Xu Miyu wondered why Ji Feng had been so unusual last night. Not only had he not taken Jiang Zhichun home, but he had also returned to drink with her and Xue Rui until late.
Then his potential girlfriend, or rather his quasi-girlfriend, or perhaps she was already his girlfriend?—came to her the next day, trying to fish for information in a roundabout way.
What exactly had happened? Or what was happening?
Xu Miyu abruptly reined in her thoughts. If she continued speculating, not only would her thoughts run wild, but something else, like a flutter in her chest, might spiral out of control too.
But that absolutely must not spiral out of control. She must not feel any flutter.
Because something with no future possibility doesn’t even have the right to spiral out of control.
She didn’t want to answer Jiang Zhichun directly, saying that Manager Ji did indeed drink alone with us for a while later. Why should such a meaningless episode be wedged between two people destined to be together, becoming a tiny thorn that would make the future lady of the house unhappy whenever she recalled it?
But she didn’t want to lie either. So, in response to Jiang Zhichun’s question, “Was Manager Ji drunk when he left in the end?” she smiled and answered with a question of her own: “Manager Ji wasn’t drunk when he saw you off, was he?”
This answer was clearly not what Jiang Zhichun wanted to hear—it was too vague, not specific enough. She wanted to ask more, but just then, a commotion arose at the hotel entrance.
Xu Miyu hurried over to see what was happening.
It turned out that an elderly woman had suddenly fainted while passing by the hotel entrance.
Xu Miyu quickly called for someone to help the old woman inside. She turned to look for the staff member who had just been assigned to clean the outside area. The moment their eyes met, the employee immediately emphasized, “The outside is really clean, no water stains or dirt. Miss Jiang’s fall and this elderly lady’s fall are just coincidences!”
Hearing this, Xu Miyu felt somewhat relieved. Knowing that the old woman’s fainting wasn’t due to the ground conditions, she at least didn’t have to feel so guilty.
After being helped into the lobby, the old woman slowly regained consciousness, but she looked listless and devoid of vitality.
Fearing that excessive movement might worsen the old woman’s discomfort, Xu Miyu directly had someone bring a chair, helped the old woman sit down, and then had someone fetch a glass of water for her to drink.
As the old woman slowly drank the water, Xu Miyu observed her.
She appeared to be at least seventy years old, her face wrinkled and weathered, and her faded clothing indicated that her life was not affluent.
A faint sense of pity stirred in Xu Miyu’s heart.
Everyone in the lobby gathered around the old woman, concerned about her condition.
Outside the hotel, a Rolls-Royce approached from a distance.
Jiang Zhichun saw it and immediately stood up from her seat in the café, limping toward the hotel lobby entrance.
“What happened to the grandmother?” she asked as she reached the crowd.
The old woman was still slowly drinking water, swallowing with difficulty, sip by sip.
Hearing Jiang Zhichun’s question, she stopped drinking and looked up at her, her voice dry and hoarse, saying, “My companion, Ahua, is lost. I’ve been looking for her for many days. Have any of you seen my Ahua?”
Jiang Zhichun immediately said, “Your daughter is missing? You can’t search for her alone; you need to call the police!”
The old woman seemed too tired to explain or correct her further. She just bowed her head again, looking weathered and sorrowful, and continued drinking her water.The receptionist Deng Rong spoke up, lowering her voice both for Xu Miyu and Jiang Zhichun: "I know this elderly lady. She lives alone in the shantytown in front of the building I rent, not far from here. She seems to have no children, no spouse—only a calico cat for company. But her cat was hit by a car a week ago. The neighbors told her, but she refused to believe it, insisting the cat had just run away. She’s been searching for it every day, barely eating or sleeping. At her age, how can her body endure this?"
Jiang Zhichun was deeply moved, her voice softening with melancholy—the kind of tone a kind-hearted girl uses when feeling pity and distress. "The poor granny!" she sighed.
Just then, Ji Feng entered through the lobby doors.
He glanced at the gathered crowd, his expression stern, brows furrowed, and voice cold as he asked, "What’s going on? It’s a mess here."
Before Xu Miyu or anyone else could explain, Jiang Zhichun stepped forward and said to Ji Feng, "This elderly lady fainted outside. I was the one who asked them to bring her in. If this causes any trouble for the hotel, it was my decision—please don’t blame them!"
Her eyes brimmed with selfless kindness, as she eagerly took responsibility for everything.
