Chapter 58: Believe

Perhaps due to the medication, or maybe something else, Jiang Nai slept more soundly than she had in days.

The next day was a workday. She was awoken by the alarm on her phone. Just as she opened her eyes, the alarm was silenced by the person next to her. She heard some movement beside her as Li Qingji sat up. He picked something up from the nightstand and gently pushed her hair aside.

Beep— 

Jiang Nai shifted slightly, turning her head to look at him.

Li Qingji said, “Let’s check your temperature.”

He glanced at the screen. “36.8, you’re fine now.”

Jiang Nai looked at him, still feeling a little dazed. “Mm…”

“Wait here.” He got out of bed and left the bedroom, returning after a while with a cup of warm water. “Drink some.”

Jiang Nai’s throat was indeed very dry. She thanked him, took a few sips, and handed the cup back to him. Li Qingji set the unfinished water aside, lay back down on the bed, and pulled her into his arms, clearly ready to continue sleeping.

Jiang Nai: “Wait… I have to work today.”

“It’s the day after the event, there’s nothing urgent.” Li Qingji pulled her back into bed. “Besides, you’re running a fever and you’re injured—resting for a few days is fine.”

“I haven’t requested leave yet.”

“I talked to Yao Qi yesterday; she’ll take care of the paperwork for you.” Li Qingji sounded a little exasperated. “Just go back to sleep.”

Jiang Nai: “…Oh.”

They both lay down in bed. Last night, Jiang Nai had been feverish, her thoughts hazy. But now that the fever had subsided and she’d had a good night’s sleep, she was clear-headed and remembered what he’d whispered in her ear last night—

“I’ll stay with you. I won’t leave you.”

Promises like this might seem light as a feather, yet for some people, they weigh as much as a mountain. Jiang Nai had never imagined someone like Li Qingji would say such words.

Could he really ignore everything else, be with her simply because he liked her?

“Does your ankle still hurt?” he asked, holding her close, his chin lightly brushing against the spot behind her ear.

Jiang Nai shrank back. “Not anymore.”

“There’s no serious injury to the tendons, but the doctor advised you not to walk on it for a couple of days.”

His voice, still husky from sleep, was low and resonant. His breath brushed her ear, sparking a reaction that made Jiang Nai shrink back even further. “…I know.”

Li Qingji noticed her small movements. He opened his eyes to glance at her. From this angle, he could see the blush on her ears, her fair cheeks, her delicate neck…

It had been so long since he’d held her like this, her warm, soft presence next to him, especially on a morning like this. He quickly found it difficult to keep calm. Jiang Nai wasn’t calm either, especially when she accidentally shifted and felt the pressure behind her.

She froze, not daring to move again.

“So, how does it feel staying at someone else’s place? Are you used to it?” His body might be hinting at something else, but his voice was as steady as ever.

The blush from Jiang Nai’s ears spread to her cheeks. Gritting her teeth, she answered, “I’m used to it. Xue Lin and I lived together in college, so we know each other well…”

“Used to it enough that you don’t think of me at all, right?”

Jiang Nai: “…I’ve just been really busy.”

Li Qingji: “Or purposefully keeping busy.”

Jiang Nai had no response. Li Qingji lowered his gaze slightly, catching sight of her arm with its delicate green strap resting on her shoulder, her skin fair enough to almost glow.

“Did you hear what I said last night?”

Jiang Nai: “Which part…?”

Li Qingji could tell she was pretending, but his patience was unexpectedly good today. “All of it. You don’t need to worry about my parents, and you don’t need to answer their calls anymore. I don’t care if you’re part of the Jiang family or not, Jiang Nai. I only want you.”

Jiang Nai’s hands tightened.

Li Qingji’s kiss landed gently on her shoulder. “Can you trust me a bit more?”

Jiang Nai didn’t speak, but her breathing quickened. She felt like her heart was teetering, about to shatter, but just as she reached the brink, he held her steady.

It was as if he were saying, “I’ll hold you steady; I won’t let go.”

In that moment, she believed him, but she also worried—what if he held on too long and got tired?

She was torn to the core. Jiang Nai’s vision blurred slightly as she clenched her hands, pressing her fingertips into her palm, leaving small crescent marks. Sensing something, Li Qingji turned her around to face him.

He reached out to wipe away her tears, cupping her face. “If you need to cry, let it out. You’ve been holding everything in for too long.”

Jiang Nai shook her head, her voice hoarse. “I don’t want to cry anymore.”

Li Qingji’s heart ached for her, and he gently brushed away a tear with his thumb, gazing deeply at her. After a moment, he leaned down and kissed her on the lips. It was their first kiss in a long time. The instant his lips met hers, Jiang Nai felt a brief emptiness in her heart, only for that emptiness to be filled by his warmth. Her anxiety, her fear, her doubts—all were slowly pushed aside.

He was kissing her with such tenderness.

