Chapter 45: Sunrise

There are three best spots on the mountain to watch the sunrise. From far to near, the closest one is probably the most crowded, because people usually sleep nearby, and it’s an easy walk to see the sunrise clearly. To avoid the crowd, Li Qingji led Jiang Nai along a path for a while.

Jiang Nai: “Do you know where it is?”

Li Qingji: “I asked the local shop owner yesterday afternoon.”

Jiang Nai: “Oh…”

Mist hung around them, but it seemed to be clearing. By the time they arrived at their destination, the sky was starting to show signs of lightening.

“Let’s sit down.”

“Okay.”

A large, flat stone turned out to be an excellent spot for viewing. After Jiang Nai sat down, she bent her legs and waited. She had never watched the sunrise from a mountaintop before, and although she was a little groggy from waking up early, she felt extremely happy inside.

“Do you think anyone will come over later?”

Li Qingji: “This spot is the farthest from the campsite, so probably not. Are you worried about someone coming?”

Jiang Nai sniffled: “Not really.”

Li Qingji glanced at her: “Cold?”

Jiang Nai had worn a windproof jacket to watch the sunrise. Her body wasn’t cold, but the exposed parts of her hands and face were quite chilly.

“A little, doesn’t feel like summer is coming at all.”

“Because we’re on the mountaintop.” Li Qingji said softly as he took her hand and held it in his palm.

He did it very naturally, without any romantic implications, just simply warming her hand. Jiang Nai was taken aback and looked up at him. The sky had lightened, and in the faint light, his profile seemed like a scene from an art film’s profound ending. He gazed forward, his eyelashes clearly defined, giving off an aloof and cold vibe.

Yet his hand enveloped hers, dry and warm, banishing the chill from her skin.

Her heart inexplicably grew calm. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, and in the peace, her eyes began to sting.

“Still cold?” He gently rubbed her hand a couple of times, asking.

Jiang Nai avoided his gaze and shook her head.

Li Qingji: “Why are you silent?”

Jiang Nai: “It’s nothing, I just… suddenly thought of my mom.”

Li Qingji raised an eyebrow: “I look like your mom?”

“No.” Jiang Nai chuckled softly, “You’re nothing like my mom, not even a little. It’s just…”

Jiang Nai restrained her smile, glancing at the hand he was holding, and continued: “When I was little, my family was pretty poor for a time. We didn’t have a car, and my mom would take me on the bus to school. Sometimes, in the cold mornings, she would hold my hand like this, rubbing it and breathing on it to warm me up. So, I suddenly thought of her just now.”

After speaking, she shyly glanced at Li Qingji: “Can you not really imagine that scene?”

Li Qingji had grown up with a life of luxury, chauffeured to and from school, never having to face cold, buses, or walking… he couldn’t relate.

But he could imagine. He knew about her parents, knew that at one point her father had broken off ties with the Jiang family, severing their father-son relationship, going from a rich young master to an ordinary man, possibly even poor.

“You had a tough childhood?” he asked.

Jiang Nai smiled slightly and shook her head: “I didn’t think it was tough. We didn’t have much money, but my parents treated me well. I was very happy living with them. Unfortunately… that time couldn’t last forever.”

Li Qingji recalled what he had learned earlier—the reason she married him.

She hadn’t married him for the Jiang family’s benefit; she had no choice. She had done it to repay the Jiang family’s favor and for her mother.

“Did you never see your mother again after you parted ways?” he asked.

“I did, in college. At the time, my family knew everything I spent from my card, so I borrowed some money from my friend and secretly flew to France. I went to that medical center to see her. I cried while holding her. She cried too. But after that, she scolded me because she was afraid my grandparents would blame me. She wanted me to become the Jiang family’s daughter, to secure a place for myself in the family, and she was willing to never see me again if it meant I could do that. Of course, I was afraid my grandparents would be upset too. I was afraid they might stop paying for her medical bills, and then my mom wouldn’t survive.”

Jiang Nai’s eyes reddened slightly, but she smiled faintly and continued, “But my grandparents found out about my trip to France in just a few days. They were very angry because they really hated my mother. They believed it was because of her that their son left them. When my grandfather came to France, my mom begged him not to be angry and to bring me back. She swore she would never see me again.”

