Princess Syndrome - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Memory

Su Lingyue pulled off the blanket and turned to see Ji Zhiyi sunk into the sofa. The sofa was soft; she didn't know what material it was made of, but it was more comfortable than the sofa in her old apartment. She imitated Ji Zhiyi, sinking into the sofa with her head resting on the back. The cat, tired from running around, was resting on the coffee table. She was drowsy and didn't want to dwell on whether Ji Zhiyi had intended to hit her while she was sleeping.

Ji Zhiyi didn't hear any movement beside her, and turned her head. Su Lingyue was wrapped in the blanket, only her head showing. Her beautiful face was full of sleepiness. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was asleep again.

She has a pretty good sleep quality.

She disliked how unguarded the little stray cat was, but wasn't she the same?

Ji Zhiyi reached out, intending to flick Su Lingyue's forehead but couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she brushed Su Lingyue’s hair behind her ear. The little stray cat sat on the sofa, watching the two of them, looking relaxed, and purred.

Su Lingyue woke up still on the sofa, but she had changed position. The sofa had been unfolded, and it could actually be laid flat. She was surprised by this discovery. She then noticed the blanket on her and Ji Zhiyi sleeping beside her.

Wait, she and Ji Zhiyi slept together?

Ever since her mother had passed away, she hadn't slept in the same bed as anyone. When she moved in with Chu Yi, the first night there weren't any spare rooms, so she had slept on the sofa. Waking up and seeing someone else’s face...

It was strange.

Su Lingyue moved to the side, trying to get off the sofa without making a sound. However, when she looked down, she discovered that her leg was trapped. This sleeping position isn't exactly tame, is it? Did she use my leg as a blanket?

She hadn't expected the usually serious and composed Ji Zhiyi to be like this when she slept.

A bit of a contrast.

Su Lingyue held her breath, trying to pry Ji Zhiyi's leg away. But as soon as she moved, Ji Zhiyi leaned closer, reaching out to hug her, her chin resting on her neck. Her warm breath tickled her skin.

Su Lingyue took a deep breath.

She turned her head.

Her face was almost touching Ji Zhiyi's.

Her eyelashes are so long, her skin is so fair, and the handprint on her face is so conspicuous.

The living room lights were dim, so the mark wasn't obvious. It was only because Su Lingyue was so close that she could see it clearly. She stared at Ji Zhiyi’s profile, completely forgetting their current sleeping position.

Fine.

Let her hug me for a bit, consider it comfort.

Su Lingyue relaxed her body, slightly turned her body, and continued to sleep.

The next morning, the doorbell rang. Su Lingyue woke up and opened her eyes to see Ji Zhiyi still asleep. She tiptoed out of bed. It was the housekeeper delivering breakfast. She took the box and placed it on the dining table. She turned to see Ji Zhiyi sit up.

Her pajamas hung loosely on her body, her hair slightly messy. She sat on the sofa bed, not moving for a while, then turned to look at the dining table.

She seemed to wonder why she had slept in the living room.

Just as Su Lingyue was about to explain, the cat jumped onto the sofa, rubbing against Ji Zhiyi's waist. Ji Zhiyi lowered her head. Before Su Lingyue could shoo it away, she picked up the cat.

She also greeted, "President Ji, good morning."

Ji Zhiyi nodded slightly at her: "Morning."

Su Lingyue took the cat to the balcony and ignored its attempts to scratch at the door. It was daytime now, and making some noise was a good way to alleviate the awkwardness between her and Ji Zhiyi.

Two unfamiliar people hugging in the same bed last night.

How could it not be awkward?

Su Lingyue glanced at Ji Zhiyi out of the corner of her eye. Ji Zhiyi was rising, her expression normal, and folding the sofa bed. Su Lingyue asked curiously, "President Ji, do you often sleep with other people?"

Ji Zhiyi choked: "What?"

