Chapter 39.1
Bai Manruo looked at the panicked Zhao Min, feeling somewhat surprised to learn about her background.
She had heard of the Zhao family before; they were a well-known scholarly family in City A. The old patriarch of the Zhao family was a highly respected and lofty intellectual. She really hadn’t expected the Zhao family to have such scandals. As expected, the world of wealthy giants is a mess.
But how did the boss know such private details concerning a family’s reputation so clearly?
On the other side, Zhao Min was equally perplexed. Why did the woman in front of her know these buried secrets from years ago? Her intuition told her that this woman’s background was anything but simple.
At this moment, having had her scandal exposed in public, Zhao Min’s mood shifted from initial panic and shame to a gradual recovery of composure. To have survived in the Zhao family as an illegitimate daughter, she relied not just on her brains, but on her flexible and smooth ability to adapt.
She quickly filtered through the important figures she had met in her mind, but not a single face overlapped with the woman before her. Zhao Min suppressed her anger and doubt, forcing a smile: “May I ask how to address you?”
Ji Yingqing’s gaze had already moved away from her; she didn’t give Zhao Min another look. She lowered her eyes to look at Bai Manruo and asked, “Go home, or play for a while longer?”
Bai Manruo was still thinking about what just happened. Startled by her words, she thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go home.” Her purpose for coming here was to accompany the boss and use her pheromones to alleviate her condition. Since home and the gathering were the same to her, she’d rather go home—at least there weren’t so many annoying people and things there.
Zhao Min stared intently at the two departing figures. It wasn’t until she could no longer see the woman’s back that her tense nerves finally relaxed.
Zhao Min pondered for a while, suddenly remembering that everyone at today’s gathering was a person of standing from various circles. There was no one at the gathering she didn’t recognize—if there was, there was only one person.
The head of the Ji family, the focal point of today’s gathering.
The hand Zhao Min used to hold her wine glass suddenly trembled, and the glass almost slipped. Having confirmed the suspicion in her heart, she hurried toward the hall with panicked steps, frantically instructing the person on the other end of the phone: “Book me a flight to City A immediately! Right now!” She couldn’t stay in this country for a while.
Bai Manruo and Ji Yingqing had already returned to the castle.
The first thing Bai Manruo did upon returning was take off the formal dress. Her movements were extremely cautious, completely different from her previous casual state. This was because on the way back, she had asked the boss and learned that this dress was actually an antique with nearly several hundred years of history. Its collectible value was immense; the dress had been passed down to the present without ever being worn, and the emerald beads on it were rare gemstones—the only ones of their kind in the world.
So, by what merit am I qualified to wear it!
With a sense of respect and awe usually reserved for ancient artifacts, Bai Manruo laid the dress neatly on the bed, not daring to touch it again. Recalling her previous actions, she felt a wave of lingering fear, but fortunately, she hadn’t dirtied the dress.
Suddenly associating this with Butler Li’s strange behavior and expressions at the gathering, Bai Manruo had an epiphany. It turned out Butler Li was following her so closely to protect the dress. She had been over-sentimental, thinking Butler Li’s attitude toward her had improved.
But it was lucky Butler Li was watching. If Butler Li hadn’t blocked Zhao Min’s arm in time, the dress might have been damaged by her.
The white dress was laid out neatly on the bed. Bai Manruo carefully smoothed out the slightly messy sheets. She stayed by the dress, waiting for the boss to come and collect it. However, after waiting in the room for a long time without anyone coming, she had to take the initiative to ask.
Bai Manruo saw the boss in the living room. She walked down from the third floor and asked, “Miss Ji, how should I handle the dress?”
Ji Yingqing moved her gaze away from the computer, slightly turning her head to speak: “Since I gave it to you, it belongs to you. You handle it; no need to ask me.”
“Gave… gave it to me?” Bai Manruo stammered nervously, her expression full of shock. With such a precious antique, why did the boss sound like she was giving away a worthless trinket?
Bai Manruo hurriedly waved her hands, decisively declining: “This is too valuable; I can’t take it.” She looked down and touched the jade bracelet on her wrist, thinking that this gift was far too precious. She had made an exception once, but she absolutely could not accept it this time.
Ji Yingqing’s brow furrowed slightly. Seeing her firm attitude, she had no choice but to have someone put the clothes away. But she said to Bai Manruo, “If you want to wear it in the future, you can take it anytime.”
