Contractual Cohabitation GL - Chapter 9
Driving her beloved silver-gray Porsche, she was happy to find that she hadn’t been stopped by many red lights on the way, so she arrived at the company building at 5:20. Taking off her sunglasses, she slowly drove into her parking spot. Just as she got out of the car, she noticed Qin Yan was already waiting nearby.
“So early?”
Jing Xiaonan paused halfway through closing the car door and tilted her head slightly.
Qin Yan had changed out of her usual white-collar professional suit today and was wearing a sapphire blue dress and high heels, the hem just covering her knees. The front of the dress was not cut very low, but it inevitably exposed a patch of fair skin below her neck, which Qin Yan accessorized with a sapphire necklace. The combination was very pleasing to the eye.
After two people have known each other for a long time and gotten used to each other, this aspect of appearance is often inadvertently overlooked. But today, the carefully dressed Qin Yan genuinely gave Jing Xiaonan a small shock. Undeniably, her former schoolmate was also an outstanding beauty.
While Jing Xiaonan was processing the visual impact, Qin Yan was scrutinizing Jing Xiaonan, frowning slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Jing Xiaonan asked.
“I thought you would dress more formally.”
Hearing this, Jing Xiaonan spread her hands and looked down at herself. Fine-line trousers with a belt, a blue and white striped shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The clothes themselves weren’t exactly casual, but the way she wore them was a little relaxed.
“It’s fine. It’s not a formal dinner, so this is okay.” Jing Xiaonan opened the car door and ushered Qin Yan inside. “Aren’t you cold? Get in the car, there’s heating.”
The restaurant was also in the city center, not far from Peng Ju. Jing Xiaonan had set the time with the Maple Leaf side for 6:00. Jing Xiaonan and Qin Yan arrived a quarter of an hour early. Squeezing into a parking space not too far from the hotel, they unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car one after the other. Jing Xiaonan led the way towards the hotel.
After walking for about five minutes, Qin Yan suddenly stopped. Because it was sudden, Jing Xiaonan took one and a half steps before stopping herself, turning back with some concern to ask:
“What’s wrong?”
Qin Yan’s expression was calm: “I left my bag in the car.”
As Jing Xiaonan’s assistant, Qin Yan had a public relations allowance at Peng Ju. Jing Xiaonan allocated a sum to her every year, trusting her to use it responsibly. Since Jing Xiaonan didn’t like carrying a bag, Qin Yan would usually bring the necessary items, including payment, when they went out. So, when she heard this, Jing Xiaonan immediately thought:
“It’s fine, I have my card with me.”
“There are other things in the bag,” Qin Yan said somewhat helplessly.
“Oh, then I’ll go back with you?”
“No need, you still need to go to the hotel to confirm the reservation.”
Since she said so, Jing Xiaonan didn’t insist. She handed over the car key and asked, “Do you know where the hotel is?”
Qin Yan took it, but did not answer, her expression showing some hesitation.
“How about this, I’ll go to the hotel to confirm first, and then come back to find you. We’ll meet outside that outdoor restaurant, Gregory’s?”
“Mhm.”
So, after confirming the reservation for the private room at the hotel and walking back to Gregory’s, Qin Yan hadn’t arrived yet. Jing Xiaonan stood with her hands in her pockets, waiting. Not far away, a street performer uncle was sitting in the cold wind, playing the guitar and singing. He played the guitar well, but perhaps because he had been singing for a long time, his voice was already hoarse.
Passersby hurried along with their heads down, ignoring the rather mediocre performance, and naturally, no one was giving alms. The street performer finished a song, looking a little tired. He twisted open a bottle of water by his feet, took a sip, and seemed reluctant to drink more, pouring some into a bowl next to him.
Jing Xiaonan looked at it with some confusion, only to realize that a stray-like mixed-breed dog was lying beside the uncle.
Slightly moved, Jing Xiaonan patted her pocket; she had only brought her gold card today. She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smiled. Jing Xiaonan walked up to the uncle, pointed at the guitar, and asked kindly:
“May I have a go?”
The uncle was a little confused, but after a moment of surprise, he smiled, took off the strap of the guitar, and handed it to her. Jing Xiaonan held the guitar, strummed a couple of times to tune it, then looked around and saw a wooden table leaning against a low wall a few meters away.
She walked slowly over, stepped on the chair to stand on the table, used her hands to hop up and sit on the head-high wall. Her legs dangled as she held the guitar, and her slender fingers began to play.
The song was Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.” It was a little rusty from not practicing for a long time, but by the time the lyrics started, Jing Xiaonan had basically regained her skill. With one hand strumming and the other fingering the neck, she opened her throat and sang the cheerful song loudly.
“…Well, open up your mind and see like me, Open up your plans and damn you’re free, Look into your heart and you’ll find love, love, love, love Listen to the music the moment people dance and sing, We’re just one big family And it’s our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, Loved~…”
She was fully engrossed in her playing, her expression shifting from smiles to frowns. Halfway through the song, her leather-shoed feet even started lightly tapping the wooden table beneath her, like tap dancing replacing a snare drum. Fused with the guitar and her singing, the performance became increasingly spectacular.
