A heart full of passion1
Afternoon.
Cheng Jiqing went to the cat store. Miaomiao was about to be picked up. During this time, when she was occasionally bored or didn’t know where to go, this cat had brought her comfort.
She bought Miaomiao a few small toys and stayed for over half an hour before heading out.
That’s the not-so-good thing about animals with emotions.
Joyful when you meet, sad when you part.
But she wasn’t exactly sad. She had seen countless farewells at the orphanage; it was more a sense of reflection.
The early autumn sky wasn’t entirely cool. Today’s sun was as glaring as a summer day, making people sweat.
It was then that Cheng Jiqing received a call from Ada.
“Chengcheng, it’s confirmed! Guess which role?!”
“‘The teacher?’ Cheng Jiqing had a good idea from her tone and said with a smile.”
“‘You’re calmer than I am.’ Ada laughed. ‘To get a role directly from the open audition, and it’s the female lead in your first drama—what great news! I’ve never seen you so calm.'”
Cheng Jiqing smiled at that too. She hadn’t brought an umbrella for the short walk, so she shielded her face with her hand as she walked to her car, saying, “No, I’m very excited too. It’s definitely great news.”
“‘The main cast is set. The production team has scheduled a script reading2 in the next couple of days. Are you home? I’ll bring the script over to you later.'”
Cheng Jiqing said okay.
After hanging up, she leaned back in her chair, unable to keep the smile off her face.
She opened WeChat and tapped on the pinned chat with the lily silhouette avatar. The chat history stopped at this morning’s greeting.
Bai Xin had sent it first, a little after six.
【What are you having for breakfast? I’m so sleepy.】
She really liked it when Bai Xin expressed these things to her, like ‘I’m so tired,’ ‘I’m so sleepy,’ ‘I’m feeling down.’ This way, she didn’t always have to guess what Bai Xin was thinking or if she was unhappy.
Cheng Jiqing shared the news about getting the female lead role with Bai Xin, who rarely replied so quickly: 【How are you so amazing?】
Cheng Jiqing chuckled softly: 【Of course. Always have been.】
Bai Xin: 【Yes, Little CEO Cheng is the most amazing.】
See? When her little kitten coaxed her, those sweet words truly hit the mark every time, making her happy.
Her smile suddenly faded a little.
It seemed Bai Xin’s mood had eased. Last night’s incident felt like a small interlude, but not seeing her still made Cheng Jiqing worry.
She asked: 【Busy today too? Want me to make you something good when you get back?】
Bai Xin: 【I’ll probably be busy for the next few days.】
She didn’t say whether she was coming back or not. Two seconds later, another message came: 【Eat well, and wait for me for another two days. Good girl.】
The last word was clearly mimicking her tone.
Cheng Jiqing found a sticker: 【EyeRoll.JPG】
Cheng Jiqing put her phone down, ready to drive. She had asked Ada to deliver the script to her at Nanjing. She needed to go back and meet her.
The leaves on the trees lining both sides of the road were still lush and green, without the bleakness of autumn.
She turned on the radio.
She had originally wanted to find a song to listen to, but when she turned it on, she heard the host mention 《Go Ashore》; it turned out to be the theme song.
《Symptoms of Spring》
‘Heard someone say the sea was sweet, coaxed me to the shore, the waves pulled me down, leading me astray in the spring sea…’
Such a movie, almost a BE3, yet it had such a joyful love song, a beautiful beginning.
The red light came on, and the car slowly stopped.
She suddenly glanced at the passenger seat, staring at it, her mind flashing back to that day of torrential rain, the person on her body alluring and tender, soft as spring water, panting like honey.
Her hands, wet, cupped that flushed face—confusing and absurd, addicted without realizing it…
The air conditioning was on in the car, but Cheng Jiqing felt an undeniable restlessness within her.
She actually felt a flicker of an idea—since it was already done, she should have gone all the way last night and gotten some satisfaction herself…
A car horn pulled her back from her jumbled thoughts. Cheng Jiqing suppressed the intense desire that arose in broad daylight and continued driving.
