Chapter 14

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After saying goodbye to He Cuizhen, the two of them drove towards the city.

The mountain path, still fragrant with the scent of soil and plants after the rain, felt fresh and invigorating, naturally lifting one’s spirits. Above the pure night sky, stars dotted the heavens, and a bright moon slowly emerged from behind the clouds.

Qiao Ziman leaned comfortably against the car window, letting the breeze playfully tousle her hair. “By the way, why did you just add my mom on WeChat?” Qiao Ziman thought to herself, You haven’t even added me back yet.

Suddenly, the car surged forward with an unexpected burst of speed. Qiao Ziman, caught off guard, didn’t have time to steady herself and bumped her head. She yelped in pain, “What happened?”

Chi Yin, gathering herself, awkwardly replied, “I accidentally stepped on the gas.”

Qiao Ziman stared intently at Chi Yin’s profile. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her usually attractive lips were pressed into a tight line—a clear sign of tension.

Qiao Ziman replayed the earlier scene in her mind. In the brief minute or two it took for her to get in the car, they had exchanged some small talk, and He Cuizhen had insisted on giving Chi Yin a bag of homegrown vegetables before they left.

Something was off.

Could it be… a suspicion started to form in Qiao Ziman’s mind.

She pressed further, “President Chi, so why exactly did you do it?”

The car accelerated again, but this time Qiao Ziman was prepared and didn’t get knocked around.

“Are you teaming up with my mom? Joining forces to mess with me? He Cuizhen really pulled it off, didn’t she? She’s even infiltrated my company,” Qiao Ziman tapped her fingers lightly on her arm, her expression full of displeasure. “President Chi, I already apologized for interrupting your date. Are you seriously still holding a grudge?”

Chi Yin exhaled gently, her expression relaxing a bit as she explained, “I was just telling your mom that you’ve been really busy with work lately, and she shouldn’t keep sending unqualified candidates your way—it’s a waste of time. I told her that I’ve spent a lot of time abroad and made connections with quite a few elite professionals. Once things settle down, I’ll introduce some of them to you.”

“Really?”

Qiao Ziman scrutinized Chi Yin’s expression, trying to catch a hint of deceit, but Chi Yin remained calm, and Qiao Ziman believed her about seventy or eighty percent.

Chi Yin then added, “It’s all so you can focus on your work without distractions.”

That made sense. After all, when it came to work, President Chi’s attitude had always been something Qiao Ziman trusted. Feeling reassured, she asked casually, “Do any of your friends seem like a good match for me?”

Chi Yin’s expression suddenly shifted, becoming more serious. After a brief pause, she replied coldly with a single word, “Yes.”

“Well, introduce me when you have time.”

Maybe it was because her nerves had been tense for too long, or perhaps the light scent of lilies wafting in through the window had a calming effect, but Qiao Ziman began to feel a little drowsy. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she added, “Just kidding, I don’t have time for that.”

Chi Yin rolled the window up, her gaze softening. “If you’re tired, just sleep.” She added quietly, “In dreams, everything is possible.”

“Just sleep if you’re tired”—those words seemed to be a switch. As soon as Qiao Ziman heard them, her consciousness began to slip away involuntarily.

It felt like every time someone said that to her, it was always Chi Yin. Did this woman have some kind of magic?

That was the last thought Qiao Ziman had before she drifted off completely. She didn’t know how long she had slept, but when she woke up, she found the car already parked at the entrance of her apartment complex.

A few lonely streetlights illuminated the familiar road, casting a dim yellow glow. There were only a handful of pedestrians around, and the shop owners on the roadside were coming in and out, moving their goods as they prepared to close for the night.

Qiao Ziman fumbled for her phone and glanced at the time. It was ten minutes to midnight. Had she really slept for three hours?

That was pretty unbelievable.

“President Chi, why didn’t you wake me up?”

Qiao Ziman shifted her neck slightly and turned her head to look at the person beside her. The moment her eyes landed on Chi Yin, she stopped mid-sentence.

Chi Yin had fallen asleep too.

Qiao Ziman was speechless.

In the soft, dim light from the streetlamps, Qiao Ziman quietly observed Chi Yin. Her delicate eyebrows and graceful nose, skin smooth and flawless like polished porcelain, and long, thick eyelashes gently fluttered with each breath, as light as the wings of a cicada.

Her sleeping posture seemed so well-behaved. But… Qiao Ziman’s gaze drifted to her long legs, neatly curled up in an awkward position due to the cramped space.

It didn’t look all that comfortable.

After some hesitation, Qiao Ziman decided to wake her up. Leaning forward, she gently raised her hand. Just as her fingertip was about to touch Chi Yin’s brow, Chi Yin’s eyes suddenly flew open, her eyelashes brushing against Qiao Ziman’s finger.

Soft, ticklish.

Chi Yin lowered her gaze, staring at Qiao Ziman’s fingertip. Her voice, still husky with sleep, asked, “Qiao Ziman, were you spying on me?”

Qiao Ziman: “!!!”

