Lady

Ju Hui: [He's a hard worker, that's good.]

Sheng Qijing: [Hmm.]

With a slight shake of her thumb, Ju Hui saw that Sheng Qijing didn't ask any more questions, so she put down her phone, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the comfort of being in the passenger seat with Bian Jiaping.

Bian Jiaping's appearance tonight brought good news. He apologized to Ju Hui, saying he shouldn't have forced her to part amicably, and that giving her a car or a house wasn't what she really wanted. He said he should invest in her new work.

Ju Hui needs help, not manipulation.

"Ju Hui, we've arrived."

She took a nap, and when the car drove into the Zhongguancun residential area, the light in Jiang Yiying's room was still dim, and everything was peaceful as if she hadn't woken up yet.

It was cold outside the car, and it was only two steps away from the lobby door, but Bian Jiaping still got out of the car to see her off. The two stood under the porch and chatted about their recent lives.

Seeing Ju Hui get on the elevator, Bian Jiaping opened the car door but stopped in place, staring at the black car that started to leave.

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the license plates of the cars shone brightly in the night, yet were very difficult to see.

But he still recognized him; it was Sheng Qijing.

Bian Jiaping lowered his cold gaze and stepped into the car.

-

Jiang Yiying's birthday is coming soon.

It was Sheng Qijing who reminded her.

Ju Hui has been busy setting up the body lately, often going back and forth between two points. She can only piece together her concept of time from what Bai Yangjia says: "The annual meeting is said to be brought forward" and "The annual leave will be extended to the Lantern Festival?"

As Tera's only signed artist, she originally thought that since her direct supervisor, Sheng Qijing, hadn't contacted her for so long, the first thing they would say to each other would be about the year-end bonus.

Ju Hui: [How did you know her birthday?]

Sheng Qijing: [I asked that casually once.]

Sheng Qijing: [She invited me to your house for dinner. What would be a good gift for me?]

Ju Hui felt as if her hometown's cabbage field had been stolen. Jiang Yiying had actually invited Sheng Qijing to her home. Did she mean to invite her to her three-bedroom apartment in Zhongguancun?

When I called Jiang Yiying, she laughed it off, saying that she invited him just to get more gifts, and that she hadn't told Ju Hui that she knew he was a good older sister and would definitely agree.

"Stop being silly, why don't you think about spending time with your friends?"

There was a moment of silence on Jiang Yiying's end.

"Sister Ju Hui, aren't we friends?"

"No...who else did you invite?"

"My senior and Kan Yu are also there, but he's still abroad so I can only send him gifts. And Jia Ping is also there."

"Is he willing to come?"

"Sure... Sister, celebrate my birthday with me!"

Sheng Qijing wasn't the only person Jiang Yiying had invited; Bian Jiaping would also be coming. Her heart pounded in her chest, and Ju Hui gave a soft "hmm" before hanging up the phone.

She scratched the fine hairs on her forehead, realizing she was overthinking things again.

Sheng Qijing seemed to let go faster than Ju Hui had imagined; if she worried too much, she would lose.

Ten minutes later, Ju Hui replied: "I don't know, but I'm planning to give her a camera. Let's hope it doesn't happen to be the same one."

Ju Hui doesn't have time to guess what others really want, so gifting blogger Jiang Yiying a good camera is a safe bet.

She wasn't good at choosing, but she understood that if a camera's price was still higher than its original price even after many years since its manufacture, it must be a "good camera," so she placed an order for a Ricoh GR3.

On the afternoon of his birthday, Ju Hui packed up the camera, ordered a cake to be delivered, and also ordered a box of egg tarts for Bai Yangjia so that he could leave work early.

The car quickly drove into the underground parking garage of the residential complex. She took the elevator with a large and a small handbag. Just as the iron door closed, the red indicator light stopped on the first floor and the door opened.

Sheng Qijing and she locked eyes.

He wore a short jacket with only a thin brown-black sweater underneath, clearly prioritizing style over warmth.

