Princess Syndrome - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Want to Kiss

It wasn't because she didn't like it, but because the progress was too fast.

Indeed, in Su Lingyue's mind, they had only recently become acquainted. Given Su Lingyue's personality, agreeing to try was already unprecedented, let alone those overly intimate actions.

It was normal for her to feel it was too fast.

But Ji Zhiyi felt it was too slow.

So slow that she felt like she was counting down every minute and every second. She had pondered over every one of Su Lingyue's expressions. Her leaving after the kiss left her feeling lost and afraid.

She was afraid that the "let's try" was just a "let's try," she was afraid of being discarded.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Su Lingyue.

It was that she didn't trust herself.

Before every project negotiation, she would make the worst-case scenario and accept it, but this time, she couldn't.

She hadn't made the worst-case scenario.

She hadn't even thought about the worst-case scenario; she couldn't accept it.

That was why Su Lingyue's turning and leaving made her so scared. She had to carefully consider every message before replying. Now, hearing her say she liked it, but just felt the progress was too fast.

All the tense nerves in her body relaxed. Ji Zhiyi was silent for two seconds, feeling like her soul had just returned to her body from floating.

She thought for a moment, "I'm sorry."

Su Lingyue looked at her, not understanding why she was apologizing again.

Ji Zhiyi said, "I will ask for your opinion first in the future."

There was no need to be so—formal.

But undeniably, Su Lingyue was in a good mood. It was really comfortable to be in a relationship with a rational person, and she felt respected in every way. If Ji Zhiyi was told about flash marriages now, she might even consider it and agree, right?

What was she thinking!

Su Lingyue despised herself.

She was a little embarrassed, suppressing a laugh, "Okay."

Her voice was a bit soft.

Ji Zhiyi tilted her head, looking at her, and chuckled.

Su Lingyue turned her head, "What are you laughing at? Are you laughing at me?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "No, I'm not."

Su Lingyue said, "Yes, you are!"

Ji Zhiyi said, "I really am not."

Su Lingyue glared at her, "Then what are you laughing at?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "I'm happy."

Su Lingyue asked, "What are you happy about?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "I'm happy that you like me kissing you."

Su Lingyue: …

She shouldn't have asked!

She wanted to put on a stern face and act fierce, but her acting skills weren't up to par. Before she could get serious, she started laughing. Ji Zhiyi looked at her, her eyes filled with delight and laughter.

There was a knock on the office door. Su Lingyue subconsciously looked at Ji Zhiyi, who said in her usual tone, "What is it?"

Wu Meiyan said, "President Ji, Miss Lin is here."

Su Lingyue asked, "Is she here to sign the contract?"

Ji Zhiyi nodded, "Have her go to the meeting room first."

Su Lingyue said, "Okay."

She got up, took two steps, and then seemed to remember something, turning back, "Then are we still going to the movies tonight?"

Ji Zhiyi smiled, "Yes, we are."

Su Lingyue's footsteps felt light.

Lin Fei arrived first. She had an audition nearby and came directly after it ended. Su Lingyue heard her say that she hadn't had lunch yet and prepared some snacks for her. Lin Fei looked at Su Lingyue. She didn't know much about Su Lingyue, but she had heard a lot, especially since she was the spokesperson for Su Qi's brand, so she was naturally familiar with the eldest daughter of the Su family.

Rumors outside said that Su Lingyue had a bad personality, liked to bully people, and caused trouble by relying on her status.

She had never encountered any of that.

They had eaten together at a company team-building event, but Su Lingyue had left shortly after she arrived, and at that time, no one dared to speak ill of her.

So she didn't have much of an impression of Su Lingyue.

Oh—

It wasn't that she had no impression at all. She was beautiful.

She remembered that there was a director who had wanted to invite Su Lingyue to film an advertisement more than once, but was politely refused.

Later, she learned that more than one director had invited her.

So, when she heard that Su Lingyue was kicked out of the Su family, she wondered if she would run into Su Lingyue in the entertainment circle. She hadn't expected to meet her again at another company. Lin Fei had heard bits and pieces about the things between her and Ji Zhiyi and admired her ability to adapt to different circumstances.

But thinking of Ji Zhiyi being humiliated by her, Lin Fei couldn't bring herself to be enthusiastic towards her.

Su Lingyue didn't mind.

After Yang Zhizhi's incident, she could now calmly face any celebrity, and even if others had opinions about her, she could greet them with a smile.

