Chapter 29: Back To The Country

“You really are a workaholic, way more than him!” Lin Hui and the others were oblivious to Jiang Nai’s thoughts as they joked and teased.

Lu Feng said, “How can you say he’s better than me? You heartless little thing! Maybe I should work like him, then see who has time to spend time with you.”

What was meant to be playful banter took on an unintended meaning, as they realized there was indeed some truth in it. It seemed like they were implying Li Qingji had abandoned Jiang Nai, deliberately choosing not to accompany her.

Lu Feng coughed lightly. “What I meant was—”

“Is he always like this?” Jiang Nai suddenly asked.

Lu Feng was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“I mean Li Qingji,” Jiang Nai replied with a smile. “Don’t worry; I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m just curious if he’s always been so… purposeful.”

Seeing that she genuinely didn’t mind, Lu Feng felt relieved. “I’ve known Qingji since we were kids. He’s always been the overachiever in our group. Every time my family compared me to him, it drove me crazy. But honestly, I’ve always thought he’s impressive—ambitious and capable. If he sets his mind to something, he’ll achieve it.”

Lin Hui: “Sounds impressive.”

Lu Feng, with pride: “Of course.”

Jiang Nai asked, “In his heart, is there anything more important than power and career?”

Lu Feng chuckled, “Yeah, you.”

Jiang Nai felt that even Lu Feng didn’t believe his own words. She, too, was muddled—how could she actually believe it when, over breakfast, Lu Feng said, “Wife comes first now.” She’d felt giddy at the time.

“Feelings couldn’t possibly be more important than that,” she thought, now completely clear-headed.

Lu Feng: “But he holds a unique place for you, I swear.”

“Unique, huh?” Jiang Nai suddenly remembered someone she’d heard about a long time ago and asked, “What about He Shujing?”

Lu Feng was startled, “Huh?”

Jiang Nai asked casually, “That girl he used to like.”

Lu Feng stammered, “How do you even know that? Look, this is just gossip—don’t take it seriously.”

Jiang Nai: “Did he not like her?”

With his hands on the railing, Lu Feng lazily replied, “Back in college, Qingji had a good relationship with He Shujing’s older brother, even invested in his business. Because of that, our group had interactions with her family. Otherwise, someone like her wouldn’t have made it into our social circle.”

He spoke casually, without a hint of arrogance—just stating facts.

Indeed, entering the affluent elite of Minghai wasn’t easy for most people.

“The relationship was good, sure. He Shujing often hung around her brother. As for Qingji liking her… well, maybe it was partly because of your sister Jiang Yao. You know her temperament—dominant and overbearing. Since both families were close and even considered a marriage alliance, Jiang Yao subconsciously thought of Li Qingji as hers. At some point, He Shujing, as a friend, stepped in, claiming Li Qingji liked her and that Jiang Yao should stop assuming things. It made Jiang Yao furious.”

“Qingji didn’t care much about these things. He was glad Jiang Yao would leave him alone and didn’t bother to explain. Somehow, between that incident and his closeness with her brother, rumors spread that He Shujing was Qingji’s ‘white moonlight’.”

Lu Feng found it amusing. “As his best friend, I assure you—he has no feelings for her.”

“Why?”

“The He family’s background doesn’t match up to the Li family. It’s just not possible. Someone as clear-headed as Qingji wouldn’t go for her.” Lu Feng, worried Jiang Nai might read too much into it, added, “The only reason He Shujing was able to work at Hengchuan was because Qingji gave her a hand due to her brother’s passing. Her brother’s death was tragic, after all. So, Jiang Nai, don’t overthink it. You and he are a much better match.”

That explains it.

Jiang Nai suddenly remembered what Jiang Xiaowen had once said: For Li Qingji, love was insignificant compared to power and career. She lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. Maybe she had misunderstood about Li Qingji and He Shujing, but she hadn’t been wrong about one thing—Li Qingji placed emotions far behind power and career.

