For a fraction of a second, Qin Miao thought she must have misheard Old Madame Qin’s words, and she stared blankly as she asked, “Grandma, what are you talking about?”
Seeing Qin Miao’s dazed expression, Old Madame Qin was entirely convinced she had guessed correctly. Based on her own observations, Jiang Rou’s gaze had been fixed on Qin Miao the entire time. Even if Qin Miao hadn’t picked up on it herself, Old Madame Qin felt confident that her decades of experience made her judgment quite reliable.
“This Jiang Rou has been looking at our Miao Miao all this time, you see. Plus, Jiang Rou is quite good-looking, she is an Alpha, and she is an artist too. If you two end up together, you will have plenty of shared interests. I think it is a wonderful match.”
Old Madame Qin continued enthusiastically, completely oblivious to Qin Miao’s rather indescribable expression.
“Grandma, you did not actually say that to Jiang Rou just now, did you?”
Qin Miao asked cautiously. Although Shen Wanli hadn’t witnessed Jiang Rou’s reaction, Qin Miao had seen it crystal clear; Jiang Rou’s face had looked absolutely dreadful as she walked out.
“I certainly did.”
Old Madame Qin nodded, completely unaware of anything inappropriate in what she had done.
Qin Miao massaged the bridge of her nose. No wonder Jiang Rou’s expression upon leaving had been mixed with anger and something else entirely, and the way she looked at Qin Miao had been so bizarre, as if she never expected Old Madame Qin to say such things to her.
“Grandma, I do not like Jiang Rou, so please do not worry yourself about this matter.”
Qin Miao decided to put a stop to Old Madame Qin’s antics early, fearing the older woman might pull off something even more absurd.
In response, Old Madame Qin just looked at Qin Miao with a helpless sigh. “Such a waste of effort worrying about you, little ancestor.”
Although she had just been suppressed by Jiang Rou’s imposing aura, the fact that her grandmother had managed to put Jiang Rou in an awkward spot still brought Qin Miao a good deal of amusement.
“Oh Grandma, that is not what I meant. I already have someone I like.”
Qin Miao had never been one to hide or beat around the bush when it came to such things.
Only then did curiosity pique Old Madame Qin’s interest, and she quickly pressed, “Whose family is she from?”
Qin Miao thought back to Shen Wanli’s attitude earlier and ultimately decided against blurting it out. Instead, she told Old Madame Qin, “I will definitely tell you once we are officially together, Grandma.”
Old Madame Qin nodded, though she still lingered on the thought. “I still think Jiang Rou is the better choice.”
Shen Wanli dragged Jiang Rou out of the Qin family courtyard, only to find that Jiang Rou simply stood by the car door and refused to get in.
Left with little choice, Shen Wanli got out of the driver’s seat and looked at Jiang Rou. “Why are you not getting in the car?”
Jiang Rou was replaying the moment Old Madame Qin had pulled her aside to whisper some baffling remarks, culminating in a mysterious question about her impression of Qin Miao. The memory left her expression looking rather indescribable.
Yet, that immediately brought back the sight of the two of them pulling and tugging at each other in the garden. Jiang Rou had seen it all too clearly; the adoration in Qin Miao’s eyes was painfully familiar, reminding her of the scene she witnessed after following Shen Wanli into the bar that day.
In truth, ever since that period, Jiang Rou had kept people trailing behind Shen Wanli. That particular day, she happened to be tailing Shen Wanli and watched her enter the bar and sit right next to Han Qing.
If she had already felt unsettled by Han Qing, the moment she caught sight of that face sitting next to Shen Wanli, Jiang Rou had to admit she panicked a little.
Ever since the two of them had separated, Jiang Rou knew that Shen Wanli had broken off her engagement with Han Qing. Although the two had met a few times over the past month without any overly scandalous behavior, it had still allowed Jiang Rou to relax somewhat.
