Chapter 46: Like

Jiang Nai was intent on keeping a distance from Li Qingji at the company. Her approach to creating distance was simple: avoid seeing him, don’t talk to him, and if she did see him, don’t speak. However, she was unexpectedly notified in the afternoon of a big meeting for the marketing department, which Li Qingji would also attend.

As Jiang Nai walked to the conference room with her computer, accompanied by Yao Qi, Yao Qi nudged her hand and said, “I just remembered that time when the boss asked you if you were feeling unwell during a meeting. So, you guys were secretly giving off ‘sweet vibes’ even back then?”

Jiang Nai responded, “…That wasn’t ‘sweet vibes’; that was concern for a subordinate.”

Yao Qi replied earnestly, “To be honest, I’ve never seen the boss show concern for any other subordinate.”

Just as she finished her sentence, they ran into Li Qingji, who was approaching the conference room from another direction.

Yao Qi instantly fell silent.

Jiang Nai gave him a glance but treated it no differently than if she’d encountered any other colleague, nodding briefly before turning to enter the conference room. Li Qingji seemed to tolerate her formal attitude, a faint trace of amusement passing through his eyes as he calmly followed her inside. Within minutes, everyone was seated, and they began discussing the planning for the products in the second half of the year.

For the most part, Li Qingji didn’t speak, only interjecting briefly when he noticed issues he felt needed addressing.

The final agenda item of the meeting was the Smart Home 3.0 project.

The company had set up two simulated homes installed with the 3.0 system, which were tested weekly by designated staff. The primary testers were Wang Wenbo and Jiang Nai, both of whom had produced a stack of test reports on the system.

Jiang Nai stood up to speak, starting with a rundown of the current advantages of the 3.0 system—features she believed should remain unchanged.

When she began discussing the response sensitivity of 3.0, Li Qingji suddenly interjected, “So you think it would be better to eliminate the name-calling step?”

This was the first time since it was revealed that they were a couple that the two had spoken in a professional setting. Everyone in the room immediately looked over, unsure if they were more interested in the work discussion or the underlying gossip.

Jiang Nai’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Li Qingji.

She hesitated for a couple of seconds, trying to maintain a calm demeanor, and answered, “Most smart assistants on the market require a specific wake word to respond, usually in set phrases—like saying ‘Hey, A’ to activate. But this diverges from the design philosophy of our smart assistant. Our goal is to make the smart assistant function like a real butler, striving for lifelike intelligence. A real butler would know how to read the room and extract the client’s needs from the conversation  without prompting.”

Li Qingji responded, “But a real butler isn’t around 24/7. You should know that 3.0 has a tendency to respond at inappropriate times, potentially disturbing the owner. For instance, imagine a scenario in the bedroom. What do you think—should it respond or not?”

Jiang Nai was suddenly reminded of a previous incident when they were kissing in the entryway, and 3.0 had “interrupted” by speaking up.

She stammered slightly, “I…I believe this can be improved. Perhaps it could have a ‘sleep mode’ or only allow certain features to work throughout the house. Or maybe we could enhance its recognition accuracy?”

Everyone was aware that there were three complete systems shipped back to the country—two were in the company, and one was in Li Qingji’s home.

Hearing Li Qingji’s remark, the team couldn’t help but imagine: Had 3.0 spoken up at an inappropriate moment…interrupting the two of them?

Oblivious to everyone’s assumptions, Jiang Nai continued earnestly, “Since our product aims to be a hyper-intelligent, human-like assistant, I think this feature can remain as is, though it could be further refined.”

Li Qingji pondered for a moment and said, “This point still requires further discussion with the R&D center; whether it’s technically feasible is a significant concern.”

Jiang Nai’s eyes lit up; at least he hadn’t outright rejected it: “Yes, we’ll coordinate with them.”

Li Qingji nodded. “Let’s move to the next point.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the meeting, everyone began filing out.

“Jiang Nai.”

