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Chapter 61: The Ring

Ming He Zhai is located in a lane on Zhenyun Road, about half an hour from their company.

After Jiang Nai packed up, she drove with Li Qingji to the restaurant. They parked the car and entered through the white wooden fence. Inside was a white villa, surrounded by flowers and a lush green lawn, all beautifully arranged. This restaurant requires reservations, and they are hard to get. Last time, when they were working overtime at the company, Li Qingji ordered from here.

They don’t do delivery… she still didn’t know how he managed to get them to make an exception that time. Once they entered, the waiter led them to a table by the window.

“Here is the menu for today, sir. Please take a look, and let me know if you need anything.”

Li Qingji took the menu and handed it to Jiang Nai. “Order what you want.”

Jiang Nai didn’t hesitate and ordered crab stuffed with orange, lime sea salt beef, and plum sauce ribs.

“Alright, you’re done. Now, let me order,” Li Qingji said as he took the menu back and added two more dishes and a dessert.

Since he couldn’t drink because he was driving, he ordered a fruit juice for her and a soda water for himself. After ordering, the waiter took the menu away. Jiang Nai, feeling very hungry, rested her chin on her hand and looked forward eagerly.

Ding— 

Her phone buzzed with a new message. She picked it up and saw it was from Director Chen Chuan, with an image attached.

[This is a concept image my team made earlier. Does it resemble the ad effect you were looking for today?]

Jiang Nai looked at the image with some surprise. It had a strong sense of technology, very high-end.

Jiang Nai replied to him: [It really does have that feeling.]

Chen Chuan: [Good, then I have an idea of what kind of effect you’re aiming for.]

Jiang Nai: [Thank you, Director. I appreciate it.]

Chen Chuan: [No problem. I’m about to head to the airport, see you later.]

Jiang Nai: [See you.]

Li Qingji watched her reply with a smile, then casually asked, “Who are you chatting with?”

“The director from earlier.”

Li Qingji paused for a moment. “What are you talking about?”

“He just sent me a concept image, and I think it’s pretty good. Take a look.” Jiang Nai handed her phone to him.

Li Qingji opened the image and glanced at it. After looking at it, he minimized the image, and his gaze inadvertently landed on their chat. He said lightly, “He still messages you even though he’s heading to the airport.”

Jiang Nai blinked, sensing that his focus was a bit off. 

“He’s still working on the image even when he’s about to head to the airport. That shows his dedication.”

“Dedication,” he repeated, and the way he said it made it sound a little odd, almost sarcastic.

Jiang Nai stared at him, and connecting his previous words at the office, she suddenly realized something. “You’re upset, aren’t you?”

Li Qingji handed her phone back to her. “I’m not.”

Jiang Nai wasn’t fully convinced, her eyes shining brightly as she kept looking at him.

Li Qingji calmly took a sip of his drink. “What are you staring at?”

“Nothing.”

“…” 

At this moment, a group of customers entered the restaurant and happened to pass by their table.

“Mr. Li?”

One of the men recognized him and greeted Li Qingji. Jiang Nai followed Li Qingji’s gaze and saw two women and one man, all of them quite young.

Li Qingji nodded slightly at the man. “Mr. Lin, what a coincidence.”

“Yeah, what a coincidence. We haven’t seen each other in a long time,” the man said.

Li Qingji replied, “Indeed.”

“I’ve been abroad for the last two years, just came back recently,” the man said, then looked at Jiang Nai, and then back at Li Qingji. “Oh, by the way, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend. And this is my sister, Lin Qianqian. Qianqian, say hello.”

Lin Qianqian naturally recognized Li Qingji. She had encountered him at many events and heard a lot about him from her friends. Recently, what everyone was talking about the most was his marriage… they heard that he and his wife were getting divorced.

Lin Qianqian had never met Jiang Nai before, but now seeing her sitting there, she quickly assumed that Li Qingji had been “caught” by someone.

She stepped forward and said, “Mr. Li, I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Lin Qianqian.”

Li Qingji nodded and simply said, “Hello,” before falling silent again.

His older brother responded quickly, “My sister has been working with me at the company recently, and she’ll be staying in our industry. Hey, you two probably don’t know each other yet, how about we add each other on WeChat? Qianqian, you can learn more from Mr. Li in the future.”

Jiang Nai rested one hand on her face, looking at her friend beside her. *Our industry?* Which industry? Li Qingji’s involvement spans too many fields.

It seemed like the only point was to exchange WeChat contacts. She looked at Li Qingji with interest to see his reaction, but unexpectedly, he looked back at her.

“I forgot to introduce,” he said. “This is my wife, Jiang Nai. Jiang Nai, this is Lin Fan, a classmate of mine from school.”

