Chapter 105

Su Jinglan’s gaze settled on Shi Wanxu, her perfectly timed smile effortlessly mastering the situation. Shi Wanxu found it hard to refuse, and Ning Jiuwei scooted over to make room, the corners of her mouth lifting.

“We’re just chatting casually,” Shi Wanxu said, analyzing Su Jinglan’s intentions. This wasn’t the first time they’d bumped into each other by chance. Su Jinglan’s mindset was easy to read—she was here for Ning Jiuwei. But her ability to pinpoint Ning Jiuwei’s exact location was something to note.

Possessiveness, when it advanced to a later stage, morphed into control. A skilled controller made for a poor partner.

“I overheard Designer Ning and Teacher Shi talking about the person you like.” Su Jinglan shot Ning Jiuwei a sidelong smile before fixing her eyes directly on Shi Wanxu across the table, picking up right where they’d left off. “I’m curious too. What kind of person does Teacher Shi like? Would Teacher Shi ever fall for one of her own students?”

The calm tone sounded like nothing more than small talk, but Shi Wanxu caught the undercurrent of aggression. She adopted the patient demeanor she used in her professional life, tolerant of whatever was said. “The person I like, I met after I started working. Not a student. School policy forbids any emotions that cross boundaries while the teacher-student relationship exists.”

Teacher-student romances were off-limits, just as doctor-patient ones were—especially between psychologists and their patients. Recalling what she’d dug up, Shi Wanxu had encountered Ning Jiuwei as a patient not long after beginning her career, and years later, she’d deleted the relevant medical records. Su Jinglan felt even more convinced of her suspicions.

Su Jinglan pressed further into Shi Wanxu’s romantic history. “The person Teacher Shi likes must be her equal—someone just as accomplished, around the same age as Teacher Shi, right? How did you two end up breaking up?”

“We were never together.” Shi Wanxu kept her gaze steady, stealing a discreet glance at Ning Jiuwei as she lifted her water cup.

Ever since Su Jinglan had arrived, Ning Jiuwei had simply sipped her water and listened, her smile gentle and her demeanor quiet and composed.

“What a pity.” The freshly poured water steamed too hot to drink. Su Jinglan rubbed the side of her cup, her expression warm and smiling. “Was it unrequited love? Or did the pursuit fall through?”

Shi Wanxu enjoyed dissecting others, not being dissected herself. “Any emotion distorts under the forge of time—even unrequited love. A life alone suits me better.”

The outsider saw most clearly. Ning Jiuwei quietly assessed their inner states, her smile deepening.

Shi Wanxu wouldn’t reveal her true feelings in front of Su Jinglan, whose less-than-subtle probing was obviously aimed at her. Seizing the moment, Ning Jiuwei spoke up. “I feel the same.”

Su Jinglan’s face fell at the words. “Designer Ning thinks living alone is better too?”

If Ning Jiuwei dared affirm it, she’d fling her napkin down and leave on the spot.

Ning Jiuwei smiled, her words pregnant with implication. “You only know which life is better after you’ve tasted sharing it with someone.”

The remark begged no deep rumination, but as Su Jinglan pondered it, heat crept into her cheeks. The memory of that intimate warmth felt like a brand seared into her skin, sending shivers of tingling numbness rippling through her chest.

In her mind’s ear, Ning Jiuwei’s low moans echoed—nothing like her usual unhurried grace. They were frantic pleas for release, laced with a thread of repressed hesitation that only tempted one to tease her further.

Su Jinglan reined in her wandering thoughts with a deep breath, shoving the ill-timed recollection back into the depths. “Do you have your answer now?”

“I do.” Ning Jiuwei shifted the topic, turning to Su Jinglan with a smile. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to the company?”

Su Jinglan had shared her schedule in exhaustive detail with Ning Jiuwei. By it, she ought to be in a meeting at the office right now.

“No rush.” Su Jinglan asked anyway, fully aware. “Designer Ning, want to head back to the company with me?”

“I’m going to Doctor Shi’s home. Not the company.”

She had the nerve to go to Shi Wanxu’s residence, unafraid of what might transpire.

Su Jinglan decided it was time to make her relationship with Ning Jiuwei explicit, to ward off any designs Shi Wanxu might have on her—or any improper words or actions at home.

