Lady

The message was sent successfully, but the phone slipped limply from my index finger, landing with a heavy thud.

"Satisfied?"

"Um."

She shook him off.

He grabbed Ju Hui's hand and held it there.

Ju Hui is now sitting on the marble island in the kitchen. Sheng Qijing carried her up, and her knees hit his waist. She can lean back, but she can't walk far.

Ju Hui nudged his shoulder: "Jiaping is being quite nice right now, but you just have to give him a piece of your mind and make him leave now."

Sheng Qijing remained noncommittal: "Why didn't you tell me you were staying in the country to settle down?"

Ju Hui said in surprise, "You're not my parent."

Ju Hui squeezed through the gap, pulled out her calf and crawled between the stone slab and his abdominal muscles, and kicked hard, making Sheng Qijing easily give way.

Ju Hui jumped down, and her buttocks and palms felt like they were frozen to the North and South Poles.

Sheng Qijing stood still, took her phone, and said coldly, "Come here."

Her heart was racing, but Ju Hui was sensible enough to go back to the living room with him. She sat down on the sofa, hugged a cushion tightly, and felt her whole body enveloped in softness.

The two sat facing each other across a low coffee table, and Ju Hui realized that this was the first time Sheng Qijing had stared at her face-to-face for so long.

"Is the house always cleaned? It's so clean."

Ju Hui, please turn away. Loft remains unchanged after several years, as clean as new. The off-white soft furnishings are still timeless, and the first rays of sunlight always shine here in the morning.

Sheng Qijing nodded: "The studio has also been renovated. You can come and stay here. The house next door has been empty for too long. It will take time to remove pests and renovate."

Ju Hui smiled and said, "But I have nothing to repay you with."

Sheng Qijing smiled back: "You're always the one who gets the better deal, and besides, this is what I, your boyfriend, should do."

Ju Hui's expression froze on her face.

Sheng Qijing is looking at her, so you are referring to Ju Hui, and your boyfriend refers to himself.

"Don't joke like that."

“I’m not kidding, or you can answer the question I asked you five years ago.”

What do you take me for?

Ju Hui tucked her stray hairs behind her ear. She could no longer pretend to be innocent like she had when she touched him before. The current Sheng Qijing was like a deep pool of water, shrouded in mist. Even the most astute person would be caught off guard and find their tongues tumbling out.

She remained silent, determined not to advance the story.

Sheng Qijing sometimes felt that she was like a stuck record player, enjoying the malfunctions and strikes, and always escaping the world because no one was there to help her rewind.

He couldn't pry open her teeth with his thumb every time like he could at night, to hear what her playful tongue might say. Whether she spoke now, and whether she said things that pleased him, was her own choice.

Sheng Qijing lowered his eyes: "You were so determined to go to Norway. I thought your heart was frozen and all your saintly sentiments were gone. It turns out you were only cruel to me. You forgave Bian Jiaping just like that."

"How could I have forgiven him!"

Ju Hui pulled the cushion closer to her chest, its fluffy texture tickling her: "He's my brother, what do you want me to do?"

Sheng Qijing stood up again, looking down at her, and tossed her phone to his side.

“But the point is not that you forgave Bian Jiaping, but that you chose Ruobei as soon as you returned to China, and forgave him just a few days after arriving in Ruobei.”

Sheng Qijing pursed his lips, and the next second he slowly squatted down in front of Ju Hui: "Since you two were able to reconcile after just meeting, then so can we."

"Xiao Hui".

Ju Hui wasn't used to him saying those two words; they still sounded indifferent. Squatting down felt awkward. She reached out to pull him, but he grabbed her hand instead.

Sheng Qijing stroked her fingertips: "Now that you're back in the country, I hope our relationship can recover and continue to develop in the future. I've been with you in Ruobei during the tasting event, and you can move here later, but Lao Run's handover will take some time."

"What are you going to develop a relationship with?" Ju Hui interrupted him. "Are you worried about your age? Why are you randomly looking for marriage partners?"

Sheng Qijing frowned: "What?"