So after serving Lin Fei some snacks, she sat opposite Yang Zhizhi and started checking the contract.

Lin Fei looked at her phone with a somewhat indifferent expression.

Suddenly, there was movement at the door. Su Lingyue looked up and saw Lin Fei's face break into a bright smile. She stood up and said, "President Ji."

She turned her head, and Ji Zhiyi was walking in.

Su Lingyue glanced at Lin Fei from the corner of her eye.

She saw Lin Fei smiling very happily.

She felt a little unhappy.

She was so enthusiastic, it was like she was a different person compared to her earlier attitude.

Ji Zhiyi greeted her, "Miss Lin, please have a seat. I was on a call just now, I apologize."

Lin Fei said, "President Ji is busy, it's alright."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Then would you mind waiting a little longer?"

Lin Fei tilted her head to look at her.

Ji Zhiyi said, "I just received a call from Miss Yang, she'll be here in a moment as well."

Lin Fei said, "Of course, no problem."

Facing her soon-to-be collaborator, Lin Fei didn't know what to say.

When she was popular, Yang Zhizhi was still a background actor. Later, when Yang Zhizhi became famous, she had faded into obscurity. Of course, she wasn't familiar with Yang Zhizhi, let alone had any significant interactions. She usually just saw her trending on social media. Among the new generation of actors, Yang Zhizhi had always been a strong presence.

This endorsement brought them together.

For Lin Fei, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

She had been thinking about how to promote her comeback. If she and Yang Zhizhi were in the same endorsement, she wouldn't even need to promote it, everyone would know about her. It was because of this that several management companies contacted her after she left her previous company, but she didn't accept any of them this time. Instead, she planned to open her own studio.

It would be difficult.

But she was willing to try.

She had been on this path for over twenty years and had been scammed twice. It was time to put all these years of experience to good use. She wasn't confident about other things, but she hoped that there would be fewer incidents like what happened to her in the future.

Perhaps she could also lend a hand when others encountered such situations.

Just like Ji Zhiyi.

Lin Fei looked at Ji Zhiyi and saw her sitting calmly, bathed in the sunlight, giving her whole figure a halo. She proactively asked, "President Ji, I was wondering if you're free tonight?"

Ji Zhiyi looked up.

Su Lingyue gripped the contract tighter when she heard this.

Ji Zhiyi asked, "Tonight?"

"Yes." Lin Fei said, "Once we sign the contract, we'll officially be working together. I'd like to invite you and Miss Yang to celebrate tonight."

This could be seen as lowering her stance.

Logically, Yang Zhizhi should be the one hosting this dinner. Her proactive offer was not only out of satisfaction with Yilin but also to build a good relationship with Ji Zhiyi. Ji Zhiyi was silent for two seconds, then said, "I'm afraid tonight won't work, I already have plans."

Ji Zhiyi gave her a way out, "Moreover, Miss Yang is busy filming and is about to wrap up, so she's quite busy. I'll host a dinner for both of you after she finishes filming. I hope Miss Lin will do me the honor of attending then."

Her words were impeccable. Lin Fei smiled, "Look at me, I completely forgot that Miss Yang is about to finish filming. Then I'll wait for President Ji's message."

Ji Zhiyi nodded.

The sound of high heels approached the door. Before Yang Zhizhi even entered, she apologized, "I'm sorry, President Ji, Miss Lin, I was held up by something."

Lin Fei stood up, "I just arrived too."

Ji Zhiyi looked at Su Lingyue.

Su Lingyue was smiling. Seeing her look over, she cleared her throat, "Please have a seat, both of you."

Lin Fei and Yang Zhizhi sat down, engaging in superficial pleasantries and polite conversation. Su Lingyue poured them two cups of tea. The legal department also arrived, and Su Lingyue sat in the seat beside Ji Zhiyi, listening to the legal team's clause-by-clause explanation.

She didn't really understand the decision to have both of them sign the contract together. Although she had reviewed the contract and knew their conditions were the same.

It was precisely because they were the same.

That they should keep it from each other, shouldn't they?

Not to mention the filming and publicity issues, even the endorsement fee should be kept confidential.

But Ji Zhiyi clearly didn't have that intention. Not only did she arrange for them to come together, but she also actively pointed out that their conditions were exactly the same. Lin Fei and Yang Zhizhi were both silent.

Yang Zhizhi frowned.

She hadn't known that her conditions were exactly the same as Lin Fei's.

Lin Fei was completely surprised. They were the same?

