Chapter 18

Wen Xin skipped the cafeteria and settled for a simple bento box instead.

Her mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of the gift, leaving her distracted all morning. Fortunately, there wasn’t much work to do, so she managed not to fall behind.

Finally, lunchtime arrived.

Most people in the office had already left, and the few who remained were napping with their heads down on their desks. The room was quiet, and no one would notice what she was up to.

Wen Xin took a deep breath, then stealthily pulled out the gift. She hurried to Shi Qianyu’s office and knocked lightly on the door, her nerves on edge.

“Come in,” came Shi Qianyu’s voice from inside, as pleasant as ever.

Wen Xin pushed the door open and looked up at her. “Director Shi.”

“What’s up?” Shi Qianyu finished what she was doing and met Wen Xin’s gaze. She seemed to be in a good mood today; a smile was already tugging at her lips before she even spoke. “Is there something you need?”

“I…” Wen Xin hesitated suddenly. She didn’t have many friends and rarely had the chance to give gifts to anyone. For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. After a pause, she finally said, “I have something for you.”

With that, she placed the item on Shi Qianyu’s desk, her voice barely above a whisper. “I hope you like it.”

Anyone would be surprised by an unexpected gift, and Shi Qianyu was no exception. She looked puzzled. “Did you buy this for me? What’s inside?”

Wen Xin didn’t spoil the surprise. “You’ll see when you open it.”

It was all very mysterious, but Shi Qianyu recognized the brand on the packaging bag at a glance. It wasn’t hard to guess what was inside—probably a pair of flats. Wen Xin was always so thoughtful; Shi Qianyu had only mentioned it in passing, and she’d remembered.

The style of the shoes was a pleasant surprise, though. Shi Qianyu nodded approvingly and gently opened the box. She glanced down. “Wow, what beautiful shoes!”

“I love the color and the style,” she said with a smile, clearly delighted. “And the size is perfect. Great job.”

“Did you ask around about my size?” she asked.

“No.” Wen Xin let out a relieved breath, thrilled that she liked the gift. All her efforts over the past few days hadn’t been wasted. “I guessed.”

Shi Qianyu peered deeper into the box and spotted the heel pads. “You even got these. You’re so thoughtful.”

“These must have cost a pretty penny altogether.” She paused suddenly, as if she’d misunderstood Wen Xin’s intentions. “How much was it? I’ll transfer the money to you right now.”

“Thanks for picking them up for me.” She pulled out her phone, ready to send the payment.

“?”

Wen Xin blinked in confusion for a second before realizing Shi Qianyu had gotten the wrong idea. She shook her head hastily. “No, no, you don’t need to send me money.”

“This is a gift from me.” Her voice was especially soft, embarrassment coloring her tone.

But Shi Qianyu had heard her clearly. She met Wen Xin’s eyes, the amusement in hers deepening. “I see. So it’s a gift.”

“Why the sudden gift?” she pressed, her lovely eyes blinking innocently, as if she intended to get to the bottom of it.

Fortunately, Wen Xin had anticipated the question. She opened her mouth to explain. “It’s to thank you for these past few days…”

Shi Qianyu cut her off before she could finish. “Is it an early birthday present?”

Birthday?

Wen Xin froze. She hadn’t expected Shi Qianyu to bring that up. Before giving the gift, she’d been so focused on it that she’d overlooked the timing.

Now, reminded by the woman before her, it suddenly clicked. Not long ago, Gao Qiu and the others had been talking about birthdays. She’d been busy with work at the time and hadn’t paid close attention, completely missing that they were discussing Shi Qianyu.

Shi Qianyu sat back down, slipping off her high heels right in front of Wen Xin and changing into the new flats. The milky white shoes matched her outfit perfectly.

She lifted her skirt hem slightly to inspect the details. Wen Xin had chosen well—everything was just to her taste.

She extended her foot a little, her bare leg brushing lightly against Wen Xin’s calf as she asked in a coquettish tone, “How do they look?”

Wen Xin glanced down at her exposed calf and the smooth, pale instep of her foot. Her heart inexplicably sped up.

She nodded, answering honestly. “They look great.”

“You have good taste.” Satisfied with the response, Shi Qianyu finally stood and approached Wen Xin.

She looked into her eyes, her smile especially sweet. “You’re the first person to give me a birthday gift this year. I really love these shoes.”

