Chapter 9

The wall lamp cast a dim yellow light, and Chi Yin was surrounded by shadows, her expression frighteningly dark.

“Why are you eavesdropping?” Qiao Ziman said in shock, her voice trembling. “You’re sneaky.”

It’s over, there’s no saving her. Ji Yun kicked her under the table, and Qiao Ziman winced in pain, “What are you doing?”

Chi Yin glanced at their small actions with displeasure, her brows furrowing slightly. The coldness in her eyes was instantly released, causing Ji Yun to shiver, understanding immediately. Her guess was correct.

It turned out that Ms. Chi was indeed fixated on her sister.

Chi Yin fixed her gaze on Ji Yun, “Who are you?”

Ji Yun: “…”

The hostility was palpable, but Ji Yun decisively spoke up, “Ms. Chi, we’ve met before in a meeting. I’m Qiao Ziman’s friend with no other relationship, so you can rest assured. Ms. Chi, do you need to speak with her? If not, I can leave first.” She stood up and pointed to the door.

Chi Yin’s expression softened slightly as she indicated for her to sit down, “I remember you, Ji Yun. Qiao Ziman’s former superior.”

Ji Yun felt oddly that the statement was incomplete, and it should have been followed by, “Thank you for taking care of Qiao Ziman.”

What should she say? “You’re welcome?”

“Well then, you two continue,” Chi Yin said before turning to leave, not casting a single glance at Qiao Ziman throughout.

Qiao Ziman calmly picked up a piece of food, but internally, she was anxious. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Ms. Chi causing trouble for her; she just felt uncomfortable about being talked about behind her back.

“Qiao Qiao, why are you chewing on that piece of ginger? Is it tasty?”

The spicy and stimulating taste spread on her tongue belatedly. Qiao Ziman didn’t want to reveal her discomfort, so she swallowed it and said stubbornly, “It’s good.”

Ji Yun: “…”

Why does she feel that Qiao Qiao actually cares a bit about Ms. Chi? Should she warn her to be careful about Ms. Chi?

“Excuse me, ladies,” the restaurant manager came over with a beautifully arranged tray and placed it in front of Qiao Ziman. “This is our signature dessert, strawberry brownie. Please enjoy.”

Qiao Ziman checked the menu and stopped the manager. “We didn’t order this.”

The manager smiled slightly and nodded. “It was sent by the lady who was here earlier.”

“Was it also made by the boss herself?” Qiao Ziman asked, pointing at Ji Yun. “What about hers?”

“It doesn’t matter to me; as long as you’re happy,” Ji Yun thought, feeling frustrated. Why did it feel like she’s being fed dog food when these two didn’t even have a romantic connection?

Ji Yun felt distressed.

“Our boss only makes one serving each time.”

Ji Yun quickly waved her hand. “You know I don’t eat sweets.”

Qiao Ziman looked down at the exquisite tray, absentmindedly saying, “Thank you then.”

Ji Yun clicked her tongue in her mind, further confirming her suspicion.

Qiao Ziman opened the tray, and the rich creaminess mixed with the sweet aroma of strawberries filled her nose. She took a small piece with a spoon and put it in her mouth, the cream instantly melting on her tongue. Dense and smooth, sweet but not cloying. Qiao Ziman felt as if she were nestled in a soft, fluffy cloud, surrounded by a strawberry-scented breeze, fresh and pleasant, her mood elevated.

Until Ji Yun’s comment, “I think Ms. Chi seems pretty nice,” instantly brought her back to reality.

Qiao Ziman’s eyes dimmed as she mumbled a “hm,” stirring the cake in front of her with a spoon, looking troubled. Even though Ms. Chi had heard her say “annoying,” she still sent the only cake to her. Is she being a bit excessive with this act of kindness in return for resentment?

Ji Yun observed Qiao Ziman’s mood closely. She thought to herself: Clever, her sister is really being handled tightly. She pondered for a moment and decided to watch how things unfold. As long as this person isn’t terrible, if she can really handle the tough Qiao Ziman, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

The next day, the sky was gloomy and heavy, like the prelude to a storm. Qiao Ziman still bought a cup of coffee and waited at the usual place for Ms. Chi.