Two more days passed in a flash.
The script reading for the 《Cat and Mint》 cast was set in a sihe xiaoyuan4. She heard that Tong Yanxi’s last drama also had its reading here.
Script readings can improve collaboration between departments and increase efficiency, which means saving costs.
Morning.
Cheng Jiqing arrived early. She wasn’t very familiar with the route and accidentally came half an hour ahead of time.
As soon as she entered, she saw a long wooden table set up in the center of the courtyard by the entrance. Tea and cola were on the table, and an awning was set up overhead. Two people had already arrived.
One was Tong Yanxi, and the other…
Cheng Jiqing said politely, “Director Tong, Teacher Li.”
Tong Yanxi looked up and said casually, “You’re pretty early too. Sit wherever.”
As she finished speaking, Li Yunlan5 stood up from her chair. “No need to be so formal. You can just call me by my name.”
Cheng Jiqing looked at the hand offered to her and shook it. “You’re a senior. It’s only right.”
Initially, Li Yunlan had auditioned for the same role as her, the teacher in 《Cat and Mint》.
Later, after the production team cast Cheng Jiqing, Li Yunlan unexpectedly offered to audition for the student role.
So now, Li Yunlan was her on-screen CP6.
This first meeting made her breathe a sigh of relief for the time being.
It had happened in the past where people became rivals after competing for the same role.
Li Yunlan had a gentle appearance and was known in the industry as the “first love girlfriend” type. The student role was very rebellious, even having a scheming7 side, which was a stark contrast for her.
Cheng Jiqing was quite looking forward to it.
Li Yunlan said, “Have a seat first. Where did you come from? It’s still a bit hot today.”
“From the South District. It is pretty hot.” Cheng Jiqing sat down in the chair opposite her.
Tong Yanxi chimed in from the side, a smile on her face, taking a sip of cola. “Yo, you think it’s hot now? Wait till filming starts and we’re shooting summer scenes; you’ll be complaining about the cold then. It’s too dark inside. Next time you come, if the temperature drops, it won’t be hot. You’ve all read the script, right? How about we chat for a bit first?”
None of them seemed difficult to get along with, at least not at the moment, so the unfamiliar atmosphere quickly dissolved.
It was just that ever since she found out Tong Yanxi was Tang Jia’s ex-wife, she paid a little more attention to her.
After chatting, she found Tong Yanxi to be a very casual and easygoing person, with no makeup, wearing an oversized T-shirt, casual pants, and her hair tied back casually.
Oh, and she loved drinking cola.
Tang Jia, on the other hand, was completely different. Even when seen out occasionally, she was always impeccably dressed and a bit of a neat freak.
It was hard to imagine these two as a couple.
“Let’s start by talking about your understanding of the characters.” Tong Yanxi sat cross-legged, holding a pen with the cap pressed against her lips.
As the ‘newcomer,’ Cheng Jiqing politely looked at Li Yunlan first.
Seeing this, Li Yunlan smiled gently. “Xiao Cheng, it’s your first time, how about I go first?”
“You two will be playing lovers. Change how you address each other; it’s too formal.” Tong Yanxi picked up her cola. “Be more open. We’re going to spend several months together. You can be casual with me outside of filming too. I can’t stand it when you guys put on an act.”
Cheng Jiqing laughed out loud. This director was so direct.
Just her style.
Li Yunlan also had a smile on her face and said, “Then shall I call you Chengcheng? My friends call me Lanlan.”
Such a harmonious atmosphere was rare. Cheng Jiqing felt her luck was really good.
“Okay, Director Tong. Okay, Lanlan.”
“I don’t have any major issues, but I do have some questions about the relationship between the two. The student approaches the teacher because she resembles her white moonlight8. When the white moonlight eventually appears and the student realizes who she truly loves, the teacher says—Your mistake was made the first time we met. She clearly states she won’t forgive her. I’m still trying to figure out the psychology of the two main characters at this point, especially the teacher’s.”
