A Pharaoh and Her Beloved Queen: Modern Chapter - Chapter 3

“Edith, Edith…”

Late at night, Ye Zhiqing tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep as the name “Edith” cycled through her mind.

Judging by the patterns on her clothes and the Egyptian Mau she saw the other day, was she Egyptian?

Somehow, Ye Zhiqing began to connect Edith with the mysterious Egyptian merchant who hadn’t shown their face on the program.

Could they… be the same person?

Thinking of this, Ye Zhiqing reached out to the bedside table and pulled out a black wooden box. Under the bright moonlight, the box shimmered with a dark, metallic luster.

It was as mysterious as the inscription carved upon it: Khonsu—the Egyptian Moon God.

Ye Zhiqing slowly opened the box, and an exceptionally exquisite gold bracelet appeared before her eyes—or more accurately, a gold bracer.

Ye Zhiqing had studied this bracelet carefully; without a doubt, even the box containing it was worth a fortune.

The strange thing was, while it was clear the bracelet was crafted with ancient Egyptian techniques, it did not fit the artistic characteristics of any specific ancient Egyptian dynasty.

After searching through countless documents over the last two days, Ye Zhiqing still hadn’t found a single clue.

Looking at the bracelet with a complex expression, Ye Zhiqing put it back into the box with a sense of exasperated frustration and shoved it back into the cabinet.

She forced herself to close her eyes and sleep.

The next morning, her 7:30 AM biological clock woke Ye Zhiqing punctually.

Breakfast was simple: cheese sandwiches and milk.

Ruan Bai had a strong ability to adapt; he was well-behaved and very good at acting spoiled. After finishing breakfast: “Auntie Zhiqing, Bai Bai wants a hug~”

After briefly tidying the table, Ye Zhiqing pulled out a wet wipe to clean the milk stains from around Bai Bai’s mouth.

Contentedly, she picked up the soft, adorable little boy. “Bai Bai, first we’ll go pick up the little plane that got lost yesterday, then I’ll take you to school, okay?”

“Okay,” soft little hands wrapped around Ye Zhiqing’s neck; Ruan Bai clearly enjoyed being close to her.

A four-year-old child gets a bit heavy after carrying him for a while.

Setting him down in front of Edith’s house, Ye Zhiqing rubbed her aching arms and pressed the doorbell.

This time, Edith came out quickly.

Her measuring gaze swept over the two of them rapidly before she opened the gate.

While Ye Zhiqing was still composing her words, Edith knelt down first, speaking before Ye Zhiqing could: “Little friend, do you remember roughly where your little plane fell?”

Ruan Bai raised a small hand and pointed into the distance, his voice childish: “It’s stuck on the window of that wall.”

The two walked over, and sure enough, the little plane was there. No wonder they couldn’t find it in the yard last night; the wing was jammed in the window frame, looking as if it might fall at any moment.

The rest was easy. Edith went upstairs and quickly retrieved the small plane.

“Little friend, here is your plane.”

“Thank you.”

Although Ye Zhiqing felt that Edith’s way of speaking to Ruan Bai seemed somewhat deliberately awkward, Edith’s composed manner made Ye Zhiqing feel much more at ease. “I’m really sorry for the trouble, thank you.”

Edith nodded without speaking.

Ye Zhiqing checked the time; she had to hurry, or she wouldn’t make it for Ruan Bai’s school start time.

“Miss Yi, I’ll be taking the child to class now.”

Just as Ye Zhiqing was about to lead Ruan Bai away, Edith took two steps and blocked her path.

Ruan Bai opened his round eyes wide, leaning against Ye Zhiqing without a word, looking back and forth between the strange auntie who helped him and Ye Zhiqing.

“Miss Yi,”

“Call me Edith.”

“Edith?”

“I helped you. Don’t you plan to show some appreciation before you leave?”

Edith was expressionless, her black eyes deep and heavy. Ye Zhiqing only felt her face begin to burn again.

“There isn’t enough time today. How about I treat you to a meal another day?”

“No need. Just give me a lift,” Edith said, and without giving Ye Zhiqing a chance to refuse, she turned and went back into the house.

Ye Zhiqing had no choice but to wait in the yard with Ruan Bai, thinking to herself what a strange person she was; she needed to repay this favor soon and keep her distance.

Edith moved quickly and didn’t make Ye Zhiqing wait long. She wore a dark ink-colored suit from TIE FOR HER. While usually standard office wear, Edith managed to wear it with a sense of majestic grandeur.

It wasn’t the clothes making the person look good; rather, the beauty made the clothes shine.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The two didn’t speak on the way. Ye Zhiqing held Ruan Bai while Edith walked beside them, a very faint smile hanging on her face—hazy, just enough to cover an imperceptible gloom.

