Beijing Colors Lingering

After Shen Jinsui finished showering and skincare, she received a message from Zhou Yancong as usual—

Have you rested?

I was dealing with work after I got home, and I just finished now.

Shen Jinsui typed a reply to Zhou Yancong: 【Not yet.】

The next second, a message from Zhou Yancong popped up in the chat interface: [Do you like the gift I gave you today?]

Shen Jinsui: [I like it very much.]

Zhou Yancong: [Have you decided where to take me to eat next time?]

Shen Jinsui pursed her lips after seeing the message. She had just promised to treat him to dinner next Saturday, and she certainly hadn't thought about it yet.

However, Shen Jinsui still typed a message asking him: "[I'm still considering it. Which restaurant do you want to go to?]"

Soon, Zhou Yancong's message arrived: "I'll follow your arrangements."

Shen Jinsui bit her red lips lightly, thought for a few seconds, and replied to him: 【Do you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions?】

Zhou Yancong: [Any food that isn't too spicy is fine.]

Upon seeing this message, Shen Jinsui suddenly recalled the romance novel plots that He Zhenzhen had mentioned.

She couldn't help but chuckle; her brother also couldn't eat anything too spicy.

Is it true that a CEO must be unable to eat spicy food?

Could Zhou Yancong still have stomach problems?

I'll ask him about it next time.

Shen Jinsui snapped out of her thoughts and tapped the screen with her slender fingers: 【Okay, I understand.】

Zhou Yancong: [Thank you for your help.]

Shen Jinsui: [No trouble at all.]

……

After finishing her chat with Zhou Yancong, Shen Jinsui put her phone on the bedside table, then lay down on the bed and slowly closed her eyes.

After a long while, Shen Jinsui sighed softly. She had actually been having trouble sleeping and suddenly thought of Zhou Yancong.

She knew that Zhou Yancong had feelings for her, and a strange affection began to emerge between them.

However, she didn't intend to break through this thin veil of secrecy; she wanted to know whether Zhou Yancong was pursuing her or had other intentions.

She doesn't want to have another embarrassing past.

Thinking about this, Shen Jinsui couldn't help but criticize herself, saying that this was probably the mentality of "once bitten by a snake, twice shy".

After a long time, when the moon had set and the stars were low in the sky, Shen Jinsui finally fell asleep.

-

The next day, Saturday.

Shen Jinsui suffered from severe insomnia last night and didn't wake up until after noon.

Shen Jinsui threw off the covers and got out of bed. After a quick wash, she went downstairs for lunch.

After lunch, Shen Jinsui returned to her bedroom, began washing her face and applying a face mask, slowly taking care of her skin and putting on makeup.

Then she chooses the clothes and shoes she needs to wear today, and finally selects jewelry and bags.

Shen Jinsui always dresses up carefully whenever she goes out, and the level of sophistication depends on her mood.

She just wanted to make herself happy.

After tidying everything up, Shen Jinsui picked up her bag and walked out of the villa.

When she arrived at the main gate of Yujingyuan, a white Rolls-Royce was parked on the side of the road, and Uncle Zhang was already waiting beside the car.

Then, Uncle Zhang drove Shen Jinsui to the bustling commercial district of Beijing.

After getting off the bus, Shen Jinsui went straight to a shop with an elegant and stylish interior design.

This is a dessert shop that Qiao Yunshu opened some time ago. In addition to desserts, the shop also sells various drinks and coffees.

As soon as Shen Jinsui entered the store, she heard He Zhenzhen calling out to her, "Sui Sui, we're here."

"I see it."

Shen Jinsui walked towards them to a seat by the floor-to-ceiling window. Besides He Zhenzhen and Qiao Yunshu, Jiang Yining was also sitting there.

A few years ago, Jiang Yining came to Shen Jinsui's school as an exchange student for a year, and that's how they became friends.

A few days ago, Jiang Yining said she wanted to go out with Shen Jinsui. Considering that they all knew each other, Shen Jinsui also invited her out.

After Shen Jinsui sat down, the waiter came up to ask her what drinks and desserts she would like to order.

"Iced Americano".

Shen Jinsui suffered from severe insomnia last night and only planned to drink an iced Americano to reduce swelling and refresh herself.

Then, Shen Jinsui turned to look at Jiang Yining sitting next to her and asked, "When did you get here?"

Jiang Yining took a sip of her iced latte. "I only arrived a few minutes earlier than you."

