Princess Syndrome - Chapter 95
Chapter 95: Abnormal
Su Lingyue was quite domineering at times. Whether it was due to her old temperament or her increasing intimacy with Ji Zhiyi unleashing another side of her, it was unknown. Ji Zhiyi only knew that she had a real fixation with school uniforms.
She had never mentioned her school days before, yet now she could spend half the night playing in the bathroom with her. When they could no longer stand, they ended up in the bathtub, immersed in a tub full of warm water that only cooled down at the very end. After finally throwing their wet uniforms into the washing machine, she and Su Lingyue returned to their room to rest. With the lights on, Su Lingyue looked at her phone while lying on the bed. "It's two o'clock," she said.
Ji Zhiyi turned her head. "Go to sleep quickly."
Su Lingyue said, "You don't have to get up early tomorrow, right?"
Ji Zhiyi looked at her.
Su Lingyue continued, "Can I take a day off then?" She shook her head immediately. "Of course not. I have to meet with the Aron representative tomorrow." She was talking to herself, her expression vivid, making her seem full of life.
Ji Zhiyi smiled. "I can take you to the company."
Su Lingyue replied, "No need. You should sleep more."
Ji Zhiyi turned off the light. After getting into bed, they cuddled. Su Lingyue was completely languid after their lovemaking, leaning against Ji Zhiyi with her entire body soft and boneless, as if she had no will of her own. It was a stark contrast to the dominant Su Lingyue who had pinned Ji Zhiyi down and explored her body earlier, whose excitement grew with Ji Zhiyi’s rising tension.
Ji Zhiyi let her lean, rubbing her wrist gently. "It's okay, I'll sleep when I come back."
Su Lingyue said, "When you get back, you'll probably be busy with work again."
Her words were on the mark.
Ji Zhiyi fell silent.
Su Lingyue grabbed her wrist and bit it. "You work so much every day, aren’t you tired?"
Ji Zhiyi wrapped her arms around Su Lingyue. "I'm not tired," she replied softly.
Su Lingyue looked up from her embrace, turning to face her. "Oh--you're not tired." Her tone was mocking.
Ji Zhiyi was just about to speak when her chest was pushed open. Warm lips were pressed against her skin. She stiffened, looking down. "Lingyue?"
Su Lingyue asked, "What?"
Ji Zhiyi chuckled. "What are you doing?"
Su Lingyue retorted, "Helping you fall asleep."
Ji Zhiyi squeezed Su Lingyue’s shoulders.
The "sleep aid" did indeed result in good rest. When Ji Zhiyi woke up the next day, the bed was empty. She sat up, looking at the empty room, feeling quite unaccustomed to it. Su Lingyue’s presence lingered everywhere, even when she was gone.
Ji Zhiyi sat on the bed for a while. When she finally got out of bed, Xiao Mafan jumped onto the bed, rubbing against her with its tail waving, only to leap away as she reached out, as if wanting to be chased. Ji Zhiyi called out, "Come here."
Unlike Su Lingyue's soft tone, Xiao Mafan seemed to know that Ji Zhiyi wouldn't play those games with it. It sauntered over with a flick of its tail. Ji Zhiyi picked up the cat and held it in her arms, then walked out the door.
To her surprise, there was breakfast on the table, along with a post-it note. In delicate handwriting, it read:
[Went to work. Enjoy your breakfast.]
Below it was another line: [I bought it, not the housekeeper.]
Ji Zhiyi laughed.
And finally: [I woke up early to buy it!]
Understood.
Ji Zhiyi put Xiao Mafan down and took a picture, sending it to Su Lingyue.
Su Lingyue was reviewing a list when she received Ji Zhiyi's message. Raising her eyebrow, she opened her phone and saw the picture.
She asked: [Awake?]
Ji Zhiyi: [Yeah. What time did you leave?]
Su Lingyue: [Eight o'clock.]
Thank goodness for five alarms. It was rare to wake up without waking Ji Zhiyi. Su Lingyue was a little surprised, considering how lightly Ji Zhiyi slept. Usually, she would pick up her phone right away when it rang, but this morning she hadn't woken up at all. Not that she herself had slept so well.
But Su Lingyue was just happy.
Ji Zhiyi: [Okay.]
Just as Su Lingyue was about to put down her phone, Ji Zhiyi added: [The breakfast is very tasty.]
