Chapter 74: Extra 08

After the two walked a distance, they held hands. The setting sun painted a beautiful scene, and their colleagues were instantly overwhelmed by how sweet it was.

“So much for ‘not romantic,’ huh? Flying over just to see her after not seeing her for a while?!”

Single colleague: “Grateful. This reignites my desire for love.”

“Her husband is so handsome, damn. Is he a model? So tall.”

“Wait, wait… it’s really him!” Suddenly, a colleague holding her phone exclaimed.

“What is?”

“I just thought the name Li Qingji sounded familiar. I looked it up, and the big boss of Hengchuan Group is named Li Qingji.”

“Really? A coincidence?”

“Judging by that guy’s demeanor earlier, I don’t think it’s a coincidence…”

At this time, there were quite a few people strolling and playing by the beach.

Jiang Nai held Li Qingji’s hand, swinging it slightly, her heart bubbling with sweetness.

“We were just talking about you during dinner today. I didn’t expect you to show up.”

Li Qingji: “Me? What did they say?”

Jiang Nai: “My colleague said that men are completely different before and after marriage. As romantic as they are before marriage, they become the opposite after. Then they asked me if you’ve changed before and after marriage.”

Li Qingji, intrigued: “What did you say?”

“I didn’t say much because I didn’t know you well before marriage. I just thought you were scary.”

“How scary?”

Jiang Nai: “Well… you didn’t talk much, and when you did, it was always cold. Also, even when you were polite, you seemed distant.”

Li Qingji didn’t deny that he gave off that impression, so he simply asked, “So, do you think I’ve changed after marriage?”

Jiang Nai thought for a moment and smiled. “Actually, now that I think about it, you have changed. You’re not cold anymore, and I don’t find you scary. Also… you seem to have a bit of a romantic side, like now, suddenly coming to see me.”

A hint of amusement appeared in Li Qingji’s eyes. “That counts as romantic?”

“It does. Anything that makes me happy is romantic.”

The two strolled along the beach for a while and returned to the hotel just before the sun completely set.

Jiang Nai’s swimsuit was still on the couch. When she saw it, she remembered how she had worn it last night, indulging herself in front of the mirror… and indulging him too.

Her face flushed, and she quickly stuffed the swimsuit to the side.

“Hiding something?” She turned around to see Li Qingji looking at her with a meaningful gaze.

Jiang Nai immediately shook her head. “No… I just suddenly remembered that I promised my colleague I’d go to the rooftop pool with her tonight to take photos. I wonder if she’s already gone.”

Li Qingji: “The infinity pool you mentioned?”

“Yeah, it’s really beautiful. I haven’t seen it yet.”

Jiang Nai felt a bit regretful. Tonight was free, and she could have gone to enjoy it. She wasn’t sure if she’d have the energy to go up in the next few days.

Li Qingji noticed and said, “It’s still early. I can take you there now.”

Jiang Nai’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Li Qingji: “Mhm. Go change into your swimsuit.”

“But if you’re coming with me, you’ll need to get in the water too. What about swim trunks?”

“You change first. I’ll go buy some.”

“Okay!”

The hotel had a store, and Li Qingji quickly went to buy swim trunks.

By the time he returned, Jiang Nai had already changed into her swimsuit and a robe. He quickly changed as well, and the two headed to the rooftop.

As soon as Jiang Nai reached the rooftop, she knew her colleague wasn’t exaggerating. The infinity pool at this hotel had a much better atmosphere than many others. Beyond the water’s surface was the endless horizon of the sea.

The lights were bright at night, but looking out, the view was vast and expansive, a spectacular kind of beauty.

“It’s so beautiful.” Jiang Nai took out her phone and snapped a few photos to commemorate the moment.

Li Qingji waited beside her. Once she was done, he reminded her to take off her robe and get ready to enter the water.

He stepped into the pool first, standing in the water to help her down.

“I’ll help you in.”

“Okay.”

People who can’t swim naturally fear water. Jiang Nai didn’t go straight in but sat on the edge of the pool to test the water.

Li Qingji stood in front of her, waiting, and took the opportunity to admire his wife.

He had already seen her swimsuit clearly through the camera last night, but seeing it in person now was still impactful.

He suddenly felt like they should have done something in the room earlier…

Li Qingji’s eyes darkened slightly, but he quickly dismissed the thought, focusing on accompanying her. “Don’t worry, you won’t fall. Hold my hand.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nai held his arm and stepped into the water. The weather was hot and humid, and the water felt refreshing. She quickly adjusted.