The brother and sister beside them froze and immediately looked at Jiang Nai. Wasn’t it said that Miss Jiang had severed ties with the Jiang family, and was about to divorce Li Qingji? How come she was still here with him?

Eating alone in a place like this didn’t seem like a divorce; it looked more like a date…

Lin Fan’s face grew a little awkward. “Ah… I see, I see. I heard you got married before.”

Li Qingji: “Mm.”

“Alright, we won’t disturb you two. We’re seated further inside, we’ll head over first.”

Li Qingji: “Please, go ahead.”

The three quickly left, no longer mentioning the WeChat exchange.

Jiang Nai couldn’t help but smile. “Why didn’t you add WeChat just now?”

Li Qingji raised an eyebrow. “You want me to add them?”

“I can’t control whether you add people or not.”

“You’re my wife, what do you think?”

“But they didn’t seem to think I was your wife at first,” Jiang Nai said. “Do you often have women asking for your WeChat outside?”

Li Qingji: “Not often.”

Jiang Nai: “…I don’t believe that.”

Li Qingji smiled. “As a married man, not that many people come after me.”

Jiang Nai casually replied, “But you don’t exactly look married, do you?”

What she meant was, he was handsome and young, with the kind of look that attracted attention. Given the recent rumors, many people would likely pursue him. But Li Qingji understood it differently.

He didn’t look married, and neither did she—otherwise, no one would be trying to ask her for a personal WeChat.

“Then let’s make it look like we’re married.”

Jiang Nai was confused. “What do you mean?”

Li Qingji’s gaze suddenly dropped to her finger. Her finger was delicate and white as a fresh scallion, beautiful… but it was missing something.

“Let’s buy matching wedding rings,” Li Qingji said suddenly.

Jiang Nai froze.

Li Qingji continued, “We’ve never worn rings since we got our marriage certificate.”

Wedding rings were a symbol for married people. Worn on the ring finger, they served as a public token, signifying that one’s heart belonged to someone else. But when they first got their certificate, they had no such feelings. Neither of them cared for each other, so they didn’t bother with such formalities.

But now… clearly, it was different.

With love came possessiveness.

Li Qingji said, “With rings, do I look a little more married now?”

Jiang Nai felt a sweet sensation in her heart as she heard him, “It seems like it, yeah…”

“Mm, then after we finish eating, let’s go try them on.”

Jiang Nai froze for a moment, then looked at him. “After dinner? Are you in such a hurry?”

“No rush, but how long have we been married now?”

Soon, the dishes were served, and after finishing their meal, Li Qingji really did drive her to the mall. There was a row of luxury stores, and the sudden turn of events left Jiang Nai unsure of what to choose.

Li Qingji asked, “Do you see any style you like?”

Jiang Nai replied, “I’ve never really paid attention to rings…”

Li Qingji had never given them much thought either. After a moment of consideration, he said, “Then pick a brand you like.”

“…Alright.”

After looking around, Jiang Nai led him into a store she particularly liked. When they mentioned they wanted to buy matching wedding bands, the staff greeted them warmly and brought out several styles of rings for them to try. Li Qingji didn’t have any specific preferences, as long as it was a couple’s style.

So the staff mainly focused on serving Jiang Nai: “How about this one? It has six diamonds on the smooth band, very dazzling, and perfect for a wedding ring. Would you like to try it?”

Jiang Nai stretched out her hand.

The staff helped put it on. “Miss, your fingers are so white, anything would look great on you.”

Under the staff’s enthusiastic recommendations, Jiang Nai tried on a few rings. In the end, she found it hard to decide and turned to Li Qingji. “Which one looks better?”

Li Qingji sat to the side, thinking for a moment, then said, “Your fingers are slender. These bands are too wide and look heavy on your hand. This one with all the diamonds looks nice.”

When the staff heard this, she couldn’t help but smile. Originally, she hadn’t expected the customer to choose the diamond-heavy design because of its high price, so she only brought it out for the sake of trying, without much recommendation. But now, the man himself had asked for it.

Jiang Nai hesitated, “This one… might be a bit too flashy, don’t you think?”

Also, when she saw the price, she thought for just a wedding band, it seemed unnecessary to buy something so expensive.

Li Qingji said, “If it’s not flashy, how would others know you’re married?”

Jiang Nai: “…”

Li Qingji cleared his throat and added, “What I mean is, this one is thinner, it would look better on you.”

The staff quickly agreed, “Yes, exactly. This one fits your style better. We actually have your size in stock, but the other ones would require a wait.”

Li Qingji asked, “What do you think? Is it okay?”