But there was no point in discussing it now. The conditions were the result of several adjustments they had made previously. If they wanted to find fault, there wasn't much they could pick on. After half an hour of discussion, Lin Fei and Yang Zhizhi signed the contract.

Before Yang Zhizhi left, Ji Zhiyi mentioned the dinner invitation. She looked at Su Lingyue and said, "Then I'll wait for President Ji's message."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Judging by her expression, she wasn't very happy.

Ji Zhiyi calmly asked Wu Meiyan to see Lin Fei downstairs as well.

Su Lingyue was utterly puzzled and followed her closely into the office, "Why did you have them sign the contract together?"

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Lingyue said, "I saw Yang Zhizhi's expression just now, she looked like she wanted to break the contract."

Ji Zhiyi said, "She won't."

Su Lingyue asked, "Are you that sure?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "If she had any other way out, she wouldn't have come to us to sign."

Su Lingyue thought about it, and that was true.

Back then, Yang Zhizhi had even drunk strong liquor to get them to sign the contract with her.

Was Ji Zhiyi this calculating?

But Su Lingyue still didn't understand, "Then why have them sign the contract together?"

Ji Zhiyi looked at her, just as she was about to speak, her phone rang. She mouthed to Su Lingyue, "Answer the phone."

Su Lingyue saw her thin lips move and nodded, pointing outside. Ji Zhiyi nodded, and Su Lingyue walked out of the office.

Ji Zhiyi answered the phone.

Ji Zhisi's voice came through, "Sis! Let me tell you! Sister Yunlu's condition has been improving! I asked the doctor today if there's a chance she could wake up given her situation, and guess what the doctor said?"

Ji Zhiyi's body relaxed, "What did they say?"

"He said it's possible!" Ji Zhisi said, "When Godmother asked them before, they all said not to have too much hope!"

One could hear that Ji Zhisi was very happy.

Hearing that Jiang Yunlu's condition was improving, Ji Zhiyi was also very happy. She said, "Then take good care of her recently."

"I know." Ji Zhisi said, "I've been coming over as soon as I get out of school recently!"

Speaking of this, her tone changed, "Oh, right Sis, I heard you have a new assistant named Su Lingyue?"

Ji Zhiyi raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

Ji Zhisi didn't hear the joy in her voice, "Isn't she the one who used to bully you in school?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "No, she didn't."

Ji Zhisi said, "Sis, don't lie to me. Godmother told me. If I see her, I'm definitely going to give her a good scolding for you!"

Ji Zhiyi called out, "Ji Zhisi!"

Her voice was a bit stern.

Ji Zhisi was a little scared, "Huh?"

Ji Zhiyi pursed her lips, and after a few seconds said, "It's nothing, take good care of yourself."

Ji Zhisi said "oh" and didn't dare to say more, finding an excuse to hang up. Ji Zhiyi leaned back in her chair, threw her phone aside, and looked up at the office outside. Su Lingyue was walking back and forth with a file in her hand. Her expression was much calmer.

Both of them were very busy for the entire afternoon.

Su Lingyue had originally planned to call Ji Zhiyi, but after the afternoon break, she was called by Zhang Xian to the processing plant. By the time she came out, it was already dark. She looked at her phone and saw two missed calls.

Both were from Ji Zhiyi.

Her mind went blank, and she immediately called back. She felt a bit anxious as she waited for the call to connect. This anxiety was unprovoked, like she was very afraid of making Ji Zhiyi angry for not informing her beforehand.

She bit her nails.

Zhang Xian asked, "Who are you calling, you look so nervous?"

Su Lingyue put down her hand, trying to calm herself. The familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, "Hello."

Hearing the familiar voice, Su Lingyue's heart suddenly returned to its place, and her breathing became much steadier. She said, "I'm at the processing plant, Director Zhang asked me to come over." She glanced at Zhang Xian, who was changing clothes, and covered the mouthpiece, whispering, "I forgot to tell you."

Her voice was soft and delicate.

With a hint of apology.

Ji Zhiyi said, "Yeah, Zhang Xian told me."

Su Lingyue said "oh."

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What time will you be back?"

Su Lingyue said, "About half an hour."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Okay, be careful on the road."

Su Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief and hung up the phone.

Zhang Xian suddenly stood behind her, "Your partner?"

Su Lingyue's eyes widened, her face showing a surprised expression of 'how did you know?'

Zhang Xian said, "I went upstairs this afternoon and heard Secretary Li talking about it. When did you start dating?"

Su Lingyue said, "Just, recently."

