Chapter 7

After a moment of silence, Sheng Huaixi’s gaze still rested on her, patient and unhurried as she waited for an answer.

Under the table, Jiang Chao’s fingers twisted together so tightly they nearly tied themselves in knots. Sheng Huaixi’s eyes left her at a loss.

Jiang Chao did not want anyone to know she liked qipaos. Everyone had a few little habits, good or bad, and there were always things one did not want others to know.

Sheng Huaixi had asked whether the qipao suited her, but Jiang Chao’s sharp instincts told her that Sheng Huaixi might have noticed her little secret.

Annoyed, she pinched the pad between her thumb and forefinger until several crescent-shaped marks were left behind.

Forget it; she hadn’t asked directly! Jiang Chao shook her head and forced down the panic rising in her chest.

“Mm.” She squeezed out a soft answer from between her teeth, lowering her head, unlike when she had just faced Sheng Huaixi’s approach so openly.

Her guilty conscience was glaringly obvious.

“So—do you think I’m pretty, or especially pretty in a qipao?”

Sheng Huaixi’s tone lifted at the end. Watching Jiang Chao stiffen at the question she had tossed out so casually, she narrowed her long lashes in satisfaction and lowered her head unhurriedly to turn a page in the menu.

The rustle of paper and turning pages sounded beside Jiang Chao’s ear. Sheng Huaixi did not bother to hide the movement; she was clearly making sure Jiang Chao heard it.

She was waiting for an answer.

Even though she seemed to already know what it was.

Shame and embarrassment warred in Jiang Chao’s heart. With a broken-jar mentality, she no longer kept her head down. Lifting her lashes, she looked straight at Sheng Huaixi and shot back, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll just be flattering you, Director Sheng?”

The fingers sliding over the paper paused. Sheng Huaixi’s smile did not fade. She blinked innocently and asked, “Is flattery unpleasant to hear?”

The words Jiang Chao had been about to say caught in her throat. Her mind raced for a moment, only to end up stranded on the old truth that the higher-ranking always held the advantage.

Whether Jiang Chao stayed or left was entirely in Sheng Huaixi’s hands; if she was going to flatter her, she had to do it well.

Lifting her teacup for a sip, Jiang Chao turned her face aside and muttered sullenly, “You’re pretty.”

There were very few words, but a blush spread rapidly across Jiang Chao’s ears, burning with nervousness.

Afraid Sheng Huaixi might notice something was off, Jiang Chao hesitated for a long time before turning back and adding with forced seriousness, “The qipao suits you very well. You look beautiful in it.”

A faint curve touched Sheng Huaixi’s lips. Her gaze brushed over Jiang Chao’s reddened earlobes, and a trace of a smile rippled at the bottom of her eyes.

“Come on, see what you want to order.”

Taking the menu back, Jiang Chao took this as Sheng Huaixi’s signal to call a truce. She set aside her other thoughts and lowered her head to study it carefully.

Sheng Huaixi’s gaze slid little by little from her fingertips to Jiang Chao’s cheeks and neck, where fair skin was tinged with a soft, healthy pink, as if a light pinch would leave behind a mark that belonged only to her.

Or perhaps it already had, long ago.

“Okay, I’m done.”

After finishing her order, Jiang Chao looked up, about to ask whether Sheng Huaixi had any dietary restrictions, when she saw the other woman lower her eyes, her expression cold.

She had never seen Sheng Huaixi look this bad.

Pushing the menu over, Jiang Chao worried that she might have seen some pervert lurking nearby. She scanned the surroundings warily, but found no suspicious figure.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Chao asked anxiously. “You don’t look so good.”

With a casual press of the bell beside her, Sheng Huaixi shook her head to indicate it was nothing. Her tongue pressed lightly against the roof of her mouth as she looked at Jiang Chao’s snow-white neck, a flash of ruthlessness passing through her eyes.

The flicker of madness vanished before Jiang Chao noticed it.

The waiter quickly came when summoned, took their menus with a bow, and left.

Sheng Huaixi narrowed her gaze, casually sweeping over that patch of pale neck again before fixing her attention on Jiang Chao’s face. “Have you ever dated anyone?”

“Cough, cough, cough—Wh-what are you asking that for?”

The question came out of nowhere. Jiang Chao was drinking water and nearly choked, looking up at Sheng Huaixi in shock as the water slipped awkwardly down to her chin. She hurriedly pulled out tissues to wipe it away.

