Another new day dawned.
It was harvest season, so besides its regular staff, Bisha brought in extra hands to assist with the harvest.
Arriving at the estate early, Li Wanqiu finished reviewing the morning schedule with Assistant An. With a moment of free time, she walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and gazed outside.
Bisha’s vineyards covered roughly a third of the vast estate, demanding an immense amount of labor. Stretching across the rolling terrain were countless figures toiling diligently in the sun—men and women across a wide span of ages.
Resting her hands on the glass sill, Li Wanqiu observed quietly. Some appeared to be fresh college graduates, others were sturdy middle-aged workers, and several were elderly laborers well into their later years.
After watching for a while, Li Wanqiu turned back toward Assistant An. “Sister An, does the harvest season last a long time?”
“It does,” Assistant An answered with a nod. “To guarantee the highest quality, so much of the vineyard labor has to be completed by hand. That extends the season and multiplies the workload significantly.”
“During peak periods, people are working around the clock on rotating shifts.”
“I see.” Li Wanqiu nodded thoughtfully, pausing for a moment before venturing, “Won’t it be too strenuous for the elderly workers?”
“Ah, that’s what you’re worried about.” Assistant An smiled warmly, looking up from her desk. “Don’t worry. Many of them come back year after year. They know the rhythm of the harvest by heart and pace themselves sensibly without wearing themselves out.”
“Every single year?” Li Wanqiu asked.
“Mm. Many live right in the neighboring villages,” Assistant An explained. “It’s quite remote out here compared to the city, and at their age, finding decent employment is exceedingly difficult. For those without family to rely on, making ends meet is a constant struggle.”
“Because of that, Bisha never sets age caps during seasonal hiring. As long as someone is able and willing to work, the door is open.”
Assistant An smiled fondly. “Those were the rules President Ji instituted right after taking over.”
Ji Jinyan.
Hearing the name, Li Wanqiu didn’t feel surprised; in fact, it made perfect sense. Reflecting on their visit to Elder Liu and how Ji Jinyan had seen her safely home the other night, this was entirely characteristic of her.
The thought of that night immediately made Li Wanqiu cough into her fist.
To think Ji Jinyan was the one who carried her all the way up.
Caring for a drunk person was no small feat; Li Wanqiu knew that better than anyone. Nine times out of ten, Yan Weiwei ended up wasted after their outings. Thin and slight though her friend was, once dead drunk, she became as heavy as an iron ingot.
Every time Li Wanqiu dragged her back home, it nearly cost her half her life.
She couldn’t help wondering how that night had actually unfolded.
Ji Jinyan hadn’t brought it up, and Li Wanqiu was far too embarrassed to ask, yet the question lingered unresolved in the back of her mind.
While she was lost in thought, Assistant An spoke up behind her: “A-Qiu, there isn’t much urgent work right now. Why don’t you head down and take a look?”
“It’s almost lunchtime anyway,” she added, mistaking Li Wanqiu’s wandering gaze for genuine curiosity about the harvest. “Think of it as unwinding while getting to know Bisha better.”
It sounded like a rather appealing idea.
“Sure.” Li Wanqiu nodded without hesitation. After chatting with Assistant An for another moment, she slipped her phone into her pocket and jogged over to the elevator.
Before long, she arrived at the vineyards.
Having worked here for over a week, Li Wanqiu had only ever passed by the perimeter and had never ventured inside. From the top floor, the vineyards had merely looked vast; standing right beside them, she realized the scale was truly breathtaking.
Recognizing her from the introductory email thread, a worker overseeing the harvest called out, “Xiao Li?”
“Yes!” Li Wanqiu nodded, quickening her pace toward her. “Sister Wang.”
“What brings you out here?” Sister Wang greeted her warmly. Seeing how Li Wanqiu kept admiring the lush vines, she caught on quickly: “Want to try your hand at it?”
Tempted yet slightly uncertain, Li Wanqiu asked, “May I?”
“Of course you can!” Sister Wang nodded, leading her straight toward the nearest parcel. Pointing out the fruit clusters, she said, “This is Chardonnay, primarily used for crafting white wine.”
She plucked a grape from the vine, wiped it clean with her sleeve, and handed it over. “Have a taste.”
“Thank you.” Li Wanqiu accepted it carefully and took a bite. The grape burst with sweet, vibrant juice, carrying a clean, floral perfume.
“Good, isn’t it?” Sister Wang asked.
Li Wanqiu smiled brightly. “Very delicious.”
“Tastes even better once it’s fermented into wine,” Sister Wang said, patting her shoulder. Plucking a sunhat from somewhere, she plopped it right onto Li Wanqiu’s head. “We have plenty of other varietals down that way. If anything catches your eye, go ahead and sample it.”
Her voice boomed with hearty, unpretentious hospitality: “We’ve got more than enough grapes to go around—eat until you’re stuffed!”
Her whole demeanor radiated pure generosity. Hearing her, several nearby colleagues chimed in with cheerful laughter: “That’s right, go right ahead!”
This was the atmosphere at Bisha—warm, welcoming, and delightfully refreshing.
Li Wanqiu’s lips curved into an easy smile. Agreeing softly, she rolled up her trouser cuffs and waded deeper into the rows of vines.
Her spirits felt exceptionally light. The air hung rich with the crisp, fruity perfume of ripe grapes, while the rich soil yielded beneath her shoes with a solid, grounding presence. Every step felt immensely steady and pleasant.
She strolled leisurely down the rows, stopping whenever a cluster caught her eye. Mimicking the seasoned pickers around her, she carefully snipped cluster after cluster, setting them gently into the small collection basket Sister Wang had lent her.