Jiang Nai hesitated a little, “It’s pretty, I guess…”

“If you think it looks good, then that’s all that matters. Let’s go with this one.” Li Qingji looked at the staff, “Please bring me the men’s version of this, something that will match hers.”

“Certainly, sir, please wait a moment!”

“Thank you.”

The finger that had never worn a ring suddenly had a sparkling band, encircling the ring finger and, in doing so, capturing her heart as well. After returning home, Jiang Nai finished her evening routine and sat on the sofa. Seizing the moment while Li Qingji wasn’t around, she stretched out her hand in front of her and stared at the ring.

This ring is so beautiful…

How could it be this beautiful?

As she gazed at it, lost in admiration, she suddenly heard a sound coming from the bedroom. Jiang Nai quickly lowered her hand and pretended nothing had happened, focusing on the TV screen. Li Qingji came out after changing into new clothes and sat next to her, carrying with him a faint scent of shower gel.

Jiang Nai’s gaze, which had been fixed on the TV screen, shifted towards him. She saw him reach for the glass cup on the coffee table, and on his finger, the rose gold band gleamed brilliantly. Her heart involuntarily fluttered. Suddenly, she felt something different about their marriage. It wasn’t the same feeling of insecurity, the kind that could easily snap. Instead, it was a fluttering, a joy, and a tangible sense of actually being a married couple.

Unable to help herself, she kept looking at his finger. After a while, Li Qingji noticed, set down the cup, and glanced at her. Caught in the act, Jiang Nai awkwardly turned her gaze away. But in the next moment, he gently cupped her face and turned it back towards him. He looked down at the ring on her finger and gently held her hand.

After a moment, he lowered his head and placed a kiss on her hand.

Jiang Nai remained silent, feeling like a small current was running through her body, starting from her hand and rushing to every corner of her being.

“It is quite beautiful,” he said.

Jiang Nai responded, “Mm… it’s okay.”

Li Qingji smiled faintly. “If it’s just okay, why have you been staring at it?”

“I haven’t been staring the whole time.”

She was a little embarrassed and tried to pull her hand back, but Li Qingji held onto it tightly and kissed it again. Jiang Nai fell quiet. Li Qingji didn’t say anything else. His lips, softly brushing against her arm, continued trailing up to her shoulder. Eventually, he looked up at her from very close, his eyes still calm and cold, yet they made her heart tighten.

Jiang Nai’s breath slowed as she watched his lips gently move closer and finally press against hers.

“Now that your leg is better, can we?” he asked.

Jiang Nai paused, her gaze lowering slightly, but she didn’t object.

It had been a long time since they’d been intimate, and in recent days, they’d been especially restrained. Li Qingji felt the spark flare up inside him easily. He immediately pulled her into his arms, supporting her back and kissing her deeply, their lips tangling together, moving rhythmically and passionately.

He was intense from the start, with no hesitation.

But Jiang Nai responded actively, without any rhythm or pattern. She wrapped her arms around his neck and followed his lead, pushing and intertwining with him. In the air-conditioned room, which felt cold, the heat between them quickly melted them together.

“Did I buy it too late?” Li Qingji whispered in her ear, his voice thick with desire.

Jiang Nai tilted her head slightly, shaking it, and let out a soft moan when he nipped at her ear.

“Looks like you bought it too late…”

He hadn’t expected her to like it so much.

But Jiang Nai shook her head. “I never thought about it before. If you’d bought it from the beginning, I might…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but Li Qingji understood her meaning. In fact, for him, the meaning of the ring had changed completely, whether it appeared at the beginning or now.

Li Qingji: “Will you wear it every day?”

“You mean…?”

“I will,” Li Qingji said, pinching her waist and lifting her up, “What about you?”

He lifted her slightly and then lowered her back down.

Jiang Nai tensed up, feeling immense pressure, her forehead resting against his shoulder. “I’m not sure…”

Li Qingji narrowed his eyes. “Not sure?”

Jiang Nai had a slender waist, and sometimes he was hesitant to apply too much pressure. But there were moments when he couldn’t control himself, and his grip would leave marks on her.  At that moment, he deliberately let go a little, veins showing faintly on his neck as his blood pulsed to the rhythm of his movements.

Jiang Nai gasped sharply, quickly changing her words: “I will… I’ll wear it every day.”

She clung tightly to him, trying to adjust, and after a long time, she let out a soft hum. “But if you don’t like it anymore, I won’t wear it.”

If you don’t like it anymore.

Is it about not liking the ring, or not liking her?

It was clear at once.

Li Qingji’s heart tightened slightly. He lifted her up with one swift motion and carried her towards the bedroom. “Jiang Nai, as long as you don’t stop liking it, that’s all that matters.”

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