At that moment, Jiang Nai suddenly felt that she couldn’t care about anything else. She had to believe—she needed to believe—otherwise, the sorrow within her would consume her.

Unable to resist, she closed her eyes, and when he briefly pulled away, she leaned in, kissing him back, imitating his movements as she shyly extended her tongue, even though her lips trembled. Li Qingji paused, surprised, but soon responded, kissing her deeply, taking her breath away with his intensity. She soon found herself breathless, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes, yet she willingly surrendered to this intimate embrace.

They kissed passionately, their bodies alive with electric sparks, as though ignited in an instant.

Without hesitation, Li Qingji slid the thin strap off her shoulder, his lips tracing downwards, overwhelmed by her soft scent.

Jiang Nai’s breathing became completely erratic.

He nuzzled his soft hair against her neck, and she instinctively blocked his increasingly bold kisses with her hands, though she couldn’t stop his roaming hands. Soft sounds slipped from her lips…

Li Qingji’s kisses were intense, yet his movements were slow. He was careful not to touch her injured leg, leaving trails of gentle marks across her skin, holding her without taking things further. Jiang Nai felt a sharp, aching pressure from him, but she didn’t pull away.

In that moment, it was as if her numb, lifeless days had been melted away, as though a puppet had been given life. She felt her heart coming back to life. More tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, and she buried her face in his neck, trying to absorb more of his presence and to hide her own vulnerability.

“Are you hungry?” His breathing hadn’t yet calmed, but his voice was gentle as he asked.

Jiang Nai rubbed her tears into his neck, muffling her response.

“What would you like to eat?”

Jiang Nai thought for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, “I want to eat the breakfast you made last time.”

Li Qingji rubbed her back with his fingertip, seemingly smiling as he replied, “You want me to make breakfast looking like this?”

Yes.

Jiang Nai didn’t care. There was a hint of playful indulgence in her actions, as if she wanted to test him. One moment, she chose to trust him, and the next, she wanted to stir things up to see if he truly cared for her.

“Don’t want to make it…?”

Li Qingji listened to her words and chuckled silently, indulging her. “I’ll make it. Just wait.”

He let go of her and lifted the blanket. The silk pajamas he wore accentuated certain areas in particular.

Jiang Nai’s gaze slid over him, and she suddenly felt she might be asking too much. When he was about to get out of bed, she grabbed his wrist, saying, “Alright, forget it. Let’s just order takeout.”

Li Qingji replied, “Your leg’s hurt. Since I won’t be able to do much by lying back down, why don’t we do something else to take your mind off it?”

“…That’s not what I meant.”

Li Qingji leaned over, smiling slyly. “Then what did you mean?”

Jiang Nai let go of him and, simply closing her eyes, lay flat on her back. “…Just go.”

Li Qingji pulled the blanket back over her. “If you want to get up, just call me.”

“Mm…”

Li Qingji left. Jiang Nai lay there for a while. After the warmth in her body had subsided, she reached for her phone. In her small group chat, a new day had already brought fresh conversation. After scrolling through the messages, she suddenly remembered something and quickly tapped on Xue Lin’s profile picture.

[I came home yesterday]

Xue Lin quickly replied: [I know, Li Qingji called me from your phone]

Jiang Nai blinked in surprise and checked her call history, actually finding a call to Xue Lin from the previous night.

Xue Lin: [Nai Nai, try to be more positive. I think he seems pretty good to you]

Jiang Nai looked at that message for a long time before replying with a single character: [Mm]

Half an hour later, Li Qingji finished making breakfast and returned to the bedroom. He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Jiang Nai stood on one leg, leaning against the sink while freshening up. Li Qingji stood protectively by her side, brushing his teeth and washing his face along with her.

When they finished, he carried her to the dining room and set her down to eat breakfast.

Jiang Nai cooperated by finishing her breakfast, then watched him clean up the dishes. She asked, “Isn’t the housekeeper coming over later?”

“She’ll come at noon to cook and clean.”

“Oh, then… When are you leaving?”

Li Qingji turned and looked at her. “Where to?”

“The office?”

Li Qingji said, “I’m not going today. I’m not comfortable leaving you here alone like this.”

Jiang Nai’s heart warmed slightly. “It’s fine, I won’t be alone; the housekeeper will be here.”

Li Qingji replied, “She can’t carry you.”

“She just needs to support me; I don’t need to be carried.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Li Qingji said as he walked over. “Where do you want to go now? The bedroom or the living room?”

“…The living room, I guess.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Nai sat on the sofa and said, “Can you bring me my laptop and tablet?”

Li Qingji complied, bringing over her devices, then sat down next to her. With nothing pressing to do himself, he turned on the TV, settling on a finance channel.

Jiang Nai rested her injured leg on a nearby chair, laptop on her lap, glancing over her work emails and skimming through the files shared in the group chat. Her work wasn’t urgent, so she alternated between looking at her computer and zoning out to watch the financial news with Li Qingji.