The others in the lobby glanced at Jiang Zhichun, then at Xu Miyu, hesitating to speak.
The receptionist whispered quietly into Xu Miyu’s ear, "Doesn’t this feel a bit odd? She sounds like she’s taking the fall for us, but why does it seem like she’s claiming credit for the good deed too?"
Although only Xu Miyu could hear her clearly, the murmur of her voice caught Ji Feng’s attention.
He turned to look in their direction. The receptionist immediately shrank back.
Xu Miyu met Ji Feng’s scrutinizing gaze and promptly said, "Don’t worry, Manager Ji, we’ll handle this right away and ensure it doesn’t affect guest reception."
Ji Feng glanced at her, his brow relaxing slightly, no longer as displeased as when he first entered. Looking past the crowd at the elderly lady, he instructed, "If she needs medical care, charge the expenses directly to the hotel account."
After giving the order, he turned to head upstairs, assuming Xue Rui and Jiang Zhichun would follow.
But Jiang Zhichun called out to stop him.
When he looked back, she gazed at him pitifully, smiling like an innocent yet apologetic child while pointing to her leg. "I fell and hurt my leg on the way here... it really, really hurts."
The implication that she couldn’t walk on her own was unmistakable.
She looked at Ji Feng with hopeful eyes, expecting him to stride over in front of everyone, say nothing, and sweep her up into his arms like a princess, carrying her upstairs.
Instead, Ji Feng raised an eyebrow and turned to instruct Xue Rui, "The hotel should have wheelchairs. Go fetch one."
Xue Rui immediately complied. But he soon returned with unfortunate news: "Manager Ji, all the wheelchairs the hotel has are unfortunately borrowed by guests at the moment. There aren’t any available."
At this, Jiang Zhichun’s eyes sparkled, gleaming with a girlish hope.
"The hotel should also have crutches. Go get a pair."
—The next moment, no one expected Ji Feng to give such an instruction to Xue Rui.
Xue Rui quickly returned with the crutches.When Ji Feng helped Jiang Zhichun adjust the crutches under her arms, Xue Rui saw clearly from the side how the girlish sparkle in Jiang Zhichun’s eyes dimmed.
Her silence was laden with grievance. She resented that Ji Feng would rather provide her with a wheelchair or crutches than give her a princess carry.
Xue Rui shook his head inwardly.
This Miss Jiang still didn’t understand Ji Feng well enough.
This man, who appeared arrogant and domineering, had actually never even been in a relationship—what did he know about girlish hearts? Seeing couples holding hands or embracing in public made him cringe so hard it felt like half his life was drained, let alone acts like wall slams or princess carries. In his eyes, these were all nuclear-level cringe.
Miss Jiang’s mistake lay in placing expectations on someone’s sore spot.
Once the crutches were properly adjusted, Jiang Zhichun followed Ji Feng and Xue Rui into the elevator.
Even after the three of them disappeared from view, people in the lobby continued to stare wistfully in the direction they had gone.
Only after confirming they had entered the elevator and wouldn’t make a sudden return did whispers begin to rise.
“Oh my god, even as a woman, I know he should’ve just scooped up the beautiful Miss Jiang right then!”
“Right? But President Ji actually had Assistant Xue fetch a wheelchair? When there wasn’t one, that was heaven giving him an opening, and not only did he not take it, he even had Assistant Xue find a pair of crutches—crutches! Can you believe it?”
“And he really let Miss Jiang walk on her own with those crutches… Help, this is a scene my imagination can’t handle!”
“I really wonder what kind of woman will finally make President Ji understand and unleash the princess carry move.”
This exclamation immediately drew intellectual assessments from others.
“Are you stupid? President Ji and Miss Jiang are visibly well-matched. They’re eighty percent likely to end up together—what chance is there for another woman?”
The person argued defiantly, “That’s not necessarily true. Who knows if a destined woman might appear and suddenly make President Ji understand? Maybe all the things he never did for other women, he’ll do for her one by one, and willingly at that. Ah, just thinking about that direction feels so thrilling!”
Xu Miyu shook her head. “If you spent less time reading romance novels and watching romantic dramas in your free time, you wouldn’t be daydreaming for others in broad daylight. Alright, everyone, disperse and get back to work.”
The crowd scattered. After waiting for the elderly woman to regain some energy, Xu Miyu had someone take her to eat something, charging the bill to her account, and then arranged for her to be sent home.
