The Sickly Beauty Can’t Escape the Obsessive Lover - Chapter 33.2

A sudden wave of guilt washed over Jing Yuan. This remorse probably stemmed from his earlier meddling in Yun Shu and Ji Yan’s affairs. Although Ji Yan was wealthy, he wasn’t Yun Shu’s destined partner. If the two ended up unhappy, Jing Yuan would bear a heavy burden of blame.

Feeling regretful for his earlier selfishness, he solemnly apologized to Yun Shu. “I’m sorry, Yun Shu. Back when I asked you to work at my place, I scared you.”

Yun Shu smiled. “It’s alright. The pay was so high that I was genuinely tempted. I went willingly—you didn’t force me.”

Jing Yuan sighed and patted Yun Shu’s shoulder.

“If you ever need help in the future, you can always come to me. Of course, if I’m still in Ningcheng.”

Yun Shu looked surprised. “Huh? Are you leaving Ningcheng?”

Jing Yuan lifted his eyes, his gaze tinged with complexity.

If he and Ji Yan could part on peaceful terms, he might be able to stay in Ningcheng. But if things ended in chaos, he might have to leave for good.

“Sigh, I—”

Jing Yuan had only spoken halfway when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure by the rockery across the way.

He frowned deeply. “Yun Shu, isn’t this time of day off-limits to guests?”

Yun Shu also looked over: “Oh, them? They’re distinguished guests here. They have a dedicated SVIP suite, and Manhe Club provides 24-hour service for them.”

Many people were coming and going across the hall, among them Ning Jin’s father, Ning Zhao. Following behind Ning Zhao were Ning Sui and Ning Sui’s father.

“Yun Shu, do you know them?”

Yun Shu nodded: “Yes. Ning Zhao is quite famous.”

Jing Yuan stood up, craning his neck to continue watching: “How strange. Why would Ning Zhao bring his family to Manhe?”

Yun Shu: “We can’t guess what a big shot is thinking.”

In Jing Yuan’s impression, people came to such places to discuss important matters—why would they bring their families along?

He asked Yun Shu: “Do they come here often?”

Yun Shu racked his brain: “Probably once or twice a month, each time with many people in suits following them. The staff serving them are all pre-selected. Before entering, they get searched.”

“Searched?” Jing Yuan furrowed his brow. “Are they afraid people might bring phones or knives?”

“Yes, they’re worried about secret recordings.” Yun Shu recalled something else. “I heard Ning Zhao changed his name later—he wasn’t originally called Ning Zhao.”

Jing Yuan sighed: “He actually dares to use the character ‘Zhao’.”

Yun Shu: “It shows he’s very ambitious.”

Jing Yuan’s intuition was sharp; he always felt that Ning Zhao’s regular visits here hid some ulterior secret. But Manhe was Xie Ling’s territory—surely Ning Zhao wouldn’t be foolish enough to plot against Ji Yan in Xie Ling’s domain?

Last time, when he encountered that gardener at the Ning family, he had suspected the Nings were connected to that kidnapping case years ago.

“Yun Shu, if I wanted to go in and serve, how would I do it?”

Faced with this question, Yun Shu was momentarily speechless.

“You could ask the manager.”

Jing Yuan nodded and immediately jogged off to the manager’s office.

Yun Shu, his brow creased with worry, was afraid Jing Yuan might run into trouble like last time. He waited outside the manager’s office for a while until Jing Yuan had sorted things out with the manager and was ready to change clothes.

“Don’t worry, I’m just going in to take a look.”

Yun Shu nodded.

…

Soon after, Jing Yuan had changed into traditional-style attire and entered the room with colleagues from Manhe’s performance department.

Just as Yun Shu had said, everyone entering was searched; no personal items were allowed inside.

Some of those entering were there to perform music, while others were responsible for serving tea and water.

Each person wore a white mask made of feathers and a white veil hat. The uniform attire was pleasing to the eye and allowed the guests to converse more naturally.

“Second Brother, why are we dining here? You know the relationship between Xie Ling and Ji Yan.” Ning Sui’s father mentioned Ji Yan with visible anger.

Ning Zhao: “Relax. Although this is Xie Ling’s territory, it’s very safe. I come here to dine whenever I have time. The hotel and courtyard behind this room are my private property. Besides, half of Manhe’s shares belong to Xie Ling’s elder brother. Xie Ling is quite lax in managing Manhe. He doesn’t even know the monthly revenue.”

A hint of mockery curled on Ning Sui’s lips: “As expected, Ji Yan’s so-called friends don’t have much ambition either.”

Although Jing Yuan was wearing the hat, he didn’t dare show his face.

He spent the entire time hiding behind the screen, assisting the pipa performer.

In the following conversation, Jing Yuan learned that the Ning father and son had already guessed who was behind the Zhao family young master’s attack on Ning Sui that night. However, they had no evidence and didn’t dare to confront Ji Yan openly.

