Princess Syndrome - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Hurt Feelings

Zhang Ting was startled as she looked at Su Lingyue and Ji Zhiyi. Ji Zhiyi's face darkened as she pulled her hand away, while Su Lingyue lowered her head, her hair concealing her poorly acted expression. Ji Zhiyi asked, "What is it?"

Zhang Ting finally came to her senses and reported, "These are the revised autumn promotion plans."

Ji Zhiyi walked over to take the documents. Su Lingyue stood for a few seconds before saying, "President Ji, I'll head out first."

She kept her head down the entire time. Ji Zhiyi rubbed her brow and replied, "Mm."

Su Lingyue quickly walked out and sat at her desk, feeling increasingly proud of how cleverly she had handled the situation. She couldn't help but message Ji Zhiyi: [How was that? Was I quick enough?]

Ji Zhiyi glanced at Su Lingyue's message while reviewing the proposal.

She clenched her hand.

Took a deep breath.

She replied: [No need to do that next time.]

Su Lingyue: [Why not?]

Ji Zhiyi: [Too obvious.]

Was it really?

It seemed perfectly natural to her.

Maybe she just couldn't appreciate good acting?

Su Lingyue thought about her smooth performance earlier and pouted. A moment later, Zhang Ting emerged from the office and asked, "Assistant Su, are you alright?"

Other colleagues curiously peeked over.

Su Lingyue saw everyone's eager, gossip-hungry expressions.

She seemed to want to say something but held back.

Finally, she bit her lip and said nothing.

Everyone: !

This was the first time they'd seen Su Lingyue show such an expression. Previously, no matter how much Ji Zhiyi targeted her, she always maintained a calm and composed demeanor after leaving the office, as if none of it bothered her.

Those incidents that made others' hearts skip a beat.

Yet Su Lingyue could face them with perfect composure.

But now...

What kind of torment must she be enduring?

Everyone gained a new perspective on Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi propped her head up with her hand, looking at her chat window with Su Lingyue, and sighed.

She raised her eyes to look through the glass at Su Lingyue, who was facing the crowd, saying something unknown. Several secretaries glanced toward her office, and upon seeing her watching, quickly scurried back to their posts.

Ji Zhiyi suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Just as she was about to message Su Lingyue, her phone screen lit up with an incoming call from her sister.

Ji Zhiyi pressed her lips together, turned her chair away from the window, and answered the call.

"Sis!" Ji Zhisi's voice was crisp, accompanied by the sounds of bustling streets on the other end. Ji Zhiyi frowned, "Are you outside?"

Ji Zhisi said, "Just went out to buy some things." She moved away from the crowd, heading back. The weather there was different from home, much drier, and she wasn't quite used to it yet, but her voice was full of joy: "I saw Godmother, and I also saw Sister Yunlu."

Jiang Yunlu.

Jiang Ya's daughter.

Two years older than Ji Zhiyi. She asked, "How is she?"

Ji Zhisi said, "She had some issues a few days ago, wasn't doing well, but she's stable now."

Ji Zhiyi responded flatly, "Did Godmother say anything?"

"No," Ji Zhisi remained naive as ever. "Godmother just said to keep working hard."

Ji Zhiyi gripped her phone, "I see."

"Okay." Ji Zhisi asked softly, "Sis, you're not angry anymore, right?"

Ji Zhiyi paused for two seconds.

Ji Zhisi wheedled, "Sis, I know I was being willful this time, I just wanted to go out..."

Ji Zhiyi said, "That's enough, take care of yourself."

Ji Zhisi laughed, "Okay."

After hanging up, Ji Zhiyi put down her phone. Initially, she had only intended to be Jiang Ya's pawn alone, never planning to involve her family. She wasn't an ungrateful person—Jiang Ya had saved her father and given her opportunities. She was willing to be Jiang Ya's pawn.

But Jiang Ya didn't trust her.

The person who had been so kind and free-spirited when they first met had become increasingly extreme over the years because of Jiang Yunlu's situation.

Jiang Ya knew she would sacrifice everything to protect the Haoyue series, so she forced her to sign the authorization agreement.

That wasn't enough.

She feared losing control.

She started getting close to her family, taking Ji Zhisi away.

Ji Zhiyi stared at her computer screen, feeling troubled. She stood up and left her office. Su Lingyue looked up when she saw her come out. Ji Zhiyi looked at her and said, "Assistant Su."

Su Lingyue quickly stood up.

Ji Zhiyi didn't say another word and walked out, with Su Lingyue hurriedly following behind.

At the elevator, Su Lingyue asked, "President Ji, where are we going?"

Ji Zhiyi paused when she heard the question.

She was just feeling troubled.

She said, "To the rooftop."

Su Lingyue was surprised: "The rooftop?"

Ji Zhiyi asked, "Have you been there before?"

Su Lingyue shook her head.

Ji Zhiyi hadn't been there either. She and Su Lingyue took the elevator to the rooftop. The door was open, showing that colleagues occasionally came up. There was even a rain shelter and white wooden chairs set up. Ji Zhiyi walked to the edge of the roof and looked down. People and cars looked tiny from up there, though the noise remained.

Sunlight fell on her.

Su Lingyue didn't follow her but stood by the shelter, half her body in the sunlight. Ji Zhiyi turned around and walked to her side, "Why are you standing here?"

Su Lingyue said, "Afraid of getting sunburned."

Such a concise answer.

Sometimes she felt this Su Lingyue was disconnected from the pampered one in her memories, thinking that her memories of the past few years had beautified her. But sometimes, she would catch glimpses of the old Su Lingyue.

