After Being Forced to Kiss My Superior (GL) - Chapter 17
That night, because of what happened with Guan Chun, Li Wanqiu was in a low mood. She went home, took a quick shower, and went straight to bed without even washing her clothes.
Ji Jinyan had told her there was no need to return the outfit, so Wanqiu didn’t bring it up again. She tossed the clothes into the washing machine and stood there, watching the drum spin in silence.
It was going to take a while to finish.
With nothing to do, Wanqiu opened the fridge and grabbed a popsicle, biting the stick lightly as she walked out to the balcony. She sat down and took out her new set of paintbrushes.
Painting always relaxed her. She never forced herself to draw anything specific or to reach a certain point. Whatever came to her the moment she sat in front of the canvas, she would paint.
This time… it was a necklace.
The same necklace Ji Jinyan had bought at the auction. Wanqiu didn’t know why it suddenly came to mind. It was a little strange, but her hands didn’t stop. She quietly focused on outlining its shape.
First the chain, then the five-pointed pendant, and finally the small circular gem that hung in the center. It was a soft blue, the kind of blue where the sky meets the sea—calm and beautiful.
“I regret it,” Wanqiu murmured as she began coloring. “Maybe I should’ve tried to buy it myself.”
Hesitation leads to regret. That was the first thing she learned tonight.
Just as she was immersed in painting, her phone suddenly rang. Wanqiu glanced down—it was a call from Yan Weiwei.
“Are you free this Saturday?” came Yan Weiwei’s mysterious-sounding voice as soon as the call connected.
“I am,” Wanqiu replied, nodding. “Why?”
“You’ve been so busy lately you’ve forgotten everything,” Yan Weiwei sighed, then said with pride, “Luckily, I remembered it for you.”
“Don’t forget there’s that art exhibition on Saturday—the one you told me about last week, the really amazing one. I managed to get tickets for us!”
“Two tickets! Impressive, right~”
“Wow,” Wanqiu smiled. If Yan Weiwei hadn’t reminded her, she really might have forgotten. “Thanks, Weiwei.”
“Wanna come with me then?”
“Hmm… I don’t think I can. There’s something going on at the club that day, and I probably won’t be able to get away,” Yan Weiwei said after thinking for a second. “But you could invite someone else. Like Qiao Qiao or Song Yu. Or even one of your coworkers—it’d be a good chance to get closer.”
Coworker.
As soon as she heard the word, Ji Jinyan’s name flashed through Wanqiu’s mind.
Cough.
The next moment, she choked on the popsicle.
“Are you eating something? Be careful,” Yan Weiwei reminded her. She glanced at the time and added, “It’s getting late. I’m heading home—let’s talk later.”
With that, the call ended.
Wanqiu sat up straight and stretched lazily. Worried about choking again, she slowly and carefully finished the rest of the popsicle. Then she paused, pulled out her phone, and sent a message in the group chat, asking everyone what their weekend plans were.
As soon as the word “coworker” came up, Ji Jinyan’s name instantly flashed through Li Wanqiu’s mind.
Cough.
The next second, she choked on the popsicle.
“Are you eating something? Be careful,” Yan Weiwei warned gently. She glanced at the time and quickly added, “It’s getting late—I’m heading home. Let’s talk later.”
With that, the call ended.
Wanqiu sat up and stretched lazily. Worried she might choke again, she slowly and carefully finished the rest of the popsicle. After a brief pause, she opened the WeChat group chat and sent a message asking about everyone’s weekend plans.
The replies came quickly—some had dates, others planned to catch up on sleep, and a few were swamped with overtime. Everyone had something going on.
Well, this was a problem.
Wanqiu sighed. It would be a shame to waste such good tickets. Her mind drifted, and somehow, Ji Jinyan’s face surfaced again.
Wanqiu: “……”
Was she really considering inviting her?
She had been at Bixia for just over a month, and aside from Assistant An and Ji Jinyan, she hadn’t grown particularly close to anyone. But Assistant An had a family—weekends were for spending time with her husband and kids. Hanging out wasn’t really an option.
Which left only Ji Jinyan.
As that realization sank in, Wanqiu fell silent. Almost unconsciously, she opened Ji Jinyan’s contact, staring at the screen as she hesitated over what to say.
But before she could type anything, Ji Jinyan sent a message first.
Ji Jinyan: “There’s a client coming tomorrow. I won’t be able to step away. Could you go and keep them company for a bit?”
Li Wanqiu: “Of course. No problem.”
Ji Jinyan: “Great. Thank you.”
Li Wanqiu: “Don’t mention it.”
After that, there was no more response. Ji Jinyan had probably gone back to work. Wanqiu waited a moment, and when it was clear she wasn’t going to say anything else, she bit her lip and decided to bring it up herself.
