Qin Jijing looked at her deeply.
The conversation stopped there abruptly, without any response or comment from him to her words.
She didn't know if he found it too childish.
In any case, there were no signs of anger.
There was no traffic jam at this time of day, and the journey from Lin City to Beijing took only an hour and a half.
Jiang Ni felt a bit carsick as she didn't usually like riding in cars, but today she felt that the distance was a bit short.
The car stopped steadily in front of the hotel, and the doorman opened the door from the outside.
Jiang Ni, holding her bag, turned to face Qin Jijing, "Thank you, Mr. Qin, for giving me a ride back."
"Hmm."
Qin Jijing looked at her, his eyes utterly calm.
"..." After waiting with no follow-up, Jiang Ni deflated, "Then I'll be off, goodnight."
She moved slowly until one foot was on the hotel's carpet, still holding on to a sliver of hope that the man might respond to her.
Unfortunately, he did not.
His assistant came down to walk her a few steps. Jiang Ni nodded in thanks and reluctantly glanced at the rear window of the car, unable to see the man's face.
Not long after Jiang Ni entered the hotel lobby, the Maybach drove away, without a hint of reluctance.
He was a man whose temperament was too elusive; even though he could chat with her on the road earlier, now he seemed so cool and detached.
Was this how it ended?
In the elevator, Jiang Ni reflected on what she might have done to offend him this time; she didn't recall saying anything wrong during the ride.
Could it be, too forward?
Over the phone, Bai Shu heard her complaints but did not think his brother was being inexplicable.
"It's quite normal. I'm used to it. His thoughts are unpredictable."
"I've known him for so many years, and even I can't understand him."
Jiang Ni didn't want to give up, "Will he be staying in Beijing recently?"
"Who knows? His schedule is full of flights around the world—I had to submit a request half a month in advance for his presence tonight."
"Normally he wouldn't attend such occasions partly because he dislikes too many irrelevant people being a bother, and partly because my aunt can't stand a speck of sand in her eyes and doesn't like his fooling around."
From Bai Shu, she learned that while other families usually had strict fathers and kind mothers, Qin Jijing's home was the opposite.
Jiang Ni remembered how Qin Jijing's demeanor differed when talking on the phone to his parents early on the boat. His attitude towards his mother wasn't just the respectful one due to an elder but was also an unperceivable gentleness.
That's why she had made the remark, thinking that Qin Jijing wasn't like those friends from the Beijing Circle.
He held a high position, having been in a different circle from birth, yet his conduct was more proper than she had imagined.
He was indeed a scion of a noble family.
Even if it were a facade, it was admirable that such a favored son would do so, especially rare in this circle.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Jiang Ni stood lost in thought looking at the unfamiliar glittering street below, while Bai Shu's earnest advice echoed in her ears.
"Just give up. Did you hear me? Don't you..."
Out of boredom, her fingers slipped into her pocket, touching a metallic object.
"Wait a moment, Bai Shu. Can you give me his contact information?"
"Whose?" It was so sudden that Bai Shu didn't catch on.
"Your brother." Jiang Ni: "Qin Jijing."
Bai Shu: "..."
There was a weird silence on the other end, followed by the call being hung up.
However, within two minutes, he had sent Qin Jijing's WeChat over.
Jiang Ni smiled and thanked him. She knew it—Bai Shu was someone with a tough exterior but a soft heart, who outwardly renounced but inwardly embraced.
While adding him, Jiang Ni made sure to introduce herself, "Good evening, Mr. Qin, this is Jiang Ni. You left something at my place."
——
Meanwhile.
At the airport, in the VIP lounge.
Assistant Xiaoyu saw a WeChat friend request pop up on the screen and hesitated, glancing at the man beside her who was breathing evenly.
Ultimately, she chose not to disturb his rest.
Half an hour later, boarding the plane, Xiaoyu took the opportunity to hand him the phone, whispering a reminder, "Your WeChat, Miss Jiang was looking for you just now."
Qin Jijing's partly closed eyes slowly opened, and he silently took the phone after a few seconds.
There were quite a few elders present tonight, and he drank a few glasses to show respect. He wasn't drunk, but he had been going non-stop for the past two days without good rest. Under the influence of alcohol, it was inevitable that sleepiness would get the better of him at this time.
He didn't maintain separate personal and work WeChat accounts; he only had this one.
At this time, people generally didn't bother him.
Therefore, the red dot notification for the friend request was particularly conspicuous.
Looking at the line of text she sent, Qin Jijing felt it was unnecessary. There was no need for a reminder, her WeChat profile picture was a selfie of herself.
It seemed to be a recent graduation photo, with her holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms, smiling brightly and beautifully at the camera.
After looking for a while, Qin Jijing exited and accepted the friend request.
"What item?"
His message went into the void, without a response.
Glancing at the time, Qin Jijing realized it was already past midnight.
Jiang Ni woke up the next morning, while Qin Jijing was still on the plane.
The first thing she did was to meticulously scroll through his Moments.
They were mostly reposts of articles from his company's official WeChat account.
Nothing of much interest.
When replying, Jiang Ni pondered over and over again before typing, "It's the lighter you left on the poker table."
By noon, as soon as Qin Jijing had landed, he replied to her message: "I'm abroad."
At once, the frustration in Jiang Ni's heart dissipated.
So he had left in such a hurry last night because he was going on a business trip, not because he was indifferent to her.
Jiang Ni's lips curled up, and she typed while lying on the bed: "Then tell me when you are back in Beijing, and I'll bring it to you. After all, I've just returned to the country and have nothing else to do."
In fact, there were many more convenient solutions, but she chose the most troublesome one as a way to test Qin Jijing's attitude toward her.
"Okay."
Staring at the one-word reply from him for a long time, the smile in Jiang Ni's eyes grew stronger.
Qin Jijing, being such an intelligent person, would surely understand her hint.
So, following on logically, she asked, "Mr. Qin, do you know any fun places in Beijing? Any recommendations?"
Ten minutes later, she received a string of numbers from him.
"This is the driver's number; he will act as a guide and pick you up if you need to go out."
She had only wanted to start a conversation, but his response was so thoughtful.
Jiang Ni expressed her thanks and, knowing he was away on business, she did not disturb him any further. Having just returned to the country with nothing to do, she called the driver to pick her up from the hotel in an hour.
When she went downstairs, Jiang Ni realized that the driver who had come was the same one from last night, and the car was also the one from last night...
So that meant Qin Jijing had given his personal driver to her?
Jiang Ni froze, not daring to move, "Are you Mr. Qin's personal driver? Wouldn't it be too much trouble for you to chauffeur me?"
"Yes, I usually only handle Mr. Qin's personal itinerary domestically," the driver, also a sharp person, knew what she wanted to ask and didn't mince words: "However, you are not just anybody."