The night scenery outside the window flashed by as the car moved forward slowly. Su Cheng felt his heartbeat growing louder, as if the entire world had fallen silent.
He glanced at Ji Qingyi, only to find her expression serious and solemn, with no trace of jest. It really seemed like she intended to stay at his place tonight. This left him utterly at a loss.
Originally, he had only wanted the club president to pick a time in advance so he could prepare. But he never expected it to be today?!
His home wasn’t ready for guests staying overnight—there were no fresh bedsheets, blankets, or toiletries prepared.
He couldn’t possibly let the president use something someone else had used before, could he?
That would be far too impolite!
"Young Miss, the main family has explicitly stated—"
At that moment, the chauffeur, Ji Xiaze, interjected, but Ji Qingyi waved him off.
"I know my limits," she said coolly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Tonight… I’m completely unprepared. Actually, what I meant was for the president to choose a time in advance so I could personally select some necessities for you…"
Su Cheng spoke hesitantly, his unease palpable.
After all, the items he used at the Ji residence had all been personally chosen by the president. Naturally, he wanted to reciprocate properly.
Ji Qingyi didn’t respond. Instead, she silently watched the road ahead, the flickering light in her eyes making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.
Seeing this, Su Cheng grew even more anxious. Staying over tonight wasn’t the issue—he was just worried the president wouldn’t be comfortable.
His apartment wasn’t even as big as one of the guest rooms in her villa. And if she mentioned in the group chat that she was staying at his place tonight… who knew what kind of chaos would ensue? So…
"So… what do you think?"
Su Cheng carefully weighed his words but couldn’t come up with a suitable excuse. He could only look at Ji Qingyi with a troubled expression.
Finally, Ji Qingyi turned her head toward him and said, "I heard you’ve never given anyone ‘durex’ before?"
Her shocking statement left Su Cheng frozen in place.
Of course, he knew what "durex" was.
And he knew exactly why she was bringing it up.
Because yesterday, the president had given some to him. So it would only be natural—and reasonable—for him to return the gesture on the night she stayed over.
His face flushed bright red, and he turned his head toward the window to avoid her gaze, stammering, "Y-yeah… I’ve never given any. And I don’t have any at home either."
At this, even Ji Xiaze, despite his professional training, couldn’t resist glancing at the rearview mirror to observe their reactions.
"Is that so?"
Ji Qingyi’s tone was calm, but it sent a shiver down Su Cheng’s spine. Sure enough, her next words confirmed his fears:
"In that case, I’ll announce your stayover time in the group chat."
"What?!"
Su Cheng whipped his head around, staring at her in disbelief, his face paling. If she told the group she was staying at his place, the consequences would be unimaginable.
What if the other two girls found out and came over too?
How was he supposed to give her the so-called "durex" then?
In front of them?
Behind their backs?
No way!
If the president decided to be reckless, there was no hiding such a spectacle!
So… give it to all three of them at once?!
Impossible!
If he tried something like that, Gu Ruoxue would absolutely break his legs!
In short—
If things escalated to that point, it would be an absolute disaster for him!!
"Um… President, you can just tell me directly. Why announce it in the group?"
Su Cheng forced the words out of his dry throat.
Ji Qingyi glanced at him and replied nonchalantly, "No reason. I just feel like saying it."
"No… please don’t… It’s better if just the two of us know."
Su Cheng immediately cut her off, his forehead beading with sweat, his breathing growing ragged. He was terrified she might drop some earth-shattering remark about "durex" in the group.
Ji Qingyi observed his flustered state, then turned her gaze back to the road and said indifferently, "Fine. Since it’s making you uncomfortable, I won’t mention it."
With that, she closed her eyes, as if resting.
But Su Cheng only felt more conflicted as he watched her. He realized that protecting the president’s dignity was an arduous task—because the biggest threat to her dignity was none other than the president herself!
She was like a ticking time bomb.
Su Cheng’s mind raced as he agonized over possible solutions.
He couldn’t let the president tell anyone about the "durex," but he also couldn’t let her grow suspicious.
And this matter had to be resolved as soon as possible.
As his apartment drew nearer, Su Cheng’s anxiety intensified, his frustration reaching indescribable levels.
Silence filled the car.
"President, thank you so much for hosting me these past two days. I’ve been really happy—it might be the most joyful time I’ve had since childhood."
Su Cheng suddenly had an idea and quickly spoke up.
When he finished, Ji Qingyi opened her eyes and looked at him, frowning slightly in confusion.
"Yes, I know. You’ve said that many times already."
Her expression was indifferent, her gaze cool.
Su Cheng’s heart skipped a beat under her scrutiny, but he pressed on:
"Actually… I hope the memories of these two days can remain just between us, hidden away from everyone else."
"Why is that?" Ji Qingyi asked.
Su Cheng shook his head. "Because… this is a secret just for the two of us. So please, President, promise me."
If he couldn’t think of a solution, he’d just have to beg her!
However, Ji Qingyi simply stared at him for a long moment, her eyes unfathomably deep.
She seemed to be contemplating, or perhaps hesitating.
Finally, after a lengthy pause, she slowly replied, "Fine."
