Chapter 43

The two hung up at about the same time. Su Jinglan casually set her phone on the coffee table and headed to the kitchen island to pour some water.

The house had three meeting rooms. The large living room was spacious and bright, furnished with a full set of soft, comfortable sofas facing a 120-inch TV screen—ideal for chatting with close friends. Su Jinglan carried the water into the slightly more formal small meeting room and placed it at the head of the conference table.

The rectangular rosewood conference table radiated luxury and elegance. The head seat and the vice-head seat faced each other from opposite ends, flanked by four chairs on each side, enough to seat ten people for a small meeting.

“Designer Ning, don’t stand on ceremony. Please, have a seat.” Su Jinglan pulled out a chair, maintaining just the right distance. “I’ll go open the door for Lanyan.”

It didn’t take long for her to come up from downstairs, but Su Jinglan didn’t linger in the small meeting room with some excuse. Instead, she went straight to the entryway.

The vast house was so quiet that the only sound was one’s own breathing. Ning Jiuwei picked up on the politeness and detachment in Su Jinglan’s manner, and it felt like an invisible vine had lashed at her heart, leaving a dull ache.

The pure water steamed gently, warm to the touch but not scalding through the insulated glass. Ning Jiuwei gripped her cup tightly, watching ripples spread across the surface, her own heart tightening in response.

Su Jinglan still hadn’t returned. There was no sound of the door opening or closing, no sign of Shen Lanyan arriving.

This wasn’t Ning Jiuwei’s first time at Su Jinglan’s home, but she wasn’t intimately familiar with the layout or furnishings. Holding her breath, she fell back on her usual composure to gradually calm her uneasy thoughts.

Shen Lanyan arrived, draped in a striking wine-red gown that exuded seductive allure. Her rich floral perfume carried an aggressively invasive scent.

“She’s waiting for you in the meeting room.” Su Jinglan’s tone was cool and even, unchanged from her usual demeanor. Shen Lanyan found it strange. When Su Jinglan turned and walked away without further word, she secured the door and followed, taking the initiative. “Does President Su have something she forgot to tell me?”

Su Jinglan didn’t look back. She strode directly to the sofa in the large living room and sat down. “You know how to activate the shielding function in the small meeting room. I don’t need to explain it.”

A president’s thoughts were inscrutable, her words open to interpretation depending on the angle.

Uncertain of Su Jinglan’s intent, Shen Lanyan pivoted and settled beside her, offering a smile laced with intrigue to test the waters. “I remember the smart system’s permissions in the small meeting room are independent. Once activated from inside, it can’t be opened easily from outside.”

Su Jinglan let out a neutral hum, her face impassive.

Unable to read her, Shen Lanyan rose and entered the small meeting room based on her own assumptions.

“Sorry to keep Designer Ning waiting. I had to change out of my pajamas before coming to President Su’s house.” The smart system control panel was embedded in the wall. Shen Lanyan woke the screen with practiced ease and activated the shielding function.

Shielding walls materialized instantly around the small meeting room. Under the smart system’s control, the transparent glow shifted to a crisp white suited for business discussions, mimicking the company’s small conference room.

Ning Jiuwei betrayed no surprise, greeting Shen Lanyan with calm poise. “Please, have a seat, Miss Shen.”

Only two cups of water and a single phone sat on the conference table. As Shen Lanyan took her seat, she glanced at the screen. Ning Jiuwei hadn’t activated recording; it was frozen on the work WeChat chat interface.

“I don’t have any specific ideas for the custom piece.” Shen Lanyan nudged her water cup aside, propped her chin on her hand, and beamed at Ning Jiuwei. “Why doesn’t big sister ask the questions, and I’ll answer?”

The shielding walls blocked all sound. Their conversation was for their ears alone.

Shen Lanyan wanted a custom necklace and brooch. Ning Jiuwei began with basic elements and shapes, probing her preferences. “Should Miss Shen’s necklace and brooch incorporate matching elements? Feathers or leaves, for instance.”

She steered the discussion, using examples to guide Shen Lanyan’s thoughts.

