Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 50

Having boasted about making a cake, Qi Ning spent the past few days studying baking. She felt as though her eyes had mastered the technique; all that remained was for her hands to gain some practical experience. Her main tool, an oven, was already sitting in her shopping cart, waiting for the Double Eleven discounts.

The night before the shopping festival, Qi Ning didn’t have to work overtime. She declined an invitation from her colleagues and left the office the moment the clock struck five. Knowing that Chu Yunjing would be stuck monitoring data and working late, Qi Ning decided to pay her a surprise visit at the office, bringing along two portions of takeout.

When she arrived, Chu Yunjing was in the middle of a meeting. Bored and with nothing to do after finishing her meal, Qi Ning took a stroll around the building. The fourth floor housed a gym that hadn’t been dismantled when the company moved in. Since it was after hours, several people were exercising.

Qi Ning couldn’t help but steal a glance at a woman in tight-fitting gym gear. Her curves were enviable. Looking down at herself, Qi Ning felt a bit dejected that her own muscle definition wasn’t as sharp. She made a mental note to frequent the gym more often.

The woman exercising noticed a new face and, assuming she was a new colleague, greeted her warmly and invited her to join in.

“I’m just here to look around,” Qi Ning replied with a polite smile. Noticing the sweat on the woman’s neck, she asked, “What do you usually train?”

“Mostly running and weights for body sculpting, specifically arms and glutes.”

“You have to train your glutes?” As a fitness novice, Qi Ning was surprised.

“Definitely,” the woman laughed. “Since we sit all day at work, our backsides tend to flatten out. It doesn’t look great.” She glanced purposefully at Qi Ning’s figure. “You’re not doing bad, but you could use a bit more lift. It makes a big difference when wearing shorts.”

Qi Ning looked at herself in the mirror and consciously flexed. It did seem to look a bit better. She took the opportunity to ask for some fitness tips and learned that the woman worked part-time as a fitness coach when she wasn’t working overtime. It explained why she was in such great shape.

However, after following along for just a few minutes, Qi Ning found she couldn’t keep up. She waved her hands in exhaustion, but before she left, the woman reminded her to do more squats every day. Qi Ning noted this down; doing squats at home didn’t seem too difficult.

Walking back downstairs, the hallway lights flickered. Some departments had left early and turned off their lights, while others were still working late. Qi Ning flipped on the hall lights as she passed, peering into the offices like a headteacher checking for distracted students.

The technicians were working late, as were the customer service staff from the online sales department. A supervisor was holding a meeting to boost morale.

As she wandered, she remembered that Ji Zhijing worked at a nearby cafe. She had tasted their tiramisu before and found it delicious, so an idea sparked in her mind. The cafe closed at 7:00 PM, and by the time Qi Ning arrived, the “Closed” sign was already hanging on the door. Just as she was about to turn away, she caught the eye of Ji Zhijing coming out of the kitchen. Ji Zhijing waved her in.

“Is my timing bad?” Qi Ning asked with a smile.

“It’s fine,” Ji Zhijing replied, wiping her hands. “What would you like to drink?”

Qi Ning asked for a glass of ice water and looked around. The place was mostly cleaned up for the night. “Are you the only one here?”

“Yes, the manager took a leave of absence today.”

“You look like you’re about to leave. Maybe I should come back next time,” Qi Ning said, feeling slightly guilty about taking up someone’s off-duty time.

“It’s no problem,” Ji Zhijing said. “I have to wait anyway.”

“Wait for who? Sister Shu?”

Ji Zhijing nodded. At the mention of Shu Mingyao, Ji Zhijing grew quiet.

Qi Ning thought for a moment, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. “Xiao Ji, what do you think of Sister Shu?”

Ji Zhijing took a sip of water, her gaze shifting away. “She’s very nice.”

Qi Ning let out a soft laugh. “You’re acting like an adolescent boy who is afraid to even mention the name of the person he likes.”

