Chapter 67

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The sales associate enthusiastically answered the customer’s question.

“Of course, the fitting room is right over there.” She led them along. “Don’t worry, ladies—there are no surveillance cameras in the fitting rooms, so feel free to try them on.”

Su Jinglan was practically itching to give it a go, her eager anticipation shining clearly through her smiling eyes and straight into Ning Jiuwei’s view. Just imagining what came next was enough to set Ning Jiuwei’s blood racing.

Steeling her nerves, Ning Jiuwei glanced at the sexy lingerie in Su Jinglan’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut. “President Su, I don’t wear this kind of style. I never will in my lifetime.”

She even bought one-piece swimsuits—no sexiness there at all.

“You’ve got a long life ahead of you. Tastes can change.” Su Jinglan picked up the same style in a larger size and had the sales associate bag it up.

“I’ll get you fresh ones.” Adhering to the principle of putting customers first, the sales associate provided thoughtful service, swiftly pulling two new pieces from the stock cabinet.

What did that mean? Ning Jiuwei’s gaze followed the sales associate to the register. Two pieces in different sizes—clearly one for each of them. Had Su Jinglan just decided to buy one for her without asking?

Su Jinglan wasn’t in a rush to pay. Instead, she turned to Ning Jiuwei with keen interest. “Won’t Teacher Ning pick one out for me?”

That gentle voice pulled Ning Jiuwei’s attention back. She paused for a moment, then selected a maximally conservative bra—pure black, no underwire, no lace or patterns—figuring it was the sort Su Jinglan wouldn’t like.

“I’ll like anything Teacher Ning picks.” Su Jinglan saw right through Ning Jiuwei’s intentions.

And she meant it—no sweet talk to coax her. Anything selected by Ning Jiuwei, she would genuinely like.

For the same style, Su Jinglan had the sales associate grab two pieces in the sizes from before.

Four items sold at once—the sales associate’s delight was impossible to hide. While the cashier scanned and tallied, she eagerly pushed the matching sets.

There were complete sets for bras and panties. Su Jinglan was in high spirits today and agreed without a second thought, letting the associate add them in.

Su Jinglan hadn’t said they were for Ning Jiuwei, so Ning Jiuwei didn’t dare ask outright—it would seem presumptuous.

But it was obvious they were for her. Ning Jiuwei mulled over her words, then asked in the casual tone of an ordinary friend, “President Su, why two sizes?”

“What do you think, Teacher Ning?”

Su Jinglan handed the shopping bag to Secretary Xie, who was waiting outside the store, and murmured a few words to her.

Ning Jiuwei couldn’t help but let her thoughts run wild. Seeing the two of them whispering sent her mind tumbling into a rush of heated imaginings. She held her breath, gradually tamping down the burning flush in her chest.

A figure hurried through the first floor, eyes darting quickly over the shops on both sides. After searching nearly half the mall, she stopped upon spotting Ning Jiuwei.

Finally found Teacher Ning. Jiang Shiyao’s face lit up with a beaming smile. She caught her breath for a few seconds, then prepared to head over.

But as she took her first step, another person appeared at Ning Jiuwei’s side. The two walked shoulder to shoulder, intimately close.

President Su? Jiang Shiyao felt as if a heavy weight had slammed into her heart, shattering it into fragments.

The mall’s center featured a lipstick and cosmetics counter. Jiang Shiyao trailed after them discreetly, using a pillar to conceal herself as she observed from afar.

“Miss…” The counter attendant approached to introduce the products, but Jiang Shiyao cut her off right away. “Not buying.”

She didn’t even glance at the attendant, her eyes locked intently on the pair ahead.

Ning Jiuwei and Su Jinglan strolled slowly through the mall. Whenever Su Jinglan took an interest in a shop, Ning Jiuwei didn’t dampen her enthusiasm and went in with her.

After covering the entire first floor, Ning Jiuwei called it quits. “President Su, that’s enough shopping for today. I need to get back and work on my design drawings.”