Custom designers tended to ask the same sorts of questions, each one fishing for concrete ideas and requirements. Shen Lanyan’s fingertips drummed lightly on the table as she feigned contemplation, her gaze locked on Ning Jiuwei.

Her lips curved in an upward arc, honed through deliberate practice to always entice. Even without a mirror, Shen Lanyan knew precisely how alluring her smile was in that moment.

The expressions and looks that effortlessly stirred emotions in her co-stars fell flat before Ning Jiuwei. The designer seemed an ascetic utterly detached from worldly desires, unmoved by her stunning features and exquisite beauty. There wasn’t a flicker of attraction in her eyes.

Far from swayed, Ning Jiuwei offered a timely reassurance. “Take your time, Miss Shen. No need to rush.”

A designer’s temperament often ran inverse to their talent, but Ning Jiuwei’s was perfectly in harmony with hers—like warm, unpolished jade, or the vast sea that embraced all things.

When did Designer Ning ever lose her temper?

Only when truly offended did she reveal a chilling, intimidating presence.

Shen Lanyan reached out unexpectedly and grasped the hand Ning Jiuwei was using to hold her cup, her fingertip rubbing against the back of Ning Jiuwei’s hand in a gesture full of flirtation.

Ning Jiuwei glanced at it calmly and pulled her hand away. “Has Miss Shen come up with any ideas?”

“I can’t think of anything.” Shen Lanyan’s smile brimmed with amusement. “Maybe I need to do something to spark some inspiration.”

“Like what?”

“Has Designer Ning ever been kissed?” As an actress, kissing wasn’t always with a lover. Shen Lanyan had filmed kissing scenes with plenty of co-stars, discussing the motions and emotions beforehand and afterward. Talking about it with Ning Jiuwei didn’t embarrass her in the slightest.

Ning Jiuwei fell silent, her mild gaze showing neither disgust nor nervousness.

Having hit a wall, Shen Lanyan refused to give up easily and pressed deeper into the topic. “I’ve kissed a lot of people, but none of them ever stirred my heart—that surging feeling where you want to melt into the other person. Does Designer Ning know what that’s like?”

Ning Jiuwei hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

Seeing that Shen Lanyan was about to continue, Ning Jiuwei seized control of the conversation. “Does Miss Shen want a design related to emotions?”

Shen Lanyan: “…” Was design all that was on Ning Jiuwei’s mind?

“A necklace wrapping around the neck, a brooch pinned over the heart.” Ning Jiuwei pointed to her own chest. “I think I understand the kind of design Miss Shen is after. You want people to look at you and feel desire right here.”

Ning Jiuwei’s blunt wording left Shen Lanyan speechless for a moment.

No wonder she was the genius who had burst onto the scene and claimed multiple major design awards—the HS Chief Designer. No matter how much you flirted with her, her mind stayed fixed on design work, untainted by any stray thoughts.

“Sister, am I just a client in your eyes?”

Ning Jiuwei smiled faintly. “A top star at that, with endorsements and ads everywhere.”

Here with Ning Jiuwei, Shen Lanyan felt like a celebrity was just an ordinary person. Ning Jiuwei’s lips called her a top star, but her heart wasn’t swayed in the least. Every other designer Shen Lanyan had worked with had fawned over her with enthusiasm and flattery. Only Ning Jiuwei stood apart, surrounded by an intangible wall—polite, yet distant.

“Can Designer Ning create a necklace and brooch that fill someone with desire?”

Ning Jiuwei pondered for a moment. “I’ll do my best. Whether it satisfies Miss Shen is for you to decide once you see the designs.”

The final judgment rested with the client; good or bad was up to them. All Ning Jiuwei could do was create.

“Alright, I’ll look forward to it.”

No sooner had Shen Lanyan spoken than Ning Jiuwei stood up.

“Designer Sister, no need to rush off, right?” Seeing Ning Jiuwei about to leave, Shen Lanyan rose as well.

“It’s getting late, Miss Shen.” Ning Jiuwei had her excuse ready. “I have a friend waiting for me.”

