~~~
Shen Lanyan went into the walk-in closet to change clothes, leaving Su Jinglan and Ning Jiuwei to sit facing each other on the sofa chairs.
The large-screen television mounted on the living room wall played a movie, filling the quiet house with background music. Ning Jiuwei gazed at the dazzling, seductive nightscape beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, showing no intention of striking up a conversation with Su Jinglan.
Su Jinglan watched Ning Jiuwei without blinking, her eyes fixed on the other woman’s profile—calm on the surface, yet smoldering with a thousand unspoken words.
One of them had to break the silence first. Ning Jiuwei clenched her fist, nails biting into her palm as she used the sharp sting of pain to push back the inexplicable flutter of panic in her chest.
“President Su, are you close with Miss Shen?” Ning Jiuwei pulled her leisurely gaze from the night view and met the eyes of the woman sitting across the coffee table.
She wanted to understand why Su Jinglan was here at Shen Lanyan’s home, and the best way to probe was through their relationship.
“I’ve known her for many years. You could say we’re quite familiar,” Su Jinglan replied evenly, her measured pace giving nothing away about the depth of feeling beneath her words. “Up until today, I thought I knew her pretty well.”
Ning Jiuwei picked up on the implication. Shen Lanyan greeting her in a robe—and Ning Jiuwei pinning her down on the sofa—had clearly shattered Su Jinglan’s image of her friend.
“Doesn’t Designer Ning want to explain herself?” Su Jinglan asked, turning the conversation toward Ning Jiuwei with evident interest.
The reason for pinning Shen Lanyan to the sofa was simple enough to explain, but voicing it wasn’t. Ning Jiuwei’s mind whirred, and then it hit her.
Su Jinglan was jealous. Su Jinglan liked Shen Lanyan.
It was even possible the two of them were already a couple—which explained why Su Jinglan was here in the first place, and why she’d fixed Ning Jiuwei with that accusatory stare upon walking in on the scene.
“Stay and have a drink with us. I’ll introduce you so you can get to know each other properly.”
Su Jinglan’s idea of “getting to know each other properly” was clearly meant to spell out the nature of their relationship.
Now that she had it all figured out, Ning Jiuwei had no desire to linger. She rose to her feet with an apology. “I’m sorry, President Su. The situation was… complicated, and hard to explain right now. But I can assure you, I have no improper intentions toward Miss Shen. Please tell her on my behalf to find another designer for her custom project.”
“I only want Designer Ning to design for me.” Shen Lanyan’s voice drifted over, laced with amusement. She had changed into a striking red dress that hugged her figure, her lips painted a bold crimson, and now she approached the coffee table.
Four sofa chairs ringed the small table—Shen Lanyan’s favorite spot for sipping drinks while taking in the city lights.
“Designer Ning, have a seat and let’s talk.” Shen Lanyan pressed down gently on Ning Jiuwei’s shoulder, guiding her back into the chair. Su Jinglan’s gaze flicked to those fingertips before she instructed Shen Lanyan, “Go get the wine. Pour two glasses.”
The tone was pure command, nothing like how lovers spoke to each other. Ning Jiuwei’s confusion deepened, but Shen Lanyan’s smile never wavered. “Of course, President Su.”
The wine cabinet lined an entire wall of the dining room in a sleek, streamlined design, bottles organized meticulously by type and vintage. Shen Lanyan retrieved a bottle of whisky and returned, pouring a glass for Su Jinglan and another for Ning Jiuwei.
The amber liquid gleamed invitingly, its rich aroma tempting anyone to take a sip. Ning Jiuwei spared it a single glance before looking away.
She hardly ever drank. Alcohol damaged the liver and heart muscle, dulled the brain, and blunted the senses. She preferred to stay sharp at all times.
“Designer Ning, President Su is inviting you to drink now. You can’t refuse again, can you?” Shen Lanyan propped her elbow on the sofa arm, chin in hand, her smile radiant.
From Shen Lanyan’s words, Su Jinglan gathered what had transpired earlier. Glass in hand, she turned to Ning Jiuwei. “You don’t drink?”
Ning Jiuwei nodded. Without hesitation, Su Jinglan reached over and took the glass from in front of her.
“Oh? Already going easy on her, President Su?” Shen Lanyan teased, unable to resist.
In all the years she’d known Su Jinglan, she’d never seen her show pity to anyone—not even the most delicate bloom could stir a flicker of tenderness in those eyes.
Su Jinglan didn’t argue the point. Ning Jiuwei shifted uncomfortably at the exchange, hesitated for a beat, then retrieved the glass.
“If President Su is inviting me, then of course I’ll drink.” Ning Jiuwei offered the explanation as she lifted it. “I don’t hold my liquor well, though. This will have to be my only one.”
“Ning Jiuwei…” Su Jinglan murmured her full name, worry creeping into her voice.
Ning Jiuwei smiled. “President Su, I was out a few days ago and didn’t realize we’d gotten a new president. This is my first time meeting you—to you.”
