Chapter 40: Legitimate

In the following workdays, Jiang Nai and her team were incredibly busy. She almost came home late every night, and when she did, she locked the door to the master bedroom…

It wasn’t that she was deliberately avoiding Li Qingji, it was just that… she was simply too exhausted lately and couldn’t handle a full night of *that*.

Li Qingji didn’t force his way in, probably feeling guilty, knowing he’d gone too far that Saturday. Once the new product was officially launched, they were able to relax a bit.

Soon, the new weekend was approaching. On Friday afternoon, everyone was getting excited for the upcoming break.

“Jiang Nai, Pei Xuan and the others just came by.”

Jiang Nai was working on a PowerPoint, and Yao Qi leaned in.

Jiang Nai paused. “Really?”

Yao Qi: “Yeah, I saw them head to the meeting room. Didn’t he tell you? Hey, why don’t we invite him to dinner tonight?”

It seemed like Yao Qi was starting to revive her old intentions.

Jiang Nai wanted to distance herself from Pei Xuan, so she said, “I still have some things to wrap up. I’ll probably be working late, so I won’t go.”

Yao Qi: “Ah… But if you don’t go, then how are the two of us going to eat? Never mind, never mind, I won’t invite him then.”

Buzz—

At that moment, Jiang Nai’s phone on the desk started ringing.

Yao Qi casually glanced at it, her eyes pausing. “The Great Demon King? Who’s that?”

Jiang Nai picked up the phone. “No one…”

Yao Qi looked at her expression and chuckled softly. “Your husband, right? That nickname is cute. Hey, your husband seems to be calling you pretty often lately.”

“It’s not like that…” Jiang Nai stood up. “I’ll go take this call.”

Yao Qi: “Go ahead, go ahead.”

On her way to the break room, Jiang Nai answered the call. “Hello?”

Li Qingji: “Are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner together, with Lu Feng and the others.”

Jiang Nai: “Not yet. Still have some overtime.”

Li Qingji: “But the project’s already moving forward. Why are you still working overtime?”

“Need to prepare a summary PowerPoint…”

Just then, a colleague walked by and greeted Jiang Nai. She responded briefly, then said into the phone, “You’re at the office, just message me on WeChat, no need for calls.”

Li Qingji: “What’s the diff—”

Beep beep beep.

The call ended abruptly with the busy tone. Li Qingji, who had never been hung up on before, was silent.

At six in the evening, when work ended, people left one by one, with only a few stragglers still at their desks.

“Yeah, I know. I’ll send it over to you guys tomorrow morning,” Jiang Nai’s face was illuminated by the faint blue glow of her computer screen. After hanging up, she quickly resumed typing on the keyboard.

By eight o’clock, everyone in their team had left, and only a few people from other teams were still at their computers.

Buzz—

Her phone rang again.

Without taking her eyes off the screen, Jiang Nai answered the call, “Hello?”

“Still sitting there? Aren’t you hungry?” The voice on the other end was low and pleasant in the quiet office.

Jiang Nai paused her work and looked up. Only then did she notice Li Qingji standing near the break room door, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, his gaze directed at her. Jiang Nai’s heart skipped a beat. She glanced around—her remaining colleagues were seated further inside, focused on their own work, oblivious to Li Qingji’s presence.

But she still felt a bit nervous. She spoke softly, “Why are you still here?”

“I told you, we’re having dinner together tonight.”

“But I told you I have to work overtime. You don’t have to wait for me,” Jiang Nai replied. “What time is it now? Are Lu Feng and the others still eating?”

“Forget about them. When are you done?” 

“Just a little bit longer, almost done.”

“Okay.”

The call ended. Jiang Nai looked toward where he was standing again. He hadn’t left, still leaning casually against the doorframe, sipping his coffee.

Had he been waiting for her to finish work on purpose, like last Sunday?

She typed a few more words but couldn’t help glancing over once more. Since most employees had already left, the overhead lights in the area were turned off, leaving only the break room lit, casting a soft glow on him. From her angle, he stood out starkly.

He was dressed as usual, in a white shirt and suit pants. The contrast of light and shadow accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and the defined muscles in his forearms, with his long legs framed by his suit trousers. His figure was strikingly clear.

