"Are you willing to stay by my side?"
"Yes."
With just these two short sentences, Ruan Jilao's future job was settled.
When Jin Qi learned about this, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
He sneered and said to Ruan Jilao over the phone, "A personal assistant indeed doesn't require academic qualifications. But a woman like you probably won't last long."
The woman's voice was sticky and slurred, as if she hadn't fully woken up: "What kind of woman am I?"
The kind that seduces men.
Jin Qi didn't say it out loud.
He sensed the flirtatious undertone in Ruan Jilao's words. Jin Qi wanted to say more, but in the end, he said nothing. After a moment of silence, he hung up the phone.
Sunday arrived, bright and sunny.
Jin Qi stood in front of the mirror, carefully selecting a business-casual outfit: a navy blue waffle-knit V-neck sweater paired with linen trousers. It softened his sharp edges, adding a gentler touch to his demeanor.
He touched the gift in his pocket, prepared for his online friend, and couldn't help but smile.
Unlike Jin Qi, who was nervous and excited about the meet-up, Qiu Chaoshi's face was clouded with regret and a sense of hopeless despair.
Distractedly finishing her makeup, she grabbed Ruan Jilao's hand, her voice trembling with a hint of tears.
"I'm still scared. I've never had a meet-up with an online friend before. What if he tries something? How should I refuse? Please, Xiao Lao, can you meet him for me?"
Ruan Jilao hesitated. "How long are you going to keep avoiding this?"
Qiu Chaoshi stiffened her neck. "Avoidance may be shameful, but it works. I'll give you another hundred thousand."
"Well… deal."
Once she stepped out the door, Ruan Jilao's reluctant expression instantly vanished.
If she was going to meet her roommate's online friend in her place, she had to play the part convincingly.
A playful, eager glint shone in her eyes.
They had chosen an amusement park for their date.
Jin Qi stood at the entrance holding a bouquet of balloons, his heart racing even faster than during any major event he'd ever attended. From afar, a figure in a light blue dress caught his eye.
He quickened his pace.
As the distance closed, the image grew clearer.
His online friend, wearing an elegant light blue sundress, approached him with a graceful smile and a poised demeanor.
"Jin Qi, have you been waiting long?"
The familiar, delicate fragrance she wore—the same as her sister's—made Jin Qi pause for a moment.
The man looked at the 'Qiu Chaoshi' before him, whose demeanor was clearly distinct from the seductive and alluring Ruan Jilao, and felt certain this was his girlfriend.
Completely different from the bewitching and dangerous Ruan Jilao.
"Not long. This is for you."
The man handed the prepared bouquet of balloons to his girlfriend, doing his best to smile warmly to soften his naturally cold aura.
'Qiu Chaoshi' accepted it with a smile, then adopted a coquettish tone. "It's so heavy. Can my boyfriend help me carry it?"
Jin Qi's heart was instantly captivated by her affectionate gaze. Without a word, he took both the bouquet of balloons and his girlfriend's bag, his voice gentle. "Hold onto me tightly. Don't get lost."
'Qiu Chaoshi' blushed, cautiously clutching the corner of his shirt.
Such a reserved and modest beauty, paired with those expressive eyes—what man could resist?
Jin Qi's heart was nearly overflowing. This was Qiu Chaoshi, not some flirtatious stranger.
He could finally indulge in being good to someone, cherishing and loving her without restraint.
Jin Qi suppressed the itch in his heart, his voice low and hoarse: "What should we do first?"
"Anything is fine, I'll follow your lead." 'Qiu Chaoshi' blinked her large, sparkling eyes, which were filled with the man's reflection.
She noticed the dark circles under Jin Qi's eyes, guessing that he must have tossed and turned excitedly last night in anticipation of today's meeting.
Jin Qi had indeed done a lot of research online himself, without delegating it to his secretary.
He had memorized the entire map of this amusement park.
"Do you prefer gentle rides or thrilling ones?"
"Thrilling ones."
Jin Qi took her straight to the haunted house.
Qiu Chaoshi seemed a bit different from others, showing no fear at all in the face of these scares.
