a shower.

She hadn’t dared to wear his bathrobe, and probably tried asking the staff for another one but couldn’t get it either.

That was because he’d deliberately instructed the staff not to leave two bathrobes in the room—and if she asked for one, they were not to provide it.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, turning his head toward the projector.

The screen was showing the finale, with the subtitles scrolling upward.

Vio glanced at the movie title.

It was clearly some kind of romance film.

There was no way Qin Qinxi would tell him how scared she really was.

She wiped her face, sniffed, and her voice still trembled with tears: “It’s just that this movie is so heartbreaking—it made me cry…”

Vio turned his face back to look at her, saying nothing, his brow still furrowed.

She really did cry over love. Even watching TV could bring her to tears.

Qin Qinxi felt a bit awkward and wanted to gauge his attitude, so she decided to try getting to know him better first.

She pointed at the screen and asked, “Do you want to watch this movie again? It’s pretty good.”

“No.”

Vio turned around and walked toward the Bathroom, without looking back. “The room service will come up later—go open the door.”

“Okay,” Qin Qinxi replied.

But she didn’t give up; she followed Vio all the way to the bathroom door.

With a loud “bang,” the bathroom door slammed shut, locking her outside.

“I’ve watched several movies today,” she said, standing by the wall next to the bathroom door, clutching the hem of her dress with her fingers, her voice very soft.

Inside, there was no response. The sound of running water filled the air.

“It’s just… there was one movie about AIDS,” she continued, her voice growing even softer, almost drowned out by the sound of the water.

She felt like she was practically begging for trouble.

Here was a man who’d once held a gun to her head, who’d cut someone’s tongue right in front of her—how could she possibly talk to him about this?

But she really couldn’t think of any other way.

She couldn’t bring herself to say outright, “Could you please use a condom?” And if she didn’t say anything, she worried something might go wrong with her body.

She swallowed hard and forced herself to keep going: “That movie said… there’s no cure for AIDS yet; we can only prevent it.”

“In fact… many people don’t even realize they’re infected, because the incubation period is so long.”

“And… and it’s not only transmitted through that one route—blood and mother-to-child transmission are also possible.”

“But the main way it spreads is through sexual contact.”

“So…” She paused, her voice growing quieter and quieter, “So experts recommend… using condoms. It’s not just for contraception; the main purpose is disease prevention.”

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

Qin Qinxi’s heart skipped a beat.

She stared at the floor, too afraid to look at the frosted glass door.

There was silence inside for a few seconds.

Then the door opened.

Steam billowed out, hot and humid, carrying the scent of shower gel.

She didn’t look up; she only saw a pair of bare feet standing in front of her—long toes, prominent ankle bones, and droplets of water clinging to her calves.

“So what?” His voice came down from above, emotionless.

Qin Qinxi buried her face even lower. “It’s just… it’s just that I feel like this disease is actually quite close to us. Didn’t the TV say that everyone has a responsibility to protect themselves and others…?”

“You’re talking about me?” he asked.

“No!” Qin Qinxi shot her head up, then quickly lowered it again. “I’m just… just sharing the movie I watched today. I think it’s quite educational.”

End of Chapter 45: Chapter 45