Just like she had seen in her bedroom.

Li Qingji took another sip of his coffee, his eyes lifting to meet hers through the steam. Jiang Nai quickly turned her gaze back to the computer screen, her heart racing at the chaotic images suddenly flooding her mind.

What was she thinking?

She forced herself to focus, determined not to look back in his direction, and concentrated on her work. After more than ten minutes, she finally finished everything. She shut down her computer, sent Li Qingji a message, packed her bag, and headed toward the elevator. When she reached the elevator, Li Qingji was already there, having left his office. They stood on opposite sides, silent.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside.

“Where are we going now?”

“I’ll take you to eat first.”

“What about Lu Feng and the others?”

“They’ve already finished eating. They’re at the bar. We’ll join them later.”

“Okay… got it.”

The two of them went to a restaurant, and after finishing their meal, they headed to the bar. Li Qingji took her to a private room on the second floor of the bar. As Jiang Nai entered, she noticed not only familiar faces like Chen Jiming, Lu Feng, and Lin Hui but also some unfamiliar men and women.

“Jiang Nai, Qingji, you’re here,” Lu Feng greeted them.

Lin Hui, who was familiar with Jiang Nai, waved at her. Jiang Nai waved back and followed Li Qingji to the sofa.

“You finally made it! I thought you weren’t coming since you skipped dinner,” a stranger man said.

Li Qingji casually poured a glass of water and handed it to Jiang Nai, then asked, “What has he been up to lately?”

Everyone turned to look at Jiang Nai as he spoke, their expressions slightly surprised, but they quickly exchanged knowing smiles. Jiang Nai lowered her gaze, silently taking the water and drinking a sip.

“Li Zhixun has been down since he lost the land in Nancheng, but recently, his project in Wangjiang passed the administrative approval,” someone replied.

“What about the funding?” Li Qingji asked.

“I’m not entirely sure about the funds, but it seems fine. As for you, Qingji…” 

In such a noisy place like the bar, they were discussing business. Jiang Nai stopped listening, feeling bored, and started to look around. The private room they were in had a semi-open layout, with one side opening into a corridor where people could stand and look down at the stage and dance floor.

“Today’s band is a high-priced booking, Ansen Band. Ever heard of them?” Lin Hui asked, sitting down next to Jiang Nai.

Jiang Nai shook her head.

“They’re a super popular rock band, I’ve been listening to their songs lately,” Lin Hui continued.

“I don’t really listen to rock,” Jiang Nai replied.

“But their songs are really good, you should listen!” Lin Hui insisted. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Lin Hui stood up and pulled Jiang Nai along. Just as they were getting up, it seemed like Li Qingji had eyes on the back of his head. Without turning around, he quickly caught Jiang Nai’s wrist. Jiang Nai glanced at him. Li Qingji met her gaze, his expression still serious, his eyes sharp and dark, filled with the same business-like intensity and ambition.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m just going to listen to some music,” Jiang Nai answered.

“Stay safe,” Li Qingji said.

“I’ll be with Lin Hui,” she added.

Only then did Li Qingji let go of her wrist. Jiang Nai followed Lin Hui to the railing, craning her neck to look down at the stage. 

Li Qingji turned his attention back to his conversation, but Chen Jiming couldn’t help but smile. “You’re being too cautious, are you afraid she’ll get lost in here?”

Lu Feng teased, “What do you mean ‘afraid she’ll get lost’? He just doesn’t want her to leave.”

Li Qingji glanced at him, and Lu Feng quickly made a “shush” gesture.

The others exchanged glances and smiled, secretly amazed. When had they ever seen Li Qingji show any interest in a woman? It was quite a rarity.

“Back to the point, what’s the situation with the funds from Li Zhixun?”

Li Qingji replied, “That depends on who he’s been in contact with lately.”

“Hey, ask He Shujing. I heard that Li Zhixun is very interested in her recently.”

Chen Jiming said, “Is he crazy? Doesn’t he know that He Shujing was introduced to Hengchuan by Qingji?”

“That’s one thing, but pursuing her is a different matter.”

Chen Jiming replied, “Even so, Li Zhixun wouldn’t be foolish enough to leak any information to He Shujing.”

