That day, Lin Qianwei hurried away, almost running.
Even after getting into the driver’s seat, her heart was still pounding.
She couldn’t drive, so she just leaned over the steering wheel, trying to steady her breathing.
After a long while, Lin Qianwei finally looked up again.
She stared at her own reflection in the mirror, the corners of her eyes tinged red.
She felt a bit annoyed, but her fingers still unconsciously lifted, touching the spot on her cheek that had just been kissed.
It wasn’t like she’d never kissed Ji Yunxiao before.
Not long ago, in the bar’s restroom, a drunk Ji Yunxiao had kissed her without warning.
Later, at the hotel, that woman’s tenderness was nowhere to be found—she’d pinned her in her arms and bitten her lips.
Things had gotten way more intense back then, but Lin Qianwei hadn’t felt this strange about it.
Lin Qianwei kept touching her cheek with her fingers, slowly tracing circles.
She recalled the soft, floating feeling on her face when Ji Yunxiao kissed her just now, and couldn’t help but smile.
But just then, someone knocked on the car window.
Lin Qianwei quickly wiped the look off her face, turned cold, and looked over.
When she saw who it was, she was confused again.
She sat up straight and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Ji Yunxiao opened the car door, smiling.
“Want me to give you a ride home?”
Lin Qianwei didn’t even turn her head, just stared straight ahead and said coldly, “I don’t need you.”
Ji Yunxiao chuckled, then scooped her up.
Lin Qianwei was startled and angry.
“You—”
“You don’t look like you’re in any shape to drive.” Ji Yunxiao set her down in the passenger seat, buckled her in, and said gently, “Let me take you.”
“I can call a driver.” Lin Qianwei glared at her.
Ji Yunxiao sat in the driver’s seat like she belonged there.
“Today, I’m your driver.”
Lin Qianwei glanced at her a couple of times, hesitated, but didn’t say anything else.
Ji Yunxiao drove Lin Qianwei to the company.
When they parted, Lin Qianwei didn’t say goodbye, didn’t even look back at Ji Yunxiao, just hurried into the building.
But just as Ji Yunxiao was about to leave, she got a message from Lin Qianwei.
[Come up, I have something to ask you.]
But that message was quickly withdrawn.
Ji Yunxiao laughed and sent a voice message: “Why’d you delete it? I already saw it.”
Lin Qianwei changed her mind: [Forget it, don’t come up.]
She sent Ji Yunxiao a voice message, and Ji Yunxiao picked up right away.
“I’m already on my way up.”
“Don’t,” Lin Qianwei sounded a little panicked.
“I don’t want to see you right now.”
Ji Yunxiao: “Why?”
“You…” Lin Qianwei’s voice was weak.
“Why do you have so many questions?”
“Okay.” Ji Yunxiao knew she was still embarrassed and decided to give her some space, so she stayed downstairs and asked, “So, President Lin, you said you had something to ask me.
What was it?”
Lin Qianwei: “I’m just curious.”
Ji Yunxiao: “Hmm? Curious?”
Lin Qianwei: “I heard from Qiao Xi that Eilene really values you.
I want to know why.”
Ji Yunxiao patiently explained, “She hit a creative block a few days ago, so I gave her some advice.
After she heard it, she had a breakthrough and asked to meet up.”
Lin Qianwei almost couldn’t wait to ask, “Where did you meet? And what did you do after?”
She realized she was overstepping and awkwardly added, “I’m just asking, you don’t have to answer.”
But Ji Yunxiao still answered everything in detail.
She didn’t brag at all, but from what she said, and from what Qiao Xi and Eilene had mentioned, Lin Qianwei could tell Ji Yunxiao was really talented in the fashion world.
Lin Qianwei thought for a moment and said, “I have a fashion magazine.
Do you want to manage it?”
Ji Yunxiao’s voice was soft, “President Lin is so good to me?”
Lin Qianwei replied coldly, “I just don’t want you to be too idle.”
Ji Yunxiao understood Lin Qianwei’s good intentions, but she still refused directly.
Ji Yunxiao said, “I still have to win over the kid, right? If I can’t get Lin Youran to like me in three months, you’ll divorce me.
I can’t accept that.”
Lin Qianwei said, “Do whatever you want.”
That day, she also got the dress that Ji Yunxiao had personally altered from Qiao Xi.
“What did this dress look like before?” Lin Qianwei asked.
Qiao Xi found her a photo.
Lin Qianwei looked at the before-and-after pictures, ran her fingers over the fabric, and was lost in thought.
“Xixi.” Lin Qianwei called Qiao Xi.
“Yeah?” Qiao Xi propped her chin in her hands, teasing, “What can I do for you, President Lin?”
Lin Qianwei hesitated.
“Can you… help Ji Yunxiao?”
Qiao Xi: “Huh?”
Qiao Xi still agreed to help Lin Qianwei, but she didn’t expect Ji Yunxiao to come find her the next day.
Ji Yunxiao got straight to the point.
“I want to see little Youran, but you know, Qianwei’s mom really doesn’t like me.
With her around, I can’t even get close to Youran.”
Qiao Xi felt conflicted.
Because Lin Qianwei had asked her for help with the same thing.
Since Lin Qianwei had already asked, and Qiao Xi did owe Ji Yunxiao a favor, she didn’t hesitate at all and asked, “What do you need me to do?”
Ji Yunxiao handed her a concert ticket.
Two hours later, Qiao Xi arrived at the Lin family villa, chatting warmly with Lin Yuan, her arm around her.
When Lin Yuan saw the ticket, she was happy, but glanced at Lin Youran, who was quietly reading nearby, and sighed, “If I go to the concert, what about Youran?”
