Shi Sui stopped touching randomly and instead held her hand openly.
Jiang Ruoning tried to pull away but couldn’t. Hearing footsteps at the door—likely the server—she glared at Shi Sui, who finally let go.
The breakfast arrived quickly, filling the table. As Shi Sui had said, the portions were small—only three crab roe buns. Jiang Ruoning whispered to Shi Sui, “Aren’t cages usually six?”
Shi Sui said, “I picked all small portions.”
Jiang Ruoning gave her a thumbs-up. The small portions were still quite filling; they barely finished some and packed up the rest. As they got back in the car, Shi Sui received a call from Jiang Nuan. Without connecting to the car’s Bluetooth, Jiang Ruoning said to drive and take the call, but Shi Sui just asked her to hold the phone.
What kind of habit was that?
Jiang Ruoning held the phone for her, placing it near her ear, her fingertips occasionally brushing Shi Sui’s fine hair at her temple. Shi Sui tightened her grip on the phone.
Noticing her discomfort, Shi Sui took the phone and switched to speaker.
Jiang Nuan yawned. “I barely slept all night.”
Shi Sui asked, “Are you still at the factory?”
Jiang Nuan said, “Yeah. There are a lot of revisions. I was afraid it wouldn’t be clear over the phone, so I came straight over.”
Shi Sui said, “Can the samples be ready in the next couple days?”
Jiang Nuan replied, “It’s iffy. Probably another three or four days. The dip-dye process is complicated; everything else is fine.”
Shi Sui said, “Keep an eye on it then.”
Jiang Nuan agreed. “Got it.” Hearing the traffic noise, she asked, “Are you out?”
Shi Sui replied calmly, “Yeah, just had breakfast with Ruoning.”
Hearing that, Jiang Ruoning curled her toes in her shoes, feeling utterly awkward all over. Jiang Nuan didn’t seem to think much of it and just said, “Have a nice date.”
Shi Sui chuckled softly. Jiang Ruoning turned to look at her. Sunlight filtered through the glass, falling on Shi Sui. The straight-shoulder blouse broadened her shoulders; with two buttons undone, it revealed her slender swan-like neck and faint collarbones. Jiang Ruoning didn’t remember where she’d seen a styling poll, but among all the cute outfits, the white blouse always topped the list. Back then, she’d thought, what’s so great about a white blouse? Now, she found it incredibly appealing.
Simple, clean, generous, and bright.
No embellishments needed—natural light was the best adornment.
Jiang Ruoning propped her elbow on the car window, pretending to look outside, but her peripheral vision still swept over Shi Sui.
Shi Sui’s white shirt cuff was unbuttoned, revealing a small section of her fair, slender wrist. She was still wearing her leather watch. Jiang Ruoning rather liked that she wore watches and said, “Is this one Patek Philippe too?”
She had noticed that Shi Sui owned many watches from this brand. She really loved them.
Shi Sui glanced at her wrist—the gray strap, crystal-cut face, and mechanical dial inside. She shook her head. “This one’s not. It’s from a niche domestic brand.”
Jiang Ruoning nodded. No wonder she hadn’t seen it much before. She said, “You’re just like Yun An.”
Shi Sui didn’t understand. “Huh?”
Jiang Ruoning explained, “Yun An loves wearing watches too. You don’t know how many times Zhengzheng has complained about it. For her birthday gifts every year, Zhengzheng doesn’t even think twice—she just scours for all sorts of watches to give her.”
She looked at Shi Sui. “You’re not like that too, are you?”
Shi Sui shook her head. “I’m not that extreme. I’d like whatever gift you gave me.”
Jiang Ruoning choked a little. She hadn’t even mentioned giving gifts, but Shi Sui was already climbing the pole.
No wonder she was a businesswoman—her mind turned fast.
Jiang Ruoning pouted.
Shi Sui asked her, “So, do you have any favorites?”
Jiang Ruoning: “What?”
Shi Sui said, “Gifts.”
Jiang Ruoning replied, “Does money count?”
Shi Sui: “…”
It was a draw.
The two chatted idly all the way to the hotel. By nine-thirty, models were already gathering on the first floor. Jiang Ruoning said to Shi Sui, “I’ll go in first. You come in a bit later.”
Shi Sui watched her sneaky demeanor and wanted to laugh. She nodded. Jiang Ruoning grabbed her phone to get out of the car when Shi Sui suddenly called, “Ruoning.”
Jiang Ruoning turned her head. Shi Sui unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned over, and planted a kiss on her. Jiang Ruoning froze for a moment, her cheeks flushing rapidly. She pushed Shi Sui away and said, “I’m going in.”
Shi Sui watched her fleeing back and curved her lips.
Jiang Ruoning blended in with the models and messaged Wu Jie: “I’m on the first floor.”
Wu Jie hadn’t replied yet when Jiang Ruoning heard someone call her: “Ruoning.”
She turned. Liu Wenxiu and Yu Ling stood two meters away, looking at her. This time, there were fourteen models in total, most from modeling agencies with long-term partnerships with Fengshang, including four from Yu Ling’s Tianqi Entertainment. Liu Wenxiu and Yu Ling had arrived first yesterday, while the other two and their manager came today. Jiang Ruoning’s agency had only sent her—one because they had few models, and two because they had just started working with Fengshang, so only one slot.
Jiang Ruoning walked over and greeted Liu Wenxiu warmly: “Wenxiu Jie.”
As she said it, she suddenly recalled Shi Sui’s abrupt words: “Call me sister.”
She lowered her head and stifled a laugh.
Liu Wenxiu asked, “What time did you come down? Yu Ling and I went to your room and didn’t see you.”
Jiang Ruoning said earnestly, “I was thinking about that breakfast shop outside yesterday, so I went to eat there.”