In the interplay between two characters, understanding the opponent character’s psychology is also very important.
Tong Yanxi looked at Cheng Jiqing. “Do you have any thoughts? You can talk about your character first.”
Cheng Jiqing looked up from the script, thought for a moment, and said, “I think the teacher should be feeling a mix of joy and sorrow at this time, right? Joy because the person she loves says she loves her back, but sorrow because the initial intention behind this love wasn’t genuine. Sorrow because she feels like a joke, thinking that while she was passionately giving her all, the other person might have been thinking of someone else… That should be a very difficult feeling to let go of.”
After she finished speaking, she met Tong Yanxi’s gaze and paused. “My personal understanding.”
Tong Yanxi said, “That’s pretty well said.”
Li Yunlan agreed. “That’s really well said. It’s given me some ideas. We can discuss it more later.”
Twenty minutes later, the main actors arrived one after another. There weren’t many, only six people.
Everything went smoothly.
Tong Yanxi had a strong grasp of character development. The lines were ordinary but had a strong lingering impact. The whole story was unforgettable.
Towards the end.
An actor joked, “Director, you haven’t written the ending yet.”
Everything was written, even the ending for the pet dog the teacher owned, but it wasn’t said whether the two female leads reconciled in the end.
Tong Yanxi said, “You’ll know when the time comes.”
Cheng Jiqing thought to herself, Probably not.
After putting herself in the teacher’s shoes, she felt that a sincere heart had been shattered by a blizzard, leaving her heart like dead ashes, beyond saving.
The script reading ended, and everyone left.
Before leaving, Cheng Jiqing exchanged WeChat contacts with everyone, and Tong Yanxi also created a group chat for the main cast.
“How did you get here? Need a ride?” Li Yunlan’s van9 was parked by the roadside.
Several other well-known actors, who all had their own cars and dedicated assistants, also looked at Cheng Jiqing upon hearing this. They were also curious about this newcomer whose clothes weren’t designer brands.
No prior works, not professionally trained10, yet she had beaten Li Yunlan for the role.
But it seemed her company didn’t value her much either, as there was no car to pick her up or drop her off.
Cheng Jiqing shook her head. “No need, thank you. I drove myself.”
After saying that, she pressed her car key. A clear unlocking chirp sounded among the several cars, and everyone looked over.
A Bentley, costing over four million11 when new.
“…”
Worth three of their vans.
Either she came from a wealthy family, or she had powerful backing.
Cheng Jiqing didn’t care about these things, nor did she intend to hide anything. Once the promotional photos were taken and the official announcement was made, people outside would eventually dig up her connection to the Cheng Corporation.
She was used to enduring hardships in her previous world. Now, starting over, she wanted to act openly and honestly, not trying to create some low-profile persona.
It wasn’t like she didn’t know how to enjoy life.
Let nature take its course.
Just do a good job.
After getting in the car and preparing to leave, Cheng Jiqing realized she had left her phone in the courtyard, so she went back to get it.
Tong Yanxi was still sitting at the table, unwrapping a lollipop.
Seeing her return, Tong Yanxi gestured with her chin towards the table. “Forgot your phone, huh?”
Cheng Jiqing shrugged. “Good thing I hadn’t gone far. The road ahead isn’t easy to turn around on.”
“Want one?” Tong Yanxi didn’t wait for an answer and directly tossed two lollipops from her bag onto the table.
Cheng Jiqing picked up her phone and, without being overly polite, took the lollipops.
“Thanks, Director Tong.”
She thought of Tang Jia again. Those two together must have been quite interesting. What a pity.
That day, Bai Xin still hadn’t returned.
At ten o’clock at night, she stood on the balcony and sent Bai Xin a WeChat message: 【Are you busy?】
It was raining lightly outside. The daytime temperature had plummeted by late night.
There was a feeling of late night and heavy dew.
Her body still felt strange. She thought about going to the hospital tomorrow and asking Tang Jia what was going on.
An Alpha’s agitation period? That was all she could think of.
