After Moving in With the Aloof, Conservative Beauty - Chapter 10

Gu Lingyi wiped away the condensation on the bathroom mirror.

A fresh lotus emerging from the water…her cheeks flushed a soft peach blossom pink. Droplets of water tumbled from her temples down into the loose, damp, light-brown waves of hair cascading over her chest.

Her fingertips pressed lightly against her collarbone, tracing downward in a gesture as soft and weightless as a feather.

That very spot was where a high, smooth forehead had rested just moments before.

Rich, intoxicating, yet restrained. Every corner of Jiang Yanqing’s home seemed to linger with her distinct scent.

The pulse beneath Lingyi’s fingertips throbbed with growing intensity. Taking a deep breath, she forced down the sudden flutter of desire in her heart and slowly exhaled. The glass she had just wiped clear clouded over once again with a thin layer of mist.

Jiang Yanqing had plenty of full-length mirrors in her apartment, but the bathroom mysteriously only had a half-body mirror. It only caught from the chest up…which, given Jiang Yanqing’s height, meant it only caught from the collarbone up.

Lingyi’s knuckles lightly tapped against the vanity counter. The marble was cool to the touch, but she didn’t feel the slightest chill. Instead, her brows knit into a tight knot, lost in thought.

The assistant had brought over a clean bathrobe and tomorrow’s change of clothes. Wearing the robe, Lingyi stepped out of the study without looking left or right.

On the coffee table sat a glass of milk. She picked it up and took slow, gentle sips.

The temperature was just right…rich, creamy, without a hint of gaminess, leaving a sweet aftertaste. There was even a subtle note of jasmine, likely brewed with fresh flowers. Drinking it felt like stepping into an open meadow, instantly clearing her mind.

This was milk delivered straight from the farm, pasteurized within six hours of leaving the cow and rushed directly to the consumer…as fresh as it gets.

Though Jiang Yanqing lived modestly, she certainly didn’t mistreat herself when it came to food and drink.

Left alone in the living room, Lingyi curled up quietly on the sofa.

The blanket she had accidentally brushed the wrong way earlier was now smoothed back down…neat, clean, and carrying a faint, pleasant scent. Just like the freshly laundered duvet, it was wrapped in a cool, crisp pine cedar fragrance.

In an apartment under a thousand square feet, both the atmosphere and the touch carried the same cold, chaste, and desireless aura that Jiang Yanqing herself projected…like being tucked away deep in a snow-capped mountain.

Lingyi had assumed that losing her familiar scent at home would keep her tossing and turning until dawn. To her surprise, the moment she closed her eyes, she didn’t wake until the next morning.

The antique wall clock ticked away, its hands moving at a leisurely pace.

Lingyi felt thoroughly relaxed, her body soft and lazy. Watching the short hand point to the nine, she nestled into the sofa, utterly reluctant to budge. The quality of her sleep last night had actually surpassed how she slept in her own bed.

Maybe I could just pay Jiang Yanqing rent and stay here for good?

No ulterior motives, of course…purely for better sleep, which obviously leads to higher work efficiency.

Yes, purely for the sake of work.

Her phone suddenly vibrated on the table. Reaching out a long arm, she checked the screen: Yan Ke. Work was calling.

Shaking off the last bits of sleep, her voice sounded lazy and slightly raspy.

“Talk to me.”

“Oh, my dear ancestor, you just woke up?” Yan Ke sighed on the other end. “He Qun called. He explicitly demanded the two of us go to the He residence again, or else he’s cutting off our entire supply of medical-grade silicone. I swear I’ve never seen anyone so despicable. It’s bad enough he’s married and sleeping with his male subordinate, but he hid his HIV diagnosis and tried to infect us…”

As Yan Ke vented her fiery outrage, Lingyi listened with complete composure. Once her friend ran out of steam, she offered a gentle, calm reassurance:

“We’re not going. Let him cut it. He Qun will definitely leak the news, so Chi Yin’s stock price taking a hit is inevitable. We just need to prepare our contingency plan. Relax…we’ve navigated far worse crises than this.”