The golden plane tree leaves drifted down around them. The three of them—two adults and one child—looked beautiful and warm, a scene of peaceful years.

The garage wasn’t far. As soon as Ye Zhiqing unlocked the car, Edith was the first to open the door and sit in the passenger seat.

She didn’t forget to roll down the window to explain to Ye Zhiqing: “It’s not safe for children to sit in the front passenger seat.”

…

Whatever makes you happy.

Ye Zhiqing drove very steadily and soon arrived at the kindergarten entrance. Before getting out, she politely told Edith: “I’ll take Bai Bai into the kindergarten first.”

Edith turned her head to look. Ye Zhiqing was carrying the child out of the car, her movements gentle, that familiar faint smile on her face. Edith’s gaze darkened; her index finger curled and tapped rhythmically against the car door. Zhiqing has lost a lot of weight.

When Ye Zhiqing got back in the car, Edith suddenly blurted out: “Your son doesn’t look like you at all.” She spoke each word slowly, appearing exceptionally serious.

After a moment of surprise, Ye Zhiqing quickly realized the “son” Edith meant was Ruan Bai. She said with a smile, “Ruan Bai is my friend’s child; of course he doesn’t look like me.”

Edith’s rhythmic tapping stopped instantly. Her hand slowly relaxed, landing on her cuff and smoothing out the wrinkles.

Deep in her eyes, it was as if a beam of light had been lit, sweeping away all the hidden gloom and darkness.

Edith’s expression was more joyful than ever before; her lips curved up, and her eyes seemed to hold falling starlight as she said slowly, “Oh,” in a thought-provoking tone.

Ye Zhiqing was quite baffled. She gave a light cough. “Edith, where are you going? I’ll drop you off.”

“I’ll go wherever you go,” she drawled the words out in a slightly restless tone.

Eyelashes trembling, those words fell into her ears and caused Ye Zhiqing to feel an uncharacteristic surge of flustered heat.

She didn’t ask further. Ye Zhiqing knew clearly that in front of Edith, her reactions were always slow and dull; it was better to follow her lead and repay the favor as soon as possible.

The feeling was strange; Ye Zhiqing instinctively wanted to escape. Her hand tightened unconsciously on the steering wheel, her palm growing damp.

Just as Ye Zhiqing was about to restart the car, Edith spoke again, interrupting her.

“Wait, your seatbelt isn’t fastened properly.”

Edith’s move was sudden. She leaned her body halfway over the center console. From the outside, it looked as if Edith was leaning her body half-pressed against Ye Zhiqing.

The posture was too intimate and ambiguous. Ye Zhiqing felt lost, her body stiffening as she remained motionless.

They were very close—close enough that she could see the fine fuzz on Edith’s face and the smooth skin on her chest. The deep V-neck design didn’t feel frivolous; on the contrary, in the cramped, quiet space, the cold fragrance and mysterious charm were addictive.

Ye Zhiqing turned her face away slightly, her hands clenched tight, her breathing slow and restrained.

A cool wrist seemed to accidentally brush against Ye Zhiqing’s cheek as she slowly pulled the seatbelt across and buckled it.

It was a long and secret ordeal.

After buckling the seatbelt, Edith didn’t immediately retreat to the passenger seat. With one hand propped on the seat and the other by Ye Zhiqing’s ear, her warm breath fell on Ye Zhiqing’s neck, tingling and itchy.

With extreme patience, she tucked Ye Zhiqing’s hair behind her ear.

She seemed to especially like tending to her hair.

“I’m going to drive now,” Ye Zhiqing said with a nod, her composure forced and her voice slightly husky.

Edith chuckled. “Okay.” She pulled away unhurriedly, sitting upright and painting over everything with a calm air.

Stealing a glance at Edith before quickly straightening her body, Ye Zhiqing let out a long breath, trying to soothe her already disordered breathing.

When they got back on the road, the car speed was much faster than before. High-rise buildings stood outside the window; Edith seemed very interested, observing everything outside that was originally strange to her.

A sudden sharp brake made both of them lean forward involuntarily.

After parking, Ye Zhiqing turned to look at Edith, her body tense, radiating a deliberate coldness. “Edith, I’ve arrived. Please suit yourself.”

She grabbed her bag and walked away quickly.

As soon as she reached the company entrance, Ye Zhiqing saw Assistant Wen waiting. She asked casually, “Assistant Wen, who are you waiting for?”

Wen Wen signaled with her eyes for Ye Zhiqing to look behind her. “CEO Ruan personally gave instructions. The company’s new partner, Edith from Egypt.”

“Edith?” Ye Zhiqing turned back and saw Edith indeed following unhurriedly behind her.

The author has something to say:

Edith: I am the personification of a persistent “plaster” (stalker/clinger).