Chapter 89
Qi Jin's penthouse apartment, decorated in a cool color scheme with clean lines and spotless, perfectly reflected the owner's usual image. It had clearly been renovated after the explosion, with almost no trace of the disaster, only a faint smell of new furniture and paint lingering in the air.
Shi Ye was placed in a guest room next to the master bedroom by Qi Jin—a similarly simple room, but with soft, light gray bedding and windows facing the city view. Dr. Chen quickly came over, re-examined his wrist, changed the dressing, gave a few instructions, and his gaze subtly swept between Shi Ye and Qi Jin, but he maintained his professional silence.
After Dr. Chen left, only the two of them remained in the room. Shi She sat on the edge of the bed, having changed into a well-fitting light-colored loungewear that Qi Jin had sent over. Her injured wrist was carefully placed on a soft cushion, while her other hand unconsciously clutched the soft sheets. The room was too quiet and too spacious, making her feel a little uneasy.
Qi Jin stood by the window, his back to her, seemingly gazing at the city lights outside, or perhaps lost in his own thoughts. His tall, upright figure exuded an aloofness that kept strangers at bay, but Shi Ye knew this was merely an illusion. The certainty and... barely perceptible tenderness in his eyes when he said "Leave everything to me" in the car earlier were genuine.
"Um..." Shi Ye broke the silence, his voice a little abrupt in the quiet room, "What do I need to do about the family banquet?" He couldn't just sit and wait to be arranged, could he? Although being a hands-off manager sounded great, he wasn't sure what to do.
Qi Jin turned around, walked to the bedside, and sat down on the single armchair next to it. The distance was neither too far nor too close, just enough to see each other's expressions without being too oppressive.
“You just need to attend,” Qi Jin said calmly, looking at her. “Just dress comfortably and appropriately. I’ll take care of the rest.” She paused, then added, “I’ve already spoken to my parents; they’re taking a flight back tomorrow afternoon. Grandpa will be hosting. Your father and Xiaoyu will both be there.”
Shi Ye nodded, but her mind was racing: "Tomorrow afternoon? So soon! As expected of the action-oriented CEO Qi. Grandpa is hosting... Hmm, Grandpa Qi is quite easy to get along with. My dad and Xiaoyu are fine. It's just your parents... that's an unknown." She remembered Qi Jin saying that her parents were "not good at expressing themselves," which was usually a euphemism for "serious and rigid" or "distant relationship."
"Your parents..." she tentatively began, "Is there anything I should be aware of? For example, what do they like and dislike?" After all, they were her future in-laws (?), and although the relationship had progressed like a rocket, she still had to maintain appearances, right? Survival (or perhaps life now) instincts made her start gathering information.
Qi Jin seemed surprised by her question, remaining silent for a few seconds before saying, "No need to be deliberate. They... are used to keeping their distance. Just interact normally." His words were vague, but Shi Ye understood—he was probably referring to the typical, polite but emotionally detached elders of a wealthy family. Fine, keeping their distance is good; it saves her trouble.
"Then... do I need to prepare a gift?" Shi Ye continued to ask, feeling like a candidate cramming for an interview at the last minute.
“No need,” Qi Jin answered readily. “I will prepare it. In both our names.” She noticed Shi Ye’s slightly furrowed brows and added, “Your wrist is inconvenient, so don’t worry about these things.”
Shi Ye: "..." Okay, the reason is valid and irrefutable. But why does it feel like I'm being completely taken care of? Although, in some ways, it does seem to be?
As she was pondering this, Qi Jin suddenly stood up, walked to the door, and quickly returned, holding a dark blue velvet box. It wasn't large, about the size of a palm.
"Here you go." Qi Jin handed the box to Shi Ye, his face expressionless but his eyes focused.
Shi Ye was taken aback, then took the box. It felt slightly heavy in her hand. She glanced at Qi Jin, who simply gestured for her to open it.
I opened the box. Inside wasn't some expensive jewelry, but rather... an extremely simple platinum ring. There were no patterns, no settings, just a clean, crisp arc, gleaming with a warm, understated luster under the indoor lighting. On the inside of the ring, there appeared to be tiny engravings.
