Did Ji Qingyi give him chocolate?
As this thought arose, he immediately shook his head and dismissed the idea,
because the custom of giving chocolate was a tradition of the Nihon people, and Ji Qingyi wasn't from that ethnicity.
"Knock, knock, knock..." Su Cheng gently rapped on the wooden door.
A lazy yet icy voice came from inside: "Come in."
Su Cheng pushed the door open and entered, spotting Ji Qingyi seated by the tea table. He froze for a second before politely greeting her, "Have you eaten?"
At that moment, she was dressed in her school uniform, her hair cascading like a waterfall down her back. Beneath the tea table, her black-stockinged legs were slender and perfectly straight. Her fingers delicately pinched a teacup as she sipped with elegant poise.
"Hmm."
She responded indifferently, lowering her gaze to continue drinking her tea without any intention of speaking further.
Seeing this, Su Cheng didn’t stand on ceremony either. He directly took a seat on the chair opposite her, then retrieved a loaf of bread from his inventory. Unwrapping it, he explained, "I haven’t eaten yet, so I thought I’d rest here for a bit and maybe borrow a cup of tea."
"I thought you came here to give me an explanation."
Ji Qingyi lifted her head, setting down her teacup. Her utterly expressionless eyes fixed on Su Cheng as she stated flatly, "It seems you’ve already treated my garden as your own backyard?"
Hearing the cold edge in her voice, Su Cheng quickly apologized, "That was rude of me. I’d like to offer you an even more beautiful sunflower as an apology."
At his words, Ji Qingyi picked up the teapot and fetched another cup from the side. She poured tea unhurriedly, then casually placed the cup in front of Su Cheng. "Drink."
"Thank you."
Grateful, he glanced at Ji Qingyi before taking a small sip. Instantly, a refreshing sweetness blossomed on his lips.
Next, he tore the bread in half and held it out to her. "Want some?"
Ji Qingyi didn’t reach for the offered food. Instead, she stared at it and slowly uttered, "I’ve already had lunch."
Faced with her icy, unreadable expression, Su Cheng shrugged and stuffed the remaining bread into his mouth, mumbling, "It’s actually really good. I often have it for lunch."
At this, Ji Qingyi finally reacted. She glanced at the bread and asked, "You eat this for lunch?"
"Yeah."
Seeing her show interest, Su Cheng nodded eagerly, his face bright with anticipation. "It’s delicious—you should try it!"
With that, he extended the torn piece of bread toward her again.
Ji Qingyi eyed the bread, then raised a slender, porcelain-white hand. Using two fingers, she pinched off a tiny piece and brought it to her lips, chewing slowly.
Watching her refined, graceful movements and the slight part of her tempting lips, Su Cheng couldn’t help but swallow hard.
"Well?"
He looked at her hopefully.
Ji Qingyi set down the napkin she’d used to wipe her fingers and spoke evenly, "Average. Mildly sweet, wheaty, bland."
"Then how about this? This one’s got a stronger flavor!"
Without thinking, Su Cheng suddenly pulled out a pack of spicy strips and pushed it toward her.
The moment she saw the greasy contents, Ji Qingyi’s pupils constricted sharply. She jerked her head back, her face twisting in disgust. "If you’re going to eat something so pungent and foul-smelling, take it outside!"
Su Cheng froze. He’d brought out his favorite snack—maybe a bit presumptuous—but her reaction was pure revulsion.
The way she didn’t even try to hide her instinctive disgust sent a chill down his spine. His expression turned desolate, lips trembling as he lowered his head in silence.
But his demeanor grew respectful. He stood up and bowed in apology. "I’m sorry, President Ji. That was thoughtless of me. I’ll take my leave."
He knew there would always be an insurmountable barrier between him and Ji Qingyi—one that kept them from ever interacting like ordinary friends.
Today, it was just about her dislike for spicy strips, but this small incident revealed so much more.
Ji Qingyi remained seated, motionless, her gaze only growing darker and more inscrutable.
Just as Su Cheng reached the door, she finally called out, "Come back."
He stopped and turned to look at her.
Her voice was frosty. "Sit down."
Su Cheng pressed his lips together. "Okay."
He returned to his seat.
"Hmm." Ji Qingyi gave a slight nod, then extended her delicate hand and ordered, "Give me that thing from earlier."
"Huh?" It took Su Cheng a second to understand before he quickly placed the spicy strips in her palm.
Her hand trembled faintly, as if she were suppressing something. She lowered her head to scrutinize the ingredient list.
"..." Watching her struggle, Su Cheng grew uneasy.
Suddenly, Ji Qingyi lifted her head and locked eyes with him. "Are you sure this kind of food—loaded with salt, oil, sugar, and additives—is suitable for girls to eat?"
"Uh..." Su Cheng blinked, scratching his ear awkwardly. "Well, not many girls like this stuff, but since you said the bread was bland... I just instinctively grabbed these."
Ji Qingyi frowned slightly but said nothing more.
Su Cheng quietly exhaled in relief and was about to excuse himself again when Ji Qingyi abruptly asked, "So, is this your way of criticizing me?"
Su Cheng stiffened, stammering, "N-no... I just think it’s a shame I can’t share the food I love with you..."
Hearing this, Ji Qingyi placed the spicy strips back in front of him and said calmly, "Eat them."
"Eh?" Su Cheng stared at her in confusion.
"Since you like them, eat them here." Her tone was indifferent.
Su Cheng’s eyes widened in shock. The aloof, proud queen was actually accommodating him?
Gazing into Ji Qingyi’s fathomless dark eyes, Su Cheng suddenly felt a lump in his throat, as if the wall between them had cracked. A warm current surged in his chest, spreading through his entire body.
He opened his mouth, struggling to speak. "I... uh..."
In the end, he didn’t eat them. Instead, he put the spicy strips away and shook his head. "No, it’s fine."
He would respect the president too. After all, relationships were mutual—no one should just take or give unilaterally.
Ji Qingyi didn’t press further and changed the subject. "What time are you leaving today?"
"Not sure yet. I’ll ask Gu Ruoxue during the club activity later."
Su Cheng shook his head, then asked in return, "Are you coming too, President?"
"Hmm." Ji Qingyi nodded lightly.
"Will you have an entourage? What transportation are you taking?"
"A private jet and its accompanying staff."
"Huh?!" Su Cheng gaped.
Only then did he remember—this person’s wealth rivaled nations. Truly, poverty had limited his imagination!
In the end, he could only let out a quiet sigh and say, "I understand."