Jiang Nai carefully waded forward. “Let’s go to the edge!”

“Okay.”

The two slowly made their way to the edge of the pool. Jiang Nai stretched her hand out, feeling incredibly happy. “It’s so comfortable here.”

Li Qingji gently held her. “It is quite nice.”

Jiang Nai leaned on the edge, turning to look at him. “So, how about treating this trip as a two-day vacation? I have to work tomorrow and won’t be able to keep you company, but you can relax up here during the day.”

Li Qingji leaned in and kissed her lips. “Sounds good.”

Jiang Nai smiled, unlocking her phone, which she had been holding up. “Oh, let’s take a photo here.”

“Sure.”

Jiang Nai switched her phone to selfie mode and took a picture of the two of them.

Li Qingji watched indulgently and said, “Let’s take another one.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nai found the right angle. “I’ll count down, so get ready. Three, two…”

Before she could say “one,” Li Qingji reached over, gently cupped her face, turned her toward him, and kissed her.

Jiang Nai’s hand trembled slightly, but she still managed to press the shutter button.

It was a brief, tender kiss.

Li Qingji let her go and glanced at the phone screen. “Not bad. Send it to me later.”

“Why do you want me to send it to you?”

Li Qingji: “So I can look at it when I’m on business trips in the future.”

Jiang Nai couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so cheesy—”

Li Qingji pulled her closer. “Already tired of it? Want to try something even cheesier?”

“Ah! Hahaha, be careful! I can’t stand steady… Li Qingji!”

“If you can’t stand steady, just hold onto me.”

Jiang Nai: “No! Don’t pull me… Are you doing this on purpose?!”

“Yep, I am.”

The two playfully messed around at the edge of the pool. Jiang Nai, being a non-swimmer, was no match for him in the water. She was both annoyed and amused, eventually resorting to kicking him.

During their playful tussle, she suddenly noticed two familiar figures on the shore.

She froze and immediately stopped fooling around with Li Qingji. “Let go, let go. My colleagues are here.”

Li Qingji also looked over.

The two colleagues had been standing on the shore for a while, holding a giant flamingo float. Seeing that the couple had noticed them, they waved with a smile.

“Hi, what a coincidence.”

Jiang Nai blinked. “Yeah, what a coincidence…”

Her colleague grinned. “Sorry to interrupt. Oh, by the way, Nai Nai, we’ve got the flamingo. Do you want to try it?”

Jiang Nai looked at Li Qingji, who said, “Go ahead and play. Give me your phone. I’ll take some photos for you.”

Jiang Nai was genuinely interested in the flamingo float and handed her phone to Li Qingji.

“Are you sure you won’t fall?” Li Qingji asked before getting out of the pool.

Jiang Nai: “I’m used to it now. At this depth, I won’t fall.”

“Okay, be careful.”

The two colleagues got into the water, and Jiang Nai eagerly joined them to play. Li Qingji, meanwhile, got out of the pool and sat on a lounge chair by the edge, his gaze following her.

“You two are so sweet! Sneaking kisses by the edge earlier! Too bad my hands weren’t fast enough to capture it!”

Jiang Nai: “You’ve been here for a while, huh…”

“Yep, been enjoying the dog food feast. It’s been great.”

Jiang Nai felt a bit embarrassed. “Ahem, how do I get on this thing?”

“Changing the subject, are we?”

Jiang Nai lightly pushed her. “Come on, hurry up.”

The two colleagues laughed and said, “Go to the shore first. I’ll help you get on.”

The three girls, although Jiang Nai held a higher position at work, were around the same age and got along well outside of work.

After climbing onto the flamingo float, Jiang Nai was beyond excited and even waved at Li Qingji on the shore.

Li Qingji picked up her phone and started taking photos of her. Jiang Nai smiled brightly at the camera, fully cooperating.

After taking several shots, Li Qingji lowered his head to carefully review the photos, making sure they were all good. Then, he took out his own phone and transferred all the pictures of Jiang Nai to his personal album.

When he said he wanted to keep them for later, he meant it.

However, during the brief moment he was distracted by transferring the photos, he heard two startled gasps followed by a splash.

Li Qingji looked up and saw that the flamingo float was now empty. He immediately put down his phone and got into the water.

