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墨書 Inktalez
Qiao Nuo returned to the banquet hall with Yan An City.
Every time she looked at Jin Chengyan, there was always a strange feeling in her heart.
In truth, Jin Chengyan was the kind of person who, when he cared for someone, invested himself wholeheartedly. He would do things for that person without them knowing, quietly showing his concern—not because he felt it was unnecessary to speak up, but because he believed it was what he should do.
That person only needed to enjoy it.
Such a person made it impossible for Qiao Nuo to harbor any hatred; she found it hard to let go.
She couldn't bear to see him liking someone else.
"Where's Xi Ning?" Ji Nuan Yang thought Ji Xining would come down with Yan An City, but instead, he only saw him and Qiao Nuo approaching.
"I didn't see Xi Ning in the lounge!" Yan An City innocently asked, as Ji Nuan Yang had almost seen through him just now.
Ji Nuan Yang's expression suddenly turned anxious. He put down his glass, looking as if he was about to leave immediately.
However, after a moment of thought, he realized he couldn't just abandon everyone in the room to search for Ji Xining!
At that moment, Qiao Nuo snapped back to reality and noticed Ji Nuan Yang's expression. She recalled what Ji Xining had said to her earlier.
"Mr. Ji, I just ran into Miss Ji. She mentioned that she found the banquet boring and decided to leave early. She also said she would be home on time."
Ji Nuan Yang's expression returned to normal within seconds. He smiled at Qiao Nuo and said, "Thank you, I understand now. Xi Ning has always been a troublemaker; she almost caused your dress some trouble earlier. I'm sorry about that."
“It’s okay, this dress is still a gift from you, so I should thank you!”
As soon as Qiao Nuo spoke, the gazes of the three other men turned toward her simultaneously, each with a different expression.
Qiao Nuo felt that she might have said something inappropriate. She looked at Jin Chengyan, whose eyes seemed to want to swallow her whole.
Of course, Ji Nuan Yang noticed this too. He smiled and explained, “I ran into Mrs. Jin at the clothing store this afternoon. I was just there to pick up a gown for Xi Ning—the one Mrs. Jin is wearing. I didn’t expect her to like it as well. I thought Xi Ning might not be able to pull off such a dress, so it’s better to give it to someone who appreciates it more.”
With that explanation, the expressions of the other three began to normalize a bit.
“Yeah, Mr. Ji, you left in such a hurry that I didn’t even have time to pay you,” Qiao Nuo said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable in the gown now.
“It’s fine; consider it a meeting gift for Mrs. Jin.”
Qiao Nuo glanced at Jin Chengyan; after all, this was a gift meant for “Mrs. Jin,” not for her.
Upon receiving Qiao Nuo’s gaze, Jin Chengyan’s expression softened slightly. This woman still cared about her identity after all.
“Just accept it; Mr. Ji means well, and it would be rude to refuse,” Jin Chengyan said casually.
“Well… thank you, Mr. Ji.”
After that, they exchanged some trivial conversation, which felt superficial and insincere. Fortunately, Ji Nuan Yang was called away by someone else, bringing an end to the awkwardness on their side.
As soon as Ji Nuan Yang left, Yan An City quickly slipped away.
Jin Chengyan did not want to be near Yan Beiting, so he wrapped his arm around Qiao Nuo's waist and walked away without saying a word.
As they moved to the side, Qiao Nuo glanced back at Yan Beiting, but before she knew it, Jin Chengyan had turned her face back toward him.
"What are you looking at? Your husband is right here!" Jin Chengyan whispered, suppressing his anger.
Qiao Nuo felt no irritation at all; she thought Jin Chengyan looked incredibly cute like this.
"Jin Chengyan, has anyone ever told you that you look really adorable when you're angry?" Qiao Nuo said, standing very close to him.
They stood at the edge of the banquet hall where the lighting was dim. Their small gestures made it seem more like they were in a romantic moment than anything else.
Jin Chengyan removed Qiao Nuo's hand from his chin. How dare this oblivious woman act like that in front of so many people!
It seemed she still needed to be taught a lesson!
"Stop it!" Jin Chengyan shot her a glare. "What’s going on between you and Ji Nuan Yang?"
"It’s just as he said. I went to the store to buy clothes and liked what he ordered. In the end, he gave it to me—oh no, he gave it to Mrs. Jin. Do you think I should keep this dress for you, so that one day I can rightfully be Mrs. Jin?" Qiao Nuo blurted out without thinking.
Jin Chengyan looked down and caught a glimpse of the sadness that flickered in Qiao Nuo's eyes. Yet her face was adorned with such a captivating smile; she was born to entice!
He turned away from everyone, positioning himself so that his back faced them while holding Qiao Nuo in his arms. Others could only see Jin Chengyan's silhouette, unaware that he was leaning down to kiss his wife.
He bit her lip, savoring the taste of her lipstick.
She had no idea that wearing this dress tonight, paired with her makeup, was practically a death sentence for him. Only at this moment could he find the time to trap her here and devour the lipstick she used to entice others.
