Crossing the Line – Chapter 7
by Little PandaA Pity to Fall into Vulgar Hands
The dense, dark crowd that had just been hovering around Lin Ji slowly dispersed under subtle cues from CEO Gu.
In the bustling banquet hall, they were left in a quiet corner of their own, insulated from the crowd.
Lin Ji slowly swirled her glass, the pale, honey-colored champagne catching flecks of light on its surface.
Jiang Siyi’s index fingers quietly twined together.
Why did everyone have to clear out and give them space? This was a massive misunderstanding.
In her eyes, Lin Ji was like an elder sister, a living legend who reigned at the absolute summit of their social circle. She was an untouchable beauty—any romantic teasing directed at someone of her stature felt like absolute sacrilege.
Yet Lin Ji herself didn’t seem to find anything amiss. She completely ignored the curious glances and whispers from the crowd, making Jiang Siyi wonder if she was simply overthinking things.
Jiang Siyi’s mind was in utter disarray, as if a gail had just swept through, leaving nothing but chaos in its wake.
At that moment, Lin Ji’s attention was drawn to the line of her neck.
Up close, this qipao1 looked as though it had been custom-made for Jiang Siyi. The mandarin collar cradled her smooth jawline like a soft magnolia petal, while the handmade piping traced the elegant curve of her swan-like neck.
The rising star of an auctioneer, who had just controlled the entire room with calm poise on the podium, seemed to revert to a shy, inexperienced girl the moment she stood before Lin Ji.
Lin Ji, typically a woman of few words, was the first to speak.
“Is your injury any better?”
Jiang Siyi felt somewhat relieved by Lin Ji’s initiative; otherwise, she really wouldn’t have known what to say to break the awkwardness.
Still, the question left her slightly bewildered.
“My injury?”
Lin Ji’s gaze drifted downward.
“Wasn’t your hand scratched the other night?”
Jiang Siyi was truly surprised. It had been so dark that night, and the scratch was so minor she’d barely noticed it herself. She had no idea how Lin Ji had spotted it.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, Jiang Siyi said, “It’s already healed.”
She wondered if Lin Ji always looked people directly in the eye when speaking to them. Due to the difference in their heights, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of looming, authoritative scrutiny.
Jiang Siyi was already ten centimeters shorter than Lin Ji. To make standing easier during the auction, she’d chosen shoes with barely any heel, which meant she now had to look up slightly to meet Lin Ji’s eyes. Feeling her presence drop several notches, she stammered uncontrollably.
“I… I went back to look for you that night. But you were on the phone, so I didn’t want to disturb you. Afterward…”
Afterward, she’d simply left.
She hadn’t gone back to find Lin Ji because Song Ti’s coldness that night had left her thoroughly disheartened. It was difficult to hide her dismal mood, and she doubted she’d be able to manage a pleasant conversation with Lin Ji. She certainly didn’t want to vent her personal grievances to someone she barely knew.
Rather than being a nuisance, she thought it better to just quietly disappear.
Offering an excuse, Jiang Siyi said, “I had some work left to do, so I left early.”
So much time had passed, and she’d been too busy to even think about explaining herself to Lin Ji, leaving her hanging all this time. Jiang Siyi was secretly amazed at her own audacity.
Not knowing if Lin Ji was unhappy about that night and had come to demand an explanation, Jiang Siyi’s voice grew softer and gentler:
“I’m sorry, did I hold you up from something?”
“No,” Lin Ji said. “I only wanted to give you a band-aid.”
So that was it.
To think Lin Ji had not only noticed such a tiny scratch, but had even kept it on her mind.
The warmth of someone caring for her so directly felt a little foreign to Jiang Siyi these days.
Especially when the person showing her concern was Lin Ji.
The unfamiliar sensation quickly turned into a nervous tension that made her fingertips curl, her ears burning hot.
Terrified that Lin Ji would notice, Jiang Siyi turned her body slightly to hide her ear, explaining that it was just a tiny scratch and had already healed.
Unfortunately, while she hid one ear, the other side she’d failed to account for was completely exposed to Lin Ji.
The rising blush was delivered directly to Lin Ji’s eyes. Coupled with Jiang Siyi’s habit of gently pursing her lips whenever she held her breath, it was easy to discover she was nervous.
A trace of loneliness, unnoticed by anyone, surfaced in Lin Ji’s eyes.
She’s grown up, but is she still afraid of me?
After a brief silence, Jiang Siyi’s chest rose and fell three times. Racking her brain, she finally managed to find a new topic.
