Chapter 6

Day by day, time slipped past, and before long Friday arrived—the day Jiang Chao and Sheng Huaixi had agreed on.

There was still an hour left before work ended.

Jiang Chao finally finished everything on this week’s schedule. Looking at the sticky notes she had crossed off, she let out a sigh of relief and leaned back for a long, satisfying stretch.

“What a wonderful weekend. I’m ready to embrace you.”

Li Sensen was furiously revising a design, her hand moving so fast it was practically a blur, but even so, she still turned around. Seeing the smile on Jiang Chao’s face, she reminded her solemnly, “Girl, did you forget about tonight’s dinner with the big devil? That’s when you need to keep your eyes open all the way.”

Jiang Chao’s smile froze. She looked at Li Sensen with a tragic, resentful expression, her brows and eyes drooping in helpless defeat.

The one sentence shattered her good mood at finally getting off work in less than a minute.

Dinner with Sheng Huaixi... Jiang Chao subconsciously turned her face toward the Creative Director’s office. The room was empty; the lights were off. Sheng Huaixi wasn’t there.

Curiously, Jiang Chao nudged Li Sensen and asked, “When did Director Sheng leave? I feel like I haven’t seen her at all today.”

She had actually gone almost the entire day without seeing her. That was simply unreasonable.

After a week of working together, Jiang Chao had realized that, aside from everything else, the “avoid Sheng Huaixi” plan she’d come up with when she first joined the company had completely failed.

Only after joining the Creative Department did she learn that Shengjing’s Creative Department had one rule: everyone had to submit one innovative idea to Sheng Huaixi every day.

It didn’t matter whether it was an object or a person, or what field it belonged to; as long as it was innovative, it was allowed.

And every week, Sheng Huaixi and the department would hold a meeting to choose three ideas; each one would receive a 2,000-yuan bonus.

Flat wallet, low salary, intern Jiang Chao: Here comes my bonus!

Aside from the necessary daily meetings for idea submission, Jiang Chao could still see Sheng Huaixi seven or eight times a day on average and speak with her five or six times.

Yet today, Jiang Chao had actually not spoken to Sheng Huaixi even once.

Li Sensen also found it strange that Director Sheng, who had been showing up especially often these past two days, had suddenly reduced her presence today. After frowning and thinking it over, she guessed, “Maybe she went out with President Xu. Could be an important client they needed to meet in person again.”

Jiang Chao went, “Oh, oh,” and withdrew her gaze from the office. After thinking about it, she still picked up her phone and opened the chat window.

Her fingertips tapped hesitantly on the screen several times. Jiang Chao bit her lip, dragged a finger along the side of her index finger in habitual indecision, and after a long struggle, ultimately deleted the text in the chat box with a firm tap.

Forget it. Since Sheng Huaixi hadn’t taken the initiative to tell her, she shouldn’t go asking. At worst, she’d be stood up; fair was fair.

Jiang Chao set the matter aside and put down her phone to check the work she had just finished. She didn’t want office work coming back to haunt her even after her holiday had started.

*

“Shuyun, Shuyun.”

Jiang Chao walked slowly along the street, following the location marked on her phone. People hurried past in both directions, and the air carried the smoky scent of fried skewers, barbecue, and all kinds of street-side warmth.

Shuyun wasn’t hard to find. Compared with other private kitchens tucked away in elegant corners, this place was rather considerate; after being renovated, it had opened inside a shopping mall.

Jiang Chao had heard that Sheng Huaixi favored Sichuan cuisine, and Shuyun happened to be one of Yuncheng’s best private kitchens, so she had proactively recommended it.

She had eaten here a few times before going abroad; although she couldn’t remember who she had come with, her friends had all said the food was good.

After Sheng Huaixi agreed to this place, Jiang Chao thought it over and secretly asked a friend to reserve a good seat.

Autumn had already passed. The night wind bit with a chill, and the loose strands at her shoulders swayed. Jiang Chao pulled her trench coat tighter around herself and entered the elevator as instructed.

Stepping through a half-open wooden door, Jiang Chao found herself met with decor dominated by wood, along with antique-looking porcelain and vermilion lanterns.

Soft lighting hidden overhead and around the room fell in layers across the hall. Given her nature, Jiang Chao instinctively swept a quick glance over the room’s features.

The blend of classical charm and modern style was just right; the small bamboo grove in the center by the entrance was especially fresh and elegant. Jiang Chao liked the decor here.

“Hello, ma’am. Do you have a reservation for dinner today?”

Jiang Chao nodded and gave the reservation details. The attendant respectfully nodded back and turned to lead her the way.

“Ma’am, would you like to order now, or would you prefer to wait a little?”

Jiang Chao checked the time. There was still half an hour until the time she and Sheng Huaixi had agreed on, but she didn’t know whether Sheng Huaixi would be late after going out to discuss business today.

Closing the menu and setting it aside, Jiang Chao said, “I’ll wait a bit before ordering.”

After the attendant withdrew, there was no longer anyone else watching her. The anxiety she had buried in her heart couldn’t help but show through a little; the light fell on her cheeks, leaving her with a faint, worried expression.

The dazzling lights outside were brilliant; from a high place, they had the lofty air of splendor and grandeur, but who could know whether what lay beneath such beautiful light was trash or gold?

The skin covering the surface blocked people’s prying hearts.

Just as Jiang Chao still couldn’t tell what Sheng Huaixi’s true nature was.

