Forms of Address

Guest room.

A man and a woman trapped in a room together—this is one of those clichéd setups you see in every romantic comedy.

The moment the door shut, both fell silent.

But soon enough, Ji Qingyi’s calm shattered into fury. She glared fiercely at the locked door, her face darkening, voice cold and sharp: “What nerve.”

“Boss, it looks like the door’s been double-locked,” Su Cheng tried the handle, found it wouldn’t budge, then turned around with an innocent look.

Ji Qingyi’s expression stiffened as she averted her gaze from Su Cheng. After forcing herself to calm down, her demeanor slowly returned to its usual icy composure.

“Though I could just break down the door with force.”

Su Cheng wasn’t idle either. He studied the door’s construction carefully and added, “But if we make too much noise, we might disturb the neighbors.”

He looked at the door thoughtfully.

Ji Qingyi remained silent. As the saying goes, you can guard against thieves and intruders, but it’s hard to guard against betrayal from within.

Being backstabbed like this was humiliating.

“I didn’t bring my phone.”

Su Cheng turned to look at Ji Qingyi, who was still sitting on the bed with an icy expression. He shrugged helplessly and said, “Boss, maybe you could contact Li Guanqi or Gu Ruoxue to help us get the door open.”

“This has nothing to do with me. She acted on her own,” Ji Qingyi immediately distanced herself from the matter, shooting Su Cheng a sharp glare full of frustration. “You usually seem pretty smart, so why did you have to be so dumb and fall for it today?”

After all, Su Cheng had a system ability that made his body react automatically in emergencies. She couldn’t understand why he would cooperate.

“Uh… I know it wasn’t you, Boss,” Su Cheng quickly defended himself. “Besides, her intentions weren’t malicious, and they were pretty obvious…”

“Obvious? Then what are they?” Ji Qingyi cut him off, frowning.

Su Cheng thought for a moment, weighing his words carefully before saying, “Her goal was simply to lock us in together. She wanted to use this to push us closer.”

“So, you’re going along with it?” Ji Qingyi’s expression softened slightly, but her tone remained serious as she pressed.

To her surprise, Su Cheng nodded in agreement.

That threw her off completely. She grew flustered, forgetting the words she had prepared, unsure how to respond, and finally chose to stay silent.

They say a straightforward move can defeat a tsundere.

Su Cheng noticed Ji Qingyi’s awkwardness. Hesitating briefly, he changed the subject: “Boss, could it be that her saying you needed me was also a lie she made up?”

“Forget it.”

Ji Qingyi took a deep breath, pushing aside the tangled thoughts in her mind. Then she lifted her eyes to meet Su Cheng’s and said, “I never expected you’d go so far as to cooperate just to be alone with me. I have to say, I’m surprised.”

Her tone suddenly softened as she spoke, her voice gentle and low as she addressed Su Cheng, “There’s no denying I wanted to reach out to you, but it was only because I messaged you and you didn’t reply for a long time. I was worried something might have happened to you, so out of concern, I thought to have her check on you. I never expected she would take matters into her own hands, trick you inside, and even lock the door behind her.”

Faced with Su Cheng’s strong and assertive approach, Ji Qingyi decided to change her strategy. After all, it was true that she had messaged her earlier. No matter how much she tried to argue, that fact couldn’t be denied. Besides, she had hoped for a return gesture. So, rather than staying passive, she chose to take control of the situation.

“I see,”

Su Cheng said, suddenly enlightened, nodding in understanding.

Relieved, Ji Qingyi’s tense expression relaxed. She continued, “That said, how do you want our relationship to progress?”

As she spoke, she raised her elegant brows with a hint of challenge in her tone, clearly determined not to give up until she got what she wanted.

“Well…”

Su Cheng paused for a moment, then scratched her cheek awkwardly and said, “Maybe… we can start with how we address each other.”

“Address each other?”

Ji Qingyi pondered for a moment before asking, “What do you think would feel less distant?”

“Well… Qingyi… Xiao Yi… or Little Qing?”

“……”

A strange expression flickered across Ji Qingyi’s face. She obviously felt uncomfortable with those nicknames and shook her head hesitantly.

“But that’s really the best way to show we’re closer, isn’t it? Otherwise, calling you ‘President’ all the time feels so formal,”

Su Cheng said, glancing at the ring on Ji Qingyi’s ring finger as she spoke seriously.

“Well…”

Ji Qingyi frowned in hesitation, lowering her gaze to the ring in her hand. In the end, she sighed and didn’t reject the suggestion. Instead, she nodded in agreement.

“In that case…”

She extended her fair right hand, formed a fist, and pressed it lightly to her lips, as if carefully weighing which two of the three nicknames to discard. Then, suddenly lifting her eyes to lock onto Su Cheng’s, she tentatively said, “Then… Qing… Qingyi it is.”

“Okay, that sounds good.”

Su Cheng nodded with satisfaction, about to speak when Ji Qingyi quickly interrupted, patting the edge of the bed beside her and motioning for her to sit down.

Standing while talking looked awkward, and she didn’t want Su Cheng to see her discomfort. Especially with Ji Qingyi sitting and Su Cheng standing, the awkwardness would be even more obvious.

“Well then, I’ll gladly accept your command,”

Su Cheng laughed heartily and sat down without reservation. The space between them was no wider than a fist, and as soon as she settled in, their breaths mingled, as if forming a unique atmosphere just between them.

Ji Qingyi’s shoulders trembled slightly. She instinctively glanced at Su Cheng, saw that she was simply sitting quietly, and relaxed her guard. She straightened up, waiting for her to speak.

“President, please forgive me for addressing you by your first name so boldly.”

As the atmosphere gradually eased, Su Cheng composed herself, cleared her throat, and said earnestly, “Qingyi.”

“Mm.”

Ji Qingyi shivered slightly at his words, feeling a wave of discomfort wash over her, yet she still nodded and gave a soft "hmm," reluctantly granting him this so-called respectful respect.

"Alright then, it's your turn."

"Me?"

Hearing him, Ji Qingyi blinked in mild confusion, clearly not understanding what she was supposed to do next. But seeing Su Cheng's expectant expression, she decided to go along with it and asked, "My turn for what?"

"How you address me."

Su Cheng narrowed his eyes and stared straight at her, his tone firm. "Doesn't it feel strange to just call me 'Su Cheng'? You can choose a form of address you like."

"I don’t find it strange at all," Ji Qingyi refused, then added, "Besides, I can use a more affectionate way to call you."

"Then why don’t you try calling me by my full name in an affectionate way?"

"…"

Ji Qingyi was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long silence, she finally managed to utter, somewhat embarrassed, two simple words: "Su Cheng."