“No time to pick me up after work, then?” Declaring Ning Jiuwei her girlfriend outright was too blunt. Su Jinglan’s mind whirred, landing on a more circuitous phrasing with the same punch.

Picking someone up after work happened only between intimates. Shi Wanxu, sharp as she was, would catch the hint.

Ning Jiuwei saw through Su Jinglan’s ploy and found it amusing. “Not sure when this will wrap up. If I have time, I’ll swing by the company to get you. If not, just drive yourself home.”

Shi Wanxu glanced between them, puzzled. “Has your relationship changed?”

Last time they’d met, Ning Jiuwei and Su Jinglan had been mere colleagues. Now, their wording screamed lovers.

“Our relationship isn’t ready to go public yet.” Ning Jiuwei’s smile turned profoundly meaningful. “But Doctor Shi can know. Allow me to formally introduce her to you, Doctor Shi.”

Ning Jiuwei took the initiative to clasp Su Jinglan’s hand, interlocking their fingers tightly. “This is my girlfriend, Su Jinglan.”

Shi Wanxu was stunned for several seconds before she snapped back to reality. She lifted her water glass, masking her momentary lapse with a smile, and nodded.

Su Jinglan relaxed completely. As both a paragon of virtue and a hospital psychologist, Shi Wanxu would never stoop to the unethical act of sabotaging someone else’s relationship.

After leaving the restaurant, Su Jinglan slid into the black Porsche parked around the corner. Lin Fengmian fastened her seatbelt, while Xie Yun in the passenger seat turned around, silently seeking new instructions with her eyes.

“No need to follow,” Su Jinglan said impassively, leaning back against the seat and casually picking up the tablet beside her.

Xie Yun murmured in acknowledgment and stepped out of the black Porsche.

The president’s expression looked rather poor. Harboring a well-intentioned concern, Lin Fengmian ventured a reminder. “President Su, if we don’t tail her, won’t that give Shi Wanxu an opening?”

“She has no chance now.” Su Jinglan felt a secret thrill bubbling inside her, though her spoken words carried firm conviction laced with a trace of irritation. “Drive.”

The Hengsu Group was just a short drive away—only five minutes. Recalling how Ning Jiuwei had introduced her to Shi Wanxu as her girlfriend, Su Jinglan ducked her head and curved her lips in a covert smile.

They pulled into the underground parking lot. Lin Fengmian parked the car and prepared to exit, but Su Jinglan smoothed away the amusement from her eyes and the corners of her mouth, adopting a serious demeanor as she asked Assistant Lin, “Fengmian, do you know about my relationship with Designer Ning?”

Lin Fengmian was caught off guard by the question. To say she knew it wouldn’t be entirely accurate, yet to claim ignorance would ignore how clearly she understood the president’s affections for Ning Jiuwei.

The exact stage of their relationship and whatever commitments they had made to each other were known only to those involved. Lin Fengmian shook her head, her eyes brimming with curiosity as she gazed pleadingly at the president in the back seat.

Lin Fengmian was company staff, which placed her firmly within the bounds of confidentiality. Su Jinglan quelled the impulse to reveal everything and instead shot Assistant Lin a pointed look that said, Figure it out yourself.

The company’s strategic decisions and policy directions fell to the president alone. After wrapping up a meeting upstairs, Su Jinglan had come down to the Design Division to address matters there.

With the quarterly new product launch drawing ever nearer, countless details for the evening banquet required fine-tuning. These affected quarterly sales figures and the fulfillment of annual targets, so Li Yao dared not let up.

“President Su, here’s a new marketing proposal.” Ning Jiuwei had been uncooperative with promotional efforts, so Li Yao hoped to leverage the president’s authority. If President Su personally insisted that Ning Jiuwei play along with the hype, she could hardly refuse—nor would she be able to.

Li Yao’s scheme seemed solid, but mere half a minute after handing the proposal to the president, it was snapped shut.

She tossed the document carelessly onto the desk and leaned back in her chair. Her cool gaze swept Director Li from head to toe.

“Does the Jewelry Design Department have a second Chief Designer?”

The emotionless tone, paired with the sharp sound of the file being discarded moments earlier, sent a shiver through Li Yao’s heart. She pressed her lips together and mustered a strained smile. “Only Ning Jiuwei.”

