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Chapter 60: Clocking Out

On the way to Li Qingji’s house, Lu Feng sat in silence, his mind buzzing with Li Qingji’s words. He thought Li Qingji was crazy—crazier than himself. Meanwhile, delicious smells wafted from the kitchen, and Jiang Nai and Lin Hui were completely absorbed in a co-op video game in the living room.

The front door opened, but the two were too focused on their game to look over.

“Babe, I sent you so many messages, and you didn’t read a single one,” Lu Feng called out as he entered and immediately bounded toward Lin Hui, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch.

She leaned to the side, eyes glued to the screen. “Don’t, don’t, don’t—this level is super hard. Stop distracting me.”

Lu Feng sighed, “Oh, so that’s how it is, huh?”

“Come on, just wait a bit, big man.”

“Alright, fine.”

Lu Feng settled in beside her and also looked at the screen. “Actually, this boss is easy. Just dodge on the platform, yes, yes—jump up—”

Li Qingji, noticing Jiang Nai fully engaged in the game, felt a wave of relief. He was glad to see her spirits lifted. After pouring her a glass of water, he sat down beside her without interrupting, quietly watching her as she fought her way to the next level.

“To the right, to the right! Yes, yes, yes! It’s dead! It’s dead, it’s dead!” The boss on the screen roared before finally crashing to the ground. Lin Hui immediately stood up and yelled, “Yay!!”

After cheering, she turned around and high-fived Jiang Nai. “We’ve tried so many times, finally!”

Jiang Nai’s brows also showed some joy. Li Qingji glanced at her and handed her a glass of water. “Want a drink?”

“Mm!”

Jiang Nai, focused on the game and feeling nervous and dry-mouthed, took the water from Li Qingji and gulped down half a glass in one go. Lu Feng, who had been standing nearby, noticed that Li Qingji had poured the water not for himself but for Jiang Nai…

What’s going on here?

This is really mind-blowing…

Lu Feng gave a light snort and said to Lin Hui, “I was about to bring you a drink earlier, but you didn’t respond. Do you want something now? I can get it for you.”

Lin Hui took out her phone to check and said, “I don’t drink milk tea, I’m on a diet.”

“Then I’ll pour you a glass of water.”

“So nice of you, big fella.”

Lu Feng: “Of course, can’t let anyone outdo me.”

Jiang Nai paused with the cup in her hand, realizing that Lu Feng was talking about her and Li Qingji. A little embarrassed, she handed the cup back to Li Qingji.

Li Qingji: “Not drinking anymore?”

“That’s enough.”

At that moment, Auntie called from the dining area, “The meal is ready, you can eat now.”

Lin Hui stood up. “Yay, I’m starving.”

Lu Feng wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they headed to the dining room, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “You’ve worked hard taking care of the patient, baby, so here’s your reward.”

Lin Hui: “It’s not hard at all, I’m having fun with Jiang Nai.”

“Still needs a reward. Tonight, I’ll take you out for something good to eat.”

Lin Hui’s eyes sparkled with a smile. “I’ve already said I’m on a diet, why are you still tempting me to eat?”

Lu Feng: “You’re not fat at all, okay?”

The two chattered as they walked toward the kitchen, and Jiang Nai, watching their expressions, suddenly understood more clearly what Lin Hui meant by living for the moment. No matter what the future held, Lin Hui had truly chosen to live well in the present.

“Let’s eat, I’ll carry you over.” Li Qingji bent down toward her.

Jiang Nai: “You can just support me, I can hop over.”

“Hop? Aren’t you tired?” Li Qingji slid his arm around her legs and picked her up.

Jiang Nai, afraid of falling, quickly held onto his neck. “I’ve been sitting for so long today, haven’t exercised at all, I’m not tired.”

“If you want exercise, once you’re better, come with me to the gym.”

Jiang Nai: “…”

Forget I said anything.

After dinner, Lu Feng and Lin Hui left first, and the rest of the afternoon was spent with Li Qingji keeping her company at home. By the third day, Jiang Nai felt the swelling in her ankle had gone down, and the pain was gone. She could even walk slowly, so she decided to go to the office. Li Qingji was worried and insisted she stay home. Jiang Nai couldn’t argue with him, so she ended up working from home and told Yao Qi and the others to send her messages if anything came up.

On the fourth day, Jiang Nai got up on her own, ready to go to work. Li Qingji stood by the door of the wardrobe, watching her pick out clothes inside. His brows furrowed slightly. “Your leg seems to be healed, but has your body fully recovered?”

“I’ve slept so many days… everything’s back to normal,” she replied.

She pulled out a misty blue shirt and beige pants, then turned to look at him. “Aren’t you going out today?”

