Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Rose x Kiss

At the end of October, Yin City stepped into early winter.

The cold wave had not yet fully soaked into the season; the stifling chill seemed wrapped in a layer of sugar glaze, congealed on the road surface, impossible to melt.

Outside, the biting cool pressed in, but the commercial district extending from Champs-Élysées Avenue in Central Street was warm like spring, like the beginning of all four seasons.

The enormous floor-to-ceiling windows inlaid with tiny pieces of gold foil gathered the light from top to bottom, stretching across the entire street—

This was the city center of Yin City.

On the dark red, soft carpet, the sound of the shop assistants’ high heels continued endlessly.

The store manager walked forward and spoke to ask.

—Miss Ji, the pair of cufflinks you took a liking to last time has already been reserved in advance for you. The shipment just arrived today. Would you like me to bring it over for you to take a look now?

Ji Mingzhu had been sitting on the soft sofa playing with her phone. Before this, she had shaken her head without even lifting her eyes, but upon hearing this sentence, her expression finally shifted slightly.

...Cufflinks?

When had she ordered cufflinks?

Ji Mingzhu hesitated for a moment, but still told the store manager to bring them over.

Immediately afterward, her phone beeped.

Ji Mingzhu casually slid open the screen. The caller ID showed Ji Shaoyan.

“Mingzhu, still shopping?”

“Mm.”

Ji Mingzhu switched to the call interface while looking at the comments on Weibo. She had just uploaded a video recording her daily life.

“Did you get the cufflinks?”

At the mention of the cufflinks—

“Dad, was that ordered by you?”

“You and Jiang Ji’s new life in your new home—I should at least send a gift to show it. You can pick whatever style of clothes you want yourself. As for those cufflinks, give them to him personally in your own name.”

In her name, and she had to personally give them to Jiang Ji.

Ji Mingzhu paused. “I…”

“Alright, baby, don’t throw a little temper at me.” Ji Shaoyan interrupted her, then continued, “Pick out the clothes you’ll wear to the reception today. I’ll have Jiang Ji come pick you up in a bit.”

Ji Shaoyan hung up as he spoke, directly strangling her chance to respond in the cradle.

…

Ji Mingzhu stared at the ended call interface, tossed the phone aside casually, and curled back into the sofa.

The reception Ji Shaoyan mentioned would take place a few days later. It had quite a background—it was a full-month banquet hosted by the prestigious Song family of Yin City. The great-grandson generation of the Song family had welcomed children, and they were a pair of twins, one boy and one girl. Not only was it perfect, but the symbolism was also very good.

With such an invitation delivered, even if Ji Mingzhu didn’t want to attend, she was still forced by her dear father.

Though named a full-month banquet, it could actually be called a small-scale elite evening gathering, bringing together the prominent families of Yin City.

By then, not only would she go, Jiang Ji would probably go as well.

Ji Shaoyan usually spoiled her, but this time his attitude was particularly firm. Ignoring her wishes, he had the driver bring her to Lise Avenue to prepare for the upcoming reception.

He brought her here today, and then asked Jiang Ji to pick her up later—her biological father’s calculations were truly loud and clear.

“Mingzhu?”

“…Zhu Zhu?”

“…Little Eight!”

—The suddenly raised three syllables instantly pulled Ji Mingzhu back from the world of contemplation she had been in just now.

Ji Mingzhu was born on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month at the Xu hour. Such an auspicious birth time, naturally bringing good fortune, became the origin of Ji Mingzhu’s childhood nickname.

Over time, people in their circle also called her that.

Ji Mingzhu raised her head and looked toward the source of the voice.

Lian Tang had already tried on her clothes and strode over in a few steps, stopping in front of Ji Mingzhu.

“What do you think of this outfit?”

Ji Mingzhu raised her brows and glanced at it, slowly flipping through a fashion magazine in her hand, bending her waist slightly as she responded, “Pretty good.”

As soon as she had entered the store earlier, Lian Tang had peeked outside, then instantly disappeared, saying she was going to pursue true love. Now that she suddenly reappeared, who knew whether her love had turned real or not.

