Ji Jinyan was strikingly beautiful, and the car she drove was luxurious—far beyond what ordinary people could ever afford.
Perhaps cowed by her aura, the man froze and reflexively let go, surprisingly making no further attempt to harass her.
Li Wanqiu frowned, burning his face into her memory before hurrying toward the car. The moment she settled into the passenger seat, she was wrapped in a faint, delicate fragrance.
It was Ji Jinyan’s signature scent—just like when they first met, crisp and understated like mountain spring water, delightfully refreshing. Earlier, Li Wanqiu had simply found it pleasant, but now a different feeling stirred in her chest.
A faint sense of security?
This commercial strip was lively, and with a police station nearby, the man wouldn’t have dared do much beyond being a nuisance. Li Wanqiu had already formulated a plan in her head, intending to call a friend who lived close by to pick her up.
She hadn’t anticipated Ji Jinyan showing up at that exact moment.
“Thank you for just now,” Li Wanqiu said. Her nerves had been wound tight, only beginning to unwind now. Realizing she was sitting in the same car as Ji Jinyan, she felt a creeping sense of awkwardness settle in.
“You’re welcome.” Ji Jinyan accepted her gratitude gracefully, tapping her fingertips lightly against the steering wheel. Pausing briefly, she slipped her phone onto silent mode.
Then she glanced sideways at her. “Where are you headed? I’ll give you a lift.”
Li Wanqiu’s voice was quiet: “Wouldn’t that be an imposition?”
“Not at all.” The corners of Ji Jinyan’s lips curved upward slightly, her tone calm. “I just wrapped up work, so I have nothing else lined up for now.”
“Alright.” Li Wanqiu nodded. Today had been the first time they met, so imposing on her felt rather embarrassing. But given what had just happened, she truly didn’t want to be alone right now either. In the end, she named her residential complex: “I’d like to go home.”
“Mm,” Ji Jinyan acknowledged, making a U-turn at the intersection ahead. “Put on your seatbelt.”
They were essentially strangers who had only just met, sharing no common topics to bridge the gap, so silence quickly reclaimed the cabin. Fortunately, Li Wanqiu’s place was not far; after a few turns, the car arrived.
Li Wanqiu had been brooding over what happened that morning. Even when the car came to a stop, she didn’t rush to get out. Sneaking a glance at Ji Jinyan, she cleared her throat softly and spoke up: “Um, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Ji Jinyan turned to face her.
“I shouldn’t have said you were old this morning,” Li Wanqiu said.
The moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere around them seemed to freeze for several seconds.
After a beat, Ji Jinyan chuckled softly, brushing a hand through her hair. “It’s fine. What you said was the truth, after all.”
“Head up and get some rest,” she added, her tone light and casual. “In a little while, I’ll have someone email you some materials. Tomorrow is the weekend, which is a good opportunity to study up. It’ll be helpful for your work down the road.”
“Okay.” Li Wanqiu nodded, said her goodbyes to Ji Jinyan, and got out of the car. She had barely taken two steps before Yan Weiwei called.
Hearing that familiar voice, Li Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief. The unpleasant encounter earlier rushed back to the forefront of her mind, and she began venting furiously to Yan Weiwei, letting loose an arsenal of scathing quips.
Though she kept her voice low, the night breeze carried it backward, right into Ji Jinyan’s ears.
As if on cue, another incoming call rang through the car.
Ji Jinyan answered smoothly: “Hello.”
Shi Qian’s voice came through promptly: “Didn’t we agree to meet up in a bit? I cleared my schedule just to see you, and look at you—why weren’t you picking up your phone?”
“My apologies,” Ji Jinyan said. “Something came up and I couldn’t get to it in time. Tonight’s on me as an apology, order whatever you want.”
“Now that’s more like it.” Shi Qian huffed. “What were you busy with, anyway?”
“Nothing much,” Ji Jinyan replied, her gaze drifting instinctively toward the direction Li Wanqiu had walked. The young woman was moving quickly, already nearing the end of the walkway. Her pale celadon-green dress, tailored from exquisite fabric, shimmered under the moonlight.
She was stunning, effortlessly drawing the eyes of anyone nearby.
Ji Jinyan slowly turned back around, a silent smile playing at the corners of her lips. “I ran into a little hedgehog and just finished dropping her home.”
“I’m heading over now,” she said, starting the ignition, yet she didn’t hang up right away. After a brief silence, she asked almost casually, “Let me ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
Ji Jinyan took a deep breath. “Am I really that old?”
*
The night passed in a flash.
Li Wanqiu was a morning person. By six in the morning, she had already washed up and was sitting out on the balcony.
The morning sunlight was gorgeous, slanting down from the horizon in golden ribbons, draping a delicate gossamer veil over everything in sight. Li Wanqiu loved scenic views, which was why she had gone out of her way to rent an apartment on the floor with the best vantage point in this compound.
Today was another fine day.
The morning breeze was a bit brisk. She drew her cardigan tighter, stretched luxuriantly like a cat, and quietly basked in the warmth for a while.
After that, she picked up her paintbrush, sketching an outline in her mind as she prepared to begin.
