Chapter 64

Chapter 64 Rose x Kiss

The two looked at each other for a while. Seeing that Jiang Ji didn’t seem abnormal, Ji Mingzhu spoke first, “Jiang Ji… what were you looking at on your phone just now?”

“Nothing.”

“…Is that so?” Ji Mingzhu nodded suspiciously.

Seeing that he didn’t look like he wanted to settle accounts, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Ji Mingzhu tapped into that group and discovered that Jiang Ji and she had almost been pulled into the group at the same time.

Which meant he was already in the group.

But—

She had withdrawn her message quickly.

While marveling at her own hand speed, Ji Mingzhu glanced at Jiang Ji’s phone screen. The page he was on indeed didn’t look like WeChat.

“Jiang Ji, you’re the best.” After confirming that Jiang Ji hadn’t seen it, she said this with a smile.

Ji Mingzhu rarely flattered people — a typical after-the-fact player.

“Oh? Then tell me, what’s good about me.” Jiang Ji placed his phone aside and looked back at her.

Could she tell the truth? Because he hadn’t seen it, that’s why he was good.

But obviously she couldn’t say that.

Then she thought — even if Jiang Ji had seen it, so what?

She was only following in his “footsteps,” wanting to return the favor. That was called an eye for an eye, using his own method against him!

Thinking this, her arrogance surged.

Ji Mingzhu didn’t plan to hide it anymore. “Jiang Ji, if you see any angry words coming from me, even if you’re mad, you have to silently endure it. When this happens, you can only swallow it.”

Jiang Ji looked at her, raising his eyebrow slightly.

He was waiting for her next sentence.

Ji Mingzhu rolled twice in the bedding, stopping a little distance from him. Holding her face with both hands, she smiled like a little demon. “So I want to tell you — what’s good about you is… you can role-play as that kind of aggrieved little wife.”

After all, Jiang Ji always responded to her requests. So what if he saw it! Even if he saw it, he’d have to swallow his anger!

Yes, tonight Ji Mingzhu was willing to be that ruthless heartless woman!

“So what did you do? You’re talking so much today.” Jiang Ji focused on her, his tone slow, as if deliberately throwing out bait. Ji Mingzhu simply thought he was being his usual self and didn’t examine the meaning.

Hearing this, her two slender legs swinging in the air paused. “…When am I ever not talkative?”

“You talked very little just now.”

“…………” Just now?

Ji Mingzhu thought back. At that time she had been “punished” so much she could only make overlapping sounds from her throat — single syllables of humming and moaning. How could she talk?

She glared at him somewhat irritably, lifted the blanket without mercy, and slapped his leg with force, making a fairly loud sound. “Move over a bit, you’re squeezing me off the bed.”

“When you’re with me, when have you ever gotten off the bed?”

Jiang Ji replied calmly, though he still shifted aside as she asked.

Ji Mingzhu: ?

Why did that sound ambiguous?

After Jiang Ji moved, Ji Mingzhu directly rested her head on his legs and picked up her phone.

Tonight was destined to be long; she wasn’t sleepy at all.

Jiang Ji sat half-reclined against the headboard. While Ji Mingzhu focused on her phone, he played with her black hair quietly without disturbing her.

Because of that small incident just now, not only did the parents’ group explode, the relatives-and-friends group also exploded.

Lian Tang and Xiao Yi privately messaged her, eager to find out what exactly had happened between the two of them. Lin Manxi followed closely behind.

Ji Mingzhu deliberately spoke vaguely, finding a flimsy excuse to take the blame, and only then did she barely survive the ordeal.

There were too many messages bombing WeChat, so Ji Mingzhu briefly replied to a few people and opened Weibo to check notifications.

Two days ago, she had uploaded the carefully edited Switzerland vlog to Weibo and other major social platforms.

This episode had been delayed for quite a while due to various real-life matters, but that didn’t affect the perfection of the final product.