Lian Tang heard the perfunctory tone in her voice and sat down beside her, intertwining both hands into the crook of Ji Mingzhu’s arm. “You’re being perfunctory with me!”

“Where?”

“Forget being perfunctory—look at your low-pressure mood. Who annoyed you?”

Lian Tang straightened her waist, let go of Ji Mingzhu’s hand, and continued, “You both went abroad. Jiang Ji came back gilded with a thick layer of gold. As for you, did studying outside make you stupid?”

Ji Mingzhu had gone abroad before graduating high school and only returned after finishing graduate school. The two met today here on Lise Avenue; in fact, it hadn’t been long since she returned to the country.

Lian Tang’s words hit the sore spot. Ji Mingzhu’s fingertips immediately paused on a page of the magazine, and she lifted her eyes. “My dad told Jiang Ji to pick me up, so I’ll hitch your ride later.”

“I… didn’t drive here!” Lian Tang responded loudly, drawing the nearby shop assistants to poke their heads out and look.

She subconsciously covered her mouth and lowered her head slightly, making a very ladylike gesture.

“I know you didn’t drive, but I saw you get out of a car.” Ji Mingzhu directly exposed her. “Don’t tell me after a few years apart, your family driver even sold the license plate?”

The two hadn’t arrived together; Lian Tang came slightly later than Ji Mingzhu.

“Oh…” Thinking of Ji Shaoyan’s instructions, Lian Tang felt secretly dispirited. After a moment she reluctantly replied, “That works too.”

Ji Mingzhu didn’t think much about the oddness in her tone, only hearing Lian Tang mutter softly, “I shouldn’t have come today under Uncle’s orders to suppress you. Every time I get countered, I still need to save face!”

“Suppress me?” Ji Mingzhu caught her small complaint and only laughed lightly. She raised her index finger and waved it left and right, then directly poked Lian Tang’s puffed cheek. “You’ll probably need a few more years of training.”

Her voice was slow, like resting among spring branches and autumn apricots, bright and charming.

When Lian Tang had rushed over earlier, she got off the car outside.

The traffic flowed noisily. Through the large floor-to-ceiling window, she saw Ji Mingzhu reclining on a lounge chair, like a living painting of a beauty.

At that time the night was hazy, deliberately blurring a person’s beauty a little.

Now the indoor lights were bright, and everything within sight became instantly clear.

The crystal glass on the ceiling reflected faint glimmers from the chandelier core, and also reflected Ji Mingzhu’s face.

Soft and alluring, bright and gorgeous.

Vermilion lips and white teeth.

Her peach-blossom eyes tilted upward at the corners, the ends tinted with faint peach-pink, extremely captivating.

Lian Tang’s gaze paused at the porcelain-white, delicate collarbone for a few seconds.

Ji Mingzhu had just tried on a strapless, waist-cinched short evening dress. Pure white, yet her black hair was jet-dark, long curls reaching her waist. The contrast made the minimalist style forcibly take on the aura of a beauty who could bring disaster.

This woman was seducing people invisibly again!

“If I were a man, I’d keep ten of you.” Lian Tang leaned closer, unceremoniously rubbing here and pinching there.

Ji Mingzhu reacted quickly and stopped her movements, with a hint of frustration at iron not becoming steel. “You… can’t you have a little ambition?!”

Lian Tang laughed into her ear. “Nope.”

As she spoke, she casually shifted her gaze and looked at the magazine in Ji Mingzhu’s hand.

“You’ve been living with Jiang Ji for a while—didn’t any sparks fly?”

Ji Mingzhu threw her a look that said, “Do you even need to ask?”

“He’s at least your fiancé. Can’t your little spring heart ripple a bit?” Lian Tang said, reaching her fingertip up and pressing down on the page Ji Mingzhu hadn’t turned yet. “Here, take a few more looks.”

Ji Mingzhu’s gaze slid downward.

