Chapter 51: If

On the last day of the May Day holiday, Li Qingji accompanied Jiang Nai in the city for a day of sightseeing. After dinner that evening, they flew back to Minghai.

The next day, a workday.

After the holiday, there was a pile of work waiting to be done. After a team meeting in the morning, everyone returned to their desks to get busy.

Li Qingji arrived at Siningte around 11 a.m. From a distance, Jiang Nai saw him talking to the financial director, and then he glanced in her direction. The brief exchange of glances was fleeting, but Jiang Nai couldn’t help but smile, feeling sweet inside.

“Hey, where did you and the boss go during the holiday?” Yao Qi, sitting nearby, noticed their brief interaction and, after the boss walked away, slyly leaned over to ask Jiang Nai.

Jiang Nai straightened up. “We didn’t go anywhere. He went on a business trip.”

Yao Qi teased, “Then you went with him on the trip?”

“No,” Jiang Nai replied, “He was working, so I just went out and had some fun on my own.”

“You guys don’t have to be so clingy, you know. It’s not like you have to be together all the time.”

Jiang Nai cleared her throat. “I just wanted to get away for a bit. Plus, I’ve never been to the Forbidden City.”

“Oooh~” Yao Qi smirked.

Jiang Nai’s ears turned red. She gave her a side-eye. “Work.”

“Okay, okay, working,” Yao Qi said with a playful grin.

While Jiang Nai could act affectionate outside of work, she maintained a clear boundary in the office—she avoided talking about Li Qingji and kept her distance from him as much as possible. After what had happened in his office, when he had kissed her until her face turned red, she had firmly decided that unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t visit his office again.

However, she didn’t expect that on the first day back after the holiday, her resolution would already be broken.

The reason was that Lu Feng had arrived.

Lu Feng had visited Siningte once a long time ago, but at that time, he didn’t know who Jiang Nai was. This time was different—he knew exactly who she was and had learned from Li Qingji that their relationship had been made public in the company.

“Where is Jiang Nai sitting? I’ll go find her and have lunch together,” Lu Feng asked in the office.

Li Qingji poured him a cup of tea and replied indifferently, “She doesn’t talk to me at the office, so don’t bother her.”

“She doesn’t talk to you? Hahaha, looks like even you have a day like this,” Lu Feng chuckled.

Li Qingji gave him a glance, and Lu Feng quickly wiped the grin off his face. “Ahem, why doesn’t she talk to you?”

“She said, at the office, she keeps work and personal matters separate.”

“Hahaha, sure enough, she’s Jiang Nai,” Lu Feng said, standing up. “But I’m not you, so I can talk to her. How about I call her over for lunch?”

Li Qingji took a sip of tea without agreeing or refusing.

Lu Feng smiled. “I know you want to have lunch with her. Just wait.”

At 11:30, the lunch break began. Jiang Nai had just stood up to go with her colleagues to the restaurant when she saw Lu Feng walking toward her. She froze and stopped.

“Jiang Nai, off work?” Lu Feng asked.

Jiang Nai looked behind him, but there was no one else. “Hmm, going to eat. What brings you here today?”

Lu Feng replied, “Had something to discuss with Qingji. Hey, join us for lunch.”

Her colleagues, standing nearby, could tell from his words that he and their boss were quite familiar with each other. Good-looking guys always have good-looking friends…

Jiang Nai cleared her throat. “You two go ahead. I won’t interrupt.”

“It’s not an interruption,” Lu Feng insisted. “Qingji wants to eat with you, and he asked me to call you over.”

Yao Qi and Wang Wenbo exchanged glances and couldn’t help but smile. “Jiang Nai, we’ll go ahead and eat first.”

Jiang Nai: “…”

A group of people quickly left, pushing and shoving as they went.

Jiang Nai sighed and looked at Lu Feng. “Lying without preparation…”

Lu Feng protested, “Really, he gave me a subtle look to hint at it.”

Jiang Nai couldn’t help but smile. “So, what are we having for lunch?”

“I already ordered takeout. We’ll eat in his office.”

“Takeout?”

Lu Feng shrugged. “I’m in a bad mood today, don’t feel like going out to eat.”