She usually didn’t have such strong desires.
After a while, her phone rang. Bai Xin had sent a video call request.
“I was just about to call you.”
Bai Xin leaned slightly against the sofa, her eyes showing a hint of liveliness under the bright lights, but it was only for a moment. Cheng Jiqing could see the fatigue in her eyes.
Cheng Jiqing: “Do you have to be this late? You can’t even come home.”
Bai Xin took a light breath, stared straight at her, and said, “Soon. I won’t be back tomorrow, but I’ll definitely be back the day after.”
Cheng Jiqing pouted. “Alright, CEO Bai is busy.”
She knew why Bai Xin was busy, so she also knew that persuasion was useless. Lu Man’s death and her hatred for Bai Zhaoliang were Bai Xin’s unresolved issues12.
In the original story, Bai Xin’s blackening was also greatly related to this matter.
“I miss you.”
Bai Xin’s face moved closer on the screen. Her stunning features made Cheng Jiqing’s heart flutter for a moment; her heart and glands also started to pound…
Cheng Jiqing stared into those eyes and said softly, “Then why aren’t you coming back?”
“It’s too late. I’m afraid I’ll disturb you if I go back.”
“It’s not like you haven’t disturbed me before,” Cheng Jiqing teased. “So considerate now?”
Bai Xin’s gaze seemed to pierce through the camera, raking over her.
Cheng Jiqing smiled. “Fine, you’re just that considerate.”
She was actually just saying it. She didn’t want Bai Xin to rush back so late, mainly because the Bai Corporation was further from Nanjing than the Nanyang Urban District was.
Dimples appeared on Bai Xin’s cheeks. “It’s too late, I’m afraid you’ll scold me.”
Cheng Jiqing: “You actually know you’re late? Mm, then there’s still hope for you.”
“I’ll definitely be back the day after tomorrow. If I don’t come back soon, I won’t be able to take it anymore either.”
A double entendre.
Cheng Jiqing raised an eyebrow. “Can’t take what?”
The corners of Bai Xin’s mouth curved up. “You’ll know when the time comes.”
A knowing and blush-inducing conversation.
A hint of red touched Cheng Jiqing’s earlobes. Conversations between lovers inevitably leaned towards intimacy. Perhaps because her body had been feeling things intensely these past few days, she didn’t overthink13 that Bai Xin just wanted to sleep with her.
Because right now, she missed Bai Xin, and she also missed Bai Xin’s body.
She wasn’t deliberately thinking about needing anything specific, just a simple, instinctive longing.
And then she thought—Mm, three months really is a bit long.
Why had she been so harsh back then?
The call ended.
Cheng Jiqing stood on the balcony for a while longer, finding it increasingly difficult to stay still. The cold wind blew in, but instead of feeling cool, she started to sweat.
She turned back, her gaze sweeping over the sofa, remembering that bewildering time with Bai Xin.
Instantly, blood rushed upwards, and an itch seemed to spread through her entire body14.
She raised a hand to her chest, trying to suppress it, then lowered it, feeling that the touch made her feel slightly better. She let out a breath, turned off all the lights in the living room, and opened the bathroom door.
Only a small light in the dry area was on.
The light source was dim and yellow.
Steam from the shower filled the air. Cheng Jiqing tilted her head back, letting the fine spray of hot water hit her face. The water flowed down, meandering, lingering… She sat on the edge of the bathtub.
Suppressed desires tangled with the sound of water.
That night, Cheng Jiqing suddenly realized that her mind was truly filled with only that one person.
She slept late, only getting up after nine.
But she didn’t make anything to eat because she had an appointment with Tang Jia. She needed to get her blood drawn today and also confirm her physical condition.
The frequency of her blood draws had increased. Now, when the nurse saw her, she would directly tell her if Tang Jia was in the office.
She went in, familiar with the way.
Then, just as familiarly, she went to have her blood drawn and undergo tests.
Half an hour later, Cheng Jiqing entered Tang Jia’s office.