“It’s not about leaking, but he might accidentally slip up? Men tend to lower their guard in front of someone they like,” a friend chimed in. “Oh, by the way, she’s downstairs with a few friends. I just saw her. Let me call her.”

…

Jiang Nai and Lin Hui stood by the railing for a while, but Lin Hui soon complained that it wasn’t immersive enough from up here and wanted to go downstairs to have more fun.

“Don’t worry, we’ll go back up soon. They’re all busy anyway,” Lin Hui said.

Jiang Nai glanced back, feeling like it wouldn’t make a difference whether she stayed or went. She decided to follow Lin Hui, “Alright, let’s go.”

“Yay, yay!” 

Lin Hui pulled Jiang Nai toward the stairs. As they were going down, a woman was coming up. Jiang Nai casually glanced at her, and when she recognized her, her steps slightly faltered.

The woman had clearly seen her too. As she approached, she nodded slightly, “Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Nai stopped and replied, “Hello.”

He Shujing smiled, “Hello.”

After a brief greeting, the two had nothing else to say and simply passed by, going in different directions. When Jiang Nai reached the first floor, she looked up. At this point, He Shujing was probably heading upstairs to join Li Qingji and the others in their private room.

“Was that woman your friend?” Lin Hui asked.

Jiang Nai replied, “Not really.”

“Then who is she?”

Jiang Nai answered, “A friend of Li Qingji.”

The band on stage finished one song, and the opening chords of another started playing.

“Ah, it’s here! It’s my favorite song! Jiang Nai! Let’s go!” Lin Hui dragged Jiang Nai into the crowd.

With music blasting in her ears and strange, muffled lyrics, Jiang Nai watched Lin Hui bouncing around, but she still couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the song.

“Hey! Calm down!”

“What?!”

“I said, calm down!”

“This is so much fun, Jiang Nai! Come jump with me!”

They couldn’t hear each other clearly.  Jiang Nai gave up and glanced up at the stairs again. Although she couldn’t see anything.

“He has expressed his feelings, but can we trust Li Zhixun’s affection? How many women does he have around him? I don’t know, and you don’t know either,” He Shujing said with a smile from the private room on the second floor.

Lu Feng replied, “I know, I know. He’s quite the player, but I’ve heard that he’s really into you lately. Aren’t you two always together?”

He Shujing explained, “We’re often together because I’m assisting him with a project, it was arranged by the higher-ups. I don’t have much of a choice.”

Chen Jiming asked, “What about the Wangjiang project? Has he said anything about his plans?”

“He hasn’t. Oh, but he did meet with Mr. Liu from Yuange once, they had dinner together.” He Shujing turned to Li Qingji and added, “I can’t be sure, but it’s possible that he’s looking to cooperate with Mr. Liu.”

Li Qingji responded, “Yuange… that’s actually a good fit for him.”

He Shujing said seriously, “I’ll keep a closer eye on his movements from now on.”

…

Once they were done discussing business, they started chatting casually and having drinks. Li Qingji glanced around toward the railing, but he couldn’t spot Jiang Nai anymore.

Lu Feng noticed he was looking for someone and said, “Jiang Nai and Lin Hui should have gone downstairs. Lin Hui kept asking me to go with her to have some fun earlier. It’s fine, let them enjoy themselves.”

Li Qingji took out his phone, dialed a number, but the call wasn’t answered.

Chen Jiming commented, “It’s so noisy downstairs, calling won’t help.”

Li Qingji stood up, “You all stay here, I’m going down to check.”

“Hey—”

Li Qingji didn’t pay attention to them and walked directly toward the stairs.

Lu Feng shrugged, “Well, looks like he’s in a hurry to find his wife.”

Chen Jiming laughed, “Why don’t we go down and have some fun too?”

“Alright.”

“Shujing, let’s go.”

He Shujing snapped back to attention, “Oh, okay.”

She grabbed her bag and glanced toward the stairs, but Li Qingji was already gone.

Was he really in such a hurry to find Jiang Nai?

He Shujing felt surprised and even baffled. She had never seen this side of Li Qingji, and it didn’t feel like something he would do.  After all, a person who is skilled at weighing the pros and cons usually has a cold heart.