Rubbing her brow, Jiang Chao realized that after joining Shengjing she had picked up the bad habit of sighing, perhaps from getting to know Sheng Huaixi as well.

After spending a week together, Jiang Chao still couldn’t pin down what kind of person Sheng Huaixi was.

If she called her a lunatic, then what Sheng Huaixi showed Jiang Chao might be better described as a beast’s wild nature; she was highly aggressive, but she also accepted being soothed.

But if she were to call her a proper, serious person, Jiang Chao would decisively reject that idea.

For no other reason than the fact that twice before, when she had come into direct contact with Sheng Huaixi, those deep and obscure eyes had pressed so heavily that it was hard to breathe, and at times the corners of her mouth would curve into a faint smile that made it seem like she might swallow you whole the next second.

Shaking her head, Jiang Chao scattered the tangled thoughts in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.

After a week of dealing with Sheng Huaixi, Jiang Chao’s current conclusion was this: contact was allowed; deeper involvement was forbidden.

Whether it was Sheng Huaixi herself or her troublesome band of perverted admirers, somewhere deep in Jiang Chao’s subconscious there was always a trace of resistance, an innate repulsion.

“Once I finish this meal, we’ll be even.”

A flash of light outside reflected into Jiang Chao’s eyes, making her expression clear and resolute.

Her phone chimed. Jiang Chao opened it and saw a message from Sheng Huaixi asking whether she had arrived.

[Arrived. No need to rush; the view here is really nice. Cat showering flowers.gif]

Sheng Huaixi didn’t reply after that. Jiang Chao guessed she might be driving, so she didn’t bother her further.

Although that had been polite small talk with Sheng Huaixi, Jiang Chao really did think the scenery outside was nice. Resting her chin on her wrist, she looked down with interest.

After watching for a while, she heard faint conversation beside her and turned curiously toward it.

Her gaze happened to sweep past the entrance and land at once on the center of attention.

Jiang Chao’s pupils contracted slightly; amazement flashed naturally in her eyes as she stared quietly at the flower-like figure at the doorway.

The attendant was leading her this way.

Without realizing it, Jiang Chao’s eyes followed Sheng Huaixi closely as she moved.

Watching her stroll over at an unhurried pace, her striking features as dazzling as a blooming rose, every frown and smile was elegant and alluring.

The pale, elegant bamboo-green qipao did not suppress that charm at all; instead, it added a restrained coolness, like a snow mountain rose, a beauty all her own.

Jiang Chao suddenly understood why Sheng Huaixi had attracted so many perverts in the novel.

She was too compelling.

Her untamed, feral temperament stirred people’s natural desire to conquer; the mixture of allure and cool restraint intertwined in her, and the conflicting collision made one’s teeth ache.

The more they were rejected, the more excited and crazed they became, wanting to lower themselves and beg for Sheng Huaixi’s attention.

“Does my outfit look good today?”

Sheng Huaixi asked softly with a smile. Jiang Chao came back from her daze, stunned by her beauty. Looking at the person standing by the table as though sharing her outfit of the day, Jiang Chao’s eyes filled with sincere delight.

“Very good-looking! When I just saw you walking over, I thought a celebrity was walking the runway.”

This wasn’t an exaggeration; it was Jiang Chao’s honest thought. In fact, she even felt that Sheng Huaixi was more beautiful than the award-winning actress Fang Yunxi she had seen before.

“Is that so?” Sheng Huaixi lifted her brow slightly and tipped her chin up a little, clearly pleased with Jiang Chao’s praise, especially with the way Jiang Chao had just stared at her so absentmindedly.

“Mm!” Jiang Chao looked straight into Sheng Huaixi’s eyes, hoping she could see the sincerity of her praise.

Smiling faintly, Sheng Huaixi went around the table to the other side and sat down gracefully, smoothing her skirt as she took her seat. Jiang Chao’s gaze moved with her, as if her soul had been hooked away.

Sheng Huaixi was truly beautiful today, especially in this slate-green qipao. Every inch of it seemed to step right onto Jiang Chao’s heart, leaving her unable to look away.

The slate-green fabric was embroidered from the waist upward with a ring of intricate, delicate bamboo patterns.

The cut of the qipao outlined her graceful figure perfectly; her waist was slim, and the skirt fell smoothly downward, brimming with allure.

Very few people knew that Jiang Chao was actually a qipao addict.

“Have you ordered yet?”

Slender fingers waved in front of her eyes; Sheng Huaixi’s voice rang beside her ear.

Jiang Chao snapped back to herself. Embarrassed by her own behavior, her ears turned red, and she quickly pushed the menu beside her toward Sheng Huaixi.

“Not yet. I wanted to wait until you got here. See what you’d like.”

Sheng Huaixi nodded and did not stand on ceremony. Her fingertips turned the pages, orange light washing over her from above. Her long black hair had been carefully pinned up at the back of her head, revealing the elegant line of her neck.

Jiang Chao stared without blinking, the woman’s image reflected in her pupils.

“I look that good in a qipao?” Sheng Huaixi suddenly looked up and fixed her gaze directly on Jiang Chao.

Her eyes were light and casual, yet they pierced straight into the longing in Jiang Chao’s heart.

In that moment of distraction, Jiang Chao couldn’t help wondering whether Sheng Huaixi had already found out about her secret preference. Her tongue awkwardly brushed over the suddenly dry surface of her lips.