Han Qingshi’s voice was soft when she spoke, her tone as gentle as water. A tenderness lay beneath it that no one else could ever have seen.
Mu Xia had only witnessed it on the night they’d been together.
Even while cleaning up afterward, Han Qingshi had remembered to ask if the pressure and water temperature were right.
That tenderness had been dangerous then. Now… it could get Mu Xia killed.
“Your silence means yes?” Han Qingshi lowered her hand and asked the still-silent Mu Xia again.
Mu Xia came to with a start, hurriedly hung up, and turned around.
She found herself face-to-face with Han Qingshi.
They were almost touching.
Mu Xia jerked her upper body back, her lower back pressed hard against the sink as she tried to put as much distance between them as possible. “CEO Han, why did you come out too?”
Han Qingshi glanced down at Mu Xia’s contorted pose, as if she were about to snap her own back, and showed no reaction.
Then she moved to one side and fixed her hair in the bright mirror. She didn’t ask another question Mu Xia couldn’t answer. “I came out for some air.”
“Oh, right. Go ahead, then. I’ll head back.” Mu Xia made a dash for the door.
Han Qingshi kept her eyes on the mirror. “Wait.” Her voice had grown noticeably more serious.
The delight on Mu Xia’s face at almost making her escape turned to a grimace. She stopped a few yards away and managed a smile that looked more like a sob. “What can I do for you?”
Han Qingshi turned around and leaned against the sink, one leg bent.
The light was bright there. Even without trying, Mu Xia could see the marks on her wrist.
Heat and guilt rose together in Mu Xia’s chest.
She put on a miserable expression and pleaded, “CEO Han, I’m sorry. I was too blind to recognize you. Please be the bigger person and pretend nothing happened that night, okay?”
Han Qingshi didn’t answer. She simply looked at Mu Xia from a short distance away, her expression calm.
The light behind her softened her clean, sharply defined features.
People who are gentle inside tend to be softhearted, Mu Xia thought. Han Qingshi wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for me.
That was all the further her optimism got.
Han Qingshi’s lips parted. Slowly, she said, “No.”
Mu Xia: “…”
Capitalism really was merciless to the core.
It was dinnertime. Even though the private dining rooms had their own restrooms, few people came to the public one. Still, there was always a chance someone else might want to come out for “some air.”
Mu Xia was afraid that if she dragged this out, something else might go wrong. She decided to negotiate.
She was about to speak when Han Qingshi’s voice came again, low and warning. “Mu Xia, I told you not to provoke me.”
Mu Xia had no argument.
Han Qingshi had said that, more than once. At TONIGHT, then again in the hotel room, she’d repeated it three times.
After the third, they’d crossed the last line between them.
Mu Xia regretted it so much she could have kicked herself.
What do I do?
Money was out of the question. Han Qingshi owned GN; she had more money than she knew what to do with.
What else could Mu Xia offer?
An apology wasn’t enough. Maybe she could make it up to her in some way?
An idea struck Mu Xia. She stole a glance at Han Qingshi’s hand, tucked into her trouser pocket.
The slender wrist was hidden by the pocket and sleeve. The blue bruising was no longer visible.
But Han Qingshi still had to cover it with a bandage whenever she went out in public. She must still care about it.
Maybe that was the way in.
Mu Xia gathered her courage and walked over.
Han Qingshi stayed where she was. She wanted to see what Mu Xia could come up with to make her change her mind.
When the girl’s soft hand closed around her wrist and began to massage it gently, then Mu Xia looked up at her with bright, shining eyes, Han Qingshi had to admit it: Mu Xia had a remarkable number of unexpected ideas, and every one of them could make Han Qingshi give way.
“CEO Han, let me rub your wrist for you. Please don’t be mad anymore, okay?” Mu Xia asked ingratiatingly. Her expression was so animated it made her look playful and full of life.
Han Qingshi didn’t answer. Her middle finger, hanging loosely by her side, touched her thumb and slowly slid over the soft pad to her palm.
After a long while, Mu Xia’s hand began to ache.
At last, Han Qingshi spoke again.
“Fine.”
The quiet room was heavy with the scent of sandalwood.
Han Qingshi, tall and striking, leaned casually against the sink with one wrist raised.
Mu Xia, much shorter, stood in front of her with her head bowed, massaging the wrist with utmost concentration.
As she worked, the young woman suddenly puffed out her cheeks and muttered, “I’m not a dog.”
Mu Xia returned to the private room first.
Han Qingshi had taken a work call along the way, and it had lasted quite a while.
By the time she came back, Mu Xia had been poured several more drinks.
Her cheeks and forehead were flushed. Her clear eyes, like a fawn’s, were full of innocent confusion as she stared blankly ahead, at nothing in particular.
The alcohol must have gone to her head. She looked too warm.