An hour later, Li Qingji’s phone rang. It was Zhao Siyuan, reminding him of a meeting in ten minutes. After ending the call, he told Jiang Nai he had to attend a meeting and asked her to sit tight for a while. She didn’t mind at all.

Once he left, she turned her focus back to her laptop.

In the small group chat, a new message popped up. Yao Qi had posted, reminding everyone about the marketing department’s meeting, which jogged Jiang Nai’s memory. It turned out Li Qingji had gone to the study for this very meeting.

Wang Wenbo: [Today feels more relaxed since the boss isn’t around. Less pressure.]

Yao Qi: [So true!]

Yao Qi: [Jiang Nai, are you here? How are you feeling?]

Jiang Nai smiled and replied: [The fever’s gone, thank you all for yesterday.]

Yao Qi: [No need to mention it; you gave us quite a scare.]

Xu Xiao: [Can you still walk with that leg?]

Jiang Nai: [It’s not too bad. Should be able to walk in a couple of days.]

Wang Wenbo: [Take it easy then!]

Yao Qi: [Boss is on the video now; meeting’s starting! Gotta go, Jiang Nai.]

Jiang Nai: [Alright, you all focus on the meeting.]

She set her phone aside and continued reviewing documents.

Over half an hour later, she suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. Glancing at the time, she saw that the meeting was still ongoing, so she decided not to interrupt Li Qingji. Bracing herself against the sofa and the wall, she hopped on one leg toward the nearest bathroom.

The marketing department meeting was mostly about reports, with Li Qingji only speaking up to address any issues needing correction or adjustment. As the meeting neared its end, he expressed dissatisfaction with the planning of a few classic products. He felt they lacked innovation and failed to distinguish themselves from previous versions, giving the main team responsible a stern critique.

Even though his criticism was directed at another team, the entire office listened intently, each person hoping they wouldn’t be the next target.

“…Our competitors are closing in. Last quarter, they almost caught up. And now, with this proposal, are you all feeling satisfied with last quarter’s sales performance?”

The silence was absolute; no one dared to answer.

The team leader from the second group was sweating profusely.

Just as Li Qingji was about to continue, there was a loud *bang* from the study door—a heavy sound, as if something had slammed onto the floor.

Everyone in the video call heard it and turned to their computers, just in time to see the boss stand up quickly and head toward the door.

“Jiang Nai?!”

As Li Qingji left the study, he saw a decoration, which had originally been placed on the cabinet, lying far from its original position. Beside the cabinet, someone was standing on one foot, leaning against it, as if they had almost fallen…

“What are you doing?” Li Qingji hurriedly wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up.

Jiang Nai quickly hugged his neck, embarrassed, and whispered, “I… I needed to go to the bathroom.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Just call me if you need anything. What if you hurt yourself again like this?”

“Aren’t you in a meeting…”

“You can still call me, even during a meeting,” Li Qingji said, somewhat exasperated, as he carried her to the bathroom. He opened the door and set her down.

“Is the meeting… over?” Jiang Nai asked.

“Not yet.”

Jiang Nai was stunned. “Then you should go back. I’ll sit here, and I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on you.”

“But I can’t go with you here…” Jiang Nai replied, blushing. “I have my phone. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

Li Qingji frowned at her for a moment. “Be careful, then.”

“Got it!” Jiang Nai said, “You can go now and close the door.”

“Hmm.”

Li Qingji left the bathroom, stood by the door for a moment, and then went back to the study. Everyone was still in the meeting; he hadn’t called it off, so no one dared to leave.

“Meeting adjourned,” he said as he sat down. “Liu Nian, follow up on the adjustments for the next version.”

“Got it!” Liu Nian responded enthusiastically.

The screen went dark as Li Qingji ended the call. In the office, the team members finally exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Another minute of reprimands, and they’d have wanted to jump out of the window!

“Was that… about Jiang Nai?” They exchanged glances.

Someone nodded. “Yes, Jiang Nai hurt her leg yesterday and is recovering at home. The boss is probably taking care of her.”

The team members were nearly in tears. “Damn, the boss has such a gentle voice! One second he’s tearing us apart in the meeting, and the next, he’s a different person. I’m about to cry.”

“Of course he’s gentle with his wife.”

“I just can’t believe someone can be this two-faced!”

Liu Nian, the highest-ranking team member, quietly agreed in his heart. “Don’t be too surprised. Just be grateful to Jiang Nai. If it weren’t for her, you’d still be getting scolded.”

“True! Very true!” the team replied in unison.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nai, who was still in the bathroom, had no idea that her husband’s team had just been moved to tears by her presence and was already planning to call Li Qingji back. Just then, she saw several WeChat messages pop up, unexpectedly from a few of her colleagues on the team.

[Thank you!]

[Thanks so much!]

[Take care and rest well. Get better soon.]

Jiang Nai: “?”

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