She lost track of time until her phone began to ring.
Quickly wiping her hands, she answered the call: “What is it, Sister An?”
“A-Qiu, are you still out in the vineyards?” Assistant An inquired over the receiver. “President Ji should be in the winemaking cellar right now, but her phone seems to be powered off, and I can’t reach her. An urgent document needs her review.”
“Yes, I’m here,” Li Wanqiu answered with a nod. “I can take it to her.”
“I’d appreciate that so much,” Assistant An said. “I’ll transmit the file to your phone right away.”
The call clicked off, and the file notification pinged across her screen a second later.
Tucking the phone firmly into her palm, Li Wanqiu hurried back along the path, anxious not to cause any delays. She practically sprinted all the way to the cellar facility.
Only after asking around did she learn that Ji Jinyan had left just moments earlier.
“President Ji pulled an all-nighter down here yesterday and just headed back to the dormitory suites to catch some rest,” one of the cellar staff informed her. “She hasn’t been gone long; you should be able to catch her.”
With that, she gave Li Wanqiu the room number.
Suite 1303.
For reasons unknown, the string of numbers sent a strange jolt of nervous tension through her chest.
Stepping out of the elevator on the thirteenth floor, Li Wanqiu located Room 1303 and knocked softly on the door.
Unless pressing circumstances demanded it, Ji Jinyan rarely stayed overnight at the winery. This suite was reserved strictly for short rests, and for maximum privacy, the entire floor was kept vacant.
The absolute silence made her heart thrum with quiet anticipation.
“President Ji?” Receiving no answer after two taps, she knocked again. “Is anyone in? Presi—”
Before the word could leave her lips, the door pulled open. Ji Jinyan’s striking, elegant face appeared right before her eyes.
Along with it came a faint, clean fragrance drifting through the cool corridor air.
She appeared to have just stepped out of the shower, wearing only a tailored button-down shirt and relaxed trousers. Her raven hair fell loosely across her shoulders, glistening with stray droplets of water under the overhead light.
Looking up, Li Wanqiu’s gaze fell directly upon that tiny, delicate mole hidden half-concealed beneath her hair on her neck.
“Li Wanqiu,” Ji Jinyan murmured, her eyes lowering to take her in. “What are you doing—”
She trailed off, pausing mid-sentence. A beat later, a soft, knowing laugh parted her lips: “Assistant An sent you?”
“Mm.” Li Wanqiu nodded, tapping open the document on her screen to show her. As the draft stirred, Ji Jinyan’s clean scent swept past, surprisingly intoxicating, causing an involuntary warmth to creep up Li Wanqiu’s cheeks. “She asked me to bring this file for you to review.”
“Come inside first,” Ji Jinyan offered without even glancing at the phone screen, the corners of her mouth curling into a gentle smirk. “Go wash your face in the bathroom.”
“Sneaking out to play in the mud during your lunch break?”
Li Wanqiu: “?”
Li Wanqiu blinked blankly.
Without another word, Ji Jinyan pointed toward the full-length mirror by the entryway. Li Wanqiu turned to look—and sure enough, two distinct streaks of dark garden dirt were smudged across her cheek, likely brushed there while she was harvesting grapes.
Flushing with instant mortification, she slapped a hand over the marks, kept her head down, and hurried straight into the bathroom.
When she emerged, Ji Jinyan had already sat down to review the proposal.
A luxury hotel chain had recently approached Bisha with an invitation to partner on an exclusive wine cellar concession. After weighing the options, Ji Jinyan had initially declined. Thinking their proposal lacked adequate incentive, the hotel had sent over a revised dossier, expanding heavily on their brand synergy and offering even more lucrative profit splits.
Before reaching a final decision, confidential matters like this were best kept within the tightest possible circle. Handling it through Li Wanqiu was indeed the safest route.
After reading through the entire deck, Ji Jinyan handed the phone back to Li Wanqiu, then stood up to place a brief call to Assistant An.
When the call wrapped up, Li Wanqiu was still sitting quietly on the lounge sofa. Freshly washed, her bare face was clean and porcelain-pale, lending her a softer, slightly more youthful air than usual—a touch less guarded, and markedly more endearing.
The corners of Ji Jinyan’s lips curled, teasing intentionally: “I brought back a bottle from a newly finished batch. Care for a taste?”
At that, Li Wanqiu looked up instinctively. Her initial impulse was to agree, but the memory of that drunken night surged forward, and she shook her head firmly: “I’ll pass.”
“All right, then,” Ji Jinyan conceded with an amused nod. Walking back over to sit down at the edge of the bed, she smiled at her. “Li Wanqiu, I’m going to take a nap.”
“Okay.” Li Wanqiu took the hint immediately. Gathering her phone, she prepared to leave, yet came to a halt right as her hand touched the door handle.
As if a sudden realization hit her, she took a steady breath, turning back to face the room: “Thank you for what happened the other night.”
“I promised to treat you to dinner,” she added, determined not to carry an unreciprocated favor. “When, when might you be free? Friday evening—”
“Let’s make it Saturday,” Ji Jinyan interrupted smoothly before she could finish.
Meeting Li Wanqiu’s wide eyes, she said unhurriedly, “My schedule is light that day. I’ll have the entire day free.”
Her tone was quiet, laced with unmistakable warmth.
Li Wanqiu froze. After a long moment of silence, she finally nodded, her voice sounding oddly strained: “Fine. Saturday it is.”
With that, she turned once more toward the door, only to be stopped in her tracks a second time.
“Li Wanqiu,” Ji Jinyan called out softly, her lips curving into an enchanting, graceful arc.
“Aren’t you going to say good afternoon to me?”