Lady

Outside, the air was crystal clear and crisp. Jiang Yiying looked up at the sky, which was getting a little darker. A gentle breeze had picked up, and she felt a sense of exhilaration as if millions of stars were rushing toward her.

"You've taken the picture! Your pose is just like an old man or woman. Go back home and freeze to death!"

"It's not cold, it's only minus five degrees!"

Jiang Yiying snatched back the camera he handed her. Kan Yu's mouth was sarcastic, but her skills were on point. The lake and sky were in harmony, making this little pier an excellent spot for taking photos.

"Can I take a picture too?"

A woman's voice rushed over, her eyes wide, and she stood obediently outside the farm fence.

She left her scarf and boyfriend behind her. The man held a dark camera in both hands, which he kept tucked into his arms. His running posture was clumsy and strange, but the reunion of Chinese compatriots from afar was always heartwarming.

Jiang Yiying repeatedly invited them in.

Kan Yu clicked her tongue as she turned around.

The other party quickly introduced themselves: the woman's name was Lily, and the man could be called Shanhe, he was not important.

Lily was in charge of expressing her gratitude, while Shanhe quickly set up his tripod. As he got closer to the beautiful scenery, his eyes sharpened, and the equipment in his hands suddenly seemed precious and professional.

"Lily and Shanhe?"

"Those faceless travel bloggers?"

Jiang Yiying asked uncertainly, and Lili nodded vigorously in response.

Lily didn't hesitate. She took out her phone and showed the homepage. The million-digit number and 99 red dots stood out against the snow. Jiang Yiying felt a rush of blood to her head and wanted to take a picture to send to Ju Hui.

Was this trip blessed by a lucky star?

Jiang Yiying cleverly used her shamelessness to get closer to Lili, showing her her profile page and asking to follow her back, but the system notified her that "the other party has already followed you, quickly follow them back"...

Both women found themselves in an awkward situation: Jiang Yiying, a blogger who showed her face, was not recognized, while Lily was praised for her content but received no attention.

Kan Yu glanced at them and said, "Hurry up and take pictures. This is a private dock; it doesn't belong to us, it belongs to the landlord."

Lily agreed, and Jiang Yiying quickly clicked to follow back.

"Hey, I only got to know you after seeing your sister Ju Hui's post about her rice noodle doctor," Lily said, pursing her lips. "I saw your teacher's exhibition in Oslo, she wouldn't happen to be here, would she?"

Jiang Yiying sent Ju Hui her first WeChat message: 【Sister, come to the dock quickly!】

-

Sheng Qijing's eyes were cold. Her phone lit up on the table once, then a second time, then a third time...

He stroked Ju Hui's neck with one hand and reached for his phone with the other, pressing the side button to mute it.

He disliked being interrupted when kissing Ju Hui, especially since the inconsiderate person was likely Bian Jiaping.

Fortunately, Ju Hui didn't snap out of it and continued to respond to his advances.

The kiss was long and gentle, carrying the embarrassment of a loser.

When Sheng Qijing learned that Ju Hui had seen all his flaws long ago, he truly panicked.

Ju Hui had long known that Bian Jiaping was not the real culprit who ruined her reputation; Bian Shansong and Sheng Zhen were, and even he, as an observer, was.

He let Bian Jiaping take all the blame, hoping that Ju Hui would hate him and resent that Ju Hui always forgave Bian Jiaping, even if he made a huge mistake...

At this moment, Sheng Qijing only wanted to kiss her, trying to escape the ugly and selfish reality.

But Sheng Qijing still harbored resentment towards her.

He forced her to choose between the two, but why didn't she bribe him? Didn't she ever think about having both?

Or should I resolutely choose the despicable him?

Sheng Qijing closed his eyes in despair, but at that moment, Ju Hui pushed him away and comforted him by pressing her hot forehead against his.

She said softly, "Let's end this peacefully."

They had barely stepped out of the door when Jiang Yiying, ignoring the clean path, ran from the snow-covered field, calling out as she ran, "Sister Ju Hui, why aren't you replying to my messages!"

Ju Hui exclaimed, "I haven't had a chance to see it yet..."

Before Ju Hui could finish speaking, Jiang Yiying ran up to her, grabbed her arm, and ran off. Ju Hui glanced back at Sheng Qijing.

His face was gloomy, his hair hanging down in front of his eyes, and he refused to look at Ju Hui, who had disappeared from sight.

The lake beside me is very large and beautiful.

On the vast snowfield, his steps felt heavy as lead. He followed the haphazard footprints forward and then stopped.