Take herself, for instance.

If she hadn’t been part of the Jiang family, if she had just been a regular person living with her parents in a small town…

He wouldn’t have given her a second glance. She had chosen him, but it wasn’t his love. Jiang Nai lifted her gaze to the snowy path and suddenly felt that she had been too wrapped up in things these past few days. She shouldn’t be like this. Having too many emotions and expectations for Li Qingji was a dangerous thing.

She picked up her snowboard and said, “Lu Feng, Lin Hui, I’m heading down. What about you?”

Lin Hui: “Brother, let’s go down too.”

Lu Feng: “Alright.”

The snowy trail at sunset was truly beautiful. As they descended from the mountaintop, layers of pink and purple light overlapped, as if entering a dreamlike world. All the way down, a surge of people brought her back to reality. Jiang Nai felt a bit reluctant to leave the experience, but she was tired and didn’t want to go again.

That night, Jiang Nai opted not to be a third wheel with Lu Feng and the others and spent the night at the hotel. The next day, she boarded the car sent to pick her up and headed to meet Liu Nian. That afternoon, they departed from San Francisco, flying back to China.

They landed on a Saturday, and Jiang Nai adjusted to the time difference at home. On Sunday, she visited the Jiang family. Her grandparents had no objections to her working at Siningte. Jiang Nai knew it was because they assumed it was arranged by Li Qingji, so they didn’t question it. Learning that she had gone on this business trip with Li Qingji, they were even happier, thinking their relationship was progressing well. Her grandmother even took the chance to start urging her to have children.

Jiang Nai let it go in one ear and out the other, but she couldn’t help recalling that heated moment between them at the hotel. She casually switched the topic to something else.

On Monday, she went to work as usual.

“Jiang Nai! It feels like forever since we last saw you, I’m so glad you’re back!” Yao Qi came over excitedly and hugged her.

Jiang Nai laughed and hugged her back. “I missed you too, Sister Yao Qi.”

Wang Wenbo chimed in, “And me?”

“Yes, missed everyone! Oh, I brought some chocolates back for everyone.”

Jiang Nai handed out the chocolates to everyone in the team. Yao Qi said, “This brand is delicious! You carried these all the way back, must’ve been a hassle.”

“Not at all.”

“Oh, by the way,” Yao Qi pulled her over to sit down, asking, “I heard from Sister Liu Nian that you left the R&D center after the first few days and went with the boss to meet clients?”

Jiang Nai nodded. “Xiao Zhao wasn’t around, so I filled in for him.”

“How was it, traveling with the boss?”

Jiang Nai: “Uh… it was alright, I guess.”

“What do you mean ‘alright’? Isn’t it hard to be around him? But still, spending a few days with a handsome guy—even if it’s hard, it’s worth it.” Yao Qi shook her head. “Too bad you’re married. Otherwise, I could imagine some drama like in a romance series!”

Jiang Nai: “…”

Yao Qi: “By the way, did the boss not come back with you this time?”

Jiang Nai: “He had some other business in New York, so he let us come back first.”

“Oh… So when is he coming back to the country?”

Jiang Nai paused: “That, I don’t know.”

She really didn’t know, because since coming back, they hadn’t been in contact at all. This only intensified a feeling inside her—that everything that happened in the resort was an illusion. The intimacy was an illusion, the heartbeat was an illusion; everything that happened between them was an illusion…

The next few days, Jiang Nai followed her regular routine, going to work and coming home, until Friday, when she received a message from Li Qingji.

[Landing at ten today]

Jiang Nai felt a bit dazed when she saw this message and only replied after a while: [Okay]

There was no further response. She figured someone would be there to pick him up; he was just letting her know, as he always did, a simple “husband’s” report.

Jiang Nai continued her work at her desk. Around lunchtime, she and some colleagues planned to head to the restaurant. They pressed the elevator button and waited.