Meeting her sincere gaze, Bai Manruo suddenly smiled and couldn’t help saying, “Miss Ji, you’re going to make me misunderstand. If I said I wanted this castle, would you give it to me without hesitation?”
Hearing her words, Ji Yingqing looked into her eyes, seemingly considering the question seriously.
Seeing that she took it seriously, Bai Manruo quickly explained, “Miss Ji, I was joking.” After speaking, she headed toward the main door, “Butler Li asked me to get something.”
Ji Yingqing watched her leave. Her gaze remained on her, but it was clear she was no longer focused on work; she seemed to still be thinking about the words just spoken.
At past 8:00 PM, Bai Manruo fell asleep. She had only slept for a few hours yesterday, and after today’s gathering and various events, she fell asleep within minutes.
After she was sound asleep, Ji Yingqing habitually lifted the covers and lay down. Her cold, white, slender arm firmly encircled Bai Manruo’s slim waist, her dominant posture revealing her possessiveness.
Ji Yingqing rested her chin gently on her shoulder. Her mind was still replaying the words from the afternoon. After thinking for a few seconds—if she really wanted the castle, she would give it to her; as long as she didn’t mention leaving.
Ji Yingqing’s gaze was deep as she looked at the person in her arms. She had always known Bai Manruo was earning money with the goal of paying her debt and leaving the castle. But from the moment the contract was signed, she belonged only to her; there would never be a chance to leave.
Ji Yingqing’s dark gaze scanned every inch of skin on her body, like a lurking predator surveying its own possession.
In her sleep, Bai Manruo was a bit restless. She kicked the covers in her embrace, mumbling some dream-talk. Seeing the covers she had kicked off, Ji Yingqing smiled helplessly, her eyes showing doting. She reached out her other hand to pick up the covers from the bedside and tucked her back in.
Hearing her incoherent mumbling, Ji Yingqing leaned her body closer and lowered her head, trying to hear what she was saying.
“Stinky tofu, don’t run… Malatang, wait for me…” Bai Manruo mumbled while smacking her lips.
Ji Yingqing was amused by her dream-talk and pinched her face: “Little glutton.” Her tone was full of doting.
The next morning, the half-awake Bai Manruo sniffed the air. She smelled a long-desired fragrance and unconsciously swallowed, thinking she was still dreaming.
After a few minutes, the scent grew stronger. Bai Manruo suddenly opened her eyes, climbed out of bed without hesitation, and followed the drifting fragrance outside.
Walking all the way to the dining room, Bai Manruo rubbed her eyes, looking at the delicacies on the table in disbelief. She whispered, “Am I still dreaming?” She pinched the back of her hand, hissing at the pain—it was actually real!
Bai Manruo sat down, her gaze fixed on the stinky tofu, grilled gluten, Malatang, and various other snacks. She swallowed; although she was craving them, she restrained herself and didn’t eat.
Ji Yingqing arrived and saw the drool nearly escaping the corner of her mouth. She curled her lips and sat opposite her: “I had Butler Li go buy them. I didn’t know which ones you liked, so I bought some of everything. Try them and see if the taste suits your palate.”
Bai Manruo was so surprised she couldn’t believe it. She lifted her head in shock: “These were all bought for me?”
Ji Yingqing met her gaze and smiled, answering her, “Mm, they’re all yours.”
She had just dreamed of these snacks last night, and her wish came true upon waking up! Bai Manruo couldn’t wait to try a piece of stinky tofu. It was delicious beyond words—this familiar taste she hadn’t had for a long time.
Bai Manruo turned her beautiful black eyes toward her and spoke gently, “Thank you, Miss Ji.” At this moment, she once again felt that her boss was the best boss in the world.
While eating the delicious snacks, Bai Manruo suddenly remembered how she was always thinking of earning money to leave, making her feel even more guilty. At this moment, the thoughts in her heart began to waver.
Three days later, Bai Manruo received an address from Ji Jie. She had previously promised to help her, and since the boss wasn’t at the castle today, she didn’t have to sneak out.
Bai Manruo took a taxi to the meeting place and saw Ji Jie in a black trench coat. Even at noon, she was wrapped tight, holding a mirror to fix her hair.
“I say, aren’t you really hot?” Bai Manruo asked curiously, looking her up and down.
