After Mistakenly Marking My Ex’s Older Sister, the Disabled Alpha Stood Up - Chapter 28.2

A director frowned. “Even so, why were such large sums never discussed at the board level beforehand?”

Qingruo met his gaze. “The reports were filed with finance afterward. The delay lies in procedure, not intent.”

Jin Hua snapped, “Even if it’s charity, bypassing the board is a blatant violation of company policy!”

Qingruo gave a cool smile. “Chairman Jin, extraordinary times call for decisive leadership. President Jin acted with responsibility and foresight. Thanks to these projects, the company’s reputation has soared, new partnerships have been secured, and our long-term growth is stronger than ever. Can you not see that?”

“Beautifully said,” Yunxi applauded lightly.

At her signal, assistant Jin Fan projected a chain of new evidence onto the screen.

She had been ready for this moment all along, waiting for Jin Hua to make his move.

The internal audit revealed the accounts had been deliberately tampered with—traces all pointing back to Jin Hua.

The board murmured, expressions shifting as suspicion turned toward him.

Jin Hua’s face went pale. He tried to blame his personal assistant, but the evidence was overwhelming. His authority collapsed in an instant, his aide was taken by the police, and his grip on the company was broken.

The war had been fought without smoke or blood, but Yunxi emerged victorious—her title officially shedding the word “acting.”

Yan Qingruo’s eyes shone as she looked at Yunxi. This time, Yunxi did not avoid her gaze. She met it, a faint smile on her lips.

Soon after, Su Yuening, having accepted Yunxi’s offer, formally joined the company as a professional manager.

When the storm finally settled, Jin Yunhan approached Yunxi, head bowed, stammering:

“Jie, I… I was deceived by Father too. I didn’t know he would…”

Jin Yunxi looked at her younger sister, her voice icy.

“Even though I despise you and your mother, I’ve never treated you unfairly in the company. But now… I can’t believe a single word you say anymore.”

Those key financial reports—she had deliberately handed them over to Jin Yunhan. And her sister’s performance had left her thoroughly disappointed.

Jin Yunhan’s eyes reddened instantly. She still wanted to explain, but Jin Yunxi had already turned her wheelchair away, presenting only her back.

Biting down in frustration, Jin Yunhan’s gaze darkened as it swept past Yan Qingruo, standing nearby. In her eyes, if it hadn’t been for this woman interfering, she might have already gotten her way.

________________________________________

Night fell, and the city lights began to glow.

Jin Yunxi invited Su Yuening out for dinner. Hearing about the storm at the board meeting—and Yan Qingruo’s brilliant performance—Su Yuening clapped in delight.

“This kind of wit, this kind of boldness… truly admirable! Yunxi, you’re really blessed!”

She praised Yan Qingruo endlessly.

Jin Yunxi only responded with a faint smile, but Su Yuening had already opened the floodgates, showering Yan Qingruo with compliments, her whole face lit with excitement.

Jin Yunxi: …

Finally, she interjected: “Su Yuening, Yan Qingruo is married.”

Su Yuening stared at her in disbelief. “Oh heavens, don’t tell me you’re jealous.” She even covered her mouth dramatically. “Well, well—has the sun decided to rise from the west today?”

Perhaps because she was in good spirits, Jin Yunxi had drunk a little that evening. A faint flush colored her cheeks.

At that moment, a graceful figure appeared at the restaurant entrance.

In a slanted-shoulder crimson dress that outlined every curve, Yan Qingruo approached with a warm smile. She had come to pick up Jin Yunxi.

Su Yuening’s playful demeanor vanished instantly, her expression turning proper and composed. She wanted to step forward and praise Yan Qingruo in person, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught Jin Yunxi’s sharp, warning gaze. The words died on her tongue, and she obediently stayed put, greeting with the poise of a disciplined professional.

With her position as acting president finally made official, Jin Yunxi felt the heavy stone in her heart drop away. Yet what pleased her even more was a realization about Yan Qingruo.

All her life, she had classified people by their usefulness and their strength.

But Yan Qingruo wasn’t just a friend—she was her contractual wife.

Jin Yunxi admired the strong, and Yan Qingruo, without doubt, belonged in that category.

Yet strength often comes with loneliness. Stand too long alone at the peak, and even glory turns cold. But Yan Qingruo… she had the potential to stand beside her at that summit, to share the view.

Having lingered too long in the mountains, Jin Yunxi had almost forgotten the warmth of earthly firelight.

Yan Qingruo brought her a little of that warmth—like a soft beam of light.

Now, that “soft light” was quietly driving the car.

Jin Yunxi found herself staring at the woman’s profile, until a sudden headache blurred her vision. Half-dazed, she began counting the streetlights, watching as they retreated one by one, followed by the billboards.

“One hundred and thirty-two billboards in total,” she murmured. “Fifty business ads, thirty-three political, forty-five agency.”

She recited the numbers and content fluently. Yan Qingruo pulled over, astonished by her memory.

The Alpha’s voice, drowsy from drink, carried a languid undertone. “When I can’t sleep, I recite things I’ve seen—like counting sheep. After drinking, when my head’s in chaos, I do the same to distract myself.”