Ding—

The elevator arrived on their floor and opened. Just as they were chatting and laughing, ready to step in, they fell silent at the sight of the person inside. They froze for a couple of seconds before each greeted him.

“Hello, boss.”

“Hello, boss.”

…

Jiang Nai also looked at Li Qingji in the elevator, surprised to see him at the office at this hour. They exchanged glances, and she quickly lowered her eyes, stepping aside like everyone else to let him pass. Li Qingji’s gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before he gave a slight nod to the group and walked out. Once his figure disappeared down the hall, everyone flooded into the elevator.

“The boss is back today, huh,” Yao Qi remarked.

Another colleague added, “Suddenly feeling awake now, not sleepy at all.”

Everyone laughed. Jiang Nai didn’t join in, quietly finishing her lunch and heading back to her desk to rest. After the lunch break, she resumed work. Just as she opened her computer, a notification popped up on the company’s internal communication platform.

[Bring me a copy of the report from the U.S. R&D Center] — Li Qingji

It was the first time Jiang Nai had received a message from him through the company’s platform, and she was momentarily stunned, even feeling a slight reluctance to go. But the next second, she reminded herself to stay calm, just like before.

She pulled out the report from her files and stood up. “I’m heading to the boss’s office.”

Yao Qi: “Huh?”

Jiang Nai gestured at the message he’d sent. “He asked me to bring him a report.”

Yao Qi glanced over and nodded. “Alright, go on then.”

“Okay.”

When Jiang Nai reached the office door, she knocked.

“Come in.”

Jiang Nai pushed the door open and saw Li Qingji sitting on the sofa, steam rising from a glass in front of him.

He looked at her and said, “Close the door.”

“Oh.”

She turned and shut the door, then walked over and placed the report on the coffee table. “Sister Liu Nian finalized it this morning.”

“Mm.”

“I’ll take my leave then.”

Li Qingji frowned slightly. “Hold on.”

Jiang Nai stopped.

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave?”

Jiang Nai didn’t look at him. “I still have work to do, need to get back quickly.”

“My business doesn’t count as work?”

Jiang Nai: “…What do you need?”

“I haven’t even finished this report. How do you know I don’t have questions for you?”

Jiang Nai stayed. “Alright, boss, take your time. If you have any questions, you can ask me now.”

Boss.

The moment she returned to the office, she was back to her original role. Li Qingji chuckled, glancing down as he flipped through a few pages of the report. He only skimmed it before closing it and looking up at her. Jiang Nai’s expression was serious, waiting to answer his questions.

“Did you catch the sunset that day?” he finally asked—not a work-related question.

Jiang Nai was a little taken aback. She didn’t expect him to remember. “I did. It was beautiful.”

“Sorry,” Li Qingji said. “Things came up suddenly that day, and I couldn’t join you up there.”

Jiang Nai was silent for a moment, then looked at him with a faint smile. “It’s alright. I know how to prioritize.”

Li Qingji had been extremely busy over the past few days, often returning to the hotel late at night. With the time difference, he hadn’t messaged Jiang Nai, but that was also partly his nature. He wasn’t one for casual chatting or frequent messaging.

He figured that they’d catch up in person when he got back.

What he didn’t anticipate was the urgency he felt. Originally, he was supposed to go home first after landing to recover from the time difference. But midway, he had the driver turn the car toward Siningte. Jiang Nai could sense him watching her. She appeared calm on the outside, though her fingers curled slightly.

She didn’t really want to bring up anything from the U.S., so she took a light breath and said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll really be going now.”

“They brought back the 3.0,” Li Qingji said suddenly.

Jiang Nai paused, slightly surprised.

Li Qingji continued, “Two units are set up here at the company, and someone will come to install another one at home in a couple of days.”

Jiang Nai: “Really? You’re willing to install it at home?”

Li Qingji replied, “Didn’t I promise you before?”

Jiang Nai recalled how she had been insistent about it during their business trip. She gave a small smile. “Thank you, boss. At least it made all the effort worthwhile.”

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