Provoking the Obsessive, Cold, and Aloof CEO - Chapter 12

Ruan Taoran and Bai Feng chatted happily, keeping the elderly woman laughing.

She avoided mentioning Lin Xiaoxiao’s struggles with working and studying abroad, focusing instead on Xiaoxiao’s good qualities to spare Bai Feng any worry.

Han Yue hesitated several times before finally seizing a chance to interrupt, tugging on Ruan Taoran’s sleeve. “Miss Ruan, President Ji is here at the hospital.”

“Ah?” Ruan Taoran paused, surprised. “Is she ill?”

“No,” Han Yue replied softly. “I think she’s here to see you.”

“If you have business to attend to, go ahead. I’m not bedridden yet,” Bai Feng said, though she held onto Ruan Taoran’s hand reluctantly.

“I’ll visit you again soon,” Ruan Taoran reassured her. “Coronary bypass surgery is a minor procedure these days. With such advanced medical technology, there’t nothing to worry about.”

Bai Feng had suffered a myocardial infarction due to a blocked coronary artery. The blockage had worsened recently, requiring bypass surgery in a few days.

After comforting the elderly woman, Ruan Taoran hurried out with Han Yue, asking, “Why would President Ji come here?”

“I don’t know either,” Han Yue said, shaking her head. This time, it wasn’t about keeping secrets; she genuinely didn’t know.

After Ji Qingyun hung up, Han Yue immediately called back to clarify that Ruan Taoran had only come to visit a patient.

But shortly after, she received a message from Ji Qingyun saying she had already arrived at Jianghuan Hospital.

The car was parked in the underground garage, its hazard lights flashing, visible from a distance.

Ruan Taoran greeted her with a radiant smile, “Sister.”

Ji Qingyun glanced up, her gaze sweeping over Ruan Taoran with an indifferent expression. Her demeanor remained as cold and unyielding as ever, like ice that never melts. “Get in the car.”

Ruan Taoran got in, and the car drove away, leaving Jianghuan Hospital behind.

Ji Qingyun lowered her head to study the reports in her hand. Ruan Taoran didn’t dare speak, only stealing glances at Ji Qingyun from the corner of her eye.

Ji Qingyun couldn’t ignore her gaze. “Why are you staring at me?”

“I haven’t seen you in so long, Sister! I’m just happy,” Ruan Taoran replied, her smile radiant as she looked at Ji Qingyun as if she were a mountain of gold, a treasure beyond measure.

The warmth in her eyes seemed genuine, and the knot of irritation in Ji Qingyun’s chest loosened slightly.

Ruan Taoran’s gaze was pure and genuine. In her eyes, Ji Qingyun, who had helped her connect with Date, was an absolute treasure.

“Let me finish reviewing this report,” Ji Qingyun said without looking up, her cold eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses focused intently on her work.

She didn’t ask Ruan Taoran where she wanted to go; the car simply took them back to the Ji Clan.

After arriving at the Ji Clan, they returned to the top-floor office, where a secretary in a sharp suit was waiting.

Ji Qingyun handed over the report. “I’ve reviewed it. No issues. Distribute it.”

“Yes, President Ji,” the secretary replied, taking the document and hurrying out.

The report seemed to be urgently needed.

Ruan Taoran gently tugged at her sleeve. If this report was so urgent, why did Ji Qingyun rush to the hospital without finishing it? What was she thinking?

Ji Qingyun picked up her coffee and took a sip, her gaze settling on Ruan Taoran.

Her icy eyes scrutinized Ruan Taoran, making her heart skip a beat. She felt like prey being stalked, or like she had been thrown into an ice cave.

“Do you have anything to say?” Ji Qingyun asked, her voice as flat as if she were interrogating a subordinate who had made a mistake during a meeting.

“I…” Ruan Taoran’s eyes darted around until she spotted the Rose Wine Lees on the table.

She quickly grabbed the insulated container and unscrewed the lid. “Sister, I specially brewed this Rose Wine Lees. It’s good for calming your mood and nourishing your body.”

She ladled out a bowl and placed it in front of Ji Qingyun. “Please, just try a sip? Won’t you?”

Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Ji Qingyun, like a puppy staring at a bone, eagerly awaiting approval.

The faint fragrance of gardenias drifted from her, mingling with the rich aroma of the Rose Wine Lees.

No one could resist such a pleading look—except perhaps Ji Qingyun.

She didn’t take the bowl, merely studied Ruan Taoran in silence. Her thin lips parted slightly. “You specially brewed Rose Wine Lees, brought it to my office, and then left because of a phone call from someone irrelevant?”

“Ah?” Ruan Taoran froze, then quickly explained, “They’re not irrelevant. It was my best friend’s mother.”

“Hmm?” The coldness in Ji Qingyun’s eyes deepened.

Ruan Taoran instinctively stopped talking, her fingers lightly pinching the edge of her sleeve. She felt a growing sense of unease.

“Not someone irrelevant? Then someone more important than me?” Ji Qingyun’s voice was heavy with implication.

She stood up, looking down slightly at Ruan Taoran. “Ruan Taoran, you said you liked me, but you ran off at the first phone call?”

The herbal scent emanating from Ji Qingyun seemed to close in like a tightening net. The cold, oppressive aura in her eyes made Ruan Taoran faintly hear the pounding of her own heart.

She cares about this… Ruan Taoran vaguely recalled Ji Qingyun’s earlier refusal to call Ruan Ruyue “Sister.”