Otherwise, the pain only worsened.

She possessed extraordinary intelligence, a photographic memory, and a mental “memory palace” that gave her peerless analytical abilities.

But after dissecting countless figures and facts, she realized she still didn’t truly understand Yan Qingruo. Until now, she had lingered only on the surface—the stunning beauty, the coldness before amnesia, the warmth after.

After everything that had happened—especially today—her feelings toward Yan Qingruo had shifted.

Why was she sitting so far away?

Murmuring, Jin Yunxi called, “Yan Qingruo… sit closer.”

Yan Qingruo gave her a helpless, indulgent look, brushing her nose playfully. “It’s clearly you who’s been keeping your distance, Ah Yun.”

Since she’d chosen to keep away, Yan Qingruo decided to keep away tonight too.

If Jin Yunxi refused to “hold her” when given the chance, then she wouldn’t let her “hold” her tonight either—unless she praised her.

So she stated her demand outright.

Half-drifting, Jin Yunxi leaned toward her, mumbling soft, drunken words. “Yan Qingruo, you’re… very good.”

That hardly counted as praise.

“How am I good?” Yan Qingruo pressed. “If you don’t say it, I won’t let you hold me.” She tapped lightly on Jin Yunxi’s forehead, mock-pouting. “And you’re still calling me by my full name.”

Obedient for once, Jin Yunxi leaned closer and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, eyes shimmering. “My clever Ruoruo.”

Then another kiss on her nose. “My wise Ruoruo.”

And finally, her lips brushed against hers, gently lingering. “My gentle Ruoruo.”

Each word was like a feather teasing her heart, and Yan Qingruo’s smile curved higher, luminous and tender.

“Mmm? That’s all?”

Half-lidded eyes, breath uneven, Jin Yunxi looked as if she was drifting off to sleep.

Feigning disappointment, Yan Qingruo pulled away, making to leave.

But as her scent receded, Jin Yunxi immediately reached out, cupping the back of her neck with a firm, possessive grip. “Clever, wise, gentle Ruoruo… I love them all.”

“Then which one do you love most?” Yan Qingruo whispered by her ear.

“I need to think… really think…” Jin Yunxi frowned, as though truly struggling with the question. Her cold mask stripped away, she looked adorably troubled.

Yan Qingruo found her irresistible, brushing her cheek softly with her fingers. “Tell me, Ah Yun—which Ruoruo do you love best?”

Drunk and slurring, Jin Yunxi finally blurted: “The… seductive Ruoruo. Love that one the most.”

So she had noticed all her teasing and coaxing after all. Heat flooded Yan Qingruo’s chest, her heart melting into liquid. Her fingers trembled as she tried to pull away—

Only for them to be caught and bitten. Jin Yunxi’s tongue brushed over the tip, murmuring, “Don’t go,” refusing to let go.

Yan Qingruo flushed crimson, her cheeks glowing like rain-soaked sunset clouds, trembling with warmth.

For a moment, she thought about abandoning her idea of “jumping into the Rhine River” and decided instead she’d ask Lu Ge to fetch her resources pack back. She wanted to explore more sides of Jin Yunxi—to push her until she revealed even her adorable side.

But that night, she stopped finding her “adorable.”

Especially after, while messaging Lu Ge: “Mm, Xiao Ge, I can’t have dinner with you tonight—I need to take care of Ah Yun.”

Those two words—Xiao Ge—seemed to strike some long-buried nerve in the Alpha.

Before Yan Qingruo could even head for the bath, the drunk Jin Yunxi had pulled her down onto her lap, refusing to let her leave.

The secretary-general with the flawless memory removed her glasses and repeated word for word what she had read earlier:

“Sigh, my poor bestie. Her partner’s already gone soft just one year into marriage. As inexperienced as a newborn puppy. So lame, really—not impressive at all.”

Yan Qingruo whimpered, twisting to explain, but Jin Yunxi’s arms held her fast. The cool air brushed her bare skin as fabric fell away.

Jin Yunxi’s hands pressed against soft curves, pushing them together with deliberate slowness.

Her nose brushed over the reddening peaks before her, lips closing around them.

“Am I clumsy?” Jin Yunxi asked.

Her touch turned white to pink, trembling beneath her mouth.

“Ah… Ah Yun, no… you’re not.” Experienced to the point of terrifying—so she’d only been pretending before? Her body felt swollen with heat, aching here, empty there—

Fifteen minutes later, Jin Yunxi finally lifted her head, satisfied, slipping Yan Qingruo’s bra back into place and settling her glasses gently on her face.

Yet her lips curved in mocking echo of Lu Ge’s post, her drunken voice hazy but sharp with pride: “No… I’m really not impressive at all.”

She licked her lips slowly, adding with dangerous softness, “Not impressive… like a helpless little puppy, still waiting to be fed.”

Yan Qingruo hid her face with a muffled cry, then threw her arms around Jin Yunxi’s neck, sealing her lips to the Alpha’s shamelessly talkative mouth with a desperate, lingering kiss.