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

The man walked up to Lin Qingmian, looked down at her, his gaze lingered on her plastered arm for a moment, and then fell back to her flushed face.

"Afraid I'll see through your true skill level?"

"Are you still afraid I'll take advantage of you?"

Lin Qingmian's ears burned. She turned her face away from him, her voice soft and embarrassed: "I..."

Fang Shiyang looked at this and that, and finally belatedly realized that something was wrong.

"etc……"

Her eyes widened, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them several times: "You two... know each other?"

Lin Qingmian bit her lip and remained silent.

Ji Linzhou chuckled lightly, his voice low and casual: "I know him."

"And we knew each other much earlier than you think."

He looked down at Lin Qingmian, took the file bag from her hand, took out the sketches inside, and lingered for a moment on the lines in the hues of the sunset.

Then he looked up at the woman in front of him, who was so embarrassed she looked like she was about to burst into flames, and his voice carried a gentle warmth that he himself didn't even realize—

"It's very well drawn."

"You're in charge of the next season's haute couture collection for Dawn & Dusk."

The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, enveloping the two of them in a warm, golden glow.

Fang Shiyang stood there, looking at the scene before him, and suddenly felt that he might have bumped into something extraordinary.

Fang Shiyang glanced back and forth between the two men a few times, finally belatedly realizing the undercurrent in the air. She blinked and tactfully took two steps back: "Well... Mr. President, since you two know each other, I won't stand around here. You two discuss the contract; I'll head out first."

After saying that, she quickly slipped out of the office, considerately closing the door behind her.

The office fell silent the moment the door closed.

Lin Qingmian stood there, so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the cracks in the floor. She looked down at her toes, the cast on her right arm dazzlingly white in the afternoon sun.

She heard Ji Linzhou's footsteps; step by step, he walked around the desk and stood in front of her.

Then she felt a shadow fall over her head, his tall figure enveloping her completely.

"look up."

His voice was deep, carrying an undeniable tenderness.

Lin Qingmian bit her lip and slowly raised her head.

Ji Linzhou stood right in front of her, no more than a step away. His gaze fell on her face, carefully examining her expression, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"So you're Miss Sleepless." He repeated the name, as if savoring something amusing. "I've seen your work before."

Lin Qingmian was taken aback: "You've seen it?"

"Fang Shiyang sent it to me." Ji Linzhou turned around and walked back to his desk, picked up the tablet on the table, tapped it a few times, and then turned the screen towards her: "About half a year ago, she strongly recommended you, saying that you were the most talented newcomer she had ever seen."

"I refused."

Lin Qingmian's heart sank slightly.

"Because there are too many newcomers without experience, most of them are just flashes in the pan," Ji Linzhou said calmly. "Being popular once by luck doesn't mean you have real talent."

He spoke very directly, even to the point of being somewhat harsh.

Lin Qingmian, however, didn't feel hurt, because she knew he was telling the truth. That's how the design industry is; new talents emerge constantly, but only a very few truly remain.

"And then?" she asked.

"She sent you your work a few more times after that."

Ji Linzhou placed the tablet on the table, looked up at her, and said with a seriousness she had never seen on his face before: "I'm starting to think that what she said might be true."

"Your use of lines is very bold, and your color matching is also your own idea. Although there are still some areas that are not mature enough, your talent cannot be hidden."

Lin Qingmian's heart skipped a beat as she listened to his evaluation.

This usually cold and aloof man had actually read her works and analyzed them seriously.

"So you agreed to meet me, and it wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

"Hmm." Ji Linzhou leaned against the edge of his desk, arms crossed, looking somewhat languid. "I want to see what kind of person can design that kind of work."

He paused, then slightly raised the corners of his lips: "I just didn't expect it to be you."

Lin Qingmian's face turned red again.

She looked away, pretending to study the abstract painting hanging on the wall, and said in a muffled voice, "You never even asked me what I do for a living."

"You didn't say."

"You didn't ask either."

The two looked at each other and then fell silent for a moment.

Then Ji Linzhou chuckled, a soft, brief laugh, yet carrying a genuine, unguarded warmth.

"Okay, it was my oversight," he said. "I'll try to understand you better in the future."

Lin Qingmian's heart skipped a beat.

"Get to know her better..." Doesn't that sound like some kind of promise?

She quickly lowered her head, pretending to rummage through a file folder to hide her blushing ears: "So... when should we talk about the contract?"

"It's ready now." Ji Linzhou returned to his desk, sat down, opened a drawer, and took out a document: "Fang Shiyang drafted the first draft, I've read it, and there are basically no problems."

He pushed the documents across the table: "Take a look. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, you can bring it up now."

Lin Qingmian sat down in the chair opposite the desk and opened the contract with her left hand.

She read very carefully, turning the pages one by one, occasionally pausing to read a particular clause in detail. Ji Linzhou didn't rush her, just sat quietly opposite her, occasionally glancing down to reply to messages on his phone.

The office was quiet, with only the sound of papers turning and the low hum of the air conditioner.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm glow on the table between the two people.

When Lin Qingmian turned to the last page, her fingertips paused for a moment.

She looked up at Ji Linzhou and said, "The profit-sharing ratio... is five percentage points higher than what Sister Shiyang mentioned to me before."

"Mm." Ji Linzhou put down his phone and leaned back in his chair. "You deserve it."

Those three simple words made Lin Qingmian's heart skip a beat once again.

She quickly lowered her head, pretending to read the fine print on the contract, and tried to keep her voice steady: "Then... I'll sign it?"

"Sign it."

She picked up the pen from the table, her left hand holding it somewhat awkwardly. The cast on her right arm restricted her range of motion, so she could only turn sideways and write her name crookedly in the signature box.

Her handwriting was rather ugly, crooked and uneven, quite different from her usual neat handwriting.

She looked at the crooked signature and said somewhat embarrassedly, "My hand isn't very good, so it's a bit messy."

Ji Linzhou simply picked up the contract, glanced at her signature, then closed it and put it in the drawer.

"It's not bad-looking," he said. "It's much easier to recognize than some designers' signatures."

Lin Qingmian didn't know who the "certain designers" he was referring to were, but seeing his serious expression, she couldn't help but smile.