25. Who Is His Achilles' Heel

Ji Qingran was not particularly alarmed by Lu Tingyuan’s insistence on staying over.

She knew exactly what he was after, and she had plenty of ways to stop him from going any further. She couldn't help but think: this is the downside of knowing someone too well—you understand every one of their weaknesses. You know exactly where their soft spots are and how to break them most effectively.

With this in mind, as Lu Tingyuan leaned in, she asked in a detached tone: "Staying here with me—aren't you worried about Su Yiyi?"

His hands, busy undoing her clothes, paused. He frowned and replied, "Why bring up Yiyi at a time like this?"

Ji Qingran gave a cold, hollow laugh that didn't reach her eyes. "Nothing. I was just suddenly curious about what Su Yiyi might be doing."

As she spoke, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, exposing her fair throat entirely to his view.

"Does Su Yiyi know we’re doing this?"

She smiled at him softly, the dimples at the corners of her mouth brimming with intoxicating, heady wine. "If she knew, would she think you were dirty? She’d cry, wouldn't she? She’s so hard to comfort when she cries, isn't she? You always have such a hard time coaxing her; you wouldn't want her to cry, would you?"

All of Lu Tingyuan’s ardor vanished amidst her questions.

He propped himself up on his hands, looked down at her steadily for a long moment, and said with displeasure, "Ji Qingran, you really know how to kill the mood."

Ji Qingran let out a hum, reached up to stroke his cheek, and coaxed him with a smile, "If you don't like hearing me say these things, then I won't. Whatever you want is fine."

But he had completely lost interest. He let go of her and rolled over to lie on her bed instead. He nudged her with his foot and ordered, "Go sleep outside."

Ji Qingran sat up and stared at him.

She hadn't been with other men, so she didn't know if all males possessed such a strong sense of territoriality. She only knew that he disliked having others lying beside him when he slept—unless it was after intimacy. When he had no such needs, he was accustomed to sleeping alone.

"My place is too small; there’s only one bed," she reminded him. "Besides, this is my bed."

He ignored her, urging her to leave, saying, "I'm very tired. I need to sleep." After a moment’s thought, he tossed a blanket at her as an act of charity.

Ji Qingran never argued with him over such trifles. She went outside and curled up on the single sofa to make do. The sofa was too small; in the middle of the night, she shifted, her head knocked against the armrest, and she woke up.

Seeing the light still on in the bedroom, she heard Lu Tingyuan’s voice drifting through the crack in the door, intermittent and soft.

"Don't be afraid, am I not here with you?"

"I only let you stay in the dorm because I thought you had school activities tomorrow. If I’d known you couldn't sleep well, I should have picked you up."

"Alright, I won't sleep. I’ll keep you company."

...

Ji Qingran listened expressionlessly for a while, finding it quite dull. She got up to get a drink, closed the bedroom door on her way back, and curled up on the sofa to sleep again.

But the night was destined to be restless; she kept waking up. Each time she did, she could see the light leaking through the crack in the bedroom door. She knew then that Lu Tingyuan had truly stayed up all night keeping Su Yiyi company.

As dawn approached, the bedroom light finally went out. Shortly after, Lu Tingyuan emerged. As he passed the sofa, he leaned down and kissed Ji Qingran on the face. She had long since woken up but didn't want him to know; she kept her eyes closed, feigning sleep, and even turned her head away as if uncomfortable when he kissed her.

He didn't say anything, simply picking up the blanket that had slid to the floor, tucking her back in, and leaving her apartment without a word.

Ji Qingran got up as soon as he left. She had spent the night curled up and had a stiff neck; before her alarm went off, she seized the time to crawl back into bed for a nap.

When she woke up again, she saw Su Yiyi’s post.

The background was the pale, pre-dawn sky. In the center of the frame was a large hand holding a bun and soy milk, the knuckles distinct and slender.

The caption read: "I wanted the first basket of steamed buns from the shop by the school gate, but I couldn't get up. Fortunately, someone was more diligent than me. This day has become wonderful because of you."

When she saw the photo, Ji Qingran was eating a bun herself—bought from downstairs, three yuan for two. She finished reading the post just as she was finishing the first one, and she couldn't bring herself to eat the second.

That morning, she received a bouquet of roses. They were beautiful, each one clearly hand-picked with care. Jiang Yao couldn't find a card left by the sender, so she guessed it was from one of Ji Qingran’s suitors. After some speculation, she settled on Lu Tingyuan.

She teased Ji Qingran with a smile, "Looks like he’s not beyond saving yet—he even knows how to send flowers to make amends."

Ji Qingran didn't think Lu Tingyuan had the capacity for such sentiment, but she couldn't guess who else it could be, so she said, "He’s never sent me flowers before; I wonder who he learned that from."

Jiang Yao shrugged, comforting her, "Who cares who he learned it from? As long as he’s thinking of you, that’s enough."

It was the first time Ji Qingran had ever received flowers, and she felt a touch of happiness, enough to dispel the gloom she had felt when seeing Su Yiyi’s post earlier. During her lunch break, she went out specially to buy a vase, looked up information online, and tended to the roses with great care.

In the afternoon, when Su Yiyi came in for her internship, she saw the roses on Ji Qingran’s desk the moment she entered the office. Her expression turned sour instantly.

"Sister Qingran," she walked straight up to Ji Qingran and pointed at the roses, asking, "Did you buy these yourself, or did someone send them to you?"

Jiang Yao, who happened to be discussing work with Ji Qingran, rolled her eyes and retorted, "Obviously someone sent them. Qingran is so beautiful and has such a good personality, how could she not have anyone sending her flowers?"

Her tone was sharp, though not necessarily intended as mockery.

Yet, Su Yiyi’s eyes reddened. She bit her lower lip, stared fixedly at the roses for a moment, and then turned and walked out.

Jiang Yao and Ji Qingran exchanged glances.

"What’s wrong with her now?" Jiang Yao asked.

Ji Qingran couldn't fathom the young girl’s mind either, so she simply said, "Let’s continue. If she’s unhappy, someone will naturally comfort her."

Neither of them paid any more mind to Su Yiyi.

Half an hour later, Su Yiyi returned, holding an even larger bouquet of roses. The variety was more expensive than Ji Qingran’s, and the bouquet was so massive it took up almost the entire workspace.

Su Yiyi arranged the flowers, took several photos, and said to her phone with a radiant smile, "Senior, I received the roses. They’re beautiful, I love them. Thank you, Senior."

Jiang Yao poked Ji Qingran and suggested, "You should send Lu Tingyuan a message to thank him, too. Otherwise, you’ll be outdone by the little girl."

Ji Qingran told her to stop teasing, but after they finished discussing work, she sent a message to Lu Tingyuan anyway.

"Thank you for the flowers."

His reply came quickly.

"When did I send you flowers?"