She turned to face Su Jinglan directly as she spoke, her sharp eyes catching sight of a suspicious figure lurking nearby. She looked right at it.

Su Jinglan followed Ning Jiuwei’s gaze and glanced back. “See someone?”

The hidden Jiang Shiyao clutched her chest, mouth agape as she gasped for air.

“No one.” Ning Jiuwei smiled warmly and looked away, covering for Jiang Shiyao. “Where to next for you, President Su? Back to the company or home?”

Caught up in shopping with Ning Jiuwei, Su Jinglan had forgotten the pile of work waiting at the office. Now that Ning Jiuwei was heading home to draw her designs—and with no other shady characters likely eyeing her—Su Jinglan replied, “I’ve still got to swing by the company. I won’t be going home with Designer Ning.”

The mall buzzed with chatter, and Jiang Shiyao strained to listen but caught not a single word.

She stayed hidden quietly for a bit, then cautiously peeked out—only to find Ning Jiuwei and Su Jinglan gone.

“Designer Little Jiang.” Ning Jiuwei had circled behind her and called out lightly with a smile.

The hairs on Jiang Shiyao’s body instantly stood on end. Her heart, which had only just settled, began pounding wildly once more. She stood ramrod straight, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands to steady her nerves. “Teacher Ning, what are you doing here?”

“Hasn’t Designer Little Jiang been following me this whole time?” Ning Jiuwei was tall with long legs, so she had to tilt her head down slightly to meet Jiang Shiyao’s gaze. Her smile was gentle, yet she carried an indescribable air of authority that left Jiang Shiyao gripping her hands tighter, torn between fear and fascination. “I… I came to the mall to meet my childhood friend. I happened to spot you and wanted to say hello, only to notice President Su was there too.”

Jiang Shiyao always got flustered when she lied. Ning Jiuwei stepped closer upon hearing this. “Lying isn’t what good children do.”

A Teacher Ning like this was utterly captivating. Addressed as a child, Jiang Shiyao’s legs turned to jelly, her heartbeat racing toward its breaking point. She lifted her eyes to Ning Jiuwei’s, surrendering her reason to the rush of emotion. “My childhood friend said she saw you here in the mall. I wanted to see you, Teacher Ning, so… I came.”

Ning Jiuwei smiled faintly. “Well, now you’ve seen me.”

Jiang Shiyao felt herself trembling—in truth, her body really was shaking. “Teacher Ning, you and President Su seem so close. Are you… together like that?”

She stumbled over the words, choosing them carefully. Ning Jiuwei’s smile remained calm and composed as she sidestepped the question entirely. “I’m heading out now. Goodbye, Designer Little Jiang.”

Jiang Shiyao stood frozen in place, staring dazedly at the retreating figure until that mesmerizing silhouette faded from view.

She hurried back to the dining room to find her childhood friend and immediately unleashed a flurry of punches.

“You told me Teacher Ning was with some middle-aged woman! That was our president—she’s about the same age as Teacher Ning. She even came to the restaurant for dinner last time; you’ve seen her!” Jiang Shiyao was so furious she wanted to throttle her unreliable friend. The memory of Teacher Ning and President Su’s intimate closeness made her eyes well up against her will.

“No, that’s not right. I remember what your President Su looks like. The woman with Teacher Ning wasn’t her—it was some lady around forty.” Jiang Gufan rubbed her sore shoulder, swearing to the heavens. “I swear, I’m terrible with facts, but faces? Spot on. Anyone who’s eaten here once, I’ll recognize them the second time for sure.”

Jiang Shiyao shoved her away and slumped into the corner, brooding. Jiang Gufan scurried over to placate her. “Yaoyao, don’t cry. Tell me what happened.”

Her childhood friend wasn’t a stranger; Jiang Shiyao could share anything with her. She wiped at the corner of her eye and recounted every detail of what she’d witnessed.

