Chapter 28: Sunset

What business could Zhao Siyuan have that required him to leave at this moment?

Naturally, there was none; it was just a matter of needing to get him out of the way to create an excuse for Liu Nian to come over. Jiang Nai understood, but being pointed out like this by Xue Lin stirred some different feelings inside her.

After picking out an outfit for Xue Lin, she stopped in front of a snow goggles shop. Thanks to him teaching her so much about skiing, buying a gift seemed like a good way to say thank you. Jiang Nai walked inside. This shop specialized in snow goggles, featuring a variety of trendy brands as well as luxury options, making it hard for her to choose.

“What about this one? Pink and flashy!” Lin Hui suggested, holding up a pair.

Jiang Nai laughed, “That one seems more suited for Lu Feng.”

After a moment of thought, Lin Hui grabbed a black pair, “Then only this deep color would be suitable for your husband.”

“His current ones are already black.”

While black suited him well, she felt it would be boring to get something so similar, so she moved to another section. At that moment, she spotted a pair of fog blue snow goggles on the shelf. Perhaps because she liked blue, she found this color particularly appealing.

The blue wasn’t a light sky blue; it had a grey tone and a gradient finish that gave it a unique texture.

“This one looks great!” Lin Hui approved when she saw Jiang Nai holding it.

Jiang Nai said, “Let’s go with this one. I think it’s beautiful too.”

“Miss, this model is incredibly popular; it’s been out of stock on the official website. We only just managed to get a few pairs in,” said a young man with curly hair as he approached them.

Jiang Nai asked for the price and winced a little. She had a secondary card from her family, but her grandparents would see the expenses, and she hadn’t used it since starting her job. After a moment’s thought, she took out her salary card. Although she had only recently become permanent, there was enough money to buy the goggles.

She truly wanted to thank him for all his help.

“Alright, I’ll take this one.”

“Great, please follow me to the counter to pay.”

It was already getting late outside. After returning to the hotel, Jiang Nai messaged Li Qingji to see if he needed her to come over, considering she was more familiar with the product side. However, Li Qingji replied that the collaboration had mostly been finalized, and she could rest at the hotel.

For Sinigte to fully penetrate the U.S. market, they needed Joseph’s help. Though Li Qingji mentioned the deal lightly, she knew it likely took a lot of effort, especially since he came back late at night. Hearing sounds from the front door, Jiang Nai got up from the bed and walked into the living room to see Li Qingji coming in.

“You’re back! Why so late?”

Li Qingji replied, “I went to the bar with him for a bit.”

“There’s a bar nearby?”

Li Qingji looked over and smiled, “What’s there not to have around here?”

“Then you should have called me over earlier. I saw that Joseph seems to have a good tolerance; I could have helped you out a bit.”

“It’s fine; he has to ski again tomorrow and didn’t drink much. I didn’t drink much either,” Li Qingji replied. “Besides, when it comes to drinking, how much could you handle?”

Jiang Nai protested, “I can hold my own! I only overdid it at Lu Feng’s birthday because I didn’t realize how strong that drink was.”

Li Qingji reached out and gently tapped her on the head with a hint of indulgence. “Oh, got it.”

This was an intimate gesture, something only familiar people would do. As Jiang Nai turned away, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

Li Qingji said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Jiang Nai asked, “Do you want a late-night snack? We can order in.”

Li Qingji hadn’t eaten much today and hadn’t thought about food when he got back. But now, prompted by her question, he suddenly felt a bit hungry.

He glanced at Jiang Nai and nodded. “Sure.”

By the time the food arrived, Li Qingji had finished his shower and came out.

There was a small table on the tatami mat, and he sat there to eat. Jiang Nai was so sleepy that she felt like she could collapse, but she didn’t want to leave him alone while he ate, so she sat beside him and fiddled with her phone.

“You should go to sleep first,” Li Qingji said.

“Mm?”

Li Qingji smirked slightly, “Your eyes are about to close; can you really still focus on your phone?”

Jiang Nai touched her nose and replied, “You just eat; I’ll head to bed.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nai was indeed exhausted, and as soon as she hit the bed, she fell asleep without realizing when Li Qingji came to bed later. The next day, she woke up late, and surprisingly, Li Qingji was still asleep. She got out of bed quietly, washed up in the bathroom, and when she came out, she saw him sitting up in bed.

“Lin Hui just messaged me, saying they’re up too, and asked if we want to go up the mountain together,” she informed him.

Li Qingji replied, “Let’s take you up the mountain for a few more runs.”

“Sounds good.” Suddenly, Jiang Nai remembered something. “Oh, I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

Jiang Nai reached into a bag nearby and pulled out a box, handing it to him.

“I saw this yesterday while shopping with Lin Hui. I thought it looked great, so I bought it for you.” After saying that, she felt a bit shy and quickly added, “Thanks for teaching me to ski these past couple of days!”

Li Qingji was momentarily stunned and opened the box. Inside was a pair of blue-toned snow goggles, gradient gray, with a very transparent look. Li Qingji had used many snow goggles, but he had never come across this color.