Ning Sui went on to say a lot of bad things about Ji Yan and himself, repeating the same complaints until Jing Yuan’s ears were tired of hearing them.

Tonight’s dinner was purely a family affair, and Jing Yuan didn’t gather much useful information. But from the expressions and words of Ning Sui and his father, he could roughly gauge how much the Ning family hated Ji Yan.

The sound of the pipa was melodious and crisp, but Jing Yuan had no interest in it at all. Just as Ning Zhao and the others were about to leave, Ning Sui’s drunken father said something.

“Second Brother, I’ve had it with certain people for years. Their family just rode the wave of reform, turning a small, shabby workshop into something big. Now, they’re getting more arrogant with their luck and wealth, just like their father.”

Ning Zhao’s voice was soft: “What’s the rush? The Lishui Park project made him a fortune, but we’ll get it all back in the future.”

Ning Sui cut in: “Get it back?”

Ning Zhao said meaningfully: “Just wait patiently. In the future, the financial circle in the south will only have Ning Chen Group.”

Ning Sui said smugly: “Good, I’ll wait!”

…

After Ning Zhao and the others had completely left, Jing Yuan silently helped his colleagues clean up the table. His colleagues didn’t seem interested in what Ning Zhao had discussed, as no one brought it up.

But then again, Ning Zhao was a cunning old fox who rarely used full names when speaking, resorting to surnames only when necessary.

If Jing Yuan hadn’t known the background, he wouldn’t have had a clue who Ning Zhao was talking about.

Just before his shift ended, Jing Yuan ran into Yun Shu.

Yun Shu was serving drinks to guests and asked Jing Yuan, “How did it go?”

Jing Yuan shook his head: “Didn’t get much useful information.”

Yun Shu comforted him: “At least nothing went wrong.”

Jing Yuan forced a smile and leaned against the corridor, exhausted. Given the current situation, Ning Zhao frequently entertained friends at Manhe, and the second owner of Manhe, Xie Lie’s older brother, had a good relationship with Ning Zhao, even reserving a private courtyard for him.

If Jing Yuan wanted to continue eavesdropping on matters related to Ning Zhao, he would have to stay at Manhe long-term.

When Jing Yuan shared his thoughts with Yun Shu, Yun Shu was very surprised.

“You’re staying for Ji Yan?”

Jing Yuan sighed: “Yeah. They’re Ji Yan’s sworn enemies, and I’m worried they’re plotting against him.”

Yun Shu looked at Jing Yuan’s troubled face and suddenly smiled.

“Xiao Jing, you keep saying you don’t like President Ji. But you’re willing to keep working at Manhe and risk eavesdropping on Ning Zhao for his sake—what else could that be if not affection?”

“Ah? No, I don’t.” If Yun Shu hadn’t pointed it out, even Jing Yuan himself wouldn’t have realized he’d been considering Ji Yan’s interests all along.

Yun Shu said gently: “You can think it over. But I think you and President Ji are a good match. What if you end up together?”

Jing Yuan said seriously: “There’s no ‘what if.'”

…

Back home, Jing Yuan took a hot bath and began pondering what Yun Shu had said. As he thought about it, he suddenly remembered that Ji Yan had promised to take him to see the aurora for the New Year.

Since Ji Yan was being so sincere, he couldn’t fall short.

He had to give Ji Yan a gift that would outshine the aurora.

Jing Yuan was always a person of action—once he decided, he went for it.

That night, he searched online for gift ideas and came across many strange options.

For example, performing a striptease for your lover.

Or dressing up as a little bunny while holding a rope in your mouth.

Or perhaps buying some small props to let the two of you enjoy a wonderful night together.

Jing Yuan: “…”

He suspected the search engine was made by the Hibiscus website.

After searching for a long time, he finally found a decent suggestion.

“In today’s society, young people tend to be quite superficial in their relationships, often expressing their affection through transfers of 5200 or 1317. But decades ago, knitting a sweater for a loved one was very popular.”

After reading this, Jing Yuan nodded in agreement.

Transferring 5200 was too tacky.

Wouldn’t knitting a sweater or a scarf be much more heartfelt?

The materials would cost at most 52 yuan, yet it could achieve the same effect as 5200 yuan.

Anyone with a bit of sense would choose to knit a sweater.

And so, Jing Yuan secretly ordered some knitting needles and red yarn, preparing to make a special New Year’s gift for Ji Yan himself.

For two whole days, Jing Yuan didn’t step outside. His daily routine consisted of happily and tirelessly knitting the scarf in his room.

Although his knowledge of knitting was limited, he was a quick learner. Following online tutorials, he wrapped the yarn around his waist, looping and picking up the threads in an orderly manner, knitting faster and faster.

His unusual behavior naturally caught Chen Tian’s attention.

Even though the New Year was just around the corner, Jing Yuan was acting strangely, having not left the house for two full days.

