Her head was still swimming, yet without knowing what came over her, Li Wanqiu found herself following in Ji Jinyan’s wake.
Weaving through the pulsing crowd one after the other, they arrived at the bar and took their seats side by side. Just as Li Wanqiu was contemplating what to order, a glass was slid across the polished marble counter, stopping right in front of her.
She blinked, staring blankly at the drink.
Orange juice?
“When you’re out on your own, try to drink less alcohol,” Ji Jinyan’s voice murmured beside her. Blended with the ambient thrum of bass and chatter, it carried a dreamlike, almost unreal quality.
Li Wanqiu sat up a little straighter, instinctively leaning in toward her.
“What about you?” She asked, pointing a slender finger toward the glass in Ji Jinyan’s hand. “Aren’t you drinking too?”
Her voice was soft and whisper-light. Paired with the subtle rosy blush dusting her cheeks, it felt like a soft feather brushing across the heart.
Ji Jinyan held her gaze for a quiet beat before the corners of her lips curled into a faint smile. “This is my first glass.”
“I haven’t had a drop all evening until now.”
Her warm breath lightly brushed against Li Wanqiu’s face, stirring a peculiar prickle of heat. Still struggling to process the words, Li Wanqiu murmured dazedly, “What’s the difference?”
“There is one,” Ji Jinyan replied, nodding as she explained with effortless patience. “I arrived here alone earlier, but I’m not alone anymore.”
She chuckled softly, her voice laden with lazy indulgence and amusement as she called her name: “Li Wanqiu.”
“Right now, aren’t I with you?”
Li Wanqiu had no recollection of how she got home.
She had knocked back several glasses of strong spirits the night before. Downing them had felt exhilarating, but once the intoxication fully took hold, her memory suffered an almost complete blackout.
Yan Weiwei’s club was not far from Blue Fire. Before losing consciousness entirely, Li Wanqiu had intended to call her to come over. Yet before the number could dial through, a familiar figure had caught her eye.
Ji Jinyan.
Right, it was Ji Jinyan.
That realization jolted Li Wanqiu wide awake.
A few hazy vignettes flickered through her mind: Ji Jinyan draping her tailored coat over her shoulders, offering her a glass of orange juice, and finally summoning someone to drive her home.
Beyond that, the details were a blur. Massaging her throbbing temples, Li Wanqiu got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she saw her face was clean—her makeup completely washed off. The clothes she had worn out were tossed in the washing machine, and she was now clad in a clean, soft nightgown.
She froze. After a few seconds of mild panic, a memory surfaced: after returning from the club, she had indeed stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower.
What about Ji Jinyan? Where had she been at the time?
Li Wanqiu drew a total blank. The hangover left her feeling sluggish and wretched, but fortunately today was Sunday, which meant she could curl up at home for the entire day. Quickly finishing her morning routine, she walked back to the bed and picked up her phone.
Unlocking the screen, a flood of notifications competed for attention. The top messages were from Guan Chun, all attempting to explain and smooth over the tension from the family dinner.
Having been out of touch for so many years, their relationship was exceedingly strained. Li Wanqiu had no idea how to respond. After a moment of silence, she typed out three succinct words: Got it. Thanks.
Exiting that chat, she tapped on the familiar starry-sky avatar.
Ji Jinyan: Awake?
The timestamp was from only a few minutes ago.
Li Wanqiu lowered her gaze and typed: I’m awake.
Thank you for looking after me yesterday, she added, choosing her words carefully, unsure of how much to elaborate. I’m sorry, I was in a bad mood.
Mm, came the prompt reply. I could tell.
Feeling better now? Ji Jinyan asked next.
Much better, Li Wanqiu answered, pausing before adding: When you have time, let me treat you to a meal.
Ji Jinyan: All right.
After that, no further messages followed.
Li Wanqiu had wanted to ask more about what had happened the previous night, but figuring Ji Jinyan was likely busy, she set her phone aside after a brief hesitation.
