Of course, Ji Yunxiao had already come up with an excuse.
She spoke calmly, “I just happened to be nearby, so I came over.”
What a coincidence? Ji Yunxiao was clearly dressed up on purpose.
Her eyebrows were drawn thick, her lips painted a vintage red, and she wore a glossy French blouse with a high-waisted skirt with a slit, giving her a vibrant, healthy look.
She was bold and radiant, like a Hong Kong beauty straight out of a 90s film.
Lin Qianwei stared at her for a while before letting her in and asking, “Why did you change your clothes? You weren’t wearing this when you went to the hospital this afternoon.”
Ji Yunxiao didn’t answer directly, just asked, “Don’t I look good?”
Lin Qianwei couldn’t take her eyes off her, but still said, “It’s just okay.”
“Really just okay?” Ji Yunxiao leaned in, teasing, “I actually put in a lot of effort to try and charm you.”
Ji Yunxiao said regretfully, “Looks like I failed.”
Lin Qianwei said coldly, “What’s that supposed to mean? Did you dress up like this just to see me?”
Ji Yunxiao raised her eyebrows, “Of course.”
Lin Qianwei’s eyes flickered, “Liar.”
Lin Qianwei tried to expose her, “I called you on a whim, and you showed up in less than five minutes.
There’s no way you had time to get dressed up for me.”
Looking at the woman’s dazzling appearance, Lin Qianwei said sourly, “You probably just finished a date with someone else and dropped by here, right?”
Ji Yunxiao laughed softly.
“Okay, I lied to you,” Ji Yunxiao said.
Lin Qianwei looked at her, her expression turning sour.
Ji Yunxiao continued to explain, “Actually, I wasn’t just nearby.
I came over a long time ago.”
Lin Qianwei was stunned, “What?”
“I’ve been waiting downstairs, watching your room’s lights come on, counting the seconds in my head.
Finally, you messaged me to come up, and I couldn’t wait to get here.” Ji Yunxiao looked at Lin Qianwei and confessed, “There’s no one else.
Women dress up for the ones they like.
I dressed up like this just for you.”
Lin Qianwei couldn’t handle that direct gaze, so she turned away in a panic.
She fiddled with her clothes, trying to sound casual, “Why did you come so early then?”
Ji Yunxiao leaned in, her voice almost in Lin Qianwei’s ear, “I messaged you after nine, and you said you were still working overtime.
I felt so bad for you, I wanted to come keep you company.
But by the time I got to your office, you’d already left.
I still missed you, so I followed you to this neighborhood.”
Lin Qianwei pushed her away, her brows furrowing, “How do you know where I live?”
Ji Yunxiao blinked, “I can always find out.
It’s not that hard, right?”
Ji Yunxiao sat sideways on the chair next to her, lifted her leg, and showed off a slightly swollen red spot on her fair skin, playing the victim, “Look, I was standing outside just now, staring at your window, and didn’t even notice the mosquitoes.
I got bitten.”
Ji Yunxiao lazily draped her arm over the back of the chair, then propped her chin on her hand, crossing her legs, exuding an indescribable charm.
Her eyes shimmered under the light, lashes trembling, as she smiled with a hint of grievance, “It’s so itchy.”
Lin Qianwei suddenly didn’t dare look at her anymore.
There was always something about Ji Yunxiao that didn’t match her age.
She was only twenty, her face full of collagen, but her every move made people think of a mature beauty shaped by time.
Even when Ji Yunxiao acted cute, what Lin Qianwei felt wasn’t immaturity, but the contrast and allure of someone in control letting down their guard.
It just felt off.
“Why won’t you look at me?” Ji Yunxiao kept asking, “I got such a big mosquito bite, and you don’t even care?”
Lin Qianwei glared at her, “Serves you right.”
She said that, but Lin Qianwei couldn’t really ignore her.
She still dug out some anti-itch cream and tossed it to Ji Yunxiao, “Bought this ages ago, probably expired by now, but you can use it.”
Ji Yunxiao picked it up, glanced at the date, smiled, and didn’t call her out.
She applied it herself, then got up to wash her hands, came over to Lin Qianwei, and said, “Time to untie your hair tie.”
Lin Qianwei looked at her own ankle, finally realizing, “Did you do that on purpose?”