Mu Xia pouted unhappily, took an empty glass, and rolled it over her face.
The clear glass pressed against her rosy cheeks. She looked adorable.
Han Qingshi almost smiled before remembering why Mu Xia was in that state. She gave Zhao Jiahui a displeased look.
Zhao Jiahui understood at once and found an excuse to stop anyone from bringing Mu Xia more drinks.
Han Qingshi continued farther into the room.
As she passed behind Mu Xia, she noticed that the plate in front of her was almost untouched. The only piece of meat on it had just one small bite missing before Mu Xia had set it aside.
She’d picked off every last bit of chili.
The dinner continued for about another half hour. Both sides had other things to do, so no one dragged it out.
“CEO Yan, we’ll leave the proposal in your hands. We look forward to working together,” Han Qingshi said politely.
Yan Wei smiled with an earnest, easygoing warmth that didn’t suggest a seasoned salesman at all. “Absolutely. And if GN has any smaller projects down the road, don’t forget about Hezhong.”
“CEO Yan, you’re too modest. Hezhong is full of talented people, and your business is solid. With strengths like yours, the good projects will come.”
“Hahaha. We can’t compare with GN.”
After a brief exchange, the two groups went their separate ways.
Before leaving, Han Qingshi took another look at Mu Xia.
She’d been standing by the wall for a while, wearing a bright smile but not saying a word. She simply stood there, obedient as could be. She was nothing like the chattering little sparrow Chen Deping had described. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought she was a server, all professional smiles and quiet efficiency.
“CEO Yan, has your junior developer had too much to drink?” Han Qingshi asked with a teasing smile.
Yan Wei followed her gaze.
The flower blooming by the wall hadn’t wilted at all. If anything, her smile had grown even sunnier.
“Looks like we should have some drinks ready for the women next time,” Yan Wei said. “Zhang Chi, don’t you know one of Mu Xia’s friends from school?”
Zhang Chi had been discussing a project with a GN developer. At the sound of his name, he hurried over. “I do. Mumu’s best friend is my girlfriend.”
“Perfect. I’ll leave Mu Xia with you, then. Make sure she gets back to school safely.”
“Don’t worry. If she loses even a single hair, my girlfriend will pluck every last one off my head.”
As he spoke, Zhang Chi sheepishly rubbed his already thinning crown.
Most people fell in love and forgot their friends. His girlfriend was the opposite: in front of her best friend, she treated her boyfriend like an unwanted extra.
After silently reflecting on his lot in life, Zhang Chi went to help Mu Xia.
Before he could touch her, Han Qingshi spoke up again. “No need to trouble yourself, CEO Yan. I’ll be passing Mu Xia’s school anyway. I can take her back.”
“That’s very kind of you, but there’s no need,” Yan Wei said tactfully. “If Mu Xia says something foolish while she’s drunk and offends you, I won’t be able to answer for it.”
“That’s right, CEO Han. You really don’t need to bother,” Zhang Chi added quickly. He’d seen the way Mu Xia behaved around Han Qingshi and still hadn’t gotten over it.
Han Qingshi remained unmoved. “It’s fine. She doesn’t look like she can cause much trouble in this state. She can sleep in the car, and we’ll be there before she wakes up.”
Yan Wei could hear how firm she was, so he went along with it. “Then I’ll leave her in your hands.”
“You’re too kind. It’s no trouble.”
In front of more than a dozen people from GN and Hezhong, Han Qingshi led the sluggish Mu Xia into the elevator.
When they reached B1, Han Qingshi, the only one who hadn’t been drinking, asked Zhao Jiahui for the car keys. “Call a car for yourself. I’ll take Mu Xia.”
A leader personally driving someone home was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
Zhao Jiahui couldn’t help wondering: Could the boss be interested in that young woman?
Absurd.
Even if the boss did have an unusual orientation, that didn’t mean Zhao Jiahui should assume she was interested in every woman she met.
Not daring to jump to conclusions, Zhao Jiahui answered respectfully, “Of course. Be careful on the road.”
Han Qingshi nodded. “Mm.”
Zhao Jiahui left. Han Qingshi turned to look at Mu Xia, who had fallen far behind.
Drunk, Mu Xia reacted very slowly. She’d take a step, then stop for two. If she saw something unfamiliar, she’d go over to look at it. If she couldn’t figure it out, she’d frown in annoyance.
At the moment, she was staring intently at the parking fee QR code on a pillar.
The young woman tilted her chin up, lips puckered.
When she got tired of looking, she blinked slowly.
Even with her curled lashes shadowing her eyes in the dim garage, their brightness still shone through.
Han Qingshi lifted the keys she’d hooked over one finger. Her face looked as composed as ever in the dim light, but her voice softened without her meaning it to. “Mu Xia, keep up.”
