After Moving in With the Aloof, Conservative Beauty - Chapter 9

Jiang Yanqing unfolded a thin blanket, spreading it over the sofa and smoothing it out with her palm from one end to the other.

As she worked, she crawled on her knees from one side to the other.

Her cheongsam restricted her movement, making her move remarkably slow. It looked as though she were immersed in a task that required absolute focus and serenity…quietly elegant, composed, and visually mesmerizing.

Though slender, her proportions were exquisite: narrow shoulders, a tiny waist, and curves that rounded off just right.

Gu Lingyi sucked in a breath and averted her gaze. Kneeling down beside Jiang Yanqing, she moved to block her path. Jiang Yanqing paused, staring at her with an expressionless face.

It was an aloof, cool face, yet it didn’t feel out of place at all in this moment of bed-making. Gu Lingyi could tell Jiang Yanqing was confused.

Why block her way?

Gu Lingyi rested a hand on the blanket, helping her smooth it out, and looked back at her. “I can do this myself. No need to trouble you, Director Jiang.”

The marble floor was cold and hard…definitely no place for kneeling.

Jiang Yanqing didn’t move. Her eyes drifted to Gu Lingyi’s hand.

More precisely, to the section of the blanket Gu Lingyi had just touched.

She had just brushed the fabric’s nap in the wrong direction, undoing all of Jiang Yanqing’s careful smoothing.

Gu Lingyi: “…”

Having started her own business at twenty, Gu Lingyi was sharp, observant, and adept at reading people’s habits.

Yet somehow, those skills completely failed her in front of Jiang Yanqing. She hadn’t even realized the woman was meticulously smoothing the velvet pile in one consistent direction.

“My apologies, I messed it up. Director Jiang, you can just let the servants handle this later. It’s late enough, and I’ve already disturbed you. I really can’t let you go through all this trouble yourself.”

“It’s fine.”

“Please stand up, Director Jiang. Show me to the bathroom, and then let the servants handle the rest.”

There was a hint of a command in her voice…a dominant refusal to let Jiang Yanqing make the bed herself.

Gu Lingyi expected Jiang Yanqing to be displeased or give her an even colder glare. To her surprise, the normally stoic, monk-like woman simply gave a soft “Mm,” slowly rising to lead her to the bathroom.

The two had been kneeling face-to-face for quite a while…long enough for Gu Lingyi’s knees to throb with pain. Yet Jiang Yanqing had calmly listened to her finish speaking before unhurriedly replying that it was fine.

Was she hiding her discomfort?

Or did she simply not feel pain?

Gu Lingyi got her answer the very next second.

As Jiang Yanqing stood, her usually emotionless brow furrowed slightly. Her breathing turned quick and shallow, and her body swayed, on the verge of collapsing.

Gu Lingyi instantly reached out. Seeing the only anchor within reach, Jiang Yanqing instinctively grabbed Gu Lingyi’s arm. In doing so, she unexpectedly tumbled straight into Gu Lingyi’s arms.

The overhead lights couldn’t penetrate the narrow space between their pressed bodies, merging their shadows into one on the floor.

As two distinct scents…one mature and intoxicating, the other cold and abstinent…intermingled, Gu Lingyi’s pupils dilated slightly.

Her senses were flooded with the woman’s delicate fragrance. The body in her arms was surprisingly warm and soft, far from the cold, unyielding impression she gave off.

Gu Lingyi froze.

In an instant, her heart hammered wildly, practically threatening to leap out of her chest. She tried desperately to regain control of her pulse, but the more she tried, the faster it raced.

The frantic thumping in her chest set off vibrations against the head resting on her collarbone…a thrumming so intense it felt as though it could rocket that gorgeous head straight to the moon.

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