The Cold Queen is My Exclusive Little Snack - Chapter 20

The interruption caused by Jiang Shuqing left Zhongli Yan and Chu Shiyin somewhat distracted. They tacitly abandoned any pretense of diplomacy, cutting straight to the point and compressing the negotiation time to its bare minimum.

When Chu Shiyin and Zhongli Yan returned to the small banquet hall after the initial negotiations concluded, the scene had transformed.

Zuo Xingning and Jiang Shuqing were slumped over the round table, heads touching, fast asleep.

Apart from the scattered wine glasses and stacked porcelain plates, the hall looked much the same as before, suggesting their time alone had indeed been peaceful.

Chu Shiyin sighed in relief and walked over to wake Xingning. “Xingning, wake up. It’s time to go home.”

“Jiejie,” Zuo Xingning mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning. “Are you done talking?”

“Yes, let’s go home now.”

Zuo Xingning nodded, took a few steps, then stopped abruptly, turning back. “What about Shuqing? She’ll catch a cold sleeping here all night.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Zhongli Yan said, stepping forward. He placed his right hand on Zuo Xingning’s left shoulder and bowed deeply. “Miss Zuo, I apologize for my impulsive behavior earlier.”

Zuo Xingning shook her head. “You should apologize to Shu Qing. She considers you her most important friend, which is why she’s so heartbroken right now.”

Zhongli Yan froze, accustomed to a life of pretense and deceit. Rarely did anyone speak to her with genuine sincerity.

For a moment, she was at a loss for words. But Zuo Xingning didn’t need her reply. After speaking, she turned to Chu Shiyin to confirm whether Jiang Shuqing could be entrusted to Zhongli Yan. Receiving an affirmative answer, the two women left together.

Watching their retreating figures, Zhongli Yan’s expression flickered with complex emotions.

She and Chu Shiyin had known each other for six years. Six years that had neither turned them into enemies nor brought them any closer to friendship.

From the moment she first laid eyes on Chu Shiyin, Zhongli Yan had sensed a familiar scent in the woman’s soul—

A nearly insane self-destructive tendency, suppressed beneath a calm facade.

Curiosity compelled her. Information about Chu Shiyin began piling up on her desk, including the woman’s poorly concealed past.

Zhongli Yan had lent Chu Shiyin a hand, purely out of curiosity.

With her power and influence, promoting or crushing someone was as effortless as crushing an ant.

Zhongli Yan merely observed.

He watched Chu Shiyin, who had climbed from the very bottom to her current position without any connections or backing, as if he were seeing a version of himself from an alternate timeline.

Yet, compared to Chu Shiyin, he had only benefited from being born into privilege. From the moment she escaped that mire, Chu Shiyin had forever earned the favor of the goddess of fortune.

Zuo Xingning.

What a coincidence. The woman who had sponsored Chu Shiyin, according to his research, also bore the surname Zuo.

Zhongli Yan chuckled softly and gestured for two attendants to follow Chu Shiyin, ensuring she wouldn’t be harassed by drunks or troublemakers.

Then, he dismissed the trembling waiters who had gathered, fearing another “battle” might erupt. Once the floor was quiet again, Zhongli Yan rubbed his face and prepared to face the “storm” that awaited him.

“A’Nuan,” he murmured, bending down to gently call Jiang Shuqing by her nickname. “Wake up. Let’s go back to our room and sleep.”

Jiang Shuqing frowned, trying several times to open her eyes but failing. Recognizing Zhongli Yan’s voice, she covered her ears, turned her face away, and made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him.

“If you won’t get up, do you want me to carry you away?”

The drunkard couldn’t give a coherent answer. Zhongli Yan’s eyes curved into a smile as she rose and moved behind the chair. She placed one arm across Jiang Shuqing’s abdomen to block her, while her other hand gripped the chair back, turning it ninety degrees.

Momentarily weightless, Jiang Shuqing instinctively lunged forward. Zhongli Yan caught her by the waist and pulled her backward, instantly scooping her into a horizontal embrace.

“Zhongli Yan…” After all the commotion, Jiang Shuqing finally managed to open her eyes. “Why are there so many Zhongli Yans?”

“Because you’re drunk,” Zhongli Yan replied, holding her close as she bypassed the elevator and headed straight upstairs.

“No, I’m not drunk. I never get drunk.”

“Right, you’re not drunk. I’m the one who’s drunk.”

“Hmph.”

Satisfied, Jiang Shuqing closed her eyes again, muttering incoherently. The fragmented syllables formed no coherent sentences, and Zhongli Yan couldn’t make out a single word. When she sensed Jiang Shuqing had finished a phrase, she simply responded with an acknowledging hum.

Whatever insults Jiang Shuqing might be hurling, Zhongli Yan knew she deserved them all.

They were still young. Originally, Zhongli Yan had imagined having plenty of time to slowly reveal her love for Jiang Shuqing, a love that had burned within her since long ago. She had also planned to gradually win Jiang Shuqing’s heart in return.

Alas, things rarely go as planned.

A month ago, the Han Clan announced their intention to arrange a marriage for their daughter. Zhongli Yan knew the couple’s target was singular: the heir to the Zhongli Family—herself.

The Han Clan had been poorly managed, and its current leader was merely a young master deliberately groomed for incompetence. He had only seized power a decade ago after the Han Clan’s original heir died unexpectedly.

A man of limited wisdom, his most astute decision in life had been this charity gala.

Under the guise of “praying for his frail and sickly daughter’s health,” he had seized the moral high ground and salvaged the Han Clan’s plummeting stock prices following the loss of their heir.