Switzerland, as the filming location, was overwhelmingly beautiful, so not many filters were needed. Ji Mingzhu used almost original footage. Besides that, she used self-created brush simple drawings for the first time — compared to previously purchased paid materials, it was a fresh and bold attempt.

As each frame of scenery appeared, the simple drawings outlined a figure — clearly a girl. At the end of the video, beneath the pine-covered mountains under a sky of snow, another figure appeared. The two leaned closely together, chasing each other.

The response the night the video was posted was very good; it directly reached first place. But since it was newly released, the first day’s heat accumulation made it easier to hit the daily rankings.

Ji Mingzhu wasn’t surprised by such results. Almost every episode ranked in the top three. In today’s era of heavy internet traffic, standing out among thousands of daily uploads was already not easy.

But tonight, when Ji Mingzhu logged into Weibo again, she received even more surprises. This video’s popularity was higher than before.

Even high popularity usually peaks and then declines — previous episodes followed this pattern. As views decreased, rankings would drop; that was normal.

But after logging in, comments, reposts, and private messages had doubled. The ranking firmly held first place, far ahead of second.

If she guessed correctly, it was because of high quality; it was shared to more homepages, and traffic came naturally.

As comments exploded, fan activity pushed discussion volume higher.

— After much waiting, Little Pearl finally produced something!

— Wow, I finished watching it. It’s amazing, thoughtful and beautiful. Worth the wait!

— New here, checking in. Can I say I’m addicted? After watching this Switzerland vlog, I stayed up all night and watched all the blogger’s videos! [laugh-cry.jpg]

— Same here, I love it so much. Also, can I ask about the boy-and-girl simple drawing materials? Where can I find them? I want to make one for me and my boyfriend.

— Look carefully at Pearl’s caption. As an old fan, let me explain: she used to buy expensive materials, usually used once and discarded. This time she said she drew them herself, so you probably can’t find them. [dog-head.jpg]

— It feels so good. Switzerland’s isolated tranquility is so desirable. The blogger really knows how to shoot and find details. Also praise for the handmade drawings.

— I checked old posts. The boy in this Switzerland trip should be the one who gave roses, right? The blogger didn’t describe much, but imagining it feels so sweet. I’m jealous! What’s their relationship?

Ji Mingzhu saw this newly topped hot comment and directly liked it.

As for what relationship…

It must be f— The word hadn’t fully surfaced before Ji Mingzhu pushed it back.

She raised her head to look at Jiang Ji, but due to the awkward angle, she couldn’t.

Ji Mingzhu only wanted to say — of course they were lovers.

“What are you moving around for?” Jiang Ji finally spoke when he saw her twisting.

Men’s strength was greater. Jiang Ji easily pulled her closer.

He leaned near Ji Mingzhu’s ear and said something in a low voice, successfully provoking her retaliation.

She sat sideways in front of him, grabbing his neck with both hands, threatening, “If you keep talking dirty, don’t blame me for being rude!”

“Alright, sleep early.” Jiang Ji treated it as play, easily moving her slender arms aside. “You still have to go to the company tomorrow. If this continues, can you even get up?”

“I’m not sleepy now.” Ji Mingzhu struggled with him. “Besides, won’t you wake me up?”

When Jiang Ji stayed at Park Hyatt, the two always left together the next morning.

So when Ji Mingzhu said this, she sounded quite unrestrained.

“You’re sure you want me to wake you up?”

“What else?”

After saying that, several scenes of how Jiang Ji “woke” her in the mornings flashed in Ji Mingzhu’s mind.

Forget it, just pretend she didn’t say anything :)

…

Days kept moving on, everything just right.

Yin City shook off the tail of late winter. As early spring quietly emerged, tender branches sprouted and stretched upward. When the temperature warmed, people finally welcomed a gentle season — spring, when everything revived and grasses grew while orioles flew.

Logically, this season was most suitable for gatherings and outings, but for Jiang Ji, it was the busy beginning of a new year after year-end.

The entire group needed to calculate last year’s lists, and at the same time look toward the future, making new year reports and plans.

The two men around Ji Mingzhu were both busy and couldn’t spare time.

