Shh... can't say not busy—I'll be taught a lesson.
Jiang Ruoqi had been in meetings all day, feeling like she was one breath away from dying in the conference room chair. The meeting room's doors and windows were sealed tight, and the carbon dioxide concentration from brainstorming and breathing was off the charts. Everyone had a splitting headache. Jiang Ruoqi especially. When she learned that there were only half a month until the new product launch and they hadn't even started the bidding for DM distribution, she really wanted to slam her head on the table. It was like, if the group hadn't sent someone, they'd just scrap the new product altogether? She wanted to die, but she couldn't die yet. Problems had to be solved, and action was the first principle of overcoming anxiety.
Jiang Ruoqi gaslighted herself into stabilizing her emotions first, then dealing with everyone else. So from the morning meeting onward, she was like a high schooler ticking off a to-do list. First, she detailed the final plan with all participants, packaged the materials, and submitted them. Then, during the downtime, she sorted out the timelines and expected work for each task. The team was generally cooperative—after all, it wasn't unheard of for a whole department to be laid off due to major work errors. They pulled themselves together and worked overtime until 9:30 p.m., with only a short break for meals. The rest of the time, they were on edge. When the workday ended, the string snapped. Everyone looked dazed, aged a few years in one day. But fortunately, most matters now had a clear direction forward, and no one would start trouble before problems arose.
Punching out, Jiang Ruoqi didn't want to stay in the office for a second. She packed up and walked straight past Duan Jinchen, who seemed about to speak, and rushed to the elevator. Even when she saw the second young master approaching, she ruthlessly pressed the close-door button twice. Dawdling—President Jiang was in a hurry, okay? During the meeting, she had peeled off two fake nails, and now her natural nails were as soft as noodles. If she couldn't get to the nail salon before it closed for repairs, she didn't know what atrocities she might commit against her nail beds tonight. Luckily, the amenities near the high-end office building stayed open late, following the habits of the overworked salaryman. She didn't want any fancy designs, so she picked a highly rated nail salon at random, and also grabbed a steamed cocoa from the coffee shop to fill her stomach.
"Just trim them short and paint a nude color," Jiang Ruoqi said as she sat down, extending her left hand to the nail technician while looking at her phone. Only then did she notice that Ada had been trying to reach her, using her scattergun approach—spamming messages on every platform, from the ones that needed a VPN to those that didn't. Jiang Ruoqi licked her lips, tasting the faint sweetness of the chocolate milk. With the sugar boost, her sluggish mind started working again. Today was Monday, and Su Yansheng was back from his business trip. So the only reason Ada would be frantically looking for her must be related to Meng Shang.
"Your nails are really thin. Do you want to keep doing overlays?" the nail technician asked, holding Jiang Ruoqi's hand for inspection.
Jiang Ruoqi frowned, thinking. "Let's do it." Her nails were brittle and thin—without manicures, she couldn't grow them long. But if she didn't keep them long, some habits wouldn't change, and her nail beds and cuticles would probably suffer even more. Her hands during college were a case in point, as her mother Jiang Yun put it: "Your face is pretty, but your ten fingers are a mess." Later, to improve her image, Jiang Ruoqi tried using manicures to control her habit of biting her nails when anxious. She also heard that overlays could correct nail shape and protect the nail bed and cuticles when removed, so she'd always gotten gel overlays. Of course, the practical effect was far less than the theory—Jiang Ruoqi was both lazy and had itchy fingers, always waiting until she'd peeled off two nails before rushing to book a new set.
"These two damaged nails have hurt the natural nail. After buffing, the surface will be very thin. The overlay might burn a little under the UV lamp."
"It's fine."
The technician touched the rough nail surfaces, still worried, and couldn't help asking, "Do you pick at your nails often?"
Jiang Ruoqi looked up from her phone and instinctively pulled her fingers back. "Only when I'm nervous."
"I can tell," the technician sighed, pulling out the drill from the side. She chose a bit and prepared to remove Jiang Ruoqi's old polish. Service industry folks were usually chatty, and seeing that Jiang Ruoqi hadn't looked down again, she added, "Don't pick at your hands so much, or your calluses will get worse. Use more hand cream, or put on hand cream and wear disposable gloves before bed. You have such beautiful hands—take care of them."
