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

Lin Qingmian was awakened by a slight noise coming from the kitchen.

When she opened her eyes, the curtains had been pulled open a crack, and the afternoon sunlight squeezed in through the gap, casting a golden ribbon of light on the floor.

She turned her head slightly and saw Ji Linzhou sitting by the window.

The man was sitting at his desk with his back to her, a laptop in front of him. His long, slender fingers were typing rapidly on the keyboard, occasionally pausing to look at the documents next to him.

His profile was outlined in gold by the sunlight, with a high nose bridge, a sharp and smooth jawline, and the cuffs of his shirt rolled up to his forearms, revealing a section of his well-defined arm.

The wind blew in through the half-open window, ruffling the fine strands of hair on his forehead. He casually brushed them aside, but his gaze remained fixed on the screen.

Lin Qingmian squinted her eyes and secretly watched him.

She thought this man was really charming.

That charm isn't just superficial good looks, but a composure and calmness that comes from within. Even when he's just sitting there quietly working, he's captivating.

No wonder Su Tingwan can't let him go.

Knowing full well that he already had a wife, she still forced him into spreading rumors and tried every means to get close to him.

As Lin Qingmian pondered, her brows furrowed unconsciously, and a bittersweet feeling welled up in her heart.

She secretly watched him for a long time, so long that even the clouds outside the window seemed to have shifted their positions.

"Have you seen enough?"

A man's voice suddenly came from the window, deep and tinged with a faint chuckle: "Am I that good-looking?"

Lin Qingmian was so startled that her whole body trembled, and her face flushed instantly.

She quickly pulled the blanket over her head, curled up into a ball, and her ears burned hot.

How did he find out?

She was clearly only squinting at it!

She heard the sound of a chair being moved, followed by footsteps that grew closer and then stopped beside the bed.

The blanket was pulled back from the outside, and the light above their heads returned.

Ji Linzhou stood by the bed, looking down at her, a faint smile playing on his lips: "You've been sleeping all day, stop pretending to be asleep."

Lin Qingmian blushed and reluctantly crawled out of the quilt, keeping her head down and not daring to look at him.

The man looked at her shy expression, and the smile in his eyes deepened, but he didn't tease her anymore.

He turned and walked towards the door: "Change your clothes, I'll take you back to the Ji family."

Lin Qingmian was taken aback: "Back to the Ji family?"

"Ji Xingye is back." Ji Linzhou said calmly, his back to her. "The old man has arranged a family dinner tonight to welcome him back."

He paused, then turned to look at her: "I've been waiting for you to wake up."

Lin Qingmian frowned slightly: "What are you waiting for me for? It's not appropriate for me to attend your Ji family's banquet."

"They'll probably have Su Tingwan come over tonight too."

Ji Linzhou turned around, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on her face with a seriousness she couldn't decipher: "Didn't you mind that I was with Su Tingwan?"

"Why don't I take you there directly, and you can supervise on-site?"

Lin Qingmian's heart skipped a beat.

She turned her face away, avoiding his gaze, and deliberately lowered her voice: "Who cares?"

"What happens between you and Su Tingwan is none of my business."

Ji Linzhou remained silent.

He simply looked at her quietly, his unfathomable eyes seeming to see through all her disguises and pretenses.

The air was still for a few seconds.

"Really not going?" he asked, his voice indifferent.

Lin Qingmian shook her head.

She truly didn't want to face those hypocritical members of the Ji family. Old Master Ji, Old Madam Ji, Su Tingwan, and Ji Xingye, who had just returned from abroad…

Just thinking about that scene made her feel suffocated.

Ji Linzhou was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Then I'm leaving."

He walked to the door, put on his coat, and glanced back at the woman who was still sitting on the bed in a daze: "The food is on the table. Go and eat if you're hungry."

"Mm," Lin Qingmian responded.

With a "bang," the door slammed shut.

Then came the sound of the elevator arriving, and then the apartment fell completely silent.

Lin Qingmian sat on the bed, listening to the footsteps outside fading into the distance, and felt a strange emptiness in her heart.

She was the one who said she wouldn't go.

But when he actually left, she felt that the apartment suddenly became too big, too empty, and too quiet to be used to.

She lay in bed for a long time until the sky outside the window began to darken, then slowly got up and left the bedroom.

Several dishes were laid out on the restaurant's table.

Sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried broccoli, a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, and a small dish of cucumber salad.

The food was still steaming, clearly having been prepared recently.

Lin Qingmian went over and took a look, and found that the dishes were not in takeout packaging, but were served in the bowls and plates that they usually use at home.

Her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

It's not takeout.

Was it... done by the male lead?

He can actually cook?

Lin Qingmian sat down at the dining table, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs into her mouth.

The meat was tender and juicy, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors; surprisingly, it tasted quite good.

She took another bite of the broccoli; it was crisp and perfectly seasoned.

She lowered her head and shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth. The emptiness in her heart seemed to be filled by the steaming hot food.

While eating, she took out her phone and opened her WeChat Moments.

The first pinned post was a status update from Ji Xingqing.

A group photo of the Ji family having a meal together, captioned: 【Welcome someone back to China!】

In the photo, the entire Ji family, young and old, sat around a large table. Old Master Ji and Old Madam Ji sat in the main seats, while Ji Xingye sat next to them with a faint, somewhat absent-minded smile on his face.

The most eye-catching person was Ji Linzhou, who was sitting on the other side.

Su Tingwan was sitting next to him.

The woman linked her arm with his and rested her head affectionately on his shoulder; the two looked extremely intimate.

Lin Qingmian unconsciously tightened her grip on the chopsticks.

My heart felt like it had been gently squeezed by something; it didn't hurt, but it made me feel a little uncomfortable.

Just as she was about to exit WeChat Moments, her phone vibrated again.

It's a new message. Sender: Lin Qingqing.

She clicked on it, and what came into view was the same family photo that Ji Xingqing had just posted.

Lin Qingqing followed with her caption: 【When did Ji Xingye come back? Didn't he tell you? Why didn't you tell me?】

Lin Qingmian frowned and replied with a few words: "I only found out he was back today."

The message had just been sent when Lin Qingqing called.

"Where are you?" Lin Qingqing's voice was tinged with urgency and dissatisfaction. "I'll come pick you up, and we'll go to the Ji family together."

"What are you going to the Ji family for?" Lin Qingmian put down her chopsticks, her voice indifferent.

"Of course, we're going to discuss my marriage with Ji Xingye," Lin Qingqing said matter-of-factly. "Ji Xingye's back, shouldn't this matter be on the agenda?"

Lin Qingmian paused for a moment.

"You're not reluctant to part with him, are you?" Lin Qingqing's voice held a hint of coldness. "Let me tell you, Ji Xingye is your husband's nephew now. Don't have any such thoughts about him."

"The person who will marry Ji Xingye will be me sooner or later."