The most aggrieved moment of Jiang Zhichun’s life was probably walking behind Ji Feng on crutches.
This grievance peaked upon reaching the elevator, turning into something she had to voice.
After the elevator doors closed, Jiang Zhichun looked up at Ji Feng, the corners of her eyes drooping with grievance, her voice soft and pleading: "I really thought you’d carry me or hold me just now." I’m very light, really!Her grievance carried a touch of innocence, making what should have been hard to say aloud suddenly seem blameless no matter how she phrased it.
Any man would have fallen for that innocence and grievance.
Yet Ji Feng remained unmoved, answering matter-of-factly: “It’s inappropriate in public.”
Jiang Zhichun pouted and said nothing more.From the subtle lift of Ji Feng's brow as he spoke, she could tell his impatience was beginning to simmer.
Pushing further would only backfire.
After exiting the elevator, they entered the suite together. Suddenly, Ji Feng glanced at her without a word, but his gaze seemed subtly meaningful.
Jiang Zhichun froze for a moment, unsure what had just happened.
Ji Feng strode ahead and settled onto the sofa.
Xue Rui, trailing behind, lowered his voice helpfully to remind Jiang Zhichun, "Miss Jiang, the leg you're limping on now doesn't seem to be the same one you were limping on earlier in the lobby..."
A thunderous realization struck Jiang Zhichun—a bomb named embarrassment detonated, shattering her composure completely.
No wonder Ji Feng had looked at her like that.
She simply pulled the crutches from under her arms, shoved them at Xue Rui, and then strode briskly toward the sofa, her footsteps tapping confidently until she stopped squarely in front of Ji Feng.
"I admit I lost my mind earlier, thinking I could use a cheap trick to get you to carry me like a princess. I racked my brains but failed miserably, and my acting was awful—not only did I give myself away, but I made a fool of myself. No wonder you didn't fall for it; you probably saw right through my act from the start, didn't you? Fine, I apologize for my silly little scheme! But please, don't mock or criticize me for it—I'm already mortified enough..."
As she spoke, Jiang Zhichun's face flushed so deeply it seemed blood might seep through her pale skin.
Xue Rui watched in silent admiration. This confession took far more guts than her earlier feigned limp.
Sure enough, Ji Feng's expression softened considerably, the subtle look in his eyes fading away.
"If you'd kept up that act with me today, starting tomorrow, I might not have let you come back."
Jiang Zhichun breathed a sigh of relief, blinking as she smiled at Ji Feng. "I hated the lying version of myself just now too—I feel so much better now!"
She tentatively sat down on the sofa beside Ji Feng, looking like an innocent child who'd just misbehaved and was trying to win back an adult's favor.
Ji Feng watched her, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly, his body instinctively wanting to shift away. But in the end, he restrained himself.
Seeing that her move hadn't been rejected, Jiang Zhichun relaxed completely, her happiness unrestrained.
Two days later, when Jiang Zhichun returned, she brought an exceptionally beautiful Ragdoll cat.
After carrying the cat up to the penthouse, even Ji Feng—who generally disliked furry creatures—had to admit that this was a feline capable of causing chaos in the cat world.
Yet he remained indifferent to the stunning cat, his demeanor cool, even wanting to shoo it out of his territory.
"Why bring a cat?" he asked Jiang Zhichun.
Jiang Zhichun nuzzled the cat's back with her cheek and explained to Ji Feng, "Remember the elderly lady who fainted the other day? The one I had them help inside. Well, she's actually quite pitiful—her cat was hit by a car and died, but she couldn't accept it, so she convinced herself the cat was just lost and has been searching everywhere for it. She collapsed from exhaustion while looking. I felt sorry for her, all alone like that, so I spent all day yesterday picking out this perfectly well-behaved cat to give her as a companion."
Her eyes sparkled as she finished, looking like an obedient child awaiting praise.
After listening, Ji Feng raised an eyebrow and glanced at the cat. It resembled its holder—beautiful, languid, and delicate.He didn't praise Jiang Zhichun either. These little romantic exchanges between men and women seemed utterly foolish to him. One person doing something just to seek praise while the other lavished compliments—it made both parties appear rather unintelligent, not to mention unbearably cloying.
He merely responded with a faint "Hmm."
