Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Rose x Kiss

After hearing Jiang Ji’s words, Ji Mingzhu lowered her head to look at the little robot at her feet, then raised her head again to look at his face.

Though his words sounded sincere, Jiang Ji’s expression was cold as frost, without a trace of warmth.

She stepped back two paces, leaning against the side of the dining table, and pointed clearly at the smart robot. “This is what you call currying favor?”

Looking back a few years and forward into the future, within eight hundred li, she probably wouldn’t find anything like this—“currying favor.”

And judging from Jiang Ji’s attitude, it was as if he was just short of making her open her arms and shout, “I accept your goodwill!”

Ji Mingzhu hadn’t expected Jiang Ji to still remember last night’s matter. Thinking about it now, he must be feeling guilty.

Offering courtesy for no reason—especially courtesy to her.

“You can accept it, or you can refuse it. Standing you up yesterday was my fault.” After speaking, Jiang Ji’s well-defined hand rested at his Adam’s apple.

His fingers were long and slender; the tendons at the base of his thumb were sharp and clean, like porcelain glazed in ivory.

Under Ji Mingzhu’s gaze, Jiang Ji seemed unaware. Not only did he not stop, he instead removed his coat and neatly began untying his tie.

Ji Mingzhu watched his shirt collar loosen slightly; her voice lost some confidence. “Jiang Ji… broad daylight… what are you doing?”

“Taking off my clothes.” His tone softened slightly, yet he showed no sense of being questioned, still doing as he pleased.

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Ji undid another button.

The view inside the shirt became visible.

Below his broad shoulders were half-hidden jade-like collarbones.

Seeing him step forward, Ji Mingzhu instinctively leaned back. But she had already been leaning against the table; now she had nowhere to retreat. The hollow behind her knees pressed against the marble table leg.

She was forced to raise her eyes and meet his gaze.

In a rush, she blurted out, following his earlier topic, “Then why are you taking off your clothes?”

Before Jiang Ji could answer, Tomi, who had been silent nearby, spoke—

【Close-range contact detected. Master and mistress intimacy level has surged to 80 points. Please keep up the good work~】

Unlike its earlier coquettish tone, the little robot now sounded more like a formulaic report.

What close-range contact. What intimacy surge.

Has this thing become sentient?!

Jiang Ji stepped close to Ji Mingzhu, bracing both hands on either side of her and bending slightly, his dark eyes locking onto her.

“What else do you think I could be doing.”

Different from their previous contact, what Ji Mingzhu felt was the scent on him, like after snow clears—clean and crisp.

Warmth brushed past the tip of her nose.

After speaking, Jiang Ji turned and walked toward his bedroom, voice calm. “I’m going to shower. I’ll leave Tomi to you.”

He had only returned from Jiang Corporation near dawn and hadn’t gone to his room yet. Jiang Ji was also an extreme clean freak, demanding absolute simplicity in everything.

Going to wash at this time was perfectly normal.

When Ji Mingzhu came back to her senses, all she saw was Jiang Ji’s tall back. Soon that figure disappeared down the corridor.

She lowered her head to look at the little robot by her leg. Tomi spun in place, making cheerful sounds—

【Mistress, it’s an honor to serve you. Would you like me to play a song ‘Are You Happy’ now?】

Ji Mingzhu: ………

Where exactly did it see that she was happy.

…

After finishing breakfast, Ji Mingzhu returned to her room, completely ignoring whatever happened to Jiang Ji afterward.

And that Tomi, after hearing Jiang Ji’s instructions, didn’t leave her for even half a moment, following closely behind her.

This little tagalong seemed able to understand human speech; toward its master’s orders, it was one hundred percent obedient.

The only way was to take advantage of the robot not paying attention and shut herself inside the room, blocking entry. Isolated like that, Tomi scratched at the door for a while, then there was no more movement or sound.

Ji Mingzhu quietly opened the door a narrow crack and looked through it. The little robot seemed to have overused its power; its eyes were dull—it had probably run out of battery automatically.

While letting out a sigh of relief, the more she thought about it, the stranger it felt. Her mind was filled with what Tomi had just said and the—certain indescribable things Jiang Ji had displayed.

It was a new residence, yes, but night hadn’t fallen and the moon hadn’t risen yet—was he planning to play some back-and-forth in the apartment?

Wishful thinking.

Ji Mingzhu closed her eyes, preparing to rest for a while. But the nerves in her mind held her tightly, not letting her relax at all.

