Chapter 12: Come Sit on Top

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Perceiving the uneasy atmosphere, the butler Xu, who had been following, judiciously retreated. He closed the balcony door, went around to the other side, and chose to enter through the front door...

The sound of rain was shut out, leaving only the deafening heartbeat in Jiang Ni's ears. Just like that rainy day in England last year, he had appeared unexpectedly while she was completely taken by surprise.

"You're injured quite badly." His fingers pressed against a bruise on the inner side of her leg.

In the video, only the bleeding wounds were clear, the other areas hadn't been noticed.

"Hiss." Jiang Ni winced in pain, and as she saw him about to touch another spot, apparently with no intention of being gentle, her eyes, misted with moisture, unwillingly widened in anticipation of avoiding his touch before he did so: "It hurts~"

She let out an excessively spoiled whimper, not hiding her dissatisfaction with his previous actions.

Qin Jijing had no doubt that if he touched her again, she would burst into tears on the spot.

He didn't move again, but his hand did not retreat either.

Jiang Ni sat in the chair, her body pressed tightly against the backrest, looking upwards somewhat passively at him as he towered over her with his gaze fixed intently on her.

He still maintained the bending posture from before, with one hand braced on the armrest beside her, while the other hand directly held the leg she was about to dodge. His defined fingers were resting above her knee, the delicate and reddened flesh of her thigh peeking through the gaps of his fingers.

Fortunately, the strength in his hands was not too forceful, even avoiding her wounds. But the gesture was overly suggestive...

With just one glance, Jiang Ni hurriedly looked away, her gaze fleeing as though in panic.

For a moment, she forgot what she wanted to say, merely sitting there dumbly trapped under him, her mind a blank slate.

"Other than the leg, are you hurt anywhere else?"

Seeing her evasive eyes that day, he knew the injury probably wasn't limited to her leg.

"No..." She had barely uttered a syllable when the man, in an extremely malicious tone, said to her, "Is it the waist? Or here?"

Without her realizing it, the hand that had been on her leg shifted behind her, forcefully parting the chair back with an assertive motion, his fingers brushed against the fabric of her dress to gently touch her waist, then made a feigned sweep over a more dangerous region below, signaling to her.

"!" Not expecting him to really make a move, Jiang Ni jerked her head up, her look at him seemingly rolling with unspoken expletives.

Fearing that he was indeed about to examine her personally, she quickly confessed, "I just banged my waist a bit! I've looked at it in the mirror myself, it's just a bit bruised."

His gaze swept over her flushed cheeks; he hadn't seriously started anything yet.

On the other hand, she, so adept at verbal teasing, was already blushing like this without him hardly doing anything. It was hard not to wonder how she would cling and fuss over him when something truly happened between them in the future.

It wouldn't just be her cheeks and ears; her eyes would also be red.

And by then, it shouldn't only be the eyes that were moist.

Putting aside these thoughts, Qin Jijing stood up straight, increasing the distance between them.

He took off his jacket with his back to her, displaying his muscular back as he stretched and sat down on the single-seat sofa nearby.

"Did you apply any ointment?" he inquired about her lower back.

"I did," Jiang Ni finally managed to sit upright. As the heat on her face gradually subsided, she spoke hesitantly, "Why did you suddenly come back? You didn't tell me..."

"Something came up unexpectedly," he excused casually.

"I see." Jiang Ni didn't know what else to say, her mind still somewhat foggy.

She had thought he wouldn't be back until the weekend and was utterly unprepared.

Thankfully, Secretary Yu entered just in time, breaking the tense silence.

"President Qin, Butler Xu has taken your luggage upstairs, and this is what you left on the armrest box," Secretary Yu placed a box on the coffee table.

Qin Jijing had seen the figure staring out of the window when he got out of the car, and in his rush, he had left something behind.

Jiang Ni was drawn to it, staring blankly at the familiar logo on the box.

This brand only created jewelry for women, it was unlikely that Qin Jijing had bought it for himself.

"Is it a gift for Mrs. Qin?"

She didn't expect he would bring a gift for his mother upon returning from a business trip.

Qin Jijing: "It's a thank you gift for you."

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As her eyes met his, Jiang Ni was sure that this was really prepared for her.

A thank-you gift...

Could it be for taking care of that lighter for him?

Her reaction was bigger than he had imagined, not just surprise.

Qin Jijing saw the subtle changes in her expression and suggested, "Open it and see?"

Like waking from a dream, Jiang Ni extended her hand, hesitated for a moment, then opened the hidden clasp on the velvet jewelry box.

Inside lay a diamond necklace, with a matching pair of studs encircled in the center.

She had never seen this set before; it must be a recent release from the M brand. If she hadn't returned to the country, this jewelry set would likely have appeared in her dressing room first thing last week.

"This... is too valuable," she said, even though she was clearly charmed.

This set happened to be right up her alley.

Qin Jijing had good taste.

Seeing that she genuinely liked it and was not just being polite, Qin Jijing's gaze, which had been slightly intense, moved to her delicate neck and finally settled on her reddening earlobes.

From the few times he'd seen her, she hadn't worn any jewelry. Such tempting spots, not suited to be left bare.

The necklace, or some other embellishment, always looked prettier with a trace left behind.

"Would you like to try it on?"

Jiang Ni nodded, carefully undid the clasp, and took down the necklace. The moment she picked it up, she had already thought of what kind of evening gown to pair it with. She couldn't wait to put it on and see.

She looked around and found there wasn't a single mirror in the living room she could use.

Should she go back upstairs?

Her leg was healing well, and she could walk to the elevator if necessary. If not, she could call for a servant's help, but...

As she stood holding the necklace, indecisive about her next move, Qin Jijing remained silent, merely watching her struggle with herself.

Two minutes later, her rigid figure finally shifted, her eyes brimming with a layer of mist, she looked at him for help: "Mr. Qin, there seems to be no mirror here."

He remained silent, and Jiang Ni did not look away, just like that, in a standoff with him.

The choice was in his hands, and he didn't disappoint her.

Qin Jijing stayed seated, flipped his hand resting on the armrest, and beckoned her.

Come here.

Jiang Ni's grip on the necklace tightened unconsciously, and the next second she leaned on the chair to stand up.

Not daring to put too much pressure on her feet, she walked slowly, her thin figure shaking, looking as if she might collapse at any moment.

Stopping in front of him, Qin Jijing told her, "Sit here."

He was sitting on a single seater with no extra space.

"Sit here" could only mean sitting on his legs.

Instantly, Jiang Ni recalled the day on the boat when others had teased her about sitting on Bai Shu's lap, and then the scene where he got angry.

Just like her choice on the boat that day, she stood still, as if she intended to refuse.

Seeing this, Qin Jijing reached out his hand, expressionless.

Jiang Ni misunderstood and handed him the necklace.

"..."

The moment he touched the necklace, his fingertips abruptly rose and, through the necklace, he grabbed her wrist.

Jiang Ni's eyelashes trembled violently, without giving her time to react, the man's hand exerted force, pulling her onto his lap.

Before she could close her eyes to cry out in pain, he seemed prepared; his other hand accurately caught her waist as she fell, avoiding her wound and effortlessly lifting her onto his lap.

In the end, he did not forget to carefully smooth out the wrinkles on her dress.