“Some reports will take two hours, but your routine indicators are on the high side. Based on the symptoms you described, it can basically be confirmed as a pre-agitation period reaction.”
Cheng Jiqing: “…So it really is.”
Speaking of which, in all the time she’d been here, apart from the first agitation period triggered by an inducer and that temporary one at the KTV, her normal agitation period had never occurred.
So, she wasn’t actually familiar with these kinds of days.
She hadn’t even considered it in the past two days.
In other words, she knew more about Bai Xin’s heat periods than her own agitation periods.
“Should I take an inhibitor in advance?”
“You can, but your reaction isn’t very strong right now, so it won’t have much effect.” Tang Jia said. “It would be better to wait until it’s a bit stronger before taking it.”
Cheng Jiqing said, “What if I can’t hold back then? If it’s too strong, will it be too late?”
Tang Jia’s eyes held a playful, teasing look. “Without stimulation, you can usually hold back. Or maybe you don’t want to. The inhibitor starts working after fifteen minutes. You just need to be mindful of your surroundings.”
Cheng Jiqing roughly understood.
“Why do you seem like it’s your first time? You couldn’t possibly have never taken an inhibitor before.” Tang Jia pushed her glasses up with a fingertip.
Cheng Jiqing: “…”
You might not believe this if I told you, but I really haven’t.
“Um… by the way, how’s the research on that inducer-suppressing drug coming along?”
Tang Jia paused inwardly. “Progress is good. It might be completed in the next few months.”
This was also the actual progress of the drug.
Cheng Jiqing: “That’s good. Thank you for your hard work.”
Tang Jia: “…”
A sense of guilt, like selling someone out and then being thanked for it, rose in Tang Jia’s heart.
“It’s what I should do… Miss Cheng, after the blood draw, eat something good to replenish yourself.”
There wasn’t much else she could say.
She just thought, Indeed, I need to speed things up. Bai Xin is softening; am I not too?
Cheng Jiqing had no defenses against her—or more accurately, against her in relation to Bai Xin and those around Bai Xin.
How could Cheng Jiqing know what Tang Jia was thinking? She nodded, shrugged casually, and said, “I’m in great health, unlike that person whose constitution is too poor.”
Tang Jia ‘tsked’ lightly. “Stop right there. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
She only liked hearing stories, not absorbing the essence of public displays of affection15.
After chatting casually for a while, Tang Jia suddenly asked, “I heard you’re going to be in a drama?”
Cheng Jiqing wasn’t surprised Tang Jia knew. Since Bai Xin knew she was going to be in Tong Yanxi’s drama, she probably would have mentioned it to Tang Jia.
Cheng Jiqing looked at Tang Jia’s calm expression and smiled slightly. “Yes, Tong Yanxi’s drama.”
She didn’t directly say she knew about their past relationship, but Tang Jia should have understood.
“Mm, I know.”
Tang Jia was silent for a few seconds. “She has a very bad temper. You should be careful.”
Cheng Jiqing: “…”
Cheng Jiqing was amused. Why did that sound a bit like sharing from experience?
But when Tang Jia said that, Cheng Jiqing saw a different emotion in her eyes.
She didn’t say anything more.
After a while, Cheng Jiqing prepared to get up and leave.
Only then did Tang Jia notice that the spot on her wrist where blood was drawn had a bluish, swollen vein. Her expression faltered. “They didn’t do it right?”
Cheng Jiqing looked down at her wrist. Usually, a regular person drew her blood, but today it had been someone different for some reason.
“It’s fine.”
“Put some ice on it tonight.”
Tang Jia looked at the swollen area; it would probably take a week to go down. Yet Cheng Jiqing didn’t seem to care much. Thinking about the real purpose of the blood draw, Tang Jia felt even worse.
“What’s wrong? It’s not like you pricked it and made it swell, what’s with that expression?” Cheng Jiqing reached for her purse. “Oh, I almost forgot, Dr. Tang, a small gift for you.”
She took out a lollipop and placed it on the table.