Jiang Zhichun felt slightly disappointed at not receiving the expected praise. She had imagined that Ji Feng would surely compliment her on her kindness, thoughtfulness, or at least acknowledge how remarkable it was for someone from a wealthy family like hers to care about an elderly woman living in poverty.
But she quickly rallied her spirits, holding the cat as she said, "I don't know where the elderly woman lives. I'd like to call Supervisor Xu up now and entrust the cat to her, so she can deliver it to the elderly woman. Is that alright?"
When Ji Feng heard she wanted to summon Xu Miyu upstairs, his eyes flickered briefly, but his tone remained indifferent as he replied, "As you wish."
Jiang Zhichun immediately asked Xue Rui to call Xu Miyu up from the lobby.
Xu Miyu arrived promptly. She observed proper decorum by first greeting Ji Feng with extreme deference, keeping her gaze slightly lowered without directly looking at his face.
Then she turned to greet Jiang Zhichun and Xue Rui.
Ji Feng watched Xu Miyu, slowly narrowing his eyes.
Jiang Zhichun approached Xu Miyu holding the cat, explaining that it was meant to be a companion for the elderly woman.
Xu Miyu was taken aback.
The cat had eyes as blue as the ocean and glossy fur—clearly an expensive, high-quality breed. Such a cat belonged in the arms of a young mistress to be pampered, not as a companion for a poor elderly woman.
While Xu Miyu was still pondering this, Jiang Zhichun nearly finalized the arrangement: "So it's settled then, Supervisor Xu? When you finish work today, please help me deliver the cat to the elderly woman. With this cat as company tonight, she'll surely sleep well!"
Xu Miyu hesitated before saying, "Miss Jiang..."
Jiang Zhichun interrupted with a sweet, cheerful smile: "Are you trying to thank me on behalf of the elderly woman? There's no need to be so polite. I'm genuinely happy to be able to do something for her."
Xu Miyu paused in surprise. That wasn't what she meant to say at all...
"Miss Jiang..."
She was interrupted again by Jiang Zhichun: "Oh right, I haven't told you about the cat's health condition, have I? Please assure the elderly woman that this cat has an absolutely gentle temperament. I also took it for vaccinations yesterday—it's completely free of germs or diseases, a perfectly healthy and beautiful little darling!"
After being repeatedly interrupted, Xu Miyu couldn't help feeling amused despite her frustration.
"Miss Jiang," she said decisively this time, not giving Jiang Zhichun another chance to interrupt or perform, "Actually, after work yesterday, I went with two other colleagues to an animal rescue center. We've already adopted a kitten and delivered it to the elderly woman. So regarding yours..."
She barely paused to catch her breath before Jiang Zhichun cut in again.
"What? You already gave the elderly woman a cat yesterday? But... how could a rescued stray compare to the sweetness and charm of a Ragdoll cat?"
She insisted that Xu Miyu take the Ragdoll to the elderly woman: "After all, this represents my sincere intentions. I visited so many catteries yesterday just to select a beautiful cat that the elderly woman would love at first sight."Xu Miyu didn't want to linger here over trivial matters for too long. There was still a pile of work waiting for her downstairs in the lobby. That was her actual job responsibility. Staying here to help the boss coax a young girl was certainly not.
So she bluntly told Jiang Zhichun: "Miss Jiang, although the ragdoll cat is beautiful and adorable, it really isn't suitable for the elderly woman to keep. She can't afford to raise such an expensive cat."
A childlike clarity and innocence appeared on Jiang Zhichun's face as she asked in confusion: "How could the elderly woman not be able to afford to keep a cat?"
Xu Miyu explained to her: "Because she can't afford cat food."
Jiang Zhichun immediately widened her eyes in surprise: "Can't afford cat food? Then what would she feed the cat? Don't all cats eat cat food?"
Xu Miyu told her: "In rural areas, cats are usually fed leftover rice, plain congee, steamed buns, and some cheap small fish. Although the elderly woman lives in the city, it's in an urban village, and her way of keeping cats is the same as in rural areas."
Jiang Zhichun was shocked: "Heavens, how could you feed cats such things? The cat would be malnourished! No matter how difficult her situation is... surely she wouldn't lack money for cat food?"
Xu Miyu sighed and said: "The elderly woman is from a disadvantaged household. It's already hard enough for her to support herself. She really does lack the money for cat food."
