Chapter 37: That Young Master

“What are you doing!”
Jian Qing abruptly propped herself up, surprised to discover for the first time just how well she could do a sit-up.
Li Jingche reached into his pocket.
Jian Qing’s heart leapt:
“My leg isn’t healed yet—I can’t do anything strenuous.”
“I know.”
Li Jingche’s voice was ambiguous and lingering, and in the dim, shadowy light, it took on an even more indecipherable hue.
Then, he pulled out a small box from his pocket.
Jian Qing was stunned—
A jewelry box.
She had no experience with marriage proposals, but she knew well enough that there was no way this contained a stuffed pancake.
“Wait!”
Before Li Jingche could even open the box, Jian Qing pressed her hand down on the lid.
Startled, he looked up, puzzled.
“If it’s a ring… then forget it.”
“Why?”
She felt the hand beneath her palm tense. Jian Qing averted her eyes, her gaze darting about:
“I told you before—I hope our relationship stays a little purer. Things like rings, proposals… there’s really no need.”
“What if I just want to give it to you as a gift?”
Li Jingche’s words were earnest and clear, his eyes carrying a timely innocence.
But isn’t that just how feelings work? They begin with gifts, step by step progressing closer. Two people who started out just sharing a bed slowly invade each other’s mind and heart, until both emotions and bodies melt together—
Whether sweet or savory, it all ends up crumbled like tofu pudding.
Perhaps this is what it means to meet the right person at the wrong time.
Jian Qing didn’t want to complicate things.
She withdrew her hand, quietly watching Li Jingche.
His dark lashes quivered, and he slipped the box back into his pocket—
The ring he’d bought from Hao Qing; who knew when he’d finally be able to give it away.
“Then let me help you bathe.”

Li Jingche changed the subject swiftly, as if nothing at all had just happened.
Jian Qing awkwardly turned her head:
“We’ll wait till the maid comes tomorrow. It’s not convenient for me to get wet.”
“I’m not water.”
“…”
Jian Qing had to admit, when he started teasing like this, it was hard to parry.
She patted the pillow beside her and crooked her finger:
“I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”
Li Jingche slid an arm around her, carefully studying her lovely profile.
But the moment she closed her eyes, her phone rang.
The caller was Yan Jin.
Li Jingche helped Jian Qing up so she could lean against the headboard. She’d barely answered when an anxious voice shot through:
“What’s going on, Qingqing? My junior told me you got hit by a car, your leg’s ruined—what happened?”
Shen Yue Li always had a knack for exaggeration, and in the ears of someone as easily flustered as Yan Jin, the story was bound to become a full-blown drama.
Yan Jin’s worried tirade went on for a good five or six minutes before she finally paused for breath, and Jian Qing could get a word in:
“It’s nothing, I’m already out of the hospital. I told Xiao Yue not to tell you—how did she still let it slip?”
“She brought me some jewelry today. I asked why you didn’t come, and she hemmed and hawed so much that it was obvious something was up.”
Yan Jin sighed:
“Qingqing, you’re in this state and you still didn’t tell me? I’m your best friend. If I only found out tomorrow, I’d probably burst into tears at the opening ceremony!”
The Yan family had gained some renown in the construction world, and Ren Tianchuan had also invited them.
Jian Qing didn’t want the conversation to revolve around her—there was no need to make others worry.
“How’s the preparation for the young master’s birthday banquet? Is that one piece of jewelry enough?”
Hearing the words “Li family” from Jian Qing’s lips, Li Jingche’s ears perked up. The news he’d been scrolling on his phone came to a halt.
Yan Jin sighed again:
“Don’t remind me. I only commissioned you because I heard the Li family’s second young lady loves jewelry, but the ring I picked up today is already missing.
“Your junior gave it to me, I asked Yan Ni to put it away for me since I was heading out and offered to drop the junior off at home. But when I got back, Yan Ni said she’d left it on my desk, and there was nothing there.”
“It’s lost?”
Freshly-made jewelry, gone just like that?
Jian Qing honestly didn’t care whether Yan Jin paid the design fee—she’d only been helping a friend.

But still, things couldn’t just disappear, could they?
Over the receiver, Jian Qing heard the sound of Yan Jin lighting a cigarette.
“Losing a piece of jewelry isn’t the scary part. The scary part is I have no idea how to curry favor with that second young lady now. I can’t very well sell myself to her brother, can I? Not that I’m his type anyway. But our family really needs that commercial street project…”
All Jian Qing could do was fret on her end, offering a few words of comfort. When she heard Yan Jin was going to look for the jewelry, she didn’t dare distract her further, and they hung up in a hurry.
Once her phone screen went dark, Jian Qing sat quietly, deep in thought.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Jingche tucked the blanket around her.
“Nothing. A friend’s business—she needs help from a certain young master, but it’s not easy.”
The project to renovate the old commercial district downtown was the very one Li Jingche had proposed to the government, guaranteeing a thousand jobs. He knew exactly how lucrative it was.
Without revealing anything, Li Jingche put his phone away and pulled Jian Qing into his arms.
“So, what do you plan to do?”
“I don’t know. That young master is on a whole other level—who knows what kind of fairy he likes?”
Li Jingche arched an eyebrow.
“What’s your friend’s company called?”
“Yan Construction. Have you heard of it?”
Li Jingche didn’t answer—he simply shook his head and added,
“They’re all in infrastructure? I thought you’d help Xiao Yuncheng.”
In this matter, Yan Jin and Xiao Yuncheng were indeed rivals.
Though Yan Jin, as a daughter, had already become the acting CEO of Yan Construction, Xiao Yuncheng hadn’t yet fully taken over his family business. Still, by marrying into the Jian family, he’d gradually earned Old Master Xiao’s approval with their support.
“Men come and go, but I only have two truly loyal friends—Yan Jin and Xiao Yue.”
Unaware of the change in Li Jingche’s expression, Jian Qing went on,
“Two friends are enough—otherwise it takes too long to edit photos.”
Li Jingche let out a faint laugh. He should’ve expected nothing but mischief from her mouth.
“Go to sleep, I’m tired.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her neck. Watching her blush and bury her face in the blankets, he sent a message to Qin Jin:
“Prepare Yan Construction’s file—I want to see it tomorrow.”