Contractual Cohabitation GL - Chapter 5

The kiss was very pure and very passionate, perhaps because there was no expectation of what might happen that night. Different from all the lips Jing Xiaonan had kissed before, these lips filled her with delight. The soft, smooth feeling during the intimate rubbing made her sigh, wanting to go further, wanting to taste more of the fragrance from Ye Luochen’s mouth.

It was a little sudden when Ye Luochen pulled back, not as if she was lacking oxygen, but just staring fixedly at Jing Xiaonan. Her expression was unclear in the dim starlight.

“It will be midnight soon.”

After a long time, Ye Luochen left this one sentence and stood up to return to the guest room. Not fully understanding her mood, Jing Xiaonan still followed her and turned on the living room light.

“There are three rooms here; the one at the back is the guest room. There are clean clothes and bedding inside, it’s kept very clean, you can stay there. I’ll stay here,” she said, pointing to her own room.

Ye Luochen had already moved towards the guest room door and opened it when Jing Xiaonan finished saying it was kept very clean. However, Jing Xiaonan’s somewhat urgent voice came from behind:

“I’ll drive you back tomorrow morning.”

Ye Luochen paused her steps, neither answering nor looking at her. She lowered her eyes and closed the door.

Jing Xiaonan stood in the living room for a long time.

At eight o’clock the next morning, Jing Xiaonan woke up almost exactly on time. The first thing she did after washing her face and brushing her teeth in the main room’s attached bathroom was to open the door to the guest room.

The guest room door was open, and the bed had been tidied back to its original state. None of Ye Luochen’s clothes remained, and there was no trace of her presence anywhere in the room.

Gone without a word.

Jing Xiaonan was silent for a while, then finally sighed and took food out of the refrigerator. It was supposed to be like this, wasn’t it? Besides, with Ye Luochen’s personality, she wasn’t worried that she would be a lost little lamb.

Pulling out a heavy mahogany chair, she sat alone at the large dining table, recalling how they had been sitting here facing each other yesterday, talking about life and dreams. Because they knew they wouldn’t see each other again, they didn’t say goodbye. Jing Xiaonan stared blankly out the window at the flower field, her slender fingers skillfully peeling an fresh orange, then throwing away the orange and putting a piece of the peel into her mouth.

Pfft! (sound of spitting)

She looked down, frowning, then looked up at her reflection in the mirror opposite the living room, stared for a while, shook her head after a long time, sighed, and continued to enjoy her breakfast properly.

After eating and washing the dishes, Jing Xiaonan looked at the flower field outside the window, suddenly not knowing what she should do. Since she had come all this way, she should go and see Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhang. She rolled down her sleeves and slowly walked out, bypassing the stable, which she usually visited, and making the long journey directly to Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhang’s small house.

Just as she was about to step onto the few steps in front of the door, before she could knock, someone behind her grabbed her. She quickly pulled away from the person’s hand, turned around, and stood on guard, only to find it was Aunt Zhang, who silently made a shushing gesture to her.

Jing Xiaonan froze for a moment, then smiled understandingly. The two moved away from the small house. Although Jing Xiaonan was usually quite proper, her personality was easygoing. Seeing that Aunt Zhang was about to sit on the ground, she prepared to sit down with her, but Aunt Zhang held her back.

“Wait, put this down,” Aunt Zhang split the newspaper she was holding into two stacks, folded the thicker stack, and laid it on the ground for Jing Xiaonan, then put down her own before letting her sit, saying, “Be careful, the ground is damp.”

Jing Xiaonan looked at Aunt Zhang, who was treating her like a child, chuckled twice, sat down, and asked, “Is Aunt Zhou still sleeping in because she’s tired?”

Hearing this, Aunt Zhang’s face inexplicably flushed, and she quickly said, “No, not at all! She took a shower and rested very late. No, no, she’s not that tired.”

“Huh?” Jing Xiaonan had only asked casually to greet her, but what was this situation now? She looked at Aunt Zhang suspiciously, recalling her question, and instantly burst into exasperated laughter.

Okay, it must be because Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhang often woke up late for some reason, so she had a guilty conscience and thought her question was aimed at them.

As for what the reason was… ahem, this text is also being read by minors.