Ji Zhijing remained silent, looking a bit embarrassed. Sensing an opportunity to tease her, Qi Ning continued, “Hey, Xiao Ji. Do you like Sister Shu? I mean, in a romantic way.”

Shu Mingyao had always insisted to Qi Ning that their relationship was purely transactional, but Qi Ning could see the subtle differences in how Ji Zhijing treated her. Ji Zhijing didn’t seem like the type of person who would be kept just for money.

“If you like her, I can help you,” Qi Ning said with a wink. She figured Shu Mingyao probably hadn’t even registered Ji Zhijing’s feelings, and a little nudge might help things along. Ji Zhijing seemed like a good match: she was capable, a great cook, good-looking, tall, young, and devoted. If the feeling was mutual, why not play matchmaker?

Ji Zhijing had been looking down at her glass, but at these words, she looked up, her eyes sparkling. After a long moment, she nodded, but then her brow furrowed again. “She… has a lot of suitors.”

“Show me a beautiful woman who doesn’t,” Qi Ning rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you think about how many people are chasing you? It doesn’t matter how many there are if she doesn’t like them.”

Ji Zhijing felt there was some truth to Qi Ning’s words, but her joy didn’t last more than three seconds before she remembered her own status. She was just a “pretty face” being kept.

“Look at you, overthinking again,” Qi Ning clicked her tongue. “Do you know what Sister Shu’s ex-husband did? Do you think he was a CEO or some elite? Actually, he wasn’t wealthy either. Why did she marry him? It was just impulse and novelty. She’s an impulsive person. I believe that if you are good enough to her and she likes you, none of that matters.”

Qi Ning scrutinized Ji Zhijing’s face. “As for looks, I’m certain you fit her aesthetic, or she wouldn’t have chosen you. To make her care about you, you need to have a presence. A lover doesn’t always have to be ‘good.’ Occasionally being a bit difficult can be quite refreshing. You’re just too quiet and don’t speak your mind.” Qi Ning patted her shoulder. “If you have thoughts, just tell her. If she wants to go on a ‘date’ with someone else, tell her straight out that you don’t want her to go and see how she reacts. I’m certain she won’t be angry,” she concluded, based on her understanding of Shu Mingyao.

Qi Ning was about to offer more advice when the bell at the cafe door rang. Both of them turned to see Shu Mingyao walking in.

Shu Mingyao was surprised to see Qi Ning there. “A-Ning? You’re here. I heard from Yunjing that the penalty from the Bureau was changed. You guys can finally breathe a sigh of relief.” She sat down beside her, giving Ji Zhijing a look that told her exactly what she wanted to drink.

“Yes! We’ve caused you so much trouble this time.”

Shu Mingyao made a shushing gesture. “It was nothing,” she said, giving her a wink.

The wink hit Qi Ning right in the heart. She clutched her chest dramatically. “Gosh! Don’t flirt with me. Your target isn’t me!”

Shu Mingyao laughed. It seemed her newly acquired skill was quite effective. She took the glass of warm water Ji Zhijing handed her and took a few sips.

“Sister Shu, even between sisters, accounts should be clear. Tell me how much you spent this time, and I’ll have Yunjing transfer it to you,” Qi Ning said seriously, dropping the playful act. Favors were one thing, but she knew getting things settled hadn’t been simple, and money must have been involved. She couldn’t let her friend be out of pocket.

“Is it necessary to be so formal? You guys caught the culprit, which is why they backed down so quickly,” Shu Mingyao said. “I just treated a few friends to dinner. It didn’t cost much, really.”

But Qi Ning insisted on “reimbursement.” Eventually, Shu Mingyao relented. “I remember your birthday is coming up, right? Let’s just call it my gift to you. It saves me from having to think about what to get you.”

“Are you sure?” Qi Ning asked suspiciously, worried that a dinner that might have cost hundreds of thousands was being written off so easily.

