Chapter 108: Off to the Dinner Party

Ji Zhenshi froze in place for several seconds, nervously licking her lips. “No way, I was just joking. How could I bear to make you jealous and upset?”

Li Yunli feigned a sudden realization, then swiftly changed her tune. “Oh, you can’t bear it? But didn’t Miss Tang just say you saved a little boy? Did our good child go off to play the hero?”

Li Yunli was digging up old dirt. Ji Zhenshi had thought she’d brushed it off quickly enough, but clearly not.

Her heart ached terribly, and yet Ji Zhenshi had gone and played the hero once?

“Um…” At a loss for words, Ji Zhenshi’s eyes darted around as her mind raced.

In the end, she could only let out an awkward laugh. “It was just a reflex. He fell right on top of me, and I simply held him up.”

“Good. Now I’m really jealous. Mission accomplished, Ji Zhenshi—are you happy?” Li Yunli withheld the apple, their gazes clashing until Ji Zhenshi’s bravado crumbled.

In the end, Ji Zhenshi could only hang her head in defeat. She held out the card Li Yunli had given her earlier—along with her phone—with both hands, offering them back as she apologized with utmost sincerity. “I’m sorry. I’m not happy at all. I swear I don’t know that guy. I’m innocent!”

“I really messed up. And when Teacher Tang brought it up, I already said I didn’t want to see him or hear his thanks. What more do you want me to say?”

Li Yunli ignored her and refused to take the items. She simply grabbed her bag and stood to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“To get a room.”

“With who? Why? No!” Ji Zhenshi panicked at the words. She flung off the blanket and lunged forward in a flash.

Her movements were so swift that they left an afterimage, even with her injury—a stark contrast to how she’d scolded Li Yunli moments before.

Her mind was consumed with the fear of her wife slipping away, but the sudden motion tugged painfully at her back. She hissed in pain, her legs buckling beneath her until she dropped straight to her knees before Li Yunli.

Li Yunli jumped in alarm and quickly helped her up, immediately checking the wound on her back. The bandage hid the injury from view.

Li Yunli’s voice cracked. “What are you panicking about, you fool? I was just joking. I’m not so petty that I’d get jealous over something like that.”

Ji Zhenshi could be so exasperatingly amusing at times.

She grit her teeth with no time to recover, her mind fixed solely on keeping Li Yunli from leaving—especially not to get a room. “Don’t go!”

Li Yunli was torn between laughter and exasperation. “Didn’t you chase me away last night?”

Ji Zhenshi wouldn’t hear it. “Doesn’t matter. You can’t go cheating on me.”

She gripped the hem of Li Yunli’s clothes tightly, dignity forgotten in her desperation to keep her there.

Li Yunli grew weary of the tug-of-war. “Has your brain been polluted with nothing but filthy thoughts? Does ‘getting a room’ automatically mean something indecent? Besides, who announces that right in front of their current partner? You’re stuck here and can’t even move. Who would I go with? I just didn’t get to shower or change last night—it’s unbearable. I’m getting a room to clean up and swap clothes. You’re acting like I’ve done you some terrible wrong.”

Nothing had even happened, yet Ji Zhenshi’s kneeling made it seem like the betrayal of the century—like a cheater dropping to their knees to beg forgiveness.

Why did these melodramatic scenes always seem to follow Ji Zhenshi around?

Only then did Ji Zhenshi release her grip. Pain hit her belatedly, and she winced, somewhat irritably snapping, “You could’ve said so earlier! You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were really going off to find someone else in a huff.”

“If you keep rejecting me, maybe someday I will. I’ve heard women in their thirties are quite popular these days. Lots of young kids are into my type.” Li Yunli was half-serious, half-retaliating for how Ji Zhenshi had upset her the night before.

She wouldn’t hold a grudge against Ji Zhenshi, but she’d remember it—and bring it up now and then.

“You’re a hypocrite. I hate you from the bottom of my heart.”

Those were Ji Zhenshi’s own words, straight from her mouth.

Ji Zhenshi felt the sky crashing down. Stubbornly, she shot back, “You’re lying. Don’t believe everything online. Kids are immature—no match for me. Why bother investing time to get to know and train someone new? It’s such a hassle… I can’t keep making excuses. Sister A-Yun, let’s put the past behind us? It’s finally over, and I don’t want to dwell on it.”

Li Yunli found it amusing and was quite pleased with the response. Smiling gently, she said, “You’re so wonderful—why would I ever look elsewhere? Hm?”

She helped Ji Zhenshi back onto the bed, carefully tucking the little blanket around her to cover her back.

Ji Zhenshi nodded pitifully, burying her entire face in the pillow as she silently endured the lingering pain from tearing at her wound.