In a bad mood, huh… Jiang Nai glanced at his expression and couldn’t really tell. In the end, she followed Lu Feng to Li Qingji’s office. When they entered, Li Qingji was sitting on the sofa, surrounded by the scent of tea. He looked up at them.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Jiang Nai replied, “Lu Feng came all the way to my desk to call me. How could I not come?”

Li Qingji lowered his eyes and pulled her to sit next to him. “I usually have to put in more effort to get you to come. Looks like he has more of your favor than I do.”

Lu Feng grinned and sat on the other side of Li Qingji. “Seems like it.”

Li Qingji shot him a look. “Sit farther away.”

Lu Feng pouted. “…Alright.”

Jiang Nai let out a light laugh. Soon, lunch arrived, brought by a staff member. Lu Feng had ordered a variety of dishes, all beautifully presented.

“Hey, I heard your second brother has been making moves recently. The Wangjiang project has started.” Lu Feng asked while eating.

“Yeah.” Li Qingji responded.

“Didn’t He Shujing say that your brother’s close to the people from YuanGe? And you intercepted YuanGe, but the project is still going ahead as planned?”

Li Qingji’s eyes darkened. “YuanGe is only part of it. The real help comes from Hengchuan.”

“Tsk, that’s bad news. You just gave him a huge opportunity for a turnaround.”

Li Qingji didn’t reply, but his expression made it clear he was aware of the situation’s complexity.

After a moment, he asked, “So, what brought you here today?”

Lu Feng paused with his chopsticks. “Nothing, just heard about the Wangjiang project and came by to ask what’s going on.”

Li Qingji glanced at him. “Tell the truth.”

Lu Feng sighed, his eyebrows knitting. “Fine, alright. I’m in a bad mood and needed someone to chat with. I happened to be near your company, so I came up.”

Jiang Nai had been quietly eating her meal, but upon hearing this, she glanced at Lu Feng. It was clear now—he really was in a bad mood.

“What’s going on?” Jiang Nai couldn’t help but ask.

Lu Feng scratched his head. “It’s Lin Hui. Recently, she’s been insisting on breaking up with me. It’s driving me crazy.”

Jiang Nai was a bit stunned. “She wants to break up with you? Why?”

Lu Feng replied, “Recently, my mom’s been pushing me into blind dates, and Lin Hui found out. Even though I turned down the dates, she got upset and told me, ‘Maybe this is where we end.’ What end? I haven’t even said it’s over.”

Li Qingji calmly interjected, “Your family wants you to get married.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to get married?”

“That… I’m not in a rush.”

Li Qingji replied, “So, do you want to marry Lin Hui someday?”

Lu Feng was silent.

Li Qingji glanced up at him. Lu Feng opened his mouth, hesitated, then said, “You know it’s unrealistic.”

“I know. She knows too.” Li Qingji’s gaze was detached, almost indifferent. “So she’s right to say ‘maybe this is where it ends.’”

Lu Feng felt a bit stifled. “But we didn’t start dating with marriage in mind. We just wanted to be happy together. Why can’t we keep it like that?”

Li Qingji said coolly, “You shouldn’t have started this relationship in the first place.”

“Why not? I’m not you; I haven’t met someone like Jiang Nai who’s both compatible and someone I truly love,” Lu Feng argued. “I just wanted to have a relationship. What’s wrong with that? It’s so annoying—I don’t even know what Lin Hui’s thinking… Does she not like me anymore? Maybe she found someone new?”

“Maybe she likes you too much, which is why she wants to end it,” Jiang Nai replied, slightly discontented. Frowning, she added, “If you’re going on blind dates, don’t keep her hanging on. Or, if you do, you should think about a future with her.”

“What’s wrong with just enjoying the moment? There’s no future for us.”

Jiang Nai asked, “Why are you so certain there’s no future?”

Lu Feng frowned. “She’s just an ordinary person.”

An ordinary person.

In the world of wealthy families, status compatibility is important. Lin Hui, a girl from a small town with no background, who only managed to fit in because of her personality and good looks, was an ordinary person in Lu Feng’s world. He liked her but would never marry her.

Being with her made him happy, but his logic and understanding told him this relationship was destined to end.

