Chapter 53.2

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As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight spilled over the sea, they took their first photo together. Framed by the morning glow, the shimmering ocean behind them, they looked radiant, almost like a painting.

And in that moment, the happiness on their faces was frozen in time.

—

After leaving the beach, they headed straight to Qiao Ziman’s childhood home.

A quick nap, and by the afternoon, moving day began. There wasn’t much to pack—just a few boxes of clothes and sentimental keepsakes. 

With everything ready, they set off for the villa. 

Since the place had been looked after in their absence, it was already quite clean, but they still did a symbolic deep clean to mark the new beginning. After dinner, everyone retreated to their rooms to rest.

Between staying up late and moving all day, exhaustion hit hard. Both of them fell asleep early.

—

The next day was Qiao Ziman’s first day back at work.

Her alarm blared over and over again, but she showed no signs of waking up.

Chi Yin was the first to stir. She reached out, pressing the alarm off, then gently called, “Qiao Qiao, time to wake up.”

Qiao Ziman pouted in her sleep, mumbling something unintelligible.

Chi Yin leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her lips. “You’re going to be late for work.”

Still, Qiao Ziman refused to open her eyes, burrowing deeper into Chi Yin’s arms. “No… I set my alarm thirty minutes early. Let me sleep a little longer…”

Thirty more minutes? Chi Yin’s eyes flickered with interest.

The next second, she lifted the covers and slid down.

Qiao Ziman gasped sharply, her eyes flying wide open. “What are you doing?!”

Chi Yin lifted her head, smiling mischievously. “Wake-up service.”

Qiao Ziman slammed a hand over her head, panicked. “Wait, wait, my mom and grandma are here!”

Chi Yin chuckled. “Did you forget? We moved into the villa. Mom’s on the first floor—she’s not coming up.”

“Still… you never know,” Qiao Ziman muttered, deeply traumatized by past experiences.

“Alright then,” Chi Yin lay back down beside her, voice serious. “How about we install an iron gate at the stairwell? Set a curfew after 9 PM?”

“That’s a bit extreme.” Qiao Ziman lifted her foot and playfully nudged her. “And you—why did you come back up?”

“You’re already awake.”

“I’ll just be quiet, no big deal.”

Chi Yin got the message.

Without another word, she slid back down.

—

Thirty minutes later.

Qiao Ziman rushed out of the bathroom, freshly showered, scrubbing away every trace of lingering warmth on her skin. She slipped into the outfit Chi Yin had laid out for her before stepping out the door.

Chi Yin drove her to work. As they pulled up outside the office building, Chi Yin glanced at the massive company sign and let out a small sigh. “Things sure have changed, Director Qiao.”

“They have,” Qiao Ziman agreed, unbuckling her seatbelt and leaning over to press a bold, red lipstick kiss onto Chi Yin’s cheek. “Who would’ve thought—once-mighty Director Chi has now become my little sweetheart?”

Chi Yin pinched her nose, unimpressed. “Show-off. If you don’t hurry, you’re going to be late.”

Qiao Ziman checked her phone. “Still five minutes left—I need to give my girlfriend a few last instructions.”

She looked at Chi Yin seriously. “Take good care of our mom.”

Chi Yin’s voice softened. “I know.”

Taking advantage of her distraction, Qiao Ziman snuck in another quick kiss, this time at the corner of her lips. Then, before Chi Yin could retaliate, she waved and bolted toward the office.

“Don’t pick me up tonight! I’m taking the subway!” she called over her shoulder.

Chi Yin lingered, watching Qiao Ziman’s retreating figure until she completely disappeared from sight. Only then did she reluctantly roll up the window and drive away.

—

Qiao Ziman barely made it in time for clock-in. The moment she sat down at her desk, a crowd of coworkers swarmed around her.

“Qiao-jie! Long time no see!”

“We missed you so much!”

Qiao Ziman chuckled. “Enough with the dramatics—I didn’t miss any of you.”

“Where did you go for your vacation? Did you bring us gifts?”

She rolled her eyes. “No gifts, but I do have a pile of unfinished work. Who wants to help me out?”

Someone suddenly piped up, “Qiao Qiao, are you and Director Chi… together?”

The lively chatter instantly died down and the entire office fell into an awkward silence. Even the sound of a pin dropping would have been deafening.

Qiao Ziman, however, remained calm and unfazed. 

“She’s my girlfriend now.”

Instead of the congratulations she expected, the air remained tense.

A colleague cleared their throat and muttered, “Maybe… don’t talk about that in the office.”

The group quietly dispersed, avoiding eye contact.

Qiao Ziman frowned. What the hell is going on?

Grabbing Tang Xiaoxiao, the office gossip queen, she dragged her to a corner.

“What’s the deal?” Qiao Ziman asked, lowering her voice.

Tang Xiaoxiao glanced around cautiously. Only when she was sure no one was paying attention did she whisper, “There’s been some major drama at the company while you were gone… The new director took office early—his name is Elvis. Like Director Chi, he also came from New York, about the same age as her too. Total powerhouse presence. You’ll see him soon. And… have you noticed Liu Dahai isn’t around?”

Qiao Ziman blinked. She actually hadn’t paid attention.

She leaned in, waiting for the juicy details.

Tang Xiaoxiao scoffed, pointing toward the director’s office. “He sucked up to the wrong person, that’s what happened. He kept dropping hints about you and Director Chi’s relationship, both publicly and behind the scenes. The next day, Elvis straight-up shipped him off to some godforsaken branch office.”

Qiao Ziman raised an eyebrow. “That fast? Is Liu Dahai even competent enough to run a branch?”

Tang Xiaoxiao flashed a thumbs-up. “It was a demotion disguised as a promotion. What can he do? Just swallow the bitterness in silence. Elvis plays the game well—Liu Dahai’s career is done.”

She added, “Oh, and there’s a new company policy. No one is allowed to discuss the personal lives of executives.”

Tang Xiaoxiao smirked. “Come on, use your brain. When they say ‘executives’… they mean you and Director Chi. Liu Dahai just had the bad luck of being the idiot who tested it first. Didn’t expect the new boss to have your back, huh?”

Qiao Ziman let out a cold laugh. Why would the new director go out of his way to protect her? She wasn’t anyone important.

Protecting Chi Yin, on the other hand, made sense. After all, Chi Yin was the daughter of Chairman Chi.

Wait a second.

Also from New York. Same age.

It was all a little too coincidental.

Qiao Ziman narrowed her eyes, a suspicion forming in her mind.

Could this Elvis guy… be here for Chi Yin?