Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 52

“…”
Hearing this, Qi Ning quickly snapped back to reality.

She wanted to pull her hand back, but her wrist was held firmly in the other woman’s grip, leaving her unable to move. She felt like she had been caught red-handed doing something wrong, and a flicker of guilt washed over her.

 

But she quickly regained her composure. She had only touched a beauty mark, not committed a crime, so why should she feel guilty!

 

“I do like it,” Qi Ning said. “If I want it, are you going to dig it out and give it to me?”

 

“…” These words successfully left Chu Yunjing speechless.

 

As her grip loosened, Qi Ning pulled her hand back and secretly rubbed her wrist, as if the sensation of the other’s hand was still lingering there.

 

Within the first hour of Double Eleven, the total sales still hadn’t broken the hundred million mark. However, for a growing company, the performance was already quite impressive.

 

Qi Ning looked at the ninety million displayed on the screen, then turned to Chu Yunjing and said, “Let’s go, time for a midnight snack!”

 

As they left the office, Qi Ning, worried that Chu Yunjing might feel disappointed, slung an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. “Look, it is ninety million in just one hour! Breaking a hundred million over the next half-month is a guarantee. It is already amazing!”

 

Seeing that Chu Yunjing remained silent, Qi Ning shook her shoulder. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You aren’t actually depressed, are you?”

 

“I was thinking,” Chu Yunjing paused for a long while before finally saying, “about which celebrity we should hire as a spokesperson.”

 

“…” Qi Ning rolled her eyes. Her worry had been for nothing.

 

Still, she offered some enthusiastic advice.

 

“Even if you don’t get a top-tier star, you should at least get someone who is currently popular. High visibility brings huge traffic, though the endorsement fees are also high. Look at stars like Lemba, Bibi, or Liangliang; their appearance fees for a single TV episode are astronomical. You won’t get an endorsement from them for less than ten million.”

 

“Let’s go for something more economical. I think you could consider those young idols from girl groups. Maybe there is a potential superstar among them?”

 

As they walked and talked, Chu Yunjing formed a general idea of her ideal spokesperson.

 

Most restaurants were closed by this hour, so if they wanted a midnight snack, a food stall was the best option. They picked a stall near the company, ordered some barbecue and a few side dishes, and began their meal with some Cokes.

 

Halfway through, Qi Ning raised her Coke for a toast, and Chu Yunjing cooperated.

 

“I hope you can go further, live better, and be happier,” Qi Ning said. She didn’t usually like saying sentimental things, but she had said quite a bit tonight.

 

Seeing how far Chu Yunjing had come, she knew it hadn’t been easy.

 

Chu Yunjing’s hand tightened around her Coke can for a moment before loosening. She gave a brilliant smile. “It’s because I have you.”

 

Chu Yunjing was supposed to pay for the snack, but Qi Ning insisted on paying when the bill came.

 

After paying, she turned to Chu Yunjing with a smile. “I spent money! Your wish is fulfilled.” Her expression was quite proud.

 

“Well,” Chu Yunjing leaned closer and said, “I have one more wish. Do you want to fulfill that one too?”

 

“Hmm?” Qi Ning tilted her head, curious to hear the other wish.

 

“Here is your twenty-five yuan change!” Before Chu Yunjing could speak, the owner handed back the change.

 

Coming out of the food stall, Qi Ning wanted to ask about the wish, but the other woman wouldn’t say.

 

“Tch,” Qi Ning glanced at her with a hint of disdain. “You really know how to leave people hanging. Fine, don’t tell me then.”

 

It was already past 2:00 AM by the time they finished. Qi Ning was truly exhausted, so Chu Yunjing abandoned the idea of returning to the office and they drove home together. After showering, they went straight to bed.

 

After nearly half a month of turmoil, the major weight on their minds was finally lifted. They both slept comfortably.

 

Chu Yunjing didn’t stay idle the next morning. The shipping volume was much higher than expected, and the warehouse was struggling to keep up. She changed into casual clothes and went to the warehouse to help. Qi Ning, thinking it would be boring at home, followed along.

 

Like the factory, the warehouse had also been equipped with a security system. Fearing break-ins at night, they had even added two extra locks.

 

He Hao was there to help as well. While sealing boxes for delivery, he shared some gossip.

