A Time-Limited Romance with Movie Queen Ex - Chapter 38.2

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Work started at nine the next day, but they slept in until eight, scrambling to get ready.

Rubbing her eyes, Luo Mijin was half-awake when Rong Qingyao roused her. The woman was already impeccably dressed a silk white blouse, tailored trousers, and a black tie, part of the school’s uniform meant to project a polished image.

“For you,” Rong Qingyao suddenly pulled out a sapphire-blue blanket from her bag.

Still groggy, Luo Mijin blinked. “A blanket?”

“A blanket with sleeves.”

“But it’s summer.”

“You’ll need it in winter. And the office air conditioning might be too cold.”

“Oh, okay.” Luo Mijin hugged the blanket, a small smile curling her lips as she inhaled its clean scent reminiscent of Rong Qingyao herself.

“I borrowed the dorm supervisor’s hanging iron to press your clothes,” Rong Qingyao said, placing the neatly folded outfit by Luo Mijin’s bedside. “Hurry and get dressed, then come eat breakfast.”

Truthfully, Luo Mijin’s clothes were already tidy, but Rong Qingyao couldn’t stand even the slightest wrinkle.

“Senior, you don’t have to do all this for me,” Luo Mijin impulsively grabbed Rong Qingyao’s hand, her gaze soft and earnest.

“It’s no trouble. Now get up.”

“Okay.”

After washing up, Luo Mijin sat at the table and downed a glass of milk. Just like the night before, she was about to pick out the cherry tomatoes from her vegetable soup when she realized they were already gone.

Rong Qingyao ate quietly, glancing casually at the soup. “It’s from the company cafeteria. The taste is passable, do you like it?”

“It’s fine. Thank you for removing the tomatoes.”

Rong Qingyao lowered her head, her jade-white cheeks warming slightly. “Alright, finish up. We have work soon.”

For a fleeting moment, she felt as though she and Luo Mijin had been together for a long time sharing breakfast, commuting together, a love that stretched into the foreseeable future. It didn’t seem so illusory or terrifying after all.

It was Friday, and most people were sluggish from the dry climate, dragging themselves onto the company shuttle bus to familiarize themselves with the workplace.

Having boarded early, Luo Mijin deliberately sat with Rong Qingyao in the second-to-last row. As the rest of the passengers dozed off, their hands briefly intertwined j ust for a second before quickly letting go.

After getting off the car, a dedicated staff member greeted the group of students. After a brief tour of the company’s maple-filled campus, they were led to visit the massive data center.

A specialist gave them an overview of the company’s current main business projects, including some departmental responsibilities.

Later, everyone gathered in a circle as several mid-to-high-level managers joined them. They spontaneously asked the students to introduce themselves and share their aspirations, making it easier for HR to assign them to suitable departments later.

No one had expected an impromptu introduction. The group fell silent for a moment, gathering their thoughts, before someone eagerly stepped forward to speak.

This company was among the top 500 in the industry, with branches in several cities abroad. The founder had transformed it from a highly valued unicorn startup into today’s diversified conglomerate.

Securing a job here would be the best possible outcome for most of them.

Thus, the others all eagerly showcased themselves, one after another, giving it their all.

Rong Qingyao sat composedly to the side, exuding calm. For some reason, one of the executives singled her out and asked her to introduce herself.

Compared to the others, the woman’s speech carried a natural composure in both pace and tone, making her words effortlessly convincing.

The school’s tailored uniform suited her perfectly the white blouse accentuating her slender, flawless figure, her high ponytail lending her a gentle and approachable air, yet without diminishing her commanding presence.

For instance, when making a point, she would deliberately pause and cite historical examples, bringing dry professional knowledge to life with vivid detail.

As she prepared to conclude, the executive who had called on her immediately applauded and extended an olive branch, saying with utmost sincerity:

“Your logical thinking and organizational skills are impressive. Have you considered joining our company after graduation? My department frequently collaborates with top-tier securities companies you could gain deeper expertise in this field.”

“Thank you for the invitation,” Rong Qingyao replied with impeccable politeness. “If the opportunity arises, I’ll certainly consider it.”

Anyone else might have been overwhelmed, hastily exchanging contact details with the executive, afraid to let such a golden chance slip away.

But Luo Mijin knew Rong Qingyao’s ambitions reached far beyond this. She was determined to claim the very best, and she always would.

Thus, she would gracefully decline even this excellent job offer, one that could be considered a guaranteed future.

Rong Qingyao had always been the type to refuse mediocrity. Not because she was picky or unsatisfied, but because she pursued only what she truly desired and always attained it, never compromising for any reason.

This was her life’s creed.

The applicants in this batch were all top students in their department, many of whom had been assisting professors with projects since their freshman or sophomore years. Inspired by Rong Qingyao’s on-the-spot invitation, they grew even more eager to seize their own chance to stay.