Qiao Xi immediately said, “I’m free today, I can watch little Youran for you.
Aunt Lin, you’ve been working hard lately, you should take a break.”
There were several maids at home, plus Qiao Xi, so nothing could go wrong.
Lin Yuan patted Qiao Xi’s hand and said, “Thank you, then.”
Qiao Xi grinned, “It’s no trouble.”
Not long after Lin Yuan left, Qiao Xi let Ji Yunxiao in.
Today, Ji Yunxiao put on that violet chiffon dress again.
When she walked up to Lin Youran, Lin Youran was still staring at her, unable to look away.
“Hey there.” Ji Yunxiao waved at her with a smile.
The little girl, delicate and doll-like, glanced at her dress, then shifted her gaze to Ji Yunxiao’s face.
Ji Yunxiao crouched down and handed over the gift bag in her hand, speaking gently, “I brought you a little present.
Do you want to see it?”
Lin Youran blinked twice, then suddenly turned and scampered away on her short legs.
Ji Yunxiao: “?”
Ji Yunxiao looked at Qiao Xi, and the two of them exchanged a glance.
“I’ll go check on her.” Ji Yunxiao said.
She really didn’t have much experience coaxing kids, but this little girl was Qianqian’s biological niece in this world, related by blood, and even looked a bit like her.
That made Ji Yunxiao a little more patient.
Lin Youran ran back to her room, climbed onto her little bed, and wrapped herself tightly in a blanket.
“Youran?” Ji Yunxiao walked over and asked softly, “What’s wrong, Youran?”
Lin Youran slowly poked her little head out and asked in a childish voice, “Are you going to hit me again?”
Looking at the little girl in front of her, all bundled up like a white dumpling, Ji Yunxiao couldn’t help but sigh.
How could the original owner ever bear to hit such a cute kid?
Ji Yunxiao placed her hand on top of Lin Youran’s head.
Seeing that she didn’t dodge, she gently ruffled her hair.
Ji Yunxiao said, “I won’t hit you.”
She used a tone meant for coaxing children, her voice as gentle as possible.
“And I’m not the same Ji Yunxiao as before.”
Lin Youran was only six years old this year, so she probably didn’t really understand what Ji Yunxiao meant.
She just blinked in confusion.
But Ji Yunxiao continued, completely serious, “The old Ji Yunxiao broke the Cute Baby Protection Law by hitting you, so she was taken away by monsters.
I’m not her.
I’m a fairy sent by the heavens to protect you.”
Lin Youran looked even more bewildered.
She also felt that this pretty big sister was different from the mean woman before.
They looked almost the same, but were clearly not the same person.
Yet her loving grandma told her that this pretty big sister was Ji Yunxiao.
Before, whenever she saw Ji Yunxiao, she always wanted to hide and would be scared for a long time afterward.
But with this big sister, she didn’t feel that way at all.
She even felt a sense of closeness.
Seeing that Lin Youran was no longer wrapped up tightly in her blanket, Ji Yunxiao picked her up and carried her to the living room, then took out the gift.
It was a violet chiffon dress just like Ji Yunxiao’s, only scaled down to fit Lin Youran’s size.
When Lin Youran saw the dress clearly, her eyes lit up just as expected.
“Do you like it?” Ji Yunxiao asked.
Lin Youran nodded.
Ji Yunxiao said gently, “Do you want to try it on? See if it fits?”
Lin Youran thought for a moment, then shook her head.
She hugged the dress tightly and came over to pull Ji Yunxiao’s hand.
Ji Yunxiao bent down and followed the little girl to the bedroom, watching as she took out a cloth doll and said, “I want her to wear it.”
Ji Yunxiao confirmed, “You want her to wear this dress?”
Lin Youran nodded hard.
The dress was just right for Lin Youran, but way too big for the doll.
But that wasn’t a problem for Ji Yunxiao.
She had Qiao Xi bring scissors, needle and thread, and other tools.
In no time, she altered the dress to fit the doll perfectly.
Lin Youran hugged the doll in its new dress, loving it even more.
She even came over to thank Ji Yunxiao, being very polite: “Thank you, fairy sister.”
Qiao Xi, who was listening nearby, almost burst out laughing.
“Fairy sister?”
Ji Yunxiao was calm and collected.
“Is there a problem?”
Qiao Xi waved her hand.
“Alright, alright.”
Ji Yunxiao played with Lin Youran for a while longer.
When Lin Youran got sleepy and fell asleep, Qiao Xi came over and sighed, “Kids really don’t hold grudges.”
Ji Yunxiao smiled.
“Depends on the person.”
“True.” Qiao Xi had once again witnessed Ji Yunxiao’s skills and asked, “I heard Qianwei wanted to give you a small company, but you turned her down?”
Ji Yunxiao: “Yeah.”
Qiao Xi: “Why?”
Ji Yunxiao replied breezily, “Why does there have to be a reason?”
Qiao Xi asked again, “So what are you planning to do in the future? I think you have a real talent for fashion design and alterations.
Are you going to do something related to that?”
Ji Yunxiao said, “No.”
Qiao Xi was a bit disappointed.
“But you’re really good at it.”
Ji Yunxiao smiled indifferently.
“I’m good at a lot of things.
I’m not even that skilled at fashion design and alterations, I just know a little.”
Just know a little and you’re already this good? Qiao Xi’s eye twitched and she couldn’t help but ask, “So what are you best at?”
“There are too many to count,” Ji Yunxiao raised her eyebrows and said lightly, “Honestly, I can’t even list them all.”
Qiao Xi: “…”
There’s no way to keep talking.
This woman is so full of herself!