Su Lingyue thought Ji Zhiyi’s composed attitude from earlier was commonplace for her. Hearing her question, she shook her head: "Never mind."

Ji Zhiyi: "..."

Ji Zhiyi was annoyed by Su Lingyue’s question. She turned and went to the bathroom to wash up. Su Lingyue followed, changed her clothes, and came out to find Ji Zhiyi already sitting at the table. Ji Zhiyi took a bite of bread as she approached. Su Lingyue sat across from her. She had slept late last night, but she was surprisingly energetic. She spread some jam and took a bite of the bread, enjoying the sweetness.

The cat also came over, wanting a bite. Su Lingyue tapped its head, and the cat meowed. Su Lingyue looked at the balcony. She didn't know if Ji Zhiyi had opened the door or if the cat had pried it open itself—there was a crack.

She shook her head: "You can't eat this."

Then she remembered that this was a stray cat; it had probably eaten all sorts of things before. Bread was a luxury for it. She broke off a small piece and placed it in front of the cat, watching it lick its chops, looking greedy.

Su Lingyue then decisively put the rest of the bread in her own mouth.

The little stray cat meowed at her, aggrieved.

Ji Zhiyi watched the childish interaction between the cat and Su Lingyue and wanted to laugh again.

But she was still annoyed. Ji Zhiyi lowered her head, finished her milk. As usual, Su Lingyue applied her makeup. After a night, the marks on her face weren't very visible, but Su Lingyue was still gentle, as if afraid of hurting her.

Ji Zhiyi tilted her head slightly.

Su Lingyue's makeup brush paused.

She felt that her action of tilting her head was just like that of the cat she brought back—cute...

No, terrifying.

Su Lingyue shook off the thought and spread lotion evenly over Ji Zhiyi's face. It had only been a few days, and she had already become accustomed to this face.

Habit was such a frightening thing.

After finishing Ji Zhiyi's makeup and adding food and water for the cat, Su Lingyue left with Ji Zhiyi. It was still early when they got to the company. There were only a few people in the office. Su Lingyue looked at Ji Zhiyi's schedule. Besides a few meetings at noon, there were no other engagements, and few dinner parties.

Su Lingyue remembered that her father had a lot of dinner parties back then. After her mother passed away, she especially hoped that her father would come home early to spend more time with her. Sometimes, she would wait for him in his office after school, but her father was always late or smelling of smoke and alcohol.

Or he wouldn't come home at all, and a secretary would send her home instead.

Later, she learned that if he didn't come home, it was because he was at Zhou Shiyu's place.

Just as Su Lingyue sat down, a figure approached. She looked up to see Zhang Xian, surprised: "Director Zhang?"

Zhang Xian asked, "What are you looking at?"

Su Lingyue said, "President Ji's schedule."

Zhang Xian said, "Is there a big event lately?"

Su Lingyue shook her head.

Zhang Xian said, "I'm here to deliver the design drafts."

Su Lingyue asked, "For the Autumn collection?"

Zhang Xian said, "Yes, those from yesterday's meeting."

Su Lingyue nodded.

As she was about to leave, she asked, "Both of Miss Xie's designs were selected?"

Zhang Xian paused, without hiding anything, and frankly said, "Yes, I think they're very creative."

Frankly speaking, Su Lingyue also thought they were very creative. The first time she saw Xie Lan's design drafts, she was quite amazed. But those designs didn't belong to her. Su Lingyue was about to speak when Zhang Xian asked, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head.

Who would believe her if she said something?

Even her father didn't believe her.

Besides, everyone knew about the conflict between her and Xie Lan, they would surely think that she was sabotaging Xie Lan behind her back. Zhang Xian patted her shoulder and said, "Then I'll go in."

Su Lingyue watched her go in.

The door closed.

She looked at the schedule on her screen, feeling a bit agitated.

After a while, Wu Meiyan came in with refreshments, giving some to everyone. She also gave two portions to Su Lingyue, asking her to bring one to Ji Zhiyi in her office later. Su Lingyue looked at the refreshments on the table and smiled: "Okay."