Ju Hui took a deep breath: "I misunderstood that the money Shanqin paid back was also paid by you, which delayed your study abroad and made you a tool of Sheng Zhen for five years. You don't resent me and still want to develop a relationship with someone like me. Are you out of your mind?"

Sheng Qijing remained silent.

This time he was truly angry; his brows were furrowed as tightly as when he looked at the birthday cake. Ju Hui reacted immediately, reaching for her phone, but just as she pushed aside the cushion, he had blocked her only escape route.

Sheng Qijing's suit trousers brushed against her leg, his arm braced against her ear, trapping Ju Hui in the shadows where he pressed against her. He asked Ju Hui:

"You think I'm too old?"

Ju Hui withdrew her arm, which had been halfway to escape.

Did she say the word "old"?

"Never mind." Sheng Qijing moved closer. "I've already forgotten. When will you be able to forget those old things too?"

Sheng Qijing is now very good at hiding his emotions. His anger from just now has subsided, as if he has truly been tormented by Ju Hui to the point of exhaustion, and he can accept whatever she says.

"Sheng Qijing..."

"Wait a minute," Sheng Qijing interrupted her.

He took her hand and placed it on the waist of his black suit. Under his white shirt, he could feel her hot V-line. Ju Hui was naturally drawn in, and it took her a moment to come back to her senses.

"We're talking about serious business!"

"Which of your words went through your mind? I suspect that when you see me, you're thinking about Bian Jiaping, about the past."

Sheng Qijing held her hand as she tried to pull it away, letting it wander over his collarbone, chest, and other parts of his body, as if to prove that his body was still twenty years old. "From now on, look at me now. I will teach you to face yourself and our relationship."

-

Ju Hui arrived home early and ran into her manager Kan Yu, who was still there. He sat on the living room carpet, turned on the TV, and played Nintendo games by himself.

Ju Hui was exhausted and ignored him, throwing her things on the sofa and going back to her room to sleep.

I'm going to sleep with her for a day—

The phone rang again.

She answered with her eyes closed: "Hello?"

"Xiao Hui".

Ju Hui woke up instantly; she had heard the sorrowful voice from the other side for years.

"I heard from Jiaping that you went back to Ruobei. Why didn't you come to see your uncle and aunt?"

It was Bian Jiaping's mother, Rong Zhenfang. Over the years, she had made countless transoceanic phone calls, expressing her concern for Ju Hui and urging her to push Bian Jiaping to get married and find a partner. She was powerless to help, verbally agreeing but never actually saying a word to Bian Jiaping; he was unaware that his mother had been constantly contacting him.

"I just returned to China recently, and I've been busy, so I haven't had time yet," Ju Hui quickly made up a lie.

Rong Zhenfang chuckled: "Then when will Xiao Hui come over for a casual meal? I'll cook, and your uncle will definitely be there."

Ju Hui sat up in bed: "How about we wait until the National Day holiday? I'll invite Yi Ying, and we can eat out without any hassle."

"...Xiao Hui, your uncle still can't accept Jiang Yiying's family, you understand."

Ju Hui held her breath; the long silence had made her heart race. She continued with a smile, "Then I'll listen to you, Auntie. You can tell me when you're free."

"Let's do it this Saturday. Don't worry, I've already notified both father and son." Rong Zhenfang rarely showed her strict motherly side, and Ju Hui agreed.

After hanging up the phone, my sleepiness vanished completely.

Ju Hui was saddened because Bian Jiaping's parents both helped her and didn't approve of her, especially Bian Jiaping's father, Bian Shansong, who would openly express his dissatisfaction. Ju Hui never remembered seeing Bian's father sitting down; he was either busy with work or fishing in some lake.

Now Ju Hui is no longer sad; instead, she feels envious. They must be very happy, and she's angry that the person she cares about is someone as insignificant as herself.

Ju Hui got out of bed and patted the working man's head.

While wondering if it would be too late to sign the contract for the self-built house in Songzhuang, I picked up my laptop and prepared to go to the living room to continue modeling the ring.

The rented apartment has three bedrooms and two living rooms, which isn't actually that big for Ju Hui. The bedroom is only for sleeping and can't be used for work.

Open the door.

Ju Hui witnessed an unforgivable scene.