Luo Mijin sat in the farthest corner, with no intention of stepping forward to introduce herself. Bored, she had already started counting the leaves on the maple trees outside the window.

Unwilling to speak in front of so many people, Luo Mijin didn’t reappear during the afternoon tea break. Instead, she wandered aimlessly downstairs, a fisherman’s hat pulled low over her head.

When she returned two hours later, she spotted Rong Qingyao from a distance engaged in effective networking with several senior executives. They had exchanged contact information for future communication and information sharing.

So, she went to get some refreshments and took a bite, choosing not to interrupt them.

“Mijin, I watched your Go match last month. You were so composed,” said a classmate who had come to get some tea and snacks, the same girl who had invited Luo Mijin to share a room yesterday.

“Ah, was I?” Luo Mijin thought back to that match. She had faced another seventh-dan player, someone she had encountered many times before in competitions, so it had felt routine.

“Yeah, even under those harsh lighting and camera angles, your face held up. You…” The girl paused, then changed the subject. “If I wanted to learn Go now, do you think it’s too late?”

“If you want to learn, then learn. There’s no such thing as too late.”

The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Luo Mijin. “Then could you teach me the basics? I tried watching online tutorials, but they’re so hard to follow.”

“Hmm, let me think about it.”

Absorbed in selecting suitable beginner-level Go manuals, Luo Mijin didn’t notice Rong Qingyao’s gaze lingering on her.

Before the girl could ask for Luo Mijin’s contact information, Rong Qingyao surrounded by admirers, stepped away from the crowd and approached Luo Mijin, gently separating the two. Her usually gentle and aloof expression was faintly shadowed with displeasure.

“What are you talking about so intently?”

Luo Mijin had been writing down the titles of a few Go manuals for her classmate and was startled by Rong Qingyao’s sudden appearance. She instinctively looked up, catching a trace of irritation beneath the woman’s languid smile.

“Senior Qingyao, I was just writing down some Go manuals for her. She’s interested in learning,” Luo Mijin replied obediently, leaving nothing out.

Rong Qingyao waited quietly as Luo Mijin handed the note to the girl. After struggling for a moment to restrain herself, she finally gave up and made up an excuse to whisk Luo Mijin away.

After the short break, it was back to HR and various department colleagues giving their presentations.

Luo Mijin sat in her usual spot, propping her chin on her hand, bored to the point of dozing off. To stay awake, she tapped the desk soundlessly with her fingers, imagining herself holding drumsticks, with the wind and music playing in her ears.

No matter how hard she tried, she truly didn’t enjoy studying finance.

Often, she wondered, if she had been born healthy, would she have been free to choose everything she loved?

But her grandfather would surely say she didn’t know how good she had it.

And maybe he was right. She had lived in privilege since birth, never wanting for anything, never enduring a single day of hardship.

To complain now would be ungrateful whining.

Calmly, she turned her gaze to the rain outside the window, watching a bird perched briefly on a branch before soaring rapidly into the sky. If she stared long enough, perhaps her soul, too, could break free.

[Number Two Ranked Nine-tailed Fox: Pack up your desk. We’re leaving.]

Surprised to receive a message from Rong Qingyao, Luo Mijin quickly typed back.

[Number One Ranked Electronic Sheep: Where to?]

[Number Two Ranked Nine-tailed Fox: Do you want to come with me or not?]

Without sending any more random questions, Luo Mijin grabbed her bag, slipped silently to the back door, sidled out, carefully closed it behind her, and then dashed down the stairs.

It was nearly the end of the workday, and everyone was lazily winding down, so Luo Mijin ran without hesitation.

She saw Rong Qingyao standing under the eaves in the rain, the road flooded with rushing water. The woman looked as graceful and light-footed as a white deer wading through a stream, her long hair lifting and falling in the wind, her dark eyes shimmering with a captivating glow.

“Senior, where are we going?”

“Don’t ask. Just come with me.”

Happiness struck Luo Mijin. She pressed her lips together in a delighted smile. The rain poured heavily, filling her vision with steam that shimmered with warmth. Following Rong Qingyao back to the dorm, she grabbed her suitcase, and together they squeezed onto the crowded subway.

She let the woman lead her far away.

Here, no one paid them any attention, meaning they could hold hands without restraint or do whatever else they desired.

“What flavor do you like?”

At the convenience store, faced with the colorful array of instant noodle packages, Luo Mijin’s indecisiveness kicked in. After agonizing for a long time, she settled on the same sour beef flavor as Rong Qingyao.

The woman also bought chocolate cookies, beef jerky, and all sorts of things to keep warm.

Luo Mijin watched as Rong Qingyao rented a small car and loaded their suitcases into the trunk.

