Chapter 241

Words : 1184 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Lu Jinghuai was on the phone with his father. "Ah Huai, have you met Ji Nian yet? How do you feel about her?" Lu Zhi and Feia were on vacation, enjoying some private time on a tropical island. Lounging on a beach chair with sunglasses on, Lu Zhi looked utterly relaxed. "She's nice." Lu Jinghuai set his phone down on the table and tidied up his freshly completed homework. "That's it?" Lu Zhi was a little disappointed, having expected his son to elaborate. After all, he had watched Lu Jinghuai treasure that half-torn commemorative photo for years. "So, how does she feel about you? Does she like you? And I don’t mean just in a general way." Lu Jinghuai paused, giving his father a puzzled look. "What other way is there?" Staring at his fourteen-year-old son, Lu Zhi decided to skip the question. "Alright, so... how does she act around you?" "I heard you waited outside her school for an entire day on the first day." That Ji Tingzhou—just last month, they had closed a major deal with the Ji family. Was this how he treated a business partner? Lu Jinghuai thought back to their interactions. She always seemed to stare at his face... Even during their first meeting, when there were so many people around, her eyes had locked onto him alone. "Probably... she likes me." If she liked his face, didn’t that count as liking him? Lu Zhi chuckled approvingly. "See? With my son’s looks and personality, who wouldn’t like you?" Lu Jinghuai thought to himself that there were actually quite a few people who didn’t. "How’s your sleep lately? No trouble adjusting to the new place?" At this, Lu Jinghuai’s gaze flickered almost imperceptibly toward the small bottle of sleeping pills he had just taken out of a plastic bag. He shook his head. "It’s fine." After exchanging a few more words, the call ended. Lu Jinghuai picked up his phone and glanced at the 99+ pending friend requests in his notifications. He tapped to clear the red dot but froze when an unexpected name caught his eye. Shen Qingtang. If he remembered correctly, she was close with Ji Nian. His finger hovered over her profile picture for a moment, his silver-gray eyes unreadable. Just as he was about to ignore the request, she sent another one—this time with a note: About Ji Nian. Lu Jinghuai’s finger smoothly tapped Accept. You are now friends. Start chatting! Shen Qingtang stared at the message. "......" That was fast. She reworded the same pitch she had given He Xiang and sent it to Lu Jinghuai—though this time, she didn’t mention part-time work. Instead, she framed it as a favor and emphasized that Ji Nian would be there. Sure enough, Lu Jinghuai agreed without hesitation. And then he transferred 100,000 yuan to her. Lu Jinghuai: Thank you. Let me know if you need help with anything else. He followed up with a sticker of a puppy bowing meekly in gratitude. Shen Qingtang recognized it instantly—it was from Ji Nian’s favorite sticker set. "He Xiang... forgive me for just one second." Shen Qingtang pocketed the money, closed her eyes, and drew a cross over her chest. "What’s wrong?" Ji Nian turned to see Shen Qingtang muttering to herself with her eyes shut. Shen Qingtang snapped her eyes open, locked her phone, and grinned. "Nothing! Just planning a surprise for you." Ji Nian was busy attaching a new dog charm to her phone and replied absentmindedly, "Oh? I’ll look forward to it, then." During ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍dinner, Ji Nian pulled out a box of pastries she had bought on her way home. "Dad, I got you dessert!" It was a crispy multigrain pancake wrapped around a filling of mochi and red bean paste. Ji Tingzhou loved this shop. The owner, a retired man in his sixties, opened only when he felt like it. Ji Tingzhou had once tried to buy the place, but the old man couldn’t care less about money. Ji Nian hadn’t expected the shop to be open, but when she passed by, it miraculously was. Seeing his favorite treat, Ji Tingzhou gave Ji Nian a you’re finally being filial look. "Perfect for a drink later." Today was his designated alcohol day—he allowed himself a few small glasses. Ji Nian grinned smugly before mentioning that she and Shen Qingtang were going to a comic convention over the weekend. Ji Tingzhou glanced at Wei Yang, who nodded—he’d arrange security ahead of time. With everything settled, Ji Nian happily dug into her meal. After her lab session and an hour of training with Zhi Le, she returned to her room and checked the messages from Gu Xiuyuan. The gist was that Yang Xinyu’s father, after learning what Yang Qicheng had done in front of everyone, had been so embarrassed that he slapped his son twice in public. But after the beating, Yang Qicheng suddenly started scratching himself frantically, rolling on the floor in agony. Ji Nian smirked, glancing at the lipstick-shaped gadget on her desk. Thanks, Ma Xiaofei. Without you, I’d never have thought to swap in an itching potion. --- On Saturday, Shen Qingtang arrived excitedly at Ji Nian’s place with a newly delivered dress. "Huh... so pink." "And cat ears? Wait, why an apron?" Ji Nian didn’t quite get it, picking up a bell accessory and shaking it. The tiny silver bell jingled crisply. "Yep! It’s a cat maid outfit. Super cute! I’ll straighten your hair later, and we might need some light makeup too." Shen Qingtang gestured enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling. She had a secret. Privately, she had designed an original character (OC) based on Ji Nian’s face. Most of her monthly allowance went to commissioning writers and artists for this OC. Ji Nian didn’t understand, but if Shen Qingtang wanted her to wear it, she would. "Alright." "If you get tired later, you can rest at my friend’s booth—she’s an artist who sells OC merch." After hanging out with Shen Qingtang for so long, Ji Nian had picked up some fandom lingo, even if she didn’t fully grasp it. "Got it." The next morning, Shen Qingtang woke up extra early—rarely did Ji Nian agree to outings like this. The makeup artist she had booked arrived promptly. After a light makeup session, Shen Qingtang helped Ji Nian into the dress and adjusted the cat-ear headband. When Ji Nian stepped out, even the makeup artist—who had been scrolling on her phone—looked up and gasped. "Wow! Which character are you cosplaying? You look amazing!" Black-haired cat maid? Adorable. Shen Qingtang grinned. "Original design." She then whipped out her phone and snapped several photos of Ji Nian. She sent the best one to Ji Tingzhou, another to Zhi Le, and yet another to Wei Yang. By the time they left, it was almost Ji Tingzhou’s usual waking hour. Shen Qingtang adjusted her imaginary glasses, watching as Ji Nian held up a reflector to help with lighting. She smirked. "Sweetie, you’re one valuable kitten." Ji Nian's finger trembled as she pressed the shutter button: Huh?

Chapter 241

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