He was even a little scared himself…
But in front of the woman, Jin Qi remained expressionless, pretending not to be afraid.
He watched the beauty, whether in the haunted house or on roller coasters and pendulum rides, her eyes bright and her smiling gaze like an unattainable moon in the sky.
He couldn't take his eyes off Qiu Chaoshi, gradually filling in the gaps in his impression of her.
This time, they didn't discuss ideals or the future, nor did they talk about grand aspirations or personal preferences.
Instead, they engaged in more everyday, private activities, like friends who had known each other for a long time. At this moment, his heart felt grounded.
Indeed, meeting his online friend was exactly what he wanted.
During a break, as Jin Qi bought her an ice cream and handed it to her, he suddenly said:
"Only now do I truly feel that you're really here with me."
'Qiu Chaoshi' didn't stop eating her ice cream, nodding naturally: "Jin Qi, I feel the same."
She leaned a little closer to Jin Qi, leaving only a fist's distance between them.
Jin Qi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he subtly shifted back a moment, hoping distance would quell the urge to kiss her.
Ruan Jilao noticed his small movement, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Had the man developed a psychological shadow from her last impersonation as an online friend, making him afraid to kiss her right away?
Recalling how Jin Qi had indeed behaved properly all afternoon, even politely using a gentleman's hand to shield her waist from a distance in crowded areas without crossing any boundaries.
This made Ruan Jilao feel a bit restless. People are like that—the more the other person resists, the more you want to see them break.
In the evening, the fireworks show began.
Jin Qi took her to the VIP room in the castle, which was also at the very top.
The two looked down at the dense crowd below and the dazzling, colorful fireworks.
'Qiu Chaoshi' excitedly opened her phone, searching for the best angle to capture the fireworks:
"So beautiful, I want to take pictures to show my sister."
She accidentally bumped into the solid chest behind her.
Jin Qi instinctively grabbed her arm to prevent her from stumbling.
Seizing this opportunity, the two pressed close together.
With the soft, jade-like beauty in his arms, Jin Qi froze for a moment. The faint fragrance from her body drifted into his nostrils, and he couldn't bear to let go.
Under the romantic fireworks display, he tentatively tightened his arms.
Noticing the beauty trembling slightly all over, he silently scolded himself for overstepping and prepared to release her.
But 'Qiu Chaoshi's' small hand tightly grasped his.
The beauty turned her head, her face shy, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the fireworks:
"Hold me tighter."
Just these three simple words instantly shattered Jin Qi's defenses.
The man held her tightly, his voice low and hoarse.
"Baby… I want to kiss you."
Qiu Chaoshi froze for a moment, then shyly stood on tiptoe and planted a light, fleeting kiss on his cheek.
But how could such a gesture satisfy a man with such strong desires?
This move by the netizen only made Jin Qi crave her even more.
His eyes darkened, filled with the sight of her tender lips coated in shimmering Lip Glaze.
Jin Qi kissed her deeply, parting her lips and teeth, capturing her playful little tongue, teasing and toying with it.
The beauty's body grew increasingly limp, beginning to slide downward completely.
Jin Qi wrapped his arms around her slender waist, using his strength to lift her and place her on the nearby terrace table. Then, with both hands, he reverently cradled her exquisite little face, not allowing her to escape his domineering, unreasonable, and rough kiss.
"Mmm… ah…"
This gasp felt so familiar.
He suddenly remembered the other beauty he had kissed into a daze before.
The same face, the same voice, the identical fragrance…
He slowly opened his eyes, gazing at this stunningly beautiful face.
The beauty looked shy. "What's wrong?"
"Hmm? Nothing."
As soon as Jin Qi finished speaking, he leaned down and kissed her swollen, tender lips with his tongue.
…
"Jin Qi, how are you so good at kissing? Is your first kiss already gone?" The girl, overcome with passion, couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy and asked.
Jin Qi stiffened all over, a wave of shame washing over him and unsettling his heart.
He looked at the pure face in his arms, unable to bring himself to utter that lie.