Chapter 48

In Nan Qi’s mind, if they were putting on a show in front of Bo Ranying, they had to commit fully. It was impossible to walk out arm-in-arm, all cozy and intimate, only to split up the moment they reached the door.

That said, she had no real intention of going to a movie with Tang Lian.

When Tang Lian slid casually into the passenger seat, her gaze flicking over the center console before she clicked her seatbelt into place with a snap, Nan Qi was left speechless for a long moment.

She paused, then asked, “Where to?”

Tang Lian tilted her head with a hum, her narrow fox-like eyes curving upward in thick surprise and sudden realization. “Home to watch a movie, of course! Does Lawyer Nan have such a bad memory that you’ve already forgotten what you promised me just now?”

“You wouldn’t dream of backing out, would you?” Tang Lian put extra emphasis on those last words. She was stunningly beautiful, and right now she looked utterly pitiful, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at Nan Qi. Her delicate features radiated a natural, alluring charm, as if she’d been deeply wronged.

Anyone else would have second-guessed themselves, wondering if they’d done something unforgivable to her and racking their brains for ways to make it up.

But Nan Qi merely tapped her fingers lightly on the steering wheel. Her thin double eyelids lifted, and her dark eyes fixed on Tang Lian with a hint of chill. Her expression remained aloof and distant. “I remember my promise was just an excuse. You should understand that.”

Free from the urgency of dodging Bo Ranying earlier, Nan Qi’s mindset had settled back into its usual calm indifference.

She was certain she hadn’t misread the glance Tang Lian had thrown her way—it was a signal to play along briefly, pretending they had a date later as a way to shut down Bo Ranying.

Nan Qi’s bridge-burning attitude immediately sparked Tang Lian’s displeasure and protests.

Her eyebrows shot up, her words flying fast as lightning. “Hey, hey, hey! You can’t just do that—use me and toss me aside? That’s way too cold to your one-day secretary…”

She watched Nan Qi’s expression closely while playing the shameless card. “We never had any unspoken agreement, so don’t try to pin the blame on me. I won’t take it.”

“Besides, you promised me right in front of a third party. You can’t go back on your word now. Lawyer Nan surely isn’t the silver-tongued type to say one thing and do another. Otherwise, how could she have built up her current roster of clients and her stellar reputation?”

By the end, Tang Lian had piled layer upon layer of flattery onto Nan Qi.

Her brazen nagging carried a careful undercurrent of scheming.

Given Tang Lian’s persistently mysterious, vaguely defined job, Nan Qi stuck to her initial assumptions for the time being.

After enjoying the performance, Nan Qi’s verdict was: …highly professional.

The corner of her mouth twitched as her gaze turned probing. “You really know my reputation?”

Tang Lian dropped Li Xin’s name in passing, nodding with exaggerated mystery. “I’ve heard a little.”

“Nan Qi, you don’t have anything going on tonight. Come watch a movie with me. I’ve already picked one out—it’s super close, just two minutes away.” She seized every opening to persuade Nan Qi, her persistence in inviting her dead serious.

The affection in her eyes was practically spilling over.

Nan Qi had never encountered anyone who came at her so directly, with zero pretense about their feelings.

She hadn’t noticed it at their first meeting, but by the second, Tang Lian’s actions all bore the unmistakable mark of infatuation—warm and enthusiastic. Nan Qi’s senses were sharp enough to pick up on it.

Sure, she’d received plenty of love letters since her school days, had people ask for her number face-to-face, even confess outright.

But back then, everyone around her had been so green and shy.

They’d usually slip the letters into her desk drawer when the classroom was empty, signing only initials at the end.

The school cracked down hard on puppy love, and the homeroom teachers had eyes like hawks. The moment two kids got too close or acted suspicious, they’d spot it and drag the culprits to the office for a “chat” over tea.

If tea time didn’t clear up the suspicions, they’d call in the parents for a heart-to-heart. It was enough to strike terror into everyone’s hearts.

So even signatures were rare—most used cryptic hints instead, and only a few dared to leave real names.

At first, Nan Qi wouldn’t even read the letters, seeing them as distractions meant to derail her studies—bad omens, basically.

It wasn’t until she developed feelings for Bo Ranying and considered writing one herself that she cracked open a few, studying them for reference.

Of course, that was all in the past. Her own letter never even made it past the brainstorming stage before Bo Ranying nipped the idea in the bud.