Chen Tian even suspected that Jing Yuan had discovered he was being followed and had secretly slipped out through another part of the house. But after searching the entire estate with his bodyguards, he only found a dog hole near the grapevines in the backyard.

Surely Jing Yuan wouldn’t crawl out through a dog hole, would he?

That evening, he reported this to Ji Yan.

As expected, Ji Yan took it very seriously and went straight to Jing Yuan’s bedroom, knocking on the door to ask if he could come in.

At that moment, Jing Yuan was working on the final step—knitting the characters.

The characters for “Ji Yan” were too complicated. He was so frustrated he felt like he was about to have a breakdown, and he had only managed to finish one character.

Hearing the knock, Jing Yuan claimed he was tired and didn’t let Ji Yan in. Though Ji Yan felt something was off, he didn’t push the matter. Instead, late that night, when Jing Yuan was fast asleep, he quietly entered his room.

The room was silent, and Jing Yuan was sleeping soundly, showing no signs of illness.

Ji Yan scanned the room, and his gaze suddenly fell on a red scarf.

Next to the scarf were needles and yarn, clearly indicating that Jing Yuan had knitted it himself.

For a moment, Ji Yan thought the scarf was meant for him.

But Jing Yuan had always been quirky and unpredictable. It wouldn’t be strange if the scarf was for someone else or even for himself.

Ji Yan felt the soft texture of the scarf and gently set it down.

Just then, the moonlight outside broke through the thin clouds and fell directly on the scarf.

Ji Yan happened to see the characters “Ji Yan” knitted into it.

Though the characters were a bit irregular, they were still clear.

An indescribable emotion stirred in Ji Yan’s heart. He stared at the characters “Ji Yan,” his fingertips carefully tracing them.

Under the moonlight, Jing Yuan was wrapped in a quilt, sleeping deeply. One could even tell that his eyes had been curved in a smile before he fell asleep.

Ji Yan slowly knelt beside Jing Yuan, wondering what Jing Yuan had been thinking about before he fell asleep.

Could it have been about him?

Ji Yan’s emotions suddenly grew complicated again.

He realized that, without even noticing, Jing Yuan’s actions had been affecting his energy and mood.

After staying a while longer, he stood up and left.

—

The next day was the 29th of the lunar year.

Only one day remained until the New Year.

When Ji Yan woke up, he suddenly noticed the red scarf neatly folded beside his bed.

Putting on his glasses, he saw a small note attached to the scarf.

“New Year’s limited gift—a prosperity scarf. Wishing Yan Yan great fortune and wealth in the coming year. (::>_<::) If you really strike it rich, remember to thank my prosperity scarf."

Ji Yan spread the scarf open with both hands, a faint smile curling his lips.

Downstairs, Jing Yuan was munching on a beef pie.

Ji Yan, dressed in his suit, descended the steps one by one.

Jing Yuan casually glanced over and noticed that today, Ji Yan had swapped his usual black suit for a double-breasted French-style high-end gray one, paired with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. The red scarf around his neck stood out even more strikingly.

The conspicuous red scarf around Ji Yan's neck drew frequent glances from the servants.

Chen Tian muttered under his breath, "The boss's fashion sense has taken a nosedive. That red scarf is hideous."

Jing Yuan, who had been grinning broadly, suddenly glared at him.

Confused, Chen Tian asked, "Young Master Jing, what's wrong?"

Jing Yuan couldn't be bothered to respond and instead huffed irritably, lowering his head to continue eating.

Chen Tian was truly annoying first thing in the morning.

Noticing Jing Yuan's sudden displeasure, Ji Yan felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere. After taking his seat, he sipped his coffee and asked, "Yuan Yuan, who upset you?"

Jing Yuan pointed at Chen Tian. "He said your fashion sense has gotten worse."

Named and shamed, Chen Tian broke out in a cold sweat and forced a stiff smile. "Young Master Jing must have misheard."

In a rare display of good humor, Ji Yan's captivating phoenix eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses softened. "I think it's quite nice."

Jing Yuan frowned, still fuming. "Really?"

Ji Yan: "Mm."

Jing Yuan began to complain, "I stayed up for days and nights to knit this scarf for you. And Chen Tian actually thinks it's ugly."

Ji Yan didn't spare Chen Tian any face. "If he thinks it's ugly, that's his problem."

This response pleased Jing Yuan. He squinted, admiring his own masterpiece. "Are you going to wear it to the office?"

Ji Yan lowered his gaze. "Mm."

Jing Yuan pressed further, "Will your colleagues ask why this scarf looks different from, say, a BBR one?"

Even Chen Tian could answer that question.

Who would dare ask Ji Yan something like that at the company?

Ji Yan paused for a moment, resting his head on his right hand. "They might."

Jing Yuan: "If they think it's ugly, just say you bought it. If they think it's nice, say—"

"Whether others think it's beautiful or ugly, I'll tell them my fiancé knitted it for me."