Chapter 19
Following this unexpected interlude, the directors and editors were in a state of chaos, so they paused recording to resume the next day.
Bai Manruo carefully carried the bracelet back to her room; she wouldn’t dare wear it again for the next few days. Having no proper box, she had to empty a shoebox, pad it with several layers of soft clothes, and place the bracelet inside with extreme gentleness.
The boss’s family heirloom could not be ruined in her hands.
Bai Manruo sent a message to the boss: 【Miss Ji, this bracelet is too precious. I’ll have someone deliver it back to you.】
Right after sending it, she hit “Recall.” No, she couldn’t trust someone else with such a valuable item; she had to deliver it herself. There was still half a day left, enough time to rush back before recording resumed. She grabbed the box and prepared to head out.
Seeing her about to leave, Xu Huanxin walked over and asked, “Where are you going? I’m free anyway; I can drive you.”
Seeing her hesitation, Xu Huanxin directly nudged her toward the exit. “It’s hard to get a taxi around here. Don’t be formal with me.”
Bai Manruo had no choice but to hug the box and get into the car, fastening her seatbelt. “Huanxin, thanks for the trouble.”
Xu Huanxin suddenly looked at her, her gentle gaze fixed on her without blinking, until she felt her stare was too direct and looked away. “It’s nothing,” she said.
Bai Manruo looked out the window, clutching the box thoughtfully. Recalling Huanxin’s gaze just now, she wondered: Is she really here on the show because of me?
Impossible. The thought flashed by but was quickly dismissed. She had never met her before, so why would she be here for her?
As the car drove along, Bai Manruo sent the address to Xu Huanxin. They chatted in the car, and Xu Huanxin chuckled at the sight of the shoebox in her lap. “Is the bracelet in there?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m afraid I’ll accidentally break it if I just hold it,” Bai Manruo explained very seriously.
Xu Huanxin couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. She caught a glimpse of Bai Manruo’s profile out of the corner of her eye, and a look of affection drifted into her eyes. How can there be such a cute Alpha?
After driving for half an hour, the car suddenly stopped. Xu Huanxin tapped the navigation screen, her brow furrowed. “What’s going on? We haven’t reached the destination, but it won’t let me drive further.”
She found that whenever the car moved forward, the in-car navigation would sound an alarm.
“Reminder: The area ahead is private property. No thoroughfare.”
“Reminder: The area ahead is…”
Bai Manruo immediately whipped out her phone to check the map and had an epiphany. “Oh, it’s fine. Dropping me here is enough. Thanks for driving me back; I’ll treat you to dinner when I return tonight.”
Xu Huanxin rolled down the window and looked around. There were few urban buildings; the surroundings were mostly dense woods. She asked worriedly, “Are you sure it’s here?”
Bai Manruo knew what she was worried about; every driver she’d met before had the same expression. But having signed a non-disclosure agreement, she couldn’t reveal the owner’s address, so she had to make up a reason to get by.
“It’s really fine, don’t worry,” Bai Manruo said, unbuckling her seatbelt while clutching the box.
Seeing her struggling with the box and the seatbelt, Xu Huanxin leaned over slightly, her hand reaching toward the other side. They were quite close. Bai Manruo immediately stayed still. Before she could say a word, the seatbelt clicked open.
She let out a breath of relief. She had clearly overthought it; the other woman was just helping her with the belt.
Bai Manruo got out and waved. “Drive safely! I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”
She turned and walked toward the castle with the box, but after a while, she felt a stifling sense of being watched from the forest. She instinctively quickened her pace, muttering to herself, Don’t scare yourself. There’s no one on this road, just trees.
At this moment, on the third floor of the castle.
A giant monitor was broadcasting the scene a kilometer away. One screen was frozen on the moment inside the car where Xu Huanxin leaned close to help unbuckle the seatbelt. Another screen showed the bright-smiling Alpha waving excitedly to the Omega behind her.
The empty room echoed with: “Drive safely! I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”
“Drive safely! I’ll treat you to dinner…”
“Drive safely…”
The clear, cheerful voice rang through the room over and over.
Ji Yingqing stared at the two people on the monitor with her grey eyes. Her slender knuckles tapped the desk rhythmically—softly, then heavily. An old clock ticked away, suddenly letting out a long, resonant chime.
Ji Yingqing uncrossed her legs and stood up to head downstairs.
By the time she reached the bottom, Bai Manruo’s voice came from outside. Almost at the exact moment Ji Yingqing sat on the sofa, Bai Manruo pushed open the heavy castle doors.
The moment she looked up at Bai Manruo, the deep, dark gaze vanished without a trace.
Ji Yingqing looked over calmly and asked unhurriedly, “Why are you back so suddenly? You could have called; I would have sent Butler Li to fetch you.”
Bai Manruo walked toward the living room with the box. “Butler Li is usually so busy; I didn’t want to trouble her.”
It usually took only ten minutes to reach the castle from there, but she was so afraid of damaging the jade bracelet—it being a centuries-old antique—that it took her a full thirty minutes to arrive. Bai Manruo was so preoccupied with checking for cracks that she didn’t wonder why Ji Yingqing was waiting in the living room for her right on time.
Bai Manruo carefully placed the box on the table and unwrapped the white jade bracelet from its many layers of protection. She said seriously, “Miss Ji, I protected it well. Not a single scratch. Please check it.”
She could only be at ease after the boss confirmed it was fine; otherwise, if anything happened later, she wouldn’t be able to pay it back even if she worked from the Stone Age onwards.
Ji Yingqing didn’t take it. She looked up. “What is given to you is yours.” Though her voice was calm, it carried an undeniable tone.
Bai Manruo was stuck in a dilemma. The boss is really giving away such a precious bracelet just like that? This is too, too, too extravagant!
Seeing her hesitation, Ji Yingqing poured a glass of water and handed it to her. “If you don’t like it, throw it away.”
Realizing the boss wasn’t joking, Bai Manruo quickly took the water and met Ji Yingqing’s eyes. “I want it. I like… the bracelet Miss Ji gave me.”
Her phrasing was ambiguous, whether intentional or not.
Ji Yingqing’s hand paused as she poured. Her thick lashes fluttered, and a flash of emotion crossed her eyes so fast it was impossible to catch.
Bai Manruo carefully slid the bracelet onto her wrist, a bright smile appearing on her face. As she drank, she caught a glimpse of the bracelet out of the corner of her eye; it let out a crisp clink as it lightly touched the glass. She was beaming. This was a one-of-a-kind artifact and the first time she’d received such a unique gift; it held a different meaning.
Ji Yingqing clearly wasn’t as happy as she was, her mind still replaying the footage from the monitor.
Bai Manruo keenly sensed that the boss’s expression was colder than usual, her eyes a silent, frozen grey. She assumed the boss was angry because she’d lied about the variety show and caused so much trouble for her.
Bai Manruo set the glass down and proactively admitted her mistake. “About the leave of absence for the show… I didn’t mean to deceive you, Miss Ji. You can punish me however you like.”
The air fell silent. Bai Manruo felt a surge of nervousness. Suddenly, she propped her arms on the table and leaned in close, licking her dry, rosy lips. She spoke slowly: “Miss Ji, I was wrong. Can you forgive me?”
Being so close, every tiny movement was magnified in Ji Yingqing’s eyes. Her hot breath, her moist red lips, and the faint scent of cedarwood on her skin.
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