—

That night, Jiang Nai sat on a rocking chair on the balcony, looking at Lin Hui’s social media post. She was celebrating her birthday with friends and seemed unaffected… at least on the surface.

“Why are you sitting here? Want to come inside?” Li Qingji walked out from the room, standing in front of her.

Jiang Nai looked up at him and asked, “Do you think Lu Feng and Lin Hui are really over?”

Li Qingji replied, “I don’t know, but it’s probably better if they are.”

Jiang Nai said, “They do like each other, right?”

Li Qingji knelt down, holding her gently swinging leg. “Why are you asking this?”

“I feel like, deep down, Lu Feng really likes her.”

Li Qingji replied, “Yes, he likes her, but they’re not suited for each other.”

Jiang Nai looked at him and suddenly asked, “Is it that, when it comes to this, you can all be so rational?”

“What do you mean?”

Jiang Nai’s heart stirred, and she couldn’t hold back. “If I weren’t Jiang Nai, I mean… if I were just an ordinary person, not related to the Jiang family, would you still be with me?”

Under the night sky, Li Qingji lifted his gaze to look at her.

He didn’t answer immediately. In those brief seconds, Jiang Nai’s heart settled back into place, feeling foolish for asking such a question. She already knew the answer.

Li Qingji stood up and smiled. “What kind of hypothetical is that? You’re Jiang Nai.”

Jiang Nai looked at him for a moment. “Yes, I am Jiang Nai…”

Jiang Nai of the Jiang family. If she weren’t part of the Jiang family, how could she have become his wife or reached the point they were at now?

Her hypothesis was flawed from the start. She lowered her eyes, regretting that she’d even asked the question. And… disappointed by his answer. Even though it was a baseless question, she’d hoped for an ideal answer in her mind.

“Alright, don’t worry about them. Let them handle their own affairs.” Li Qingji took her hand and pulled her up from the chair. “Let’s go inside.”

Jiang Nai held his hand, following him back inside, glancing at his silhouette but saying nothing more. In the days that followed, Li Qingji barely showed up at Siningte. Jiang Nai guessed it might be related to what Lu Feng had mentioned before—an issue with his second brother in Hengchuan that was keeping him busy.

On Wednesday evening, after her usual work hours, Jiang Nai unexpectedly received a call from Lin Hui. Lin Hui asked if she had time and wanted to go out for a drink together. Jiang Nai hadn’t planned on drinking, but she remembered Lin Hui and Lu Feng’s situation.

Their only link was Lu Feng, so it seemed likely that Lin Hui wanted to discuss her relationship with him. To Jiang Nai, Lin Hui had become somewhat of a friend as well. After leaving the office, she drove to the bar that Lin Hui had mentioned. 

It was still relatively early, and the bar wasn’t very crowded. Jiang Nai quickly found the booth where Lin Hui was sitting.

A group of girls surrounded her, and when Lin Hui saw her, she pulled Jiang Nai to sit next to her and introduced her to everyone. “This is my friend Jiang Nai. Isn’t she gorgeous? Jiang Nai, these are my girlfriends. Tonight’s a girls-only night—no annoying men allowed.”

Everyone around nodded in agreement. Jiang Nai tugged on Lin Hui’s arm and asked, “Are you alright?”

“Me? I’m fine. What’s wrong? Oh! Did you think I was going to be heartbroken over breaking up with Lu Feng and that’s why I called you out for drinks?”

Jiang Nai gave a silent nod.

Lin Hui laughed, “I just wanted to hang out. Out of all Lu Feng’s friends, I like you the best. Really, you’re different from them. I want to be friends with you.”

“What’s different?”

“Well, you don’t have that high-and-mighty vibe, and your personality is really nice.”

As Lin Hui spoke, she poured herself half a glass of wine. Jiang Nai didn’t drink, but instead asked, “Are you really okay after breaking up with Lu Feng? Don’t you like him anymore?”

“I do like him.” Lin Hui leaned closer and whispered, “He treats me super well, buys me lots of things, takes me around everywhere, and he’s really generous. I feel so happy with him. But his family is planning for him to get married soon, you know?”