Ji Yunxiao’s gaze wandered, “Well…”
“Ji Yunxiao, don’t lie to me.” Lin Qianwei warned coldly.
Ji Yunxiao couldn’t resist when she said that, and immediately confessed, “Okay, I did it on purpose.”
Lin Qianwei frowned, a little annoyed, “You think that’s funny?”
“I just wanted to see you.
Do you know how much I miss you? I think about you every day, worry if you’re eating well, if you’re kicking off your blanket at night and catching a cold…” Ji Yunxiao lowered her head like she’d done something wrong, muttering, “So I tied a knot you couldn’t undo.
I thought, maybe when you realized you couldn’t untie it, you’d contact me… Looks like I was right, wasn’t I?”
Lin Qianwei pressed her lips together and asked, “How do you know I kick off my blanket?”
Ji Yunxiao told her, “I saw it.”
Lin Qianwei thought for a moment, then asked, “That time I got drunk at the bar?”
Ji Yunxiao: “Yeah.”
Actually, it wasn’t just that time.
There were plenty of times before.
But Ji Yunxiao didn’t say that.
Thinking about that night, Lin Qianwei’s face darkened again.
That night, she’d just seen Ji Yunxiao laughing and chatting with a hot bartender, felt jealous, and drank way too much, ending up completely wasted.
Lin Qianwei couldn’t figure out why she was so upset.
Ji Yunxiao liked to flirt, so let her flirt—what did it have to do with her?
No matter how well Ji Yunxiao knew Lin Qianwei, she couldn’t guess what she was thinking right now.
Ji Yunxiao just crouched down next to her and said, “Let me untie it for you, okay?”
“No need.”
Lin Qianwei got awkward again, picked up the scissors, and pretended she was going to cut the hair tie off her ankle.
She aimed the scissors at the tie, ready to snip, but then looked up at Ji Yunxiao.
She asked, “Why aren’t you stopping me?”
Ji Yunxiao looked at her, her smile gentle as water, “If it makes you happy, you can cut a hundred hair ties, not just one.”
Confusion crept into Lin Qianwei’s eyes, “Didn’t you say this hair tie was handmade and really precious?”
She realized something and got angry, “Was that a lie too?”
Ji Yunxiao shook her head, “I really made it myself.
When I was making a violet chiffon dress for Youran, I made this too.
But if we’re talking about what’s precious, your happiness is the most precious thing.
If cutting it makes you happy, then go ahead.”
Lin Qianwei looked up and met her gaze.
One second, two seconds, three seconds passed.
Lin Qianwei put the scissors down and huffed, “Aren’t you going to help me untie it already?”
Lin Qianwei sat on the sofa, cold as ice, looking hard to approach, but Ji Yunxiao knew how soft she was inside.
Ji Yunxiao looked at that beautiful, delicate face and smiled silently.
Ji Yunxiao came over, half-kneeling on the soft rug by the sofa, and reached out to untie the hair tie.
Lin Qianwei’s gaze fell on Ji Yunxiao’s hands.
Those hands were long and elegant, fingers smooth and nimble, the skin on the back pale with faint blue veins showing through.
No matter the angle, they were beautiful.
It fits nicely in the palm of your hand, perfect for playing with.
Probably also good for grabbing the bedsheet.
“Does it look good?” The hair tie hadn’t been untied yet, but Ji Yunxiao suddenly asked.
“I wasn’t looking at your hand.” Lin Qianwei got nervous and blurted out, “And I wasn’t thinking anything weird.”
Ji Yunxiao paused, narrowed her eyes, hiding the sudden darkness that flashed through them.
She took a couple of deep breaths to keep herself from losing composure.
When she looked up again, she was back to her gentle, easygoing self, even teasing casually, “My fingers are pretty nimble, you know.”
“Anyway… they’re very useful.”
“Then why don’t you hurry up and untie that hair tie?” Lin Qianwei was a little flustered and grabbed a magazine from the table, opening it to cover her face.
Ji Yunxiao didn’t tease her anymore.
While Lin Qianwei was distracted, she reached into her own pocket.
The hair tie was untied and put away.
But Lin Qianwei felt a cold sensation around her ankle.
“Is it done?” Lin Qianwei asked.
Ji Yunxiao said, “Yeah, it’s done.”
Lin Qianwei put down the magazine and saw a thin chain around her bare ankle.