Jiang Ruoqi just smiled and picked up her paper cup to drink, saying nothing. The drill started working, covering the soft background music.
Jiang Ruoqi took out her earphones from her bag, put them on, and first replied to Ada. As someone who understood social graces and boundaries, she knew it was polite to confirm availability before calling—otherwise, a sudden call could be annoying, even between friends. But just after she sent the message, Sophia called back almost immediately.
Jiang Ruoqi answered, her voice hoarse: "Hey, what made you call me at this hour?" The line was noisy, which wasn't like Sophia. Jiang Ruoqi listened closely and realized it was Ada's voice, speaking Cantonese so fast it sounded like a spell. "Okay, mystery solved." Sophia put the phone back to her ear, sighed before speaking: "You heard that, right?"
"I feel for you," Jiang Ruoqi said curiously. "How is she at your place?"
"She fought with her Mr. Su. Since you're not in Gangcheng, she could only run to my place." Sophia sounded utterly exhausted.
That made sense. When the young miss first moved in with her sweetheart, they'd had cold wars every few days, and she'd spent half her nights at Jiang Ruoqi's small apartment. Often, she'd show up late at night with a small bag, lie down on Jiang Ruoqi's bed, and declare she was sealing her heart and loving herself forever. Then the next day after work, Su Yansheng would be waiting downstairs with flowers and gifts to take her back, leaving Jiang Ruoqi and Sophia to roll their eyes and call themselves NPCs in the young couple's drama. Now that Jiang Ruoqi had fled, the one suffering was Sophia. Jiang Ruoqi gloated: "What's Su Yansheng doing messing with her for no reason?"
"It's because of you," Sophia sighed again.
"Because of me?"
"Because of you," Sophia said, clearly not wanting to explain. "Let her tell you."
Ada's voice came through: "Seven, I've asked Su Yansheng everything! You absolutely cannot be with Meng Shang!" In her agitation, her already-not-standard Mandarin became even less standard, babbling and sounding more like a spell than the Cantonese earlier. Relying on years of reading comprehension skills, Jiang Ruoqi understood: it was about Meng Shang. She took off one earbud and tried to calm her down: "Slow down. What's wrong with Meng Shang?"
Ada huffed indignantly: "Su Yansheng came clean. Something really did happen with Meng Shang's family lately. Last month, his grandmother was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. After weighing the options, they chose conservative treatment. I heard her condition is stable for now. But you know, this disease is just a matter of time. Meng Shang is the only grandchild, and what modern parents care about most is their descendants' major life events. Meng Shang was raised by his grandmother, and since she got sick, she's been pressuring him even more."
Jiang Ruoqi switched hands for the technician, listening to Ada's righteous indignation, but instead felt oddly relieved. She bit the straw and curled her lips. No debt or money issues—combined with her friends' testimony and her own knowledge, she could rule out any shady business. Good-looking, busy job—if he was healthy, he was perfect. Being eager to find a partner was no big deal—she was eager too. They'd be a perfect match!
"I knew it! A normally super-busy surgeon suddenly agrees to help? Tell me the truth, has Meng Shang been showing interest in you?" Ada paused, then answered herself without waiting for Jiang Ruoqi: "Definitely. Our Seven is young, beautiful, with a great figure, holds a high position at work, has guts and money. If he's in a hurry to marry, he couldn't find a better match."
Jiang Ruoqi interrupted: "All these compliments out of nowhere—you're making me shy."
Ada ignored her and earnestly warned: "If he's only showing interest to find a marriage partner to complete a task, it's not true affection. Seven, listen to me: a marriage without love won't be happy. You can have fun, but don't get emotionally invested on impulse, hear me?"