The moment she closed her eyes, earlier scenes crowded in from all directions, then froze at Jiang Ji’s Adam’s apple.

Exceptionally clear.

Like an eight-times zoom had been activated, so clear she could trace the line from top to bottom, all the way to the collarbone.

After a long while, Ji Mingzhu still couldn’t fall asleep. She grabbed the pillow under her and, as if sulking, threw it onto the floor.

The pillow rolled a few times before finally stopping.

She stared at it fixedly, and suddenly an idea came to her. Ji Mingzhu didn’t hesitate long; she simply picked up her phone.

Then she quickly opened her Weibo.

From editing to posting, it was done in one go.

【rl: Recently met someone. [fist.jpg][little yellow chick.jpg][smile.jpg]】

Once this post was sent, fans surfing online poured out again—

--【Wow what did I just see, Peipei-chan actually posted on Weibo! Wife! Miss you miss me miss you!】

--【Why did my Pearl only post three emojis? What happened, tell mama quickly~ angrily rub Pearl shell~~】

--【The one above clearly doesn’t understand. A disciplined returnee top student like Pearl-chan must be learning boxing for self-defense!】

--【Yes, I bet ten thousand it’s boxing. Look at that vivid smile—she must’ve been annoyed by the boxing coach. We all understand, those years of you, me, and him finding excuses not to go!】

Whenever Ji Mingzhu encountered small issues in life or had minor emotions, she would post something visible only to diehard fans.

On one hand she could communicate with everyone; on the other, she could find some happiness in the comments.

This time, she indeed gained a bit of happiness.

For example, her gaze lowered and immediately locked onto two words—

【boxing】

Using fists to beat up a certain Jiang—abbreviated as boxing.

But speaking of boxing…

It fit a certain young master perfectly.

She opened WeChat, pulled up Jiang Ji’s chat window, and directly changed his remark to—

【Boxing】

But Ji Mingzhu still felt it wasn’t enough. After thinking for a moment, she felt it became more perfect.

She added one more character—

【Boxing Jiang】

Ji Mingzhu lay back down. The chaotic emotions in her mind finally disappeared completely.

She let out a breath, curled up comfortably, and finally fell asleep.

…

In her sleep, she vaguely heard an annoying doorbell.

Her consciousness reacted first, but her body didn’t move.

At this hour, she really couldn’t think of who would come to Park Hyatt.

Besides, it wasn’t noon yet, and Jiang Ji should also be around.

With him there, someone would open the door.

Thinking this, Ji Mingzhu let herself continue resting.

Actually, she wasn’t usually someone who slept in, but she had attended a banquet last night, wore light clothing, and stood in the cold wind for quite a long time. Even soaking in a bath after returning didn’t help. Her calves were still tense, like they were filled with lead, heavy and hard to lift.

She felt sluggish today, her head slightly dizzy—probably also from catching a bit of a chill.

But Ji Mingzhu didn’t take it seriously. Because of studying abroad, she had lived in Australia for years. The temperature there was somewhat cooler year-round, with a clear maritime climate. Her residence was near the sea; three out of four seasons had bleak sea winds blowing.

Thus, she believed her cold resistance was good and didn’t think much of it.

Ji Mingzhu buried herself in the pillow for a while, but the sound outside didn’t stop. In the end, it turned into urgent intervals, sharper and sharper.

She had been counting on Jiang Ji, but at this moment she didn’t know which wind had blown him away.

Ji Mingzhu got out of bed, walked straight to the entryway, and opened the door.

There was no need to worry about a stranger outside. The lobby on the first floor of Park Hyatt had facial recognition; anyone unfamiliar to residents wouldn’t have their information entered into the system, let alone slip through.

In terms of resident privacy, Park Hyatt Residence did very well.

Ji Mingzhu was still wondering who would visit at this hour. The first thing her eyes landed on was a pair of delicate high heels stepping in.

Her gaze moved upward slowly, and a very familiar face came into view.

Mother Jiang had her arms folded, chin slightly raised, wearing a suede coat over her graceful figure, with fiery red lips.

She looked at her faintly; her expression was exactly like Jiang Ji’s.

At the moment, probably because she had waited too long outside, she looked slightly impatient.

However—

She probably hadn’t expected Ji Mingzhu to open the door. Her expression stiffened, and she paused. The imposing posture she had prepared and her overbearing aura were instantly extinguished.

“Mingzhu, why are you the one opening the door?” There was even a trace of barely noticeable regret in Mother Jiang’s tone.