Heading toward the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat from the fridge, she glanced sideways and her steps came to an abrupt halt before the easel on the balcony.
Sitting atop the stand was a painting she had never seen before.
It was a little hedgehog—belly up, fast asleep, with one tiny paw loosely clutching a wine bottle. Rendered in a minimalist, expressive hand with only a few deftly placed strokes, the creature’s prickly yet adorable charm was captured to perfection.
Li Wanqiu: “?”
Stunned, Li Wanqiu took a few tentative steps closer. There, along the lower-right margin, she spotted Ji Jinyan’s elegant handwriting:
Li Wanqiu.
The drawing was of her.
Li Wanqiu stood rooted before the easel for a long time, caught between amazement that Ji Jinyan knew how to paint and sheer disbelief that she had portrayed her as a hedgehog. Looking around, she noticed the palette with mixed paints still visible, alongside the brushes that had traced those clean lines.
A scene gradually pieced itself together in her mind. Even though she hadn’t been in the room to witness it, the scattered tools laid out the clear trajectory of Ji Jinyan’s actions.
Li Wanqiu: “?”
In the blink of an eye, Monday arrived.
After spending a full day resting and recuperating, Li Wanqiu felt revitalized. To mark a fresh start and reset her mood, she swapped out her usual perfume for a brand-new fragrance.
Around midday yesterday, someone had sent her a contact request on WeChat under the name Bisha – Lu Ye. Recognizing him as Ji Jinyan’s driver, Li Wanqiu had promptly accepted.
A brief exchange revealed that Lu Ye had been the one to drive her back that night. Worried that she might not know where her car was parked, he had reached out specifically to let her know the exact spot.
Feeling embarrassed about inconveniencing someone she barely knew, Li Wanqiu kept his kindness in mind. Remembering someone mentioning his fondness for tea, she brought along a tin of premium loose-leaf tea as a token of gratitude.
“No need to be so polite,” Lu Ye said with a hearty chuckle, waving his hand. “I was only following orders.”
“Besides, I didn’t really do much,” he added. “President Ji was the one looking after you the whole time.”
Li Wanqiu caught those words with acute precision.
The whole time?
Before she could press him, Lu Ye answered an incoming phone call and took his leave. Li Wanqiu said her goodbyes and headed back to the secretarial suite, her mind buzzing with questions.
Within thirty seconds, Assistant An forwarded a document over, asking her to fill in the missing details, print it out, and take it to the executive office. Li Wanqiu replied with a quick “Understood” and set to work efficiently.
A few minutes later, holding the freshly printed pages, she knocked on Ji Jinyan’s office door.
“Come in,” Ji Jinyan called out.
“President Ji.” Given what had transpired over the weekend, facing her again felt unavoidably awkward. Li Wanqiu drew a steadying breath to settle her composure, stepping over to stand beside her desk. “The documents are prepared.”
“Mm.” Ji Jinyan nodded, taking the pages to review them. A moment later, she murmured, “Everything looks fine.”
Relieved, Li Wanqiu said a soft “All right” and turned to leave. As she pivoted, a subtle scent wafted through the air—a delicate, sweet fruity note.
Ji Jinyan smiled, the corners of her lips curving up faintly. “You changed your perfume.”
Li Wanqiu nodded, surprised by how sharp her sense of smell was. She turned around instinctively to respond, but before words could form, a vivid memory flashed across her mind like lightning.
Time seemed to snap back to that night: Li Wanqiu had been dead drunk, eyelids drooping in heavy slumber. Ji Jinyan had called her name several times without getting a response, ultimately letting out a helpless sigh.
Then, leaning down, Ji Jinyan had gently gathered her into her arms, lifting her out of the car. Drifting awake for a fleeting second, Li Wanqiu had caught the lingering warmth of Ji Jinyan’s hands and looked up to find the vast, starry sky filling her entire world.