Ji Jie closed her mirror and lifted her chin proudly: “Fashionistas aren’t afraid of the heat.” She looked at Bai Manruo’s simple short sleeves and black pants, saying dissatisfiedly, “Why are you dressed so casually? What a waste of a face.”
Bai Manruo looked down at her clothes and shrugged indifferently: “It doesn’t matter. We aren’t going to a banquet; wearing something comfortable is fine.”
At the mention of a banquet, Ji Jie suddenly remembered something. Her exquisite face leaned close to her, eyes narrowing: “I heard a few days ago that Aunt took a female companion to a gathering. Word in the circle is that this companion stays in the castle year-round and is heavily doted on by the Ji family mistress.”
Bai Manruo calmly averted her gaze, blinked her eyes, and asked as if she didn’t know, “Oh, really?”
Ji Jie snorted arrogantly and stood straight: “Stop pretending. My aunt never attended these gatherings before. Now she not only attends but takes a companion. There’s no one else around her; who else could it be but you?”
Bai Manruo just wanted to tease her. She wasn’t surprised at all that Ji Jie could guess she was the companion. After all, she had lived in the castle for so long and truly had never seen any other Alpha around the boss.
Ji Jie stroked her chin in thought. She knew her intuition was right. If Aunt went to a gathering for her and took her to such an important occasion without having feelings, she’d take Bai Manruo’s last name!
“I’ll ask you more about the gathering when we get back. You have to tell me everything that happened between you and my aunt. Right now, let’s go handle business.” Ji Jie told her to follow.
The two walked inside. Bai Manruo looked at the surroundings; a sign nearby read Deep in the Heart of the Sea film crew shooting location.
What is Ji Jie doing running to a film set? Bai Manruo walked inside, wondering if Xu Huanxin was filming here. If so, she had to stay close to her to prevent her from doing something impulsive and foolish.
The staff here seemed to know Ji Jie. Bai Manruo saw Ji Jie chatting with the set director, who kept nodding and smiling. Just as Bai Manruo leaned in to hear what they were talking about, they finished. Ji Jie walked over and patted her shoulder: “Everything is prepared. Now it’s just down to you.”
Bai Manruo was completely bewildered: “What am I supposed to do?” She realized that although she had agreed to help, she still didn’t know what Ji Jie was actually planning.
Ji Jie curled her lips, chuckled, and then leaned in to whisper today’s task and the role she had assigned her.
Bai Manruo listened with a frown, a layer of red creeping over her ear tips. She looked at Ji Jie, her mouth twitching: “What kind of messy things have you been watching abroad? At your age, why is your head full of… ‘colorful fertilizer’?”
She remembered Ji Jie’s drugging incident—the boss had mentioned that aphrodisiac was only available abroad. She lifted her head and gave Ji Jie a deep look, thinking: How did such a beautiful child turn out so warped?
Ji Jie spread her hands dismissively: “I’m an adult. Of course I should watch what adults watch. Besides, don’t tell me you’re twenty-seven and haven’t seen an ‘adult movie’.”
“…Who’s twenty-seven? I’m only twenty-six, okay.” Hearing the number twenty-seven, Bai Manruo immediately corrected her. “And my twenty-seventh birthday hasn’t passed yet. To be more precise, I’m twenty-six years and eight months old.”
Ji Jie looked at her with a smile: “I see. You aren’t much older than my aunt. That means you have seen those movies.”
“I have many collector’s editions on my flash drive. Whichever scene you like, I’ll transfer it to you. In the future, you and my aunt can…”
“Stop! We are in public. Eldest Miss, if you aren’t embarrassed, I still want to keep my dignity.” Bai Manruo awkwardly covered her face and moved toward a corner.
Nearby staff who overheard their conversation widened their eyes in surprise, occasionally stealing glances at them. At this moment, Bai Manruo wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
“Fine, I won’t say it. Did you remember everything I told you just now?” Ji Jie fixed her eyes on Bai Manruo. “If you run away at the last minute, I’ll…” She paused deliberately.
“You’ll what?” Bai Manruo asked calmly. She didn’t have any leverage to be held over her.
Ji Jie leaned in with a beaming smile: “I’ll send the collector’s edition movies to my aunt’s email and tell her that you wanted to watch them, but I accidentally sent them to the wrong person.”
Bai Manruo felt a breath stuck in her throat, unable to imagine the boss receiving that email. She sighed helplessly, “Fine, you win.”
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