This woman truly possessed a fierce possessiveness and an overwhelming sense of control.

Though there was no fear in Ruan Taoran’s eyes, she cautiously tugged at Ji Qingyun’s sleeve. “Of course no one is more important than you.”

“But her heart attack was life-threatening…” Ruan Taoran couldn’t finish her sentence.

The coldness in Ji Qingyun’s eyes remained, as if dark currents surged beneath her lashes, a storm brewing, black clouds pressing down on the city.

She was saying that even if that person died, they couldn’t be more important than her.

Ruan Taoran fell silent, then brought over the Rose Wine Lees again. “I made this specially for you. Won’t you try a sip?”

“I even burned my hand making it,” Ruan Taoran said, extending her hand.

A small, still-red mark lingered on her pale fingers.

Her wet, pleading eyes looked like those of a pitiful little deer. “Sister, won’t you try a sip?”

Ji Qingyun’s gaze seemed to soften. She took the Rose Wine Lees, hesitated, then finally took a sip.

“Isn’t it delicious?” Ruan Taoran asked, smiling brightly as she pulled Ji Qingyun to sit in a chair. “Sit down. You must be tired after a morning of meetings.”

“How about I give you a shoulder massage? I’ve learned some techniques—they’re really effective,” Ruan Taoran said, already placing her hands on Ji Qingyun’s shoulders.

Her touch was gentle, just the right amount of pressure, and a faint fragrance of gardenias enveloped Ji Qingyun.

Buzz— Ruan Taoran’s phone vibrated on the table.

Ruan Taoran glanced at Ji Qingyun’s face, which seemed to have improved slightly. She tentatively reached for her phone.

It was a message from Shen Qiuxu, informing her that her design had been approved and asking her to come to Date next week to participate in the prototype production.

Ji Qingyun’s gaze shifted toward her. Ruan Taoran quickly explained, “It’s a message from Teacher Shen. She said my design was approved.”

“I must thank you, Sister, for connecting me with her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had such a wonderful opportunity,” Ruan Taoran said with a sweet smile.

But Ji Qingyun asked, “Do you admire Shen Qiuxu very much?”

Having already made a mistake earlier, Ruan Taoran was careful not to follow that line of conversation.

“Teacher Shen is a major figure in the design world. I’m just a newbie. Of course, I’ll listen to the guidance of such an expert.”

“Then what about this?” Ji Qingyun pulled open a drawer.

Inside lay a withered Camellia brooch.

Ruan Taoran’s eyes widened. How did that get here?

Ji Qingyun stood up. Meeting her gaze, Ruan Taoran instinctively took a step back, her legs pressing against the edge of the desk.

With a clatter, she knocked over a stack of files on the desk, her hands flailing awkwardly.

Locked in eye contact with Ji Qingyun, Ruan Taoran felt like she was being watched by a hungry wolf.

Ji Qingyun placed her hand on the desk, trapping Ruan Taoran in the small space between the desk and her.

With a single hand, she removed her gold-rimmed glasses and tossed them casually onto the desk.

Long, slender fingers pressed against Ruan Taoran’s jaw, and those aloof, noble eyes drew closer, their breaths almost merging.

Ruan Taoran saw the turbulent undercurrents swirling in those eyes, her body completely trapped. She had no doubt that Ji Qingyun would devour her.

Without her glasses, Ji Qingyun lost some of her ascetic air, replaced by a seductive allure, her eyes now brimming with turbulent undercurrents.

“This outfit? Did she take the brooch from your clothes?” Ji Qingyun pressed closer, her fingertips brushing against Ruan Taoran’s jacket.

“Did she touch this jacket?”

Today, Ruan Taoran was wearing the exact same outfit as that day: the lace jacket paired with a pale yellow dress.

“I…” Ruan Taoran opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words.

Or rather, under the weight of those turbulent eyes, she was instantly overwhelmed, unable to utter a single explanation.

“Take it off,” Ji Qingyun said, releasing her grip and fixing Ruan Taoran with a dark, intense gaze.

Ruan Taoran froze for a moment, then frantically removed her jacket.

Ji Qingyun snatched it without a glance and tossed it into the trash can.

Ruan Taoran stood so close to her that she could hear her breathing and see the faint marks left by the nose pads of her glasses.

Knock, knock, knock— A soft knock came from outside the door. It was Han Yue’s voice: “President Ji?”

The atmosphere froze for a moment. Ji Qingyun pulled away from Ruan Taoran, picked up her glasses from the desk, and put them on.

When she sat back down in her chair, her eyes had already regained their composure, once again the unflappable President Ji.

“Come in,” she said, her voice cool and crisp.

Han Yue pushed the door open and noticed the folder lying on the floor. Her eyebrows twitched, but she dared not ask about it.

She simply said, “President Ji, your lunch appointment with Miss Ruan…”

Her voice trailed off as she spotted the Rose Wine Lees on the desk. Her usual composure vanished instantly, her expression shifting dramatically. “President Ji, you drank this?”

Ruan Taoran was startled by Han Yue’s panic. “Just a little…”

Han Yue seemed to exhale softly, then asked cautiously, “President Ji, should we postpone lunch and take you to the hospital first?”

Turning to Ruan Taoran, she explained in a low voice, “President Ji is allergic to roses. Even the slightest contact can cause asthma and breathing difficulties.”

In the past, Han Yue had always been meticulous. Roses were strictly forbidden from ever appearing in Ji’s Decoration’s floral arrangements.