The chain was silver, with a small gemstone in the middle.
The gem glowed with a deep, tranquil blue, and the whole design was delicate.
Lin Qianwei was confused.
“What’s this?”
“A gift for you,” Ji Yunxiao answered seriously.
“Such a pretty ankle, it’d be a shame not to put something on it.”
Lin Qianwei shot her a glare.
Lin Qianwei said, “Just because you give it to me, I have to accept it?”
Ji Yunxiao replied calmly, “This anklet is easy to take off.
If you don’t like it, you can just take it off and throw it away.”
Sure enough, Lin Qianwei reached down to take it off, but instead of tossing it, she held it up to examine it.
“What kind of gemstone is this?” Lin Qianwei asked.
“Moonstone,” Ji Yunxiao said softly.
“It’s called that because it glows like cold, distant moonlight.
But it has another name, do you know what it is?”
“I don’t want to know.” Lin Qianwei tossed the silver anklet onto the coffee table and said flatly, “You can leave now.”
“So heartless?” Ji Yunxiao sat down next to her, grinning.
“President Lin, are you just using me and tossing me aside?”
Lin Qianwei was annoyed and a little aggrieved.
“I just asked you to untie a hair tie, that’s all.”
How could that count?
“Alright, alright, I just wanted to recommend myself,” Ji Yunxiao said to her.
“I have other uses, you know.
Wouldn’t it be a waste to just throw me out?”
Lin Qianwei asked, “What other uses do you have?”
Ji Yunxiao said sincerely, “Aren’t you going to take a bath? I could go in and help you scrub your back.”
Lin Qianwei’s face turned red instantly.
She pulled Ji Yunxiao up and shoved her out the door, snapping, “You’re so shameless.”
After that, Lin Qianwei glared at Ji Yunxiao one more time before closing the door.
She locked up, went to the bathroom alone, and once she was soaking in the full jacuzzi with her eyes closed, she couldn’t help but imagine Ji Yunxiao scrubbing her back.
Lin Qianwei’s breathing quickened.
She stayed in the bathroom for a long time that night.
When she finally came out, her eyes landed on the silver anklet on the coffee table.
The moonstone on the anklet glowed faintly under the light, like moonlight scattered over a deep blue sea.
Lin Qianwei couldn’t help but walk over and gently pick it up.
Her phone screen lit up—it was a message from Ji Yunxiao: [I’m home.
Don’t forget to wear that silver anklet.]
Lin Qianwei picked up her phone and replied: [I already threw it in the trash.]
Ji Yunxiao: [Really? That’s a shame.
But since I gave it to you, it’s up to you what you do with it.]
Lin Qianwei: [I’m going to sleep, not talking anymore.]
Ji Yunxiao: [Good night.]
She said she was going to sleep, but in reality, Lin Qianwei wasn’t sleepy at all.
She took the silver chain out to the balcony and studied the tranquil color of the moonstone in the night.
“It’s… actually pretty nice.”
Lin Qianwei looked at it for a while, then fastened it back around her ankle.
Before going to bed, she remembered Ji Yunxiao’s question and searched it on her phone.
What’s the other name for moonstone? The search engine told her: Lover’s Stone.
Lin Qianwei’s face flushed again.
She wanted to take the chain off, but stopped when she touched it.
“Forget it,” Lin Qianwei said to herself.
The next day, she wore the silver anklet to work.
Qiao Xi came over to discuss something, so Lin Qianwei walked out from behind her desk.
She paced back and forth in front of Qiao Xi, hoping she’d notice, but Qiao Xi was focused elsewhere.
“Why are you walking back and forth?”
Lin Qianwei: “…”
Annoyed, Lin Qianwei sat down on the sofa and did something she almost never did.
She crossed her legs.
This time, Qiao Xi finally noticed the accessory on her ankle.
Qiao Xi asked curiously, “You never wore anklets before, did you?”
Lin Qianwei put her leg down and said reservedly, “Yeah.”
“It looks nice.” Qiao Xi gave a perfunctory compliment, then went back to gossiping about the rich and powerful.
Lin Qianwei endured the gossip, then finally asked, “Aren’t you going to ask where I got this anklet?”
Qiao Xi finally played along.
“Where did you get it?”
Lin Qianwei lifted her chin and said calmly, “Ji Yunxiao gave it to me.”