Not exactly high and mighty, just the natural pride cultivated over years.

For instance, she really couldn't flatter people.

Or act.

Such contrasts always made Ji Zhiyi more clearheaded. When they first met again, she would wonder if she was dreaming, if perhaps Su Qi's troubles never happened, and Su Lingyue wasn't really by her side.

That it was all her imagination.

But Su Lingyue's unchanged habits would break through this haziness.

Making it feel real.

Su Lingyue saw her silence and called out, "President Ji?"

Ji Zhiyi snapped back to reality, looked at her, and picked up a round fan from the table.

It was some promotional fan advertising a training center's financial services. Su Lingyue looked at the advertisement in confusion, then at Ji Zhiyi. Ji Zhiyi raised the fan high, just enough to block the sunlight.

The fan became translucent in the sunlight, reflecting light.

Su Lingyue glanced at Ji Zhiyi, thought for two seconds, and stepped out, but didn't find the sun too harsh.

She asked Ji Zhiyi, "What were you looking at earlier?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Looking down below."

Su Lingyue stood on tiptoes, took the fan from Ji Zhiyi's hand, and walked toward the edge. The breeze lifted her hair, brushing against Ji Zhiyi's cheek. Ji Zhiyi turned her head and followed.

What's so interesting down there?

Su Lingyue thought to herself.

She looked for a few seconds before hearing Ji Zhiyi's phone ring. Ji Zhiyi answered, "Is it ready? I know, I'll be right back."

Zhang Xian said, "Good, and I've also selected Arno's autumn collection exhibition designs. Take a look when you have time."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Alright."

She hung up and said to Su Lingyue, "Zhang Xian."

Su Lingyue suddenly remembered her mentioning the factory contract and was deep in thought when Ji Zhiyi said, "Arno's autumn collection exhibition designs are ready. Assistant Su, help me review them later."

Arno's autumn collection exhibition designs.

She bit her lip and nodded.

They took the elevator down together. Zhang Xian was waiting in her office and looked puzzled when she saw them, "Where did you go?"

There were no meetings or clients at this time.

Ji Zhiyi said, "To the rooftop."

Zhang Xian was surprised, "What were you doing on the rooftop?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Jumping off."

Zhang Xian: ...

Could she be less horrifying?

She fell silent and looked at Su Lingyue, asking quietly, "What did she go up there for?"

Su Lingyue whispered even more softly, "To look at the scenery."

Zhang Xian: ...

Jumping off would have been more believable.

Looking at scenery?

In all the time she'd known Ji Zhiyi, she'd never seen her leisurely appreciate scenery, let alone go to the rooftop for it?

Come to think of it, Ji Zhiyi's work pace seemed different from before, much slower.

Could she be planning something big?

She frowned deeply, lost in thought, until Ji Zhiyi asked, "Where's the contract?"

Zhang Xian hurriedly handed the contracts to Ji Zhiyi.

Ji Zhiyi said to Su Lingyue, "Take a look at these."

Give them to Su Lingyue?

Zhang Xian watched Su Lingyue go to the coffee table, and couldn't help but move closer to Ji Zhiyi, asking, "What's going on now? Do you have some plan?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Yes, I have a plan."

Zhang Xian asked, "What is it?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Assistant Su and I are working together."

"Huh?" Zhang Xian was obviously confused, "What... what kind of cooperation?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "You can't handle the factory alone, so I'm having her help you. I can't focus on the factory or Su Qi will notice. You two work together."

Zhang Xian understood now.

She really couldn't expose this factory right now, and having Su Lingyue involved was perfect. Su Lingyue had some previous experience and understood the processes and quality requirements. Su Qi only knew about the conflict between Su Lingyue and Ji Zhiyi, so they would never suspect the two were working together.

Zhang Xian gave a thumbs up, "Clever. Then the contract..."

Ji Zhiyi watched Su Lingyue's troubled, contemplative expression as she studied the contract, held back a laugh, cleared her throat, and said, "Understanding the contract is part of the cooperation."

Zhang Xian made an "ah" sound.

She nodded, and her phone rang. She said, "I'll head out first. The exhibition designs are on your desk."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Okay."

Zhang Xian left the office without having time to say goodbye to Su Lingyue.

Su Lingyue was carefully reviewing each contract when Ji Zhiyi sat beside her, "Not finished yet?"

Su Lingyue said, "It's a contract of servitude, need to read it carefully."

Ji Zhiyi: ...

She laughed silently, got up to get the designs from her desk, and pressed the intercom, "Secretary Wu, come in."

Wu Meiyan knocked and entered. Ji Zhiyi handed her the designs, saying, "Contact the factory and send these exhibition designs over."

Su Lingyue looked up at the designs, then at Ji Zhiyi.

Wu Meiyan smiled, "Alright."

She took the designs, glanced at Su Lingyue, didn't linger, and left the office.

Su Lingyue clutched the contract, suddenly feeling uneasy. She asked Ji Zhiyi, "The exhibition designs are finalized?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Zhang Xian finalized them."

Su Lingyue asked, "Both of Xie Lan's designs were selected?"

Ji Zhiyi nodded, "Yes, they're well-designed. Why?"

Su Lingyue wanted to speak.

But held back.

After a long pause, she said, "Didn't you say you wanted my input?"

She looked at Ji Zhiyi after speaking.

Her tone carried a hint of hurt.

What was there to be hurt about?

Ji Zhiyi said she wanted her input, but didn't ask for her opinion?

Or.

She was worried about speaking up.

Worried that even if she did.

Ji Zhiyi wouldn't believe her?

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