Su Cheng let out an internal sigh of relief but kept his composure, smiling gratefully at her.
Ji Qingyi said nothing more, merely giving him a detached glance before looking away.
Soon, the car pulled up in front of his apartment.
"President, would you like to come up for a bit?"
Su Cheng couldn’t shake his habit of polite formalities.
"No."
To his surprise, she declined flatly.
"Then I’ll head back now. See you tomorrow."
"Mm. Don’t forget to come to the club at noon."
"Got it."
Su Cheng stepped out of the car and waved as it drove off.
Watching the vehicle disappear into the distance, he felt an inexplicable pang of melancholy before turning to enter his building.
Back in his apartment, he turned on the lights and was relieved to find that Ya Ya hadn’t made a mess in his absence.
"Ya Ya!"
"Ya Ya?!"
But when he checked the rooms, the bird was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, he scanned the area again.
At this hour, Ya Ya should have been home watching the seven o’clock news.
If it wasn’t here, there were only two possibilities—either it had gone out to play because he wasn’t home, or it had gone to find Li Guanqi.
He sat on the couch and pulled out his phone.
The first thing he did was open the messaging app.
Li Guanqi: "You didn’t leave it any food, so it came to me."
It was a message from Li Guanqi, accompanied by a photo that left him utterly astonished.
Because Yaya was standing on top of an orange, chubby cat.
It was Gu Ruoxue’s orange cat!
From this, it was clear…
Gu Ruoxue and Li Guanqi were spending time together, taking care of each other’s "children"!
Seeing this, Su Cheng couldn’t help but find it amusing. He realized that their trip to the amusement park had brought the two girls much closer.
After reading the message, he opened the group chat.
He scrolled all the way to the top of the conversation and began reading downward, not wanting to miss a single line.
At first, Gu Ruoxue and Li Guanqi were discussing his skill.
But soon, the tone of their chat took a sudden turn, devolving into a competition of "showing off their kids." Eventually, they decided to take their "kids" out for a walk after dinner.
"What the…? When did the club president take this?"
He was startled when he saw a message Ji Qingyi had sent earlier that afternoon—a photo of him playing chess, which she had posted in the group with the caption: "His skills have improved."
"Everyone else is showing off their pets, so why are you showing me off?"
Su Cheng covered his eyes, unable to bear the embarrassment, yet he couldn’t resist peeking at the screen.
A quick glance later…
He sighed in relief. Ji Qingyi hadn’t continued chatting in the group—she had simply posted the photo during a spare moment.
After skimming through the group messages and briefly replying to Li Guanqi, he turned off his phone and lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
But soon, another message from Li Guanqi arrived.
Li Guanqi: "Tomorrow at noon, Lawn No. 14."
Reading this, Su Cheng froze, then felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as memories of their time together on that lawn flashed through his mind.
Their eyes had first met on Lawn No. 14. They had shared lunches, naps, and even their confession there.
That lawn was a place of shared memories and significance—in a way, it was where their feelings had taken root and blossomed.
"It’s been so long since we last went…"
A faint smile tugged at Su Cheng’s lips, but an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart. Since their confession, they had never returned to that lawn.
Or had he simply forgotten about it on his own?
Now that Li Guanqi had brought it up again, no matter what, he had to go tomorrow.
With that thought, he quickly replied to Li Guanqi, confirming his attendance. Then, he messaged Ji Qingyi, explaining that he had something to do at noon and hoped she would understand.
"Ding-dong~"
Suddenly, a message from Cornelia arrived.
Cornelia: "I’m waiting by the lake!"
Seeing this, he remembered—he had promised Cornelia yesterday that he would accompany her this afternoon.
After a brief hesitation, he replied: "Got it."
Once sent, he immediately headed toward the lake.
...
By the lake.
From a distance, Su Cheng spotted the petite, golden-and-white figure.
She was sitting on a stone bench, her snow-white legs in pristine thigh-high socks swinging playfully in the air. Her signature twin ponytails swayed gently, and her crystal-clear skin made her look like a delicate doll—so adorable that one couldn’t help but want to hug and kiss her.
"You came."
Cornelia noticed Su Cheng and, with a light push off the bench, hopped down and trotted over to him.
"What’s up?"
Su Cheng asked, puzzled as to why this golden-haired girl had specifically waited for him here at night.
"Look!"
She blinked her sapphire-blue eyes and pointed at something paper-like on the stone table. "I don’t know how to use this. Can you help?"
"What is it?"
The dim lighting made it hard to identify the object, so he walked closer while asking.
"A sky lantern!"
Cornelia exclaimed excitedly.
Su Cheng’s steps faltered, his expression turning serious and slightly odd—until he confirmed there was nothing strange about the lantern, at which point he relaxed.
But then, Cornelia’s next words made his heart skip a beat, his face twisting into a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Yesterday, this lantern flew near our house, so I ran to pick it up. But my mom saw it and…"
Here, her cute, doll-like face scrunched up in frustration. "She insisted it was some kind of 'dirty thing' and kept trying to take it from me. In the end, the most important part—the balloon—got torn off."