A host of mythical creatures stampeded through Jing Xiaonan’s mind, but she kept a tight lid on her expression, still answering earnestly, “Then I won’t disturb Aunt Zhou today. Let her rest longer.”

Aunt Zhang’s face, which had returned to its gentle, motherly look, flushed red again with a whoosh.

A woman in her early forties, who was well-maintained and had a naturally oval face, looked surprisingly charming when she was shy. While Jing Xiaonan sighed with emotion over this ‘celestial couple,’ she also imagined what Ye Luochen might look like twenty years later.

Aunt Zhang, on the other hand, was explaining: “She stayed up late for several nights preparing a surprise for me. Since we’re together most of the day, she couldn’t prepare it, so she could only secretly work on it after I fell asleep. She hasn’t slept well for over a week, so I don’t want to wake her up because she’s too tired today.”

“Oh? Is today your birthday, Aunt Zhang?”

“No, it’s our twentieth anniversary.”

Twenty years… Jing Xiaonan took a deep breath and nodded, her heart full of admiration, and even her expression became solemn with respect.

“I told her last night that she’s really getting old, that preparing one gift tired her out so much, how will she manage the gifts for the next fifty years?” Aunt Zhang smiled and shook her head, her gaze falling on Aunt Zhou in the red brick house, her eyes so gentle and content.

The next fifty years…

Jing Xiaonan sat in her car, her peripheral vision catching the receding street scenes, recalling her conversation with Aunt Zhang. She had never seen a couple so loving. Thinking of the hardships they had overcome, all her emotions turned into a deep sense of touching warmth in her heart.

After reaching the city center, the car drove into a glass-encased skyscraper.

“Deputy Director Jing.”

With a ding, the elevator opened, stopping on the 53rd floor. On the wall opposite, the words Peng Ju Law Firm were written in both Chinese and English. A desk was placed against the wall. Hearing the elevator open, the professional woman sitting behind the desk put on a polite and friendly smile, ready to greet the visitor. Looking up and seeing it was Jing Xiaonan, her expression immediately changed to respect, and she stood up slightly, calling out, “Deputy Director Jing.”

Jing Xiaonan nodded, a slight curve at the corner of her mouth showing a hint of a smile. She turned the corner and headed straight for her office, buttoning the collar of her shirt as she walked.

Her office was next door to the General Manager’s office. Entering the door, there was an outer room where her secretary, Qin Yan, was seated, and behind the second door was her private space.

“Director Jing.”

Qin Yan had been her assistant for three years and always referred to her as “Director Jing.” Jing Xiaonan initially disagreed, saying she was only the Deputy Director, but Qin Yan, regardless of how much logic she used, never argued, just listening quietly. Only when Jing Xiaonan was dry-mouthed would she pour a cup of Longjing tea, then expressionlessly add, “Director Jing, enjoy.”

Jing Xiaonan was exasperated.

Over time, she just let her be. Fortunately, Qin Yan was good at judging the occasion. In public, she would temporarily switch to “Deputy Director” to respect Jing Xiaonan’s wishes.

Jing Xiaonan had stopped before Qin Yan even finished her greeting, grinning at Qin Yan’s perpetually poker face.

“Director Jing finally deigned to return?”

“Heh heh…”

“Does Director Jing remember she has a company?”

“Heh heh…”

“Yesterday there were two important meetings, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a cocktail party in the evening. Director Jing, did I overlook you among the few people in the vast crowd?”

“I…” Jing Xiaonan was about to say something, but after a moment’s thought, she obediently shut up. The corner of her mouth twitched a few times, only managing another: “Heh heh…”

Qin Yan stared at her so-called superior for a while, finally shaking her head, her tone returning to level: “General Manager Gao replaced you for this morning’s meeting with the Maple Leaf Group representatives. The other party seems sincerely interested in cooperating with us.”

Maple Leaf Group?

Although Jing Xiaonan felt somewhat guilty about the previously mentioned missed appointments, she didn’t take them too seriously. After all, she had the leisure to go on a date because she had made sure there were no absolutely mandatory activities yesterday. But this name made her heart pound. This was an extremely important meeting. How could she have forgotten it? What a mistake!

