Ji Qingyi's Early Morning Moments

The night was deep, the moonlight hazy.

In this small county town stood a villa. If one were to ask who in this town was the woman closest to the moon, it would undoubtedly be the young girl sitting on the balcony of this villa.

She wore a white nightgown, her long hair cascading loosely, her eyes like stagnant water, devoid of any ripple of emotion.

The tear mole at the corner of her eye accentuated her bewitching beauty to perfection, as if she were a moon goddess who had just returned from the celestial palace, her entire being exuding an air of desolate coldness.

Aloof and untouchable.

This was Ji Qingyi. The makeup she had used to disguise her appearance had already been removed, revealing her true face.

She sat motionless by the table, like a statue. On the table was a cup of Pu'er tea, its steam rising in delicate wisps, obscuring her vision and preventing her gaze from reaching far into the distance.

After a long while, she reached out, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.

Pu'er tea, being fermented, contains less tea polyphenols compared to other teas, making it especially suitable for nighttime enjoyment. It nourishes the stomach and enriches the blood, aiding in a restful night's sleep.

After sipping the tea, Ji Qingyi set the cup down, her slender fingers lightly tapping the tabletop as if she were waiting for something.

Her other hand, hidden beneath the table, clutched a smartphone from a popular brand that had been a hit several years ago.

This phone was practically an antique by now.

Knock, knock—

A light, rhythmic tapping sounded at the door, followed by Liu Qingyue's soft voice: "Young Mistress."

"Hmm."

Ji Qingyi responded indifferently. "Come in."

The door opened.

Liu Qingyue entered and, seeing Ji Qingyi seated in the chair, promptly reported, "They've already fallen asleep."

She was referring to Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan.

"Hmm."

Ji Qingyi gave a slight nod.

"Young Mistress, perhaps you should rest as well?" Liu Qingyue suggested gently.

"No need." Ji Qingyi gazed at the bright full moon outside the window, her tone even. "The moonlight is beautiful tonight."

"..."

Liu Qingyue's expression turned slightly odd. Glancing at her mistress's phone, she suddenly realized something and said, "I think if you said that to Su Cheng, he'd probably be delighted~"

"..."

At this, Ji Qingyi frowned slightly and turned to look at her.

Liu Qingyue immediately shut her mouth, lowering her head like a well-behaved child.

"Why would he be happy?"

Ji Qingyi stared at her face, her voice icy.

"Uh..."

Liu Qingyue blinked a few times before mustering the courage to reply, "I just think he would be, though I can't say exactly why. Maybe because he likes the moon?"

However, Ji Qingyi paid no attention, continuing to fix her with a cold, scrutinizing gaze, as if evaluating an employee who had made a mistake.

After a long silence, the ever-astute Ji Qingyi picked up her phone, unlocked the screen, opened the browser, and typed into the search bar: "What is the allusion behind 'the night is beautiful'?"

Now, armed with the power of technology, no one would ever be able to deceive her again!

This is bad.

Liu Qingyue inwardly panicked. Just as she was racking her brain for a way to coax her mistress into going to bed, her peripheral vision caught a faint light moving in the distance near the villa.

So—

Just as Ji Qingyi finished typing and was about to hit search, Liu Qingyue suddenly spoke up: "Young Mistress, Li Guanqi is back."

Ji Qingyi paused, following her gaze. Sure enough, in the darkness, a faint light was slowly approaching.

Instinctively, she turned off her phone and focused her eyes on the approaching figure. As the person drew nearer, the details became clearer.

But this only made Ji Qingyi narrow her eyes—because Li Guanqi appeared completely composed.

As if nothing had happened at all, she walked steadily toward the villa, behaving no differently than usual.

Ji Qingyi found this rather strange.

It was completely contrary to Liu Qingyue's earlier predictions.

Could it be that nothing had happened?

The thought flickered through her mind before she dismissed it. She turned to Liu Qingyue, saying nothing, but her gaze conveyed her confusion.

Seeing this, Liu Qingyue sighed and explained directly: "Young Mistress, I don't have a script. How could I possibly know how things would unfold?"

"Is this all you're good for?" Ji Qingyi looked at her before stating coolly, "Can't you go investigate properly?"

"It's not that I don't want to. But Young Mistress, aren't you and Su Cheng already quite close and in sync? Is there really a need to keep such a distance? After all..." Liu Qingyue hesitated before finally speaking her mind: "After all, if you just asked him directly, Su Cheng would tell you everything without hiding a single detail."

Liu Qingyue made it clear she had no intention of stepping in and tossed the problem back to her mistress.

Ji Qingyi remained silent.

"If you keep passively waiting, you might lose the meaning and initiative in life," Liu Qingyue advised earnestly. "Besides, look at Li Guanqi—she took the initiative, so Su Cheng went to her first. This just goes to show that whether it's friendship or love, both require active expression. They thrive on interaction and mutual growth."

She continued trying to persuade Ji Qingyi.

Ji Qingyi, however, stayed silent, her expression growing increasingly stormy.

"Oh!"

At that moment, Liu Qingyue suddenly pulled out her phone and showed Ji Qingyi a chat screen, pointing at the messages displayed.

Su Cheng: "Senior, you should rest early too. Goodnight."

"See? Su Cheng just wished me goodnight," Liu Qingyue said with a bright smile. "Young Mistress, did you get one too? Don't tell me you didn't? That can't be, right? After all the trouble you went through, worrying about him and even coming all the way to the countryside—and he didn't even send you a message? How heartless can he be?!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Ji Qingyi's right hand clenched, crushing the armrest of the chair.

She lifted her head, her dark, ink-like pupils fixed on Liu Qingyue.

In an instant, Liu Qingyue froze, a chill shooting up from her feet to the top of her head, making her shudder violently.

Yet Ji Qingyi did nothing further, though she still offered an explanation—

"At this hour, I would already be asleep. That's why he didn't disturb me."

Her face was expressionless as she spoke, as if entirely unaffected.

On the surface, she seemed unbothered, but the tragic state of the chair's armrest betrayed the fury simmering beneath.

Liu Qingyue let out a relieved breath and quickly said, "Thank you for clarifying, Young Mistress. I'll take my leave now. Please rest early."

With that, she hastily retreated.

Ji Qingyi watched her leave before brushing the wood shavings from her hand. Once she had cleaned up, she picked up her phone again.

But this time, she wasn't searching for anything.

Instead, she opened her chat log.

Her eyes lingered on yesterday's "goodnight" from Su Cheng—the last message between them. She pressed her lips together, hesitating, before finally locking the screen and setting the phone back on the table.

Then, Ji Qingyi stood up and walked slowly toward the balcony railing.

The night breeze brushed past, tousling the strands of hair by her ears.

The moonlight, hazy and cool, cast a faint glow around her.

Her figure was slender and delicate, an elegant blend of grace and nobility, her demeanor poised and her aura aloof, making one dare not profane her presence.

"Ding dong~"

Just then, her phone chimed with a notification.

Ji Qingyi paused slightly before turning back to her seat, picking up her phone from the table, and opening the message directly.

Su Cheng: ["President, good night."]

Only four brief words, nothing more.

Ji Qingyi held her phone, then typed a single ["Mm."]

Su Cheng: ["My matters are settled. I’m returning to Yancheng today. I’ll explain everything in person when I’m back."]

Ji Qingyi hesitated for a moment before tapping out a reply: ["Alright."]

After waiting a few minutes with no further response, she tucked her phone back into her pocket, stood up, and finally made her way toward the bed.

......