Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 29

Qi Ning still hadn’t come online, and the matter had caused her to lose sleep that night. She had faint dark circles under her eyes, which she only managed to hide with a layer of concealer.

Chu Yunjing and Shu Mingyao had an appointment to view the property at 4:00 PM. Around 3:30 PM, Qi Ning used the excuse of meeting a client to slip away from work. The office building was located in a certain science and technology park; the map showed it was only 2 kilometers away, quite close.

Shu Mingyao had nothing to do that afternoon, so she was already waiting in a nearby coffee shop. The office space had just been vacated, so wires and cardboard boxes were scattered everywhere, looking quite messy. She had arranged for someone to give the entire place a thorough cleaning inside and out. After the cleanup, it actually looked quite impressive.

Qi Ning arrived early. When she called Chu Yunjing, her friend was still on the way, so she called Shu Mingyao instead. After waiting for nearly five minutes, she saw Shu Mingyao approaching on foot, holding a cup of fruit tea in one hand and carrying a bag with two more in the other.

“Sister Shu,” Qi Ning hurried forward to meet her.

Stepping out of an air-conditioned room and into the outside air was like entering a giant steamer. Beads of sweat immediately formed on Shu Mingyao’s forehead; luckily, the ice in her fruit tea was sufficient to cool her down slightly.

“How come you’re the only one here?” Shu Mingyao handed her a fruit tea from the bag. She checked the time—ten minutes until four.

“She’s on her way; I just got here too early.” Qi Ning took the tea. “Sister Shu, were you nearby this whole time?”

Shu Mingyao pointed in the direction she had come from. “See that? That coffee shop is mine. We can go sit there after the viewing; it’s far too hot out here.”

Qi Ning gave a general look around, but her attention stayed on the words “coffee shop.” Remembering that Ji Zhijing worked in a coffee shop, her expression became meaningful as she teased, “Won’t we be interrupting you and Xiao Ji~?”

Shu Mingyao brushed back a strand of hair, acting indifferent. “It’s broad daylight. It’s not like we’re going to do anything in a coffee shop. If we’re going to do anything, we’ll do it at home.”

“…” The sudden, sharp “drift” into suggestive territory left Qi Ning momentarily speechless.

As a single “dog,” Qi Ning didn’t want to discuss couples’ topics with Shu Mingyao to avoid feeling depressed. The two of them waited at the entrance for Chu Yunjing, chatting casually.

Two minutes later, she saw a car drive through the main gate. As it drew closer, the license plate became clear. She waved at the car, and the person inside saw her. The vehicle slowed to a stop in front of the office building where they were standing.

Chu Yunjing stepped out of the car. She had been quite surprised yesterday to learn that the office location was in the same park. She had wondered if it could be such a coincidence, and it turned out to be the exact same building.

This was the first time Chu Yunjing and Shu Mingyao had met. Chu Yunjing had heard Qi Ning mention her occasionally, but she never expected their paths to cross like this.

“Hello, President Shu. I am Chu Yunjing.” She extended her hand toward Shu Mingyao, her attitude and expression very professional.

Shu Mingyao returned the handshake and smiled. “You must be A-Ning’s ‘sister.’ I hear her talk about you all the time. Since we’re all family here, just call me Sister Shu.”

Chu Yunjing offered her a polite smile, but the moment she turned to Qi Ning, her expression became dangerously “sweet,” sending a chill down Qi Ning’s spine.

As Shu Mingyao turned to lead them into the building, Chu Yunjing reached out and pinched Qi Ning’s cheek, lowering her voice. “You’ve certainly gotten bold, haven’t you?”

“You are my sister!” Qi Ning squeaked out, feeling wronged. Besides, if she didn’t make the relationship sound closer, how was she supposed to negotiate a better price!

Chu Yunjing had visited this building yesterday and had nearly settled on it; for her, looking at the rooms now was just a formality. Shu Mingyao usually left her vacant properties to agents and rarely dealt with them personally. Naturally, she didn’t act like a real estate agent trying to oversell the place; she simply let them look around and decide for themselves before retreating to her coffee shop to escape the heat.

“This place is great,” Qi Ning said, standing in the third-floor executive office. “This office is way more prestigious than your current one, and it’s much larger. Your current meeting room is like a dark little cell; this one even has a separate conference room!”

“There’s even a gym on the fourth floor. Can I come by to use it sometimes? And the first floor is nice too—I love that courtyard. It would be perfect with a set of lounge chairs.”

Qi Ning chatted away to herself, only to turn and find Chu Yunjing leaning against the desk, staring out the window with her arms crossed, lost in thought. Thinking she was dissatisfied, Qi Ning walked over and poked her arm. “I think this place is really good. It’s so close to the subway; are you not happy with it?”

Chu Yunjing snapped back to reality but changed the subject. “I looked at a property yesterday. Guess what happened?”

“…” Qi Ning fell silent for a moment. After years of being on the same wavelength, she asked tentatively, “Don’t tell me… it was this one.”

“…”

It really was.

Qi Ning leaned against the desk beside Chu Yunjing, putting an arm around her shoulder. She turned and asked, “So, are you satisfied?”

Chu Yunjing nodded.

“What was the agent’s price?”

“One hundred and twenty thousand.”

“Holy crap!” Qi Ning couldn’t help but curse. “That’s a robbery.”

“…I almost signed the lease,” Chu Yunjing admitted, her feelings a tangled mess. “If the agent hadn’t told me the landlord decided not to rent anymore…”

“Let’s ask about the rent in a bit. Renting directly should be much cheaper.” Qi Ning paused. “What’s your ideal price?”

“…One hundred thousand, I suppose.”

Qi Ning thought about the possibility of negotiating the price down to 100,000 based on her friendship with Shu Mingyao. Then, something finally clicked.