Ju Hui was dressed similarly to when she last met Yun Aonan, still wearing the same plaid shawl.

He stepped in, and the four-sided elevator suddenly felt cramped. Only then did Ju Hui notice that Sheng Qijing was carrying a small suitcase. Did he have to go to such lengths to give a gift?

"you……"

"you……"

The two spoke at the same time. Ju Hui let him speak first. Sheng Qijing's eyes softened. "This shawl suits you very well. I remember you had a similar scarf in college?"

"Yes, that one was lost in Tromsø."

"It's a pity, after all, we've had such a long-standing relationship."

Ju Hui kept her mouth tightly shut and hummed in agreement, ending the conversation. The elevator hummed as it ascended, finally arriving at its destination.

Ju Hui had planned this all along. She pretended to deliver a cake to scare Jiang Yiying, so she didn't use her fingerprint but only knocked on the door.

Soon, a commotion came from inside the room, followed by a shout: "Leave the takeout at the door, thank you!"

Ju Hui, her face dark, reached out to unlock the door, but was suddenly pulled back by Sheng Qijing.

His fingertips touched the base of her thumb, almost grasping her entire palm, gently pulling her back, then quickly releasing her. She felt a chill from his touch.

She turned her head stiffly and saw Sheng Qijing looking hesitant.

“Bian Jiaping and Jiang Yiying are both your family members. It’s your family gathering. As for me… if you feel it’s intrusive, I can leave now.”

Ju Hui let out a soft "ah," so softly that she could barely hear it herself. "It's alright. It was Yi Ying who invited you; they're all friends."

Ju Hui quickly entered the password and went inside.

After putting her things down, Ju Hui looked around but didn't see Bian Jiaping. In the kitchen, Jiang Yiying and her senior Zhu Qing were cooking. When they saw her and Sheng Qijing appear together, they exchanged a glance and excitedly pushed her to sit down. They just needed to cook a couple more dishes.

This three-bedroom apartment is different from the large single-level apartments in Shanghai. The living room is not big and is surrounded by unopened packages and sofas.

Ju Hui hesitated and sat down a little distance away from Sheng Qijing.

He sat on a low, slanted cushion with his back to the kitchen door, giving her reason to turn her head and observe him.

Sheng Qijing's long legs were naturally bent, he held his phone but didn't turn it on, his head was naturally lowered, his hair was obviously styled, and his brow bone couldn't cover his lightly fluttering eyelashes, making people envious of his genes.

The indoor temperature was a bit high, so he suddenly took off his coat.

With the difference in height between the sofa and the cushions, Ju Hui could see his collarbone and pectoral muscles behind his low-cut sweater.

He glanced over, and she immediately looked away.

But Sheng Qijing seemed to be exposing her shortcomings. After getting dressed again, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that he was touching her neck several times with his reddened palm. She wanted to sigh.

"Can I borrow your room?" Sheng Qijing asked. "I'm going to change into something warmer. I just came back from Shanghai and forgot that it's so cold in Ruobei."

"You're back in Shanghai?"

Sheng Qijing smiled and said, "Yes, I left after helping you move into the loft. There's no need for me to leave Ruobei here."

Ju Hui hesitated, then pointed casually to the first room behind them, "Go change your clothes."

Just as the luggage wheels rolled into the other side of the wall, Ju Hui heard the doorbell ring.

Jiang Yiying opened the kitchen door and asked Ju Hui to open it for her; this time it must be takeout.

Before she came, Jiang Yiying boasted to her that she would cook for her birthday, but it was obvious that she was not very good at cooking.

Ju Hui pushed open the door and saw the takeout food and Bian Jiaping carrying it, with the gift he brought in his right hand.

For some reason, all the guests today are dressed to the nines, like distant relatives visiting during the Chinese New Year...

"Mr. Bian, it's been a long time."

Before Bian Jiaping could even speak, his gaze shifted back to Sheng Qijing, who was emerging from Ju Hui's room. Sheng strode closer, adjusting his newly put-on sweater as he walked. He smiled and stood close behind Ju Hui, looking every bit the male head of the household.