“I know she thought I was too weak at the time. I had to be the Jiang family’s daughter to have a better life. Well… she was right. I was weak then. I couldn’t afford her expensive medical bills, and without the Jiang family, I couldn’t take care of her.” Jiang Nai spoke softly. “But I really missed her, so I worked hard, studying and working. I thought one day I could make her feel like I wasn’t weak. I could give myself a good life and take care of hers too.”

At that moment, Li Qingji finally understood why Jiang Nai was at Siningte Tech.

Why she worked so hard… to climb higher.

“Is she still in France?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. She changed her nursing facility once, and I don’t know where she is now.” Jiang Nai said, “My grandparents don’t want me to see her, and she doesn’t dare to see me.”

Li Qingji furrowed his brows, watching her try to maintain her composure, and felt a pang of sympathy.

At this moment, the light mist gradually dispersed, and the brightness became even more evident. Jiang Nai gazed into the distant mountains and let out a small sigh. She hadn’t expected herself to share these thoughts about her mother with Li Qingji, as she had never told anyone before—not even her close friend Xue Lin.

“The sun is about to rise,” she murmured softly.

Li Qingji followed her gaze into the distance, where a golden-orange glow was already illuminating the horizon, coloring the clouds along the mountain’s edge. They both looked out in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Gradually, the orange in the east deepened, becoming richer and redder, expanding across the sky.

Suddenly, the edge of a circular arc appeared, slowly rising and forming a half-circle.

Jiang Nai felt a surge of joy and quickly took out her phone to capture the moment. After snapping a shot, though, she put her phone down, unwilling to tear her eyes away from the scene. Within a few short minutes, the half-circle filled out, and the sky was bathed in bright light as a fiery ball appeared atop the mountain.

The dawn had finally arrived in full.

“Li Qingji, it’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed excitedly, unable to resist glancing at the person beside her.

He looked back, his eyes soft, carrying a hint of amusement. The gentle dawn light in his gaze was as captivating as the sunlight on the distant peaks.

“Yes, it is beautiful,” he replied, gently taking her hand again.

Jiang Nai quieted, feeling her heart race. She couldn’t tell if it was the sunrise making her so excited—or the person standing before her. A light breeze whispered around them, enveloping the place in a faint, tender fragrance that only the two of them seemed able to perceive—sweet, with a touch of leafy freshness.

Li Qingji’s thumb brushed over the back of her hand, sliding to her fingers, tracing her outline, pressing down lightly.

He looked at her, his gaze warm and growing more intense. Finally, he couldn’t resist, leaning over to kiss her. Jiang Nai clenched her clothing nervously, feeling slightly tense because of the sunrise and the fact that they were in public. But it wasn’t just tension. Her heart felt like it was alive with tiny, uncontainable dancers…

She couldn’t stop any of them.

Li Qingji gently deepened the kiss, trying to part her lips, and she finally regained a bit of sense.

“Don’t…” She looked down slightly, pulling away a bit, her voice low. “Not here.”

Li Qingji didn’t press further and laughed softly. “Afraid someone will see?”

“It’s daylight.”

“Yes, it is daylight.”

The two stood in brief silence before Li Qingji held back his emotions and got up. “Let’s head back.”

If they didn’t, he might really not want to let her go back.

Jiang Nai nodded, “Alright.”

When they returned to the camp, everyone was nearby watching the sunrise, taking pictures with their phones and cameras, posing for group photos.

“Eh? President Li? Didn’t you go down the mountain yesterday?” the administrative director, the first to spot them, asked in surprise.

At his exclamation, others looked over.

Li Qingji answered calmly, “Came back up again.”

“When?”

“An hour ago.”

The administrative director glanced at Jiang Nai standing beside him, both understanding and surprised. “Ah… here to watch the sunrise with Madam?”

Madam.

That term made Jiang Nai feel a bit overwhelmed.

She forced a smile and said, “I’ll head over to look for Yao Qi and the others.”

Li Qingji asked, “Want to head down with me later?”

“I’ll go with the company car later.”