Suddenly, Li Qingji called her name. Those who were walking out or still lingering all paused.

Jiang Nai: “…”

“Send me a copy of the report from earlier.”

Jiang Nai: “…Understood.”

Li Qingji nodded, said nothing more, and left the meeting room directly.

Once everyone else had left, Yao Qi jokingly said, “Do you have to be so distant?”

Jiang Nai replied with a serious face, “What do you mean distant? In work, it’s just the relationship between a superior and a subordinate.”

Yao Qi teased, “Haha… as expected of you.”

Back at her desk, Jiang Nai remembered that after the meeting, Li Qingji had called her aside, and she belatedly felt that something was off. She decided to message him.

Jiang Nai: [Don’t call me in the office.]

Li Qingji replied with a question mark.

Jiang Nai: [I mean, you’ve never called me during meetings before… can you keep it that way?]

She added a “Thank you, Boss” sticker.

Li Qingji: [Hmm, then may I ask, Miss Jiang, how should I ask for your report?]

Jiang Nai couldn’t help but smile slightly: [Boss, you can just message me after the meeting.]

Li Qingji: [Alright, I’ll message you now, then bring me the report.]

Jiang Nai paused, replying with a question mark.

Li Qingji: [I want a physical copy.]

Jiang Nai: [Why a physical copy… I can just send you the online version, it’s the same.]

Li Qingji: [Miss Jiang, don’t you have a lot of questions? Should I come over and get it myself?]

Jiang Nai: [… Don’t come.]

Jiang Nai felt that Li Qingji was doing this on purpose. But she knew that if she insisted on sending him the online version, he would come over to her desk and ask why she hadn’t delivered the report to him. Taking a deep breath, Jiang Nai stood up and went to the printer, reprinting a copy of the 3.0 product report.

By this time, most people were at their computers. She walked to the break room, checked around to make sure no one was nearby, and then approached Li Qingji’s office. She didn’t knock, quickly opened the door, slipped inside, and shut it fast to minimize any chance of others gossiping.

“You—”

She had just started speaking when she noticed that Li Qingji wasn’t alone in the office. Zhao Siyuan and Chen Min were standing there, seemingly listening to Li Qingji give instructions.

But her entrance interrupted them.

Jiang Nai took a step back, “Sorry, you all continue… I’ll just drop something off.”

“Stop.”

Li Qingji stopped her, then turned to Zhao Siyuan and Chen Min, “You two can leave for now, just continue with the original plan.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Siyuan and Chen Min stepped back, nodding slightly to her as they left and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

Li Qingji stood up and walked over, “Why the long face? Is it so hard for you to just deliver a report?”

Jiang Nai felt he was really turning things around: “I didn’t say it was hard, nor did I make a long face. I’m just tired after a whole day of work. Can’t I not smile?”

“Sure,” Li Qingji replied, sitting down on the sofa and extending his hand towards her.

Jiang Nai stepped forward and handed him the report, only to have the report taken from her and her hand firmly held. Jiang Nai’s eyes widened slightly, and before she could react, he pulled her forward. She didn’t dare speak and ended up falling onto his lap.

His hand quickly locked around her waist, not giving her a chance to stand up. “Sit still.”

She couldn’t get away from him, her face flushed with embarrassment as she gave up. “You… you shouldn’t make it look like we’re so familiar in front of so many people at the company.”

Li Qingji was unfazed. “Everyone already knows we’re familiar with each other. You’re just pretending otherwise.”

Jiang Nai responded, “But I still don’t want… it could affect my work.”

Li Qingji sighed lightly and released her. “Alright, now we’re in my office and there’s no one else here. Can we act a bit more familiar now?”

“…I want to leave.”

Li Qingji didn’t let go of her, instead, he observed her with a sideways glance. “You seem to get more nervous at the company.”

Jiang Nai thought about it. Could she not be nervous? Just a wall away were her colleagues…

“I’ve delivered the report. Can you let me go now?”