The shielding function in the small meeting room deactivated, and beyond the vanished shielding walls, Su Jinglan sat quietly on the sofa, reviewing a document. Her focused profile came into view, catching Ning Jiuwei off guard and making her heart race unexpectedly.

Su Jinglan had been in the living room the whole time.

“All done?” Hearing footsteps, Su Jinglan looked up from her file. Her deep gaze, like the night itself, concealed emotions that were impossible to read.

Shen Lanyan arched a brow and smiled. “All done. Thanks for the chat space, President Su.”

“No need to thank me.” Su Jinglan closed the document and stood. “Designer Ning, please wait a moment. I have a few words I’d like to say to you.”

Ning Jiuwei wanted to refuse, but facing Su Jinglan’s inscrutable eyes, the words stuck in her throat.

“Won’t you see me out, President Su?” Shen Lanyan glanced between them, not leaving right away.

“Let’s go. I’ll walk you.”

Su Jinglan escorted Shen Lanyan to the door. The entryway was some distance from the living room, and with voices lowered, nothing would carry. Shen Lanyan gave Su Jinglan a heads-up. “Rest assured, President Su—I didn’t do anything excessive to your precious designer.”

“Anything else?” Su Jinglan asked, her expression impassive.

Shen Lanyan sensed the undercurrent of danger. “I won’t keep you from your in-depth chat with Designer Ning.” She hurried off.

Su Jinglan closed the door and lingered with her hand on the knob, a smile curving her lips.

By the time she returned to the living room, the smile had vanished entirely. Su Jinglan sat in the spot closest to Ning Jiuwei and asked about the evening’s custom collaboration. “How far along is the customization discussion?”

It was perfectly reasonable for a boss to check on work progress.

Ning Jiuwei answered readily. “Miss Shen laid out specific requirements. Next up is signing a new contract and drafting the design drawings.”

Su Jinglan nodded. Ning Jiuwei then asked, “Is there anything else, President Su? If not, I’ll take my leave.”

She had lied to Shen Lanyan—Wen Wanyuan had left after learning she was out meeting a client. But facing Su Jinglan, Ning Jiuwei felt from the bottom of her heart that it was better not to lie and to simply ask to go.

“Designer Ning, please wait a moment.” Su Jinglan’s gaze subtly swept over Ning Jiuwei’s bare neck. She made a quick trip to the bedroom and returned with a pure black square jewelry box in hand, its metal surface giving off a distinctly cold sheen.

Su Jinglan presented the jewelry box to Ning Jiuwei with both hands, her eyes gleaming with anticipation and brimming with tenderness.

Ning Jiuwei couldn’t bring herself to refuse. “What’s inside?”

“Open it and see, Designer Ning,” Su Jinglan said with a smile. “Go on, open it now.”

The pure black metal box gave no hint of its contents. Ning Jiuwei hesitated to open it right away—especially not in front of Su Jinglan. She feared whatever lay inside might unleash emotions she couldn’t control, leading her to lose her composure.

The frosted surface provided a good grip, and Ning Jiuwei instinctively held it a little tighter. “I’ll look at it when I get home. Thank you for the gift, President Su.”

No matter what was inside, she lumped it under the safe term “gift.”

“Rest assured, Designer Ning—it’s not a love letter,” Su Jinglan teased. She cupped Ning Jiuwei’s hand in hers and together they flipped open the lid.

Nestled inside the metal box on a wooden holder was a faint scent of sandalwood, carrying an air of age-old elegance. Draped across the holder was a delicate platinum chain bearing a rose gold diamond ring pendant that sparkled brilliantly in the overhead light.

Su Jinglan lifted the necklace and unfastened the clasp, her hand gliding around Ning Jiuwei’s neck from the side to the nape.

“President Su…”

Their face-to-face stance drew them intimately close with her lean-in. Ning Jiuwei’s breath caught in her throat as Su Jinglan whispered tenderly, her tone carrying an unyielding command. “Wear it. And don’t take it off.”

The ring’s design appeared to have some years behind it. Ning Jiuwei’s heart raced beyond her control, her words stumbling out. “You… when did you buy it?”

~~~