Jiang Zhichun was even more astonished: "How is this possible? It's already the 21st century! How could someone not even be able to afford cat food?" Seeing that no one agreed with her, she had to calm down and say, "Well then, even if the elderly woman can't afford cat food, it's fine. I'll sponsor her!"
Xu Miyu sighed again, no longer wanting to continue the conversation.
What the elderly woman needed was a sturdy little cat for companionship, not an adorable but delicate little master that required careful attention for everything from litter cleaning, grooming, feeding to bathing.
It seemed somewhat difficult to make a wealthy young lady who didn't really understand how poor people live comprehend this matter, so she chose to give up.
Ji Feng spoke up at this point, and Xu Miyu actually felt like he was helping her out of an awkward situation.
"Forget it. Since the elderly woman already has a cat, just take the one you brought home and raise it yourself," Ji Feng said to Jiang Zhichun.
Jiang Zhichun turned to look at Ji Feng and softly said "Oh."
Besides being obedient, there was also a pitiful quality of submitting to circumstances about her.
However, Ji Feng's straight male tendencies kicked in, ignoring that the girl needed some comfort at this moment. He just turned his wrist to check his watch, then said to Jiang Zhichun: "I need to take Xue Rui out for a meeting later. I'll leave the driver for you. You can have lunch here and then have the driver take you home."
Jiang Zhichun said "Oh" again and replied "Okay."
Then, while Xue Rui was organizing his document bag, she carried the cat over to Ji Feng and said softly to him: "It's really adorable, truly! Pet it - it's very therapeutic!"
As she spoke, she lifted the cat toward Ji Feng.
Ji Feng looked down at the cat being offered to him and frowned.
He really didn't like these little creatures like cats and dogs.
The cat seemed to sense his dislike too, and immediately retaliated with a paw swipe - taking advantage of when no one expected it would scratch, the kitten suddenly extended its little paw and swiped at Ji Feng's hand.
Jiang Zhichun was so frightened that she loosened her grip and released the cat. The cat jumped to the ground and began grooming itself as if nothing had happened.After letting go of the cat, Jiang Zhichun immediately grabbed Ji Feng's hand, turning it over and over while examining it anxiously. "Are you scratched? Oh my, why did that naughty cat suddenly become so disobedient? It's driving me crazy! Did it hurt you at all?"
Surprisingly, Ji Feng showed unusual patience, allowing her to inspect his hand while responding, "I'm not hurt."
But only Xue Rui could tell that his reply to Jiang Zhichun was actually quite perfunctory.
Xue Rui glanced at Ji Feng, further confirming his suspicion—from earlier until now, Ji Feng's gaze had been consistently directed toward Xu Miyu.
Xu Miyu sharply drew in a breath when the cat reached out to swipe at Ji Feng.
She realized she seemed deeply afraid that Ji Feng might get hurt. But why she felt such fear, she stopped herself from pondering.
Then she saw Jiang Zhichun grabbing his hand, repeatedly turning it over to examine it.
Somehow, she suddenly recalled the first time she had accidentally grabbed Ji Feng’s sleeve. Back then, he was far from as gentle and calm as he was now—she remembered clearly how he had looked at her with anger and resistance, as if he had been touched by something filthy. He had coldly snapped at her, demanding, “Who gave you permission to touch me?”
But now, with Miss Jiang’s touch, he seemed to relish it.
She forbade herself from letting a certain feeling expand in her heart and restrained herself from overthinking.
Lifting her gaze, she noticed Ji Feng looking at her. She quickly smiled, then bowed respectfully to him, saying she would take her leave if there was nothing else, before turning to go.
Ji Feng watched Xu Miyu’s retreating figure and frowned again.
From the moment she had appeared in the suite today, his attention had seemed to drift subtly around her.
He kept feeling as if she now had two personalities: one was a dutiful employee, polite and sensible to an almost rigid degree; the other was the sensual woman from the bar that night—unrestrained, lively, and intriguing.
But outside that bar, she had tightly concealed her other personality.
So whenever she reappeared before him, he always wanted to see through her rigid, proper persona, to glimpse when the unrestrained personality from the “Night Encounter” might slip out.
Yet she showed almost no cracks, making him almost doubt whether the woman who had drunk with him that night was another person also named Xu Miyu.
Ji Feng watched Xu Miyu’s departing figure disappear, then snapped back to attention.
Looking down, he noticed Jiang Zhichun still holding his hand, turning it over and over to inspect it.
He immediately withdrew his hand.
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