Chapter 44: Early Morning

Ding—

Ding ding—

Ding ding ding—

In the mountain paths, a flurry of message notifications pinged from phones.

Personal chats, the company’s small group chat, the project group chat…all suddenly started buzzing.

[The boss just arrived! Just now! He’s literally holding Jiang Nai’s hand as they hike up!]

[Holy crap, I just saw it! They passed right by me!!]

[Is this our big boss? He’s like a god descending from heaven!! So damn handsome!]

[Whoa, what does this mean? Are they publicly admitting it? Is Jiang Nai divorced?]

[No!!! Breaking news!!!! Major misunderstanding!]

[What?]

[Yao Qi from the planning team just said, they’re not having an affair, they’re! a! married! couple!]

[?]

[???] 

…

A long string of question marks.

Someone said: [It’s true!! The boss himself said it—they’re married!!]

[So, all along, the ‘husband’ Jiang Nai mentioned was the boss?]

[Yes…]

[What the heck!!!!]

[The boss is already married?!]

[I knew it—Jiang Nai never seemed like that type of person.]

[Is this for real? And so bold too! Jiang Nai already snagged the boss long ago.]

[Does this mean it’s a hidden marriage? If this hadn’t happened, they probably wouldn’t have told anyone.]

[How did she manage it? Incredible. Someone needs to write a book about this.]

[Wait, you all really think she got married to the boss just through some tricks or her looks?]

[A secret heiress, maybe?]

[Probably a…super-wealthy heiress?]

[But if she’s that rich, one of Hengchuan’s future leaders, why would she work as a regular employee in the planning department?]

[Maybe she’s doing it to gain experience? She’s well-educated and capable, so it would make sense for her to take on more tasks.]

—

“Xiao Yue,” a team member suddenly stopped on the way up the mountain, grabbing Meng Xiaoyue’s arm in shock. “Look at this!”

Meng Xiaoyue glanced down, eyes widening as she read the messages others had sent in the chat.

Team Member: “Everyone’s saying it’s true—that Jiang Nai and the boss are married!”

The vague suspicions in Meng Xiaoyue’s heart were suddenly confirmed, sending a wave of panic through her.

Team Member: “Who would’ve thought, with her background, that she’d be in the planning department?”

Meng Xiaoyue clenched her fists. She would’ve acted very differently if she’d known earlier…

Meanwhile, Xu Xiao also noticed in their team’s private group chat that Wang Wenbo was “shouting.”

[Ahhhh, the boss’s wife is right next to me!!!]

[Jiang Nai is actually married to the boss—wow! How lucky am I to eat and walk with her every day.]

[Did I ever say anything weird around her? I didn’t, right?!]

[She hid it so well!!]

Xu Xiao stared at the messages, stunned.

The boss’s…wife.

Not an affair…they’re married?

His heart was a mix of relief and an unexpected pang of self-doubt—he was glad to know Jiang Nai wasn’t the type of person he feared, but he had to admit he felt inadequate… because her husband was Li Qingji. He had once let himself think darkly that maybe her partner didn’t care for her enough, wasn’t treating her well—after all, he’d never seen him pick her up from work. Maybe she could find someone better.

But now…he realized her husband had always been close, that they’d been going home and coming to work together all along, unnoticed. Xu Xiao recalled a department gathering long ago. It had rained that night, and the boss had driven them home…

In fact, he was only here to pick up Jiang Nai, wasn’t he?

Xu Xiao put down his phone, defeated. He finally realized how laughable all his previous thoughts had been.

—

By the time they reached the mountain, it was already noon. A vast, lush green lawn stretched out before them, bathed in abundant sunlight.

On the edge of the lawn stood a row of wooden cabins. The owner, who specialized in hosting camping events in the area, had set up the lunch venue a full half-hour before. Since Siningte had booked the place, there would be no other visitors today or tomorrow.

After climbing up the mountain, Jiang Nai was too tired to walk any further and immediately sat down on a small stool in front of the cabins to rest. Standing beside her, Li Qingji smiled at her breathless appearance and handed her a bottle of water.

“Drink a little.”

Jiang Nai waved her hand, barely able to catch her breath. “Just…give me a minute…”

Several people had arrived at the mountaintop before Li Qingji and Jiang Nai. Now, seeing the two of them, they stayed off to the side, watching discreetly, unwilling to openly observe.

Naturally, a few senior managers were also aware of their arrival. Most managed to quickly regain their composure; they were seasoned professionals, after all, and could swiftly process even the most surprising events. Upon spotting Li Qingji and Jiang Nai, the managers exchanged glances and walked over.

“President Li, if you were planning to come today, why didn’t you let us know in advance?”

“It was a sudden plan, don’t worry about me,” Li Qingji replied. “You guys climbed the mountain pretty quickly.”

The financial director said, “Oh, definitely—I exercise regularly, so hiking is something I do quite often.”

The administration director chimed in, “True, he’s still going strong. I couldn’t manage it, so I took a car up.”