The earlier display had clearly been meant for Jiang Ji.

Mother Jiang carried her bag and, familiar as ever, pushed Ji Mingzhu inside. “Come in first, it’s cold outside.”

“Auntie, I’ve been here these days. Who did you think it was just now?” Ji Mingzhu looked at her and asked.

It had to be said, she had also been intimidated by Mother Jiang just now.

Facing such imposing aura from a familiar elder—if it were Jiang Ji in front of Ji Shaoyan, it would probably… be about the same?

Ji Mingzhu wasn’t sure and naturally pinned that label on Jiang Ji.

“Who else, I thought Jiang Ji opened the door.” Mother Jiang entered the house. “Wh—where is he?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him either, but earlier this morning he went to shower.” Ji Mingzhu invited her to sit. Before she could lead her to the sofa, she heard Mother Jiang give two meaningful “Oh~~” sounds.

Ji Mingzhu: ?

Mother Jiang’s eyes were sharp as she stared at her. “This morning… he even went to shower?”

Ji Mingzhu’s mind stalled for a long moment. Suddenly she understood Mother Jiang’s meaning; her face burned as if struck by a match, heat rushing up.

“No, he was probably busy with work. He had just come back then.” Ji Mingzhu chose her words and replied calmly.

Hearing that, the gossiping flame in Mother Jiang’s eyes died down. “I see.”

“Auntie, why did you come over today?”

“I came to see how you two are doing.” Mother Jiang took Ji Mingzhu’s hand; the coldness on her beautiful face from before was completely gone, replaced with unusual gentleness. “Let’s have lunch together. I’ll cook.”

Ji Mingzhu nodded. “Sure.”

While responding, she wondered where Jiang Ji had gone—there wasn’t a trace of him.

But judging from Jiang Ji’s habits, he was either holed up in the study or swimming; in any case, he would be upstairs.

“I didn’t come to urge anything. Just do whatever you need to do, don’t worry about me.” Mother Jiang patted Ji Mingzhu’s hand, signaling her not to make tea or anything.

Ji Mingzhu wasn’t fussy; hearing this, she stopped what she was doing.

When Mother Jiang said she would cook, she really did.

Halfway through, she had people deliver a lot of food, filling the double-door refrigerator to the brim. She didn’t let Ji Mingzhu help and stayed in the kitchen.

“Mingzhu, do you have any extra plates here?”

“Huh?” Since Mother Jiang arrived, Ji Mingzhu had been stuck in the living room with all kinds of fruit platters placed in front of her. Finally she felt she had something to do.

“Auntie, you need plates? They’re in the storage room next to Jiang Ji’s bedroom.”

That storage room had been designed during renovation to hold miscellaneous items. Later, Ji Mingzhu had also moved quite a few things into it.

After speaking, she felt Mother Jiang might not find it, so she added, “I’ll go get them for you.”

She took a few steps forward and saw Mother Jiang drift past her. “No need.”

Moments later, Mother Jiang’s voice came first, “See, I found it.”

Ji Mingzhu stood a few steps behind her and quickly followed, still wanting to help. “There might be a lot of things here, I’d better do it.”

“That works too, it’ll be faster together.”

After saying that, Mother Jiang started picking through things.

The storage room wasn’t small, with several large shelves holding all kinds of items. When the lights were turned on, it was as bright as day.

“Why are there so many things here?” Mother Jiang wondered.

“There are quite a lot; most of them are mine. Auntie, the side you’re looking at is Jiang Ji’s shelf, there probably aren’t plates.” Even though they lived together, their territories were clearly divided.

“Mm, okay.”

After responding, Mother Jiang shifted her target.

Suddenly—

She didn’t know what she had found, but she let out a small exclamation.

“Oh my… Jiang Ji is really…”

How did rummaging through things suddenly involve Jiang Ji? Ji Mingzhu looked over, puzzled—and then she froze in place.

What Mother Jiang was holding was the “big gift package” Lian Tang had sent before—the black stockings that had been hung on the doorknob and later stored in the storage room by Ji Mingzhu.

At that time she didn’t even want to look at it, let alone after Jiang Ji told her to “keep her own things properly.” So the black stockings had been abandoned here.

Her words stuck in her throat.

Before Ji Mingzhu could think of what to say, Mother Jiang clicked her tongue. “Now I see it. Others act tough at home; he acts flirtatious at home!”

The next second, Jiang Ji, who had somehow appeared at the storage room doorway, leaned against the door and spoke slowly, “What’s going on?”