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

Lin Qingmian paused for a moment, her fingers holding the pen. "I suppose so. But it's only for those who know to know."

Yao Yingyu understood and didn't ask any more questions. She patted Lin Qingmian on the shoulder, said, "Anyway, I can walk sideways from now on," and turned back to listen to the lesson.

Lin Qingmian looked down at the densely packed characters on the pages, but couldn't concentrate on a single word. She remembered the glance Ji Linzhou gave her when she parked the car, and the expressionless yet hesitant attitude before she closed the door. She lowered her head and unconsciously drew a line along the edge of her notebook.

Her phone vibrated during break. She picked it up and glanced at it; it was a message from Lin Qingqing: "Mianmian, are you free today? I'd like to talk to you."

She typed back: "What do you want to talk about?"

About two minutes later, the other end replied: "Let's talk about the engagement. There are also some wedding details we'd like your advice on. My parents also said they want to invite you to dinner."

Lin Qingmian looked at the sentence "Mom and Dad also said they want to invite you to dinner" and suddenly found it a little funny.

She flipped her phone face down on the table and didn't reply.

A moment later, her phone vibrated again. She opened it and saw it was Lin Qingqing again: "I know you're busy, so let's make an appointment when you're free. No rush."

She looked at the "No rush" sign and remembered Lin Qingqing's tone of "It's due tomorrow" when she urged her to submit the design draft, Zhang Yuzhu's abrupt questioning on the phone, and Lin Jianzhong's cold face when he pushed her away.

She put her phone away and continued listening to the lesson.

During lunch, Jiang Yao called. "Mianmian, your sister messaged me, asking if you've been busy lately, and said she wants to invite you to lunch."

Lin Qingmian picked up a piece of rice with her chopsticks, chewed it twice, and swallowed it: "What did you say to her?"

"I told you you're very busy, you're designing a new collection and don't have time."

Jiang Yao's voice carried a hint of smugness, "The kind of person she is, you should just ignore her. She used to treat you like dirt, but now that she knows you're Mrs. Ji, she immediately changed her tune—she's trying to take advantage of you."

Hearing her puffed-up voice, Lin Qingmian couldn't help but laugh: "I know. I won't pay any attention to her."

After hanging up the phone, she carried her tray to the food counter and bumped into someone. She looked up, saw the somewhat haggard face, and paused for a moment.

Lin Qingqing stood at the restaurant entrance, wearing a beige trench coat. Her makeup was lighter than usual, and her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying. Seeing Lin Qingmian, she quickly walked over, her voice hoarse and slightly pleading: "Mianmian, don't go. I just want to say a few words to you."

Lin Qingmian stood there holding the tray, without saying a word.

I know you don't want to see me.

Lin Qingqing lowered her voice to a whisper, as if it came from the bottom of a deep well, with a hint of deliberate caution: "But I'm going to pick out wedding rings with Ji Xingye tomorrow. He's your uncle's nephew, and you'll be a member of the Ji family from now on. There are some formalities... As your older sister, I should tell you in person."

She slightly raised her chin, looking at you tenderly: "I did some things wrong in the past, and they hurt you. Looking back now, I feel really bad. Let's forget about all those unpleasant things, okay?"