“Tell Gao Jiong to come to my office when she’s free.”

Jing Xiaonan transitioned from meek to commanding in less than a second. After her words fell, she said no more, turned around, and entered her office.

Hearing the door of the Deputy General Manager’s office close beside her, Qin Yan finally relaxed all her expressions, and a gentle curve appeared at the corner of her mouth, hidden from view.

Ten minutes later, the door to the General Manager’s office, not far away, opened, and a young woman in a white suit with a sharp, medium-short haircut walked out. Unlike Jing Xiaonan’s setup, her office had a Chief Secretary, Second Secretary, and a Third Secretary (a slight ahem for the ‘little secretary’), three women in total. Hearing the General Manager exit her office, all three secretaries stood up to greet her, while General Manager Gao Jiong frowned slightly, nodding with a serious expression.

Although the General Manager’s office was very close to the Deputy General Manager’s office, it was lunchtime, and many employees were coming and going. Gao Jiong encountered three or four employees in the short ten-meter walk. Seeing her, the three or four employees immediately stopped their previous chatter and greeted her respectfully with “Hello, General Manager Gao.”

Gao Jiong still nodded stiffly and entered the Deputy General Manager’s office.

“Deputy Director Jing,” Gao Jiong walked into Jing Xiaonan’s office and sat squarely opposite the large desk, looking stern and authoritative. Her opening was as formal as ever: “It’s good that you’re back. I believe we need to discuss this morning’s meeting with the Maple Leaf Group representative.”

Jing Xiaonan didn’t lift her head, rubbing her eyebrows. “The door is already closed.”

Gao Jiong, full of righteous air, turned to look at the door. After confirming that it was indeed closed as Jing Xiaonan had said, she slowly nodded in satisfaction, and then… without another word, she abruptly kicked off her high heels and crossed her legs in a manner exclusively owned by “commoners.”

“Oh, why didn’t you say so earlier? I was holding it in.”

Jing Xiaonan didn’t speak; instead, she chuckled, her expression happy, and continued looking at the documents.

“Xiaonan, when are you going to promote yourself? Don’t you know I have to clench my lips to stop myself from yelling ‘You’ve all worked hard, comrades!’ whenever everyone looks at me with such reverence? Sigh, when will these days end?” Gao Jiong shook her head repeatedly, looking very troubled.

“I never said you had to be the General Manager,” Jing Xiaonan replied carelessly while looking at the documents. “If you find a suitable candidate, you can let her take over for you.”

“Forget it. With you standing here claiming second place, no one would dare claim first, even if you gave them the courage. I think you’re only capable of throwing me into the deep end to suffer for you!”

Jing Xiaonan shook her head, not wanting to continue this topic.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to discuss Maple Leaf?”

“Ah, right! Maple Leaf! Ahem, Maple Leaf.” When it came to a serious matter, Gao Jiong slightly straightened her posture, thought for a moment, and began, “How should I put this, their intention was already quite clear when they first contacted us. As one of the top pharmaceutical and health product companies in the country, they hope to get the exclusive agency for Australian milk powder exports to enter the Chinese market, and they hope we can cooperate to resolve all the legal matters involved on both the Chinese and Australian sides.”

Jing Xiaonan listened to Gao Jiong’s narration while flipping through the materials Qin Yan had prepared, then asked, “I have a rough understanding of this; it’s a big project. Was there any progress in today’s meeting?”

“The other party’s intention today was actually to bring their group’s lawyer to communicate with us, especially regarding Australian law. The specific cooperation methods and remuneration were also supposed to be discussed during the meeting, but one of the representatives they planned to bring today was also absent, so it was postponed until the next meeting.”

“Oh? Who is so important that their absence would affect the entire progress of the cooperation?”

“I thought so at first, but then I heard it was the granddaughter of the Maple Leaf Group’s chairman. A third-generation rich kid, so it’s not surprising if she just doesn’t show up.” Gao Jiong flipped through the materials in her hand. Jing Xiaonan nodded noncommittally, but then Gao Jiong added, “She has a good name though, called Ye Luochen.”

Jing Xiaonan’s signing pen paused slightly, and she lifted her head somewhat abruptly: “What did you say?”