Su Lingyue tossed her bangs a little, feeling a mix of pride and shyness.
She replied: [I’m at work.]
Ji Zhiyi smiled and went to the bathroom to wash up.
She had no work in the morning, spending the time packing. She planned to call Su Lingyue again at noon.
But Su Lingyue was busy. She had to pick up the representative at noon. Xiao Li stood by Su Lingyue, and even though they had initially planned to have lunch first, the representative was in a hurry and wanted to see the company first. So Su Lingyue took them back to the office.
Qi An, upon receiving the message, personally went downstairs to greet them. He smiled as he saw Su Lingyue and a group of people. Su Lingyue introduced both sides briefly, with Xiao Li providing translation.
Qi An glanced at Xiao Li.
Then at Su Lingyue, before suddenly saying, "You can go back to work now."
Su Lingyue was confused, but with the representative there, she didn’t say much. "Okay, President Qi."
Qi An led the representative into the company.
Su Lingyue returned to her office.
The secretaries were surprised to see her. "Huh? Assistant Su, why are you back?"
They were curious. "Weren't you supposed to have lunch with the Aron representative?"
Su Lingyue replied, "President Qi told me to come back."
Zhang Ting frowned. "Did you make a mistake?"
Su Lingyue shook her head.
They all looked at each other, not saying anything more. They ate lunch in the cafeteria. After her meal, Su Lingyue tried to call Ji Zhiyi, but no one answered. Maybe she was busy. She put down her phone. Soon after, Ji Zhiyi called her back. But since it was still lunchtime, she hung up and sent a message to Ji Zhiyi instead.
Ji Zhiyi, thinking that she was busy with the reception, didn’t think much of it. She explained: [I was just in the shower.]
Su Lingyue: [Okay. You'll be leaving soon, right?]
Ji Zhiyi: [Yeah. Xiao Li is already here. I asked the housekeeper to send over some more cat food and cans. They're in the cupboard.]
Su Lingyue felt a warmth in her heart: [Okay.]
Secretary Li, sitting across from her, whispered, "Chatting with your partner?"
Su Lingyue looked up and smiled.
Secretary Li also suppressed a smile.
The lunch break ended. Qi An and her assistant returned to their office. Since there were no empty desks in the secretarial office, Wu Meiyan originally wanted to buy a new set. Qi An said, "No need. Just add a desk in my office."
The last person to receive this treatment was Su Lingyue, who had been relentlessly tormented by Ji Zhiyi.
But this new assistant’s status was clearly different from Su Lingyue’s. Qi An seemed to favor her a lot, depending on her for everything. Secretary Zhang said, "Don't you know? President Qi wasn’t feeling well this morning. Assistant Meng carried her into the office."
Others exclaimed in surprise: "Carried her?"
Zhang Ting nodded. "I heard they even lived together abroad. Their relationship is very different."
Gossip was fueled by curiosity, and the stories grew wilder, further and further from the truth. For the sake of drama, people liked to embellish, and the stories became completely distorted over time.
Su Lingyue had experienced it firsthand. She certainly didn’t believe the gossip.
However, she had asked Ji Zhiyi about Meng Jiu. Ji Zhiyi had said that before returning to the country, she didn't know Meng Jiu. Meng Jiu had only become Qi An’s assistant in the past two years, so she wasn’t very familiar with her.
Su Lingyue didn't ask any more questions.
She refocused her attention.
She saw Qi An walk into the office. Soon after, Meng Jiu opened the door. "Assistant Su, please come in."
Su Lingyue, under the watchful eyes of the others, stood up gracefully and followed Meng Jiu into the office.
Meng Jiu announced, "President Qi, Assistant Su is here."
Qi An was looking at her computer. Hearing the announcement, she hummed in acknowledgment, without saying a word. Su Lingyue stood in front of her desk. Meng Jiu was organizing some documents. The office was occupied, yet it was unusually quiet.
The tension grew with the passing time.
Su Lingyue remained composed.
After looking over the information from the various branches, Qi An turned her head to look at Su Lingyue. Casually she asked, "Do you know why I sent you away today?"
Su Lingyue was taken aback.
That question was very familiar.
She replied, "Did President Qi think I didn't handle the reception well?"
Qi An smiled.
Her smile was devoid of warmth, her expression unchanged, and her voice still soft. "Do you think you did well?"
