Lady

There wasn't even an old locust tree outside the window. The blade of grass on the lawn seemed to be testing the wind, and if you stared at it for a while, you could almost hear it cutting through the dust.

The sunlight, like a thin, semi-transparent sheet of rice paper, spread out at an angle, softly outlining the profile of Yun Aonan's face.

Would you like to come with me?

—Going to Paris is too tiring, you should go by yourself.

After finally finishing sharing her amusing stories, Yun Aonan took a breather and noticed that Ju Hui was still watching her, so she waved to her.

"What are you looking at?"

"No, this restaurant is quite close to Yun Que. I'll see if I can see Brother Jia Ping from here."

Ju Hui picked up her water glass and pretended to be lost in thought, which caught her attention.

Zhu Xun casually followed the gaze and said, "Yun Que Hotel? It's two streets away, I can't see it."

Ju Hui nodded and smiled at him through the glass.

Yun Aonan saw everything and was not satisfied.

For today's dinner, she only invited her brother Yun Aoze, a silent, single, workaholic in his thirties, across from her. Unexpectedly, he also brought his friend Zhu Xun, who was the same age as them and had a fair complexion. However, Yun Aonan only wanted to introduce her brother to Ju Hui.

She knew that the sudden appearance of Zhu Xun was a deliberate act by her brother.

Yun Aoze had never met Ju Hui in person, neither had the opportunity nor the need to, but this year Yun Aonan made a great effort to invite them to meet. The first meeting was arranged at his home, and it was even scheduled to take place during the peak period of parents urging each other to get married after the New Year.

It really makes one's imagination run wild.

So Yun Aoze caused trouble and broke his promise to go on a business trip for half a month. Ju Hui also went to Jingdezhen for the New Year and didn't return until March.

Seriously, I've already missed Valentine's Day!

Yun Aonan clicked his tongue, and Ju Hui looked over again upon hearing the sound.

She quickly composed herself and smiled at Ju Hui in the sunlight.

The Basque cake that Yun Ao ordered lay flat in front of the scenery, supporting the last moments of conversation at the end of the meal.

After a while, there was still so much cake.

Five minutes later, a bite of the cake was taken.

Ju Hui took a deep breath: "Ao Nan, let's go, I'm about to faint from food."

"Let's go for a walk. There's a small park nearby."

These words were actually spoken by Zhu Xun, and Yun Aonan finally understood the significance of his existence.

But not long after she left, Ju Hui suddenly said that she had received a delivery notification for a package sent from Jingdezhen and that she had to leave first. Yun Aonan stopped Zhu Xun and asked Yun Aoze to see her off.

Ju Hui and Yun Aoze exchanged a glance, and as she wished, she disappeared into the greenery.

Silence fell. Without their two most talkative friends, they remained silent all the way from the park to the underground parking lot.

Yun Aoze didn't say anything, and Ju Hui clearly wasn't in the mood for socializing either. As usual, she would politely pay the parking fee when she passed by the QR code.

But she didn't. It wasn't until they stopped in front of a black G-Class and she was about to get in that she remembered to thank them: "Thank you for your help."

Yun Aoze didn't even offer a smile, just grunted in response.

Ju Hui had seen this car in Yun Aonan's garage. Yun Aoze's CarPlay quickly connected, indicating that she should enter the address.

Ju Hui lowered her head, and the typing sound on the screen quickly stopped, but she stood there, hesitant to fasten her seatbelt.

She was holding his phone, and Yun Aoze frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Ju Hui turned her head to the side, her expression like she was constipated, and pointed to the label he had given Loft on the screen, which read "Her Home [heart]", and asked:

What do you mean by that?

-

Yun Aoze said "she" refers to Sheng Jiashu, telling Ju Hui to clear her head, as this was their first meeting today.

Ju Hui tightened her seatbelt, scratched her head, and forced herself to say that she was just joking. She had slept for eight hours last night, and besides, she only learned Yun Aoze's name today. She had always thought he had five characters in his name, so she called him "Brother Yun Aonan"...

Yun Aoze spent a long time operating the software before he could delete the address tag, start the car, and set off.

When Ju Hui scanned the QR code to pay the parking fee, she glanced at the screen and noticed that the time was exactly three hours and three minutes.

Ju Hui lowered her eyes, thankfully she didn't offer any help.

As the car entered the light, Yun Aoze made the first turn and drove off the recommended route in the opposite direction.

Ju Hui was shocked. He asked, "Are you living at Sheng Qijing's house now?"

"No, he's my boss. He gave me that place to use as a studio."

Yun Aoze responded with an "oh".

Ju Hui was certain he was taking a detour, but since he was heading towards Yun Que, she swallowed the question she wanted to ask.

He drove very steadily, and she seemed to be getting sleepy, her face turned to the window, her eyes just closing.

