After Moving in With the Aloof, Conservative Beauty - Chapter 8

Gu Lingyi glanced around her surroundings.

Jiang Yanqing’s home was just like the woman herself: cold, quiet, and pristine…looking less like a lived-in space and more like a model home.

Decorated in a traditional Chinese style, every corner was spotless. Fresh flowers always bloomed in the vase on the coffee table, a piece of calligraphy hung on the main wall, and the whole interior felt bright, airy, and elegant…yet utterly devoid of warmth.

Except… one thing baffled Gu Lingyi.

The foyer, the living room, the kitchen, the laundry room, the balcony…every single functional area had a full-length mirror set against the wall. Some spots had more than one.

The glass surfaces were immaculate, free of a single fingerprint or smudge.

The warmth and excitement Gu Lingyi had felt stepping into Jiang Yanqing’s home instantly evaporated, dampened by the sheer abundance of mirrors.

She gently rubbed her fingers against her blanket, her eyes downcast as she caught sight of her own reflection in the nearest full-length mirror.

Something flickered in her mind, leaving a sudden chill in her chest.

“I’ll sleep on the living room sofa tonight. Could you ask your servant to come out and make the bed? And while they’re at it, dry-clean this velvet blanket.”

Dry-cleaning and tumble drying could easily be wrapped up in less than an hour in a high-end home laundry setup.

Jiang Yanqing gave a soft mm, reaching out to take the blanket from Gu Lingyi.

As Gu Lingyi held it, the blanket had been pulled right up against her cheek. When Jiang Yanqing took it, the fabric billowed up past her eyes, with a tiny corner brushing against her forehead…resting intimately against her face.

For once, Gu Lingyi found herself mildly annoyed at her own blanket.

Realizing where her thoughts were straying, she let out a helpless, quiet laugh.

Before Jiang Yanqing could adjust it herself, Gu Lingyi reached out and gently pulled the corner down.

Behind the fabric, Jiang Yanqing’s cool, emotionless eyes were revealed. She offered a subtle nod. “Thank you, Chairman Gu.”

Gu Lingyi smiled softly. “You’re welcome. It’s my blanket, after all…I should be the one thanking you.”

She watched as Jiang Yanqing carried the blanket into the laundry room and shut the door behind her, a hint of confusion creeping into her fox-like eyes.

Does her servant live in the laundry room?

Then again, the floor plan was only a two-bedroom unit…around a hundred square meters in total. The master bedroom was spacious, while the smaller secondary bedroom had likely been converted into a study.

The only place left that could realistically house someone was indeed the laundry room.

Dismissing the thought, Gu Lingyi found herself silently relishing that solemn title…* Chairman Gu.*

Delivered in such a distant, cool tone, yet as it echoed in her heart, it somehow felt increasingly warm.

Countless people called her Chairman Gu, but no one could say it quite like Jiang Yanqing…yielding a hazy sense of intimacy wrapped in aloofness.

Still… she preferred the title from eight years ago.

Gu-xuemei…Junior Gu.

After placing the blanket in the laundry room, Jiang Yanqing emerged to brew tea for Gu Lingyi. Every step of her tea ritual was fluid and breathtakingly elegant, allowing the sweet, faint aroma to slowly diffuse through the air.

With her long, slender fingers, she lightly pushed a teacup forward. Where her fingertips pressed against the warm porcelain, her skin flushed a delicate shade of pink.

The surface of the tea rippled gently…much like Gu Lingyi’s own stirring heart.

She took a small sip. The flavor lingered effortlessly on her palate.

Top-tier Silver Needle white tea…and a wild variety, no less. Exceedingly rare, unavailable for retail, and sold exclusively at auctions.

“You’re quite generous, Board Member Jiang.”

Gu Lingyi assumed a relaxed posture, sinking completely into the plush cushions of the sofa. Her fox-like eyes curved into comfortable, lazy arches, adding a touch of effortless charm to the otherwise cold and empty apartment.

Jiang Yanqing, however, maintained her posture…just as she had in the car and at the He family residence. Sitting with her legs crossed gracefully to the side, she lightly pressed her pale pink lips to the rim of her cup. Dignified and poised, she showed not a single trace of relaxed casualness, even in her own home.

The rising steam from the hot tea flushed the tip of the cool beauty’s nose a subtle pink, yet her expression remained impassive.

“In that case, I won’t beat around the bush with you either.”

Gu Lingyi’s tone turned serious.

When Jiang Yanqing had invited her inside earlier, her exact words had been: “Chairman Gu, if you wish to discuss business, please.”

Gu Lingyi had no intention of using that scumbag Jiang Guansheng to string Jiang Yanqing along, so she wanted to lay her cards on the table first.

Jiang Yanqing, seemingly expecting this, gave a small nod.

“Understood.”

She stood up. Assuming she was about to be asked to leave, Gu Lingyi naturally began to rise as well. But before she could, the qipao-clad beauty returned…holding a thin blanket and a pillow.

Without a word, her expression still utterly calm and cold, Jiang Yanqing dropped straight to her knees beside the sofa. With her slender back held perfectly upright and her gaze focused…

She began making the bed for Gu Lingyi.

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