“Hey! You’re actually quite wealthy now, aren’t you? You didn’t even blink at an office with an annual rent in the millions!” Qi Ning teased her. “It seems skincare really is where the money is.”

Chu Yunjing gave a dry smile. “Money that needs to be spent, must be spent.”

“Besides, I’m counting on the Double 11 sales in the second half of the year to pay for celebrity endorsements.”

“You’re hiring an ambassador?!” Qi Ning was shocked. Celebrity endorsement fees were anything but cheap.

“…If we make enough money.”

“Rich lady! Don’t forget me when you’re famous and wealthy!”

Once they had finished their discussion, they headed off to find Shu Mingyao. On the way to the coffee shop, Qi Ning rehearsed how she would politely yet effectively negotiate the price with her “good sister.”

It was a true art form.

However, she didn’t expect to walk right into a “flirting” scene when they pushed open the door.

The coffee shop was quiet at this hour. Shu Mingyao was sitting on the bar counter, while Ji Zhijing was working behind it, wearing a white apron around her waist. Today, Ji Zhijing had her hair tied up casually. She had a slender build, wearing a white uniform top and black trousers. With her short ponytail, she looked like a handsome youth from a Japanese manga when viewed from the side.

As they entered, they saw Shu Mingyao gripping Ji Zhijing’s chin with one hand, pulling her face closer as if she were about to kiss her. The movement stopped abruptly when the door opened. Ji Zhijing was the first to look toward the entrance; her tense expression relaxed when she saw it was Qi Ning.

Shu Mingyao glanced at her and withdrew her hand. To the two at the door, she said generously, “Order whatever you like; it’s on me.”

With that, she walked toward a booth. The two ordered their drinks and sat down.

Without jumping straight into business, Shu Mingyao asked how the viewing went, and the three of them chatted for a while. The coffee was soon served with beautiful latte art. Qi Ning offered a casual compliment, and Ji Zhijing gave her a small smile.

In the next second, Qi Ning caught a glimpse of the person sitting opposite her—Shu Mingyao’s expression had darkened slightly.

…She had almost forgotten that Sister Shu was incredibly prone to jealousy. Even though the person involved hadn’t noticed.

Qi Ning cleared her throat. “Sister Shu, my sis—I mean, Yunjing is very satisfied with the office.”

She had started to say “sister,” but felt a sharp pinch on her leg before the word was out. She quickly corrected herself to avoid further physical pain.

“It’s just the rent…” Qi Ning trailed off, wearing a troubled look to test the waters.

Shu Mingyao looked genuinely surprised. “Is one million a year that expensive?”

“…”

“…”

Wait, what??? One million????

Hearing that price, Qi Ning felt too embarrassed to even try and haggle! This wasn’t like a few dollars at a wet market; this was tens of thousands in real money.

But seeing Shu Mingyao’s expression, it seemed there was still room for negotiation. Qi Ning felt it was best to quit while they were ahead, but she also wanted to save more money for Chu Yunjing… she was torn.

Before she could speak, Chu Yunjing quickly stated her position.

“Thank you, Sister Shu.” Chu Yunjing saw what Qi Ning was thinking. She didn’t want Qi Ning to risk their friendship over a small gain; a debt of gratitude is much harder to repay than a financial one. Besides, she was perfectly satisfied with saving over 400,000.

Because Chu Yunjing agreed so readily, Shu Mingyao became intrigued. She smiled and asked, “Why aren’t you bargaining with me?”

This was a test of emotional intelligence.

Chu Yunjing remained composed. “The price Sister Shu offers is naturally the most reasonable one; there’s nothing to negotiate.”

“Hahahaha…” Shu Mingyao let out a genuine laugh. “You’re quite interesting! I’ve definitely decided to make you my friend!”

With the office matter settled, the weight on Chu Yunjing’s heart was finally lifted.

Shu Mingyao invited them to stay for dinner. Qi Ning, noticing it was almost time to clock out, was about to agree. But before she could respond, she heard laughter coming from the bar counter.

Qi Ning turned and saw a customer had arrived at the bar, and Ji Zhijing was attending to her. She couldn’t hear what Ji Zhijing was saying, but the woman’s voice was quite loud.

“Buy two get one free? Can I buy two and get you for free? If not, I’ll buy ten if it means I get you~”

Qi Ning saw Ji Zhijing looking quite helpless. She didn’t hear the response, but she knew it was a rejection. After all, her “sugar mama” was sitting right here!

The rejected woman looked displeased. “Then how about your WeChat? I’ve been to this shop so many times, and you won’t even give me your WeChat?”

Yikes…

The scene was quickly turning into a battlefield.

Qi Ning instinctively checked Shu Mingyao’s expression. Sure enough, her face was dark. In the next second, she stood up from the sofa. “Excuse me.”

“I need to go discipline my big dog.”

Almost instinctively, Qi Ning grabbed Chu Yunjing and stood up. “No problem, no problem! We actually have something to do; let’s have dinner another time!”

With that, she pulled Chu Yunjing out of the coffee shop as if they were escaping a disaster.

I hope Xiao Ji is okay!

“What’s wrong?” Chu Yunjing asked, confused by being dragged away.

Qi Ning glanced back at the coffee shop door and pulled Chu Yunjing a few steps further away. Only when they were at a distance did she say mysteriously, “Let me tell you…”

The words reached her lips and then got stuck. If she told her, would it ruin her impression of Sister Shu? This person seemed quite “straight.”

“Go on,” Chu Yunjing urged, frowning at Qi Ning’s hesitation.

Under the pressure, Qi Ning gritted her teeth and blurted it out: “They’re a couple!”

“…”

The moment the words were out, Qi Ning felt the atmosphere between them shift. Chu Yunjing’s expression also underwent a subtle, complex change.

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