Yu Ling was surprised. “By yourself?”
Jiang Ruoning: “Uh… yeah.”
Liu Wenxiu looked around. “Where’s Wu Jie?”
Jiang Ruoning said, “She’ll be down soon.”
Yu Ling sidled up to her. “So, how was it?”
Jiang Ruoning was puzzled. “How was what?”
Yu Ling said, “Your roommate. Didn’t you see little Yuan this morning?”
Little Yuan?
Jiang Ruoning said, “I left early this morning and didn’t notice.”
Liu Wenxiu nodded. “Little Yuan only arrived a bit after eight. It’s normal not to run into her.”
Jiang Ruoning breathed a sigh of relief. “Which little Yuan?”
Yu Ling said, “Yuan Min. Ning Jie, you should know her, right?”
She was from the same agency as Liu Wenxiu. Jiang Ruoning nodded. “We’ve worked together.”
In their circle, there were always a dozen or twenty models per event—basically all permutations and combinations. Everyone knew each other, but Jiang Ruoning didn’t have a strong impression of Yuan Min. Yu Ling came over and linked arms with her, whispering, “She’s in a bad mood lately and might have a sour face. Ning Jie, don’t take it personally.”
Jiang Ruoning whispered back, “What’s wrong with her?”
Yu Ling said, “She just broke up with her girlfriend a few days ago.”
Jiang Ruoning nodded understandingly. Liu Wenxiu looked at Yu Ling. “Gossip!”
Yu Ling said, “It’s not gossip. I’m just reminding you out of kindness. What if Ning Jie sees little Yuan’s sour face and gets upset?”
Jiang Ruoning chuckled. “It won’t be like that.”
Yu Ling sniffed her. “Wow, Ning Jie, what did you eat this morning? It smells so good.”
Jiang Ruoning’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t eaten much in the morning, but she was wearing Shi Sui’s perfume! And the cosmetics and lotion—all Shi Sui’s. She fell silent. “Mm…”
Liu Wenxiu leaned in too. “That scent is so familiar.”
Jiang Ruoning gritted her teeth. “Of course it’s familiar. I used this perfume yesterday. It’s super popular now—eight out of ten people use it. I’ll send you the recommendation later.”
Yu Ling nodded. “Sure.”
Jiang Ruoning breathed another sigh of relief. She checked the time—only ten minutes had passed. For the first time, she felt like every second dragged on forever!
Soon, Wu Jie came down to the rescue. She walked over, greeted them, and Jiang Ruoning went up to her, holding out her hand. Wu Jie placed the power bank in her palm. Jiang Ruoning had left her charger at Shi Sui’s yesterday, so charging wasn’t convenient. She’d asked Wu Jie to bring the power bank down. Yu Ling saw and asked, “Ning Jie, why didn’t you charge in your room?”
Jiang Ruoning gave a dry laugh. “Forgot.”
Wu Jie let out an “Aiya.” “Our Ningning…”
Jiang Ruoning looked at her.
Wu Jie cleared her throat. “Just has a bad memory.”
Liu Wenxiu waved it off. “Don’t even talk about bad memory. Yesterday after my shower, I was so wiped out I just crashed. I only charged my phone when I woke up this morning.”
Yu Ling giggled. “I’m different. I can’t live without my phone. I can’t even sleep without charging it.”
She pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked it several times. Liu Wenxiu leaned over. “President Shi still hasn’t replied?”
Yu Ling put her phone away. “She might not be up yet.”
Where was she not up? She’d already gone out for a stroll. Jiang Ruoning pursed her lips, lowering her head and standing silently beside Wu Jie. Wu Jie said, “President Shi might be busy with something else.”
Yu Ling said, “Yeah, she—”
Before she finished, her phone vibrated. Yu Ling took it out, her expression lighting up instantly. Without anyone saying it, Jiang Ruoning could guess it was Shi Sui replying. Jiang Ruoning’s mouth twitched, and she looked away. Liu Wenxiu, focused on Yu Ling, teased, “Oh, President Shi replied?”
Yu Ling nodded. “Mm.”
Liu Wenxiu: “What did she say?”
Jiang Ruoning’s ears perked up. She pretended to casually play on her phone, though the page had been static for two minutes. Yu Ling said, “Nothing much. I asked if she’d eaten breakfast, and she said she just went out to eat with her girlfriend.”
Liu Wenxiu’s teasing smile froze. “Girlfriend? As in, partner?”
Yu Ling shrugged and nodded at her. “Partner.”
Liu Wenxiu said, “She has a girlfriend?”
Yu Ling: “Mm.” Then she sounded annoyed. “I had no idea yesterday. I chatted with her so much.”
Liu Wenxiu comforted her. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Ignorance is bliss.”
Jiang Ruoning’s mouth nearly reached the sky, but she forced a calm tone. “Exactly. She never told you she had a girlfriend before.”
Wu Jie shot her a look, but Jiang Ruoning stood tall, justified.
Yu Ling let out a “Hai.” “I knew someone as outstanding as her couldn’t possibly be single. Wonder what her girlfriend is like.”
Liu Wenxiu said, “Probably really pretty. President Shi has good taste.”
Jiang Ruoning twirled a lock of her hair, showing off her profile.
Yu Ling said, “I really want to see her in person.”
Jiang Ruoning shifted two steps closer to her without noticing Yu Ling’s foot underneath. She tripped, falling onto Yu Ling’s shoulder. Yu Ling steadied her with both hands, still startled. “Ning Jie, you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Jiang Ruoning felt stiff and awkward but quickly stood straight. Some gazes turned their way, so she pretended to play on her phone like nothing happened, inwardly complaining.
Shi Sui’s phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen. Jiang Ruoning had sent: 【It’s all your fault!!!!!】
Shi Sui: ????