Sheng Huaixi remained composed. She nudged the tissues toward Jiang Chao with her fingertips and said, “A routine Shengjing inquiry. We worry employees might lose focus because of relationships.”

She said it with such conviction that Jiang Chao, startled, also felt there was no need to hide it. “I haven’t. I was studying abroad before, and I wanted to come back early.”

Sheng Huaixi lifted her teacup; the crescent marks on her fingers swayed faintly. The rising steam veiled the emotions in her eyes as she continued the casual conversation.

“Didn’t you ever think about staying abroad?”

Jiang Chao answered without hesitation. “Not at all.”

Her reply was unusually firm, and Sheng Huaixi turned her gaze aside, seemingly surprised by how certain she was.

“My friends and my parents were all surprised that I insisted on coming back from England, and they kept asking whether there was someone here I was thinking about.”

Seeing Sheng Huaixi lower her eyes to show she was listening, Jiang Chao awkwardly scratched her cheek, her face flushing slightly. “But I just really didn’t like English food.”

Jiang Chao had no great ambitions; she felt that life would go wherever it went. She was only picky when it came to food, and even she had long wondered why she’d chosen to study abroad back then and eat those awful Western meals.

After staying abroad for six years and graduating, Jiang Chao didn’t linger for a single extra day; she hauled her bags and rushed back.

Hesitantly, she rubbed her fingertips together. The tea mist drifting between them blocked her view of Sheng Huaixi.

Even her mother would have worn a helpless expression if she heard that answer, and Jiang Chao worried Sheng Huaixi might think she lacked ambition too.

Silence spread between them. The tablecloth on Jiang Chao’s side was tugged into disorder by her restless hands.

The glossy teacup was set down in Jiang Chao’s line of sight, and she finally saw Sheng Huaixi’s eyes, calm and still, as if nothing Jiang Chao had said had stirred her at all.

One hand rested steadily on the table; blue veins rose one by one on the back of it. Sheng Huaixi turned her face slightly, long lashes lowered to cast a shadow over her eyelids.

When she spoke again, her voice seemed to carry a rough, husky edge.

“When you were in England, what food from back home did you miss the most?”

Not understanding why Sheng Huaixi had suddenly asked this, Jiang Chao frowned and thought for a moment before answering, “Sichuan food, probably.”

The person opposite her swayed slightly. Jiang Chao blinked and looked over, then thought for a moment and picked up the gilt-edged name card beside her, pressing it against her cheek, her eyes smiling and her tone brightening cheerfully.

“This is even my first meal of Sichuan food after coming back to the country!”

Jiang Chao had never imagined that her first Sichuan meal after returning home would be with Sheng Huaixi, whom she had only just met, and as an apology at that.

The corners of Sheng Huaixi’s mouth curved slightly. Suddenly, she let the force in her body fall away, her brows and eyes softening into visible delight.

“Good.”

Jiang Chao blinked, not understanding why Sheng Huaixi said it was good.

But after spending this brief time with her, Jiang Chao had also developed her own way of handling things.

Her eyes crinkling, she smiled too, nodding as sweet dimples appeared in her cheeks, hiding the little thoughts in her heart.

Talking with Sheng Huaixi about studying abroad had been an accident, but once the conversation started, Jiang Chao unexpectedly discovered that Sheng Huaixi seemed quite interested in her life overseas.

The two of them went back and forth, and the awkward scenes Jiang Chao had imagined never happened.

She had thought it would be an exhausting meal, but unexpectedly, Jiang Chao found it easy. When she chatted, her thoughts often wandered wildly; no matter where the conversation went, Sheng Huaixi could always follow her lead.

“Ring—!”

Suddenly, a phone rang. Jiang Chao gave Sheng Huaixi an apologetic smile. Messages came flooding across her screen, and then a call came in as well.

Had something happened to Yuan Bai? Why was it so urgent?

Frowning slightly, Jiang Chao answered. The moment she brought the phone to her ear, a voice burst out on the other end: “I slept with Fang Yunxi. What do I do?”

What?

Jiang Chao’s brows jumped in shock, and her expression nearly fell apart on the spot. Her voice almost slipped off course. “The Fang Yunxi I know?”

Sheng Huaixi’s wrist stilled. Her eyelids lifted slightly as she looked at Jiang Chao.

Noticing her gaze, Jiang Chao suddenly remembered that Sheng Huaixi was still sitting across from her. She hurriedly covered the receiver and stood, murmuring an excuse before stepping away.

