“Hey? Mom.” Jiang Cheng stood at the intersection waiting for the bus, tiptoeing to pull up her slipping knee-high socks while tilting her head to listen to the phone.
“Little Cheng, you just got out of school, right?”
“Yeah, I’m waiting for the bus… Aren’t you going to a dinner tonight?”
Calling her at this hour, Mom should have just gotten off work too.
After adjusting her socks, Jiang Cheng switched the phone to her other hand and leaned against the bus stop sign, watching the cars occasionally driving out from the school gate.
Suddenly, a familiar black SUV passed by. Jiang Cheng narrowed her eyes and watched it head into the school.
“Yes, Mom was planning to go to the dinner… but there’s something I, uh, wanted to talk to you about in advance, just… to see what you think.”
“What is it that you need my opinion on?” Jiang Cheng smiled, but still patiently waited for her mom to continue.
“It’s about Wang Ziyue.”
“Huh?! What did you…” Jiang Cheng thought she had misheard.
“Mom wants to talk to you about Wang Ziyue.”
“You mean… Sis—President Wang’s matter?”
“Yes, Mom’s new company… um, the general manager is President Wang.”
After saying that, mother and daughter fell silent together.
“So, Wang Ziyue already knew about you, and about me…”
*Identity.*
Jiang Xiaoyue mentally filled in the second half of the sentence her daughter hadn’t said.
“I’m not sure, but she probably knows something. She came to me today… wanting to invite you to dinner alone. If you don’t want to, just refuse directly. Don’t worry about Mom.”
Jiang Cheng’s nose stung. Mom spoke lightly, not wanting her to feel pressured.
If originally it was just an unequal relationship between her and Wang Ziyue, now Mom’s position was also unequal.
If she blocked all news about Wang Ziyue, the other probably wouldn’t do anything.
But knowing Mom, she would choose to resign directly.
“She just wants to talk with me?”
“Yes, Little Cheng… Mom won’t interfere with your decision, so I won’t say I hope you do this or that. Do whatever your heart tells you most directly.”
“Okay…”
Jiang Cheng hung up the phone and slowly crouched down. She didn’t know how to choose. Confusion, bewilderment, melancholy—Jiang Cheng’s calm was gradually shattered.
**BANG!**
She heard the sound of a car door being slammed shut, followed by slightly hurried footsteps.
About ten meters away, a woman wearing a chiffon blouse and a half-skirt walked toward Jiang Cheng.
Her wavy golden hair had lazy, casual curls, the vivid lipstick contrasting sharply with the oversized black sunglasses perched on her nose.
The sunglasses came off, and Wang Ziyue quietly looked at the crouching Jiang Cheng. She extended a hand, half-squatting.
One looked down, the other looked up.
“Will you come with me?”
“…Okay.”
Jiang Cheng listened to the voice flowing from the depths of her heart—soft but firm.
The passenger seat she had sat in once before, the person beside her unchanged, but her mindset completely different.
Back then, Jiang Cheng was still worried about being discovered by Mom, lost in the nightmare-like task.
Wang Ziyue had accompanied her, the two like ordinary friends, strolling through the mall.
It hadn’t been long, yet Jiang Cheng felt as if a lifetime had passed.
She slightly turned her face. Wang Ziyue was seriously looking ahead, the golden sunset filtering in and coating her with a layer of light.
While waiting at a red light, Wang Ziyue suddenly turned her head.
“Why do you keep staring at me?”
Her tone rose at the end, unable to hide her secret delight.
“Just looking casually.”
Jiang Cheng’s attitude was neither cold nor warm, as if her vitality had been drained.
Though the words were intimate, Wang Ziyue clearly felt her retreating into her protective shell again.
Avoidance, or dislike?
Her slightly improved mood sank once more. Wang Ziyue pressed her lips together and silently pressed the accelerator.
The two arrived wordlessly at Lihua Hotel. Jiang Cheng was about to get out when Wang Ziyue stopped her.