Wu Meiyan whispered, "How is your negotiation with Yang Zhizhi going?"

Su Lingyue said, "We've scheduled dinner for tonight."

"Hurry up," Wu Meiyan said, "The head office has also sent people to negotiate."

Su Lingyue frowned.

Ji Zhiyi had asked her to gather the price quotes from other companies today. She had already contacted them, but she didn't know that Zhou Shiyu and her team had also submitted quotes. Currently, the head office's spokesperson was still Lin Fei, a child star who had acted in many dramas since childhood. Su Lingyue had watched a few. Her first idol drama as an adult was a national hit, and she had become quite famous, later winning numerous awards for an art film. She was a household name. However, she had been less active the past two years and was gradually replaced by emerging new artists.

In the entertainment industry, six months can make a world of difference, let alone two years.

She was injured while filming and was hospitalized. Before that, she had just signed a three-year contract with Su Qi. At the time, her news was everywhere, saying that she would not recover, that her injuries were severe. In the following two months, she lost film roles, TV auditions, and many endorsements. Later, the media reported that Su Qi had stood by her, and the boss had overridden opposition to keep her as the spokesperson.

This had earned Su Qi a lot of goodwill.

Su Qi was popular with the public precisely because of this.

Su Lingyue remembered that Lin Fei's contract was due to expire at the end of this year, in half a year. Were they trying to replace Lin Fei by asking for price quotes now?

As she was thinking, she received a message from Chu Yi: [Guess who I saw.]

Su Lingyue instinctively replied: [Yang Zhizhi?]

Chu Yi: [Holy crap? Are you a fortune teller?]

Su Lingyue looked at her phone screen.

So it was her.

She asked Chu Yi: [When did she go?]

Chu Yi: [Just arrived.]

Su Lingyue replied: [Aren't you guys collaborating with Lin Fei? Did you terminate the contract?]

Chu Yi: [No, we didn’t.]

Su Lingyue was silent for a few seconds. She put away her phone and compiled the price quotes, but there was no news from Su Qi. She took the file to Ji Zhiyi's office. Zhang Xian was no longer there. Ji Zhiyi was looking at the design drafts. Su Lingyue immediately recognized that they were Xie Lan's. She handed the file over and said, "President Ji, this is the price quote sheet from all the companies."

After a pause, she said, "Su Qi has also recently contacted Yang Zhizhi."

Ji Zhiyi, holding the design draft, looked up at Su Lingyue: "When?"

Su Lingyue said, "This morning."

Ji Zhiyi nodded and didn't speak. She then asked Su Lingyue, "What time is dinner scheduled for tonight?"

Su Lingyue said, "Second floor of Haotai, seven o'clock."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Got it."

Su Lingyue saw that she had accepted the file. Standing straight, she saw Ji Zhiyi glance at the French window on the side. The window faced the sun, and the sunlight streamed in. Su Lingyue went over and half-closed the curtains. She heard Ji Zhiyi say, "Don't forget to inform Miss Yang that we'll meet at Haotai at seven o’clock tonight."

Su Lingyue replied respectfully, "Okay, President Ji."

Ji Zhiyi signed her name on the file, closed it, and handed it to Su Lingyue. Seeing that she was about to leave, she called, "Assistant Su."

Su Lingyue, who had taken two steps, turned around.

Ji Zhiyi said, "Don't forget to inform Miss Yang that we'll meet at Haotai at seven o'clock tonight."

Su Lingyue took a deep breath.

She forced a smile: "President Ji, you already reminded me."

"I know." Ji Zhiyi's tone was calm and natural. "I was just worried that Assistant Su's memory isn't good."

Su Lingyue instinctively retorted, "President Ji, my memory is quite good."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Is that so?"

Her tone was faint: "Then how did you end up mistaking someone for another person?"

Su Lingyue: "..."

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