Princess Syndrome - Chapter 55
Chapter 55: Work
Su Lingyue felt increasingly sensitive. Once the words were out, she also felt they were inappropriate. If Yang Zhizhi were to invite Ji Zhiyi, it would definitely be a more formal invitation, not just a casual phone call like this.
Had she agreed too readily just now?
She was, after all, Ji Zhiyi's assistant.
Should she have acted a bit more reserved?
Su Lingyue hadn't really intentionally cultivated any particular identity or airs. Although she was often said to be unapproachable, arrogant, and aloof, she felt that apart from being a bit hot-tempered, having a bad personality, a sharp tongue, and being unforgiving when she was right...
She was pretty good otherwise.
As she was giving herself a pep talk, Ji Zhiyi blew on her nails and stood up. Su Lingyue also stood up, watching Ji Zhiyi put the used tools back in the walk-in closet. She followed her, her gaze drawn inside. She suddenly thought of the many pairs of shoes inside and couldn't help but ask, "President Ji, is the 'Haoyue' series just those few pairs of high heels inside?"
Hearing her words, Ji Zhiyi turned her head and looked into the dark interior. She reached out and turned on the light. The high heels in the display case glowed with an unusual brilliance. Each embedded diamond sparkled like a fleeting ray of light, dazzlingly beautiful. She said, "Yes, those are the ones."
Su Lingyue became even more curious. "What inspired you to create that series?"
Su Lingyue had watched many interviews about Haoyue, but many had been cut into segments. She hadn't found anything about the inspiration for this series and had always been curious. She decided to ask Ji Zhiyi directly.
Ji Zhiyi looked at her.
Su Lingyue's face flushed slightly. Although the light wine hadn't made her tipsy, she could still smell the faint scent of alcohol. Her eyes sparkled, like autumn waves. Her skin was fair, and the wine-induced blush spread evenly, creating a stunning rosy hue.
Her gaze shifted as she looked at people.
Like dazzling pearls.
Radiant and bright.
Ji Zhiyi paused for a moment before saying, "When I was little, my family wasn't well-off. After my mom got paid, she would always buy us new clothes and help with household expenses. She rarely bought anything new for herself."
A pair of shoes could last for years.
When she was in middle school, she went to the street with her mother. She always saw other women wearing beautiful high heels. Once, she saw her mother standing outside a window, looking at a pair of high heels for a long time. At that time, she thought that she would personally design high heels for her mother to wear in the future.
Su Lingyue nodded. "So, this series is a gift for your mother?"
Ji Zhiyi looked at her and said, "No."
However, the first pair of high heels she made was for her mother.
Su Lingyue: ...
After all that, it wasn't the right answer?
But she seemed to understand Ji Zhiyi a little better.
She said, "If my mom were still here, I would definitely buy them for her to wear."
Su Lingyue said, "My mom loved wearing pretty high heels."
Ji Zhiyi smiled.
Su Lingyue said, "I even secretly wore her high heels when I was in high school."
It was on her birthday. She wore her mother's favorite style in the crowded restaurant. Amidst the congratulations from friends, she imagined it was her mother's birthday gift to her.
Ji Zhiyi opened her mouth.
In the end, she pursed her lips and looked down.
She wanted to say that she knew.
She knew that Su Lingyue wore high heels that day, like putting on an invincible armor, making her even brighter and more radiant. She saw a different Su Lingyue, and an indescribable beauty grew in her heart.
Many reporters had interviewed her about the inspiration for the Haoyue series.
Even Zhang Xian had asked her countless times how she had designed Haoyue.
Each time, she said, "Because of hope."
Zhang Xian said she was being deliberately mysterious and didn't understand at all.
She didn't explain.
In her youth, she hoped to know Su Lingyue, hoped she could see her. In college, she deliberately brushed past her so many times, hoping she would remember her, even just her name.
All the pieces in the Haoyue series carried her past and her full of admiration for one person.
Carrying all her longing and hope.
In that unknown corner, she guarded the budding sprout that couldn't blossom, waiting quietly.