Qiao Ziman awkwardly pulled her hand back, then, after a moment of silence, raised her voice defiantly, “Who would bother to spy on you? Do you really think you’re that good-looking?”

Chi Yin chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. “You have complimented me like that before.”

Qiao Ziman was speechless.

“President Chi,” she said with a mix of frustration and amusement, fastening her seatbelt and getting ready to leave, “you’re so full of yourself.” Noticing that Chi Yin wasn’t moving, she asked, “Why aren’t you leaving yet?”

Chi Yin shot back with a smirk, “Qiao Ziman, why are you acting like you don’t know me after pulling up your pants?”

As soon as she opened the car door, a gust of cool night wind hit Qiao Ziman, causing her to cough uncontrollably. After calming down, she heard Chi Yin casually say, “I was just joking.”

This woman really knows how to leave you speechless!

Qiao Ziman rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag, and got out of the car. Just as she was about to leave, Chi Yin suddenly leaned over and grabbed the corner of her coat. “Wait.”

Qiao Ziman, fearing Chi Yin would say something even more outrageous, quickly asked, “What now?”

Chi Yin looked up at her with a simple, cautious expression. Her voice carried a hint of hesitation as she said, “The water’s out at my place. Can I stay at your house for the night?” To prove her point, she even pulled out her phone, showing an official water outage notice and solemnly holding it up to Qiao Ziman.

Qiao Ziman squinted as she carefully read the notice and thought to herself, Even the conditions in a villa district aren’t that great.

Chi Yin added, “Look, I got soaked in the rain.”

It was true that Chi Yin had gotten wet while helping her, and no matter how she looked at it, that was a fact. If Chi Yin got sick because of it… With that thought, Qiao Ziman’s heart softened, and her tone relaxed. She pointed to the only lit convenience store behind them, “Wait here for a bit. I’ll go grab something.”

Chi Yin, delighted, responded with an enthusiastic “Mm,” her eyes following Qiao Ziman as she ran into the store.

About five minutes later, Qiao Ziman returned, holding out two items.

—A box of strawberry pie and a cup of hot cocoa.

Chi Yin was stunned. Shouldn’t it be toiletries?

Qiao Ziman smiled and said seriously, “I noticed you didn’t eat much earlier. The strawberry pie should fill your stomach. I remember you like strawberry-flavored things, right?”

Chi Yin nodded in agreement.

Qiao Ziman continued, “Drink this hot cocoa to warm up. Don’t catch a cold. As for…” She paused for a moment, “…the shower situation… It’s still early. The friend who came to visit you earlier probably won’t be asleep this soon. Go find her then, I won’t hold you up. Good night.”

With that, Qiao Ziman lifted her chin and walked off with confidence, leaving Chi Yin speechless and frozen in place.

***

The next day, when Qiao Ziman woke up, she was horrified to realize she had caught a cold.

How is it that I’m the one who gets sick when I wasn’t even the one who got drenched? she thought bitterly, casting an annoyed glance in the direction of Chi Yin’s office. Why is that woman still so full of energy?

Feeling miserable, she slumped onto her desk in frustration. Just then, a hand appeared in front of her, offering a cup of coffee. The intern, Xiao Jing, greeted her in a hushed voice, “Good morning, Sister Qiao.”

Hearing the hoarse voice that sounded worse than her own, Qiao Ziman couldn’t help but look up. Xiao Jing’s eyes were swollen and red, as if she had just been crying.

Forcing herself to stay alert, Qiao Ziman asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Instead of answering, Xiao Jing bent down to empty the trash can filled with tissues and dodged the question, asking instead, “Sister Qiao, you’re not feeling well—do you want to take the day off?”

“You…” Qiao Ziman didn’t know what to say. Xiao Jing’s kindness and sincerity were admirable traits, but her overly shy personality could be frustrating at times.

With a sigh of exasperation, Qiao Ziman flopped back down onto her desk. “How many times do I have to teach you? If someone bullies you, you have to fight back!”

Tang Xiaoxiao walked in just in time to hear Qiao Ziman’s advice and couldn’t help but chime in, “Talking behind your back, huh? Had to say something, didn’t they?”

So that’s what happened. Realizing she had wrongly blamed Xiao Jing, Qiao Ziman stood up and gently patted her on the shoulder, softening her tone, “I’m sorry. My tone was a bit harsh earlier.”

“When I’m not around, just treat their words like hot air. Let them say whatever they want,” Qiao Ziman said nonchalantly, after years in the workplace, she’d heard her fair share of insults. Getting angry every time? That would be exhausting.

Tang Xiaoxiao added, “This time, they even dragged President Chi into it. Their insults were really nasty. Ha! Those cockroaches only dare say these things when people aren’t around.”

Qiao Ziman suddenly slammed her hand on the table, her voice rising without her noticing. “What did they say? Tell me!”

***

Author’s Note:

Sister Qiao is well-known for her double standards. You can insult her all you want, but insulting her wife? Not a chance!

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