“Alright, no more teasing. Get some rest. I’ll be back soon.” Li Yunli sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair soothingly until she finally left.

…

The paid vacation that Tang Xien had promised passed in a blur. After Ji Zhenshi and Li Yunli returned to Beinan, Ji Zhenshi didn’t move straight into Li Yunli’s home as she’d once planned. Instead, she insisted on going back to her rental apartment.

Though they seemed to have returned to how things were before, they still needed time to adjust and blend back together—not just Ji Zhenshi, but Li Yunli as well.

But that was fine. Lovers’ paths could twist and turn, but they would never truly run parallel.

Ji Zhenshi stayed in her rental with Hihi, but Li Yunli made a point of bringing her meals every day after work or at lunch, so her injuries healed quickly.

Ji Zhenshi couldn’t stand being idle. Once she could manage light movement, she began practicing the violin in an awkwardly contorted position.

Tang Xien visited too, but she never stayed more than ten minutes or so.

There was a touch of mentor-student affection between them, but not much. When she caught Ji Zhenshi practicing, the woman who seemed like an untouchable ice queen to outsiders would even mock her.

“Ji Zhenshi, you’re the picture of ‘strong of spirit despite a broken body.'”

“That posture makes you look like a zombie scraping at a violin. I never had a real mental image of it before, but you’ve given me one now. Thanks.”

“Doesn’t doing that in front of the cat scare it every day?”

Ji Zhenshi wanted to roll her eyes and snap back each time, but Tang Xien wore too many hats: boss, teacher, creditor, and confidante for sharing intimate woes. The buffs were fully stacked.

Afraid of becoming the next topic in their heart-to-hearts, Ji Zhenshi could only swallow her pride and endure this so-called “concern” from Tang Xien.

For the first time, she thought maybe it would be better if Tang Xien were a bit more cold-blooded and indifferent to her injured employee.

Though mocked for her unyielding spirit despite her injuries, Ji Zhenshi simply couldn’t stay away from the violin.

With Hihi curled in her lap, she played.

The phone on the table rang. It was Li Shan, Tang Xien’s friend and the studio’s official manager.

“Xiao Ji, how’s your recovery going?”

“Not bad, thanks for asking, Li-jie. I can move around freely now.”

“Good to hear. You’ve rested a whole day already—staying cooped up at home must be boring. I’ve got a dinner with some heavy hitters from the industry. Xien’s tied up, so come along. I’ll introduce you. It’ll be great for your future prospects.”

Was Li Shan asking Ji Zhenshi to go drink with those bosses?

Ji Zhenshi had attended a few dinners with Tang Xien before, but those were meetings with violin world seniors, centered around the instrument.

This didn’t sound like that.

Ji Zhenshi instinctively wanted to refuse. “Li-jie, I don’t…”

“Xien can’t shield you forever, you know. She won’t always be there to keep you hidden and arrange everything. Ultimately, you have to carve your own path. Be good and come. Your future depends on people like them. With me there, don’t worry.” Li Shan anticipated the refusal and roped in Tang Xien to guilt her.

Ji Zhenshi hesitated, not yet speaking, when Li Shan added, “Besides, Xien built her own network step by step. She has to make a living too—think of her. She took so much pressure to help you out. You need to step up and make things easier for her.”

Li Shan wasn’t wrong. Tang Xien had given Ji Zhenshi a pure space to play the violin, but she had to show gratitude and not keep exploiting her kindness. Many paths had to be walked alone.

It was blatant moral blackmail, but Ji Zhenshi willingly caved. “Alright, send me the address. I’ll head over soon.”

Tang Xien was truly good to her. Her personality was aloof, but spending real time together revealed the gentleness beneath her tough exterior.

Moreover, while Tang Xien’s status let her ignore types like Zheng Siqi, she still had to navigate the industry. No matter how high one climbed, there were always those above. She couldn’t just coast on connections while her lowly employee sat back comfortably, letting Li Shan schmooze for business.

Ji Zhenshi followed the address Li Shan sent to a private restaurant and was led into a private room.

Even with mental preparation, the sight of four or five tables packed with people— the noisy, crowded atmosphere—still hit her hard.

Ji Zhenshi entered politely, giving slight nods. Li Shan spotted her immediately and pulled her over, introducing her one by one to the key figures at the main table. Ji Zhenshi responded courteously to each.

But she never expected Zheng Siqi to be at the neighboring table.

He wasn’t important enough for the main table, but spotting Ji Zhenshi, he paused. Glancing at Li Shan, realization dawned.

The contempt in his eyes matched exactly the look he’d given her when she broke her contract—a sight that dragged all his past words back to mind.