Li Qingji wasn’t supposed to leave so early, but seeing that she was determined to go out, he said, “I am.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Nai didn’t ask where he was going, quickly changed into her clothes, applied some simple makeup, and grabbed her bag with her laptop to head out.

However, as she was changing her shoes at the entrance, she noticed her bag had been picked up. She looked up to see Li Qingji walking over. “I’ll take you to the company.”

He didn’t give her a chance to refuse. After changing his shoes, he directly walked out. Jiang Nai had no choice but to quickly follow him.

The office building was busy with people coming and going in the morning. After their car stopped, Jiang Nai and Li Qingji took the elevator to the fifth floor. There were others in the elevator, but Li Qingji showed no signs of being reserved. He was holding her laptop bag—creamy white, with a cute little figurine hanging from it.

“Remember to eat breakfast,” Li Qingji said as they got off. He handed her the laptop bag.

Jiang Nai nodded. “I’ll drop off my bag at my desk and then head to the cafeteria.”

“Okay, then go ahead. I have to leave for Hengchuan soon, so I’ll go now.”

Jiang Nai nodded again, watching as Li Qingji pressed the elevator button and left.

Not far away, Yao Qi and Wang Wenbo, who had arrived a little earlier, had clearly seen the interaction. As soon as Jiang Nai sat down, Yao Qi spoke up, “Aha, you two have totally made up, huh?”

Jiang Nai was confused. “What?”

Yao Qi grinned. “You and the boss! You were both so cold to each other last time, but today… it’s all sweet and warm.”

Wang Wenbo added, “Jiang Nai, did the boss specifically bring you to work? Why did he leave right after you arrived?”

Jiang Nai didn’t want to directly admit it, so she cleared her throat and answered seriously, “He suddenly had something to do, that’s why he left.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah…” Jiang Nai cleared her throat again, “Have you had breakfast yet?”

“We’ve already eaten.”

“Okay, then I’m off to eat.” 

…

After taking three days off, Jiang Nai quickly got back into work mode. She didn’t fall behind on anything and was right back at it.

At 2:00 PM, Liu Nian came over to knock on her desk. “Director Chen Chuan has something to do tonight and has to go abroad. He probably won’t be back for a week, but he promised me that he would visit our company before he leaves. Jiang Nai, it’s a tight schedule, so prepare yourself.”

Siningte was preparing to shoot a new commercial, and since the post-production shooting and editing had to align with the planning, this part was being handled by their team. Earlier, Jiang Nai had shortlisted three filming teams, and although Liu Nian liked them all, she was unsure which one to choose. It was Jiang Nai who had strongly recommended Director Chen Chuan.

Although the director is young, the works he has produced have a great feel to them, and they suit their company’s style very well.

“I got it, I’ll refine the case immediately.”

“Alright, they won’t arrive until five.”

“Okay.”

Though they said five o’clock, they were indeed not late at all. Two people arrived—Chen Chuan and his assistant.

Jiang Nai went downstairs to meet them. When she saw the two men walk in, she approached them: “Director Chen, hello.”

Chen Chuan looked at her: “Hello.”

“I’m Jiang Nai from the Planning Department. Our General Manager Liu asked me to come down and meet you. Let’s go, we’ll head to the conference room upstairs.”

Chen Chuan nodded: “Alright, let’s hurry, I need to catch a flight later.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Jiang Nai led them to the meeting room on the fifth floor, where Liu Nian was already waiting. After the introductions, there was a bit of small talk, but it seemed the director wasn’t really into that. “General Manager Liu, how about we get started directly?”

Liu Nian paused for a moment, then smiled: “Alright, Jiang Nai, you can present.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nai stood up, connected her computer to the projector, and she vaguely sensed the director’s style—he liked things simple and straightforward, with no unnecessary chatter. So she didn’t hesitate and directly started talking about the theme and concept of their upcoming shoot.

After she finished, Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I haven’t filmed any home product ads before. Are you sure you want me?”

Jiang Nai replied, “I know you haven’t, but you’ve directed many technology-related public service films and ads. Our ad this time involves product personification and requires a lot of technology and futuristic elements, so I believe you’re perfect for it.”

Liu Nian added, “Yes, Jiang Nai strongly recommended you to me. After watching your work, I also feel that you’re the only director for this project.”

Chen Chuan was a bit surprised and looked at Jiang Nai.

“You recommended me? Have you really watched my work before?”

Jiang Nai smiled and said, “Of course.”

Her smile was sincere, and it made her words convincing. Then she immediately pulled up his portfolio from the computer, along with some of her thoughts on his work. No one would dislike being taken seriously.

Chen Chuan smiled and said, “Then I’ll take your materials with me and prepare a rough shooting outline. If you think it’s good, we can sign the contract.”

Jiang Nai looked happy and turned to Liu Nian. Liu Nian nodded slightly: “Okay.”

