Chapter 26

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The closing door stirred up a gentle breeze that brushed against her cheeks and tousled her hair. Su Jinglan’s gesture had been abrupt, yet her touch was tender as she held Ning Jiuwei’s wrist and smiled at her. “What brings you here, Designer Ning?”

Fresh from a hot shower, Ning Jiuwei’s skin radiated lingering warmth. The contact felt scorching, and she couldn’t help but struggle a little. Su Jinglan released her just in time, her gaze lingering on the wrist with a hint of amusement before settling on Ning Jiuwei’s lovely face.

The room was carpeted in soft plush, absorbing the silent patter of dripping water. Ning Jiuwei lowered her eyes, clenching her hands discreetly and swallowing against her dry, tight throat. Steadying her voice, she said, “I wanted to ask why President Su is here.”

Beside the entryway stood an open wardrobe, Su Jinglan’s clothes neatly hung on hangers. The robe she wore had loosened at some point, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her collarbone right before Ning Jiuwei’s eyes.

Lifting her gaze, Ning Jiuwei held her breath, her expression impassive as she waited for a straight answer from Su Jinglan.

Su Jinglan merely smiled without replying.

Holding her breath until she thought she might suffocate, Ning Jiuwei finally had to exhale. The rich, unfamiliar scent of Su Jinglan’s shower gel flooded her lungs in an instant, sending a dull throb through her mind.

Clinging to her fraying composure, Ning Jiuwei mustered her words to take her leave. “I won’t disturb you any longer, President Su.”

“I’m here on a business trip,” Su Jinglan said, providing the answer Ning Jiuwei sought just as she turned to go.

Ning Jiuwei’s hand rested on the door handle, but she didn’t press it down. She glanced back at Su Jinglan, skepticism clear in her voice. “A business trip?”

“If you have time, Designer Ning, you could join me for a meeting the morning after tomorrow,” Su Jinglan replied without questioning her doubt, extending the invitation as proof.

Given the current state of their relationship, Ning Jiuwei had her reservations and likely wouldn’t agree anyway—and even if she did, there was no real risk. After all, the business trip wasn’t a lie.

Su Jinglan’s smile didn’t fade, her deep eyes clear and guileless. Ning Jiuwei saw no trace of guilt or deception there. After a moment’s hesitation, she declined. “I have something the day after tomorrow. I can’t join you for the meeting, President Su.”

The room wasn’t particularly warm, and her hair wouldn’t dry anytime soon. Ning Jiuwei noticed the strands draped over Su Jinglan’s shoulders still dripping water and silently urged her to blow-dry it.

Her concern was veiled in her words. Su Jinglan caught it and chuckled softly, ignoring the hint as she continued chatting. “Where are you headed tomorrow, Designer Ning?”

“Not sure yet.” Ning Jiuwei grasped the door handle again. “I need to shower too. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“Ning Jiuwei.” Su Jinglan called out, her hand smoothly covering the back of Ning Jiuwei’s to stop her from opening the door. They were suddenly very close. Ning Jiuwei’s heart clenched. Her gaze swung toward the pale skin and quickly averted, responding with a single syllable. “Hm?”

Su Jinglan pressed down a little harder. “Why did you ask about my reason for being here? What are you trying to confirm?”

Those in positions of power were masters of strategy, piecing together causes and effects from scant words and subtle gestures. Su Jinglan steered the conversation, drawing Ning Jiuwei closer.

Ning Jiuwei bit the inside of her lip, her voice dropping unconsciously. “Just curious. Nothing to confirm.”

She avoided Su Jinglan’s eyes and, with resolve, opened the door and left.

The door across the hall had been open when she came over. Ning Jiuwei hurried back to her own room in Room 2201, taking two steps at a time.

The moment she shut her door, she leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Her chest heaved violently with each breath, the pent-up emotions refusing to vent, battering against her heart like a storm threatening to unearth long-buried memories.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

Ning Jiuwei dug her nails into the flesh between her thumb and forefinger. The sharp pain steadied her, and her ragged breathing gradually slowed.