“Fine, I’ve already had my assistant start setting things up,” Yan Ke said. “By the way, I stopped by your office just now and your assistant said you weren’t there? Your name is still trending at the top of the hot search, and the lobby downstairs is completely swarmed with reporters. If you haven’t left yet, don’t bother coming in. Want to take a business trip for me instead? The place is safe.”

Lingyi let out a lazy, inquisitive, “Hmm?”

“Bamboo High. Some kid got ahold of one of our products and caused a scene at school. The parents are at the school right now, furious…the mom was just screaming into a microphone at me. The father is a secretary in the President’s Office, demanding a high-ranking executive from Chi Yin show up in person to apologize and explain. So, what do you think? Going?”

In the eight years since Chi Yin’s founding, their crisis management protocols were refined and ironclad. Yan Ke was simply offering her an excuse to get away and rest.

“Sure,” Lingyi chuckled softly, hanging up.

A message from her assistant popped up:

[Assistant]: Board Director Gu, we identified all 86 residents who saw you in Xiujie Neighborhood last night. They have all signed expedited non-disclosure agreements. The Jiang family will never find out you set foot in that complex.

[Gu Lingyi]: Great work. Eight-times bonus for you at the end of the month.

The assistant, ecstatic, immediately sent back a custom meme: I pledge my eternal loyalty to Director Gu!

Lingyi got up to freshen up, but her steps faltered as her eyes caught a figure in the kitchen.

The frosted glass door was closed, muting the sounds inside, revealing only a slender, delicate silhouette facing away from her, busily preparing breakfast.

Jiang Yanqing was wearing an apricot-tinted, traditional Chinese-style nightgown that reached down to her ankles. The sleeves were slightly long, cuffed three or four times to expose a pair of pale, slender forearms. The fitted cut outlined her graceful figure beautifully.

It wasn’t the first time Lingyi had seen Jiang Yanqing in a nightgown, yet her eyes still felt scorched by the view. Not knowing where to look, her breathing grew slightly hurried. Feeling an unexpected wave of heat, she quickly averted her gaze, letting her warmth cool down.

And yet, the image remained burned into her mind, impossible to shake…

A soft white noise brushed past her ears, accompanied by a quick scent of food that vanished just as quickly. Lingyi realized the glass door had been slid open and closed, letting out the sizzle of cooking and a delicious aroma.

Jiang Yanqing stood at the brightly lit kitchen doorway, bathed in the soft morning sunlight. A simple, elegant green jade hairpin swept up her dark hair, though a few stray strands fell loosely across her forehead…a rare departure from her usual meticulously neat style.

Her features were cool and aloof, almost devoid of worldly desire. Yet there she stood, stepping straight out of the warmth of a home kitchen, wrapped in the morning light.

In a quiet voice, she said, “Just a moment. Once you’re finished washing up, Board Director Gu, breakfast will be ready.”

In an instant, it felt as though something had violently struck Lingyi’s chest. Her heartbeat drummed wildly in her ears…so loud she found it almost embarrassing.

Her throat bobbed. She raised a hand slightly, her fingertips hovering in the air as if wanting to reach out and touch something.

The apartment was modest, leaving only a few paces between them.

Gu Lingyi and Jiang Yanqing…two stunning women of entirely different realms…stood side by side.

The former was sultry and captivating, her bathrobe accentuating a lazy, romantic allure; the latter was cool, restrained, and composed. Yet under the same roof, their striking contrast harmonized in an unexpectedly breathtaking way.

Heaven knew how much strength Lingyi used, pinching the pads of her fingers, just to force her reaching hand back down.

On the surface, she remained utterly composed, turning around casually as she replied in a smooth, unhurried tone:

“Understood. Thank you for your hospitality, Board Member Jiang.”

In reality, she didn’t dare steal another glance. Walking away, she felt as if she were floating on clouds.

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