By six o’clock, it was already time to get off work. Li Qingji returned to Siningte and headed straight to the fifth floor. On the way, he sent Jiang Nai a message asking if she was off work yet, but she hadn’t replied. When he reached the fifth floor, he glanced over at her desk from afar. She wasn’t there, so he walked directly over.

Yao Qi and the others were packing up, getting ready to leave. When they saw Li Qingji, they were startled and quickly threw their bags back down.

“Boss…”

Li Qingji glanced at Jiang Nai’s desk. It was a bit messy, and her bag was placed next to it, but her computer wasn’t there.

“Where is she?”

Turns out, he was here to find his wife, not for an inspection.

Yao Qi let out a breath of relief: “She’s in the conference room with Liu Nian and the others, having a meeting.”

“When will it end?”

“Looking at the time, it should be soon.”

Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly saw a figure by the elevator. Yao Qi said, “They’re here, they’re over there.”

Li Qingji turned around and saw three people standing by the elevator, one of whom was Jiang Nai. Jiang Nai was there to see off Chen Chuan and his assistant. On their way down in the elevator, the two were chatting happily. They continued their conversation even as they walked into the lobby.

“…What I liked most was the promotional video you made in the first half of last year. The personification was done really well, it had such a cinematic feel to it.”

“That ad is also my favorite,” Chen Chuan said, quite pleased. After all, many clients often favored his more famous ads, and the one with a more public welfare focus didn’t attract much attention.

“Really? That’s great, it means our tastes are quite similar.”

Chen Chuan smiled slightly and asked, “Are you the main person in charge of product planning for your company?”

Jiang Nai replied, “That’s our General Manager Liu, but I am one of the participants.”

Chen Chuan nodded. “Then let’s add each other on WeChat.”

Jiang Nai paused for a moment, then replied, “I added your WeChat the last time I contacted you.”

“That was my work account. My assistant usually handles things on that one,” Chen Chuan explained. “Add my personal account, and next time if there’s anything, I’ll contact you directly.”

Jiang Nai smiled. “Alright.”

After adding each other on WeChat, Chen Chuan and his assistant walked out of the lobby and left the building. Jiang Nai put her phone away and was about to head back when she turned around and saw Li Qingji not far away. She had no idea when he had arrived or how long he had been there.

“Where did you pop up from…” Jiang Nai walked up to him, surprised.

“Is it strange that I popped up now?”

Jiang Nai responded, “Not strange… it’s just that I thought you were still at Hengchuan.”

“I came to pick you up after work.”

Jiang Nai froze for a moment. “I don’t need to be picked up… my leg’s fine now.”

Li Qingji didn’t respond to that, instead turning and heading toward the elevator. “I’m going upstairs to grab something, then we can go back.”

Jiang Nai said “oh” and jogged a few steps to catch up, taking the elevator with him.

The elevator quickly ascended, and Jiang Nai glanced at Li Qingji’s reflection in the elevator mirror. She had said she didn’t need to be picked up, but inside, she felt a small happiness at his arrival.

“Who was that just now?” Suddenly, he asked as he noticed her.

Jiang Nai answered, “He’s the director for the ad. We want to invite him to shoot for our next ad. He came to the company today for a meeting with us.”

Li Qingji asked, “Did you know him before?”

“No, I don’t know him.”

“From the way you were chatting so happily just now, I thought you knew him.”

Jiang Nai was a bit confused. “Did we really seem like we were chatting happily?”

Li Qingji glanced at her sideways. Jiang Nai felt a bit uneasy under his gaze. “But if we want to invite him to direct the ad, we do need to be a bit more enthusiastic, right…”

Li Qingji knew there was nothing wrong, but seeing that person suddenly want to add his personal WeChat had struck him the wrong way. Of course, he wouldn’t continue to bring it up, as he thought it would be odd to pursue it further.

Ding.

The elevator arrived, and Li Qingji walked out with her. “Let’s go get your bag, then I’ll take you to dinner.”

Jiang Nai asked, “With who?”

“Just us,” Li Qingji replied.

Jiang Nai’s face softened with a smile. “What are we eating?”

“Ming He Zhai? Or do you want something else?”

“Ming He Zhai, I want to eat that,” Jiang Nai said, her smile widening as her mood lifted at the thought of food. 

“Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”

With that, she jogged toward her desk.

Li Qingji frowned slightly. “Walk.”

Jiang Nai glanced back at him but didn’t listen. She kept jogging to her desk, packed her things, and then jogged back.

Li Qingji frowned even more, and when she reached him, he pulled her to his side. “Be careful with your foot. No more running.”

Jiang Nai said, “I’m in a hurry.”

“What are you in a hurry for? Am I running?”

Jiang Nai laughed. “It’s not that I’m in a hurry for you to run. I’m hungry and ready to eat!”

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