Zhang Xian nodded, "And you didn't say anything about introducing them to us."

No need for introductions.

You know her.

You see her every day.

Su Lingyue smiled.

Zhang Xian asked, "Are they picking you up later?"

Su Lingyue said, "No." She even made up a reason for Ji Zhiyi, "She's busy."

Zhang Xian nodded, "I understand, then take my car, we'll go back together."

Su Lingyue said, "Okay."

Zhang Xian couldn't help but say, hearing her voice clear and slightly joyful, "Being in love is really different."

Su Lingyue turned her head, "How is it different?"

Zhang Xian said, "I used to think you were very introverted and didn't talk much, but now you're much more cheerful."

She exclaimed, "Sure enough, love is great!"

For the first time, Su Lingyue didn't find these words cheesy and even nodded in agreement.

Zhang Xian said, "You're making me want to be in love too, but I just don't have the time."

Su Lingyue said, "You're busy."

"Yeah, super busy lately." Zhang Xian said, "But still not as busy as Ji Zhiyi. I wonder if I'll ever see her fall in love in this lifetime."

Su Lingyue: …

Thank you.

She's currently in love.

Su Lingyue felt a little guilty, "You can still date even when you're busy."

"You can!" Zhang Xian said, "But it's a bit unimaginable, I've known her for so long, and she doesn't have a partner, or even someone she has feelings for."

Su Lingyue laughed when she heard this.

She turned her head to look out the car window, her face blossoming like a flower. She quickly patted her cheeks, widened her eyes, trying to restore her calm expression, with little success. But in the car, Zhang Xian was busy paying attention to the road ahead and didn't notice the changes in her expression.

Su Lingyue couldn't help but ask, "She doesn't, have anyone she has feelings for?"

"No." Zhang Xian said, "I haven't seen her have any interactions with anyone beyond friendship." Speaking of this, her voice lowered, "Let me tell you, there was this one time overseas, someone was pestering her and even went to her doorstep at night, putting on a wet body seduction show, but she remained unmoved, just looking at them, making them feel embarrassed."

Su Lingyue said, "She's that calm?"

"You bet." Zhang Xian said, "That's why I said it's hard to imagine her having a partner."

Su Lingyue bit her lip.

Her tongue touched the corner of her lips.

As if the softness and scent of Ji Zhiyi lingered there.

Although she truly believed Ji Zhiyi when she said she hadn't been in a relationship before, the way she said "let's try" was so practiced, she had thought Ji Zhiyi had some experience. She hadn't expected her to be a blank slate in terms of relationships, just like herself.

So that was why she apologized after kissing her.

Because she couldn't gauge the appropriate measure either.

Su Lingyue took out her phone, opened their chat, and suddenly wanted to chat with Ji Zhiyi, but she didn't know what to say.

Should she ask: [Are you home?]

Or ask: [What are you doing?]

Su Lingyue typed and then deleted, finally closing her phone.

She didn't send Ji Zhiyi a message before arriving home. After getting out of the car, she wanted to invite Zhang Xian to come in for a bit, but Zhang Xian said, "I'm all sweaty, I'm going home to shower."

Su Lingyue nodded, watching her leave. Just as she was about to go back inside, she heard a voice, "Lingyue."

She turned around, and Ji Zhiyi was getting out of a car, looking at her.

It seemed like she had been waiting in the car for her to come home.

Warmth filled Su Lingyue's heart.

Su Lingyue asked, "Why didn't you go home first?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Waiting to go in together."

These simple four words caused joy to erupt in Su Lingyue's heart. She lowered her head and smiled, remembering what Zhang Xian had said on the way. She raised her eyes to look at Ji Zhiyi, the corners of her lips couldn't help but curve upwards.

Ji Zhiyi said, "What are you smiling at? Let's go home."

She said "oh" and followed.

Walking behind Ji Zhiyi.

The streetlights stretched their shadows.

When they reached the door, Su Lingyue called out, "Ji Zhiyi."

Ji Zhiyi turned her head.

She was standing on the steps, a little taller than Su Lingyue. When she looked down, the light poured down on her, casting a halo. Su Lingyue was close, and slightly tilted her head up, clearly seeing Ji Zhiyi's features and gentle eyes.

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Lingyue's heart was pounding!

She suddenly understood why Ji Zhiyi had kissed her in the rest room.

At this moment.

She also really wanted to kiss Ji Zhiyi.

The kind of want she couldn't resist.

Explore Previous Contents Next