Chapter 515: Extra: Gu Nian - Midsummer Echo (3)

The group fell silent.

Jiang Qingli saw a few people behind her turn away, trying not to laugh.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, sensing the next few days would be difficult.

Seeing Jiang Qingli’s silence, Ji Mu emphasized again, “I’m an adult, Big Sister.”

“I know,” Jiang Qingli said, not dwelling on whether he was being deliberate. “During work hours, you will address me the same as everyone else.”

“Then can I call you Big Sister when we’re not working?” Ji Mu asked, tilting his head with a disarmingly sweet smile.

Jiang Qingli didn’t answer, simply glancing at Assistant He.

Assistant He stepped forward and said, “It’s getting late. We should get going.”

As Jiang Qingli’s fame grew, more and more males threw themselves at her. They came from all sorts of backgrounds, making them impossible to fend off, and this Ji Mu was clearly one of them.

As Jiang Qingli’s assistant, Assistant He was used to dealing with men like him.

After opening the car door, Assistant He led Ji Mu to her own vehicle and spoke to him tactfully. The gist of it was that a young male like him needed to learn his place and behave.

Ji Mu listened, a hurt and obedient expression on his face. “I’m sorry. I just thought calling her Big Sister would sound more affectionate. It won’t happen again…”

The moment Assistant He turned away to handle something else, Ji Mu glanced back with a hint of disdain at the car ahead of them.

Before he came, his father had instructed him: “That Gu Nian fellow is the same type as you. Learn a thing or two from him. Miss Jiang is sure to like it.”

‘Learn from him?’

‘What was there to learn from a piece of trash like him?’

‘A special enrollment student from the Royal Academy. He’d done nothing but use his youth and good looks to climb into Jiang Qingli’s bed and become her Beast Husband before she’d even made her name.’

Ji Mu had been groomed since childhood to be a tool for a marriage alliance; he was well aware of his own advantages.

‘In status, he was a nobleman. In looks, he was the same type as Gu Nian, so he certainly wasn’t lacking.’

‘Once he won over Jiang Qingli, his family would be connected to someone powerful, and their clan would inevitably become more prosperous than before.’

‘And if Gu Nian got in his way… Heh. The man was just a pretty face. How could Ji Mu possibly fail to handle him?’

–

In the height of summer, the Twelve Cities were unbearably muggy.

Worried the director might come out and wait for them in the heat, Jiang Qingli had intentionally told her they would be arriving an hour later than planned.

Sure enough, when they arrived at the gate, no one was there.

They parked and got out of the car. The director hurried over, a child in her arms, apologizing. “Miss Jiang, I’m so sorry. I was just giving a few of the children their medicine…”

“Don’t worry about it. We just finished lunch, so we’re a little early,” Jiang Qingli said with a smile, gently pinching the cheek of the child in the director’s arms. “How are all the children?”

“They’re all doing very well,” the director said, leading Jiang Qingli inside. “A few of the little ones are still being fed, but the others are down for their afternoon nap…”

Not far away, a figure darted furtively behind a corridor pillar.

The sharp-eyed Assistant He spotted the figure and said to the director, “It looks like one of the children has slipped out.”

A small child was hiding behind the pillar with their back to them, not realizing that half of their body was still sticking out.

Ji Mu raised an eyebrow. ‘How clumsy,’ he thought.

He was about to tell the director to take the child back when he saw Jiang Qingli tiptoe over. She reached out and patted the top of the little girl’s head, then quickened her steps to get in front of the girl just as she turned to look.

The little girl, seeing nothing, looked confused.

When she turned back, her eyes met Jiang Qingli’s, who was leaning down with a smile.

“S-Sister…” the little girl called out shyly, hiding half her face behind the pillar.

“Xiaoxiao, it’s been a while,” Jiang Qingli said, crouching down to her eye level and gently stroking her hair.

Xiaoxiao was surprised that Jiang Qingli still remembered her name. She froze for a moment as a blush crept onto her cheeks. “It’s been a while, Sister…”

She was just as shy as the last time they met, her head drooping lower and lower as she spoke.

But if one looked closely, they would see that even with her head lowered, her lips were curving into a small, irrepressible smile.

‘She had really wanted to see Jiang Qingli too.’

After they spoke for a few moments, the teacher in charge of naptime came looking for Xiaoxiao and took her back.

The director slapped her forehead. “That explains it! I was wondering why she kept looking downstairs during lunch. She must have heard us say Miss Jiang was coming and has been keeping watch ever since.”

A warm feeling surged in Jiang Qingli’s heart.

‘Children’s affections were always so pure and sweet.’

She asked about Xiaoxiao’s adoption.

The director said, “Quite a few people have come to see her, though I can’t deny many of them were just hoping to get on your good side… However, there is one family that gets along wonderfully with Xiaoxiao. The woman has only one Beast Husband. They’re both university professors in the Tenth District, and they have a very good relationship. They’re coming to visit in a few days.”

Jiang Qingli said, “Good. Please arrange a time then. I’d like to meet them as well.”

The director readily agreed.

–

Thanks to Jiang Qingli’s arrival, the orphanage was even more lively than usual that afternoon.

Affinity with children truly is a magical thing. Jiang Qingli had only spent a few days with these kids, but they all adored her, gathering around her and chattering away.

Jiang Qingli patiently greeted all the children before asking Assistant He and the others to stay and play with them. She then took the few children who had been approved for prosthetics to the infirmary for their check-ups.

The orphanage’s original infirmary had been small and dilapidated. On her last visit, Jiang Qingli had generously covered the full cost of renovations. Now, the entire floor had been transformed into bright, spacious rooms outfitted with the latest equipment.

A few researchers were off to the side, recording data.

Partway through, Xie Youchen called.

Jiang Qingli answered the call and stepped outside. “Is your meeting over?”

He hummed an affirmative, but seemed to hesitate, as if wanting to say more.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Qingli had already reached the hallway, the chirping of cicadas filling the air.

Her lips curved into a faint smile, her mood just beginning to lift when she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder, followed by a cold dampness on her dress.

Before she could even react, a choked, frantic male voice cried out, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Jiang Qingli looked down and saw Ji Mu half-kneeling at her feet, several water cups scattered nearby.

“I just thought, since it’s so hot, the children might be nervous about their check-ups, so I brought some water for them.”

Ji Mu knelt beside her, lifting his head to look up at Jiang Qingli with wide, tear-filled eyes.

While only a corner of Jiang Qingli’s dress was wet, Ji Mu’s entire upper body was practically soaked. The lines of his torso were clearly visible beneath his shirt. Biting his pink lips, he was the very picture of carefully orchestrated misery.

Seemingly oblivious, Ji Mu simply tilted his face up and said cautiously, “Miss Jiang, I didn’t do it on purpose. Please don’t be angry. Let me help you to a changing room…”

As he spoke, he staggered to his feet and reached for Jiang Qingli’s arm.

Jiang Qingli took a step back, her brow furrowing slightly. “That won’t be necessary. Go get yourself cleaned up.”

“Are you angry with me?”

Ji Mu feigned a flustered panic, his movements becoming more exaggerated.

Just as his collar was about to fall open and reveal more skin, a hand shot out from the side and grabbed it tightly.

‘Who dared to ruin his plan?’

‘He was so close to touching Jiang Qingli!’

Furious, Ji Mu whipped his head around, only to meet Gu Nian’s smiling eyes. “Are you deaf? My female master told you to get lost.”