She had drunk too much last night, and she still couldn’t figure out how she had ended up in someone else’s room and slept with that man.
If her family’s Chairman Jiang ever found out, she would be skinned alive.
Her mind was filled with the vivid images of their passionate encounter, and she let out another sigh.
Chen Lingqian couldn’t take it anymore. Jiang Minghua’s endless sighing was about to drive her crazy, so she asked:
“Miss Jiang, can you stop sighing? Who on earth managed to upset you, of all people? Is there anyone else in the capital who would dare reduce you to this state?”
Jiang Minghua’s father, Jiang Yekun, was the chairman of the Jiang Group, a company that had made its fortune in solid wood furniture. Half of the nation’s solid wood industry was in the Jiang Group’s hands.
Even in the capital—a city teeming with hidden talents and economic prosperity—the Jiang Group ranked among the top.
Jiang Minghua was the only daughter of the younger generation in the Jiang family, a pearl cradled in the palms of her elders since childhood.
She was beautiful, academically gifted, gentle by nature, never clashed with anyone, and kept a very low profile.
Chen Lingqian genuinely couldn’t think of anything that could trouble Jiang Minghua.
Jiang Minghua lowered her lashes, stirring her soup with the spoon for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Suddenly she stopped, set the spoon down with a clatter against the porcelain dish, and looked at Chen Lingqian.
Her gaze carried a hint of desperation, and her expression was so serious that even the usually headstrong Miss Chen felt a little unsettled.
Chen Lingqian: “Why are you suddenly so serious?”
Jiang Minghua took a deep breath and gripped Chen Lingqian’s hand.
“Qianqian, I need to tell you something. Please stay calm, and don’t scold me…”
Chen Lingqian had never seen Jiang Minghua look so earnest and grave. Jiang Minghua was always easygoing and composed, never taking anything to heart.
It seemed this was truly serious. She set down her coffee and nodded.
“Okay, go ahead.”
Jiang Minghua bit her lower lip, and finally let out what had been weighing on her chest.
“I… I did something bad last night.”
Chen Lingqian’s face was full of question marks, and she asked in confusion:
“What did you do? You’re so innocent—how could you do something bad?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Jiang Minghua could do something wrong. She and Jiang Minghua had been friends since childhood, and she knew Jiang Minghua’s character better than anyone.
The Jiang family’s discipline was strict. Although she had grown up cherished in the palms of her family, Jiang Minghua had never developed a spoiled or reckless temperament.
The bars and money-burning establishments that rich second-generation heirs frequented, the casual hookups—none of that existed in Jiang Minghua’s world.
She was like a piece of raw jade carefully nurtured by her family—clean and bright from the inside out, refined and precious as a treasure.
Jiang Minghua lowered her voice and whispered into Chen Lingqian’s ear:
“I slept with a man…”
Chen Lingqian’s eyes flew wide open, and she shot to her feet. The commotion drew the attention of everyone around them, who turned to look.
Jiang Minghua’s ears grew warm—she knew Chen Lingqian would be this shocked.
She tugged at Chen Lingqian’s arm and pulled the stunned girl back down to her seat.
Jiang Minghua said in a low voice:
“Calm down. Okay, I’ve told you now. Please keep it a secret for me. If my parents find out, I’m dead.”
Chen Lingqian’s hands were trembling with shock, and it took her a long while to gradually regain her composure.
She suddenly grabbed Jiang Minghua’s slender wrist, her eyes filled with unconcealable anxiety and worry:
“Really? You’re not lying to me, are you?”
Jiang Minghua traced circles on the table with her finger, looking at Chen Lingqian:
“Really. I’m not lying to you.”
Chen Lingqian was so angry she could faint. If not for so many people around, she would have already lost her mind.
“Who? Who exactly was it?”
Jiang Minghua was wearing the dress that had been delivered that morning. It looked very similar to the one she had worn yesterday, except the collar was slightly higher, just enough to cover those ambiguous red marks.
The two dresses were too alike. It was only now that Chen Lingqian noticed that although the style was the same, this one was clearly made with finer craftsmanship.
Jiang Minghua didn’t understand. “What who?”
Chen Lingqian pinched her arm and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Of course it’s the man who slept with you last night! When did you go behind my back and meet another man?”
Jiang Minghua felt her face heat up at such a blunt question. Although she had been drunk last night, her memory was clear. Thinking of that handsome and sexy face hovering above her body, dripping with sweat, the warmth on her face seemed to burn anew at this moment.
She pretended to take a sip of coffee, tucked the stray hairs at her temples behind her ears, and tried hard to suppress the dirty thoughts in her mind before speaking calmly: “I don’t know him either. I just accidentally walked into the wrong room and…”
Chen Lingqian rubbed her forehead. She had roughly understood what had happened. Shock and regret mixed in her heart—it was because she hadn’t personally walked her back to the room last night that this little white rabbit had fallen into the tiger’s mouth.
Last night was Jiang Shaoyan’s birthday banquet. Jiang Shaoyan was her boyfriend. She had brought Jiang Minghua to the banquet last night, in the private room at Xizhen International.
“I’m sorry, Jiang Huahua. It’s my fault I didn’t take good care of you last night. I…”
As she spoke, Chen Lingqian was actually about to cry.
Jiang Minghua was at a loss because of her. She put down her coffee, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to Chen Lingqian. “Why are you crying? I was the one who drank too much last night. Why blame yourself? It was me who was muddled and walked into the wrong room.”
Not only had she walked into the wrong room, but she had also slept with that man with the amazing body and top-tier looks.
Jiang Minghua had never seen Chen Lingqian cry. She had always been like a bright, proud peacock—thoughtful in handling matters, smooth and charming with everyone.
She was just about to wipe Chen Lingqian’s tears with the tissue in her hand when Chen Lingqian grabbed her hand. “Really, Huahua? You don’t blame me?”
Only then did Jiang Minghua realize she was faking it. There were no tears at all. Her fox-like eyes blinked and blinked. Jiang Minghua suddenly threw the tissue at Chen Lingqian. “Miss Chen! You tricked me again.”
Chen Lingqian laughed gleefully. She had long observed that Jiang Minghua’s face showed no grievance or dissatisfaction about last night—instead, there was a trace of shyness. What else was there for her not to understand?
“I said this morning I knocked on your door for ages and you didn’t answer, but then I saw you in the hallway. You even lied and said you went to eat. You’re such a lazybones who doesn’t get up until noon—how could you possibly get up early in the morning to eat?”
Jiang Minghua gave her a sulky look.
Chen Lingqian threw the tissue into the trash can and propped up her elbow. “Come on, how was that man’s technique last night? Seeing you so radiant, I’d say it must have been good.”
Jiang Minghua glared at her, her fingers pointing at the dress resting on her calves. The comfortable, form-fitting fabric wrapped around her curvaceous figure, making her skin look even fairer. There was innocence mixed with a hint of charm. Leaning against the chair, she looked like a lazy yet alluring little cat.
Chen Lingqian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Sure enough, as long as a woman is nourished by a man, she really does become different.
“What radiant glow? Don’t misuse words. As for the technique, it’s indeed not bad.”
Jiang Minghua nodded, feigning composure, and smoothed her hair. In truth, her legs were still weak. When she got out of bed that morning, she nearly collapsed to her knees, and it took a long soak in the bath to recover.