Chapter 47

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Ning Jiuwei and Su Jinglan left the company together, then returned together. Everyone couldn’t help huddling at their workstations, stealing glances at them. Their eyes appeared fixed on their screens, but their peripheral vision tracked the pair until they vanished around the corner of the hallway.

The meeting had ended. Lin Fengmian glanced at Ning Jiuwei, who was poring over her documents with her head down, then sent the meeting video and minutes to the President’s Office.

“Director Zhang, as instructed, assigned this year’s theme and deadline for the annual new product to all the designers,” Lin Fengmian reported the highlights, having sat through the entire meeting. “Oh, and Director Zhang mentioned that the annual new product line will consist of six pieces total. There’s no cap on how many a designer can submit—if the work is good enough, one designer could handle all six.”

Designing even a single piece was enough to stress a designer into pulling their hair out. Coming up with six interconnected pieces would drain every last drop of their energy and inspiration.

“That was my instruction to Zhang Xiaoyue.” Su Jinglan signed off on the documents with calm composure, stacking the approved ones to her left and pulling the next from the pile in front.

No wonder Director Zhang had been bold enough to say it. Lin Fengmian glanced across the transparent glass walls at the Chief Designer’s Office. Ning Jiuwei hadn’t so much as looked up once. “Does that include Designer Ning submitting designs for the annual new product?”

Countless clients requested Ning Jiuwei by name. Client files arrived at Ning Jiuwei’s Office daily for her to pick from. She was the HS Chief Designer in name only—more like an independent designer loosely affiliated with the company, free from most constraints. Asking her to tackle the annual new product felt like overkill.

The bonuses didn’t hold a candle to the commissions from even one of her custom pieces.

When Ning Jiuwei’s name came up, Su Jinglan signed the last document and finally looked up. Her gaze settled on the diligently working Designer Ning, a smile tugging irresistibly at her lips. “Tell her the theme and deadline. If she has time, have her submit a set of design drawings.”

Lin Fengmian nodded. “Understood. I’ll go inform Designer Ning right away.”

She turned to leave, but Su Jinglan called her back. “Tell her to submit six.”

Lin Fengmian: “…”

Aren’t you head over heels for Ning Jiuwei? How could you be so ruthless?

Lin Fengmian bit back her thoughts and headed off to deliver the President’s command.

The office door stood slightly ajar. Lin Fengmian curled her fingers and rapped her knuckles lightly against it before pushing inside. “Is Designer Ning busy?”

“I’m going over the meeting minutes.” The printed version captured everyone’s remarks in text, easy to flip through. Ning Jiuwei looked up. “What can I do for you, Assistant Lin?”

It went without saying—Assistant Lin’s visit had to involve Su Jinglan.

Ning Jiuwei stayed perfectly poised and direct. Lin Fengmian offered her standard professional smile, polite yet assertive, and got straight to the point. “The meeting covered the design assignments for the annual new product. Every designer has to submit at least one design drawing. President Su insists that Designer Ning participate too.”

Ning Jiuwei always sketched something for practice whenever they set a new product theme. Asking her to turn one in this time didn’t strike her as odd. Su Jinglan was the new President of the Business Division, after all, and applying the rule to all designers made perfect sense.

“I’ll submit on time.” Ning Jiuwei’s gentle tone was her polite dismissal. Assistant Lin lingered by the desk, clearly holding something back, so Ning Jiuwei prompted her. “Is there anything else, Assistant Lin?”

Assistant Lin pressed her lips together. “The annual new product plan calls for six pieces. Designer Ning needs to submit designs for all six.”

Silence blanketed the office.

The demand did sound outrageous. Other designers only had to hand in one drawing, with the option to do more if they had bandwidth. As Chief Designer, Ning Jiuwei ought to be cherry-picking high-end commissions, not churning out mass-market pieces. And yet President Su wanted six from her.

Any other designer would have slammed the table and stormed off.

Ning Jiuwei lowered her gaze, pondering for a moment. When she looked up again, the warmth in her eyes had sharpened into something fierce and unnerving. Lin Fengmian’s heart lurched, as if she’d been flayed by a thousand invisible blades, her blood turning to ice.

“Per my contract, Assistant Lin, I’m not required to design quarterly or annual series products.”

The icy, emotionless rebuke sent Lin Fengmian’s heart hammering wildly. She didn’t realize how rubbery her legs had gone until she was stumbling out the door—each step felt like sinking into soft cotton, threatening to buckle beneath her.

She finally dragged her wobbly legs back to the President’s Office and gulped down a deep breath. What a task President Su had handed down—it had transformed the warm, approachable designer into a force of nature.

“President Su, I’ve spoken to Designer Ning.” Assistant Lin pulled out the chair before the desk and sank into it. “She doesn’t have time for six pieces but promised to deliver one on schedule.”

Being a president’s assistant required emotional intelligence. When relaying messages between superiors and subordinates, one couldn’t pass along every word verbatim—one had to master the art of tactful phrasing.

“Is that what she said?” While Assistant Lin spoke with Ning Jiuwei, Su Jinglan watched from the shadows. Ning Jiuwei’s response hadn’t quite matched, and Su Jinglan’s expression darkened. An overwhelming aura of authority emanated from her, bearing down on Assistant Lin’s heart, which had only just begun to steady, crushing it once more under the weight of that intimidating pressure.

Lin Fengmian clenched her hand and answered truthfully. “Designer Ning isn’t willing to do the design.”

“I’ll go speak to her myself.” Su Jinglan’s interest piqued, and she capped her pen.

Alone in the President’s Office, Lin Fengmian let out a soft sigh. The two hadn’t come to blows in the reception room last time, but this time, Designer Ning might actually lay hands on the president.

