Chapter 75

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The door to the Director’s Office stood ajar. Ning Jiuwei knocked lightly on the frame. Spotting her prized Chief Designer—the one who could shoulder the entire department on her own—Zhang Xiaoyue welcomed her inside with genuine warmth.

“Designer Ning, what would you like? Coffee or tea?” Zhang Xiaoyue pulled a packet of tea leaves from the mini-fridge. “Tea it is. Try this batch my friend just sent over—this year’s fresh harvest, Tianlu Mountain Mingqian Longjing.”

She moved to the tea station and brewed it herself, pouring hot water over the leaves. A rich, crisp tea fragrance bloomed instantly, wafting through the office and filling the air. As she reached to hand the cup to Ning Jiuwei, Ning Jiuwei stepped up beside her.

“Careful—it’s hot.” Zhang Xiaoyue passed it over, then asked at the tea station why she’d come. “Designer Ning, you rarely drop by my office unprompted. For you to seek me out now, it must be something important. Spill it.”

Ning Jiuwei offered a faint smile, her eyes settling on the clear glass cup. The dry, curled leaves unfurled in the steaming water, reborn with vibrant life as they slowly sank to the bottom. The liquor gleamed crystal-clear, its soothing aroma steadying the mind. She raised her gaze from the cup and smiled. “This is fine tea.”

“You can tell without a sip?”

“Appreciating tea starts with the liquor and the scent. Good tea reveals itself before your lips ever touch it—you can smell the quality.” Ning Jiuwei praised the leaves with sincere admiration, then pivoted smoothly to her real topic. “Director Zhang, for the Annual New Product design drafts—do you handle the initial review and screening before passing them to the President, or send everything straight to her for the final say?”

“That’s what brought you here?” Zhang Xiaoyue found it amusing. With Ning Jiuwei’s gifts, her designs would sail through any review. That Crane Cry Bracelet pair alone screamed bestseller, to say nothing of what followed. It wouldn’t be surprising if all six pieces bore her name.

Ning Jiuwei glanced back at the open door. Zhang Xiaoyue caught on and closed it.

“Has our new Design Division President had any prior experience in the industry?” Ning Jiuwei met Zhang Xiaoyue’s eyes directly, her faintly smiling gaze free of any guile.

She watched Zhang Xiaoyue’s face closely, alert for the slightest tell.

At the mention of experience, Zhang Xiaoyue’s eyes flicked briefly lower left, then right. She paused for several seconds before replying. “The President’s role is management. She transferred in out of the blue from Group Headquarters, so she must have some background.”

“Director Zhang isn’t certain?”

The casual question landed like a subtle challenge, leaving Zhang Xiaoyue feeling oddly subordinate—though she was the superior here. Ning Jiuwei might hold the Chief Designer title, but she wasn’t in leadership.

“Why the sudden interest?” Zhang Xiaoyue, a workplace veteran, regained her footing quickly. “Something make you doubt President Su’s fit for the job?”

“I’d like to learn about President Su’s career history.” Ning Jiuwei revealed her true aim. “Can you pull up her resume here, Director Zhang?”

She phrased it as a request, leaving room for thought.

Zhang Xiaoyue couldn’t say no. Her Chief Designer was a treasure—how could she deny her anything?

“Come here.” Zhang Xiaoyue set her cup aside and settled behind her desk.

The computer sat in screensaver mode, prompting for a password. Right in front of Ning Jiuwei, Zhang Xiaoyue typed in a string of numbers and logged into the company system.

“This is all I can access: her position and contact details. President of the Hengsu Group Design Division.” Zhang Xiaoyue clicked Su Jinglan’s name, pulling up the profile. “She parachuted in from Group Headquarters, but her prior roles are locked. I was curious too, same as you, so I asked the Director of Human Resources. Guess what she told me?”

Zhang Xiaoyue swiveled her chair, answering herself. “Confidential. No casual access to President Su’s work history. In fact, nobody in the company can view any employee’s history freely.”

“I recall directors and above used to access them for quick reassignments.” Ning Jiuwei knew the company far better than Zhang Xiaoyue realized.

“That was then.” Zhang Xiaoyue grew cryptic. “No one knows why the policy changed.”

Ning Jiuwei took a delicate sip of the tea, her mild eyes lighting with an easy smile. Her mind raced; in that single swallow, she crafted her next probe. “Director Zhang wouldn’t leave questions festering. You must know where President Su came from.”

“If I did, I’d tell you in a heartbeat. You’re my baby, after all.”

Ning Jiuwei had grown used to Zhang Xiaoyue calling her “baby,” but the sudden cheesy line still caught her off guard. Recalling Su Jinglan’s earlier questioning, she took the chance to get her to drop the nickname. “Director Zhang, please stop calling me ‘baby.’ The colleagues might get the wrong idea.”

“My baby has me looking out for her. Let’s see who dares to gossip.” Zhang Xiaoyue channeled her director’s authority.

Ning Jiuwei smiled. “Your tea’s pretty good, Director.”

The reply carried a double meaning, leaving Zhang Xiaoyue momentarily stunned. Ning Jiuwei lifted the glass in her hand and set it down on her desk.

As Ning Jiuwei started to leave, Zhang Xiaoyue held her back and offered her the freshly opened packet of tea leaves. Ning Jiuwei politely declined with a gentle smile and headed back to her own office.

The office across the hall was still empty—no sign of Su Jinglan. Ning Jiuwei had barely settled into her seat when the design director’s assistant came by, carrying the very packet of tea she’d just turned down.

“Designer Ning, Director Zhang wanted me to give this to you.” Fearing another refusal, the assistant set it down and hurried off.