He’d promised to help her realize her dreams, to get her on bigger stages.

And in the end…

It made Ji Zhenshi think: without meeting Tang Xien, she’d have been trapped in that tiny world forever, struggling in obscurity.

With that in mind, her resolve to lighten Tang Xien’s load grew even firmer.

“Come on, Xiao Ji, take this glass. Start by toasting President Liu at the head, then go around one by one. Sweeten your words, say nice things—you know the drill?” Li Shan pressed a wine glass into Ji Zhenshi’s hand, giving her full instructions.

Ji Zhenshi eyed the glass uneasily. Her back wound was just starting to scab—no way she could touch alcohol.

But Li Shan was a veteran of these dinners, always pushing hard. Such an injury probably seemed trivial to her for the sake of business, especially without seeing how bad it really was firsthand. Hearing Ji Zhenshi say she was fine, she didn’t want her to miss the chance.

Ji Zhenshi steeled herself, took the glass, and toasted the man at the head along with the woman beside him. “Hello, President Liu, Boss Ye. I’m Ji Zhenshi, a violinist. Allow me to toast you both.”

She forced an embarrassed laugh and tossed it back.

She clearly heard a cold snort. No need to turn; she knew it was Zheng Siqi. But he didn’t dare mock her openly here and ruin the vibe.

She knew exactly what that snort meant.

Once unwilling to cross her direct superior for his sake, and now, free of the company, she still had to grovel before capital?

No matter how impressive Tang Xien was, she couldn’t cover the sky with one hand. Everyone had superiors, and for profit, there were no eternal principles or bottom lines.

Ji Zhenshi ignored Zheng Siqi, downing one glass after another with earnest gulps.

Finally, the woman called Boss Ye spoke up. “Ji Zhenshi—you’re the left-hand genius under Tang, right? She mentioned you once over dinner. Said you’re amazing on the violin.”

As she spoke, Boss Ye looked her up and down. Ji Zhenshi couldn’t tell if there was malice behind it and quickly demurred. “Not at all. Can’t call it genius. I’m just a lefty, that’s all.”

The baijiu burned her throat viciously. It had been ages since she’d touched it, and now two or three glasses hit her stomach like fire, scorching her insides.

She felt awful and wanted to stop, but Li Shan’s encouraging gaze met hers head-on.

Fine—for her sake. Not everyone got dragged along to meet bosses like this; others fought for the chance.

And they’d brought up Tang Xien. She couldn’t embarrass Teacher Tang.

“Then play something for us. We want to see this rare left-hand genius Tang Xien raves about with our own eyes. It’s a shame she’s not here—we can’t enjoy your duet live—but a solo should do.” The man beside the woman chimed in.

He was dressed in a suit, but his beer belly strained against it. His small eyes, narrowed further by facial fat, roved over her appraisingly, making her skin crawl.

Even as a newbie, Ji Zhenshi knew they were treating her like entertainment.

Clenching her molars, she deflected politely. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your drinking. Besides, there’s no violin here. Please, everyone—carry on.”

She felt prickly all over, like pins and needles, desperate to flee. Even the slightest shift tugged at her back wound, let alone bowing respectfully.

The next moment, Zheng Siqi cut in. “True, no violin yet, but don’t worry—I’ve already sent someone to fetch one. It won’t spoil President Liu’s elegant mood. But while we wait, let’s not just stand around. Everyone might not know, but Tang used to be with our company, and so did Xiao Ji here. I’m delighted to see a former employee doing so well. Xiao Ji, it’s heartening to see your progress. But as the one who discovered you, shouldn’t you toast me? Show some gratitude for my keen eye?”

Seeing no objections from the bosses at the table, the mischief in Zheng Siqi’s eyes grew blatant.

It was all for laughs anyway. They wouldn’t care. And hey, he’d even given her a little face time, right?

By linking her to Tang Xien, he could tarnish them both. Ji Zhenshi had no choice but to play along.

Ji Zhenshi stiffened as she stared at Zheng Siqi, her mouth working silently—but her lip movements suggested some rather filthy curses.

Gratitude, his ass. The gall of him.

Her hand trembled as she held the glass, deftly dodging his attempt to touch her. “You’re right, President Zheng. I do owe you thanks. After all, without you, I never would have met Teacher Tang.”

Back then, Zheng Siqi had only wanted to mess with Tang Xien and test her. He hadn’t anticipated her taking Ji Zhenshi away—or that she’d thrive under Tang Xien.

Ji Zhenshi’s words slapped him right back in the face. She wasn’t one to take a loss lying down. With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she toasted him and drank, teeth gritted in utter reluctance.