After Being Forced to Kiss My Superior (GL) - Chapter 8

Autumn Li’s head was spinning a little. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but somehow, she ended up following Ji Jinyan.

They walked through the crowd, one after the other, until they reached the bar and sat down. Autumn was still trying to decide what to drink when a glass was gently slid in front of her.

She blinked in surprise.

…Orange juice?

“When you’re out alone, try not to drink too much,” Ji Jinyan said from beside her. Her voice blended into the noisy background, soft and almost unreal.

Autumn sat up straighter, instinctively leaning a little closer to her.

“What about you?” she asked quietly, pointing at the glass in Ji Jinyan’s hand. “You’re drinking too, aren’t you?”

Her voice was low, and with the slight flush still on her cheeks, she looked delicate—like her words were brushing softly against the heart.

Ji Jinyan looked at her, then smiled. “This is my first drink.”

“I haven’t had any until now.”

Her breath was warm as it brushed against Autumn’s skin, leaving a light tickle. Autumn hesitated, not fully understanding her words. “What difference does it make?”

“There is a difference,” Ji Jinyan said, nodding. She explained patiently, “I came here alone… but now, I’m not alone anymore.”

She smiled, relaxed and amused, then softly called her name. “Autumn Li.”

“Right now, aren’t I here with you?”

Autumn had no idea how she made it home.

She’d downed several strong drinks the night before. It felt great at the time, but once the alcohol kicked in, everything after that was a blur.

Weiwei Yan’s club was close to Bluefire. Before completely passing out, Autumn had thought about calling her, but before she could even dial the number, she caught sight of someone—

Ji Jinyan.

Yes. Ji Jinyan.

Just seeing her had snapped Autumn back into focus—at least a little.

Bits and pieces floated through her mind: Ji Jinyan offering her a coat, buying her a glass of orange juice… and at the end, maybe calling someone to drive her home?

She couldn’t remember the rest.

Still feeling the weight of her hangover, Autumn sat up and rubbed her temples before heading to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, she noticed her makeup had already been removed. Her dirty clothes were gone—thrown in the laundry—and she was now wearing a clean sleep dress.

She stared at her reflection for a moment, startled. Then, slowly, the memory returned—she had, in fact, come home and taken a shower.

But what about Ji Jinyan?
Where had she gone afterward?

Autumn couldn’t remember. The hangover made it impossible to think clearly. Thankfully, it was the weekend. She didn’t have to go anywhere. She could stay in all day and rest.

After brushing her teeth and washing up, Autumn climbed back into bed and picked up her phone.

As soon as she unlocked it, a flood of notifications popped up. The top few were from Guan Chun, explaining what happened the night before.

It had been years since they’d last spoken. Their relationship was awkward now, and Autumn didn’t know what to say. She stared at the messages for a while, then finally replied with just three words:

“I know.”

After that, Autumn Li exited the chat and tapped on the starry night wallpaper on her screen.

Ji Jinyan: Awake?

The message had been sent just a few minutes earlier.

Autumn lowered her gaze and typed back:
Autumn: Yeah, I’m awake.

Autumn: Thanks for helping me yesterday.
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
Sorry… I wasn’t in a great mood.

The reply came almost instantly.

Ji Jinyan: I could tell.

Then, a moment later:

Ji Jinyan: Feeling better now?

Autumn: Much better.
She hesitated, then added:
Let me take you out for a meal sometime.

Ji Jinyan: Sure.

After that, no new messages came through for a long time.

Autumn had wanted to ask about the rest of what happened last night, but figured Ji Jinyan was probably busy. After a few seconds of staring at the screen, she sighed and finally set her phone down.

She stood up, thinking of checking the fridge for something to eat. But just as she turned, her eyes landed on something on the balcony—and her footsteps stopped.

It was her easel.
And there was a new sketch on it.

A drawing she’d never seen before.

It was a little hedgehog—belly up, fast asleep, clutching a wine bottle in one tiny paw. The style was simple and clean, drawn with only a few strokes, yet somehow full of life. The hedgehog looked adorably expressive, as if it had stumbled straight out of a storybook.

“…?”

Autumn blinked, then stepped closer. On the right side of the drawing, she spotted handwriting she instantly recognized—it was Ji Jinyan’s.

Autumn Li.

The drawing was of her.

She stood in front of the sketch in silence for a long time. She wasn’t sure what surprised her more—learning Ji Jinyan could draw, or realizing she had drawn her as a tipsy little hedgehog.

Her eyes swept the area. Nearby were paint palettes Ji Jinyan had used, brushes with dried color still on the bristles, and shapes lightly traced in pencil on scrap paper.

A picture began to form in Autumn’s mind.
She hadn’t been there when it happened, but somehow, through these details, she could imagine exactly how Ji Jinyan had moved around the space, what she’d been doing.

She didn’t say a word. She simply stood there, lost in thought.

Monday.

After a full day of rest at home, Autumn felt much better. Wanting a fresh start, she even changed her usual perfume, swapping it out for a completely new scent.

Around noon the day before, she’d gotten a friend request on WeChat.

Name: Bixia – Lu Ye.

Autumn recognized it right away—Ji Jinyan’s driver.
She tapped “Accept” without hesitation.

After chatting for a bit, Autumn Li finally understood—it was Lu Ye who had driven her home that night. Worried she might not know where the car had been parked, he had added her on WeChat just to let her know.

They weren’t close, so Autumn felt a little awkward having troubled him. She remembered hearing someone say he enjoyed drinking tea, so she made a point to prepare a canister of high-quality tea as a thank-you gift.

“You really didn’t have to,” Lu Ye said, laughing warmly as he shook his head. “I was just following orders.”

“Besides, I didn’t do much,” he added. “It was Director Ji who looked after you.”

Autumn picked up on a particular word—“looked after.”

Looked after?

Before she could ask more, Lu Ye got a phone call and had to leave. Autumn watched him go, still thinking about what he said, then turned and headed back to her office with a head full of questions.

Less than a minute later, Assistant An sent her a document and asked her to fill it out, print it, and bring it to Director Ji. Autumn replied with a quick “Got it” and got to work.

Soon after, she walked down the hallway with the printed file in hand and knocked on Ji Jinyan’s office door.

“Come in,” Ji Jinyan answered.

“Director Ji.”
After what had happened that night, Autumn couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward seeing her again. She quietly took a deep breath, walked in, and stood beside her desk. “The document’s ready.”

Ji Jinyan looked up, nodded, and reached out to take the file. She skimmed through it and said, “No problems here.”

Autumn relaxed and nodded. “Okay.” She turned to leave.

As she moved, the subtle scent from her perfume spread softly through the air—a sweet, fruity fragrance.

Ji Jinyan glanced at her and smiled slightly. “Changed your perfume?”

Autumn paused, surprised she had noticed. She nodded instinctively and turned slightly to respond—but just as she opened her mouth, a memory rushed through her mind.

That night…

She had been completely drunk, her eyes closed, barely awake. Ji Jinyan had softly called her name, but she hadn’t responded. Eventually, Ji Jinyan gave a quiet sigh and leaned down.

Then, she had gently lifted her out of the car.

Autumn had opened her eyes for a moment. She remembered the warmth of Ji Jinyan’s hands, her calm expression—and behind her, the endless sky full of stars.