He added, "You and Sheng Qijing are dating, right? Is Ao Nan worried about him? Is he trying to introduce me to you?"

Yun Aoze spoke bluntly, his tone seemingly mocking their absurdity.

Ju Hui remained silent, which he interpreted as tacit agreement.

As the car turned, Ju Hui couldn't sleep. She kept her eyes open, her hair falling loosely around her cheeks. After a while, the car calmed down, and she noticed that she could see the Yun Que Hotel building after just one more traffic light.

Has Sheng Qijing ever told you about his mother?

Ju Hui hadn't heard him mention it; she had only looked into Ms. Bu Jintao herself, back in the two years after her talks with Sheng Qijing broke down. She didn't plan to reveal this.

“His mother’s surname is Bu. She immigrated a long time ago. She came back once when Sheng Qijing was in high school and took Sheng Jiashu with her.”

Ju Hui straightened her head; she had indeed never heard this story before.

“She left very decisively, and her withdrawal procedures were completed ahead of schedule, which should have taken some time,” Yun Aoze said without any emotion, simply stating the facts. “Therefore, Sheng Jiashu may also want to leave Sheng Qijing and Sheng Zhen.”

"...Shouldn't you call him uncle?"

Yun Aoze ignored her question. "Later, Sheng Jiashu came back. Feeling guilty, she often came from Shanghai to Ruobei to care about Sheng Qijing. Loft was their place of stay. I gave her a ride there. The tag was her note."

It turns out that the long story was to explain the heart-shaped tag, and Ju Hui was too embarrassed to expose his teenage crush.

Moreover, Ju Hui secretly raised an eyebrow. As far as she knew, Yun Aoze was a year younger than Sheng Jiashu, and they were childhood sweethearts in a relationship where the woman was older than the man…

Don't get the wrong idea.

"OK."

The car came to a smooth stop opposite the Yunque Hotel building, and only then did Ju Hui realize that he had brought her here with a specific purpose in mind.

She thanked him silently, lowered the window, and felt the reassuring sensation of the wind being blocked by steel and concrete.

The central main building, which Yunque occupies exclusively, is Yunque's largest hotel building. The architecture blends seamlessly with the greenery in the front courtyard, creating a magnificent atmosphere. With a constant flow of cars and people, the interior exudes luxury and elegance, with meticulous attention to detail in the soft furnishings and lighting. All of this is the result of Bian Jiaping's hard work over the past ten years.

Based on this building alone, Bian Jiaping will not leave Ruobei, so neither will she.

Ju Hui was certain that he had calmed down and was about to turn around and tell him he could drive away when she saw a car with a familiar license plate approaching—

The car with the license plate number "Bei C" belongs to Bian Jiaping.

Yun Aoze didn't know what Ju Hui was looking at, and assumed she was just daydreaming, which led him to have many elder-like worries.

His voice was unusually calm. "I know why Yun Aonan doesn't trust Sheng Qijing. He's outstanding but proud, has a complicated family background, and doesn't even feel secure in his family relationships. If you say something hurtful to him, he might leave you."

Two black cars were parked one after the other in front of the building. The luxurious entrance blocked the view. Ju Hui tried her best to make out the cars and saw Bian Jiaping get out of the back seat.

He didn't leave immediately, until the other side door opened and a man in black trousers stepped out.

"So, don't have any hope for Sheng Qijing—"

“Brother Ao Ze.”

Yun Aoze responded.

Ju Hui's eyes finally lit up. She gripped the doorknob tightly, her heart pounding. "Just drop me off here, thank you."

The figure quickly disappeared behind the crowd. Ju Hui wasn't sure if she had X-ray vision to be so certain that the man was Sheng Qijing.

Why is he here? Why is he with Bian Jiaping? He went back to China, what are they going to do...?

She couldn't figure out the answers to any of these questions, but she still leaned towards the idea that the person was Sheng Qijing.

It seems that only such moments, like breaking through the impossible, can alleviate Sheng Qijing's anxiety about going to Paris; perhaps it's all just a lie.

Ju Hui wasn't petty, but she really didn't want Sheng Qijing's future to be so bright.

The road to Yunque was exceptionally long. The car with the consecutive North C license plates drove away the moment Ju Hui got off. She walked faster and faster, but stopped again when she reached the porch. She called Bian Jiaping.

The building that gave her a sense of security was so tall that Ju Hui had no idea where he would go.

The second and third floors are traditional restaurants and lounges, where they will most likely be.

The call was disconnected after two beeps.

"Hello, Ms. Ju Hui."

Ju Hui frowned and looked up. A lobby manager in a business suit appeared in front of her. Her name tag read Gao Zhu. Ju Hui found her face increasingly familiar.