Ji Shaoyan had also flown to Switzerland some time ago, probably for vacation, but returned after a few days. After coming back, he was often nowhere to be seen, mysterious. If not for her dear father recently having all gossip disappear, Ji Mingzhu would suspect he was up to something.

Jiang Ji now had normal weekends off, but couldn’t take consecutive days of leave. Therefore, some of Ji Mingzhu’s planned dates fell through.

Another weekend — Jiang Ji was still at the company.

Ji Mingzhu finished a yoga class on Lisha Avenue, said goodbye to Liu Xi, and happened to receive an invitation from Lian Tang. The two went to stroll around the mall.

“Little Eight, who was that just now? She’s so pretty.” Lian Tang had been waiting nearby, so she saw Liu Xi when Ji Mingzhu appeared.

Ji Mingzhu followed her surprise. “That’s my yoga teacher.”

“Oh, I see. From behind, you two looked alike. I almost mistook her.” Lian Tang even glanced back into the club, though it was already empty.

“…Alike? I’ll take that as you complimenting me.” Ji Mingzhu linked arms with her. They hadn’t met for a long time.

She had been busy with her “raising chicken” career, inevitably getting pecked, so she neglected Lian Tang.

Meanwhile, Lian Tang had also been busy. Their meeting had been delayed for quite a while.

This reunion wasn’t easy. The two swept through various counters’ new items and went to eat together.

Just as they were about to head back, Lian Tang received a call from Xiao Yi, chatted briefly, then hung up.

“Little Eight, want to go to Golden Tripod?” Lian Tang put away her phone. “Xiao Yi said he booked a private room there and wants us to come play.”

“Are you sure?” Ji Mingzhu checked the time. “Going to Golden Tripod this late?”

And…

Since it was Xiao Yi’s gathering again, Ji Mingzhu wasn’t interested.

Was she supposed to go admire a bunch of big waves?

“No way, it’s not even that late.” Lian Tang was surprised. “Did Jiang Ji trick you into signing some contract when you lived together? Like a curfew?”

No curfew, but there was a bit of “selling herself” feeling!

Only, that “self” probably belonged to both Ji Mingzhu and Jiang Ji.

But thinking about going to a private room, Ji Mingzhu felt bored. She waved her hand, wanting to refuse.

Seeing her “negative” attitude, Lian Tang leaned in. “At least come drink. You should relax.”

That caught Ji Mingzhu’s interest.

“…Drink?”

“Yeah, Golden Tripod has lots of alcohol. Come on.” Lian Tang kept persuading.

Jiang Ji was still at Jiang Corporation tonight — he couldn’t see or reach her anyway.

Ji Mingzhu thought for a moment and decided, “Alright.”

…

Inside the Golden Tripod suite, lights blurred and intoxicating. The air was filled with the mixed scent of alcohol and perfume.

However, in this situation, the two groups were clearly distinct.

One group was playing cards and joking around, while the other group sitting on one side of the sofa…

The fox-friends Xiao Yi had called over weren’t very familiar with Ji Mingzhu and Lian Tang. Having received Xiao Yi’s instructions, they tactfully didn’t come near the two of them.

Looking at the two “ancestors” in front of him, Xiao Yi somewhat regretted his own initiative.

He almost couldn’t keep face. “Hey, you two did this on purpose? Coming to a bar… to drink red wine??!!”

“None of your business. If it exists, it’s reasonable.” Lian Tang glared back, then hiccupped. “Little Eight… likes it, that’s enough! Hic!”

Ji Mingzhu kept sipping elegantly, her whole body languid, a delicate smile at the corner of her lips, her gaze fixed somewhere, unclear whether she was sober.

Xiao Yi sighed, resignedly turned around, and took out his phone to make a call.

…

When Jiang Ji arrived, Ji Mingzhu was smiling brightly at the bar’s attendant.

The private room was dim; people were almost indistinguishable.

Xiao Yi noticed him and pointed. “You finally came.”

