Chapter 69.1

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“Hey, Qiao Qiao, what’re you up to?”

Ji Yun had one hand on the steering wheel and the other fumbling for her Bluetooth earpiece, which she popped into her ear mid-turn.

On the other end, the voice sounded groggy and lifeless—definitely just woke up.

“At home,” Qiao Ziman muttered.

As the traffic light turned red, Ji Yun took the opportunity to glance at herself in the mirror. Flawless makeup. She grinned, pleased with what she saw. “Come out and play?”

Silence. Then came a burst of static—followed by Chi Yin’s unmistakably cold voice. Clearly not thrilled. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Ji Yun: “…”

So that’s a no, huh? Let her guess—she got Qiao Ziman in trouble again.

Whatever. She was used to it by now.

With a casual flick of the turn signal, Ji Yun pulled a smooth, elegant turn while tapping her phone screen to bring up Qiao Ziman’s location.

“Seven a.m.,” she said breezily.

Too early? Please. Mornings this beautiful shouldn’t be wasted tangled up in bed. What a tragic waste of life.

Evil little wifey.

“You need something?” Chi Yin’s voice was clipped.

Ji Yun smirked, mischief sparking in her tone. “President Chi… not really. I just wanted to borrow your wife for a bit.”

The call cut off to a flat beep-beep-beep.

Ji Yun pushed her sunglasses up with one finger, glanced at the screen, and laughed even harder. President Chi is perfect in every way… except she seriously can’t take a joke.

Humming a cheerful little tune, Ji Yun drove toward the Yunding Villas. Thirty minutes later, she pulled up outside Qiao Ziman’s home.

Ding-dong.

As soon as the door opened, Ji Yun made a beeline for the stairs. 

“Morning, Auntie! Morning, Grandma! Qiao Qiao and President Chi aren’t up yet? No worries—I’ll go wake them!”

He Cuizhen tried to stop her, but Ji Yun was already halfway up the stairs. She darted to the bedroom door and pressed her ear against it. 

The very next second, the door swung open—right into her face.

Ji Yun got smacked square in the forehead.

Not the least bit flustered, she straightened up and flashed a grin. “Oof—someone’s up! You two didn’t get much cuddle time this morning, huh?” Her eyes darted around, trying to sneak a peek inside.

Chi Yin immediately stepped to the side, blocking her line of sight with frosty precision. Her tone was icy. “What are you doing here?”

From inside the room, Qiao Ziman’s sleepy voice floated out. “Who is it?”

Ji Yun raised her hand like a kid in class. “Me, me, me—it’s me!”

“Oh.”

Ji Yun: “…”

What kind of reaction is that?! Do I really give off such unwelcome energy?

Chi Yin turned back toward Qiao Ziman, her voice suddenly soft and gentle. “Wife, I’m going to take Jiang Shu to school. You can sleep a bit longer—don’t bother with Ji Yun.”

Then she added, “I’ll clean up the room when I get back.”

Clean the room, huh? Ji Yun clicked her tongue, full of exaggerated judgment. Early morning and already up to no good—young people these days…

Chi Yin shut the door behind her, turned around, and her tone flipped 180 degrees. “Downstairs. Now.”

Ji Yun: “…”

She grumbled as she made her way down the stairs, tossing over her shoulder, “Seriously, President Chi—you two disappear on vacation for two months and come back just to go wild at home? Not even tired?”

Chi Yin’s voice came from behind, calm as ever. “You’re single. What would you know?”

Ji Yun: “…”

Ouch. That hit way too hard. Why did I even come over?!

“Jiang Shu, let’s go,” Chi Yin called, sipping a glass of milk as she pointed at the breakfast table for Ji Yun. “If you haven’t eaten, help yourself. And by the way—don’t disturb my wife before ten.”

Ji Yun: “…”

“My wife” this, “my wife” that—could they be any more clingy?

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered.

Chi Yin left with Jiang Shu, and Ji Yun lazily picked at the breakfast before plopping onto the couch with He Cuizhen and Grandma, casually chatting while she waited for Qiao Ziman to wake up.

Half an hour later, Qiao Ziman finally made her way downstairs, dragging her feet the whole way. Ji Yun raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Well, well, well—look who’s finally graced us with her presence. President Chi’s delicate little wifey finally made it out of bed.”

Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Qiao Ziman rubbing her lower back. Another round of exaggerated clicking. “Tsk tsk tsk—listen, I’m just saying, y’all need to slow down. You’re still young—don’t wear out your kidneys.”

Qiao Ziman shot her a glare. “Shut up, would you? Stupid single dog.”

Ji Yun: “…”

“You two are too much, seriously! There’s a line, okay? You don’t hit someone in the face, and you don’t expose their tragic singlehood.” She grabbed an apple from the fruit platter and took a loud bite. “Anyway, you got plans later? Let’s go have a couple drinks.”

Qiao Ziman didn’t even hesitate. “Nope.”

Ji Yun tucked her long legs under herself, eyes wide. “Qiao Qiao… you’ve changed. You’re really leaning into this ‘perfect wife’ thing, huh?”

Qiao Ziman scooted over, lifted her hand, and proudly flashed her sparkling diamond ring in Ji Yun’s face. “Exactly.”

“I finally get a day off,” Ji Yun huffed dramatically. “I was at your door before sunrise! And this is how you treat me?”

With a loud, exaggerated sigh, she declared, “You’ve officially chosen love over friendship!”

Qiao Ziman plopped down next to her, grinning. “It’s not that. I’ve got a parent-teacher meeting for Jiang Shu this afternoon. Can’t exactly show up reeking of alcohol, right? Tonight I’m all yours. Just stay over at my place.”

Now we’re talking.

But Ji Yun crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, no thanks. I’ve got my own apartment. I’m not about to stick around here and be force-fed your domestic bliss.”

She tilted her head. “And since when do you go to Jiang Shu’s school stuff? Isn’t she your wife’s sister?”

Still glued to her phone, Qiao Ziman was busy texting Chi Yin a quick check-in message. Without even looking up, she replied, “My wife’s busy with the new shop renovations, and my mom’s tied up with the company. That just leaves me—resident freeloader of the house.”

“Can I come with you?” Ji Yun asked.

Qiao Ziman turned her head, puzzled. “You? What for?”

“It’s been forever since I last walked around a campus. Can’t I take a little nostalgic trip down memory lane?” Ji Yun leaned back on the couch, legs crossed. “Besides, parent-teacher meetings are basically public executions, aren’t they? I’m worried you might not be able to handle it alone.”