She threw her head back and drained the glass in one bold gulp, the motion utterly at odds with someone who claimed not to drink.
The whisky burned down her throat, and Ning Jiuwei couldn’t stifle a few coughs. Su Jinglan’s heart clenched. Ning Jiuwei had been out those past few days because she’d been sick—not for any other reason.
How could she have forgotten? And now she’d gone and let her drink.
Shen Lanyan, however, had latched onto a different detail, her brow furrowing in surprise. “You’ve only just met Jinglan for the first time?”
She cast a puzzled glance at Su Jinglan, who furrowed her brows slightly, clearly not having caught what she said.
Ning Jiuwei lowered her gaze after her earlier coughing fit. When she heard Shen Lanyan’s words, her heart clenched violently, a bone-chilling cold wrapping around her body and leaving her unable to move.
Once she had steadied her breathing, Ning Jiuwei looked up, a perfectly measured smile curving her lips. “Yes, it’s my first time. Has President Su met me before?”
“I was just asking casually.” Shen Lanyan flashed a smile and changed the subject. “Designer Ning, how long does it take you to design a ring?”
With her endless well of inspiration, Ning Jiuwei held the record for sketching a design drawing in just three minutes. The instant a client voiced their requirements, a complete image formed in her mind—she only needed to commit it to paper.
But Ning Jiuwei had no intention of revealing her extraordinary talent so readily. She offered a more conventional timeframe. “Probably a week to half a month.”
“Could Designer Ning design a ring for me to wear every day?” Shen Lanyan proposed a stringent challenge. “Base it on your impressions from our interactions so far. Design it freely, and make sure it satisfies me.”
What set a chief designer apart from an ordinary one was her freedom to accept or decline custom commissions on a whim. She could negotiate bespoke pricing beyond the company’s standard contracts.
Shen Lanyan was utterly sincere. “Whatever design fee you charge, Designer Ning, I’ll pay it. President Su is right here to bear witness.”
“Very well. Tomorrow, I’ll have Assistant Tan bring over the contract.” Ning Jiuwei accepted Shen Lanyan’s custom order. “It’ll spell out all the details—fees, design timeline, production schedule, everything.”
With the commission settled, she could finally leave. By now, the alcohol Ning Jiuwei had consumed was rushing to her head, bringing on a wave of dizziness.
As she rose, Ning Jiuwei instinctively gripped the sofa armrest. Su Jinglan stepped forward to steady her. “Are you okay?”
“Designer Ning herself said she gets drunk after one sip.” And sure enough, one sip had done her in.
Ning Jiuwei withdrew her hand, putting some distance between them. “I’m managing. I can hold it together until I get home and collapse there.”
“Don’t go home, Designer Ning. Stay here tonight,” Shen Lanyan urged with warm hospitality. “The guest bedroom has everything you need. I’ll show you there.”
“Thanks for the kind offer, Miss Shen, but I’m not comfortable sleeping at someone else’s place.” Ning Jiuwei knew her limits; she felt woozy, but nowhere near drunk enough to be unable to make it home.
Ning Jiuwei walked steadily out the door, her footsteps no different from when she’d arrived.
Su Jinglan, still worried, accompanied her downstairs.
“You can’t drive.” Spotting Ning Jiuwei’s car parked outside with no driver inside, Su Jinglan seized her wrist and pulled her back into the building.
Her grip was ironclad; Ning Jiuwei couldn’t wrench free and had no choice but to match her stride into the elevator.
“I’ll call a designated driver.” Even through her sleeve, Ning Jiuwei could feel the searing heat of Su Jinglan’s palm, burning through her skin and into her veins.
“Designated drivers aren’t always safe.” As the elevator doors slid shut, Su Jinglan let go. “Designer Ning, you’re staying here tonight.”
“Compared to a designated driver, Miss Shen seems even less safe.” Ning Jiuwei tested the waters with Su Jinglan.
Unless, of course, Su Jinglan planned to sleep beside Shen Lanyan and keep watch, ensuring she wouldn’t take advantage in the dead of night.
Ning Jiuwei didn’t notice that Su Jinglan hadn’t pressed the button for Floor 21, but for the 22nd Floor.
“My place is here. You’ll sleep at my apartment, Designer Ning.”
Stepping into a home saturated with Su Jinglan’s presence made Ning Jiuwei’s skin crawl—not to mention spending the night. She’d sooner sleep in her car.
The elevator climbed steadily upward, floor by floor, inching closer to the 22nd. Ning Jiuwei couldn’t tell if it was nerves or the stuffy air, but a fine sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead.
“I’ll get Little Tan to come over.” Ning Jiuwei pulled out her phone and dialed her assistant.
The call had barely connected when a slender, pale hand reached out. It covered the back of Ning Jiuwei’s hand, long fingers curling around hers to grip the phone. A fingertip tapped the screen lightly, ending the call.
~~~