"Hello, Mr. Sheng."

Bian Jiaping lowered his eyes and greeted Ju Hui silently.

After that, Bian Jiaping never looked Ju Hui in the eye again.

The meal went fairly smoothly, with Jiang Yiying and Zhu Qing acting as the atmosphere-maker. Everyone was extremely grateful for the gifts they gave, especially Sheng Qijing, who gave them two tickets to the film festival. They said they could contact him again if they wanted to go to the after-party.

Amid the cheers, Ju Hui smiled confidently, then looked at Bian Jiaping with a worried expression.

He was looking at Jiang Yiying, and he seemed no different from usual, but when Ju Hui opened the door for him, she clearly smelled the scent of alcohol.

She can still smell it now, but it's no longer as strong as it was a second ago.

What's going on? She wanted to ask Bian Jiaping why he was drinking. Was he in a bad mood because of Zeng Yue?

“Jiaping…”

“Ju Hui,” Sheng Qijing stared at her, “why don’t you want to go to the film festival too?”

Ju Hui shook her head, "No need."

The smell of alcohol was like coconut oil, rich and thick. She stared intently at Bian Jiaping, but he pretended not to see her.

She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Sheng Qijing interrupted her again.

Once, twice, three times—

Ju Hui, unable to bear it any longer, glared at Sheng Qijing and said with a snort, "President Sheng has so many questions, can I ask you some?"

When Jiang Yiying heard Ju Hui address Sheng Qijing so formally, the corners of her lips secretly twitched downwards.

"you say."

Ju Hui had nothing to say to Sheng Qijing; she just wanted to shut him up. She stated a long string of questions that were understandable, but when put together, they were incomprehensible.

She smiled wryly and said that she had hit a bottleneck in her sculpture project, and asked if she could offer some feasible solutions.

Ju Hui gave him time to think, and politely tried to save face for him, saying, "It's okay if you can't answer, we've been out of school for a long time..."

"No, I remember."

Sheng Qijing immediately uttered some literary words, avoiding the awkward situation Ju Hui had anticipated. His smile was relaxed, and his speech was fluent.

He even mocked her, saying, "These questions are very basic; Bai Yangjia could answer them... If he can't help you, I'll replace him."

Ju Hui remained silent, so how could Bai Yangjia possibly answer? This was a question her graduate advisor had asked randomly during a group meeting.

Bian Jiaping suddenly burst out laughing.

Sheng Qijing frowned and looked over.

"What are you talking about? It's time to wash the dishes!" Jiang Yiying stood up. "My senior and I cook, so we can't wash them. Ju Hui, you and Qi Jing can wash them together."

The water filled the entire room, and fine mist sprayed into the air; the smell of alcohol had faded to the point of complete disappearance.

Sheng Qijing crossed his arms and watched intently as she vigorously rubbed the dish sponge, his smile warm and friendly.

No matter how much Ju Hui tried to comfort herself that Sheng Qijing's smile had no other meaning, it was all in vain. He was doing it on purpose; he was trying to stop her from caring about Bian Jiaping.

On what grounds, from what standpoint, why can't we share her concern for Bian Jiaping...?

The silent question was like a sharp blade stabbing at Sheng Qijing's forehead, but he blocked it with his thick skin.

Ju Hui was annoyed, and her black ponytail, which was leaning towards him, kept coming apart with her almost brute force.

Strands of hair fall freely in front of or behind the right shoulder, the elastic band gently caught by the sweater.

She should have been ruthless and stopped being friends with Sheng Qijing; he simply couldn't stand to see Bian Jiaping doing well.

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly, she felt a chill on her neck.

Suddenly, Sheng Qijing swept all her hair behind her back, and the rubbing sound of her scalp against her skull made her freeze in place.

Ju Hui thought there were insects.

"It's okay, you can continue washing."

Sheng Qijing's movements were gentle yet clumsy, and the tugging of the rubber band quickly put her at ease as he helped her tie her hair.

