Chapter 84:
Winter in H City, the north wind was biting. At seven in the morning, Ji Qianqian pulled her collar tight. She had been in seclusion for half a month, filming. She had asked the director to finish her scenes first. The director had agreed, but the quality could not be compromised. She could only bear it with her body and sleep.
Fortunately, she was still young. Su Fang had laughed at her for being the “desperate Miss Ji.” Only she herself knew what she was fighting for. Although the means to confirm that Mu Sixue was an alpha were not honorable, since Qinghe did not like alphas, exposing her disguise was also for Qinghe’s good.
Of course, Ji Qianqian admitted that she had her own selfish motives. She wanted to remove the “threat” of Mu Sixue and, taking advantage of Qinghe’s emotional void, to pursue her again and make her fall in love with her again.
She was not afraid of one or two failures. Just because that person was Qinghe, she would become more and more courageous with each setback.
She longed to return to her married life in her past life, where the two of them would stay at home on their days off, watch movies, cook, and be all lovey-dovey…
Even if they did nothing, just being by Qinghe’s side would make her very happy.
After finally finishing this drama, she was preparing to take a one- or two-year break to spend with Qinghe. Nothing was more important than Qinghe.
The north wind blew mercilessly, like a silver needle piercing her bones. Ji Qianqian patted her face and blew a breath of hot air. She was wearing a fluffy knitted hat over her long wavy hair, and a mask was tightly on her palm-sized beautiful face, revealing only a pair of amber almond-shaped eyes.
She opened her phone and dialed the familiar number.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off.”
A cold and mechanical voice came from the other end.
Ji Qianqian was not discouraged. She changed a number and dialed the Yan residence’s landline. No one answered either.
A faint sense of loss welled up in her heart. Ji Qianqian pursed her lips and cheered herself on, “It’s okay, Qianqian. Qinghe is probably busy with work.”
“She didn’t block you.”
“The butler of the Yan residence, and Housekeeper Zhou, they must all be doing housework. They wouldn’t deliberately not answer your call.”
But the voice in her heart grew softer and softer. A figure, suspected to be a paparazzi, was following her, which made her have to pull herself together in an instant.
She passed through the crowd of heavily dressed pedestrians and skillfully shook off the paparazzi. Remembering that her mother, Pei Huan, was not in good health, she took a detour to the Four Seasons Restaurant to buy a bowl of the chef’s nourishing soup.
The restaurant manager and staff were flattered. Their young miss had voluntarily given up her position as heir a few years ago, but she still held twenty percent of the shares and was doing well in the entertainment industry. The Ji family’s various shops and businesses all had huge advertisements of the young miss, which had saved the Ji Corporation a considerable amount of advertising fees.
Ji Qianqian never put on airs. She took the soup packed by the chef and said thank you with a smile.
After leaving the restaurant, her smile faintly faded. Small snowflakes were falling.
She didn’t hold an umbrella and reached out to catch a few snowflakes. A faint smile appeared on her lips. She tried to keep her mood stable.
Since her rebirth, she had endured so many of Qinghe’s cold shoulders. This time, it was just that her call was not answered.
She quickly composed herself and tried to make her steps lighter.
She couldn’t bring her bad mood home and worry her family.
As long as she held her head high and walked with composure, she was still the Ji Qianqian with the most beautiful walk, the most confident.
Her mother lived on the second floor. Ji Qianqian knocked on the door and, seeing that her mother was sleeping, did not disturb her. She thoughtfully put the soup in a thermos.
Ji Qianqian went to her room. On the bookshelf was a pair of exquisite human-shaped dolls, wearing high school uniforms, lying side by side in a beautiful and warm box bed.
It was a miniature version of her and Qinghe, a doll she had learned to make when Qinghe was eighteen. At that time, she had made two pairs, one for Qinghe and one for herself.
She touched the nose of the doll that looked like Qinghe and said with a reproachful tone, “Bad Qinghe, you never answer my calls.”
“Qinghe’s” nose was soft from her pinching. Ji Qianqian immediately felt sorry. “Okay, I won’t pinch you anymore. It’s cold in winter. If you’re on a business trip, remember to wear more clothes.”
She thoughtfully tucked the small blanket around the doll and covered “Qinghe” tightly.
Then she hummed a little tune and went to the bathroom. The hot water gurgled, and the steam filled the air. Gradually… the alpha’s appearance lingered in her mind. Ji Qianqian’s slender and straight body arched, and she trembled slightly under the white shampoo water.
Her fingertips stirred the water. Her red lips parted, and she called out in a low voice, “Qinghe… Qinghe…”
After her shower, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and, with a hairdryer in her hand, dried her long, wet curly hair. In the mirror, her eyes were filled with spring water. She suddenly remembered the various activities she and a certain someone had done in front of the bathroom mirror after they were married in her past life, and then she thought of her solo indulgence just now.
Her long, raven-black eyelashes moved slightly. Ji Qianqian murmured with a little frustration, “Do I have to be like this forever?”
Even so, she was still unwilling to wash away Qinghe’s forced marking of her, nor was she willing to find another alpha to solve her heat.
She placed her slender palm on her firm abdomen, her eyes flickering. The child, her and Qinghe’s child… if it were still alive, would Qinghe come back to her?
The door on the second floor opened. She heard her mother get up and wash up upstairs. So she thoughtfully opened the thermos and poured the soup into a white porcelain bowl.
In her past life, she could not have both love and filial piety. In this life, she had given up the fight for the Ji Corporation, just to prevent her stepmother, Shen Manting, from hurting the people she loved again.
Whether it was her mother or Qinghe, while protecting them, she wanted to be doubly good to them. After her wish to bring her mother back was fulfilled, her only regret was now Qinghe.