“Did you pick this?” 

Jiang Nai felt inexplicably nervous. “Ah… yes, do you think the color is okay? If you don’t like it, I can change it.”

Li Qingji smiled faintly. “It looks pretty good.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah.” He put the goggles back in the box. “Thank you.”

Jiang Nai immediately felt delighted, though she still appeared calm on the surface. “No need to thank me, it’s just a pair of goggles. So, you should wash up first. I’ll reply to Lin Hui.”

“Okay.”

—

After breakfast, when they headed to the snowfield, Jiang Nai noticed that Li Qingji was wearing the goggles she had given him. Seeing someone seriously using a gift she had given made her happy. She energetically hopped onto the lift, feeling joyful as she glided down.

Because both she and Lin Hui were relatively inexperienced, after Li Qingji and Lu Feng followed them for a couple of runs to ensure they were okay, the two of them went off to tackle the advanced slopes. Jiang Nai and Lin Hui skied together for the morning. As noon approached, they remained on the mountain, wanting to wait for the others to gather before heading to lunch together.

“I heard it looks beautiful here in the evening; have you seen it?” Jiang Nai asked, looking at the scenery below.

Lin Hui replied, “Yes! When I first came, Lu Feng took me up to see it; it was stunning. Sometimes the sky is orange, and other times it’s all pink and purple.”

Jiang Nai felt excited. “Then let’s come up in the evening to watch the sunset.”

Lin Hui teased, “Us, or just you and your husband?”

Jiang Nai chuckled. “The four of us can go together; he said yesterday that we could watch the sunset today.”

Lin Hui replied, “That’s fine, as long as your husband doesn’t mind me and my brother being third wheels.”

“How could he?”

Jiang Nai was genuinely looking forward to this sunset. She had never seen one on a snowy mountain, nor had she ever danced down the slope against a sunset backdrop. After finishing lunch and returning to the hotel, she was still filled with anticipation as she discussed the afternoon plans to go up the mountain with Lin Hui.

“… Okay, I understand. I’ll keep this in mind, um…”

Li Qingji was on the phone in the bedroom, with snippets of conversation drifting out.

After a while, he hung up and walked out. “Jiang Nai.”

“Mm?”

Li Qingji said, “There’s a project issue at the New York branch of Hengchuan that I need to attend to.”

Jiang Nai was stunned for two seconds. “Ah… okay, when are you leaving?”

“I have to leave right away,” Li Qingji replied. “Liu Nian and the others are returning to the country tomorrow afternoon. I’ll arrange for someone to take you to meet them tonight or early tomorrow morning; you can head back first.”

Jiang Nai set her phone down, caught off guard by the sudden change. It took her a moment to respond. “Then tomorrow morning works; I’ll go find Sister Liu Nian.”

“That’s fine,” Li Qingji said. “Just stick with Lu Feng and the others this afternoon. Don’t wander off, and be careful if you go skiing.”

Jiang Nai nodded. “Got it. I hardly fall anymore.”

“Good.”

After Li Qingji finished speaking, his phone rang again. He answered it, his brows furrowed, looking somewhat serious. After a while, he walked back into the bedroom. Jiang Nai sat there, feeling a bit lost. Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Jiang Nai ran to open it and saw Zhao Siyuan.

“Miss Jiang.”

“Xiao Zhao.”

“Is it convenient for me to come in?”

“Sure.”

Zhao Siyuan entered and quickly packed Li Qingji’s luggage.

Li Qingji hung up the phone three minutes later and walked out. “Is everything ready?”

Zhao Siyuan replied, “All set, boss. The car is downstairs; we can head out.”

“Mm.”

Zhao Siyuan pulled the suitcase out first, and Li Qingji turned to Jiang Nai.

“I’m leaving now. Be safe.”

Jiang Nai didn’t know what to say and just nodded. Li Qingji left suddenly, and his snow gear was still in the room. He probably would have Lu Feng help bring it back later. The room was quiet, and for a moment, Jiang Nai didn’t know what to think as she stared blankly at the closed door. Then she lay back on the tatami mat, suddenly feeling empty.

Had he forgotten about the sunset on the snowy mountain?

It didn’t matter if he had forgotten; the situation at Hengchuan was significant. Judging by his serious expression, it must have been a bit troublesome.

At that moment, a message from Lin Hui popped up: [What time are we meeting in the afternoon?]

Having skied all morning, Jiang Nai felt unexpectedly tired: [I think I won’t go this afternoon. You all go, I’ll take a rest.]

When Lin Hui received this message, Lu Feng had just gotten off the phone with Li Qingji, who told him he was leaving and asked them to take care of Jiang Nai.

After hanging up, Lin Hui immediately messaged Jiang Nai: [Your husband left!]

Jiang Nai replied: [Yeah, he has some work to attend to.]

Lin Hui responded: [Wow, why didn’t he take you with him?]

Jiang Nai explained: [His work isn’t related to my company, so it has nothing to do with me. Plus, I need to return to the country with my colleagues tomorrow; it’s not convenient for me to go.]

Lin Hui replied: [Alright then.]