He continued, “Let’s say this in advance, this can’t—”

Before he finished, Jiang Ji glanced at him indifferently, successfully shutting him up.

As Jiang Ji strode over, the girl’s voice carried tipsy softness as she spoke to the attendant, “Help me screw the bottle cap on.”

The attendant looked young. He only secretly glanced at her. Though surprised by Ji Mingzhu’s beauty, he didn’t dare cross any line.

Ji Mingzhu kept muttering to herself—

“Eh… why can’t I twist it on?”

What she held was a wine glass. What bottle cap?

Jiang Ji found it both irritating and amusing.

When he walked up to her, the blocked light made Ji Mingzhu slowly raise her head. When her gaze reached him, she paused for a while before smiling.

“President Jiang? …You came to pick me up!”

Jiang Ji didn’t say extra nonsense. He bent slightly and, under the astonished gaze of the attendant, directly lifted Ji Mingzhu horizontally, saying to Xiao Yi, “We’re leaving first.”

After getting permission, Jiang Ji walked forward and soon reached the car parked outside.

Ji Mingzhu had been hooking her arms around his neck, still trying to persuade him to help screw her bottle cap on. Before she finished speaking, Jiang Ji set her down.

In the dizzying motion, Ji Mingzhu was pressed against the dark car body.

Jiang Ji leaned over, restraining her. “Drunk?”

“…Ah…”

“Who were you talking to so happily just now?” Jiang Ji leaned closer.

Ji Mingzhu’s back pressed against the car; the shell was icy, carrying the chill of a spring night. Goosebumps rose instantly. She shrank from the cold. In her view, Jiang Ji looked calm, yet like a storm was coming.

But Ji Mingzhu didn’t care. Her mind was washed by alcohol; only one person remained. She grabbed his tie and tugged it.

“Tell me yourself, how should I punish you?” Jiang Ji lowered his eyes; his lashes brushed her cheek like little brushes.

Ji Mingzhu ignored him, still playing with his tie.

Truthfully, the chilly night wind made her feel comfortable. She didn’t listen to his words at all, automatically filtering them out.

“What punishment? Jiang Ji, you know what? You’re like a mosquito right now, so annoying.” Ji Mingzhu’s peach-blossom eyes were still moist, now veiled.

“Ji Mingzhu,” he said.

When Jiang Ji called her full name, things were never good.

So, like an automatic response under stress, Ji Mingzhu answered crisply, “What? I heard you.”

After that, naturally, like before, she rubbed into his arms.

Only this time, there was also the intention to avoid the car behind her.

However, Jiang Ji didn’t let her have her way. With just a light movement of his slender hand, he restrained her.

Under the dark night curtain, his voice was pressed low. “Either confess honestly, or I’ll do you right here. Choose one.”

Author’s note: 【Mini Theater】:

Piggy: [hehe again]

Chicken: [cold again]

Piggy: [offers the tie to be used for tying]

It’s here! This chapter will draw 66 twenty-five-word red envelopes! Thanks to the little angels who threw overlord tickets or irrigated nutrient solution between 2020-03-11 02:01:03 ~ 2020-03-12 02:27:19~

Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Sweet Pot Ye Qian 2; Wutong Qiao Tree, Wang Zai Zai, Thin Cool Faint Light Youth Time 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Yi Gu Yu 20 bottles; Mu Family Little Youth 18 bottles; Six Yuan One Jin Shrimp Dumplings, Fool Miss. 10 bottles; doen 6 bottles; A Meow Meow, panda Meow Seven, Wild Chicken Ridge Huang Cuihua, Adding Flowers to Brocade 5 bottles; Ke Da Bu Da Duck, Cherry Snow, Great Sage Big Head Qi Tian 4 bottles; Xiao Xiao Ban Horse Neighs, Di Shengsheng’s Big Fan 2 bottles; aili, 21246194, Jing Jing Jing Jing, Wife of Shan P, Super Loves Eating Peaches Rui’er, Old Wine Hard to Warm., ellana 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for everyone’s support, I will continue to work hard!