Before she could lay down the first stroke, her phone buzzed beside her. It was a message from Yan Weiwei.
Yan Weiwei: A-Qiu, I asked around through my friend yesterday. She didn’t know the guy well either, nobody knows who brought him along.
Yan Weiwei: Doesn’t matter though, we already got someone to teach him a lesson. Word is he had a few drinks last night, lost his mind, and had the nerve to pull that stunt in front of you.
Yan Weiwei: Either way, he definitely won’t dare show his face around you again. We’d beat him to a pulp if he tried!
Her tone was bristling with righteous indignation, ablaze with energy so early in the morning.
“Nicely done.” Li Wanqiu found her mood lifted. “Pass along my thanks to your friend, I’ll treat her to a meal later.”
“You got it.” Yan Weiwei tapped out a brief reply, retreating victoriously like a hero who leaves without taking the credit.
Li Wanqiu set her phone down and went back to her canvas. Just as she was about to start mixing colors, another message arrived from her mother. As if set off by a trigger, the phone chimed relentlessly. When she opened it, it was the same long, lecture-filled paragraphs as always.
Li Wanqiu’s brows knitted tightly. Having her quiet interrupted twice in a row chipped away at her patience. She dashed off a brief “Understood” and was about to lock the screen.
Right then, a new notification popped up.
It was from Ji Jinyan.
Before parting at the winery yesterday, Li Wanqiu and Ji Jinyan had added each other on WeChat. When the request first arrived, the profile picture of a starry sky had left quite an impression.
Ji Jinyan: Are you busy right now?
Li Wanqiu glanced instinctively at her easel, but remembering the favor she owed from the night before, she couldn’t bring herself to decline: Not busy. What’s up?
I need to visit an elderly gentleman—an old family friend and a key client of Bisha, Ji Jinyan replied promptly. He lives quite close to your place. Come with me.
She didn’t frame it as a question; it read very much like a directive from superior to subordinate.
Li Wanqiu lowered her gaze and typed: Okay.
Wonderful, came Ji Jinyan’s final text. See you at the front gate of your complex in ten minutes.
Li Wanqiu froze.
Ten minutes?
Since it was a rare weekend, most residents preferred to lounge at home. The grounds were far quieter than usual, populated mostly by elderly folks out for their morning exercise.
Dressed in formal attire like she was, Li Wanqiu looked somewhat out of place.
Equally out of place was Ji Jinyan.
She had said ten minutes, but she had arrived even earlier than scheduled. Standing with her back to the car, lost in thought, she was quietly gazing up at a tree branch overhead.
Only when Li Wanqiu drew closer did she realize Ji Jinyan wasn’t staring at the branch, but teasing a little bird perched on the budding twigs.
At the very same moment, an elderly woman happened to walk past them, mirroring Ji Jinyan’s exact posture as she kindly reached up to whistle at the songbird in her cage.
As if sensing her presence, Ji Jinyan pulled her gaze away. “You’re here.”
Li Wanqiu nodded. “Yes, I’m here.”
At her reply, Ji Jinyan’s gaze lingered on her face—seemingly longer than usual.
Li Wanqiu shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing.” Ji Jinyan’s lips curled into a smile, and she turned to pull open the car door. “Let’s go.”
The car was soon back on the road. The early morning streets had little traffic, making for an unobstructed drive. Ji Jinyan drove steadily and swiftly, yet out of nowhere, she pulled over to the curb and stopped.
Li Wanqiu was puzzled: “Are we here already?”
“No.” Ji Jinyan shook her head, motioning for Li Wanqiu to look ahead. At the far end of her line of sight, a little calico cat darted across the street in front of the hood.
Li Wanqiu blurted out instinctively, “Oh, look, there’s a little calico cat.”
“Mm,” Ji Jinyan murmured. After a brief pause, she added with loaded nuance, “Actually, there’s one inside the car, too.”
Li Wanqiu blinked, peering reflexively toward the back seats. “Where?”
Ji Jinyan said nothing.
After scanning the back for a moment without spotting anything, Li Wanqiu turned back. “There’s no—”
Before she could finish, she caught the subtle smirk playing at the corners of Ji Jinyan’s lips.
Li Wanqiu found it odd. After a moment of silence, realization struck. She rummaged through her bag, pulled out a pocket mirror, and held it up to her face. Sure enough, right on her left cheek were two distinct smudges of paint.
Ten minutes had been far too rushed. In her scramble to get ready, Li Wanqiu hadn’t noticed when she’d brushed against the pigment. Thinking back to the way Ji Jinyan had stared at her earlier, it was clear she had noticed right from the start.
Flushing with embarrassment, the tips of her ears turned red as she looked at the woman beside her: “Ji—Ji Jinyan.”
“Yes?” Ji Jinyan responded with an accommodating nod, meeting her gaze squarely as the amusement in her eyes deepened. She gently reminded her: “This is working hours. You should call me President Ji.”
She spoke the reprimand lightly, with no real edge or annoyance behind it. Instead, she reached over, pulled out a wet wipe, and handed it to her.
The corners of her lips curled up in quiet amusement. “Where are your manners?”