Each strand of hair seemed to have a name, its presence amplified. She stood there waiting for a long time, while he continued to try, tightening and loosening the hair, the strands pulling and tugging against her earlobes...

If she was in a good mood, Ju Hui could even compliment Sheng Qijing's cuteness. But now, he can't even tie his hair properly—how can there be such an idiot in the world!

They were very close; Ju Hui could feel his breathing. She took out a tissue to wipe her hands clean and turned around.

Sheng Qijing's gaze, which should have been focused on his hair, fell elsewhere. The hair tie was pulled off by inertia and hung between his fingers, which were frozen in mid-air.

"I'll do it, boss."

Ju Hui blew a breath, blowing away the stray hairs that he had pulled out from under her fingernails—three or four in total. She then took a hair tie and bent down to tie her hair.

It really hurt her.

But Ju Hui must remain calm; she is now on the opposing side in this game and cannot afford to show weakness.

Sheng Qijing snapped out of his daze, his gaze lingering on the corner of her lips, and chuckled softly, "But I'll succeed soon."

Ju Hui smoothed her hair down to her chest, not resisting his approach, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Sheng Qijing countered, "What's wrong?"

"Boss, are you this offensive to other employees too? Contacting an employee's sister privately, using an employee's room to change clothes, preventing employees from talking to their families—"

“Bian Jiaping is your family,” Sheng Qijing rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, his taut muscles pressed against the edge of the pool. “Didn’t you say we were all friends before you came in?”

Ju Hui wasn't sure if the frosted glass door was soundproof, or if the dark figure directly opposite them was facing them.

She lowered her voice, "Keep your voice down, Jiaping will be sad if he hears you."

Sheng Qijing's smile gradually disappeared. Ju Hui seemed to feel the wind from his eyelashes, and she avoided his complicated gaze.

After a long while, just as Ju Hui was about to push him away, Sheng Qijing spoke up.

“The three of you are not related by blood. Be careful, or you might be abandoned by your family again.”

Sheng Qijing emphasized the word "family." Ju Hui recalled the night when she was nineteen and confided her scars to Vin et Vie. He gave her the same gentle smile he had when he was with the counselor as he had when he was with Ju Hui.

Disappointment, distress, and regret surged up in an instant.

Buzz—

She wanted to slap him, but his kiss landed on her first.

In this extremely embarrassing moment.

He held her by the back of her neck as she was lost in thought, his warm breath washing over her, followed by the strong taste of alcohol on her lips and the discomfort of being held tightly in his arms.

It turned out that it was Sheng Qijing who drank the wine.

He drank the wine within a minute of entering Ju Hui's room.

Seeing Ju Hui and Bian Jiaping sitting at the same table was worse than killing him; he had to numb his senses with alcohol.

"Sister Ju Hui, Brother Jia Ping said he's leaving—"

Ju Hui snapped out of her daze, and the kiss became even more passionate as the third person approached. She was kissed until she was breathless, her brain went numb, and the stimulation and the pleasant sensation after getting used to it rushed over her uncontrollably.

Ju Hui used all her strength to break free from him.

She pulled up her sleeve, and red spots appeared on her skin at a visible speed. After seeing it for herself, she felt a sharp, itchy pain in her arm.

Sheng Qijing grasped the hand she was trying to grab.

"Don't wash yet—"

The itching was more intense than usual, and Ju Hui began to tremble all over. She glared at him and said, "You're going to be disappointed. Bian Jiaping apologized to me a long time ago. He won't leave me."

“Then what is your current illness?” Sheng Qijing glanced at her. “Afraid of alcohol? Afraid that Bian Jiaping will lie to you again? You’re so afraid that your body has come to believe it.”

"Sister Ju Hui—"

Sheng Qijing released her. "Ju Hui, make another decision."

"I'm opening the door now—"

"Choose me, and I'll stay with you to help you get through the pain. Choose Bian Jiaping, and he'll take you to smell incense that can't cure any disease."