The Woman I Was Flirting With Turned Out To Be A Chaebol Heiress - Chapter 17

“Who knows.”

Whether it was family, friends, or lovers none could truly promise eternal companionship. Let alone her and Jiang Ji.

No name, no title.

But Li Nianyi didn’t say it out loud. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions too early—she’d rather give them an open-ended ending for now. Whether good or bad, she wasn’t planning to set any expectations before the outcome actually arrived.

Li Nianyi tapped her finger lightly on Jiang Ji’s back.

“I’m telling you, stay the night. I’m not comfortable letting you go home like this, not in your condition.”

Jiang Ji, mimicking her movements, mischievously traced her fingers across Li Nianyi’s back in return.

“Aren’t you annoyed that I’m wasting your time? You must be exhausted from writing your thesis lately…”

Hearing that, Li Nianyi couldn’t help but laugh and curse:

“Yes, I’m super annoyed. So I’ll punish you by making you cook tomorrow. And it has to be the most, most, most, most lavish meal.”

Jiang Ji laughed along with her.

A soft, warm air flowed between them.

“Mm, leave it to me.”

Right after saying that, she felt a smack land on her shoulder.

“Alright, it’s already past midnight. Go to bed.”

Li Nianyi could only tease the uninjured parts of her body.

After those words fell, Jiang Ji reluctantly let go.

“I’ll go make a bed on the floor then.”

She stood up and, limping slightly, headed toward the bedroom. Li Nianyi followed behind her.

Watching how naturally Jiang Ji opened the closet and pulled out the bedding, Li Nianyi couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Are you getting better at this after a second visit?”

She snatched the blanket from Jiang Ji’s arms and tossed it onto the bed like throwing water. Seeing the confused look in Jiang Ji’s eyes, she plopped down onto the bed and looked directly at her.

“Well, since you’re injured today, I’ll allow you to sleep on the bed.”

Jiang Ji’s face stayed expressionless, but her widened eyes couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Really?”

“You don’t want to? Fine then.”

“I do…! I’ll even change the bedsheets and duvet cover for you tomorrow! And the blanket I laid on the sofa earlier!”

“Alright, alright, my little snail fairy. I’ll go take a shower first. After I’m done, you can wipe yourself down too.”

Li Nianyi tossed her a familiar sleep dress.

“Make sure you change before getting in bed.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Ji nodded hard.

Now alone in the room.

It really was like Li Nianyi said the second time felt much less awkward than the first. The sleep dress didn’t feel as uncomfortable on her now.

She sat a bit stiffly on Li Nianyi’s single bed, and clearly, it wasn’t her injury that made her tense.

The thin walls of this cheap apartment couldn’t offer much soundproofing. The sound of running water from the bathroom came clearly to Jiang Ji’s ears.

She wasn’t the one in the bathroom, but her brain felt like it was being soaked in that same warm water—foggy, dizzy.

Did Nianyi bring a change of clothes with her? She went straight into the bathroom…

If she forgot, should Jiang Ji go help her get some?

The vulgar part of Jiang Ji’s brain couldn’t stop wandering. Images of wet, glistening arms covered in droplets popped into her head.

Stop it!

Jiang Ji tried to clench the fabric on her knees but didn’t want to leave sweaty handprints. Instead, she dug her fingers into her palm, leaving behind four tiny crescent-shaped marks.

One wave of wild thoughts ended, only to be replaced by another.

Would Nianyi ask her to help blow-dry her hair later?

She’d read a bunch of recommended manga lately just to avoid awkward silences when chatting with Nianyi. In many sleepover scenes, there was always that hair-drying part.

Stop, stop, STOP!

Jiang Ji shook her head in frustration.

Where was that calm and collected persona from when they first met at the bar?

Well… maybe she wasn’t calm even back then.

Guiltily, Jiang Ji shifted her position on the bed, hoping to distract herself.

Only to have her attention diverted back to the bed.

Hiss… why is this bed so small?

Could it even fit two whole human beings?

How could they possibly avoid physical contact sleeping side by side like this?

Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.

Jiang Ji cursed herself. She didn’t understand why her brain turned to mush the moment she was around Li Nianyi. All the romantic scenes from those manga just came flooding in uninvited.

As her face burned, the sound of the hairdryer came from the bathroom.

Alright, so no chance to pass her clothes, and no chance to dry her hair either.

Li Nianyi walked out of the bathroom in slightly damp slippers, holding a sealed disposable towel set in her hands no doubt swiped from a hotel.

“Here. If there’s anywhere hard to reach while washing, remember to call me.”

Grabbing the items from her hand, Jiang Ji lowered her head and dashed into the bathroom.

She may have said “okay,” but she absolutely wouldn’t call Nianyi to see her naked.

No way. Never!