He Zhenzhen looked at Jiang Yining and teased her, "Yining, you're so busy dating now, we rarely see you."

Jiang Yining had attended Shen Jinsui's birthday party before, and she was also a student at Peking University, where she was an alumna of He Zhenzhen and Qiao Yunshu.

Also, whenever Shen Jinsui returns to Beijing for a long holiday, Jiang Yining would occasionally go out with them for a get-together.

Furthermore, Jiang Yining has a friendly personality and gets along well with them all.

Therefore, Jiang Yining became good friends with the three of them.

They only found out recently that Jiang Yining has a boyfriend, Ye Jinwen.

Shen Jinsui recalled that she had run into Jiang Yining and Ye Jinwen at the Beijing Club before, and they were probably already together at that time.

Jiang Yining felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. Shen Jinsui had been back in Beijing for several months, and she hadn't had time to ask her out until a few days ago when she finally had some free time and took the initiative to chat with Shen Jinsui.

After a while, Jiang Yining chuckled and explained to them, "I went on a trip abroad with Ye Jinwen a while ago, and I've been busy with school matters since I got back. I'll invite you guys out to play when I have time later."

He Zhenzhen chuckled, "I was just kidding."

"You talk too much." Qiao Yunshu glanced at He Zhenzhen.

Shen Jinsui took a few sips of iced Americano, patted Jiang Yining on the shoulder, and said, "Don't listen to what He Zhenzhen is saying. Just focus on your own things."

He Zhenzhen suddenly remembered something and said to Shen Jinsui, "Sui Sui, Qi Mingyuan said he wants to have dinner with us tonight too."

“Sure,” Shen Jinsui nodded in agreement, since one more person wouldn’t make a difference.

And so, what was originally a dinner party for Shen Jinsui and Ji Yan turned into a gathering of six people.

About an hour later, the four went to a nearby beauty salon.

Afterwards, the four of them went into the VIP room to start hand care and get new manicures, and also had their feet given a meticulous treatment.

After completing a series of beauty treatments, it was time for lunch.

Immediately afterwards, they left the beauty salon.

The restaurant where they would have dinner that evening was nearby, and Shen Jinsui had booked a private room in advance.

Upon entering the restaurant's private room, they saw that Ji Yan and Qi Mingyuan had already arrived and were chatting on the sofa.

All six people present knew each other, so after exchanging brief greetings, they took their seats.

He Zhenzhen secretly glanced at Ji Yan several times. He was really handsome, with a gentle and refined appearance that perfectly matched her aesthetic.

Qi Mingyuan noticed He Zhenzhen's actions, glanced at her casually, and then looked at Ji Yan, who was chatting with Shen Jinsui.

Qi Mingyuan scoffed softly, then turned to the side, leaned close to He Zhenzhen's ear, and said in a lazy, casual voice, "He Zhenzhen, you're practically eyeing other people."

He Zhenzhen pushed Qi Mingyuan away, turned her head and glared at him, muttering in dissatisfaction, "What's it to you?"

Qi Mingyuan leaned close to her ear again and said in a deep voice, "I don't think Ji Yan has any feelings for you. I advise you to give him up as soon as possible. Pull back from the brink, and you'll be on the right track."

He Zhenzhen snorted and ignored the annoying guy.

Qi Mingyuan sat up straight and leaned lazily back in his chair. He felt that He Zhenzhen had a problem with her observation skills.

After dinner, Shen Jinsui took out her black card from her bag to pay the bill, but Ji Yan beat her to it and tried to pay first.

Shen Jinsui naturally refused. Today, all her friends were here for a meal, so how could she let Ji Yan pay for it?

Qi Mingyuan was also about to pay with his card, but when he saw the two of them vying to pay, he didn't bother arguing with them.

In the end, Shen Jinsui couldn't win against Ji Yan and had to let him pay for the dinner.

Next, the group walked out of the restaurant.

They had just reached the door when they saw Ye Jinwen driving up to pick up Jiang Yining.

When Jiang Yining saw Ye Jinwen, a smile flashed in her eyes. She then waved goodbye to Shen Jinsui and the others before walking to his side.

Ye Jinwen put his arm around Jiang Yining, then nodded slightly to Shen Jinsui and the others as a simple greeting.

Soon, his gaze swept over the man standing next to Shen Jinsui.

Ye Jinwen raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Damn, could this man be Zhou Yancong's love rival?