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Chapter 62: Boba

The next day, Li Qingji left for Hengchuan around ten in the morning for a board meeting. After the meeting, he returned to his office. Just as he sat down, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

It was He Shujing, holding a few project files for him to sign. After reviewing the documents, Li Qingji took a pen from the side, turned to the last page, and signed his name. He Shujing, who had been waiting by the side, noticed that Li Qingji was wearing a ring on his left hand’s ring finger. He had never worn such things before.

She paused for a moment, then, as he handed back the signed documents, commented, “The ring looks nice.”

Li Qingji gave a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. “Mm.”

He Shujing glanced at him and said, “You and Jiang Nai, you’re not as the gossip says, are you?”

“The gossip outside isn’t worth taking seriously.”

He Shujing raised an eyebrow slightly. “Got it. Should I head out now?”

“Sure.”

He Shujing turned to leave, her soft smile fading as she opened the door. She walked toward her department but was stopped along the way by someone.

“Shujing, did you go to find Li Qingji?” Li Zhixun was waiting for her here.

He Shu Jing: “Signing a few documents.”

“Oh.” Li Zhixun stood beside her. “Did you see? He was wearing a ring.”

He Shujing glanced at him, somewhat speechless. “You really care about him.”

Li Zhixun: “We had a meeting together today. How could I not notice?”

He Shujing: “He’s married. What’s so surprising about wearing a wedding ring?”

“Surprising? Of course it’s surprising. He changed completely for a woman,” Li Zhixun moved closer to her, lowering his voice. “He’s so invested in Jiang Nai. Don’t you think you should give up?”

He Shu Jing’s face was expressionless. “Give up on what?”

Li Zhixun: “He has someone by his side now. Maybe you should take a look at me.”

He Shujing turned her head to look at him and suddenly smiled. “Mr. Li, don’t you also need someone by your side? What do you mean by that?”

Li Zhixun: “The people around me don’t matter.”

He Shujing: “Really? If they don’t matter, does that mean Mr. Li could not marry her and marry me instead?”

Li Zhixun’s expression froze for a moment, but quickly responded, “Even if I married her, I wouldn’t feel anything for her. The only one I care about is you.”

He Shujing’s gaze turned cold, but she still smiled. “Do you like me that much?”

Li Zhixun: “I’ve been chasing you for so long, don’t you know?”

He Shujing seemed to think for a moment. “I guess so.”

Li Zhixun: “So, give up on Li Qingji and be with me.”

—

It was noon, and Li Qingji had finished all the tasks on his desk. He took out his phone and sent a message to Jiang Nai.

[Have you eaten?]

Jiang Nai replied a few minutes later: [Not yet.]

Li Qingji: [Didn’t you finish work?]

Jiang Nai: [I just finished a meeting, still need to organize some data.]

Li Qingji: [Eat first, don’t go hungry.]

Jiang Nai: [I’m not too hungry, I need to finish this data by the afternoon. What about you? Have you eaten?]

Li Qingji sent her a photo of a corner of his desk: [Not yet.]

Jiang Nai: [Then go ahead, I’ll eat later.]

The messages stopped. Li Qingji sat in his office chair for a while, gently turning his ring with his right hand’s index finger and thumb.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door. Chen Min walked in. “Boss, shall we prepare lunch?”

“Mm.”

Chen Min nodded and was about to leave when Li Qingji suddenly called out to her. “Wait, never mind.”

Chen Min turned back in confusion.

Li Qingji stood up. “Go to Siningte instead.”

Chen Min froze for a moment, originally wanting to ask if something was wrong, but then remembered Jiang Nai, so she didn’t ask. She followed him out. Jiang Nai sat at her desk, organizing data. Half an hour later, she finally finished. She stretched, stood up, and went to the cafeteria.

Today, she was craving something spicy, so she ordered two Sichuan dishes. To cool down the heat, she also got a cold milk tea from the nearby window. After placing her order, she found a seat. Just then, her phone clearly received a message.

[Where are you?]

Jiang Nai unlocked her phone and sent Li Qingji a picture of the food she was having today. [Reporting, boss, I’m already eating.]

After sending the message, Li Qingji didn’t reply. Jiang Nai didn’t mind, picking up her chopsticks and continuing to eat. But after a few minutes, the chair across from her was pulled out, and a tray of food was placed down. Jiang Nai looked up in surprise, only to see Li Qingji calmly sitting across from her. Not far away, Chen Min had thoughtfully seated herself at a few tables away, not interrupting them.

“You came?” Jiang Nai asked.

Li Qingji replied, “Came to eat.”

Jiang Nai said, “Aren’t you at Hengchuan? Why suddenly…”

“Not welcome?” Li Qingji asked with a smile playing at the corner of his mouth as he picked up his chopsticks.

Jiang Nai looked at him, her eyes curving into a smile. “This is your company, Boss. Does it matter whether I’m welcoming or not?”

