Could You Stay Tonight

The sound of a cola bottle startled Jiang Ruolan awake, nearly causing her to blurt out those words.

Flustered, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and lowered her gaze, not daring to look at Zhou Yi.

Forget it.

Some words were better left unsaid at a time like this.

Her own heart was in turmoil—she liked him, yet she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She had never been the type to hesitate like this, but when it came to Zhou Yi, she always seemed to lack courage.

Maybe it was their positions, or maybe she feared the outcome wouldn’t be what she hoped for. Either way, she had to let it go.

Quickly steadying her breathing, she forced a calm tone. "It’s nothing. It’s getting late, President Zhou. We should head back."

Zhou Yi looked completely unbothered. "Alright, let me take you home."

"No need, I’ll just grab a cab."

"It’s too late for you to go alone. I wouldn’t feel at ease."

There it was again—those offhand remarks that sent her thoughts spiraling.

Jiang Ruolan wondered if she was just overthinking things. Every casual word of concern from Zhou Yi made her read too much into it.

Maybe he was just naturally kind and attentive to all his subordinates. Maybe it had nothing to do with her being Jiang Ruolan.

"Fine, then. Thank you, President Zhou."

"After all this time, you’re still so formal with me. Tsk."

Zhou Yi shook his head with feigned exasperation.

Jiang Ruolan’s mind was a mess. She just wanted to get home before she lost control.

As they retraced their steps, she was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice the fallen leaves underfoot. Her heel slipped, and she nearly fell—until Zhou Yi caught her by the waist.

"Are you okay?"

His face was etched with worry, his expression tense.

She hadn’t even registered what happened. Thank goodness Zhou Yi was there.

The sudden closeness made her ears burn. For a moment, she forgot she was still clinging tightly to his neck.

"Be careful—it’s dark."

At his reminder, Jiang Ruolan blinked and reluctantly let go.

Though she hadn’t fallen, her ankle was twisted.

She took a step and winced at the sharp pain in her left foot.

"Tch—"

Gritting her teeth, she glanced at her high heels, frustration bubbling up.

What was wrong with today? Nothing was going right—even her shoes were betraying her.

Jiang Ruolan was usually composed, but tonight, her emotions were all over the place.

"Don’t move. Let me see."

Zhou Yi crouched in front of her, examining her ankle. It was slightly swollen.

As she looked down at this refined, caring man, a thought surfaced uncontrollably:

What if Zhou Yi were really her boyfriend?

"I’ll carry you to the car. Hop on."

He turned and bent down. After a brief hesitation, Jiang Ruolan obediently climbed onto his back.

His broad shoulders filled her with a sense of security. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cautiously rested her cheek against his back.

Beneath her, his steps faltered briefly before he continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Suddenly, she wished this path could stretch on forever.

"President Zhou."

"Hm?"

"Why are you so good to me?"

"Do I need a reason to be good to you?"

"Yes. Because you’re not like this with everyone, right?"

Her words were a test.

Zhou Yi chuckled. "True enough."

A smile tugged at her lips. So, she was special to him after all.

What women wanted was uniqueness and favoritism.

She was no exception.

The path wasn’t actually long, but Zhou Yi deliberately walked slowly.

"Suddenly, I feel a little regretful."

"Regretful about what?"

"If President Zhou gets a girlfriend, I won’t get this treatment anymore."

"That’s still far off."

"So, you haven’t thought about it at all?"

"At my age, I should be focusing on my career. No time for romance right now."

Jiang Ruolan wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

Well, at least there wouldn’t be a girlfriend in the picture anytime soon. She’d still be the closest person to him.

"Have you ever thought about what kind of girlfriend you’d want in the future?"

"At least someone as outstanding as you."

Her lashes fluttered. Biting her lip, as if steeling herself, she rested her chin on his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Zhou Yi stopped walking.

"Ruolan..."

She didn’t explain. "Keep walking. Just ignore me, okay? Let me have this moment."

After a pause, Zhou Yi continued in silence.

The quiet between them was heavy, broken only by the sound of footsteps.

The night breeze was cool, but the warmth of her body against his was unmistakable.

[Host, Jiang Ruolan’s affection level has reached 90! Keep it up!]

Jiang Ruolan had hinted at her feelings.

In that perfect moment, she couldn’t help herself.

Zhou Yi carried her to the car and helped her into the passenger seat.

The ride was wordless—Zhou Yi drove while Jiang Ruolan pretended to sleep.

"We’re here, Ruolan."

"Just drop me here, President Zhou. I can go up myself."

"Your ankle’s still hurt. Don’t push yourself. I’ll carry you up."

Jiang Ruolan tried to push him away. She’d already acted recklessly tonight—she couldn’t let things go further.

She was teetering on the edge of losing control.

"No, I can—"

Before she could finish, Zhou Yi scooped her up and strode forward.

She swallowed her protests.

"Is there a pharmacy near your place?"

"Yes, just a hundred meters ahead."

She pointed to a lit-up pharmacy in the distance. Zhou Yi carried her inside.

He bought ointment for sprains, asked about precautions, and listened as the shopkeeper praised,

"Young men as considerate as you are rare these days."

Since Zhou Yi had carried her in, the woman assumed they were a couple.

He opened his mouth but only smiled, offering no correction.

As he carried Jiang Ruolan home, she asked,

"Why didn’t you correct her just now?"

"It’s just a misunderstanding. No need to dwell on it. Getting you home is more important."

"I see..."

At her doorstep, he handed her the medicine.

"Apply this to the swelling right away. Don’t wait. Get some rest tonight. I’ll head back now."

As he turned to leave, Jiang Ruolan suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Stay tonight… please?"