Nightfall was the city’s most chaotic and liberated hour. Cars flowed like water through the streets and alleys, but theirs moved against the current, driving steadily north.

Luo Mijin unfolded the map she’d brought and studied it carefully. Once she recognized their direction, her heart began to pound wildly.

“Senior, are we going all the way north?”

“Mhm. Buckle up, it’s going to be a long drive,” said the woman behind the wheel, her beauty striking and her demeanor effortlessly cool. She tossed Luo Mijin a protein bar with a casual flick of her wrist. “If I get tired, you’ll have to take over.”

“But I’ve never driven before,” Luo Mijin froze. “I just have a license.”

“Then this’ll be your first time.”

“Ah, isn’t that dangerous?”

“What, Luo Mijin are you afraid to die?” The woman turned to look at her, her long hair whipping in the wind, her tone teasing and utterly unreasonable.

Yet at this moment, she was so breathtakingly radiant, even audacious. The cool yet fierce aura around her was utterly captivating, the kind that made you feel anyone would fall hopelessly in love with her.

“Here, take the map and navigate for me,” Rong Qingyao winked at Luo Mijin. “You know I’ve got no sense of direction.”

That night, on the empty highway, they drove at the speed limit, crossing time zones and latitudes like carefree skylarks.

Luo Mijin had never ridden in such a tiny car so small it was hard to even stretch her legs. But what did that matter?

Someone was taking a caged bird to see the distant light. Whether it was in a luxury car or a clunker, what difference did it make?

The important thing was that someone wanted to run away with her.

They drove for a full day and night before reaching the snowy region where the Aurora could be seen. Under a sky ablaze with stars, Rong Qingyao pulled the handbrake and sighed in relief. “We made it.”

“Senior, did you bring me here just to—”

The woman pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. “Just look.”

They stepped out of the battered little car into the biting, bone-chilling wind. The altitude was high here, the temperature terrifyingly low.

But beneath the arch of the Milky Way, everything seemed small. The vast, boundless horizon shimmered with dazzling brilliance.

Rong Qingyao turned to Luo Mijin, who was gazing up at the starry sky with childlike wonder, her pretty, innocent face bathed in starlight.

It was as if the entire universe was sparkling just for them. The Milky Way stretched across the heavens, slowly turning, carrying her and Luo Mijin along in a romantic swirl through the ocean of stars.

“Luo Mijin.”

“Senior.”

Rong Qingyao smiled. She just suddenly wanted to tell Luo Mijin that if she couldn’t stand at the highest place, she’d rather have never seen such a view at all.

The same went for Luo Mijin.

If she wanted something, she would take all of it.

Even if this world was lonely in the dark and scorching in the light, even if she didn’t know whether free will was an illusion, right now, the illusion was more necessary than reality.

The silent snow reflected the most vivid vitality, yet it also brought an increasingly biting chill.

“Senior, if we die tonight, will you regret it?”

Having just survived a life-or-death ordeal and now gazing at such a beautiful night sky, only to face the possibility of freezing to death, Luo Mijin suddenly asked.

“Regret what?”

“Regret not doing so many things, regret not having the chance to fulfill your ideals and ambitions.”

“Be more specific. Like what?”

Luo Mijin thought of how Rong Qingyao had been radiant and outstanding at the company today. “I don’t know, but you have dreams and ambitions… Will you regret it?”

Without warning, Rong Qingyao grabbed Luo Mijin by the collar, pulling her into an embrace their lips met, tongues entwined, a kiss so deep it felt like a fight to the death.

They were like meteors, colliding in the lonely sky, destined to burn together.

When the kiss ended, the woman’s slender fingers pressed against Luo Mijin’s bruised lips, her expression more serious and solemn than ever before.

She gently held Luo Mijin, her dark eyes unwavering, like a pure offering.

“Luo Mijin, do you see that star?”

“Mhm.”

“First move, I place my piece here.”

“Then I’ll place mine here.” Luo Mijin, suddenly invigorated, ignored the cold and began playing against Rong Qingyao.

The Milky Way seemed to have been captured in a crystal ball, transformed into a board of black and white, until the wind wrapped around them.

“Senior, you lost again,” Luo Mijin counted the pieces, surprised to find Rong Qingyao had improved a lot.

“Who told you not to teach me?”

“Senior, actually, you should’ve placed your piece here.” Luo Mijin began earnestly reviewing the game with her.

“Luo Mijin, do you remember a saying about chess?”

“‘Spectators don’t speak’?”

“No.”

Luo Mijin exhaled white mist, frost clinging to her brows.

“‘No regrets after the move,’” Rong Qingyao’s face was pale from the cold, but she looked at Luo Mijin with unwavering seriousness.

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