But only moments later, her heart raced again. Her body felt neither cold nor hot, her chilled limbs dragging along the surging heat from her pounding heart. Supporting herself against the wall, she stumbled unevenly into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Ice-cold water cascaded over her from above, instantly soaking her half-unbuttoned shirt and clinging to her skin, outlining every curve and line of her body.

Ning Jiuwei wiped the water from her face, gripped the handrail, and bent over to exhale shakily.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, her heart aching with sharp twinges. It felt like staying up all night on the brink of collapse. Slowly, she straightened up, twisting the faucet to hot water.

The hotel shower lacked the smart controls of home. The unadjusted scalding water poured over her, reddening her skin even through her clothes. Ning Jiuwei snapped back to reality and shut it off.

After catching her breath, she carefully adjusted the temperature. Under the warm spray, she stripped off her drenched clothes and hung them on the handrail.

The hotel guest rooms all used the same uniform aromatherapy scents, the same shower gel and shampoo. The fragrance clinging to Su Jinglan lingered in Ning Jiuwei’s memory. Ning Jiuwei stared at the shower gel she’d just squeezed into her palm, hesitating for a moment before applying it to her body.

Her flushed skin grew even more tender under the rush of hot water. She gathered her disheveled hair at the back of her head and tilted her face upward, rinsing away the foam as she let her mind go blank.

The hot water supply was plentiful; no matter how long she stayed, the temperature held steady at the setting she’d chosen. Ning Jiuwei lingered in the bathroom for over an hour before finally emerging.

She’d packed a set of long-sleeved, long-legged pajamas specifically for the trip. Ning Jiuwei slipped into the loose, comfortable outfit, gathered her damp clothes from the bathroom, and tossed them into the washing machine.

The business suites came equipped with a washer-dryer combo. Ning Jiuwei tore open a package for a disposable toothbrush and brushed her teeth in front of the mirror, listening to the rhythmic hum of the drum.

The bathroom was brightly lit, with an LED strip mounted above the mirror. Ning Jiuwei placed her palms flat on the vanity and examined the red veins threading through the whites of her eyes.

The minty foam filled her mouth, tingling against her tongue. She leaned over the sink to spit it out, then took a cup of water to rinse.

Once her mouth was clean, the redness in her eyes had faded slightly, but it was still there. Ning Jiuwei rummaged in her bag for her eye drops to relieve fatigue, administered a drop in each eye, then slipped on a warm compress mask and lay down on the bed.

The massive bed felt as soft as a cloud, fitted with four pillows per the double-occupancy standard. Ning Jiuwei propped two behind her back and leaned against them, contemplating tomorrow’s schedule in the quiet room.

Her phone, charging on the nightstand, had long since reached full battery. WeChat notifications lit up the screen and faded away. With the eye mask on, Ning Jiuwei couldn’t see them until the voice call rang out, alerting her to the backlog of unread messages.

“My designer sister, you haven’t gone to bed already, have you?” The moment she picked up, that familiar teasing lilt emanated from the speaker.

Ning Jiuwei replied calmly, “I’m just about to sleep. Is there something you need, Miss Shen?”

“I’ve been missing your cooking.” Shen Lanyan swirled the wine in her glass, her eyes sparkling with amusement as they fixed on the cherry-red liquid. She tilted her chin slightly and let the crisp vintage slide down her throat.

The sound of her swallow carried clearly into Ning Jiuwei’s ear—a sound that would tempt anyone. To Ning Jiuwei, though, it was just an ordinary bodily motion.

“I’m out of town on business right now, not in Jiangji. I can’t cook for you, Miss Shen.” Ning Jiuwei was about to wrap up the call when a soft laugh came from the other end. Shen Lanyan asked playfully, “Where are you on this trip, sister? Maybe we’ll run into each other.”

Ning Jiuwei couldn’t help thinking of Su Jinglan.

“You won’t even tell me?” Shen Lanyan set down her glass and crooked a finger at Ah Xiao, signaling her to pour another.

