Chapter 96: Special Extra: Yu Qing

After entering her home,

Christmas balloons were still floating slowly outside the balcony.

Yu Qing changed her shoes, put down her bag, poured a cup of hot water, and sat on the sofa. A faint woody fragrance still lingered on her shoulder.

She thought of the scene at the mall entrance when she returned the coat to Jiang Yue.

After watching the children dance, she and Jiang Yue had planned to get something to eat. But then they ran into Tao Li and a few others at a snack stall. Once they joined in, two became six, and it turned into a group outing until they finally said goodbye.

Yu Qing leaned down, picked up the beautifully wrapped candied hawthorn stick, and admired it for a moment. She tucked the small bundle into the flower vase on the side cabinet—it didn’t have any water, which was just right.

Her phone vibrated.

Yu Qing looked at the screen. It was a message from Tao Li.

Xiao Lizi:

“Sister Qing, did you notice how handsome Secretary Jiang is tonight?”

Yu Qing held her phone and thought of the moment when he draped the coat over her shoulders. That refined, considerate man really was handsome.

Yu Qing replied:

“You think everyone is handsome.”

Xiao Lizi:

“Exactly, haha, I do think everyone’s handsome.

But Secretary Jiang’s always been pretty good-looking, hasn’t he? Remember when President Fu proposed, and we stamped him with the ‘certified hottie’ mark?”

Yu Qing let out a little “aiyo,” immediately put down her cup, pulled her laptop over, and started communicating with a client. Looks like it was going to be another late night.

The next day.

Worried the candied hawthorn would melt, Yu Qing brought it to the studio.

After a whole night, it still looked good. She took a picture and sent it to Jiang Yue.

Yu Qing:

“I didn’t want to eat it, but I was afraid it’d melt, so I had to carefully unwrap it.”

Jiang Yue quickly replied:

“Eat it. I heard it’s really sweet.”

Yu Qing:

“Oh.”

A few seconds later, Jiang Yue sent a photo back—it showed the road ahead of his car.

Yu Qing:

“Heading back to Dongcheng?”

Jiang Yue:

“On the way.”

Yu Qing:

“Be careful, Secretary Jiang.”

Jiang Yue:

“Didn’t you say you’d change how you address me? Yu Qing.”

Yu Qing smiled as she replied:

“Mm, Jiang Zong.”

Jiang Yue:

“That sounds too weird. Just call me Jiang Yue.”

Yu Qing teased:

“But aren’t you Jiang Zong at the company?”

Jiang Yue: “……………”

On his side, he chuckled helplessly. Since he was now on the highway, he had to put down his phone and focus on driving.

Meanwhile in Nancheng, the morning rush hour traffic was awful.

Yu Qing got cut off while driving and couldn’t even honk the horn—she was frustrated. A fifteen-minute drive took her thirty.

She stopped to grab a coffee and a sandwich downstairs.

The café only sold coffee and sandwiches, so that was a simple fix.

Only after that did Yu Qing finally unwrap the candied hawthorn.

But it wasn’t hawthorn—it was filled with blueberries and strawberries instead. Perfect as a fruity breakfast.

In the days that followed—

Until the New Year, Yu Qing and Jiang Yue kept in occasional contact.

Jiang Yue, who had just founded his company in Dongcheng, was very busy. He even introduced a few clients to Yu Qing.

These clients were the kind who frequently traveled between Nancheng and Dongcheng and had purchased homes in Nancheng. They asked Yu Qing to help with the design.

Time flew by.

The New Year arrived.

This year, Wen Yang couldn’t return to Nan’an until the first lunar month, so Yu Qing drove back alone to spend the holiday with her mother. Chen Miaoyun hadn’t brought up blind dates all year.

Only when Yu Qing was about to leave for Nancheng again did she mention it—testing the waters.

Yu Qing was packing when she glanced at her mother folding clothes.

She smiled and said:

“Mom, didn’t we agree on a year and a half? It hasn’t even been a full year yet and you’re already rushing?”

Chen Miaoyun paused, then said softly:

“I was just asking, not rushing. I promised you—I’ll keep my word.”

Yu Qing looked at her mom, stepped forward and hugged her.

She understood. All the relatives and neighbors in Nan’an were watching her.

Wen Yang’s child was already over a year old, and she still hadn’t shown any “progress”—not even a boyfriend.

People were talking, and not kindly.

Chen Miaoyun hugged her back and asked:

“Is it because of your condition?”

Yu Qing froze for a moment, realizing she meant the coronary heart disease.

She released her mother and replied,

“No, I’m not thinking about that. I just… want to be single a little longer.”

After hearing that, Chen Miaoyun spoke softly:

“Don’t stay up so late. Rest more. Cut down on coffee and strong tea. This kind of illness can be managed with care.”

Yu Qing felt a little guilty. She didn’t dare tell her mom that she drank coffee like water.

But her mother’s advice was worth following—this condition could be mild or serious. She did need to take care of herself.

Yu Qing finished packing and pulled her suitcase outside.

Chen Miaoyun helped carry things, watching her daughter load everything into the trunk.

She wiped her eyes. Yu Qing closed the trunk and gave her mom another hug.

“I’ll take care of myself. You do the same.”

Chen Miaoyun nodded.

Yu Qing smiled and got into the driver’s seat. She looked out at her mother, started the car, rolled up the window, and drove away. Seeing her mother’s silhouette in the rearview mirror made her eyes tear up.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Sometimes… raising geese back home didn’t sound like such a bad idea. At least she could be with her mom.