That was until she laid eyes on Qin Miao’s face, which left Jiang Rou feeling hollow inside. She knew what type of person Shen Wanli preferred, which was why she always leveraged her own strengths to make Shen Wanli’s heart soften.
That cowardice had kept Jiang Rou from stepping forward to interrogate them that day, leaving her stuck watching that table drink merrily until Shen Wanli escorted Qin Miao back home.
That kiss downstairs had made Jiang Rou want nothing more than to rush over and tear the two of them apart.
Yet she knew such actions were entirely meaningless. She had assumed that a period of cold distance on her part would prompt Shen Wanli to sort out their relationship, never expecting that Shen Wanli would find a new flame so quickly.
“Do you like Qin Miao?”
Jiang Rou suddenly broke the silence, directing the question at Shen Wanli.
After everything that happened today, this was the first time Shen Wanli saw Jiang Rou look at her with such calm composure while asking a question like that. In the past, Jiang Rou would have been emotional, losing control, and desperate to argue every point until the very end.
Yet Shen Wanli inexplicably found herself reluctant to answer, because she had no idea from what standpoint Jiang Rou was asking. Was it meant as humiliation? Shen Wanli still remembered every word Jiang Rou had said to her in the restroom.
“Xiaorou, this has nothing to do with you.”
Shen Wanli said flatly.
Jiang Rou nodded and climbed into the car. Shen Wanli intended to drive her straight home. The entire journey passed in absolute silence, until the car finally came to a halt outside the Jiang family residence, and Jiang Rou asked her final question.
“Just because she is an Omega, is that it?”
Jiang Rou asked.
Shen Wanli understood what Jiang Rou was driving at, but she wondered what the point of discussing this now even was.
Knowing she was getting no answers, Jiang Rou pulled Shen Wanli toward her and, amidst Shen Wanli’s look of utter astonishment, planted a fierce kiss on her lips, nibbling and pressing against them until Shen Wanli finally snapped out of it and shoved her away.
“What kind of madness are you up to again?”
Shen Wanli was furious. Jiang Rou wouldn’t explain herself, yet the moment she laid eyes on her, she started getting handsy. What was she trying to play at? Did she treat her like some kind of toy?
Far from being angered by the push, Jiang Rou simply looked at her with a strange, glittering light in her eyes. “Could Qin Miao kiss you like this? Could Qin Miao give you that feeling of floating up into the clouds?”
Hearing Jiang Rou start spouting nonsense again, Shen Wanli felt like rolling her eyes. Her anger subsided just a fraction. “That is hardly something you need to trouble yourself over.”
Leaving Jiang Rou behind, she stepped on the gas and sped away.
She left behind only Jiang Rou, who watched the departing vehicle with a deeply intrigued gaze.
When it was time to head back to the office for work, the secretary stepped in and handed Shen Wanli the design briefs for the latest painting competition. Shen Wanli checked the submission deadline listed on top and instructed the secretary to shorten it to one week.
“President Shen, will not the time be a bit too tight?”
The secretary asked with some hesitation.
If nothing else, having watched Jiang Rou for so many years, Shen Wanli had a solid grasp of what went into illustration and art.
“Submitting just a rough draft will suffice. This sort of endeavor relies heavily on raw talent anyway.”
Shen Wanli stated.
With Jiang Rou’s stellar work setting the benchmark, Shen Wanli naturally wanted to find someone of high caliber to take over, ensuring purchasers wouldn’t sense too stark a drop in quality.
The secretary nodded in acknowledgment, and in the blink of an eye, a week flew by.
When the secretary knocked on the door once more, she looked at Shen Wanli and announced, “President Shen, the candidate selection for this painting competition is complete. Would you like to meet them?”
Shen Wanli nodded in approval, only to look up and freeze in sheer astonishment as the secretary ushered someone inside.
“Senior Sister Wanli, or no, I suppose I should call you President Shen now.”
The person stepping through the door was none other than Qin Miao.