Li Qingji: “It matters.”

Jiang Nai smiled more widely and said, “Well then, sit down, I’ll begrudgingly welcome you.”

Li Qingji smiled faintly and didn’t start eating immediately. Instead, he looked at the dishes she ordered and the milk tea in front of her.

“You’re only having two dishes?” he asked.

“That’s enough, I can’t eat too much,” she replied.

“Can’t eat too much because you want to save room for that milk tea, right?” Li Qingji commented. “Such a child’s taste.”

Jiang Nai felt a little embarrassed. “What child? It’s really good, okay?”

Li Qingji looked at her disapprovingly.

Jiang Nai picked up the straw, inserted it into the drink, and offered it to him. “Don’t believe me? Try it, the strawberry jelly here is super delicious.”

Li Qingji: “No thanks.”

“Just one sip, it’s really good.”

Li Qingji: “I’m fine.”

“Come on, just one sip, try it…” 

Her voice unconsciously had a bit of a coquettish tone, something she didn’t even realize. Li Qingji gave her a long look, his heart softening involuntarily. Despite his clear reluctance, he still took the cup from her. He took a sip. The strawberry flavor was strong, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as sweet as he’d expected.

Jiang Nai said, “I ordered it with less sugar, so it’s not too sweet.”

Li Qingji nodded. “It’s okay.”

“It’s actually really good,” Jiang Nai said. “You should take a couple more sips. You didn’t even get to the jelly and the popping boba at the bottom.”

Hearing her suggestion, Li Qingji lowered his head and continued drinking.

“Boss?” Just then, Chen Feng, the director of the R&D department, and a few subordinates walked by. At first, they thought they had seen wrongly, but upon closer inspection, it really was Li Qingji.

Chen Feng walked over, his gaze briefly lingering on the pink milk tea in Li Qingji’s hand. He smiled and said, “I see you’re having lunch here today.”

Li Qingji replied, “Mm.”

Chen Feng looked towards Jiang Nai and greeted her.

Jiang Nai responded, “Hello, Mr. Chen.”

Chen Feng smiled, “Alright, then you guys continue eating, I’ll go over there to eat. I won’t disturb you.”

Jiang Nai replied, “Please enjoy your meal.”

Chen Feng glanced at the item in Li Qingji’s hand, “Alright then.”

Chen Feng left, and Li Qingji silently put down his milk tea. Jiang Nai gave a light smile and lowered her head to eat. Not far away, Chen Feng, in front of several subordinates, secretly took a photo in the direction of Li Qingji and sent it to several high-level group chats.

[Hey everyone, I haven’t been to the main building in a long time. Has the boss become this cute? :)]

Supervisors: [?]

Chen Feng: [I just saw our colleague holding a pink strawberry milk tea, totally adorable]

Financial Director: [Chen Feng, you’re so daring, taking photos]

Admin Director: [Clearly, Jiang Nai bought that milk tea]

Chen Feng: [It’s so sweet and unusual]

Financial Director: [After being scolded a few more times in meetings, you won’t think it’s cute or unusual anymore]

Admin Director: [Oh my, not talking about work, just shipping the CP, the boss is still sweet]

Chen Feng: [Haha]

Liu Nian: [Everyone, stop acting so surprised]

Chen Feng: [The boss’s wife is in your department, you’re used to it. We in the R&D department wish we were on the fifth floor!]

Admin Director: [Too bad we’re not on the fifth floor]

Financial Director: [Too bad we’re not on the fifth floor]

Liu Nian: […]

—

A few days later, on a Saturday, Jiang Nai woke up late, her stomach growling with hunger. She sleepily walked out of the bedroom.

“Li Qingji?”

There was no one in the study or on the sofa. Jiang Nai yawned and headed towards the dining room, where Li Qingji was indeed sitting.

Jiang Nai approached him from behind and asked, “What are you making?”

“Scrambled eggs, there’s porridge in the pot too.”

The eggs in the pot were especially tender. Jiang Nai said, “I’m so hungry…”

Li Qingji replied, “Mm, almost done.”

Jiang Nai obediently waited, then casually asked, “Are you going out today?”

“I have a charity gala in the evening.”

“Oh.”

She looked a bit bored. Li Qingji asked, “Would you like to come with me?”

Jiang Nai, still tired and yawning, replied, “Can I not come?”

Li Qingji thought for a moment and said, “Everyone else has a partner. If you don’t come with me, I’ll be alone.”

“You won’t be alone, someone will definitely accompany you.”

Li Qingji turned off the stove and raised his left hand, his wedding ring on the ring finger glinting slightly. “I’m married.”

Jiang Nai chuckled softly.

Li Qingji said, “I made breakfast for you. Come with me.”

Jiang Nai replied, “Let me think about it. If I like the food, I’ll go with you.”

Li Qingji: “You’re impressive.”

Jiang Nai snorted lightly. “Of course.”