The pool wasn’t deep, only reaching chest height, but Jiang Nai, who had accidentally fallen in, couldn’t steady herself. She struggled to get up, choking on a few mouthfuls of water.

Fortunately, her colleague nearby quickly grabbed her.

Jiang Nai’s head emerged from the water, and after coughing a few times, someone stood behind her, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath.

“Are you okay?” Li Qingji asked, frowning.

Jiang Nai shook her head. “I’m fine, really. I just slipped.”

Li Qingji glanced at her two colleagues and said, “I’ll take her to the shore to rest for a bit.”

Colleagues: “Sure, sure.”

Li Qingji helped Jiang Nai out of the pool and draped a robe over her.

“Are you really okay?”

With no one else around, Jiang Nai admitted honestly, “I choked on some water, and my nose feels a bit uncomfortable.”

Li Qingji: “Next time, you should bring a float like that little kid over there before getting into the water.”

Jiang Nai followed his gaze and saw a father swimming with his two children. The older child was around seven or eight years old, while the younger one was probably three or four. Both had floaties on their arms and were splashing around in the water.

Jiang Nai said, “Why don’t you just teach me how to swim instead?”

“Even when learning to swim, you need to practice with a float first.”

“Oh…”

The two sat on the lounge chairs for a while, and once Jiang Nai had recovered, she took a few photos for her colleagues.

“Miss, are you okay after falling in earlier?” Someone tapped her shoulder.

Jiang Nai turned around and saw the seven or eight-year-old girl who had been splashing in the water earlier.

Jiang Nai smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”

The little girl said seriously, “If you can’t swim, you should wear a float next time. My dad says it’s dangerous if you don’t.”

The little girl’s earnest expression was so adorable that Jiang Nai’s heart melted. “Okay, I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

“Yoyo, what are you doing?” Her father came over and apologized to Jiang Nai. “Sorry about that, she’s a bit too friendly.”

Jiang Nai waved her hand. “It’s fine. She’s really cute.”

The father laughed and said his daughter was a social butterfly.

“Dad, I’m not a social butterfly. I was just reminding this lady about safety.”

“Alright, alright, Yoyo is very responsible.”

“Then can I have ice cream tonight?”

“Mom said no.”

“But I’ve been good today.”

“Mom’s words are the law. Dad can’t disobey, what can I do?”

The father and daughter, along with the younger child, walked away. Jiang Nai watched their retreating figures and couldn’t help but smile.

“How sweet,” she murmured.

Li Qingji: “Hmm?”

Jiang Nai sounded a little envious: “Those two kids have their parents with them, and their dad even teaches them how to swim. They’re so lucky.”

Li Qingji knew about her upbringing and understood how much she yearned for the kind of parental companionship she never had. Unfortunately… both of her parents were no longer around.

Li Qingji reached out and pulled her closer. “We can be happy together too.”

Jiang Nai turned to look at him and smiled softly. “Yeah.”

After a moment, she suddenly thought of something and asked, “Do you ever think about having kids?”

Li Qingji paused slightly. Over the years, his family had brought it up more than once, but he had never really taken it seriously.

First, because he didn’t have strong feelings about children, and second, because life with Jiang Nai was already fulfilling.

Besides, she was still young, and her career was thriving. Kids weren’t a necessity.

Li Qingji replied, “It depends on what you think.”

Jiang Nai said, “Me? I’ve always wanted to feel like I have a family.”

Li Qingji smiled. “Don’t the two of us feel like a family?”

“That’s not what I mean. I mean, having a kid to play with would make it feel even more like a family,” Jiang Nai explained. “And now that our careers are stable, it might be a good time to think about the next step.”

Li Qingji thought for a moment. “If you’re sure, then I’m okay with it.”

“So… should we start preparing?”

“Whatever you want.”

Jiang Nai hugged his arm. “Alright, let’s start preparing! I think having a little girl like the one we saw earlier would be so cute… If I ever have a daughter, I’ll be so good to her. Whenever she needs me, I’ll always be there for her.”

“What about me?”

Jiang Nai paused and looked up at him. “Of course, you’ll be there too.”

Li Qingji nodded. “Alright.”

“What do you mean, ‘alright’? Are you that reluctant to be a dad?”

Li Qingji pulled her back to lie down with him, smiling. “Not reluctant at all. I’ll be there for you, and for her.”

Previous

Next