"President Ji?" A clear voice broke the silence, pulling Ji Zhiyi out of her thoughts. She looked at Su Lingyue, hearing her ask, "What are you thinking about? I've called you several times."
Ji Zhiyi said, "Nothing."
She looked down.
Su Lingyue said "Oh" and turned to leave. Ji Zhiyi said, "Su Lingyue."
Su Lingyue tensed up and turned her head.
Ji Zhiyi asked, "Want to try them on?"
Su Lingyue doubted if there was something wrong with her ears.
She asked suspiciously, "What?"
Ji Zhiyi repeated, "Want to try them on?"
Su Lingyue's eyes widened. She didn't move right away. After a few seconds, she walked up to Ji Zhiyi and reached out to touch Ji Zhiyi's forehead. "You don't have a fever."
Ji Zhiyi was amused.
Su Lingyue then took Ji Zhiyi's hand and placed it on her own forehead. "Is it hot?"
Ji Zhiyi flicked her forehead with her finger. Su Lingyue hissed and covered her forehead.
It hurt.
She wasn't dreaming, and she didn't have a fever.
Then what did Ji Zhiyi mean?
Hadn't she said that the Haoyue series wasn't for sale, not for lending, and only for exhibition?
She had heard that many celebrities had their agencies ask Ji Zhiyi to rent or buy this series, but Ji Zhiyi had always politely refused. Perhaps the inaccessibility was the best way to create allure, which was why the Haoyue series had become increasingly sought after and mysterious.
Now, these incredibly mysterious high heels.
Ji Zhiyi was actually saying she could try them on?
Su Lingyue thought she was delirious from a fever, which was the only reasonable explanation.
Ji Zhiyi didn't care what she was thinking and simply asked, "Are you going to try them on or not?"
Looking at her serious expression, Su Lingyue felt that any more hesitation would be disrespectful to the Haoyue series!
She nodded.
She quickly walked inside, flitting through the display like a butterfly, a bright smile spreading across her face, a joy that couldn't be suppressed. Xiao Mafan followed behind her, circling around her legs, but she didn't care. She looked around for a moment and asked, "Which pair should I choose?"
Seeing how happy she was, Ji Zhiyi nodded. "You choose."
Su Lingyue was a little excited.
She picked up Xiao Mafan from the floor, took a deep breath. Xiao Mafan struggled in her arms for a few seconds before giving up, its paws resting on her arm. Su Lingyue asked, "Which pair do you like?"
Xiao Mafan didn't understand and meowed.
Su Lingyue laughed. "Silly!"
Ji Zhiyi watched her stop in front of the first display case, pausing for a long time. Ji Zhiyi walked over, turned off the alarm, opened the case, and took out the high heels. Su Lingyue didn't even blink. The high heels, imbued with mystery, were now in her hands. Su Lingyue didn't know if her heart was beating faster because of the high heels or the person handing them to her.
Seeing her standing there in a daze, Ji Zhiyi squatted down. "Lift your foot."
Su Lingyue instinctively took her foot out of the slipper. When Ji Zhiyi held it, her toes curled up. "I can do it myself."
As she spoke, Ji Zhiyi had already put the shoe on her.
Surprisingly, it fit perfectly.
If she were more narcissistic, she would think these shoes were custom-made for her!
They were so perfect. Su Lingyue looked down at the shoes after putting them on. For a moment, she didn't dare to look in the nearby mirror. When had trying on shoes become such a daunting experience?
But this feeling was real. She was afraid she wouldn't do their beauty justice, yet she also felt that their beauty was being perfectly showcased by her at this moment. That familiar confidence and exuberance made Ji Zhiyi space out for a couple of seconds.
She said, "They fit perfectly."
Su Lingyue hadn't expected them to fit so perfectly.
Ji Zhiyi said, "There's a mirror over here."
Su Lingyue hesitated for a couple of seconds before walking over, her expression naturally poised, her posture confident and elegant. She stood in front of the mirror, turning her body to look at herself. She increasingly felt that these shoes had a natural beauty.