She finished quickly before the fog on the mirror even fully cleared. Last time, Nianyi had left a full set of toiletries for her, sitting neatly next to the owner’s own.

Like she knew she’d come back often.

When she returned to the bedroom, Li Nianyi was already lying in bed.

Only the night light was on, casting a warm yellow glow on her cheeks. Sleepiness wove a soft web across her features, her voice thick and sticky as she spoke.

“Come to bed… I’m falling asleep.”

She pointed at the light. “Turn it off…”

At that moment, Jiang Ji’s racing heart finally calmed.

Her mind, so restless with imagination earlier, settled down as she watched Li Nianyi grow drowsy in front of her.

Because having real happiness right here was enough to fill her hollow shell.

“Alright, sleep now. Look at you so sleepy, yet you waited up for me.”

She didn’t know whether Li Nianyi heard her. The other girl mumbled something unintelligible.

Click. Darkness enveloped the room.

Jiang Ji carefully lifted the blanket and slipped under it. As expected, contact with the other person was unavoidable. She tried to take up as little space as possible, but her whole body was screaming against it.

Li Nianyi’s slightly damp hair was right by her face, and her elbow might have been touching her waist.

She should’ve tied herself up.

Because she wasn’t confident she’d sleep properly especially not next to Li Nianyi.

Staring at the dark ceiling, Jiang Ji tried to think about anything else completely still, while her mind buzzed with chaotic thoughts.

She resolved to stay in this position calm, still, steady for the rest of the night.

But the moment Li Nianyi draped an arm over her, that fantasy was shattered.

Warm breath brushed against her neck, and suddenly, the air conditioner might as well have been off.

Oh God…

Was this punishment for “murder and arson”?

That night was truly a struggle for Jiang Ji, but for Li Nianyi, it was one of the rare peaceful nights.

Days of stress had been haunting her dreams with strange, suffocating nightmares, leaving her physically exhausted even after sleep.

But with Jiang Ji beside her, the night flew by.

A dreamless sleep. When she opened her eyes, it felt like she had just closed them a second ago—and suddenly, morning had arrived.

Hmm… like a human dream catcher.

Then she noticed her limbs were tangled around the other person.

Oh right. To give Jiang Ji more space in bed, she’d left her big goose-shaped body pillow outside.

So she’d used Jiang Ji as her body pillow?

A little guilty.

But she forgave herself quickly.

After all, she had applied medicine for Jiang Ji and let her sleep in her bed. Using her as a body pillow wasn’t that big of a deal, right?

Jiang Ji was still asleep.

Li Nianyi figured she probably didn’t sleep well after being tormented like that all night.

At this distance, Li Nianyi’s eyes traced her sleeping face carefully. Without expression, she looked cold and distant like her default state.

Dumb and blank on the surface, yet her thoughts ran deep. Even in sleep, her brows were slightly furrowed. What was she worrying about?

Li Nianyi reached out and gently smoothed her brow.

And then Jiang Ji suddenly opened her eyes.

Li Nianyi froze for a moment, then smiled.

“Good morning, Sister Jiang.”

Jiang Ji blinked groggily, clearly not fully awake. “Why… are you staring at me?”

“Because you’re pretty. Pleasing to the eye. Makes me happy to look.”

Li Nianyi couldn’t stop grinning teasing Jiang Ji was too much fun.

Jiang Ji mumbled under her breath, “You’re… pretty too…”

“Then do you like me?”

Li Nianyi suddenly blurted it out. Even she was stunned, like a glitching radio.

Her brain jammed, gears screeching, sparks flying.

What had she just said?

If someone else had said this, it could pass as casual flirting.

But not them not when both harbored secrets.

Silence.

Li Nianyi quickly looked away.

“Let’s wash up first… And no need for you to go grocery shopping today. I’ve been home more lately and even tried cooking. There’s plenty in the fridge.”

Jiang Ji nodded randomly and replied half-heartedly.

Their morning didn’t last long.

Jiang Ji left.

She got a phone call during breakfast. From the sound of it, something work-related.

Even though she was in a rush, Jiang Ji still stuffed the dirty sheets and clothes into the washer.

So meticulous it was kind of cute.

Watching her figure shrink into a dot from the window, Li Nianyi felt oddly dazed.

She’d speculated about Jiang Ji’s background.

A rich heiress?

A bar owner?

Those might only be partial truths.

This woman, while completely clueless and awkward in romance, clearly possessed sharp focus and a strong sense of control in other areas.

Could she be a high ranking executive?

Then there was that comment about a possible conflict with Kurosaki.

Could she be… involved in the underworld?

The mystery wrapped her in a misty filter, making her all the more irresistible to uncover.

Li Nianyi would wait for the day Jiang Ji chose to open up to her.