At a service stop—

Jiang Yue sent a message:

“Heading back to Nancheng today?”

Yu Qing, who had just bought a pancake, replied:

“Yeah. You?”

“In a couple of days. Relatives just arrived.”

They had kept in touch these past few days, and Yu Qing learned that Jiang Yue was from Licheng, but his parents had moved to Hong Kong long ago and settled there. Both of his parents were university professors, coming from a family of scholars.

Originally, his parents wanted him to follow an academic path, but when he studied abroad, he chose finance, and that’s why he joined Qingzhou after graduating.

Yu Qing:

“The annoying part about the New Year is having to see so many people. When you’re in school, they ask about your grades. After graduation, they ask about work. Once you’re a certain age, they ask about marriage.”

Jiang Yue quickly replied:

“Your family is pushing you to go on blind dates?”

Yu Qing, having just finished her pancake, replied:

“Not yet, but soon, probably. What about you? Does your family ask?”

Jiang Yue:

“They don’t.”

Yu Qing:

“Oh, that’s nice.”

Jiang Yue:

“Mm.”

Yu Qing went to wash her hands.

When she got back into the car, the pancake was a bit dry, so she took a sip from her thermos, started the engine, and drove away from the service area, continuing toward Nancheng.

Wen Yang and Fu Xingzhou wouldn’t return to Nan’an until after the New Year, since they brought their baby and planned to stay for a while.

So when Yunchi Studio resumed work, Wen Yang wasn’t there—Yu Qing was the one who handed out red envelopes to everyone.

That day happened to be Valentine’s Day. This year, Valentine’s Day fell during the New Year holidays, and it came right after work resumed.

Valentine’s Day didn’t have the strong atmosphere it used to, so Yu Qing hadn’t paid much attention to it—she’d almost forgotten.

As the sun was setting, she scrolled through Meituan (food delivery), debating what to eat.

Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from Jiang Yue.

Yu Qing answered.

Jiang Yue, voice smiling:

“Have you eaten?”

Yu Qing replied:

“I’m about to order takeout.”

“Don’t eat takeout. I made a reservation at a restaurant—Cantonese cuisine. What do you think?”

Yu Qing was surprised and softly asked:

“You’re in Nancheng?”

Jiang Yue smiled:

“Just arrived.”

Yu Qing:

“Alright.”

“It’s at COCO Mall. Just come down.”

“Then wait for me a moment.”

“Okay.”

His voice was gentle.

Yu Qing hung up the phone, exited the Meituan app, got up to tidy herself, and told her assistant to remember to lock the doors and windows. She headed downstairs.

Couples were everywhere along the way, with heart-shaped decorations in storefronts. Yu Qing walked quickly in high heels, not paying much attention.

She arrived at the restaurant and saw Jiang Yue standing outside in a shirt and slacks, holding a coat over his arm.

Seeing him, Yu Qing smiled slightly and walked over.

“Weren’t you supposed to stay in Hong Kong a few more days?”

Jiang Yue smiled:

“Found an excuse and slipped away.”

Yu Qing glanced at him and laughed:

“Don’t tell me your family’s pushing you to get married too?”

Jiang Yue lowered his eyes, smiled, and didn’t answer.

He had booked a private dining room.

It was a four-person private room, but he had it changed to a two-person setup. There was a beautiful bouquet of roses on the table. Yu Qing took off her coat and sat down. Jiang Yue also removed his coat and hung it on the back of the chair, then handed her the menu.

Yu Qing took it and browsed. There were couple’s set menus, which were quite cost-effective, but she flipped past them and chose à la carte to avoid dishes she didn’t want from the set.

Jiang Yue watched her order and added one or two dishes himself.

The server, seeing they had entered a romantic atmosphere but hadn’t ordered the couple’s set, wisely said nothing more.

Once they finished ordering, the food came quickly.

Yu Qing was hungry.

They chatted while eating dinner, and by the time they had dessert—

Jiang Yue added a fruit platter and sweet soup for Yu Qing.

As she ate with a spoon, he watched her face and said:

“Weren’t you curious before why I resigned to start a company?”

Yu Qing looked up and nodded:

“Yes. Why did you do it, Jiang Zong?”

Jiang Yue smiled faintly:

“For someone.”

Yu Qing bit her spoon and froze.

Jiang Yue smiled again, his gaze soft and gentle, eyes sparkling as he looked at her.

“Once, you and Wen Yang were drinking at a bar. I went with President Fu to pick you up. Originally, I was supposed to take you home, but CEO Xu of Violent Tech was also there. When he made you choose between the two of us, I was nervous inside—for a moment, I hoped you would choose me.”

Yu Qing’s hand holding the spoon tightened. She was stunned.

Jiang Yue looked at her tenderly and said:

“At that moment, I keenly realized I had feelings for you.”

“But I also knew you and CEO Xu had some kind of involvement, so I didn’t speak up. After all, your relationship seemed close, and it wouldn’t be my place to interfere.”

“So I kept waiting—waiting for a chance to make a change. Until that time you traveled to Beihai alone,

and not with CEO Xu, I knew maybe things had shifted.

Later, after you returned to Nancheng, I realized what I had to do—if I wanted to be worthy of you, I had to step out on my own and carve a path of my own.”

Sansukini: OMG! So sweet. Btw, pick a man who always reply to your messages. I like that Sec. Jiang is really working hard to pursue her.

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