Tea leaves kept best away from light, ideally in a temperature-controlled fridge. Ning Jiuwei’s office had a cabinet just for teas and drinks. As she mulled over Su Jinglan’s whereabouts, she brewed herself a cup and stowed the leaves away.

That opposite office had sat vacant for ages, but everything changed once Su Jinglan took it over. Ning Jiuwei’s eyes drifted to the empty boss chair across the way, a vague heaviness settling in her chest.

It felt like a stone was pinning it down, her heart pounding fiercely, desperate to throw it off but utterly powerless.

Lost in intense focus, Ning Jiuwei forgot how hot her tea was. She took an incautious sip—thankfully, there was ice-cold mineral water in the office. Gritting through the burn on her tongue, she swished a mouthful around her mouth.

The sharp sting faded, and she swallowed slowly.

A figure appeared in the corridor. Ning Jiuwei’s heart jolted. She turned to face her desk, stealing a glance at the newcomer from the corner of her eye.

It wasn’t Su Jinglan.

Lin Fengmian entered the president’s office stone-faced. She straightened up the desk a bit, gathered a stack of files, and left.

On her way out, she locked the president’s office door—the message was crystal clear: Su Jinglan wasn’t coming back.

Su Jinglan herself had said she held multiple roles. Ning Jiuwei pressed a hand to her forehead and lowered her gaze. The design director wouldn’t spill about Su Jinglan’s other position, but Assistant Lin had to know.

Should she ask Assistant Lin?

If she did, Su Jinglan would find out in seconds.

Ning Jiuwei shut her eyes and slid open the drawer for her perfume.

She’d given the whole new bottle of light fragrance to Su Jinglan. All that remained was a half-full 5ml atomizer. Ning Jiuwei fished it out by feel and spritzed her wrist.

No burning sandalwood incense in the office to clear her mind—perfume would have to substitute.

With her uneasy heart steadied, Ning Jiuwei opened her dual-screen laptop, setting the tablet aside as her focus returned to her designs.

Delicate strokes flew across the responsive screen in hasty lines, but the image in her mind morphed into Su Jinglan. The vivid, fluid scene ignited searing memories, snuffing out her inspiration.

That familiar suffocation crept back, coiling tight around her heart. Ning Jiuwei gasped for air, head bowed over the cluttered desk, her warm breath ghosting across the back of her hand.

She pulled up WeChat and tapped on Su Jinglan’s avatar.

Their chat had stalled hours ago. Staring at the words “An Zhi Restaurant,” Ning Jiuwei remembered how she’d felt back then.

“Teacher Ning.” Jiang Shiyao approached with a small box of Black Forest cake. “My childhood friend baked these and asked me to bring you one to try. She’s thinking of adding it to the restaurant’s dessert menu and wants your take.”

Sweets had a way of brightening moods—for the eater and the giver alike. Brimming with hope, Jiang Shiyao carefully set the pretty little paper box in front of Ning Jiuwei.

Worried she might say no, she quickly added, “If it’s not to your taste, I’ll tell her to scrap it from the menu so it doesn’t hurt business.”

“Thank Boss Jiang for me.” Ning Jiuwei remembered Jiang Gufan well—crisp short hair, outgoing and generous.

Even after handing over the cake, Jiang Shiyao didn’t leave right away. She hemmed and hawed, then flashed a smile at the woman behind the desk. “Teacher Ning, I heard you lectured at Jiangji University this morning. Take me next time? I’d love to audit some advanced classes.”

“I only go sporadically—the schedule’s unpredictable.” Ning Jiuwei eyed the cake. “If Designer Jiang wants to study up, check the university’s courses based on your availability and interests first, then pick what suits you.”

Once Jiang Shiyao had gone, Ning Jiuwei eyed the sugary treat thoughtfully before messaging Su Jinglan.

Ning Jiuwei: Does President Su eat cake? I have a piece of Black Forest cake here.

When the message arrived on Su Jinglan’s phone, she was in the conference room holding a meeting with people from the Artificial Intelligence Department. She glanced at the content on the screen, her eyes showing no hint of emotion, and indifferently looked away.

The meeting dragged on for more than an hour. Once it finally ended, Su Jinglan returned to the Teachers’ Office and replied to Ning Jiuwei.

“Don’t.”

Her belated response—just two words—put an end to the conversation.

Ning Jiuwei locked her phone screen and sent no more messages to Su Jinglan.

She stayed in the office until nightfall. The person from the office across the hall never showed up. Rustling sounds drifted through the ajar door into Ning Jiuwei’s ears as her colleagues left one by one. She tidied her desk and clocked out for the day.

She didn’t run into Su Jinglan in the elevator. As she descended to the underground parking lot, Ning Jiuwei recalled the last thing she had said to Su Jinglan in the car.

Had those words made Su Jinglan angry?

Ning Jiuwei fastened her seatbelt, glanced at the empty passenger seat, and started the engine.

“President Su, Designer Ning has left,” Assistant Lin reported. In the black Porsche parked nearby, Su Jinglan sat in the back seat. Hearing Assistant Lin’s words, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair. Several minutes passed before she told Assistant Lin, “Drive.”

Time crawled by in the agonizing wait. That evening, Ning Jiuwei couldn’t focus on her design drawings at all—her inspiration had run dry.

Her restless emotions all centered on one person: Su Jinglan. Ning Jiuwei set down her tablet stylus, opened her front door, and gazed across at the opposite apartment.

After hesitating several times, she rang the doorbell on the door across from hers.

No one came to answer.

She knew the passcode. Ning Jiuwei paused, then entered it and pushed the door open. Calling into the brightly lit interior, she said, “Su Jinglan?”

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