The boys and girls who mustered the courage to ask for Nan Qi’s contact info always backed off gracefully after a rejection, faces flushed as they slunk away.

Direct confessions were just desperate bids to be remembered, with no expectations of mutual sparks.

After starting work, some suitors bounced off her a few times, decided she was too standoffish, and quietly lost interest.

They’d come for her looks in the first place, nothing deep. Realizing the high ridge flower was too tough to pluck, they cut their losses smartly.

Thus, Nan Qi was facing this kind of brazen pursuit for the very first time.

Even with the towering walls around her heart, Tang Lian showed no signs of backing down or giving up.

It felt novel to Nan Qi—refreshing, even if handling it left her a bit at a loss.

Strictly speaking, she didn’t mind Tang Lian at all.

After a few interactions, she’d come to see her as a girl with real charisma.

Tang Lian had helped her out a ton and bailed her from awkward spots, even if her motives were a little self-serving. It only made her more endearing.

After that barrage of antics from Tang Lian, Nan Qi couldn’t keep up the icy front.

She clung to one last thread of resistance, her words coming out strained. “I have things to do—”

Tang Lian whipped around in her seat, unbuckling her seatbelt to face her squarely. She even grabbed Nan Qi’s wrist in urgent appeal. “Come on, come on, come on. It’ll help you unwind.”

“Are you about to say you need to go home and pack? I can help with that!”

With a complicated look, Nan Qi brushed off the hand that had started kneading her wrist unconsciously. Her fair, snow-white face carried a cool edge, tinged with the faintest trace of embarrassment. “Miss Tang, could you try to show a little restraint?”

“Can’t.” Tang Lian shook her head innocently, still savoring the lingering warmth in her palm as she rubbed her fingertips together.

“So you’ll say yes? I’ll handle any other issues for you.”

Nan Qi took a deep breath and finally relented with heavenly words. “Fine.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose in helpless defeat. “Go back to your seat and buckle up.”

“Yay, you said yes!”

Tang Lian lit up with ecstasy, her head rushing with euphoria. She lunged forward excitedly to hug her, but Nan Qi was quicker, extending her arm to block Tang Lian’s left shoulder and halt her advance.

Only then did Tang Lian calm down. She settled back sheepishly and rebuckled her seatbelt.

She started humming happily to herself, sighing softly in delight. “You called me Miss Tang. It sounds so nice.”

Nan Qi said nothing, starting the car and heading toward home.

“But I think Lianlian sounds even better. Nan Qi, why don’t you try calling me Lianlian?”

She was masterfully pushing her luck.

Nan Qi spared her a sidelong glance, her peripheral vision coolly settling on Tang Lian as she uttered words both astonished and utterly unreasonable. “Dream on. No chance.”

“So cold.” Tang Lian muttered, undeterred. “Who knows? One day you might call me that on your own~”

The car fell quiet, with no reply.

She pouted, well accustomed to Nan Qi’s occasional silences by now.

She was starting to notice patterns.

Whenever Nan Qi was at a loss for words or flustered, she’d opt for silence to defuse the situation.

It was intriguing and cute—like a deliberate crash mode in some programmed system.

Tang Lian especially loved throwing Nan Qi’s “programming” into delightful chaos.

But she knew better than to overdo it. She had to take it slow, step by step, without tipping Nan Qi off too soon and triggering her defenses.

Her eyes traced Nan Qi’s profile as she drove—the serious, beautiful half of her face on display.

Her arms had elegant lines, the sleeves of her shirt wrinkling slightly where they stretched taut. Her pale, slender fingers, with their distinct knuckles, rested on the black steering wheel, the contrast making them stand out all the more strikingly.

Tang Lian lost herself in the sight, a hazy fog settling over the scene, lending it an air of dreamlike unreality.

The steering wheel in front of her morphed in her imagination into something else entirely.

Nan Qi’s lovely hands would feel just as good on… other things.

Heat crept into Tang Lian’s cheeks, a pink flush tinting the corners of her eyes. Her already radiant face grew even more vividly alluring. Beneath her muted purple wool skirt, her legs pressed together, rubbing subtly.

She rolled down the window, letting the evening breeze rush in to tousle the silky black curls framing her cheeks.

She hoped the wind would carry away her restlessness, helping her cool down a bit.

Sensing her movement, Nan Qi glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She caught sight of the unnatural flush on Tang Lian’s face, which lent her a somewhat sickly pallor. The sudden onset of this condition took Nan Qi by mild surprise. “Feeling unwell?”