The financial director laughed, “And you’re not even embarrassed to mention that.”

The administration director chuckled, “I came up early to arrange everything, didn’t I? Anyway, lunch is ready, President Li, so please go ahead and take a seat with…”

The administration director glanced at Jiang Nai, unsure how to address her. He knew Jiang Nai beforehand; everyone was aware of the beautiful woman in the planning department who was Liu Nian’s prized protégé. Previously, he’d always addressed her by name, but now…

“Director Chen, just call me by my name,” Jiang Nai spoke up under the watchful eyes of the managers, turning to Liu Nian, who hadn’t said a word. “I’m still a member of the planning department, and that won’t change, so there’s no need for anything different.”

The administration director looked over at Li Qingji, who said nothing, clearly agreeing. Understanding, he smiled and said, “Alright, Jiang Nai, then come along and sit with us for lunch.”

“I’d rather wait and rest a bit until my team gets here; please go ahead,” Jiang Nai said, subtly tugging at Li Qingji’s sleeve, not wanting to sit with the senior team.

Li Qingji glanced sideways at her, clearly understanding. “I’ll go first. Make sure you eat enough later.”

The directors exchanged meaningful glances.

Blushing, Jiang Nai muttered, “…Just go.”

Li Qingji nodded and left with the senior managers following, finally allowing Jiang Nai to let out a breath of relief. Watching their backs, she took out her phone. After some thought, she sent Liu Nian a WeChat message. Liu Nian had taught her a lot, and Jiang Nai was grateful for that. She didn’t want her to think that all her efforts had been in vain.

[Sister Liu Nian, I’m sorry for keeping things from you before. When I joined Siningte, I was serious about working and valued the opportunity, which is why I didn’t share my connection.]

Liu Nian didn’t reply immediately, and Jiang Nai grew a bit anxious, frequently glancing toward where Li Qingji and the others were seated. At that moment, Liu Nian was seated with them, deep in conversation, apparently unaware of her phone.

“Jiang… Jiang Nai.”

After a while, someone called her name.

Jiang Nai turned around and saw that Yao Qi and Wang Wenbo had already made it up the mountain. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been standing there before speaking up.

She walked over to them. “Why are you two only getting here now?”

Yao Qi and Wang Wenbo looked at her for a moment, hesitating. “Well… we got stopped by a bunch of colleagues asking questions along the way…” they stammered.

“Sorry about that.” Jiang Nai understood what people had been asking them about. “I didn’t tell you guys, that was my mistake. I just… didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

Yao Qi quickly said, “We get it! Really, if you’d told everyone you were the boss’s wife from the start, work would’ve been impossible—”

“From the start!” Wang Wenbo clarified. “She means that if people had known in the beginning, it’d be a problem. But it’s different now. Everyone’s seen your skills, so nobody will treat you any differently. So, now that they know, it’s not a big deal.”

Yao Qi nodded in agreement. “Exactly. That’s what I meant.”

Seeing how tense they looked, Jiang Nai said with a bit of exasperation, “Can you both just forget about this and keep things like they were before? Let’s just be friends and colleagues like normal.”

“Of course, we can!” Yao Qi grabbed her hand, but then her expression turned sheepish. “But one thing—could you also forget all those times I’ve gossiped about the boss behind his back?”

Jiang Nai was taken aback for a moment and then burst out laughing. “It doesn’t matter if I forget; don’t worry. I’d never tell him any of that.”

“Really?!” Yao Qi’s eyes lit up.

“Really. You can relax.”

Yao Qi sighed in relief. “Jiang Nai! You’re the best!”

Jiang Nai: “…”

After everyone reached the mountain, they settled down under the canopy for lunch. Jiang Nai sat with her department, and far across from them, Li Qingji sat with the upper management team.

[Admin mentioned we’ll be spending the night on the mountain?] Jiang Nai received a message from Li Qingji halfway through the meal.

She glanced at him from afar, set down her chopsticks, and replied: [Yeah, we’re camping. But it’s optional—those with personal matters can head back down if they need to.]

Li Qingji: “[You’re sleeping here too?]”

Jiang Nai: “[I want to watch the sunrise, so I’ll sleep here.]”

Li Qingji simply replied, “Mm,” and Jiang Nai didn’t say anything further. Just as she was about to put her phone away, she noticed Liu Nian had replied to her message: “[I understand, and I’ll work hard moving forward too. I have high hopes for you, just as Jiang Nai.]”

Jiang Nai was delighted, unable to hide her smile as she typed: “[Thank you, Sister Liu Nian!]”

“What are you smiling about… You’re not, like, texting the boss, are you?” Yao Qi leaned over, looking both intrigued and thrilled.

Jiang Nai: “No, it’s Sister Liu Nian.”

“Oh…”

Jiang Nai: “What’s with that disappointed tone?”

Yao Qi whispered, “What am I supposed to do, Jiang Nai? I can’t really picture you as the boss’s wife… What are you guys like at home?!”