“Mm... Jin Chengyan, why are you biting my lips? My lipstick... mm...” Qiao Nuo protested softly. After all, there were so many people around, and she didn’t want anyone to see her kissing Jin Chengyan.
“I’m telling you, don’t go out with heavy makeup in the future, and don’t wear clothes that barely cover anything! Do you think I have money to buy you more fabric?”
Qiao Nuo: “...” Was Jin Chengyan out of his mind?
Well, they had kissed, and he had given her a warning. Could he let her go now?
“Alright, alright! I’ll go out bare-faced and wrapped up tightly from now on. Is that better?” Qiao Nuo pushed Jin Chengyan away with all her might.
Only then was he satisfied enough to take out a handkerchief, wiping the lipstick off his own lips and helping to smudge away the remnants of Qiao Nuo's lipstick.
In such an intimate position, Qiao Nuo felt a bit shy.
After everything was taken care of, Jin Chengyan turned around and took Qiao Nuo's hand.
In that instant, Qiao Nuo noticed Ruan Shengyu standing not far away, watching them.
Suddenly, Qiao Nuo's hand stiffened.
She looked up at Jin Chengyan; he wore a smile at the corner of his mouth, gazing at Ruan Shengyu with a hint of provocation.
She understood then that she was merely a tool for Jin Chengyan to provoke Ruan Shengyu.
However, realizing this fact made her feel very sad.
Yet on her face, there was a bright smile as she adjusted Jin Chengyan's suit.
"Honey, I'm here to take care of my own business, so I might not be going back with you later. I'm leaving now!" Qiao Nuo pulled her hand away from Jin Chengyan's grip.
He tightened his hold slightly, seemingly reluctant to let her go.
But when her temper flared, Jin Chengyan couldn't stop her.
With a firm tug, she freed her hand, flashed him a big smile, and swayed away.
She didn't know if Jin Chengyan was watching her; probably not!
His eyes were only for Ruan Shengyu, always had been. Why couldn't she accept this reality?
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to Sun Wen, pushing all those thoughts aside.
"I just spoke with Ji Nuan Yang. From his attitude, it seems to be the same towards the Yan Family and the Jin Family. Maybe Ji Nuan Yang has his own choices," Qiao Nuo said as she picked up a glass of wine and downed nearly half of it without thinking.
Sun Wen didn't notice anything unusual about Qiao Nuo.
"Actually, the Ji Family still hasn't identified a clear partner for collaboration. If we can secure one of the partnerships, that would be great. Let the bigger companies handle the major collaborations; we wouldn't be able to manage them anyway."
Qiao Nuo nodded; she thought the same!
Ji Nuan Yang glanced through the crowd, his gaze landing on Qiao Nuo, as if he sensed she was talking about him.
He exchanged a few words with the person beside him before taking a glass of wine and walking towards her.
Ji Nuan Yang was a man who could hold his own even beside someone like Jin Chengyan. In the banquet hall, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Jin Chengyan and Yan Beiting, equally impressive.
“Excuse me, may I have a moment alone with Mrs. Jin?” Ji Nuan Yang said apologetically to Sun Wen.
Sun Wen immediately understood. Although she was Qiao Nuo's superior, Qiao Nuo's status was quite different...
“I truly apologize for earlier,” Ji Nuan Yang reiterated, this time regarding Ji Xining's situation.
“If you apologize again, I really won’t be able to handle it,” Qiao Nuo quickly replied.
Ji Nuan Yang chuckled lightly. “That reckless girl Xi Ning, I've already sent someone to find her. She said she would be home on time, but that was a lie.”
“Really?” Qiao Nuo was taken aback. Had she been fooled by that little girl? “What if something happens to her? She’s in Qin Cheng where she doesn’t know anyone!”
“It’s fine. She won’t get far; I’ll bring her back,” Ji Nuan Yang said confidently.
There was an odd feeling of an eagle catching a chick; no matter how fast Ji Xining ran, she wouldn’t be able to escape the eagle's keen eyes...
“Mr. Ji, I don’t know if this is appropriate to say, but I don’t want to miss this opportunity!” Qiao Nuo cleared her throat and spoke with great seriousness.
Ji Nuan Yang nodded, signaling her to continue.
“I am here on behalf of Jin's Architecture. I understand that the Ji Family is looking to expand its business in Qin Cheng, and if we could collaborate…”
“Miss Qiao, if you are interested in working with the Ji Family, please submit a letter of intent to my assistant's email. If it passes the review, someone will get in touch with you.” As he spoke, Ji Nuan Yang signaled to a waiter and had them write down his assistant's email for Qiao Nuo.
However, Qiao Nuo clearly heard him call her “Miss Qiao”!
Ji Nuan Yang handed her the note. “I know that Jin's Architecture was formerly Qiao's Architecture, your father's company.”
Qiao Nuo felt her words catch in her throat as she numbly accepted the note.
“If your company's proposal is impressive enough, I will consider it.” Ji Nuan Yang smiled politely before turning to leave.
As he walked away, he took out his phone and held it to his ear. “Once you find the young lady, lock her in the villa. If you lose her, you all can get lost.”
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