Su Lingyue replayed the reception process in her head. The communication had been smooth, and the feedback had been timely. She didn't understand where she had gone wrong. Seeing her clueless expression, Qi An raised her voice slightly. "Assistant Su, do you not understand French?"
Su Lingyue suddenly understood.
So that was the reason.
She replied, "I had arranged a translator."
"Translator?" Qi An mocked. "As Ji Zhiyi's assistant, you don’t understand French and require a translator?"
Su Lingyue was speechless.
Qi An chuckled. "You really opened my eyes."
Su Lingyue was fuming inside.
She knew Qi An was just looking for an excuse to scold her. Ji Zhiyi's special assistant at Yilin's headquarters also didn’t speak French. Why was Qi An acting as if it was a huge mistake now?
Still, silence was golden.
She waited.
Qi An definitely had more planned than just scolding her.
Indeed, she said, "Assistant Su, your abilities really pique my curiosity."
She then looked at Su Lingyue. "Then I have a few questions for you, Assistant Su."
Su Lingyue lowered her head. "Please go ahead."
Qi An asked, "The material used for the 'Double' series is primarily Xinyuan, does Assistant Su know this?"
Su Lingyue said, "I know."
Qi An asked, "Then does Assistant Su know that this material is expensive and not the most cost-effective?"
Su Lingyue paused for only two seconds. "But Xinyuan's material is currently only used by Yilin. That is our greatest advantage."
"Advantage?" Qi An countered. "What Xinyuan can do, PV might not be able to do? But PV can save a third of the cost. The 'Double' series' material requirements are not that high, are they?"
Hearing her mention PV, Su Lingyue frowned and looked at Qi An.
Qi An added, "But you also know that PV is Su Qi's patent. Your family's company, Assistant Su. Getting authorization shouldn't be that difficult, right?"
Su Lingyue’s emotions were already volatile, but they hadn’t yet reached the boiling point.
Qi An was truly something.
Truly!
She replied, "President Qi, it's probably not appropriate for me to negotiate."
Qi An laughed lightly. "Assistant Su, am I negotiating with you? Fulfilling one's duty is what you should be doing. Your teacher should have taught you that phrase in school. Do I need to tell you what it means?"
Su Lingyue bit her lip. "No need."
Qi An stated, "Then I'll await Assistant Su's good news."
Su Lingyue took a deep breath.
Leaving the office, she felt angry and frustrated. She wanted to call Ji Zhiyi immediately, but restrained herself after a few seconds. It had been a long time since she had felt this angry. Even when she learned she wasn't getting a cent of the inheritance, she hadn't been this furious.
Su Lingyue stood at the door. A passing secretary asked, "Assistant Su?"
She came back to herself.
The secretary asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Su Lingyue lowered her head and replied in a calm tone, "Nothing."
Back at her desk, she evened her breathing. She received a message from Ji Zhiyi saying she had boarded her flight. She replied with a smiley face and returned to work.
Ji Zhiyi hadn't returned home in a while. The apartment was still there. When she initially returned to the country, she had planned to sell it. Ji Zhis said, "Sis, let's keep it. In case the whole family goes on a trip sometime."
She figured it was a good idea, so she had kept it. Now Ji Zhis was living there.
After getting off the plane, Ji Zhiyi tried calling Su Lingyue, but she didn't answer. Figuring that she was busy, she took a taxi back to her apartment. Ji Zhis wasn't there and the apartment was empty. She looked at the balcony. There were no clothes.
Was Ji Zhis not living here anymore?
She frowned.
She called Ji Zhis again.
Hearing her voice, Ji Zhis exclaimed happily, "Sis, you're here!"
She explained, "I've been staying at the school recently. I go to the hospital at night. Have you seen godmother?" Her voice was light and happy when she spoke about her godmother.
Ji Zhiyi replied, "I'll go over there after I put down my luggage."
Ji Zhis laughed. "Go quickly!" Her tone was impatient.
Ji Zhiyi frowned.
After hanging up, she unpacked. Just as she was about to leave, the doorbell rang. She hurried to the door and opened it. Standing outside was Jiang Ya.
Not her usual cold expression, or stern look, but a big smile.
Ji Zhiyi stood silently.
Preparing herself to receive Jiang Ya's fury and scolding.
But Jiang Ya simply smiled at her. "Zhiyi, you're back."
Her unusual attitude made Ji Zhiyi's nerves tighten instead of relaxing.
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