He didn't go any closer. Not far from the spruce trees and the wooden house was the tiny, narrow wooden bridge and dock, and the laughter of a group of people could be heard from afar.

Will there be another opportunity to see your work in Oslo in the future?

"Maybe, there's still a chance..."

Sheng Qijing and them were like separated by an unreachable galaxy.

He stared for a long time, then turned and stepped into a patch of fresh snow, slowly walking away.

-

That evening, Ju Hui had to take Sheng Qijing to the airport. She declined the blogger's invitation to dinner with the couple, but mentioned that they would also be going to Lofoten in a few days and might meet again if they were lucky.

Standing at the dock, seeing them off from afar, Ju Hui glanced in the direction of her home, but there was no one there.

Just as I was getting worried, Kan Yu said, "I'm freezing! Sister, I'm taking over your shift. I'm going back to protect President Sheng."

After saying that, she ran off in a flash. Jiang Yiying took the bag that Kan Yu had promised to carry for her, and was still fuming.

She exhaled countless puffs of warm air like a little train, and Ju Hui's mood improved. She remembered there was a very nice coffee shop near the ferry terminal that she could go to tomorrow. In the summer, sitting there to while away the time would be a very happy thing, but now it was winter...

"Sister Ju Hui."

Jiang Yiying had her bag slung over her right elbow and her left hand gripping it. She chuckled awkwardly and said, "I'm so envious. That couple is so sweet together all the time... right?"

Ju Hui kept her eyes on the road ahead, unaware that Jiang Yiying was secretly rummaging through her bag. "I really envy having someone to accompany me on a road trip in Norway. I haven't realized that dream yet."

“Actually, it’s possible,” Jiang Yiying said. “Brother Qi Jing is standing right here. He’s even come all the way to your city. Isn’t that a clear sign?”

"Yes, so I rejected him."

"ah?"

Jiang Yiying, who had just touched the perfume packaging, paused. This was something Sheng Qijing had asked her to give to Ju Hui to sound out her opinion. How could things have changed so quickly? Suddenly they were talking about it and she even refused.

Jiang Yiying took her hand out of her bag. "But I feel that he and you are attracted to each other. It's because of you two that we've been so lucky all this time. Just like what netizens said, you two will work together sooner or later. That's destiny. That's the truth."

Ju Hui shook her head. "That's because you're here that we're lucky."

"It snowed heavily for the first two days after we arrived, which was really bad."

"So you admit that this place isn't actually that great, right?"

Jiang Yiying was incoherent and unable to refute, "Anyway, you can't go against fate. There must be signs. Make a wish now, and we can make it come true right away."

"Ten million fell from the sky, the kind that has already paid taxes."

"You have to make a promise that can come true."

"Let's have another couple appear. If that's true, I'll believe it..."

Ju Hui shut up and turned her gaze to Sheng Qijing and Kan Yu, who were standing together and having a harmonious conversation in front of Eric's house.

At their feet were two other animals, one black and one white, swimming around—"cats?"

She had never seen a stray cat within a three-mile radius.

Not to mention that all she could see was snow, and no one was more surprised than her.

At times when she grew tired of Tromsø, Ju Hui would regret renting the farmhouse.

Eric wasn't like the farmer of her dreams who kept an old cat and countless kittens. Not only could he not give her one, but he also disliked the species and wouldn't allow her to keep one.

Kan Yu, who was listening attentively, saw Ju Hui and the others return and approached them.

He lowered his voice and said to Sheng Qijing, "I will consider President Sheng's proposal, but let's talk about it when we get back to China."

After speaking, Kan Yu took the initiative to brush past him, strode over the yin-yang cat with its two tails intertwined, and gestured to Ju Hui that it would soon be dark.

“Let’s go. Eric said he can’t entertain us anymore. His elderly mother, who has five cats, has suddenly come to see him.”

...

It wasn't until she was at the airport to see him off that Jiang Yiying learned Sheng Qijing was leaving that night.

Startled, she took advantage of the moment when Ju Hui went away to answer the phone to apologize to Sheng Qijing, who was trying to see right through her with his eyes: "...The things weren't delivered, but I put in a good word for you. Good luck."

Jiang Yiying returned the perfume to him. The palm-sized box was wrapped in kraft paper, with thin hemp rope wrapped around it. A card with Ju Hui's English name written in cursive script was inserted at the knot, and a little cat's head was drawn in the lower right corner.

Sheng Qijing lightly brushed it over, the simple strokes of the drawing were exceptionally strong, and the cat ears were deeply recessed.