“I didn’t expect you to have an interest in auctions as well.”
The transition was incredibly stiff, and the professional smile plastered on her face looked very fake.
Jiang Siyi prayed in her heart that Lin Ji wouldn’t expose her. She couldn’t handle being called out right now.
Jiang Siyi actually had a bit of luck on her side today.
Lin Ji really didn’t expose her.
Whatever topic she offered, Lin Ji would take it.
“My grandmother had a Green-yellow Jade Dragon and Phoenix Pendant that was lost, and it looks quite similar to the one in your spring auction.”
“Somewhat similar?”
Jiang Siyi blinked.
Meaning she wasn’t sure?
“Yes, Grandmother gave that jade pendant to me. Unfortunately, it was lost in an accident.”
At this point, an imperceptible gloom veiled Lin Ji’s eyes.
“Grandmother passed away many years ago, and I don’t know whose hands her treasure has passed through, or where it has ended up. Most of these pendants look alike, making them hard to distinguish. I was too young when it was lost to remember it clearly. So, whenever a similar pendant appears on the market, I buy it for my collection.”
Since they weren’t close, it obviously wouldn’t be right to pry further into such personal matters.
Suddenly, it made sense why Lin Ji had scoffed coldly when Wan Xin fumbled that lot.
She’d thought Lin Ji was helping her for Song Ti’s sake.
She’d been flattering herself.
Jiang Siyi asked, “Are there any photos to compare it with?”
“No clear ones.”
“Then… I’ll keep an eye out for similar lots for you in the future.”
“Thank you.”
Another brief silence settled between them.
That’s how it is when people who aren’t close run into each other unexpectedly.
Jiang Siyi was trying her best to load her “mature adult” attribute, racking her brain to keep the atmosphere from turning cold. Before she could find another topic, she heard Lin Ji speak.
“You did an outstanding job today. Congratulations.”
With that, she set her wineglass down.
She seemed about to leave.
Jiang Siyi’s shoulders relaxed slightly as she smiled. “Thank you. Are… are you leaving now? I’ll walk you out.”
In truth, Lin Ji wasn’t actually planning to leave just yet. She’d set her glass down simply because she didn’t care much for alcohol, and the champagne here wasn’t to her taste.
But seeing Jiang Siyi so eager to see her off, that genuine smile of relief stung Lin Ji’s eyes slightly.
Lin Ji said, “No need.”
She glanced toward a spot nearby.
Receiving her cue, Lin Ji’s assistant walked over from the crowd and handed her a scarf.
She wrapped the scarf around her neck as she walked toward the exit.
She was actually leaving.
As Lin Ji reached the elevators, Jiang Siyi quickly caught up. “Um… if you hadn’t helped today, the auction wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
Lin Ji looked back, waiting for her to continue.
“For those lots… thank you for driving up the bids for me.”
Regardless of the reason, this was a thank-you she absolutely had to express.
Adjusting her scarf, Lin Ji said:
“I bought them because I genuinely wanted them. Your presentation captivated me. Treasures should belong to those who understand and cherish them. It’s a pity when they fall into vulgar hands.”
Jiang Siyi felt as though her imagination were running wild today, finding double meanings in absolutely everything she heard.
Even so, Lin Ji’s praise made her happy.
Taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere, Jiang Siyi summoned her courage and said:
“There’s something I’d like to ask your permission for.”
Lin Ji gave her a slightly surprised look.
Jiang Siyi: “Could I call you Cousin in the future, just like Song Ti does?”
Since she was engaged to Song Ti, she and Lin Ji would inevitably cross paths in the future. It wouldn’t do to keep addressing her as just “you” all the time; it was impolite.
Calling her Cousin would sound much warmer.
She’d assumed Lin Ji would graciously agree, but to her surprise, the warm atmosphere instantly turned icy cold.
“No.”
Two freezing words, a flat refusal.
Jiang Siyi: “…”
If a video call from her elder sister, Jiang Siling, hadn’t come through at that exact moment, Jiang Siyi wouldn’t have known how to escape the agonizing scene.
Clutching her vibrating phone, Jiang Siyi said, “I… I need to take this. I won’t walk you out then. Good night.”
Not daring to look at Lin Ji’s reaction, she turned and fled without looking back.
Lin Ji stared at Jiang Siyi’s retreating back, her hand inside her pocket gently caressing a small rabbit charm.
While she watched Jiang Siyi, her assistant watched her.
Her boss was acting incredibly out of character today.
The assistant knew her boss would absolutely never attend an after-party under normal circumstances.