 

“I checked the backend stats today. Our Double Eleven online sales were much higher than Fangmeiyan’s! It was a total blowout!”

 

Fangmeiyan was considered a rival to Ver. Although it hadn’t been around long—only two short years—it was already one of the top local brands in Chonghai. There were rumors in the industry that the owner of Fangmeiyan had the backing of a powerful local figure.

 

During the last “618” event, Fangmeiyan had led Ver by a small margin of a few hundred thousand. This time, the gap between Ver and the second-place brand was huge, and the second-place brand was neck-and-neck with the third-place brand, Fanhong. Combined with the fact that Ver had signed the Xiyue City contract, the owner of Fangmeiyan must be grinding their teeth in frustration.

 

None of this mattered to Chu Yunjing, however. She only wanted to focus on making her own brand well. When Fangmeiyan first appeared, she had looked into it to see why it was so popular. She found it was like many other products on the market: it relied heavily on moisturizers and penetration enhancers. Products that “absorb well,” “are very moisturizing,” and “offer great value” are naturally popular. After that, she stopped paying attention to them.

 

Chu Yunjing just smiled at the topic and let it pass.

 

Qi Ning enthusiastically joined the conversation. “Oh my god! Ver is incredible! Investing in us pays off!” She sounded like a pyramid scheme leader.

 

A few days later, the Double Eleven orders were mostly shipped out. The strategy of small profits and high volume had attracted many newcomers who wanted to try the brand, resulting in a wave of positive reviews. After rising from the mud, everything seemed to become clear and bright.

 

“President Chu! A massive piece of gossip!”

 

Chu Yunjing was eating lunch in her office when He Hao walked in. Hearing his words, she looked up. “Hmm?”

 

He Hao showed her his phone. It was a WeChat group chat; the name suggested it was a group for company CEOs. Chu Yunjing didn’t join these groups, or if she did, she kept them on mute, but she had to maintain some appearances, so she left the socializing to He Hao.

 

Scrolling through the chat logs, she saw that a group of people had been chatting harmoniously until someone broke the news that the owner of Fangmeiyan had been stabbed and was currently in the hospital for emergency treatment.

 

She was very surprised, and her shock showed on her face.

 

“I also heard that the CEO of Fanhong was taken away by the police today for investigation,” He Hao said, sounding like a know-it-all. “President Chu, do you think these two things are…?”

 

Compared to Ver’s attitude of quietly focusing on products, Fanhong and Fangmeiyan had long been at odds. A few days ago, it was rumored that Fanhong’s warehouse had somehow been flooded, and many crates of goods were destroyed by the time it was discovered. Not only did they lose money, but they couldn’t ship orders, leading to refunds and bad reviews. Their reputation had plummeted.

 

Now, with the owner of Fangmeiyan stabbed and the owner of Fanhong arrested right after, many speculated that the owner of Fanhong was the one behind the stabbing. The business world is treacherous; only those involved know the truth.

 

“Let’s just focus on ourselves.”

 

Chu Yunjing had no interest in this gossip and didn’t want to comment. If someone had done something wrong, retribution would come sooner or later.

 

When work ended that evening, Chu Yunjing didn’t rush home. Instead, she stayed in her office to watch a movie. It was an old movie from many years ago. She had first seen it with her parents when she was in elementary school, and she remembered thinking that the supporting actress was very beautiful and full of life.

 

Watching it again now, even the low-resolution quality from over a decade ago couldn’t hide her stunning beauty. As the credits rolled, Chu Yunjing found the actress’s name and searched for her online.

 

She didn’t follow the entertainment industry. She couldn’t even name a few currently popular stars, let alone someone from ten years ago.

 

After checking the information, she opened WeChat and saw a message from someone. The profile picture was unfamiliar, but the name was recognizable. It was a high school classmate. This old classmate wasn’t asking for money but was inviting her to a class reunion.

 

Chu Yunjing didn’t reply immediately. She grabbed her bag, turned off the lights, and headed home.

 

Stepping out of the office building, a gust of cool wind whistled past. Chu Yunjing shivered, and goosebumps rose on her skin. She looked down at her short sleeves; she would definitely need long sleeves tomorrow.

 

Arriving home, she smelled a faint milky aroma as she changed her shoes at the entrance. She couldn’t help but cover her face. She didn’t have to guess to know someone was making a cake again.

