Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

After the passion subsided.

Lin Qingmian was sore all over, her bones felt like they were falling apart.

She struggled to get out of bed, her legs so weak she almost knelt on the floor, and glanced back at the culprit.

He seemed refreshed, leaning against the headboard looking at his phone. Only the bottom two buttons of his shirt were fastened, revealing his muscular chest and the faint outline of his abdominal muscles.

She gritted her teeth, turned her face away, and dragged her aching legs to the kitchen, where she made a simple breakfast for two.

When Ji Linzhou came out after changing his clothes, she had already set out breakfast and was sitting at the table, sipping her porridge.

He pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her, without saying anything, and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.

The two of them ate breakfast quietly.

When Lin Qingmian was about to leave, she realized that it was too late.

I'm going to be late.

After packing her schoolbag, she frowned and glanced at Ji Linzhou: "Are you... are you busy today?"

The man was slowly wiping his hands, then looked up at her and asked, "What is it?"

"Could you arrange a car to take me?"

Lin Qingmian pursed her lips somewhat shyly: "You took too long just now... I was a little overwhelmed."

Ji Linzhou raised an eyebrow.

No man could remain unmoved by such praise for the length of time spent in bed.

He got up in a good mood and picked up the suit jacket hanging on the coat rack: "I'll give it to you."

Lin Qingmian was taken aback: "You... you personally escorted me?"

"no?"

"sure."

She nodded quickly, turned around, and went out the door first.

Ji Linzhou's car was parked downstairs at the apartment building; the black Cayenne was both understated and flamboyant.

Lin Qingmian opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, glanced at the rearview mirror, and then quickly looked away.

The two of them didn't talk much during the journey; the carriage was quiet except for the sound of the air conditioner blowing.

When they arrived at the school gate, Ji Linzhou stopped the car.

Lin Qingmian unbuckled her seatbelt, quickly said "thank you," and then pushed open the car door and left.

She didn't notice that the moment she got out of the car, a student holding a phone nearby had already taken a picture of her getting out of the Cayenne.

"It's that woman again!"

"Last time her mother came to the school and beat her, saying she was being kept by a rich man, is this time it really confirmed?"

"I recognize that car, it's a Cayenne, worth millions!"

"Tsk tsk, she does look quite innocent, I didn't expect..."

……

Lin Qingmian knew nothing about these things.

She ran into the classroom and sat down in her seat at the last second before the bell rang.

Yao Yingyu leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Mianmian, did you see the post on the forum?"

Lin Qingmian shook her head as she took out her textbook: "What post?"

Yao Yingyu hesitated for a moment before handing the phone to her.

The screen displayed a newly posted thread titled: "[Solid Evidence! A Ms. Lin Was Picked Up in Luxury Cars; She Was Indeed Being Kept!"]

The photos in the post weren't very clear; they only showed Lin Qingmian getting out of the car and a corner of the black Cayenne.

The man in the car did not show his face; only a blurry outline was visible.

"It's those boring people again."

Lin Qingmian frowned and handed the phone back to Yao Yingyu: "Don't worry about them."

"But……"

"Class is starting."

Lin Qingmian interrupted her, opened her textbook, and focused her gaze on the podium.

Yao Yingyu opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

After school, Lin Qingmian packed her schoolbag and accompanied Yao Yingyu to the Century Building.

Yao Yingyu recently applied for an internship at a studio under another small brand line of Morning Dusk Line. Lin Qingmian had already promised to accompany her to the interview.

When they arrived at the Century Building, the HR representative who had arranged to meet Yao Yingyu was busy and asked them to wait a while in the lobby on the first floor.

The two had just sat down on a bench in the lobby on the first floor when they heard the sound of elevator doors opening and closing coming from the direction of the VIP elevator in the distance.

Lin Qingmian subconsciously looked up, then her gaze suddenly darkened.

The tall man who stepped out of the elevator was Ji Linzhou.

Su Tingwan was beside him, her arm intimately linked with his, her whole body almost pressed against him.

Su Tingwan wore a light pink dress today, her hair was styled in an elegant updo, and she wore exquisite makeup, making her look radiant.

She was tilting her head, talking to Ji Linzhou, with a sweet smile on her face.

The man lowered his head slightly, seemingly listening to her speak, and occasionally nodded and made a soft "hmm".

The two walked very close, as close as a real couple.

Lin Qingmian's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked away and lowered her head.

"this……"

Just then, Yao Yingyu's voice drifted softly into my ears, tinged with hesitation: "Mianmian, look over there, isn't that Ji Linzhou and Su Tingwan?"

Lin Qingmian's gaze paused slightly, then she lowered her eyes and simply responded with a soft "Mm".

"You..." Yao Yingyu hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking, "Should we leave for a bit?"

Her voice held an unspoken worry: "If we were to run into each other like this, what if...?"

From the phone call Lin Qingmian received from Su Tingwan yesterday and the coat she was wearing, Yao Yingyu had already roughly guessed the relationship between her and the two of them.

Lin Qingmian paused for a moment, about to say something, when she looked up and met the eyes of Ji Linzhou and Su Tingwan.

"Miss Lin, what are you doing here?"

After a brief silence, Su Tingwan broke it first: "You're not here to see Linzhou, are you?"

"No, that's not it!"

Before Lin Qingmian could speak, Yao Yingyu frowned and stepped forward, adopting a protective stance: "I'm her college roommate. She came here with me to apply for a part-time designer position."

Hearing this, Su Tingwan's brows relaxed slightly: "Oh, I thought..."

She glanced at Lin Qingmian, her voice indifferent: "Is that so? I thought Miss Lin was here to see Lin Zhou."

Lin Qingmian's gaze was indifferent: "I'm not familiar with Mr. Ji, why would I need to see him?"

She reached out and grabbed Yao Yingyu's hand: "Let's go upstairs and take a look. If the HR person isn't punctual, it's not a big deal if we don't do the job."

After saying that, the woman pulled Yao Yingyu past Ji Linzhou and Su Tingwan, and strode towards the elevator.

She walked too fast and didn't notice Ji Linzhou's slightly furrowed brows behind her, nor did she notice the fleeting smugness in Su Tingwan's eyes.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Su Tingwan's coquettish voice came from the corridor outside: "Lin Zhou, you seem quite concerned about Miss Lin?"

The man was silent for a moment, then his voice came calmly: "Because she is Ji Xingye's ex-girlfriend."

The elevator doors closed.

But those words clearly reached Lin Qingmian's ears.

Her body stiffened, her fingers gripping the straps of her schoolbag tightly until her knuckles turned white.

As the elevator slowly ascended, her heart sank.

His concern for her...

Is it all just because she's Ji Xingye's ex-girlfriend?