At eight o’clock, Ms. Chi arrived on time. Qiao Ziman handed over the coffee she was holding. Ms. Chi touched the coffee and complained, “Why is it hot?” She handed the coffee back, saying, “Buy a new one,” and then turned to sit in the driver’s seat.

Was she addicted to being the driver?

“I’ll drive,” Qiao Ziman was no longer the novice who mistook the wipers for turn signals, thanks to Ms. Chi’s patient guidance over the past few days. Thinking this, she swallowed back the comment, “Drink it or not.”

The two switched positions. Qiao Ziman lazily fastened her seatbelt and said nonchalantly, “If your stomach isn’t good, why drink something cold? You should take better care of your body.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ms. Chi’s downturned lips, looking like a child who didn’t get any candy. Qiao Ziman thought it was somewhat cute.

“You care about me?”

Qiao Ziman’s fingers froze momentarily, and she quickly retorted, “Oh, who cares about you? Just afraid you’ll be trouble.”

Ms. Chi responded with a meaningful “Oh.”

Qiao Ziman choked back her words, then, feeling annoyed, floored the accelerator and drove towards the company. The drive was silent, and neither of them mentioned the events of the previous day.

At the company, Qiao Ziman went around to different departments as usual to follow up on projects.

Previously, when she was in the concept art department, the departments she interacted with most were planning and modeling. Her job was to create specific scenes and characters based on requirements. It wasn’t particularly difficult until yesterday, when she truly experienced the complexity of a project’s workflow. It required close cooperation between multiple departments and precise calculations and scrutiny.

Qiao Ziman was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar technical terms, feeling like her head was going to explode, and she cursed Ms. Chi in her mind. At that moment, Ms. Chi’s call came through.

Qiao Ziman told the tech guy to hold on and stepped outside to answer the call. “What’s the matter, Ms. Chi?”

The voice on the other end was filled with anger, “Qiao Ziman! Did you replace the ice in my cup with hot water?”

Qiao Ziman gripped the doorframe tightly, trying hard not to laugh out loud.

“Qiao Ziman, I give you five minutes to return to the office. I need to have a serious talk with you,” said Ms. Chi before hanging up the call.

Qiao Ziman laughed so hard she bent over, her mood instantly lifting. After laughing to her heart’s content, she checked the time—it was already mealtime. She packed up her notebook and materials and returned to Ms. Chi’s office.

“Ms. Chi?” Qiao Ziman looked at the empty office, wondering where Ms. Chi was since they were supposed to have a talk.

She went back to her desk to get her lunch, heated it up, and when she returned, the office was still empty. Qiao Ziman placed her lunch on Ms. Chi’s desk and accidentally noticed two documents lying on the desk. One was her personal resume, and the other was the promotion recommendation letter Ji Yun had submitted.

Her experiences from high school, college, and her employment period were carefully circled in red ink, and the writing was a bit smudged, as if it had been repeatedly rubbed by someone’s fingertips.

Why was Ms. Chi so focused on her?

Qiao Ziman sat in the boss’s chair, resting her chin on her hand and lost in thought, completely oblivious to the approaching footsteps.

“Qiao Ziman, isn’t spying like this much worse than eavesdropping?”

The sudden voice next to her startled Qiao Ziman, causing her to jump up from the chair instantly.

“How did you sneak up on me like that? Ms. Chi, you’d be perfect for playing Sadako,” Qiao Ziman said, patting her chest in relief and defending herself, “I was looking at my own information. How can that be called peeking?”

Qiao Ziman walked around Ms. Chi, sat back on the sofa, and pointed to the lunchbox in front of her, saying, “I made lunch and prepared a portion for you as well.”

“Seems like cooking isn’t part of an assistant’s job description. You’re not my nanny,” Ms. Chi said.

Do you think I enjoy doing this? It’s only because of the cake from yesterday. I, Qiao Ziman, am not used to being in someone’s debt.

“Qiao Ziman,” Ms. Chi came over, leaned in close, and stared directly into Qiao Ziman’s eyes, asking, “Did you poison my food?”

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Author’s Note:

Qiao Ziman: I, Qiao Ziman, absolutely, definitely, am not insincere!