More and more pedestrians gathered around. Even those rushing turned their heads to watch and appreciate. Jing Xiaonan was completely unaffected by the surrounding atmosphere. Her expression was as if she were alone, just enjoying the music, or as if she were performing a concert for hundreds or thousands of people.
So, when Qin Yan finally found this spot, this was the scene she witnessed. A dozen people, men and women, old and young, with children and pets, stood in a circle about two meters away. Some clapped along to the beat, others smiled and enjoyed the performance. The person being circled was sitting coolly on top of the wall, performing with great rhythm. The sun shone on her, enveloping her in a dazzling glow, yet she was not the slightest bit awkward or pretentious. Her head was tilted, her smile was very natural, the corner of her mouth curving to the left—a charming sight that was impossible not to notice.
Qin Yan shook her head with a half-smile. Since she was having such a good time, she wouldn’t stop her childish behavior.
After singing and playing one song, Jing Xiaonan finished with a flourish, slightly improvising the ending. She stood up and bowed to the audience. She watched as spectators took out their wallets and donated varying amounts of money to the street performer uncle. Her smile was so bright, and there was a hint of playful pride in her twinkling eyes.
From her vantage point, however, she couldn’t easily see one spot: a long-haired Asian girl in a white dress was looking up at her, her eyes surprisingly gentle. Judging from her stance, she must have been standing there for quite some time.
The crowd eventually dispersed. The street performer uncle led the stray dog over, said “thank you” repeatedly, and greatly praised Jing Xiaonan’s performance. Jing Xiaonan didn’t seem too embarrassed, just modestly acknowledged some of the overly effusive compliments.
It was then that Qin Yan walked over to stand beside her, turning her head to look at her, a rare smile on her face.
“Shall we go?”
Jing Xiaonan nodded, returning the guitar to the still-admiring uncle.
The two walked side by side towards the hotel.
Shortly after sitting down in the private room, Manager Li’s call came in. Jing Xiaonan described the location in more detail, then walked out to greet them.
At the doorway, she was met by a beautiful woman in a snow-white dress. As soon as the person came into Jing Xiaonan’s sight, Jing Xiaonan quickly recognized her.
Who else but Ye Luochen?
Ye Luochen clearly saw Jing Xiaonan too, slowing her steps, but still not showing any obvious intention of stopping. Jing Xiaonan’s first instinct was to quickly call out to her, and it was only then that she fully registered the woman’s stunning appearance.
Unlike the women one usually encountered in such establishments, who wore heavy makeup, Ye Luochen had only subtly enhanced her already extremely blessed features, making her look exquisitely sculpted. She wore slender drop earrings on her small earlobes, and a vintage pearl necklace on her elegantly curved neck. The white dress she was wearing today was a modified qipao, the cut and waist accentuating her graceful figure.
Jing Xiaonan secretly took a breath.
Stopped by her call, but seeing her say nothing, Ye Luochen smiled, a hint of playful mischief in her eyes, but her expression was unusually gentle:
“How about I walk two more steps and wait for you to think of something to say?”
“Uh!” Jing Xiaonan stumbled, her expression a little embarrassed. She cleared her throat and touched her nose.
Ye Luochen stood still two meters away, watching her. The smile in her eyes deepened a bit because of Jing Xiaonan’s reaction.
She wanted to prolong the pleasant atmosphere between them, but couldn’t find a suitable topic. She didn’t know when, but in front of this woman, she had gone from being relaxed and natural to being somewhat flustered. However, not being a callow youth, Jing Xiaonan would not shyly cover her face and run away.
“You left without a word both times, causing our meetings to always be incomplete. If Luochen doesn’t mind, let me take you home after dinner?”
Ye Luochen tilted her head slightly, looking at her as if contemplating, but her manner was very relaxed. Jing Xiaonan returned the gaze calmly, her smile refined and scholarly, a scene reminiscent of their first meeting.
Not knowing what she was thinking, Ye Luochen withdrew her gaze: “We’ll see then.”
That wasn’t a rejection. The curve of Jing Xiaonan’s lips widened again, showing a hint of her white teeth.
Seeing her looking so bright and radiant, like a leader who had just returned victorious with a group of children, Ye Luochen turned her head, as if speaking to herself:
“Sometimes I really want to know what you are thinking.”
Although her voice was lowered, Jing Xiaonan still heard it. She paused for a moment, put away her smile, and replied, “Sometimes I also want to know what you are thinking.”
Ye Luochen’s gaze snapped back to Jing Xiaonan’s face because of this sentence, as if she wanted to say something, but in the quiet hallway, her thoughts were interrupted by the vibration of a phone.
Jing Xiaonan glanced at it and quickly answered: “Manager Li? Oh yes, it’s right here. Mhm, I’m right in the hallway, please walk further inside. Okay, I’ll walk out to meet you. Yes, see you in a moment.”
She hung up the phone and was about to walk out when she saw Manager Li approaching with the rest of the Maple Leaf delegation. After another brief round of formalities, Jing Xiaonan, while responding to Manager Li’s conversation, guided the group, her cheerful and eloquent manner reverting to her Deputy Director Jing style.
Ye Luochen walked closer to the back, somewhat detached from the group. Her pensive expression was suddenly interrupted by the faint chime of her phone. She opened it and saw a text message from an unknown number:
“Wait for me to take you home after dinner.”