The breakfast tasted decent, and Jiang Nai “reluctantly” agreed to accompany him to the gala that evening.

In the afternoon, Chen Min arrived with two staff members, bringing several sets of evening dresses, asking which one she preferred. Jiang Nai didn’t want a dress with a long train because it would be hard to walk in, nor did she want anything too sparkly and flashy, so she chose a black dress from the selection.

Soon, the makeup artist and stylist arrived. While Jiang Nai played on her phone, they worked on her hair and makeup. The gala officially started at 6 PM, but by 5 PM, her makeup and hair were done. The two staff members accompanied her to the dressing room to help her get dressed.

Jiang Nai, feeling a bit embarrassed to be undressed in front of others, told them she could manage on her own. The staff nodded and left the room. Jiang Nai was alone in the dressing room. She put on breast tape and carefully pulled the dress up.

She guessed the dress was a haute couture piece, likely extremely expensive, so she was especially cautious while putting it on. The dress was strapless and form-fitting. Once she had it on, she realized she couldn’t manage to zip up the back by herself, so she planned to call someone for help. Just as she turned around, she saw Li Qingji walking in.

His gaze briefly paused on her, and his eyes deepened.

“What’s wrong?” After a moment, he spoke.

Jiang Nai: “I can’t zip it up… can you help me?”

Li Qingji responded with a hum and stepped behind her.

Jiang Nai, facing a full-length mirror, could clearly see him standing behind her, slightly lowering his head to zip up the dress. His movements were slow, and the zipper was probably difficult to pull up. As he worked his way up, she could feel his fingers brushing lightly against her back, leaving a trail of warmth.

Jiang Nai’s back couldn’t handle the subtle touches, and her ears turned red.

“Is it done yet…”

“Done.”

The zipper was nearly invisible once closed, and after it was done, the fabric flowed smoothly, outlining her waist, hips, and continuing down her legs. Li Qingji lifted his gaze to the mirror, holding her close from behind.

Jiang Nai, feeling a bit shy under his gaze, spoke up: “They’re all waiting outside. We should go out first.”

Normally, Jiang Nai’s style was simple and clean, and her appearance matched—elegant and neat. But tonight, she looked stunningly glamorous in the black dress, red lips, and flowing hair, a beauty beyond compare. Li Qingji slightly turned his head, unable to resist the urge to kiss her. But Jiang Nai quickly raised her hand to cover his lips.

“I spent so long on my makeup, you can’t kiss me!”

Li Qingji raised an eyebrow, suppressing his desire. “So strict.”

“If you kiss me, my makeup will come off… we’ll be late!”

“Even if we’re late, we don’t need to be on time.”

Jiang Nai quickly pushed him away, softly protesting, “No.”

Even if they weren’t on time, there were still so many people outside. She didn’t want anyone to notice anything unusual!

Li Qingji held her hand, and after she strongly protested, he had no choice but to say, “Alright, I won’t touch you.”

Jiang Nai breathed a sigh of relief, lowered her head, and started looking for her shoes. “Sister Chen Min just brought me the heels…”

Li Qingji looked around and spotted them in the corner. “Those?”

“Mm.”

He walked over, bent down, and picked them up. “Do you want to wear them now?”

“Yes.”

Li Qingji knelt down on one knee, placed the shoes in front of her, and signaled for her to lift her foot. Jiang Nai was caught off guard when he suddenly squatted down to help her put on the shoes. She paused for a moment before raising her left foot. Li Qingji carefully took off her slippers, holding her ankle, and slipped her foot into the high heels.

Jiang Nai watched his careful movements and felt a blooming sensation in her heart, as if a small figure was dancing in circles on the petals, bouncing with each step, making her heart thrum with a buzzing sound.

“What are you laughing at?” Li Qingji asked.

Jiang Nai didn’t even realize she had laughed out loud. She quickly tried to compose herself. “Nothing… I just feel like, I’m a queen now.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Li Qingji looked up at her. His hand still rested on her ankle, his gaze intense and deep, carrying an inexplicable desire… and something even more aggressive.

Jiang Nai felt her heart tremble under his stare. It felt as if the one under the queen’s skirts wasn’t a subject, but a king with ambition, ready to strangle anyone by the throat with his restraint.

Jiang Nai swallowed, “There’s still one more…”

Li Qingji’s expression softened, and he smiled faintly, “It’s quite similar.”

He lowered his head again to help her put on the other shoe.

Jiang Nai suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. After they were on, she wanted to leave. “I’ll go outside.”

“Wait a minute.”

Li Qingji suddenly embraced her waist, pulling her into his arms. He whispered, “You haven’t told me whether you were satisfied with the service, Your Majesty?”

The side of her face, where she felt his breath, seemed to heat up. Jiang Nai slightly turned her head. “…I’m satisfied.”

“Good.” Li Qingji leisurely pushed her hair back, “Then when we return tonight, Your Majesty, remember to reward me.”

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