He unwrapped the package, chuckled, and handed it back: "Here, take this. If you don't like it, just throw it away for me."

"But this looks very expensive."

"I just bought it randomly at the fragrance shop downstairs."

This gift was custom-made for Ju Hui by Sheng Qijing at the fragrance shop on the corner of the hotel, on Ao Jiangxian's advice.

At first, he didn't want to give perfume as a gift. He had given it before when he was in college, but he didn't know if Ju Hui was not used to it or didn't like it. Even after she moved out of the loft, the perfume line didn't get any lighter.

Ever since her boss asked her how to pursue someone, Ao Jiangxian has become much more relaxed, saying to herself, "Never mind then, but Teacher Ju said she likes the scent of a kitten..."

So Sheng Qijing ran downstairs.

Even without prior appointment and despite requesting expedited service, it still took three days to prepare.

"Oh well."

Jiang Yiying pursed her lips, trying not to laugh out loud.

Sheng Qijing could see her happiness, but he didn't call her out on it. Instead, he teased her, "What do you think are the chances of me succeeding if I confess my feelings now?"

Jiang Yiying raised her eyes, hissed, looked around at the hurried and noisy environment, and politely asked, "Fifty percent?"

Sheng Qijing nodded: "It's alright, then I'll give it a try."

After saying that, he walked towards Ju Hui. Caught off guard, Jiang Yiying exclaimed in surprise and didn't have time to stop him.

Ju Hui was still on the phone, holding it up in her right hand, when Sheng Qijing swiftly took her left hand.

When a person is on the phone, they will accept anything that anyone hands them, and Jiang Yiying thought that this might also include a man's outstretched hand.

The call ended, and Sheng Qijing said something to Ju Hui. Ju Hui nodded and said a couple of sentences in return. The next second—

They hugged in front of her.

Jiang Yiying almost screamed, frantically trying to cover her mouth or eyes with her hands, then turned and ran as fast as she could, grabbing Kan Yu who had just come back from the bathroom and running!

Sheng Qijing, who witnessed everything, chuckled softly.

Ju Hui turned around, puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"

“It’s nothing,” Sheng Qijing said. “So, after we go back, we can only be in a superior-subordinate relationship, and we can’t even be friends?”

“Friends?” Ju Hui hesitated for a moment, but facing Sheng Qijing, “…It’s not that it’s impossible, is it?”

"Thanks."

Sheng Qijing parted ways with them, disappearing into the crowds flying in all directions, and returned to Ruobei to resume his work and the rising sun.

Ju Hui also boarded a ferry and traveled to Floton, where she encountered a drone overlooking Henningsville, feeling free and relaxed.

The journey was still fortunate; a week later, my "friend" Sheng Qijing sent me a greeting: "When are you returning to China? Sheng Jiashu is also coming to Ruobei; I can arrange for a driver to pick you up."

Attached is a screenshot of a chat, in which Sheng Jiashu clearly stated that she would be returning to China this Friday, and it wasn't something he made up.

Breaking up with Sheng Qijing was more amicable than Ju Hui had imagined, and Ju Hui was happy to see it happen. For the first time ever, she sent Sheng Qijing a voice message: "Thank you, President Sheng. We're going back to China on Saturday, so no need to bother us."

Sheng Qijing: "This Saturday or next Saturday?"

Ju Hui was completely relieved by his serious tone and replied, "I'm going back to China this Saturday."

Sheng Qijing played the voice message aloud twice before typing a reply: 【Okay.】

With his phone lying face down on the table, Sheng Qijing looked up and met Jia Ping's indifferent face.

Sheng Qijing did not respect his older brother, who was six years his senior, and Bian Jiaping also did not want to establish a false relationship with him.

Bian Jiaping heard the voice message as he wished, twice. He tilted his head slightly, his face showing a hint of fatigue, and said, "You and Ju Hui have a pretty good relationship."

"Yes, I just got back from Norway too."

Bian Jiaping chuckled, he had no energy to listen to Sheng Qijing's boastful boasting, "So you asked me to meet you just so I could listen to Ju Hui's voice?"

“Of course not,” Sheng Qijing looked around Yun Que’s conference room, where the blinds on the walls let in plenty of sunlight. “I’m here to warn you not to push your luck.”

Sheng Qijing's words were as arrogant as the sun: "Giving Ju Hui a car and a house is compensation. Do you think she can't earn these things herself, or that I can't afford them?"

"Who are you putting on a show for?"