The pear-flavored lollipop rolled a few times on the table before stopping, its light yellow wrapper seeming to exude the sweetness of saccharin.
Cheng Jiqing said, “Life needs a little sugar.”
Tang Jia stared at the lollipop, a brand she couldn’t be more familiar with.
Cheng Jiqing went downstairs from the hospital, her stomach starting to feel hungry.
When she took out her car keys, she felt the other lollipop in her bag. She didn’t eat many sweets; she had saved this one for Bai Xin.
Orange-flavored.
She tested it; the swelling in her arm didn’t affect her driving.
She’d just drive a bit slower.
A few minutes after starting the car, her phone slowly vibrated inside. It was a call from Cheng Jing. She put it on speaker.
“Chengcheng, let’s meet tonight.”
Cheng Jiqing was taken aback and asked, “Is something wrong?”
Cheng Jing said, “Yes, there’s something I must talk to you about.”
“I might not have time tonight. Tomorrow?”
Because Tong Yanxi had something come up, the current script reading had been changed to an online session, scheduled for seven in the evening, and she didn’t know when it would end.
But what did Cheng Jing want to see her about?
She heard silence on Cheng Jing’s end for a few seconds, then, “Okay, tomorrow night then?”
Half an hour earlier.
Cheng Corporation, top floor.
Cheng Jing sat in her chair, her gaze coldly fixed on the photos on her tablet—pictures of Bai Xin and Zhou Yushu getting into a car together.
“There’s one more.”
After Secretary Liu finished speaking, Cheng Jing swiped across the screen with a cold expression.
Two photos were cropped and placed side by side, like a spot-the-difference game. A wrist was circled in each.
“A watch?”
“One is Bai Xin’s, and the other is Zhou Yushu’s.”
Secretary Liu said, “We didn’t notice it at first because the style is very common. But after discovering they were in contact, someone meticulous on the team found that Bai Xin had also worn this watch in photos taken previously.”
Secretary Liu looked at Cheng Jing’s expression and continued, “So I specifically investigated further. Coincidentally, I found out that a few months ago, Zhou Yushu had custom-ordered two watches. Identical to these two.”
Cheng Jing narrowed her eyes grimly. “Bai Xin and Zhou Yushu… I never would have thought these two would be connected.”
Secretary Liu: “This relationship is probably not simple. But they’ve never exposed it publicly, which makes it even more suspicious. Besides this relationship, they likely have other plans.”
This was speculation, and also a subordinate’s reminder.
Cheng Jing naturally thought of this too. Bai Xin and Zhou Yushu clearly had a significant relationship, and at the same time, Bai Xin was approaching Cheng Jiqing. What was her purpose?
Whatever it was, this person had crossed her bottom line.
Perhaps she was acting on Bai Zhaoliang’s instructions?
Cheng Jing then remembered the things she had said to Cheng Jiqing that night. Bai Xin might have been right outside the door at the time and probably heard everything.
But these past few days, the Bai Corporation had been calm, and Bai Xin hadn’t made any other moves. The more this was the case, the more it showed how deep this person’s schemes ran.
“Cut off the funding provided to the Bai Corporation first.”
“Understood.”
“We can’t let Chengcheng have any more contact with her. Chengcheng must know what kind of person this is.”
“Weren’t you afraid that Little CEO Cheng…”
Cheng Jing said coldly, “Do you know what Chengcheng hates the most?”
Secretary Liu: “What?”
Cheng Jing: “Deception and betrayal.”
When Cheng Jiqing overheard her conversation with Fu Rongjun in the hallway back then, her reaction was still fresh in Cheng Jing’s memory. Since then, Cheng Jiqing had never truly trusted them again.
Cheng Jiqing had just agreed to meet Cheng Jing the next evening.
Then Tong Yanxi announced in the group chat that tonight’s online discussion had been rescheduled to five in the afternoon.
Cheng Jiqing planned to have a simple meal first. As she drove, various scenes and all sorts of delicious food options passed by, but Cheng Jiqing didn’t know what to eat.