Shi Ye's heart skipped a beat. This...could it be an engagement ring? Was it ready so quickly? Or had it been prepared a long time ago?
“This is…” Her voice was a little dry.
"I prepared this beforehand," Qi Jin's voice sounded calmly from above. "I haven't had a chance to give it to you until now. Now is the perfect time."
As Shi Ye looked at the plain ring, many images flashed through her mind: Qi Jin's cautious gaze when he proposed "real engagement" by the lake, the evidence of his unrequited love in the study before the explosion, her cold rejection due to the mission and fear... Was this ring prepared after that? Did Qi Jin keep it after she "died"?
Something inside me was gently bumped, leaving a bittersweet feeling.
She stretched out her uninjured right hand, wanting to pick up the ring to examine it, but Qi Jin took it out of the box with his fingertips first. Then, to Shi Ye's somewhat astonished gaze, he took her right hand and, very slowly and steadily, slipped the plain ring onto her middle finger.
The size... was just right. The cool metal ring against the skin brought a strange, weighty sensation.
"Wear it for now." Qi Jin held her hand tightly, his fingertips gently stroking the edge of the ring. His gaze fell on their clasped hands. "We'll choose your formal engagement ring after the family banquet."
Shi Ye looked down at the new silver ring on her middle finger, her heart filled with a jumble of emotions, like a spilled spice shop. There was the thrill of being cherished, the guilt for the past, the uncertainty about the future, and a hint of... "I'm already trapped?" she thought absurdly. She moved her finger; the ring was neither too loose nor too tight, its presence unmistakable.
"Why the middle finger?" she asked, trying to make conversation and dispel the unfamiliar, slightly unsettling feeling in her heart. Shouldn't one wear the ring finger for an engagement?
Qi Jin raised his eyes and looked at her, his gaze unfathomable: "Because the ring finger is meant to be reserved for the wedding ring." She said it as if it were a matter of course, as if marriage was already on the agenda, a sure thing.
Shi Ye: "..." Okay, President Qi is indeed clear about his goals and has a long-term plan. She felt like she had boarded a pirate ship, and the captain had already drawn up the course for the next ten years, while she had only just found her cabin.
"And... what about yours?" she asked instinctively, then immediately wanted to bite her tongue. Why did that question sound so much like a pleading, demanding request?
Qi Jin didn't speak, but simply released her hand and turned to pull out an extremely thin platinum chain from around his neck. At the bottom of the chain hung an identical plain band. It was clearly a pair with the one on her hand.
Shi Ye looked at the ring pressed against her chest, her throat tightening. So, for the past five years, or at least since her "death," Qi Jin had been wearing this ring? In this way?
Qi Jin put the chain back inside her collar, the ring no longer visible. She looked at Shi Ye again, her gaze falling on the silver ring on her middle finger, a faint, almost satisfied glint in her eyes.
"Get some rest." She turned and walked towards the door. "Dr. Chen will come again tomorrow to change your dressing. If you need anything, just ring the bell for Aunt Liu." Aunt Liu was Qi Jin's live-in housekeeper, and she had been temporarily called in to work today.
She paused at the door, without turning around, and said in a lower voice, "Shi Ye."
"Um?"
"This time, don't take it off."
After saying that, she closed the door.
The room fell silent again. Only the city lights outside the window and the brand-new ring on my finger, carrying the warmth and weight of another person for five years.
Shi Ye lay on the bed, raised his right hand, and looked at the plain ring in the light. Simple and restrained, yet it carried an undeniable declaration, like Qi Jin's.
She twirled the ring, the cool metal brushing against her skin.
The jumbled thoughts that had been swirling in my head had somehow subsided.
All that remained was a heavy, real tactile sensation, and a faint yet clear sense of belonging that even she herself hadn't anticipated.
"Okay," she said to herself.
"The ring is on."
"We can't escape the family dinner either."
"The creditor becomes the fiancée."
"This survival game seems to have suddenly changed in difficulty... and art style."
She closed her eyes, her injured wrist throbbing slightly, while her ringed finger unconsciously rubbed the smooth metal surface.
I slept without any dreams.
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