Li Qingji wasn’t sure why he found it so amusing to make her nervous. He liked seeing her flustered because of him, liked seeing her blush. To be more specific, when they were in bed, he liked seeing her struggle to break free, her pale skin tinged with pink, crying and acting out.

But he wouldn’t say this to Jiang Nai. He knew that if he did, she would definitely get angry with him.

The bedroom door would probably stay closed for a while.

Li Qingji spoke, “Wait.”

“What for—” She reached out to push him away, but he easily grabbed both of her hands and pulled them behind her back, locking them there.

The motion caused her body to be pulled forward. His face was now very close to hers, and with just a slight movement, they would be able to feel each other’s breath.

Li Qingji was right. She felt more nervous in the office. It was just a gentle kiss, but her whole body stiffened, her eyes widening as she stared at him. Li Qingji enjoyed this reaction, smiling briefly before kissing her lips again, a soft peck, but followed by another one.

He had never kissed her so “innocently” before, but these soft sounds made it harder for her to bear. Her heart felt like it was exploding, warmth rushing through her body, reaching every inch of her.

Watching her lipstick fade from her lips, his gaze grew more intense, and he held both of her hands with one of his while the other gently caressed her cheek. “Is the lipstick still on you?”

Jiang Nai’s head was spinning, barely able to respond. “No…”

“Forget it, your colleagues probably won’t notice the color is gone from your lips.”

Jiang Nai: “What?”

He didn’t answer, instead kissing her again. This time, after gently sucking her lips, he pried her mouth open. He knew exactly how to kiss her by now, knew just what would make her feel passionate. Outside the window, the leaves were lush, and the light was abundant. Jiang Nai, with her hands clenched, passively endured the intense, overwhelming kiss.

She felt her ears burning, and the corners of her eyes reddened. She knew that at this moment, she should never give in, but she couldn’t control herself. Desire spilled out, provoked by just a single kiss.

It wasn’t just Li Qingji who was addicted to the taste of it; her grown-up body had also become accustomed to it.

“Mm…” She gasped, letting out a soft moan, trying to breathe in some air, but before she could recover, he pulled her back in.

She opened her eyes, wanting to beg for a pause, but in that instant, her gaze met his. He didn’t close his eyes. His previously indifferent and cold eyes, now filled with intense lust, watched her struggle and fall deeper into temptation…

Her heart raced violently, and almost all rationality was sucked away by him, making her think that maybe she could just surrender. But when they finally stopped, it was Li Qingji who snapped back to his senses. He released her lips, resting his face against hers, his throat working as he swallowed heavily.

“Why are you being so obedient?” His voice was husky.

Jiang Nai sat on his lap, feeling his change. She quickly stood up, flustered, and got off his lap. “I didn’t… You pulled me.”

Li Qingji allowed her to move away this time, leaning back against the sofa, his jawline tense as he exhaled slowly.

Jiang Nai immediately turned her gaze away. After a brief moment of calm, she took out her phone to check her reflection. Aside from the unusually flushed cheeks and the faded color of her lips, there was nothing wrong. She turned around, fanning herself quickly with her hand, trying to cool down her face.

“Does that help?” came Li Qingji’s teasing voice from behind.

Jiang Nai stopped waving her hand, huffing, “I’m leaving!”

She ran to the door, peeking out through the crack, then left without turning back. Once outside, Jiang Nai didn’t go back to her desk but rushed straight to the restroom. The restroom was empty. She stood in front of the mirror, taking a deep breath, and splashed her face with water.

The cold water spread across her face, cooling the heat, but unfortunately… her heartbeat didn’t slow down.

Jiang Nai slowly lifted her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t really angry. In fact, her lips were curled in a smile. At that moment, she realized with dread that she couldn’t control herself anymore. She couldn’t just treat Li Qingji as a mere partner in a marriage of convenience like she did at the beginning.

She still liked him.

She still, hopelessly, liked him very much.

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