In the end, she chose the salad shop she had been to before, because the cat store wasn’t far ahead.
Perhaps because her agitation period was approaching, or maybe the swelling in her arm was uncomfortable, she didn’t have much of an appetite. She ordered a chicken breast salad but felt it wasn’t as good as before.
She ate a little hastily and then walked towards the cat store.
Pushing the door open, the familiar ‘ding-ling’ sound rang out.
The owner, Xiao Yun, poked her head out from a cat cage and smiled when she saw her. “Miss Cheng, you’re here?”
Cheng Jiqing nodded and asked with a smile, “Where’s Miaomiao?”
Xiao Yun was taken aback. “Ah, you didn’t know? Miss Qin already picked him up this morning.”
…
Cheng Jiqing stayed at the cat store for a few minutes, then got up and left.
Walking out, the October weather was too unpredictable, hot one moment and cool the next.
She stood at the entrance for a while, unable to describe the emotion in her heart. She probably hadn’t expected their last meeting to be the last one.
This “last one” referred to the last time it didn’t belong to anyone yet.
Cheng Jiqing looked up at the clear sky; the blue and white instantly filled her vision.
She missed Bai Xin a little.
Today, she especially wanted to see her.
A little after twelve at night.
Cheng Jiqing drove her car near the Bai Corporation. Before going, she sent Bai Xin a message asking if she was still at the company and when she would finish.
She figured that since Bai Xin finished late anyway, she would just wait outside.
Whatever time she came out, she would wait until then and then pick her up.
She thought, Bai Xin should be surprised, right?
They hadn’t seen each other for three days.
Bai Xin replied more than ten minutes later:
【Finished. On my way back.】
Cheng Jiqing felt foolish. She should have told Bai Xin, or just driven directly to the Nanyang Urban District. This meant she had waited for nothing.
Afraid of another miscommunication, she asked:
【Nanyang?】
【Mm, why aren’t you asleep yet?】
【In a bit.】
Cheng Jiqing’s lips curved down. She started the car and drove towards the Nanyang Urban District.
Before Nanyang Road, there was a straight asphalt road. Few people were here, and even fewer at this time of night.
There was an illusion of traveling the world alone.
A street away behind Nanyang Road, a white Bentley was also driving through the night.
Bai Xin’s head was leaning against the passenger seat, extremely sleepy. She hadn’t slept much these past two days and wasn’t in good spirits.
“Get some good rest tomorrow.”
Zhou Yushu glanced at her. “The Cheng Corporation suddenly cutting off investment to Bai Zhaoliang is great news. We can ease up a bit.”
“I just want to end this quickly now.”
“Why the sudden rush?”
Bai Xin didn’t speak. She was very tired and missed Cheng Jiqing very much.
She just kept thinking about clearing up this mess so she could see her without any distractions.
About twenty minutes later.
Cheng Jiqing’s car stopped downstairs in the Nanyang Urban District. The interior light of the car was the color of dusk, ironically holding more of an early autumn hue than the world outside.
Before getting out, she took out her phone, thinking of asking one more time: 【Home yet?】
Tonight, she had driven especially fast, like a reckless youth in their younger days, doing things driven purely by a heart full of passion.
It was merely a late-night thought to give that person a surprise, to fulfill her own longing.
So simple.
She thought, if Bai Xin was a bit slow and hadn’t arrived yet, she would wait a little.
Just as the message was sent, Cheng Jiqing heard the sound of a vehicle approaching from behind, getting closer and closer. A white car drove right past her.
Then, it stopped ahead.
It wasn’t Bai Xin’s car.
Cheng Jiqing lowered her head to wait for a reply. The sound of a car door closing outside drew her attention again, and she unconsciously looked up.
She saw a familiar figure get out of the car ahead.
The corners of Cheng Jiqing’s mouth lifted slightly. She had just touched the door handle, not yet pushed it open, when her gaze and fingertips suddenly froze—Zhou Yushu also got out of the car.
LP: I’m not a fan of the ‘misunderstanding’ trope, hope this won’t lead to that
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