Watching her flee in a panic, Sheng Huaixi narrowed her long lashes, thoughtful. Her fingertips hooked around her phone, and she opened WeChat.

[You know Jiang Chao?]

After sending the message, Sheng Huaixi leaned back lazily, her gaze idly fixed on Jiang Chao’s seat. The qipao had ridden up, exposing a large stretch of white, soft, and sexy skin.

Her eyes slowly moved away. Outside the window, the city’s bustle reflected across Sheng Huaixi’s face; her expression was indifferent, but somewhere deep in her pupils, a crazed hunger flickered faintly.

The hot, glaring lights only highlighted the elegance of her outward bearing.

Turning her gaze, Sheng Huaixi fixed on a woman not far away. Her pupils narrowed dangerously; thoughts stirred, and her tongue lightly scraped the roof of her mouth.

A flash of fierce light passed beneath her lashes, and then there was no more ripple.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chao had finally found a secluded corridor and listened the whole way as Yuan Bai gave her a muffled explanation, which finally made her understand what had happened.

Rubbing her forehead, Jiang Chao already felt a headache just imagining the situation over there.

“If she hasn’t left yet, then go out and make things clear. Ask her what she’s thinking. You can hide now, but can you hide forever?”

Yuan Bai muttered in a muffled voice, “I left my bathrobe for her. I’m wrapped in a towel right now. It’d be so weird to go out and see her.”

Jiang Chao almost laughed from irritation at her belated shyness and shot back, “Didn’t you see her last night? When you threw yourself at her and wouldn’t let go, why didn’t you think biting her was weird then?”

There was a disgruntled silence on the other end. Jiang Chao stopped rubbing her forehead and looked back toward the living room; there was no movement.

Exhaling, she pressed a finger to her brow and forced down her worry, lowering her voice. “It’s already happened. Taking responsibility isn’t shameful.”

“Wait! I’m inside! Don’t kick the door—”

The person on the other end sounded panicked. Jiang Chao only heard a crash, followed by hurried footsteps turning in circles; Yuan Bai seemed to have run to open the door.

In the end, all Jiang Chao heard was a cold, unfamiliar “Come here,” and then the call was cut off.

Frowning hard at the screen, Jiang Chao guessed that Fang Yunxi probably thought Yuan Bai had finished and run, and was just about to blow up when she caught her in the bathroom instead.

She hadn’t run, but she clearly wanted to hide from her.

Putting herself in Yuan Bai’s shoes, Jiang Chao could only sigh for her and hope she resolved it properly.

After putting her phone away, Jiang Chao turned and walked back toward the dining hall.

“Something came up?” Sheng Huaixi asked, glancing sideways at her. Holding the teapot, she tilted it and filled the water glass beside her to nearly full.

Jiang Chao sat down. Her expression had already returned to normal on the way back, so she waved it off. “Nothing much. A friend just had something urgent to ask about.”

She had thought it over carefully and decided not to tell Sheng Huaixi that she knew Yuan Bai. After all, they were both in the same department now; saying it would only make things troublesome.

Sheng Huaixi nodded and did not ask further.

By the time they had nearly finished the meal, Jiang Chao touched her stomach and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. As expected, the food in this restaurant lived up to its reputation; every dish suited her taste.

“Director Sheng—”

“Sheng Huaixi.”

Jiang Chao’s voice was cut off by a soft female voice. A rich orchid fragrance drifted in from beside her, silently filling the space beside their table.

Turning her gaze, Jiang Chao followed the hem of a beige skirt upward and met a pair of warm, pale, smiling eyes. Her features were gentle and sunlit, her whole bearing soft.

She was like a flower hidden deep in spring, leisurely enjoying the season’s gentle breeze.

“Xu Jingwen, what a coincidence.” Sheng Huaixi’s voice was cool. When she said the second sentence, her tone sharpened slightly, cutting at her without warmth.

Xu Jingwen froze, but she wasn’t angered by the malicious implication. Her brows curved as she looked at Jiang Chao with an easy expression.

Meeting her gaze, Jiang Chao gave a polite smile and said nothing.

Xu Jingwen glanced over her face once, then let her eyes slide downward and pause on the exquisitely tailored luxury clothing. She withdrew her gaze neither lightly nor heavily; when it settled back on Sheng Huaixi, her smile deepened.

Shifting her feet slightly, Xu Jingwen said softly, “Huaixi, I haven’t seen anyone following you lately, have I?”