The magazine had stopped on a page that happened to be introducing the Jiang Group’s recent large-scale business expansion, part of which involved the fashion circle, with a photo attached in the center.

The focus was precise and the image quality clear, showing unmistakably that this was at the celebration banquet after the acquisition.

And the one surrounded in the middle, like stars holding up the moon, had a tall and slender figure, sharp bones, his suit appearing crisp and well-structured. He stood at a slight angle to the camera, revealing half of a jade-like side profile. His chin was slightly lifted, his outline smooth.

Ji Mingzhu had only been flipping casually just now and hadn’t expected to coincidentally land on this page.

Only…

The magazines here updated quite quickly; after all, this had only happened a few days ago.

Suddenly remembering Ji Shaoyan telling Jiang Ji to pick her up, Ji Mingzhu neatly closed the magazine and said to Lian Tang, “Do you still have clothes to try? If not, let’s go now.”

…

Leaving Lise Avenue, outside was an ink-like deep black. The clouds pressed down, wrapping the street’s dazzling prosperity.

Lian Tang tugged Ji Mingzhu and suggested, “How about letting your guy give us a ride? My family car is old and can’t take much tossing around.”

The streetlights by the roadside were dim. Ji Mingzhu didn’t raise her head; her face was hidden in the faint yellow glow. Her curled eyelashes, under the spilling light, cast a small shadow on her eyelids.

She didn’t respond.

At a glance, she clearly hadn’t been listening.

Lian Tang glanced over. Ji Mingzhu’s delicate fingers were still moving across the phone screen, sketching and tapping, with no sign of stopping. Curiosity immediately rose, and Lian Tang leaned over to look.

On the screen was the mobile version of a certain editing software, showing she was in the middle of editing—images plus text stacked densely.

Ji Mingzhu was testing video effects, oblivious to everything else.

“Did you even hear what I said?” Lian Tang urged when she saw her still racing against time with this.

“Mm, yeah.”

Ji Mingzhu answered lightly.

“…”

Sensing Lian Tang’s brief silence, Ji Mingzhu finally raised her head from the phone screen.

“I was listening. You said you wanted to send me back. If you didn’t personally send me, your heart wouldn’t be at ease.”

Lian Tang pinched her. “And you say you were listening! Who’s sending you back? I said you go back with Jiang Ji tonight. I’m creating an opportunity for you. I won’t take this free ride—I'll just help you hail the car.”

Ji Mingzhu decisively pressed off her phone screen, looked over, and crossed her arms. “No thanks. I don’t want any opportunity at all.”

Waiting here dryly just to hitch a ride—and Jiang Ji’s ride at that.

Was she crazy!

Lian Tang snorted. “You’re going to get married eventually. You should at least cultivate some feelings. When I went to your place a few days ago, it was empty. I felt lonely for you.”

Ji Mingzhu flicked her long curls. “Hearing that, why do I feel like you’re lonelier than me?”

Lian Tang was just about to lightly teach this girl a lesson when headlights from afar shone over, making them squint.

French plane trees stood on both sides, branches interlacing in rows.

A car slowly drove along the asphalt road, crushing the layered tree shadows on the ground.

Without even looking at the model, Lian Tang first saw the license plate.

jj8888

Simple, yet a symbolic nameplate of a different status.

“He’s here, he’s here. Tonight you two will return to your love nest together and build a world for two~~”

It came without any effort, no need to argue for long. Lian Tang smiled and stretched out her hand, waving toward the other end of the road.

She felt she had completed the task Uncle Ji gave her; it was time to retire after success.

Ji Mingzhu also saw that shiny license plate and hurried forward, trying to stop her. “Hey—!”

At this moment Lian Tang was like a sly earthworm, impossible to catch no matter how hard she tried, her movements extremely agile.

In the gap while the two were entangled, the headlights illuminated the nearby road as the car moved forward.

A black stretched Bentley drove over unhurriedly, slowly approaching, then stopped beside them.

The rear window rolled down slowly, revealing Jiang Ji’s cold, jade-like face.

His gaze fell over.

—“Get in.”