The proposal hadn’t named Ning Jiuwei directly but had referred to her obliquely as the Chief Designer.

Su Jinglan tapped her fingertips rhythmically against the armrest. “If the Chief Designer isn’t focusing on custom jewelry designs and is instead cooperating with a celebrity on hype, perhaps Designer Ning should pivot to the entertainment industry later—take up work in cultural entertainment.”

A leader’s intentions were impossible to fathom. Li Yao mulled over Su Jinglan’s words again and again, unable to divine the president’s true meaning.

The Hengsu Group held investments and controlling stakes in various film companies and studios—details of which eluded Li Yao—but ushering someone into the entertainment industry would be effortless for them. She didn’t dare chime in recklessly and instead treaded carefully, as if on thin ice. “President Su, what parts do you think need revision? I’ll go back and rework them.”

“I’ve only been with the Design Division a short while, so I’m not all that familiar with Designer Ning.” Su Jinglan’s eyes gleamed coldly. “Director Li, you’ve been here for years—surely you know her personality and preferences?”

Everyone knew Designer Ning had a gentle temperament; she simply disliked socializing and skipped any meetings or dinners she could avoid. Li Yao felt pins and needles on her back. The president claimed unfamiliarity with Designer Ning, yet she clearly had everyone’s working styles, tempers, and quirks pegged—otherwise, she wouldn’t have shut the file after barely glancing at it.

“I’ll have someone redo the proposal.” Li Yao’s mind whirred at full speed, reining herself in just shy of the precipice. “I guarantee it won’t include anything about Designer Ning cooperating on hype.”

“Mm.” Su Jinglan’s tone remained flat. “Go back to work.”

The president was letting her off easy. Li Yao snatched up the proposal and scurried away.

The office across from hers no longer held Ning Jiuwei’s silhouette; the entire floor seemed to dim in her absence. Su Jinglan propped her chin on one hand, her gaze drifting from the vacant Chief Designer’s Office back to her own. There, in a prominent spot on her desk, sat the perfume Ning Jiuwei had given her. Su Jinglan rolled up her sleeve and spritzed a light mist onto her wrist.

The clear, pleasant lily sandalwood scent gradually shifted to cedar white musk. Sniffing the familiar fragrance, Su Jinglan felt as if Ning Jiuwei were right by her side.

She leaned in to inhale the aroma on her wrist. The base notes of the same perfume, lingering on the skin, varied subtly from person to person. Blended with her own scent, it drew a soft sigh from Su Jinglan. She was too consumed with thoughts of Ning Jiuwei to focus on work.

On this rainy day, dusk fell swiftly. The lights of countless homes illuminated the bustling city. From the open door of her office, Assistant Tan’s voice drifted in faintly, indistinct enough to seem like an auditory hallucination.

The mention of Designer Ning caught Su Jinglan’s attention. She perked up her ears and listened carefully.

“Designer Ning, why are you coming to the company now?” It was nearly time to clock out, and this was the first time Tan Yushu had seen Designer Ning arrive at this hour.

Ning Jiuwei’s mild voice, laced with a smile, was pleasing to the ear. She satisfied Assistant Tan’s curiosity without haste. “I’m here to pick up the design drawings.”

Though she claimed to be fetching the drawings, Ning Jiuwei didn’t head to her own office.

Tan Yushu craned her neck to watch Designer Ning enter the President’s Office, her curiosity deepening. Were Designer Ning’s drawings with President Su?

It wasn’t out of the question.

“Designer Ning, you’re here in my office to get the drawings?” Su Jinglan had overheard Ning Jiuwei’s words.

Across the desk, Ning Jiuwei carried herself with steady composure, though the smile crinkling the corners of her eyes and brows revealed her true emotions. Her gaze burned intently on the woman before her as she replied, “I’m here for something even more important.”

Who could resist such teasing? Su Jinglan boldly drew Ning Jiuwei into her arms right there in the office, murmuring softly against her ear, “What even more important thing?”

Ning Jiuwei’s heart raced. She glanced toward the corridor and smiled without a word.

“I’ll take you somewhere,” Su Jinglan said, releasing her. “High school. Want to go?”

~~~