Kan Yu lay on the sofa, intently rummaging through her bag.

"Are you crazy?"

Kan Yu glanced at her, straightened up, and held up the black coal briquette pendant beside her: "Is this the key to the house you looked at today? I didn't even hear the sound when I threw my bag down, and this big thing hit my foot."

He held up the loft key that Sheng Qijing had handed him, and shook it. The old door was still locked after all these years, with the same old lock and her old pendant.

"No, we didn't look at any houses today, we're just signing a contract for Songzhuang... You're even peeking at other people's letters, aren't you?"

Ju Hui walked over and snatched it back; it was the invitation to the wine tasting event that Sheng Qijing had given her. The wax seal was curled up, and the letter had already been opened by Sheng Qijing himself; it was a handwritten letter.

The handwriting was unrestrained; one could almost feel the force with their fingertips as the pen nib etched the words. Ju Hui read through the entire piece in front of Sheng Qijing before he finally let her go.

Kan Yu showed no remorse and solemnly said, "Look at it openly, this is a work email. Sis, even though you're allergic to alcohol, you'll still go, right?"

Ju Hui kicked him to make him move aside and sit down: "I have an appointment on Saturday."

"Even if you have an appointment, you have to cancel it. This is a private gathering of Lao Run Winery. Not to mention how many celebrities and investors will attend, Lao Run, I'll give you a handwritten invitation. You live in Shanghai and still come to Ruobei to hold a wine tasting. It shows that you made the right choice to develop in Ruobei. Lao Run will definitely have big plans here in the future, and I guess it will be related to art."

Ju Hui remained silent. Her laptop, which had just started running Blend, began to get hot on her lap. Her plan was that the second thing she would do after settling on the apartment in Songzhuang was to install a desktop computer.

After waiting a while and still not hearing anything from the boss, Kan Yu stood up and said, "I'll go look at your dress in your closet."

"Sit down!" Ju Hui looked up at him and sighed deeply. "Lao Run and I don't get along very well, so I can't go."

"What could you possibly have to do with red wine? You're probably just having trouble with money."

"Kan Yu!"

Ju Hui was furious. If Kan Yu hadn't brought up the wine tasting, she wouldn't be so upset. "I offended President Sheng today."

Kan Yu's foot was hooked by her and she couldn't shake it off: "It's because you offended someone that you absolutely can't afford to offend Lao Run again."

Ju Hui clicked her tongue, tugged at his pants, and told him to sit down again: "Both Mo Chen and Lao Run are controlled by Bailan Capital, which in turn is held by two offshore companies belonging to the Bu family trust. The Bu family has always had a second-generation heir who never shows his face, named Bu Jintao, and her son and daughter both have the surname Sheng... Do you understand now?"

Kan Yu: "..."

His face gradually became multicolored.

His left and right cheeks were like a slot machine that kept spinning, with the left cheek finally stopping on the character for "surprise" and the right cheek on the character for "happiness".

"So your Sheng Muses can still get Lao Run involved... My sister, hurry, hurry, pick out a dress to meet the client and start selling your work!"

Kan Yu ran off excitedly, almost tripping over her. Ju Hui was speechless. She took the invitation and stood up.

Sheng Qijing's party was scheduled for the Yunque Hotel, Bian Jiaping's territory. Given what he said this morning, Ju Hui was afraid that going there would only lead to trouble.

Ju Hui let out a soft breath, stuffed the letter into the gap of the TV cabinet, and hid it well.

"Click—"

The string of molten black coal balls suddenly slid down the sofa.

Its eyes were bright as it lay on the ground, which reminded Ju Hui of Sheng Qijing.

He didn't want to look at her, so his lowered eyelashes became even more visible, obscuring his eyes like black thread sewing on a veil, hiding his feelings for her.

It was deep and complex. Ju Hui knew what was inside. He resented Ju Hui for leaving completely, for deceiving him about the device project in order to join the Ink Texture Studio.

He had always dreamed of traveling with Ju Hui.

Frustrated, how could she get rid of herself? Ju Hui strode forward, grabbed the black coal-shaped key, and threw it forcefully into the drawer.

Regardless of someone's "see you tonight".