Not just the shoes themselves.
But the harmony between the shoes and everything around them.
Like the environment, like the person wearing them.
A seamless, natural fit.
She even felt that these shoes had grown out of her feet, every inch clinging to her skin, blooming like flowers, lifelike, each step as graceful as a lotus blossom.
Ji Zhiyi thought so too. Inspiration surged through her like an electric current. She suddenly grabbed Su Lingyue's hand.
Su Lingyue was confused.
Ji Zhiyi also calmed down. "Want to walk around in the living room?"
She could walk around outside?
Su Lingyue nodded without hesitation.
Ji Zhiyi said, "On one condition."
Su Lingyue looked at her.
Ji Zhiyi said, "Be my model."
Su Lingyue said, "Model?"
Ji Zhiyi nodded. Hearing Su Lingyue ask, "A regular model or an art model?"
Ji Zhiyi was confused. "What's an art model?"
Su Lingyue said, "The kind who dedicates themselves to art."
Ji Zhiyi: ...
She said, "I don't need you to dedicate yourself."
Su Lingyue said "Oh." "What clothes should I wear?"
Ji Zhiyi: "You don't need to wear any clothes either."
Su Lingyue's eyes widened.
Ji Zhiyi paused for two seconds. "Just like this is fine."
Su Lingyue understood.
Ji Zhiyi turned and walked out. The air conditioning hit her face, feeling a little hot. Su Lingyue followed her, the crisp sound of her heels on the marble floor seeming to strike Ji Zhiyi's heart.
Beating with her heartbeat.
Beating for Su Lingyue at this moment.
Beating for the upcoming creation.
The blood that had been stagnant for so long gradually began to boil. She went back to the study to get her drawing tools and quickly returned. When she got back to the living room, Su Lingyue was showing off to Xiao Mafan. She coughed lightly. Su Lingyue turned around and asked her, "What pose do you need?"
Ji Zhiyi choked. "Just sit on the sofa."
Su Lingyue nodded, hugging Xiao Mafan as she sat on the sofa. Ji Zhiyi said, "Cross your legs."
She did as she was told.
Ji Zhiyi walked over and sat down beside her, bending down to unbuckle the strap around the ankle of the crossed leg. With the strap loosened and no longer restricting her, her heel felt a little heavy, and the high heel drooped down. Su Lingyue used her toes and the ball of her foot to hold it in place. Ji Zhiyi said, "Relax a little."
Su Lingyue looked down. "How much more can I relax? It'll fall off."
Ji Zhiyi said, "You can, relax."
As she spoke, she patted her calf, her fingers brushing against her ankle. Su Lingyue's leg went weak, and her foot relaxed. The shoe slipped down a little more, teetering precariously, yet intimately connected.
Ji Zhiyi said, "Just like that."
As she spoke, she sat on the coffee table in front of Su Lingyue, lowered her head, and picked up her pen and paper. Su Lingyue saw her staring intently at her leg. That patch of skin felt like it was on fire, a dry, burning sensation. She wanted to move but couldn't, so she grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it tightly. Thinking she couldn't hold the pose for much longer, Ji Zhiyi extended her leg and propped it under Su Lingyue's crossed leg, supporting it firmly.
She even asked, "Are you tired?"
Su Lingyue replied calmly, "Not tired,"
But her hands twisted the throw pillow in her arms, clenching it tightly.
Ji Zhiyi hadn't created anything in a long time. After returning to the country, she had been busy with the company and business, rarely picking up a pen. Her inspiration had been most abundant in the first few years abroad, with new ideas every day, especially when she was thinking of Su Lingyue. Those unsuppressed emotions burst forth, transforming into artwork after artwork, pouring from her pen, trying to use her creations to alleviate her longing.
It was said that the Haoyue series had a common thread: elegance, confidence, and beauty.
Especially beauty.
A dazzling beauty, a breathtaking beauty.
No one had ever imagined that the inspiration for this series was a person.