After pouring the soup, her phone rang. Ji Qianqian wiped her hands, her heart filled with joy. It was a call back from the Yan residence. She quickly answered it.
“Hello, who is this?” the Yan residence’s butler asked politely. To be able to get through to the Yan residence’s phone, it was either a friend of Yan Qinghe’s or an important business partner. The butler was extremely respectful.
Ji Qianqian coughed lightly, changed her tone, and asked vaguely, “I’m the person in charge of the Ji Corporation. I have a very important project I want to discuss with Chairwoman Yan, but I can’t reach her.”
Butler: “I’m sorry, Chairwoman Yan is on her annual leave. She’s in S City these few days.”
Ji Qianqian was faintly uneasy. “Then I’ll talk to President Mu.”
The butler was stunned for a moment and replied, “President Mu is also not available.”
Ji Qianqian’s heart skipped a beat, her smile forced. She asked with a heavy heart, “I heard that President Mu is on her annual leave in S City. I didn’t expect her to be with Chairwoman Yan.”
She had thought the butler would deny it, but the butler just thought she knew. “Yes, you’ll probably have to wait for them to come back before you can discuss it.”
Ji Qianqian felt empty. She put down her phone. The phone was so heavy that it felt like a thousand pounds. She acted as if she hadn’t heard anything, her face expressionless. Then, she blinked, hiding her wet eyes.
Pei Huan was coming downstairs. Ji Qianqian pursed her lips and forced a smile. “Mom, I brought you some soup. I’ll get you a bowl.”
Pei Huan’s heart warmed, but looking at her daughter, she had a feeling that she was not in a good mood.
Ji Qianqian turned her back, one spoonful, two spoonfuls, the crystal-clear soup trembled as it was poured into the bowl.
Her tears also fell, one drop, two drops… like a string of pearls, rolling down one by one.
Afraid that her mother would worry, she wiped the corners of her eyes. “Mom, remember to drink it while it’s hot.”
Then she hurried back to her room, closed the door, and leaned her back against it. Her slender shoulders, after half a month of high-intensity filming, finally slumped.
She squatted down, leaned against the back of the door, and buried her face in her knees.
Qinghe, please tell me you don’t like Mu Sixue, that nothing has happened between you and her, right?
First love is the shyest flower, the most ardent light. She had given her purest years to Yan Qinghe without reservation. Qinghe was both her knight, considerate of her, loving her, giving her the most beautiful warmth.
And she was also her executioner, leaving her lingering thoughts with nowhere to go. In the prison of her love, she had drawn a line, unable to cross, and nowhere to say goodbye.
**
When H City entered the cold winter, the resort in S City was still like spring all year round.
Since the first day of their trip, after a romantic night of drinking, although Mu Sixue had not tacitly agreed, Yan Qinghe had very consciously moved her luggage to her beloved’s room.
On the second night, in Mu Sixue’s presidential suite, on the chaise lounge, after they had finished their hot spring bath, Yan Qinghe held Mu Sixue and leaned back lazily, a smile on her lips, and begged Mu Sixue to look at the pictures they had taken together.
In the camera, there were solo pictures of Mu Sixue, and also a group photo of the two of them taken by a passerby. On the table was a portable camera that her assistant had helped her order.
After looking at the pictures, Mu Sixue opened her laptop to deal with work matters. Yan Qinghe pointed the camera at her girlfriend, who had entered her work mode, and kept filming.
“President Mu is so beautiful even when she’s working!” Yan Qinghe teased. Seeing that Mu Sixue didn’t even have the time to spare her a glance, she smiled and put the camera aside, and worked overtime with her girlfriend.
She thoughtfully held Mu Sixue on her lap and, as Chairwoman Yan, “gave pointers” on her subordinate’s project, her tone playful and soft.
Mu Sixue’s efficiency was much faster than usual. With Yan Qinghe’s help and her decision-making on the project, she had saved a lot of communication time.
Yan Qinghe was relieved. When a workaholic subordinate became her girlfriend, it was no longer a blessing.
A person’s desires always increase with the deepening of their feelings.
The pheromones on the back of her neck were calling to her. Only by getting close to Mu Sixue and absorbing her fragrance would she feel fulfilled.
“Sixue’s here is also snow lotus flavored. I love it.”
Yan Qinghe sat up from the end of the bed, her forehead against her beloved’s flushed face. She licked the crystal-clear corner of her lips and murmured as if drunk.
Mu Sixue turned her face away, so shy and annoyed that she wanted to push her away. This person always said all sorts of shameful and nonsense things at this time, but she always failed, as soft as a willow, weak and powerless.
The young alpha said with longing, “Sixue is so moist, so soft, not at all like a beta.” In her indulgence, a small question would occasionally pop up in her mind.
Although Sixue was a beta, she was more beautiful than many omegas she had seen.
The woman’s cool and beautiful appearance, her willow-like brows slightly furrowed, her expression at this moment was also indifferent.
She seemed familiar, and after being honest with her, she was shyly cute, the kind who would run away after being teased.
It was clear that Mu Sixue really had no experience.
Even so, the charm she unintentionally revealed, the proud way she bit her lip… Yan Qinghe’s heart stirred.
At this moment, Mu Sixue’s willow-like brows were slightly furrowed, her mountain-like features rippling with light. Her waterfall-like dark hair was spread out, swaying in a messy way, and her swan-like neck was tilted up.
Sweat broke out on Yan Qinghe’s forehead, her breath ragged, but her heart was full of tenderness. She leaned into her ear and begged for other attempts, whispering sweet nothings.
…
On the table, the forgotten camera was turned over, quietly capturing everything it could.