“So Teacher Ning was shopping with a middle-aged woman first, then ran into President Su afterward. Total coincidence,” Jiang Gufan reasoned. “Think about it—if she were dating President Su, why make plans with someone else? Unless she’s a Sea King.”

No one got to trash Teacher Ning’s character—not even her childhood friend. Jiang Shiyao shot Jiang Gufan a fierce glare. “Teacher Ning isn’t like that.”

“Of course she isn’t.” Jiang Gufan fawned over her dear friend. “The woman my Yaoyao likes has to be flawless in character, talent, and beauty. Teacher Ning’s your chief designer, after all—she guided you personally. Your design made it into the quarterly new products, and she had a hand in that. She’s special to you.”

Jiang Gufan bolstered her spirits. “Last time she came to our restaurant, didn’t you say she skipped a business dinner for you? And that was right here too. It was supposed to be just you two eating, but then President Su showed up? Yeah, President Su loves this place. Today’s just another chance encounter with your Teacher Ning.”

Jiang Gufan’s airtight logic convinced Jiang Shiyao completely.

“There’s one more thing I didn’t mention.” Jiang Shiyao spilled it for her friend to dissect. “I straight-up asked Teacher Ning if she and President Su were together. She just smiled at me and didn’t answer.”

“Then they’re not. You silly goose.” Jiang Gufan sighed in exasperation. “Your company doesn’t ban office romances. If Teacher Ning were dating the president, she’d own up to it proudly.”

“Was I just overthinking it?”

Jiang Gufan clasped both her hands and nodded firmly. “Exactly. You got the wrong idea about your Teacher Ning. Don’t believe me? Text her right now and ask point-blank if she’s single.”

When Jiang Shiyao hesitated, Jiang Gufan snatched her phone and fired off the message herself.

Jiang Shiyao: Teacher Ning, are you single right now?

The message arrived just as Ning Jiuwei was on the phone.

She unfastened the constricting seatbelt, her cool voice flat and emotionless as she spoke into the receiver. “Maybe. It’s been over ten years—I don’t remember her anymore.”

“Ning Jiuwei, tell me the truth. Do you really not remember Su Jinglan anymore?” Wen Wanyuan rarely called her by her full name; she only did so when she was truly angry.

Feeling her anxiety and anger, Ning Jiuwei lowered her gaze and bit her lower lip.

The two fell silent over the phone.

Wen Wanyuan let out a long sigh, glanced at the two photos in her hand, and hung up.

She had been tricked by Ning Jiuwei before—Ning Jiuwei’s superior, Su Jinglan, was that very Su Jinglan from high school.

Ning Jiuwei rubbed her brow, steadying her emotions.

She set down her phone, fastened her seatbelt, and spotted the message notification in the top status bar. She tapped it open for a look.

Whether she was single or not was none of anyone else’s business. Ning Jiuwei could guess the intent behind Jiang Shiyao’s question. She typed back, “Designer Jiang, you should focus more on your designs,” and drove out of the parking lot.

The sky gradually darkened, and the study slowly plunged into blackness. After returning home, Ning Jiuwei had gone straight into the study and sat there ever since, unable to draw a single stroke.

Su Jinglan left the company as dusk fell. The first thing she did after getting home was head next door to find Ning Jiuwei.

Hearing the elevator doors open, she turned. Wen Wanyuan stepped out, her face clouded with anger.

“Su Jinglan?” Wen Wanyuan masked her irritation and approached with a forced smile. “President Su, here to see Jiuwei?”

“Mm.” Su Jinglan sensed the hostility radiating from her and said nothing more.

Hearing the doorbell, Ning Jiuwei came to answer it. When she saw the two women outside, her heart clenched, and she wanted to slam the door shut right then.

Both of them stepped forward. Wen Wanyuan frowned faintly and threw out an arm to block Su Jinglan. She beamed at Su Jinglan, putting Ning Jiuwei on the spot. “Jiuwei, tonight only one of us—President Su or me—gets to come in. Who do you choose?”

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