Gao Zhu smiled and asked, "Are you checking in tonight?"

Ju Hui calmed herself down and hummed in agreement. "I'm just here to grab something and then I'll leave. I saw President Bian come in just now, do you know where he went?"

"General Manager Bian?"

Gao Zhu's mouth was slightly open as she looked around. She hadn't heard anything about the leader coming. "I don't think I saw him. Let me help you..."

The conversation was interrupted by a staff member who came looking for Gao Zhu. Ju Hui smiled and let the person go first. Gao Zhu nodded, indicating that Ju Hui could go to the front desk to give her name and get a room card to go upstairs.

The atmosphere in the vast hall was calm and natural, seemingly devoid of any lingering tension after the high-level inspection.

Did I see it wrong?

Ju Hui didn't go to the front desk anymore, but sat on the nearest sofa. How could Sheng Qijing possibly be here?

He was in France, where the time difference was seven hours, and the straight-line distance to Norway was closer than hers.

Ju Hui: [Jiaping, I'm in Yunque, can we meet?]

Her hand unconsciously finished sending the message, and Ju Hui immediately turned off her phone.

For the first time, she felt powerless. Looking back over the past few years, how had she managed to make changes, cross borders, and travel back and forth just to see Sheng Qijing?

Ju Hui had never complained in eight years, but when she learned that Sheng Qijing was going to work in Paris, she said that going to Paris was too tiring and that he should go by himself.

No wonder he didn't say a word.

Bian Jiaping: [Where are you?]

A message from Bian Jiaping popped up on her phone. Ju Hui saw it but didn't reply immediately. She decided to call Sheng Qijing instead.

She should have made the call sooner, but it was the hardest decision she had ever made; it felt like a surrender in a protracted tug-of-war.

They needed to talk. Ju Hui had to tell him that she didn't know he would go to Paris before the contract was signed.

She secretly vowed that as long as Sheng Qijing answered the phone and was really in Yunque, no matter what the reason, she would never be as cold as she was that day, and would definitely arrange another time to have a good talk.

Perhaps Ju Hui could also accept leaving Bian Jiaping.

"What does it mean that Boss Bian brought that mixed-race boss again?"

"Who knew that every time they come, the third floor is on edge for a whole day."

Two staff members were walking by in a hurry when these two sentences happened to fall into Ju Hui's ears.

The boss is of mixed race, so it's not Sheng Qijing.

But her hand trembled, and she still pressed the call button.

“Ju Hui…”

Yun Aoze appeared, clutching Ju Hui's bag. He called her several times, but she only noticed him when he got closer.

The bag chain was tucked tightly between his thumb and forefinger, pressing against the thin, white skin, as if he wanted the bag to be squeezed into a ball.

Ju Hui stood up, and then her phone rang with a "Hello".

Sheng Qijing's voice reached Yun Aoze's eyes. He stopped talking and Ju Hui gave him an awkward laugh before turning away.

"Sheng Qijing".

"Um."

It's 7 a.m. in Paris. His "hmm" sounded sleepy, and for a moment, Ju Hui wanted to hang up.

When are you going back to China?

"You want me to go back to China?"

Ju Hui paused for a moment, then said, "I'd like to talk to you."

Sheng Qijing hummed softly, like an "Mmm" in agreement, inexplicably serene.

Ju Hui once thought he would be grumpy in the morning. People who like to act gentle always have anger that they have to vent on others, and being grumpy in the morning is a reasonable excuse.

But he didn't, at least not when he shared a bed with Ju Hui, nor was he angry at her unpredictable behavior. Yun Aoze's assessment of him was quite fair, but it became less appropriate in front of her.

Just like how the pillow foam would always support her from both sides after she lay down, Ju Hui was always enveloped by his feigned gentleness.

After putting on this for year after year, it must be exhausting. Ju Hui followed his words and blurted out, "Okay, thank you."

Sheng Qijing seemed to have fallen asleep after a long silence and then been woken up, and continued, "But you haven't pulled up my WeChat yet."

Ju Hui buried her head in her arms, saying, "I'll poop in a bit."

"I don't know when I'll be able to go back to China."

"It's okay, I'll wait for you."

"Okay, I'll send you a WeChat message."

After hanging up the call, Ju Hui and Yun Aoze left one after the other from the main entrance of the hotel.

Before leaving, she met Bian Jiaping and the mixed-race Chinese-American guest in the lobby. Bian Jiaping introduced Ju Hui as a sculptor, and Ju Hui shook hands with him. She did not see Sheng Qijing.

Yun Aoze watched her retreating figure, wondering when she would realize that her bag was still in his hands.

Never mind, Ju Hui walks lightly, and she doesn't have eyes in the back of her head, so of course she can't see.

She couldn't see the familiar figure by the window on the third floor behind her.