She asked, “By the way, do you have any plans for Saturday?”
A few seconds later, Ji Jinyan replied: “Nothing urgent at the moment. Why?”
Wanqiu began typing slowly, carefully choosing her words. “There’s an art exhibition on Saturday—not too far from the city center. I’m thinking about going. Do you want to come with me?”
Ji Jinyan: “Are you inviting me?”
Wanqiu took a deep breath. “Maybe.”
Maybe I’ll go. Maybe I’m inviting you.
Ji Jinyan caught the subtle wording and couldn’t help but smile as the corners of her lips curled up.
“Sure,” she replied.
“Do we need to buy the tickets in advance?” Ji Jinyan asked a moment later.
“No need,” Li Wanqiu replied quickly. “I just happen to have two. My treat.”
After sending the message, she hesitated for a few seconds, then added, a little self-consciously:
“Consider it a thank-you for the clothes.”
“I see,” Ji Jinyan responded. “Then, see you Saturday.”
Li Wanqiu: “See you Saturday.”
With that, the invitation was officially accepted.
Seeing Ji Jinyan agree made Wanqiu unexpectedly happy. She backed out of the chat, glanced at the time, and stood up to wash up and get ready for bed.
Ji Jinyan got up at the same time. Just before leaving her desk, her eyes fell briefly on the two tickets lying there.
Coincidentally, she also had two tickets.
Ji Jinyan had been away on a business trip for two days, and when she said “see you Saturday,” she really meant it.
Lately, the rainy season seemed to have arrived. Rain fell endlessly from the grey sky.
Li Wanqiu folded her umbrella and quickly climbed into Ji Jinyan’s car.
She’d thought they would meet directly at the art exhibition, but to her surprise, Ji Jinyan had come to pick her up.
“Have you been waiting long?” Wanqiu asked, handing her a can of coffee she’d prepared in advance. “You really didn’t have to come.”
“I was running some errands. It was on the way,” Ji Jinyan replied, accepting the coffee. The can was warm—carrying Li Wanqiu’s body heat, a sharp contrast to the chilly air outside.
“Did you eat breakfast?” she asked.
“Just an apple,” Wanqiu said, leaning back in her seat and letting out a yawn.
Last night, Yan Weiwei had read a horror story and got too scared to sleep. She ended up hiding under her blanket and talking on the phone with Wanqiu for a long time. Wanqiu listened so much that even she got spooked and couldn’t sleep well.
“Didn’t really have an appetite this morning.”
“The exhibition doesn’t start for another half hour,” Ji Jinyan said after glancing at the time. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
“Sounds good,” Wanqiu nodded, realizing Ji Jinyan probably hadn’t had breakfast either, and agreed.
Outside, the rain kept falling, a quiet, constant drizzle.
Inside the car, soft music played.
The combination of gentle rain and mellow music was oddly soothing. Wanqiu leaned into her seat and dozed off without realizing it—not even noticing when the car came to a stop.
“Li Wanqiu, wake up.”
She heard someone calling her in a haze—it was Ji Jinyan’s voice.
Wanqiu hadn’t expected to actually fall asleep and felt a little embarrassed. She instinctively opened her eyes and immediately met Ji Jinyan’s gaze.
They were very close.
Still groggy, Wanqiu’s eyes slowly traced the curve of Ji Jinyan’s face—her smiling eyes, the high bridge of her petite nose, the perfectly shaped lips… Every feature was flawless. She was breathtaking.
Wanqiu blinked. She caught sight of a strand of hair falling from behind Ji Jinyan’s ear and instinctively reached up to tuck it back.
Only after doing so did her mind fully wake up.
Wanqiu: “…!”
What did I just do?!
Ji Jinyan also seemed a little surprised by her action. Her eyes lingered on Wanqiu’s face. Under that gaze, Wanqiu’s ears turned red. She cleared her throat and quickly looked away.
“S-So, um, what are we eating?” she asked in a soft voice.
Ji Jinyan’s smile deepened. “You’ll find out once we get there.”
“Okay…” Wanqiu nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt, picked up her umbrella, and pushed the door open.
Just as she was about to raise it, the rain above her suddenly stopped.
Not because it had stopped raining—but because Ji Jinyan was holding an umbrella over her.
“Let’s go,” Ji Jinyan said. But she didn’t move. She simply stood there, patiently waiting for Wanqiu to take the first step.
Wanqiu didn’t respond right away. She didn’t know what to say.
A moment later, Ji Jinyan spoke again, this time with a teasing tone:
“Looks like our little Autumn still hasn’t woken up.”
“I’m awake!” Wanqiu quickly protested, shaking her head. “And I’m not a little kid.”
“Ah.” Ji Jinyan echoed, mimicking her tone slightly.
Then she chuckled softly. “Maybe.”