 

When God closes a door, he opens a window. Chu Yunjing finally knew what Qi Ning’s “window” was. This woman wasn’t much of a cook, but she seemed to have a strange talent for baking. Since buying the oven and ingredients, she had been fussing around the kitchen every day. She was more enthusiastic about this than about regular cooking.

 

Chu Yunjing was happy to see Qi Ning finding something to fill her life—as long as she didn’t have to be the guinea pig.

 

“You’re back!” Qi Ning poked her head out of the kitchen. Seeing her, she quickly walked out, still wearing oven mitts. The bright smile on her face suggested that tonight’s results were good.

 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t make a cake today!” Qi Ning knew she had made Chu Yunjing eat a lot of chiffon cake over the past few days, and even she was getting sick of it.

 

She brought a tray out of the kitchen holding several small, connected bread rolls. Although they were uneven in size and a bit over-baked, she had tasted them and they were quite good.

 

Chu Yunjing tried one. The sweetness was perfect, and they had a rich milky scent.

 

“Good, right?” Qi Ning’s eyes were bright as she waited for praise.

 

Under her gaze, Chu Yunjing nodded. “Better than the cake.”

 

“…” After four failed attempts at cake, Qi Ning’s face fell. “Just eat your bread!”

 

Qi Ning had bought a yoga mat a few days ago and hadn’t opened it until today, wanting to start her body sculpting routine. There was a clear space in the living room, so she spread the mat on the tiles, took off her shoes, and stepped onto it.

 

Chu Yunjing hadn’t eaten dinner yet, so she sat at the table eating the bread while watching Qi Ning’s performance. Qi Ning did a few stretches from memory and then started doing squats.

 

Chu Yunjing watched for a while before realizing what was happening as Qi Ning did one squat per second. “You aren’t trying to do squats, are you?”

 

“Yeah, I am.”

 

“Pff.” She couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.

 

“That is not how you do a squat.” Chu Yunjing stood up and walked over, stopping in front of her. “Slow down and show me one.”

 

“That’s wrong,” Chu Yunjing corrected. “Your knees shouldn’t go past your toes. Your glutes should drop completely, like you’re sitting in a chair.”

 

As she spoke, Chu Yunjing placed her hands on Qi Ning’s back and abdomen. “Keep your back straight, don’t arch it. Sit down.”

 

“No, no…” When she was doing one squat a second, Qi Ning thought it was easy. Now that she was being forced into the correct posture, she immediately reached her limit and began to wail. “I can’t do it…!”

 

“I haven’t even applied pressure yet.” Chu Yunjing was a bit speechless at the drama. After two attempts, Qi Ning kept trying to slack off.

 

Chu Yunjing simply stepped behind her, bracing her legs against Qi Ning’s to guide her body into a deep squat. The dark TV screen reflected their current positions. In the reflection, she saw Qi Ning’s miserable expression and suddenly let out a smile.

 

“Is… is it done?” After maintaining the squat for two seconds, Qi Ning was struggling. she turned her head to ask the person behind her.

 

Quickly, the person behind her replied.

 

“Mmhmm.” The rising tone carried a touch of playfulness that wasn’t usually there.

 

Worst of all, whether intentional or not, Qi Ning felt a warm breath very close to her ear.

 

“Have you… learned yet?” The soft, low voice entered her ear, seemingly carrying a hint of laughter.

 

It felt as though her heartstrings had been violently plucked; Qi Ning’s ears turned red instantly. Her heart began to race, and she lost her footing, falling forward.

 

“Whoa!”

 

Chu Yunjing hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. She instinctively reached out to steady her, and in her panic, Qi Ning grabbed her arm. The result was both of them falling onto the yoga mat.

 

The final position was quite something: Qi Ning was pinned beneath Chu Yunjing.

 

Qi Ning: “…”

 

As their eyes met, she felt incredibly awkward. She could even feel the sensation of their softest parts pressing together.

 

But the other woman didn’t seem to have any intention of getting up. She just stared straight at her. Qi Ning blinked, her eyes full of innocence.

 

Then, she felt the other’s head slowly lower, and that face drew closer and closer.

 

Wait!

 

Qi Ning’s mind went blank for a second.

 

Is Jingjing going to kiss me??!!