“Really,” Shu Mingyao waved her off dismissively. Spending a little on a friend was nothing to her; their friendship was worth much more than a few tens of thousands.

They chatted a while longer until Chu Yunjing, finished with her meeting and unable to find Qi Ning, called. Qi Ning said her goodbyes and left the cafe, being gifted two cups of fruit tea on her way out.

As she stood outside, Qi Ning paused. She felt like she had forgotten something. Wait, wasn’t she supposed to come here to learn some baking secrets? Never mind.

Inside the cafe, Ji Zhijing watched Qi Ning leave, not looking away until she was out of sight. Shu Mingyao noticed this and, resting her chin on her hand, asked with a half-smile, “Is she that good-looking?”

Ji Zhijing lowered her head to wipe a glass without responding, her mind still on what Qi Ning had told her. Shu Mingyao was used to her lack of reaction. She adjusted her posture and said listlessly, “Are you finished?”

“Yes.” Ji Zhijing wiped the table dry and laid the cloth by the sink.

“Then let’s go.” Shu Mingyao stood up and walked out without waiting.

She had no other plans for the evening, but since a new movie had just been released, she had bought tickets. She had come straight over after finishing her work. Meeting Qi Ning had been a pleasant diversion. There were still two hours before the movie started, which was enough time for a meal—or so she thought.

As Ji Zhijing locked the door, Shu Mingyao stood by the roadside making a call. They were close enough that Ji Zhijing could hear the conversation. A man on the other end was asking Shu Mingyao if she wanted to go sea fishing. Other friends were going, and there was a new yacht involved. Shu Mingyao initially declined, saying she had plans, but after repeated invitations, she reluctantly agreed.

Ji Zhijing’s intuition told her the movie was off. She recognized the man’s voice; he had been to Shu Mingyao’s house with other friends and seemed like a close acquaintance. But Ji Zhijing could tell he had ulterior motives, always finding excuses to invite Shu Mingyao out. The reasons were always perfectly timed to her interests. Yet Shu Mingyao seemed oblivious, treating him as just a friend.

Shu Mingyao hung up and turned to Ji Zhijing. “Take a taxi back. I have to go out.” She took out her keys to unlock her car, but after taking two steps, her wrist was caught.

She turned in confusion to see Ji Zhijing’s expressionless face. In the darkness, her face looked somber, her lips pressed tightly together. They stared at each other for a long moment.

Ji Zhijing opened her mouth and said stiffly, “You are not allowed to go.”

“What did you say?” Shu Mingyao thought she had misheard. This little thing had grown bold enough to give her orders.

Seeing Shu Mingyao frown, Ji Zhijing’s confidence wavered, but since she had said it, she wouldn’t take it back. “I said, you are not allowed to go.” Her voice was a bit more rigid this time, and she avoided eye contact. “You said we were going to a movie.” There was a hint of unconscious grievance in her voice.

Shu Mingyao didn’t leave immediately. She turned around and looked at her with a half-smile. “Do you know that the last person who gave me an order is now my ex-husband?”

This remark brought a look of embarrassment to Ji Zhijing’s face. Her grip on Shu Mingyao’s wrist tightened momentarily before slowly loosening until her hand fell to her side.

Shu Mingyao couldn’t help but want to laugh at the sight of the “silent jar” looking so defeated. She hadn’t heard this person use such forceful language before, and it felt quite novel. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, staring at Ji Zhijing for a long time before finally letting out a chuckle.

She decided to humor her, lest she think she was being pushed aside. She walked forward a few steps and turned to see the other person still standing there, head lowered, lost in thought.

“What are you standing there for?”

Ji Zhijing looked up blankly.

Shu Mingyao tossed the car keys to her. “Hurry up, the movie is about to start.”

“Oh.” Ji Zhijing caught the keys and quickly caught up, walking side by side with her.

Shu Mingyao reached out and ruffled her smooth hair until it was a mess. “How did you get so tall?” she muttered.

“It’s not like I can control it,” Ji Zhijing replied.

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