Someone who had amazed Ji Zhiyi throughout her youth, the most beautiful person she had ever seen.
In later interviews, Ji Zhiyi had wanted to find the right words to describe it, but she couldn't describe the beauty that had shaken her heart. Perhaps it was because of their hasty farewell that night that all her good memories of Su Lingyue had been magnified, so even her arrogance and flamboyance became a unique kind of beauty.
These were all reflected in this series.
The various styles of the Haoyue series corresponded to the different facets of Su Lingyue's personality. Seeing her wearing the high heels tonight once again gave Ji Zhiyi the long-lost urge to pick up her brush without hesitation.
She lowered her head, somewhat oblivious to Su Lingyue's expression, lost in her world of imagination. Her pen moved quickly across the paper. No, this feeling isn't right. Ji Zhiyi threw away a sheet of paper and started drawing on the next one.
Su Lingyue had initially felt a bit nervous and shy, quite embarrassed, but now, with her leg propped up by Ji Zhiyi and her body leaning back into the sofa, she closed her eyes in this comfortable position as she watched Ji Zhiyi throw away another sheet of paper. She didn't disturb her.
When Ji Zhiyi came back to her senses, the floor was covered in discarded paper. She was startled and looked at Su Lingyue.
Su Lingyue had fallen asleep, leaning back against the sofa, her expression relaxed, her leg draped limply over hers. Ji Zhiyi chuckled, using her leg to gently nudge Su Lingyue's calf. Su Lingyue didn't react. Ji Zhiyi found it childish and took off the high heels from Su Lingyue's feet, slowly lowering her legs and flattening the sofa. She turned Su Lingyue onto her side, and Su Lingyue hugged a thin blanket, burying her head in the pillow, sleeping soundly.
Completely different from the night she had arrived, startled awake on the sofa, her face pale with fright.
Ji Zhiyi sat beside her, looking down at her.
There seemed to be only an arm's length between them.
But this arm's length had taken her many years of effort to achieve.
Ji Zhiyi brushed a stray strand of hair from Su Lingyue's forehead, then stood up to tidy up the sketches and put the high heels back. After everything was in order, she went to shower and rest. As she lay in bed, she kept thinking about Su Lingyue in the living room. With a determined thought, she went out, only to find the sofa empty. Instead, she heard sounds coming from Su Lingyue's room. She seemed to be on the phone. She took a half-step back, hearing Su Lingyue say, "I know, the clothes? On the table? I forgot them."
Chu Yi sounded both annoyed and amused on the other end. "How could you forget your head?"
Su Lingyue touched her forehead. "I'll pick them up when I go back in a couple of days."
It sounded like.
A roommate?
Ji Zhiyi remained standing not far from the door.
Su Lingyue heard the person on the other end say, "Do you want me to bring them over?"
She said, "No need, that's too much trouble. I'll pick them up on the way home from work."
Chu Yi had no choice but to say, "Alright then."
She then hung up the phone.
Su Lingyue had been woken up by her phone call. Chu Yi had just come home from overtime and realized she had forgotten something, so she called her. She probably hadn't expected her to be resting so early. She also hadn't expected to fall asleep while watching Ji Zhiyi draw.
It felt a bit like the atmosphere back in school.
Conducive to sleep.
When she woke up, Ji Zhiyi wasn't there. Su Lingyue didn't pay much attention and planned to go back to her room to shower and rest. Just as she hung up the phone, she noticed someone blocking the light at the door. She looked up. "President Ji."
Ji Zhiyi said, "Awake?"
Seeing that she had already showered and changed, Su Lingyue asked, "Why didn't you wake me?"
Ji Zhiyi: ...
This confident question left Ji Zhiyi speechless for a couple of seconds. Then she said, "You looked like you were sleeping soundly."
Su Lingyue said "Oh."
She looked at Ji Zhiyi and thought of Chu Yi's phone call. She felt like there was something she needed to tell Ji Zhiyi, but her still-sleepy brain couldn't quite remember. She couldn't recall what it was after thinking for a long time. Ji Zhiyi urged her, "Aren't you going to shower?"