Having barely clung on for over a decade, he had reached his limit.

The Han Clan’s edifice was on the verge of collapse, and those at the top, blinded by wealth and power, were once again exploiting their daughter.

Jiang Shuqing remained blissfully unaware of all this.

Not all parents love their children—Zhongli Yan had understood this since childhood. But Jiang Shuqing was different. She refused to puncture the fragile bubble supporting her, unwilling to let her fall into this thorny world.

Even deliberately prolonged paths eventually come to an end. Opening the door, Zhongli Yan gently laid Jiang Shuqing on the bed and pressed a kiss to her smooth forehead.

Jiang Shuqing only needed to be happy.

Negotiating with investors was originally Yu Siya’s responsibility. However, Chu Shiyin had to cancel on Yu Siya at the last minute due to a change in her date for the event. She promised to inform Yu Siya of the outcome after the meeting.

While waiting, Zuo Xingning had already fallen asleep in the passenger seat, wrapped in a blanket. Her head tilted to the side, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her lips parted slightly due to her posture. The entire car filled with the sweet aroma of osmanthus-infused rice wine.

How could she get this drunk from eating rice wine dumplings? Chu Shiyin wondered, a faint smile curving her lips. She leaned over to tuck the blanket more securely around Zuo Xingning and started the car.

Because they had left the event early, they happened to catch the tail end of rush hour and found themselves stuck at the back of a long line of cars.

A light drizzle began to fall. Chu Shiyin turned on the wipers and glanced sideways, only to find Zuo Xingning staring intently at her.

The car was dark, and Zuo Xingning remained perfectly still and silent. If not for the streetlights reflecting in her round, wide eyes, Chu Shiyin wouldn’t have realized she was awake.

“Feeling dizzy?” The line of cars ahead finally began to move. As they reached the intersection, the silver SUV turned, separating from the main flow of traffic.

Zuo Xingning shook her head, oblivious to whether Chu Shiyin could see her. Her mind felt soft and cottony, unable to focus. She blurted out whatever came to mind: “Am I dreaming?”

“Maybe,” Chu Shiyin replied, a smile playing on her lips as she gripped the steering wheel. “What do you want to dream about?”

Zuo Xingning didn’t answer immediately. She glanced out the car window. “Why are we outside?”

“Because we’re on our way home.”

“Oh, right. When will we get there?”

“Soon.”

“Just like I thought,” Zuo Xingning chuckled to herself. “It’s definitely a dream. Today’s dream is about picking Jiejie up from work—I’ve never dreamed of that before.”

Before?

Chu Shiyin’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “You dream about me often?”

Zuo Xingning shushed her mysteriously. “It’s a secret.”

After that, she fell silent, staring at the streetlights flashing past the car. After a while, she grew impatient.

“It’s so slow.”

In dreams, shouldn’t the scenery change with a snap?

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

The SUV entered the residential complex and headed toward the underground parking garage. But Zuo Xingning couldn’t wait any longer. She unbuckled her seatbelt, gathered the cumbersome skirt of her dress, and began climbing over the center console toward the driver’s seat.

“Xingning?!”

Chu Shiyin startled, quickly pulling into the nearest roadside parking space. “Danger! Fasten your seatbelt!”

Zuo Xingning didn’t listen. She had already climbed into the driver’s seat. As the car stopped, she swayed, stumbling into Chu Shiyin’s arms.

The champagne-colored layers of her skirt cascaded down as Zuo Xingning climbed over Chu Shiyin, straddling her lap.

Her body temperature always ran low, even more so when she had just woken up. Holding her felt like cradling a piece of warm, smooth jade.

“Xingning,” Chu Shiyin said, flustered, “get up. This is someone else’s parking space. Be good and let me park properly.”

“No,” Zuo Xingning protested, confused why parking spaces mattered even in a dream. She hugged Chu Shiyin, burying her face in her shoulder. “Jiejie, you haven’t been home in so long. I’ve missed you so much.”

Chu Shiyin couldn’t return the embrace. Zuo Xingning’s leg pinned her hand against her own, the soft, tofu-like flesh pressed tightly together. If she tried to pull it free, the movement would feel almost like a caress.

She could only try to placate Zuo Xingning for now. “I’m right here. We’ll be home soon.”

“Of course you’re here.”

Zuo Xingning straightened up, scooting forward until her thigh pressed down on Chu Shiyin’s hand, crushing her wrist. Instinctively, Chu Shiyin’s free fingers curled inward, making it seem as if she had pulled Zuo Xingning closer.

“Jiejie, do you have a mole on your waist?”

As she spoke, her right hand slipped into the gap between the seat and Chu Shiyin’s lower back, repeating a motion she had performed countless times in her dreams.

“It’s a very pretty red mole.”

“I don’t know…”

Red mole, black mole—Chu Shiyin knew nothing about any of it.

All she knew was that this couldn’t continue.

Her most private domain was being recklessly invaded, the cool fingertips feeling like they carried an electric charge. Wherever they touched, the flesh went numb and softened.

Unable to endure the torment any longer, Chu Shiyin’s voice cracked as she pleaded futilely, “Forget about the mole. Get off me…”

The figure on top of her didn’t respond, her nimble fingers continuing to trace Chu Shiyin’s spine, igniting sparks everywhere they touched.

Chu Shiyin could barely suppress her gasps. “Stop it! What do you even want?!”

“What do I want?”

This seemed to be the first time Chu Shiyin had asked for her opinion in a dream.

Zuo Xingning paused, tilting her head as she pondered seriously.

“Jiejie, kiss me.”