Chapter 47: He Often Comes Here

Placing her bag on her lap, Jian Qing had barely moved a few steps in her wheelchair before she saw Li Jingche standing by a nearby pillar, staring intently at her.

Her smile faded a little. While observing the expression on the man's face, Jian Qing asked, "You’re here. Come with me to buy a dress."

Li Jingche didn’t speak; he simply nodded and walked behind her, pushing the wheelchair.

The atmosphere instantly became oppressive. Although Jian Qing didn’t know Number 33 very well, she could sense that a storm was brewing in the man’s heart.

She tilted her head back to look at him. "What’s wrong? Did someone upset you?"

Lowering his gaze, Li Jingche glanced at her. After a few steps, he finally answered in a low, deep voice, "You could say that."

Jian Qing’s smile softened, and she seemed to guess what he meant. "The man who left the shop with me just now was Du Yu from the Yuansen Group. He’ll be attending the Li family’s birthday banquet in two days, and we struck a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Li Jingche’s tone was flat, giving nothing away, which was just as it should be for someone like him.

"I have an invitation to the birthday banquet. If I go, Ren Yishan and her circle will surely be there too. Ren Yishan will have Xiao Yuncheng by her side. If I show up without a date or with someone less impressive, I’ll be the target of their ridicule. It’s just mutually beneficial cooperation. Du Yu happened to be without a date, so we agreed to partner up."

Jian Qing spoke openly, but Li Jingche had a more pressing question on his mind—

How did she and Du Yu get to know each other?

But he couldn’t ask her directly.

"This is the place," Jian Qing said when they reached the entrance of a boutique. She had Li Jingche stop the wheelchair, then turned to study his less-than-pleasant expression. "I met Du Yu at a jewelry exhibition. He bought a diamond necklace from one of my juniors."

As if she could read his mind, she answered his unspoken question completely.

Immediately, a glimmer of light appeared in the man’s somber eyes, and he finally seemed willing to believe her explanation. "You’re not dating him?"

"Aren’t you the one I’m dating?"

"Will you two end up turning this act into reality?"

Jian Qing couldn't help but laugh at his serious second question, surprised that Number 33 could be so childish.

"Let’s pick out some clothes first," she said.

Jian Qing was ushered in by the staff, but Li Jingche’s mood didn’t improve—

What he cared about most was still her comment that it was “just for fun.”

Jian Qing shopped with clear purpose, selecting dresses as Li Jingche sat on the sofa, his eyes following her silhouette. Then his phone rang. He glanced at the screen—

A message from Du Yu.

"Jingche, dinner tonight? Some building materials companies want to meet you."

Dinners in the business world were always traps disguised as banquets.

Li Jingche hadn’t planned to go, but his gaze fell on the new bag Jian Qing had just bought. He changed his mind.

"Where?"

If Du Yu wanted to wade into these muddy waters between him and Jian Qing, then he would make sure Du Yu understood which matters he could help with, and which he could not.

Jian Qing had picked out two dresses to try on when Shen Yueli called.

"Senior, Miss Shuang’s jewelry is finished."

"Come over to Jingjiang City when you can. I’ll have a look, then contact Miss Shuang to deliver it as soon as possible."

"Alright."

When the call ended, Jian Qing hurried out of the fitting room. "Please wrap up both dresses for me."

"What’s wrong?" Li Jingche stood up from the sofa, and several attendants gathered to straighten his slightly rumpled suit.

"I have some urgent work to handle. You should go home first."

"I’ll go with you."

"No need. Wait for me tonight at Jiaohai Bay."

The first half of her sentence made Li Jingche bristle, but the second half softened him again.

A slap followed by a sweet—Jian Qing had mastered the art.

With a sigh, Li Jingche found himself completely disarmed. "Contact me if you need anything. I’ll leave now."

"Alright."

He strode out, while Jian Qing sat in the shop. As the staff wrapped her dresses, a few gathered around, chatting eagerly.

"Miss Jian, your boyfriend is so handsome!"

"Yes, I’ve seen him around Jingjiang City before. He’s clearly not an ordinary man."

Li Jingche was, in fact, the boss of Jingjiang Group, and it was common for him to be in this area, though none of them knew his true identity.

"He comes here often?"

That caught Jian Qing’s attention.

"Yes," one attendant replied, then seemed to realize she might have said too much. She quickly added, "But he’s never shopped in our store. Maybe he’s just passing through."

What’s there to stroll around for in Jingjiang City? It’s all luxury shops; if you’re not shopping, why come at all?

Jian Qing made a mental note of this, but she didn’t want to pry too much into Number 33’s private life. After all, they weren’t planning to marry—at most, they were just bedfellows.

Even if Number 33 was secretly dating someone else, she could accept it. They were bound to part ways sooner or later.

"If he ever brings another woman here, send me a message."

Jian Qing left her phone number. The attendants, sensing they might have crossed a line, nodded with awkward smiles.

Before long, Shen Yueli arrived. Jian Qing inspected the jewelry, ensuring the craftsmanship met her standards, then contacted Li Shuang.

At that time, Li Shuang had just disembarked from a fishing boat. After days of drifting and angling at sea, she was in high spirits. When she received a call from "Fu Zhuo," her voice carried the sea breeze.

"What? The design’s ready? Great, let’s meet at Nanxing Hotel tonight. I’ll reserve a private room and pick up the goods."

Jian Qing had dined at Nanxing Hotel a few times before. The food wasn’t quite up to Haiyu Hotel’s standards, but it was still an upscale place, especially the rooftop garden with its exceptional atmosphere.

She and Shen Yueli arrived together, settled in, but Li Shuang had yet to appear.

"Xiaoyue, are you interested in participating in the international jewelry exhibition? Xiaoyue?" Jian Qing tried to converse, but Shen Yueli was absorbed with her phone.

Jian Qing snatched the phone away, prompting Shen Yueli to hurriedly reclaim it. "What’s up, Senior?"

Jian Qing poked her nose, pouting. "Chatting with your boyfriend? You’re so into it."

Shen Yueli surrendered with a wry grin—She was actually reporting Jian Qing’s whereabouts to the boss!

But she just smiled and brushed it off. "Senior, why didn’t you invite your handsome friend tonight?"

Jian Qing shook her head. "He’s someone I see at night in bed, not someone for daytime outings."

As they were talking, the door to the private room opened. Li Shuang entered, sunglasses on and brimming with laughter. "Sorry, I’m late, ladies. I chose this place to avoid running into acquaintances—otherwise, wouldn’t that be awkward? Go ahead and order; let me take a look at the diamonds."

———

"Why did you pick this place? I thought with Young Master Du, we’d get a meal at Haiyu Hotel for a change!"

"To avoid meeting acquaintances. That’s why we’re here."

Meanwhile, just a wall away, the large private room next door was filling up. Apart from the seat of honor, every chair was taken.

Du Yu sat next to the head seat, cracking a joke as his gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Xiao Nan, the decision-maker of the Xiao Group and father of Xiao Yuncheng.