She shrugged, still standing there, giving up on trying to remember.
"Then I'm going in."
After saying that, she turned and went into the bathroom. Xiao Mafan hopped over, wanting to follow, but Su Lingyue slammed the door shut, leaving it outside.
It meowed plaintively at the door.
The door opened, and Su Lingyue poked her head out, tapping its reddish nose. "A princess's bath is not for you to see. You're not allowed in."
Xiao Mafan looked a bit aggrieved.
It turned around and went to find Ji Zhiyi, squatting on the floor and meowing at her. Ji Zhiyi had no choice but to bend down and pick it up, cradling it in her arms. Xiao Mafan was satisfied and started purring. Ji Zhiyi carried it back to her room to rest. Looking out the window, the sky was dark, with few stars. She rarely had such leisurely time to admire the moon and stars. Most of the time, she would just glance up and then lower her head to continue working hastily.
Things had been much more relaxed lately.
Xiao Mafan lay beside her collarbone, its round face nuzzling her chin and cheek. Ji Zhiyi patted its head. The two of them lay on the bed, looking out the window. After her shower, Su Lingyue went looking for Xiao Mafan and found it at Ji Zhiyi's door. Looking inside, she saw Ji Zhiyi and Xiao Mafan asleep on the bed. She tiptoed in to cover Ji Zhiyi with a thin blanket. Xiao Mafan opened its eyes. Su Lingyue put her finger to her lips, and Xiao Mafan obediently closed its eyes and continued dozing. Su Lingyue gently turned off the light and went out.
As she reached the doorway, she turned her head.
A sense of inexplicable peace filled her chest.
She slept until the next day, when the sunlight streamed into her room. Xiao Mafan's parkour routine in her room hadn't even woken her. It was her phone's incessant ringing that finally roused her. She fumbled for her phone, turned off the alarm, and saw that it was nine o'clock on the screen. She sat up in bed and remained in that position for a long time.
It wasn't until she heard movement in the living room that she came back to her senses. She slipped on her slippers and got out of bed, ready to go out. As she was about to open the door, she tossed her hair and patted her cheeks. She opened the door and saw Ji Zhiyi wearing home clothes and Bluetooth headphones, talking on the phone. She didn't know if she was talking to a company overseas or a friend, speaking fluent English.
Her pronunciation was very pleasant, probably because she had lived abroad for several years. There wasn't a trace of a local accent. Her intonation was pure, and her pace was neither too fast nor too slow, but she was using terms Su Lingyue didn't understand.
She was discussing business.
Su Lingyue heard some professional terms related to fabrics.
Seeing that she was still on the phone, Su Lingyue turned and went to the bathroom to wash up. When she came out, there was a breakfast waiting for her on the table. Ji Zhiyi was sitting on the sofa, a laptop beside her, talking on the phone while typing. Su Lingyue smelled the aroma of the breakfast and wanted to thank Ji Zhiyi, but seeing that she was busy, she went back to the dining room.
The breakfast was milk and a sandwich, both warm, clearly freshly prepared by Ji Zhiyi.
Su Lingyue took a bite and looked at her.
Her thoughts drifted back to her school days. During her sophomore year, one evening, her roommates were discussing the new boyfriend of the girl in the bunk below her, talking about how good he was to her and how caring he was. Everyone was expressing their envy. Someone asked her, "Lingyue, have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to be with in the future?"
She had answered without hesitation, "No."
That person was surprised. "Have you ever liked anyone?"
She had still been unhesitating, even a bit cold. "No."
Her roommates were all surprised. "Not even once?"
She had looked at her roommates, not understanding what the big deal was, and had honestly shaken her head. "Not once."
She had never been moved by anyone, never liked anyone, and never thought about what kind of partner she would find in the future or what kind of life she would live.
She had always felt that being alone was good.
But now, listening to Ji Zhiyi's soft conversation in the living room, smelling the aroma of the breakfast on the table, with a black and white cat sitting nearby, she suddenly felt that this kind of life was much better than she had imagined being alone.
