Chapter3
325 Words
Luo Qi sipped her coffee as Jiang Shenghe returned to the office, his absence having allowed her a brief exchange with Pei Shixiao.
“Signing on the 10th?” Jiang Shenghe confirmed, tossing a cigarette pack onto his desk.
“Yes, afternoon.”
He announced an adjusted schedule: “We leave for Sucheng on the 8th. Return the 11th.”
When she offered to arrange logistics, he dismissed it. “Secretary Ju will handle it.”
Dinner arrived. At the conference table, Luo Qi struggled with a stubborn soup lid until Jiang Shenghe extended a hand. “Pass it here.”
She declined, forcing it open herself. Hot broth splashed her skin. Secretary Ju blotted it swiftly as Jiang Shenghe discreetly tested his own soup’s temperature.
Post-midnight, Luo Qi collapsed into her apartment—a gift from Pei Shixiao near the office. His video call found her damp-haired, skincare routine in progress.
“Working late with your CEO again?” Pei Shixiao’s flawless collar irked her.
“Jiang Yue-ru’s surgery shifted priorities.” She dodged details, mentioning her upcoming Sucheng trip.
The next day, her paycheck vanished into family debts within minutes. Her mother’s returned transfer came with guilt-laden advice: “Save for your wedding dress.”
At the hospital, Jiang Yue-ru’s room buzzed with Jiang family heirs—all sharp suits and sharper tongues. Their exit left Luo Qi peeling kiwifruit under the matriarch’s scrutiny.
“Retiring by year’s end,” Jiang Yue-ru declared.
Luo Qi’s knife slipped. “Why?”
“Time to pass the torch.”
The door burst open. Jiang Sixun—playboy heir and her former mentor—strode in, tie loosened. “Uncle forced me into a blind date.”
Jiang Shenghe arrived moments later, silently devouring watermelon as Sixun texted him: "Ever thought about stealing her? Don’t lie—you’re not that noble 24/7."
The message glowed on Jiang Shenghe’s locked screen.
He’d considered it.
More than once.
- Writer