In her eyes, her boss was a pure workaholic. During their years overseas, her only interest had been making money, relentlessly expanding her capital day and night without pause.
Countless people had tried to pursue a romantic relationship with her—from powerful corporate tycoons to members of royal families—yet she’d never spared any of them a second glance. To her, a single flirtatious word was a colossal waste of time.
Even when rumors of her being frigid circulated wildly, she’d never paid them any mind, not even bothering to dismiss them as boring gossip.
Yet tonight, she’d made an exception to attend this completely pointless party. Not only had she shown up, but she’d also spent quite a bit of time chatting.
Was this really the same boss who used to live solely for her work?
Her boss had seemed to be in a rather good mood tonight—until she was called “Cousin.”
The assistant couldn’t help but wonder why on earth her boss was so resistant to being a “Cousin.”
Only when Jiang Siyi’s silhouette vanished around the corner did Lin Ji quietly withdraw her gaze.
Everything about this auction house was fine, except for the elevators, which were agonizingly slow.
When the elevator finally arrived and the doors slid open, Lin Ji didn’t step inside. Instead, her eyes swept over the empty cabin.
The cabin was relatively small, vacant, and carried a faint, clean scent.
At a glance, it looked clean and perfectly comfortable.
Yet Lin Ji stood frozen on the spot. She didn’t take a single step forward until the doors closed again.
She turned toward the stairs instead.
As her assistant followed her down the steps, she thought to herself, The boss still hates elevators.
Jiang Siyi’s night remained chaotic and exhausting. She was constantly cornered by her colleagues and managers, who either dropped subtle hints or asked outright, desperate to know her true relationship with Lin Ji.
When Jiang Siyi insisted they had no special connection, no one believed her.
Manager Wu gave her a knowing, secretive smile. “Oh, Siyi, look at you playing it cool.”
Jiang Siyi finally understood what it meant to be utterly defenseless against rumors.
Fortunately, Duan Ning stepped in to cover for her.
“Come on, everyone, stop teasing our Siyi,” Duan Ning said in earnest. “She already has a fiancée. I can testify that it’s definitely not Chairman Lin.”
Duan Ning sounded so sincere that the crowd finally, if reluctantly, accepted that their big patron was not fated to be with her. They cast pitying, “hopeless case” glances at Jiang Siyi.
Once the socializing was finally over, Jiang Siyi barely caught the last subway train and made her way back home.
While she was out walking Xueqiu, a WeChat message from Zhao Jun popped up again, reminding her that the family banquet was coming up soon and ordering her to bring Song Ti along on time, no matter what.
Now that the spring auction was over, she no longer had a convenient excuse to avoid going. She resorted to her usual ostrich-like evasion, pretending she hadn’t seen the message and leaving it unanswered.
After all, Zhao Jun hadn’t replied to her last message, so it was only fair that she left her stepmother on read this time. They were even.
She sent some videos and photos from the spring auction to Song Ti. She waited for a bit, but there was no reply.
Song Ti was in London, so it was probably during her working hours. It was only natural that she hadn’t replied…
Exhausted, Jiang Siyi took a shower and crawled into bed.
Just as this seemingly endless day was finally coming to a close, her phone began to vibrate relentlessly once more.
Her first thought was that Zhao Jun was nagging her again, but when she opened the screen, she saw it was neither Zhao Jun nor Song Ti. It was Duan Ning.
Duan Ning had sent a barrage of photos—all candid shots she had secretly snapped of Jiang Siyi and Lin Ji alone together at the after-party.
Jiang Siyi replied with a single question mark.
Duan Ning: 【The pictures were just too beautiful, I couldn’t help myself. You have no idea how bitter Oliver and Wan Xin were. Their faces were practically green with envy. Shh, don’t say a word. No need to thank me, just save them and enjoy.】
She’d already been feeling a bit drowsy, but seeing Lin Ji in the photos suddenly reminded her of how she’d eagerly rushed to call her Cousin, only to be met with that cold, flat refusal.
Help.
Her scalp tingled with mortification, her toes curling frantically. Curling up like a shrimp in bed, Jiang Siyi’s drowsiness was completely washed away by the sheer embarrassment.
She’d finally managed to forget it, only to be reminded of it all over again.
An instant of extroversion exchanged for a lifetime of introversion.
She was wide awake now.
Tossing and turning in bed, Jiang Siyi grabbed her phone and shot back a reply to Duan Ning: 【I really thank you.】
The author has something to say:
Lin Ji: Step five of winning my wife—refuse to be called anything other than “wife.”
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