The conversation made Yao Qi recall seeing red marks on Jiang Nai’s hand not too long ago. She had joked then, saying her husband must be a bit wild.

Now, her own words hit her with new meaning, and she clutched her chest, blushing fiercely. “Oh my god, I really can’t imagine it!”

Jiang Nai, clueless about her thoughts, said in confusion, “It’s just normal.”

Yao Qi: “Is he as serious at home as he is in meetings?”

Jiang Nai: “…Not always.”

Wang Wenbo joined in: “You mentioned your family introduced you to your husband, so it’s true—you really married the boss through a matchmaking setup?”

“Sort of…”

Yao Qi looked up to the sky, “Never thought the matchmaking market would offer high-end options like the boss. Too bad I haven’t encountered any.”

Wang Wenbo added, “The boss’s marriage news isn’t even known by the upper management like Director Liu. You two kept it really under wraps.”

Jiang Nai: “We only registered the marriage; we haven’t held a wedding yet. For our families, a formal wedding is what makes it official, so we’ll announce it then. That’s why not many know he’s married…”

“Oh! So, when will you have the wedding?”

Jiang Nai: “Maybe this fall…”

“Ahhh, this feels so surreal!”

Jiang Nai handed her a piece of meat and smiled gently, “Stop daydreaming, just eat.”

—

In the afternoon, they had scheduled games and activities.

Jiang Nai participated but didn’t see Li Qingji again. He must have gone down the mountain. Considering how busy he was, it made sense he couldn’t stay the whole day. That night, Jiang Nai and Yao Qi shared a tent.

The weather was great, so there weren’t any strange noises in the night, and both slept well. They set an alarm for 4:30 to wake up and watch the sunrise. When the alarm rang, both groggily emerged from their sleeping bags, hair a mess. Seeing each other, they couldn’t help but laugh.

“The sunrise should come a little after five. Let’s go freshen up.”

“Mm.”

Quite a few coworkers wanted to see the sunrise, but they were the earliest, hoping to snag a good spot.

“My whole body aches,” Yao Qi said on their way back after washing up.

Jiang Nai was also sore, walking with a slight limp: “I figured it’d be like this today.”

“Ugh, I’m definitely getting a massage when we get back.”

“That’ll hurt even more now…”

“But it’ll feel amazing afterward.”

The two of them neared their tent as they spoke, but suddenly, Jiang Nai noticed someone standing nearby. The morning mist on the mountain was still thick, and in the dim light, the figure’s facial features were hard to make out. But from the silhouette alone, Jiang Nai could already tell who it was. 

She slowed her steps.

“That… that’s…” As they got closer, Yao Qi also recognized who it was, taking a deep breath, “The boss?”

It was indeed Li Qingji. The mountaintop was freezing at this hour, and he was wearing a black jacket, zipped up fully, almost blending into the darkness, though his pale skin stood out starkly. Probably due to the early hour, a trace of drowsiness softened his usually intense gaze. When he looked over, there was a warmth in his eyes, different from his usual cold demeanor—almost approachable.

Jiang Nai’s heart skipped two beats.

Just like that day at the hotel, when she first saw him in his ski gear, the sudden thrill in her chest defied all logic.

“You… what are you doing here?”

Li Qingji took two steps forward, stopping right in front of her. “Didn’t you say you were going to watch the sunrise?”

“I meant me, not you.”

Li Qingji gave a slight nod and said, “I couldn’t keep my promise to watch the sunset last time. Let’s watch the sunrise together today. Is that alright?”

Jiang Nai froze, clenching her fists.

Her fingertips pressed into her palm—she should have felt a prick of pain, but she didn’t feel a thing. All she felt was an invisible thread gently winding around her heart, tightening ever so slightly. It didn’t hurt, but it slowed her heartbeat, making each pulse feel impossibly loud and clear.

It was terrifying.

“Sure, yes, of course,” Yao Qi chimed in first, barely able to contain her excitement. The fact that such words came from the boss, usually so cold and unfeeling—who could understand her thrill in this moment? Who could share it?

“Jiang Nai, Wang Wenbo and the others are probably waking up too! I’ll go watch with them! You and the boss… you two enjoy yourselves!”

Jiang Nai: “Wait—”

“I’m off!”

Yao Qi dashed away in a blur, disappearing in seconds.

Jiang Nai: “…”

Silence descended around them. Li Qingji extended his hand to her. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Nai looked up at him, her lips curving slightly despite herself, but she didn’t take his hand. She simply walked forward.

Li Qingji followed, saying, “Everyone already saw us yesterday, so what are you afraid of now?”

Jiang Nai: “I’m not scared, I just don’t want to be a monkey for everyone to watch.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Qingji pulled her close, resting his arm over her shoulders.

Jiang Nai: “What are you doing…”

Li Qingji slightly tilted his head, his voice half playful and half affectionate: “It’s not fully dawn yet, with this visibility, who could see what we’re doing?”

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