Startled by the abrupt question, Tang Lian’s hand drifted to the hem of her skirt. She pinched her own thigh unobtrusively, her voice laced with a hint of husky moisture—seductive, but not overly so. “Mm, a little carsick.”

“Then I’ll drive slower.”

Nan Qi eased off the accelerator.

Seeing that Nan Qi harbored no suspicions, Tang Lian let out a quiet breath of relief and rubbed her thigh. That pinch had stung more than she’d expected.

Afraid her arousal would only intensify, she didn’t dare look at Nan Qi anymore.

She pulled out her phone, opened an app, and scrolled through it to banish her lewd thoughts and cool her head.

It wasn’t long before she found what she was looking for. She called out to Nan Qi. “Pull over in about two hundred meters—there’s a cinema over there!”

Nan Qi replied, “Weren’t we going to watch a movie at home?”

“I’ll just pop in to buy something.”

Tang Lian was being deliberately mysterious, refusing to say what.

Nan Qi pulled over to the curb without pressing the issue.

Whatever it was she wanted to buy, Tang Lian would reveal it when she got back.

Tang Lian was quick about it. In just over ten minutes, she reappeared before Nan Qi, yanking open the car door. A thick wave of sweet fragrance flooded in right away.

She had bought two cups of the cinema-standard cola and a big tub of popcorn.

She joked that even watching movies at home required a sense of ceremony.

Nan Qi offered no opinion on that particular theory. Her attention was fixed on the delicate gift bag in Tang Lian’s other hand; she couldn’t quite make out what was inside.

“What’s in here—another ceremony essential?”

“Ah, no, this isn’t.” Tang Lian set down her haul on the center console first, then offered the gift bag to Nan Qi. “This is a present I picked out for you. It should be something you really need.” Her tone rang with confidence.

Nan Qi hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

She was genuinely curious what “needed item” Tang Lian had in mind for her.

To play it safe, it was better to unwrap it right there in front of Tang Lian—it would make her feel more secure, too.

“Go on, open it up.” Tang Lian urged her on from the passenger seat.

Nan Qi drew the gift box from the bag and peeled away the wrapping. Nestled inside was a palm-sized… khaki skull model?!!

Nan Qi’s eyes widened just a fraction, a flicker of subtle astonishment crossing their gemstone-clear depths. She examined it more closely and realized it wasn’t merely some eerie Gothic toy after all, but a cleverly designed ashtray.

The skeleton’s bony arms crossed at the middle, with a round platform below—perfect for flicking ash.

Tang Lian’s eyes crinkled in a smile, brimming with the expectation of praise.

She pointed to the weathered Cinnamon Dog ashtray sitting next to the colas and suggested with sincere feeling, “You’ve had this one for ages, haven’t you? It’s so worn down, and the style clashes horribly with your vibe. I saw this new one and figured it was time for a swap.”

The woman’s offhand remark sent ripples through Nan Qi’s heart.

She stared in a daze, memories surfacing of Bo Ranying selecting new car accessories for her back in the day. Nan Qi had gone along with every one of Bo Ranying’s suggestions, watching as she filled the interior with cute little trinkets that left traces of herself everywhere.

Those faded, yellowed traces had symbolized the years Nan Qi spent waiting for Bo Ranying.

Looking back now, it all felt like a pipe dream.

The new ashtray and the old lay before her eyes. Nan Qi’s expression grew distant.

She fell silent for a long moment before speaking, her words carrying the weight of finality.

“Thank you. I really do need it.”

She set the skull ashtray on the center console, nudging the old one aside to take its place.

These relics were like thorns embedded for years. Now they’d been plucked clean. The process had torn at her flesh, but the wounds were closing. With the root excised, the affliction wouldn’t return.

Nan Qi’s choice left Tang Lian deeply satisfied.

It meant Nan Qi was finally consigning Bo Ranying to the past—a major step forward for her.

Tang Lian had guessed the old ashtray’s backstory the very first time she’d ridden in Nan Qi’s car. She’d known even then that one day, she would replace it.

She just hadn’t expected the chance to come so soon.

Earlier, while picking up her “ceremony” supplies, she’d noticed a boutique next to the cinema. Something had drawn her inside almost magnetically, and her eyes had locked right onto this ashtray.

Her gut had told her it was perfect.

She’d snapped it up on the spot to test the waters with Nan Qi.

And sure enough, it had paid off.