“Wait, let that car pass first.”
“What’s wrong?”
The oncoming car stopped early. Jiang Cheng heard Wang Ziyue lightly **“tsk.”**
“That’s a company car. I’ll go say hello first.”
She turned her head, a teasing smile on her lips. “Or do you want to get out with me?”
“I’ll stay in the car.” Jiang Cheng turned her face away, refusing to look at her.
Looking at the girl’s loosely tied big bun at the back of her head, Wang Ziyue resisted the urge to ruffle it. She pushed open the door, and the people in the opposite car got out as well.
Chen Ting walked at the front, looking somewhat surprised.
“President Wang, you’re already here?”
Wang Ziyue had left early today; she thought there was some urgent matter.
“Yes… you all go up first.”
“Okay.”
Chen Ting nodded and, as she turned, glanced at the black SUV out of the corner of her eye.
Her intuition told her there was someone else in the car.
From Jiang Cheng’s position, she could see several people getting out of the SUV—seemingly high-level executives from Wang Ziyue’s company.
Soon, Wang Ziyue returned to the car. She noticed Jiang Cheng staring at the SUV heading to the underground garage and thought of something.
“The company dinner is here today. Your mom should already be inside.”
“Here?” Jiang Cheng’s eyes held a hint of doubt.
“Yes, the Western restaurant here is separate. We won’t run into them when we eat later.”
“Oh…”
Wang Ziyue suddenly felt a bit regretful.
She was meeting Jiang Xiaoyue’s daughter in the upstairs Western restaurant, while Jiang Cheng’s mom was downstairs at the company dinner.
Thinking about it now—
There was a… hard-to-describe thrill?
Wang Ziyue was startled by her own thought. She patted her face and casually drove the car toward the underground garage.
The two took the direct elevator to the hotel’s sky restaurant.
As soon as they stepped out, uniformed waitstaff in skirt suits approached.
Quiet and spacious—this was Jiang Cheng’s first impression upon entering. In the center of the restaurant stood a massive grand piano, the pianist’s fingers playing a lively waltz.
“Is there no one else here?”
It wasn’t just the quietness that was odd; there wasn’t even a shadow of other guests…
“Miss Jiang, tonight we serve only you and Miss Wang.”
The waiter slowed her steps, speaking softly. She bowed and made an inviting gesture.
The restaurant’s best viewing spot had already been prepared.
A large bouquet of roses sat on the table, gilded candlesticks standing on either side. As the indoor lights dimmed, the candlelight became warm and romantic.
Jiang Cheng sat across from Wang Ziyue and suddenly spoke.
“You like, uh… this kind of atmosphere?”
“Why do you ask?”
Wang Ziyue couldn’t say she particularly liked it, but when she asked Mo Nono how to arrange it, the answer was candlelight dinner.
A series of follow-up questions had been cut off by Wang Ziyue’s “end call.”
“The previous restaurant too… you could see the city night view. It was very idol-drama-like. I didn’t expect you to be quite romantic.”
Jiang Cheng’s reaction was too calm, like she was reviewing a performance.
Even though the waiter was professionally trained, the smile on her face stiffened slightly.
Not to mention Wang Ziyue’s embarrassment.
“Yes, I’m usually not very romantic.”
Jiang Cheng glanced at her, unsure how the topic had turned to this.
But Wang Ziyue’s tone seemed a bit unhappy.
She thought for a moment and added, “I’m not being sarcastic; I just find it surprising.”
After all, Wang Ziyue gave off more of a workplace vibe, the decisive and straightforward type—and that was indeed the case.
Wang Ziyue couldn’t exactly say she had followed someone else’s advice. She raised a fist to her mouth and coughed lightly twice to cover her embarrassment.
“Serve the dishes.”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
The waiter bowed slightly and turned to fetch the food, her steps a bit wider as she left.
The waltz ended, and the pianist switched to a slightly melancholic serenade.