Lin Fengmian shifted in her seat, swiveling her chair slightly to the side.

Su Jinglan didn’t bother knocking. She strode straight into Ning Jiuwei’s office and locked the door behind her.

“Designer Ning isn’t willing to design the annual new product?” There was no smile on Su Jinglan’s face as she circled the desk and approached Ning Jiuwei. She gripped the back of the chair and gave it a gentle turn, forcing Ning Jiuwei to face her.

The looming posture compelled Ning Jiuwei to tilt her head up. She leaned back lazily against the chair, replying to Su Jinglan’s question with breezy nonchalance. “I don’t have time to design new products.”

Her expression remained calm and detached, but the moment Su Jinglan had risen to her feet, Ning Jiuwei’s inner world had erupted into turmoil.

Su Jinglan leaned in closer. “Your perfume smells stronger now.”

The abrupt shift in topic caught Ning Jiuwei off guard, shattering her defenses in an instant. Her breathing faltered.

“Did Designer Ning reapply her perfume?” Su Jinglan’s gaze drifted to the drawers beneath the desk, landing precisely on the second one where the perfume bottle sat.

The base notes of a light fragrance didn’t linger long. After two or three hours, the scent faded to near nothing, detectable only up close on the skin. Ning Jiuwei kept a bottle in her office and had spritzed her wrists upon returning.

The crisp woody aroma helped her focus and compose herself. Lily sandalwood intertwined with cedar white musk, blending into an aura that warned others to keep their distance.

Yet Su Jinglan breached that boundary, planting both hands on the armrests and trapping Ning Jiuwei in place.

Her heart pounded wildly, the thrum echoing through every fiber of her being, sending waves of indescribable tingling through her body. In that moment, she couldn’t muster any resistance. Ning Jiuwei clenched her fists tightly. As Su Jinglan leaned in again, she pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Yes, I reapplied it when I got back.”

The scent was too intoxicating. Su Jinglan struggled to hold herself back, her eyes drawn to those soft lips, an overwhelming urge to draw closer surging within her.

“You have five months to design the annual new product. With your talent, Designer Ning, you could sketch it out in five hours.” Su Jinglan reined herself in, straightening up and restoring a safe distance between them.

The lingering warmth and scent of her departure gave Ning Jiuwei a moment to breathe. Gripping the armrests, she vented her pent-up emotions under her breath. “President Su overestimates me.”

“I heard from Zhang Xiaoyue that all you need is a theme, and Designer Ning can produce a design drawing in three minutes.” Su Jinglan met Ning Jiuwei’s eyes directly. “Your design talent and drafting skills are unfathomable. You can master any style or theme.”

“Director Zhang is exaggerating. President Su needn’t take it seriously.” Ning Jiuwei concealed her own brilliance, refusing to acknowledge it.

Drawing too quickly was sometimes a flaw.

Su Jinglan’s lips curved into a smile. Her beautiful, deep eyes sparkled like stars, radiating a captivating glow that stirred the heart.

“I believe Director Zhang spoke the truth. Designer Ning graduated from the top school for artificial intelligence majors and effortlessly pivoted to jewelry design. Your gifts likely extend far beyond design—you handle everything with ease and mastery.”

Ning Jiuwei ducked her head, breathing through her mouth as her hands gripped the armrests tighter. Seeing this, Su Jinglan knew when to stop. She steered the conversation back to the annual new product designs. “Can you draw up the design drawings, Designer Ning?”

“Yes.” Ning Jiuwei didn’t dare refuse again—who knew what flowery praise Su Jinglan might unleash next? She was sure Director Zhang had sung her praises to Su Jinglan before, but nothing like what she’d just heard.

Su Jinglan smiled. “How many pieces can you do?”

“Six.” Right now, Ning Jiuwei just wanted Su Jinglan out of her office as quickly as possible.

Satisfied with the answer, Su Jinglan still lingered. Her gaze flicked to the drawer. “Designer Ning, your perfume smells wonderful. I was thinking…”

Before she could finish, Ning Jiuwei pulled open the drawer and retrieved the bottle. “It’s for you, President Su.”

I want a perfume just like Designer Ning’s. She wouldn’t mind, right?

Su Jinglan swallowed the rest of her words. Taking the bottle from Ning Jiuwei, she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from turning up. “Designer Ning, this bottle looks like it’s barely been used.”

She reached out her hand. “Designer Ning, could you help me roll up my sleeve?”

Ning Jiuwei glanced toward the President’s Office across the hall. Assistant Lin sat there with her head down, idly scrolling on her phone and looking thoroughly bored.

“President Su, why don’t you head back to your own office to try the perfume? Assistant Lin can help you.”

“Assistant Lin doesn’t know how to roll up sleeves.” Su Jinglan twisted off the glass cap and gripped the cool body of the perfume bottle, extending her arm once more.

Everything was ready. All that was left was Ning Jiuwei.

Her emotions churned violently. She was on the verge of exposing everything right in front of Su Jinglan. Ning Jiuwei took hold of Su Jinglan’s hand, undid the button at her cuff, and rolled the sleeve up, revealing a fair and slender wrist.

Su Jinglan spritzed the inside of her wrist. A lush, velvety rose fragrance, laced with a subtle hint of sandalwood, wafted through the air. The initial aged woody undertone grew purer and more transparent with time.

“It smells just like you, Designer Ning.” Su Jinglan leaned in close to her wrist, inhaling the scent carefully. The top notes were delightful but all too brief. Her heart surged like a torrent. “I really like it.”

Eyes brimming with hidden affection gazed smilingly at Ning Jiuwei. It was impossible to tell whether she meant the perfume or the person. Ning Jiuwei’s heart felt like it might burst. Unable to stop herself, she grasped Su Jinglan’s freshly scented wrist.

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