Jiang Nai nodded, “I heard him mention it.”

“That’s why I think it’s about time to end things. Dating is just for fun, after all. It’s not like I could actually marry him.” Lin Hui gave her a look and lowered her voice, “I’m honestly a bit envious of you… You’re not only beautiful, but you also have a great family. Life must be pretty easy for people like you…”

Jiang Nai paused, then said, “Everyone has their own circumstances. Is there really anyone in this world who lives an entirely carefree life?”

“But at least you can marry whoever you want. If I were you, I wouldn’t have had to break up with Lu Feng.”

Jiang Nai hesitated for a moment and didn’t say anything more.

Lin Hui changed the topic, “Alright, enough about him. Let’s have a drink!”

Jiang Nai shook her head, “No, I have work tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. I’ll head out now.”

“What, you’re leaving already?”

“You enjoy yourself.”

Seeing Jiang Nai insist on leaving, Lin Hui reluctantly stood up, “Alright, alright. Let me walk you out.”

As they walked a few steps away from the booth, Lin Hui asked, “Oh, by the way, since you heard that his family is arranging a marriage for him, do you know if he’s been on any blind dates lately?”

Jiang Nai noticed Lin Hui’s attempt to act casual, sighing to herself. It was clear that Lin Hui wasn’t as indifferent as she pretended to be.

“I only met him once, and he said he hadn’t gone on any. But after that, I don’t know. Since you broke up, you haven’t seen each other?”

Lin Hui shook her head, then asked, “Did he ever say he wanted to see me?”

Jiang Nai replied, “I’m not that close with him. If you really want to know, you’d probably have to ask him yourself.”

Lin Hui shrugged, “Forget it. We’ve already broken up. I’m not asking…”

As they walked past another booth, Jiang Nai accidentally glanced over and suddenly froze. Someone she recognized was sitting in that booth: Jiang Yao.

Initially, she was just planning to walk by, but Jiang Yao saw her as well. Clearly tipsy, Jiang Yao stood up, “Jiang Nai!”

Jiang Nai stopped.

“Who would’ve thought, running into you here! You’re alone?” Jiang Yao squeezed past a few people and put a hand on her shoulder. “Where’s Li Qingji? He actually let you come to a bar on your own?”

Jiang Nai glanced at her, “You’re drunk.”

“Drunk? This is nothing!” Jiang Yao grabbed Jiang Nai’s hand, “Hey, let me introduce her. This is my… cousin, yeah, my cousin, Jiang Nai, got it?”

Lin Hui approached, “Jiang Nai, is she your sister?”

Jiang Nai replied, “…Yeah.”

Lin Hui glanced at Jiang Yao and whispered, “Oh… that Jiang Yao, the one Lu Feng mentioned?”

Jiang Nai nodded and tried to pull her hand away from Jiang Yao, “I’m leaving now.”

Jiang Yao protested, “Hey, don’t leave yet! Why are you in such a hurry to go back? Is Li Qingji calling you? Haha, did he turn clingy after you got married?”

Jiang Nai didn’t want to argue with someone who was drunk, but Jiang Yao’s grip was tight, and she couldn’t pull free.

“Oh right, you guys are planning your wedding, right?” Jiang Yao went on, almost talking to herself, “Where are you having it? Who’s invited? Honestly, I don’t want to go at all.”

Jiang Nai responded coolly, “No one’s forcing you to come. You don’t have to.”

Jiang Yao glanced at her. “Yeah, I don’t have to come. Actually, none of our family does. You just want your mom there, right?”

Jiang Nai’s face darkened.

Jiang Yao shook her head with a mocking sigh, “Too bad. Your mom definitely won’t be able to make it.”

Jiang Nai forcefully wrenched her hand away. “This is none of your business.”

“Not that I could do anything even if I wanted to,” Jiang Yao mumbled with an air of drunken indifference. “I mean, what could I do about the dead?”

Jiang Nai had already turned to leave, but upon hearing this, she froze in place, slowly turning back to look at Jiang Yao. “What did you say?”

Jiang Yao shrugged, her drunken gaze filled with casual malice. “I said, your mom’s already dead, so it’s not like I could do anything anyway.”

Previous

Next