Thinking about Jiang Nai’s feelings, Lin Hui guessed that she must be a bit upset.  If she had gone out to hang out with Lu Feng and he had to leave her midway, she would definitely not have been pleased.

After some thought, Lin Hui messaged: [It’s okay; don’t be unhappy. We’ll ski with you in the afternoon!]

When Jiang Nai saw this message, she smiled: [I’m not unhappy; I’m just a little tired.]

Lin Hui followed up: [Then… are you not going to watch the sunset?]

Jiang Nai thought for a moment, sat up, and replied: [No, I definitely want to see the sunset. I’ll head up when it’s about that time.]

Lin Hui: [That’s good! I thought if he wasn’t around, you wouldn’t want to watch the sunset.]

Jiang Nai: [How could that be? I want to see the sunset even without him.]

She said this, but as she put down her phone, Jiang Nai still felt a bit wistful.

Was she disappointed?

Yes, just a little. It seemed she was looking forward not just to the sunset but also to the person watching it with her. Without Li Qingji, it felt like something was missing. But deep down, she knew it couldn’t be helped; after all, he had to handle things at the company.

—

In the afternoon, Jiang Nai took the cable car up the mountain, where Lu Feng and Lin Hui were already waiting for her. When they reached the top, the sky was awash with orange and yellow hues.

“Jiang Nai! Come over, sit here!” 

The couple had saved her a good spot. Jiang Nai walked over, her eyes sparkling. “It’s really beautiful!”

Lu Feng said, “When we ski down later, I’ll film a video from behind; it’ll look amazing.”

Lin Hui chimed in, “Sounds great, thank you!”

Lu Feng smiled and glanced at Jiang Nai. “Hey, Jiang Nai, don’t worry, even though Li Qingji isn’t here, we can still hang out with you. What do you want to eat tonight? We’ll take you out.”

Lin Hui nodded. “Right, right.”

Jiang Nai couldn’t help but laugh. “No need; you two should enjoy your evening. I’ll just grab a bite at the hotel.”

“That’s not okay. We promised him we’d take care of you.”

Jiang Nai was a bit curious about what exactly Li Qingji had said. Lu Feng explained, “He just asked me to keep an eye on you, worried you might have trouble skiing. And he mentioned the situation in New York; you know how he is—work is everything to him. Technically, he didn’t have to go, but the project manager there is his second brother, Li Zhixun. You know they don’t get along, so if he goes, he might take the project from his brother. He wouldn’t pass up that opportunity.”

“Hey, Evan.” Just then, Joseph passed by and greeted Lu Feng. After noticing Jiang Nai, he asked why Li Qingji wasn’t around.

Jiang Nai replied that Li Qingji had left due to work, and Joseph expressed some regret. They exchanged a few pleasantries before he skied off.

Lu Feng turned back and said, “I heard Joseph got that deal.”

Jiang Nai nodded. “Yeah, we just need to draft a formal contract when we get back.”

Lu Feng smiled. “As expected, I knew that with Qingji bringing you, the success rate would double.”

Jiang Nai paused. “Huh? Why’s that?”

“Why? Didn’t Qingji tell you? Joseph is a devoted husband, loves his wife a lot. He’s very principled when it comes to relationships and dislikes those who are fickle or cold-hearted,” Lu Feng said, a hint of pride in his voice. “I even investigated this and told him, which is why I invited you both that day.”

Lin Hui added, “Then Joseph definitely doesn’t like you.”

Lu Feng retorted, “What are you talking about? I’m focused on you!”

Lin Hui scoffed, not buying it.

Jiang Nai picked up on something in their conversation and, as if seeking confirmation, asked, “So, how is this connected to bringing me along…”

“It’s not hard to understand. Joseph assesses a person’s attitude towards family and their partner as a reflection of their attitude toward work. You know Li Qingji can be pretty cold, but when he’s with you, he’s much more human. Joseph sees that and thinks they’re alike—caring for their wives, being responsible. It makes for an easier impression when discussing business.” Lu Feng laughed, “How about that? Isn’t he different these past couple of days? He seems to finally have a taste of being in a relationship!”

For Lu Feng, this was a common observation; he even thought Jiang Nai had benefited from seeing a warmer side of Li Qingji.

But Jiang Nai was stunned.

So, was there a performative aspect to it?

She sent Zhao Siyuan away, and it dawned on her that bringing Jiang Nai along wasn’t just for her; it was a necessity for work.

Had she been so self-centered?

Jiang Nai felt a wave of absurdity wash over her.

How could she have thought that Li Qingji had brought her along just for fun?

As she gazed at the distant sunset, memories flooded back: the day he lifted her on the ski slope, sliding down with her in front of everyone… His attentive care for her during breakfast with Joseph… And Joseph’s teasing about how well they got along…

Now, reflecting on it all, many moments that had made her heart flutter were indeed not typical for Li Qingji. Although she knew there was nothing wrong with that. Officially, she was here as his assistant; her role in signing this client was significant and beneficial.

Yet…

Suddenly, she felt that warmth in her chest cool down, completely out of her control.

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