“Alright, that works too.”

Jiang Nai nodded to the administrative director in acknowledgment and jogged away.

“Jiang Nai, Jiang Nai!” Yao Qi waved to her from the platform near the tents.

Jiang Nai walked over.

Yao Qi immediately pulled her over and asked, “Where did you guys go to watch the sunrise? Was it some dark little corner?!”

“What dark little corner? It was dark everywhere just a moment ago,” Jiang Nai pointed to the small path to the left. “Just keep going forward, climb a few steps, and there’s a big rock up there.”

“Wow, who would’ve thought! I really didn’t expect the boss to have such a romantic side, climbing up a mountain in the middle of the night to watch the sunrise!”

Jiang Nai lowered her voice. “Keep it down.”

Wang Wenbo chimed in, “No need to keep it down; the whole world already knows the boss climbed up the mountain.”

Jiang Nai looked surprised. “Huh?”

Yao Qi chuckled sheepishly, “I might’ve been talking a bit too loudly with Wang Wenbo outside the tent.”

Wang Wenbo laughed, “A bit loudly? You were so excited that the entire camp heard you.”

Yao Qi cleared her throat. “Ahem, no way.”

…

After the sunrise, everyone had breakfast, and the company arranged vehicles to take everyone down the mountain. That night, rather than discussing how fun the outing was or how beautiful the sunrise looked, the group’s favorite topic was Jiang Nai and Li Qingji. Nothing else was quite as thrilling.

As the main topic of discussion, Jiang Nai herself adopted a “let it be” attitude. 

The situation was irreversible, so she decided to face it head-on. Besides, no matter what, quitting her job wasn’t an option. Having made up her mind, she went to bed early that night.

The next morning, she and Li Qingji, one after the other, went to freshen up. Chen Min was already waiting in the living room, and when she saw Jiang Nai come out, she asked, “Miss Jiang, will you be taking the same car today?”

Jiang Nai asked, “Is he heading to Siningte this morning?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Nai waved her hand. “No need; I’ll drive myself like before.”

Chen Min nodded, “Understood.”

Shortly after Jiang Nai left, Li Qingji’s car followed behind hers. They arrived at the parking lot almost at the same time and reached the elevator simultaneously. By this time, a few people were already waiting for the elevator. When Jiang Nai walked over, everyone’s eyes quickly shifted in her direction—and then, almost in unison, fell on Li Qingji, who stood not far behind her.

Jiang Nai was mentally prepared for this, but being in the spotlight at the company still made her feel a little uneasy.

Ding—

The elevator arrived, and everyone stepped inside, including Li Qingji. Everyone instinctively left some space in the middle for Li Qingji, standing around him in a semi-circle.

“Want to grab some breakfast?” Li Qingji suddenly spoke in the quiet space.

Jiang Nai was momentarily stunned, realizing he was talking to her. She touched her nose and responded quietly with an “mm-hmm.”

Everyone around them dared not look openly, but they were all listening intently.

Li Qingji asked, “Where should we eat? The restaurant or the rooftop?”

Jiang Nai replied, “The rooftop.”

She wanted to buy coffee and a sandwich upstairs.

Li Qingji acknowledged with a simple “mm-hmm”: “Then let’s go together.”

Jiang Nai: “…”

As the elevator stopped floor by floor, people exited one by one.

At the fifth floor, when the elevator doors opened, Jiang Nai was about to step out, only to be held back by Li Qingji: “Weren’t you going upstairs for breakfast?”

Now that only Chen Min was left in the elevator, Jiang Nai felt free to speak her mind: “I’m not eating anymore. I don’t want to eat with you.”

Li Qingji paused. “What?”

Jiang Nai explained, “Even though everyone already knows, I think it’s better to keep some distance between us at the office. We should keep work and personal life separate.”

Li Qingji: “?”

Jiang Nai smiled slightly, “Boss, I’ll head down first. You go ahead and eat.”

Li Qingji: “…”

Just before the elevator doors closed, Jiang Nai quickly slipped out. The elevator doors then slowly shut.

Chen Min took a glance at her boss, whose face had cooled after being “rejected,” and subtly lowered her head, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

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