She meant every word.

Wen Xin held her gaze for two seconds before looking away awkwardly. Unable to admit the truth, she murmured vaguely, “As long as you like them.”

“I’ll make sure to thank you properly.” Shi Qianyu’s lips curved up, finally revealing her true intention. “I’m throwing a small private party at home on my birthday. It won’t be a big crowd—just a few close female friends.”

“We’ll sip champagne, watch movies, grill some barbecue, cut the cake. Getting another year older actually bums me out a bit. I need people close to me there to cheer me up.”

She emphasized “close” with deliberate weight, her eyes fixed earnestly on Wen Xin’s. “That’s why I thought of you. Will you come? You have to, after giving me such gorgeous shoes.”

“Come celebrate my birthday with me?”

~~~

Wen Xin might have had room to maneuver if she were facing the usual Director Shi.

But unfortunately, the woman before her now was the upgraded version: a coquettish siren who excelled at sweet-talking, clever maneuvering, and relentless pursuit.

Under her spell, Wen Xin somehow nodded in agreement.

“It’s settled, then~” Shi Qianyu switched back to her normal self in an instant. She slipped back into her chair at the desk, the new shoes on her feet. “It’s still early. Why don’t you go rest for a bit?”

“Thanks again for the gift,” she added. “I love it.”

“You’re welcome.” Wen Xin shook her head. Shi Qianyu’s wheedling invitation—and that pointed emphasis on “close”—still echoed in her ears.

She’d done it on purpose. Wen Xin had picked up on that.

And because she had, she started paying even more attention, wondering what exactly Shi Qianyu was thinking. To her, the woman’s behavior just now had been nothing short of flirtation.

Thoroughly flustered, Wen Xin returned to her desk.

Gao Qiu hadn’t returned from lunch yet, but Zhou Lele was already back at her workstation. She seemed engrossed in something on her phone, so focused that she didn’t even notice Wen Xin approaching.

It wasn’t until Wen Xin pulled out her chair that Zhou Lele jolted upright, as if startled.

“You’re back!” she exclaimed, wheeling her chair over with evident gossip in her eyes. “Where’s Gao Qiu? Why’d you come back alone?”

“I didn’t go to the cafeteria today,” Wen Xin replied, shaking her head. “She went by herself.”

She worried Zhou Lele might probe further and was preparing an excuse when the other woman showed no interest in her whereabouts.

Instead, Zhou Lele whipped out her phone and scrolled frantically. “Hold on, I have a picture to show you!”

She rummaged mysteriously for a bit before sighing. “Huh, where’d it go? It was just here… Did they delete the post?”

“What is it?” Wen Xin wasn’t particularly curious but asked politely out of habit.

“It’s a gossip account exposé,” Zhou Lele said. Unable to find it, she gave up—but her memory was sharp enough to recount it. “They claim to have candid photos of Jiang Jianxue meeting some woman late at night, all hugs and cuddles.”

“Do you know Jiang Jianxue?” She eyed Wen Xin, figuring she wasn’t into celebrity news, and explained. “She’s a barely-known starlet who’s been obscure for years. Then she blew up a bit from a low-budget web drama recently.”

“Not that she’s super famous now—just clawed her way from 18th-tier to 10th-tier maybe. Without follow-up gigs, it’ll probably be a flash in the pan. Anyway, that’s beside the point.” Zhou Lele shook her head gravely. “The key is, who was that mystery woman in the photos.”

“Who?” Wen Xin played along.

Zhou Lele leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “It’s our Director Shi!”

Wen Xin: “…?”

“Don’t doubt me.” Zhou Lele whispered. “The photo’s blurry, but you can still make out the side profile. I’ve worked at Qi Qing for years—how could I not recognize my own boss?”

She shook her head and scrolled her phone again, hoping to find proof for Wen Xin, but gave up when she couldn’t. “Girls hugging isn’t weird, but the starlet in question is Jiang Jianxue. She doesn’t strike me as straight, and I’ve heard rumors before—stuff about her dating women.”

“Who knows what her deal is with our Director Shi.” Zhou Lele was a natural chatterbox; she could ramble on solo. “I’m not trying to stir, but that photo… it just looks…”

She thought for a second before landing on the word. “Intimate!”

“They look really intimate.”