—

Jiang Nai and Lin Hui had been having fun but eventually got separated in the crowd. There were too many people, and she couldn’t find her anywhere near the stage. So, she decided to leave and squeeze her way out of the crowd. She walked to the bar and found a seat.

“Hey, are you alone?” After sitting down for a bit, a man came over, “What would you like to drink? I’ll buy it for you.”

Jiang Nai politely declined, “No thanks, I’m waiting for someone. I’m not drinking.”

The man didn’t seem to take the hint and persisted, “You can still have a drink while you wait. I’ll choose something nice, something suitable for girls like you.”

Jiang Nai frowned, about to refuse again when someone else approached from the side.

She turned to look at the newcomer and was a little surprised. “Li Qingji?”

The man, upon seeing Li Qingji, immediately recognized that the man before him was not someone he could mess with. He quickly withdrew his hand and, feeling awkward, left without saying a word. Li Qingji’s gaze shifted back to Jiang Nai after the man left.

Jiang Nai turned her chair to face him, “What are you doing down here?”

Li Qingji didn’t answer but instead asked, “What about Lin Hui?”

Jiang Nai pointed to the dense crowd nearby: “We got separated, she’s still inside having fun. I didn’t want to stay, so I came out.”

Li Qingji: “Then you shouldn’t have come up.”

Jiang Nai replied, “What was I supposed to do up there? It’s more fun down here…”

“More fun? Was that person just now fun?”

Jiang Nai blinked twice, suddenly feeling rebellious: “Hmm… yeah, fun.”

Li Qingji narrowed his eyes, reached out, and pinched one side of her face, brushing his thumb over her lips: “Can I still believe what you’re saying?”

Jiang Nai raised her hand to swipe his hand away: “My lipstick! What are you doing…”

The lipstick smudged across her lips, and she was fuming. However, in his eyes, in the dim environment with flashing lights, her frown and anger seemed not very intense. It almost looked like a mixture of playfulness and teasing.

“Still fun?”

“Yeah, fun.” Jiang Nai mumbled, “Just as fun as being surrounded by beautiful women in your private room.”

“I’m surrounded by beautiful women?”

Jiang Nai was joking, but for some reason, she suddenly remembered He Shujing, who had gone upstairs earlier. Everyone said Li Qingji didn’t stay with He Shujing because he didn’t like her family background.

So… if we set aside her background, would he like her?

After all, He Shujing was one of the few women Li Qingji was relatively familiar with, someone he could at least appreciate.

Jiang Nai turned her head away: “Who knows if there’s anyone else after I left…”

Li Qingji forcibly turned her head back, looking at her intently, not saying a word, just staring at her. Jiang Nai started to feel nervous under his gaze, and just as she was about to ask him to let go, he suddenly leaned down and kissed her lips.

Jiang Nai froze: “You—”

“After you left, there wasn’t anyone else.” He leaned over her, suddenly whispering, “Nothing else, let’s go home.”

His voice had an inexplicable, magnetic allure.

Jiang Nai felt it was familiar and remembered the time when Li Qingji, filled with desire, whispered in her ear in bed… it sounded just like this.

Her face instantly flushed.

“Lin… Lin Hui hasn’t come out yet, I’m not going home yet.”

Li Qingji clearly noticed her hesitation, his gaze deepening: “Jiang Nai, it’s been several days since last time, have you had enough rest?”

“…Not enough.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“You’re the one pushing your luck!”

“Fine, you don’t want to go home? Then stay here.” Li Qingji said nonchalantly, but his words carried a forceful undertone.

And he really leaned in closer.

“Ah, don’t…” Jiang Nai struggled to turn her head, and when she looked up, she saw He Shujing standing a few steps away.

Her face instantly turned red: “Li Qingji!”

Li Qingji looked at her, struggling and blushing, with a slight smile on his lips, clearly enjoying teasing her. Then, following her gaze, he looked over, but after seeing He Shujing, he didn’t release her, seeming entirely indifferent. He casually turned back.

“Are you going home or not?”

Jiang Nai, defeated, replied, “Okay… just let me go first, others are watching.”

“So?” Li Qingji let go, lifting her off the chair, “Who cares if they’re watching? We’re married.”

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