Ning Jiuwei pulled her wandering thoughts back to the room across the hall. “I’m in Wen Hai right now.”

“Wen Hai? That’s right by the sea—you could take a cruise out for some fun.” Shen Lanyan’s tone shifted. “They’ve also got Film City over there. Drama crews are always shooting on location.”

Ning Jiuwei stayed silent, waiting to hear what Shen Lanyan was getting at.

“It’s a shame my new script is a modern drama, or I could’ve gone to Wen Hai to find you, sister.” With her glass half-full again, Shen Lanyan downed it in one go, mustering enough drowsiness to justify bed. Clutching her phone, she retreated to the bedroom and propped herself against the headboard to keep chatting. “How long are you staying there, sister?”

Ning Jiuwei had grown immune to the “sister” endearment, answering Shen Lanyan without a ripple of emotion. “One week.”

“Then when you get back next week, can I finally see those design drawings from you?” Feeling the warmth rise, Shen Lanyan tugged at the collar of her robe.

Per the contract timeline, it was indeed time to deliver the initial drafts. Ning Jiuwei murmured her assent. “Miss Shen, I’ll send you the design drawings on schedule. No need to worry—get some rest.”

“You’re so eager to hang up on me?” Shen Lanyan’s lips curved into a smile as her fingertips toyed with the sash of her robe. The more she interacted with Ning Jiuwei, the more intrigued she became, the more she wanted to worm her way into the woman’s life. “I’m calling my designer sister not to rush the drawings—I just wanted to talk to you.”

Ning Jiuwei didn’t mince words. “I need to rest, Miss Shen.”

“Fine then. Good night, my designer sister.” Shen Lanyan’s voice turned brazen over the line. “I’ll be thinking of you.”

Ning Jiuwei, who had zero desire to be thought of that way, hung up immediately.

Thanks to that voice call, she skimmed Shen Lanyan’s unread WeChat messages but didn’t reply. She scrolled through the chat history from top to bottom, checking and responding where needed—except for Shen Lanyan’s thread. There was also an unanswered message from Wen Wanyuan.

Ning Jiuwei set her phone aside, switched off the hallway light and the overhead, leaving only the bedside lamp as she settled in to sleep.

The hotel bed was softer than the one at home. The thick mattress sank deeply under her weight alone. Ning Jiuwei tossed and turned a few times before finding the perfect position and drifting off.

The hotel walls offered excellent soundproofing. In a place perfectly suited for couples to enjoy their intimate moments, Ning Jiuwei heard no sounds of passion from next door. Yet as she slept, she only grew hotter and hotter, her muscles aching with sharp, needle-like pains.

Her consciousness drifted hazily in the haze. Though she sank deeper into slumber, Ning Jiuwei felt as if she couldn’t catch her breath. Her mind shuttled endlessly between groggy wakefulness and heavy sleep.

Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy, but she finally forced her eyes open. She pondered her surroundings, and the discomfort she was experiencing now felt all too familiar from just a short while ago.

Ning Jiuwei pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. It was scorching hot—she must have developed a fever at some point, and even her eyes felt stuffy and swollen with heat.

Perhaps she hadn’t fully recovered from before, or maybe the unexpected cold shower tonight had triggered an old ailment with the sudden shift from hot to cold.

Propping herself up from the bed, she groped for her phone and called Assistant Tan.

“Little Tan, I think I’ve got a fever. Could you grab some fever reducers for me?” The hotel had a 24-Hour Smart Self-Service Pharmacy. Ning Jiuwei had barely hung up when a knock sounded at her door, crisp and clear in the silent corridor of the late night.

Squinting through bleary eyes, she leaned on the wall for support as she went to answer it. She hadn’t even made out the figure on the other side when her head spun and her legs buckled, sending her pitching forward.

“Designer Ning.” A familiar fragrance wafted from the other woman. Ning Jiuwei could have sworn she was hallucinating—Assistant Tan’s voice sounded just like Su Jinglan’s.

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