After Su Lingyue finished breakfast, Ji Zhiyi was still on the phone. The quiet living room was only filled with the sound of her typing. Su Lingyue went back to her room to change. Just as she finished putting on her makeup, she received a call from Yang Zhizhi's assistant, asking where she was and if she needed a ride.
Su Lingyue said, "No need, see you in a bit."
The assistant hung up the phone. Yang Zhizhi asked, "Where is she?"
The assistant put down her phone. "She didn't say."
Yang Zhizhi: ...
She said, "She didn't say, so you didn't ask?"
The assistant said, "She said she didn't need a ride."
Yang Zhizhi: ...
She was really going to be the death of her.
The assistant said, "Then, Zhizhi, shall we go ahead?"
Yang Zhizhi gave a noncommittal "Mm-hmm." The assistant drove towards Haotai. On the way, she occasionally looked at Yang Zhizhi in the rearview mirror. Yang Zhizhi kept looking out the window, silent. She didn't know what agreement Yang Zhizhi had reached with the boss inside. After coming out, she said she wouldn't pursue Zhou Yan's responsibility, but the manager had been fired. She wanted to ask Yang Zhizhi, but she could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk right now, so she kept quiet.
Halfway there, the assistant handed her water. "Zhizhi, do you want some?"
Yang Zhizhi looked down at the cup she offered and said after a few seconds of silence, "No, thanks."
The assistant felt sorry for her.
She guessed Yang Zhizhi was thinking about last night.
Yang Zhizhi was indeed thinking about last night. When she closed her eyes, all she could see was last night, was Zhou Yan, was that glass of wine. She even dreamed of being drugged and photographed, being threatened by Zhou Yan, with no one to save her.
She had woken up from nightmares this morning.
Covered in a cold sweat.
Then she thought of Su Lingyue.
She hadn't expected such a slender woman to be able to help her.
Yang Zhizhi looked down at her hands.
"Zhizhi." Her assistant's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We're here."
Yang Zhizhi clenched her hands, sitting in the car and looking out the window. She didn't see the familiar figure. She checked the time. She was fifteen minutes early. Just as she was wondering if she should go inside first, a black sedan pulled up beside her. The window was half-open, and a woman with exquisite makeup was sitting inside.
Those familiar features, unyielding as a mountain.
Just as Su Lingyue opened the car door, she heard someone call out, "Assistant Su."
She turned her head.
She saw Yang Zhizhi walking down from the van and nodded. "Miss Yang."
The assistant wanted to support Yang Zhizhi, but she waved her hand, straightened up, and walked to Su Lingyue's side. "Together."
Su Lingyue smiled and gestured. "Together."
So formal.
She had thought that after last night, their relationship would be a little closer.
Yang Zhizhi felt a bit uncomfortable. She frowned and asked Su Lingyue, "Is this your car?"
Su Lingyue said, "No, it's the company's."
Yang Zhizhi nodded.
How could she forget that Su Lingyue had been left with nothing after the breakup, not even a share of the family assets. She was still working hard at Yilin. Thinking of this, Yang Zhizhi had a bold idea. She looked at Su Lingyue. "Assistant Su, have you ever thought about changing jobs?"
Su Lingyue was taken aback by her words and tilted her head to look at Yang Zhizhi. "Changing jobs?"
Yang Zhizhi nodded. "Changing to a job that's a little easier, with a higher salary."
She was willing to add five percent of her own earnings to Su Lingyue's salary.
As long as Su Lingyue was willing.
Su Lingyue blinked, seeing Yang Zhizhi's serious expression. She couldn't help but ask, "What kind of job?"
Yang Zhizhi said, "Being my manager."
Su Lingyue's calm expression instantly cracked. She stared blankly at Yang Zhizhi. "Me? Be your manager?"
Yang Zhizhi nodded.
Su Lingyue sized her up for a few seconds before asking, "Are you planning to retire?"
Yang Zhizhi: ...
Comments
Post a Comment