Jiang Ruoqi wanted to argue that she, too, was eager to marry, and although she liked Meng Shang, it was more about mutual convenience—she wouldn't really become loveblind. But seeing the embodiment of a loveblind person going out on a limb for her and running away from home, if she said that now, it would sound ungrateful. "So how did you end up fighting with Su Yansheng? Rushing to Sophia's in the middle of the night?" Since this all started because of her, Jiang Ruoqi thought she could play mediator—convince Ada and let Su Yansheng take her back, restoring Sophia's peace. It was Monday, after all—everyone had to work tomorrow.
"My fight with him isn't about you." Ada hesitated. "Well, it is a little, but not a lot. It's about Meng Shang. He knew everything but told me nothing, and even subtly pushed me to set you up with Meng Shang. And I'm partly to blame because I didn't know about his grandmother. If I had, I wouldn't have played matchmaker! What if you actually fell for Meng Shang and then found out you were being used? How would you see me? I'd be stuck in the middle!" Ada's resentment grew. "And Su Yansheng wouldn't tell me the truth—I had to force it out of him. Seven, we've only been married a short while, and he's already hiding and lying to me. How are we supposed to live together in the future?"
That was the crux. Jiang Ruoqi's question about Meng Shang was just the trigger. Jiang Ruoqi thought Ada wasn't wrong. Spousal rifts often started with small omissions. But since it involved married life, the NPC didn't want to meddle too deeply. "I know you care about me the most. I know. But I was the one who took a shine to Meng Shang first. You only asked Su Yansheng to play matchmaker because of me. And Meng Shang has no issues with his character. If he just wanted to get on my good side, it's not that serious."
Hearing Ada's sharp breath over the phone, Jiang Ruoqi knew she wasn't satisfied, so she quickly added: "He was definitely in the wrong—both Meng Shang and Su Yansheng are one hundred percent wrong. We can't overlook their wrongdoing just because it's minor! But you and your husband should talk it out nicely; otherwise, I'll feel embarrassed too..."
The line went silent for a moment, then there was a rustling sound. Jiang Ruoqi held her breath, waiting for Ada to speak. "She went to answer her husband's call," came Sophia's voice.
Jiang Ruoqi sighed with relief. "But what do you mean? Not planning to listen to her and give up on that Meng Shang?" Sophia wasn't as easy to fool as Ada. She'd been watching quietly and now went straight to the point. It was true—dealing with smart people was exhausting.
Jiang Ruoqi told the truth: "Sophia, I also need to find a reliable, trustworthy person to marry."
"Why?" Sophia didn't understand. In just half a month, how had it become imperative for Jiang Ruoqi to get married, and to a mainlander she didn't even like?
Jiang Ruoqi sighed again: "The reason I wanted to come back to the mainland was that my biological father and stepmother suddenly mentioned wanting to set me up with the youngest son of Shenyao Trading."
Sophia's voice showed clear displeasure: "The youngest son of Shenyao Trading? That guy's almost a dozen years older than you, right? He loses money on everything he invests in, and he's got plenty of scandals." Her friend was defending her, but Jiang Ruoqi had never expected fatherly love, so she wasn't sad. She stared absently at her fingertips. The technician had applied the overlay and was using a handheld UV lamp to cure it. Just at the damaged nail, the light lingered, and a burning sensation pierced through the nail into the flesh. "Does it hurt?" the technician asked softly. Jiang Ruoqi shook her head. Of course it hurt—she just didn't want to make a fuss.
Two short sentences, and Sophia sensed something wrong: "Where are you?"
"I broke a nail and found a salon to fix it," Jiang Ruoqi explained. "I've been working overtime until now—so much to do, so annoying. I'm dead tired."
"I know. The rushed new product proposal was sent to the secretariat this afternoon. The boss will come to the company tomorrow; I think it'll be approved."
"It better be," Jiang Ruoqi said, her resentment flaring up at the mention of work and the Bald Boss. "The headquarters assigned me an assistant. Guess who?"
"Who?"
"The boss's second young master, Owen Duan."
Sophia was silent. After all these years in the company, she'd clawed her way to this position without any backing, purely by reading people. As the head of the secretariat, even she couldn't figure out what the boss meant. "What does he mean?"
Jiang Ruoqi chose to give up: "Who cares. I'll just muddle through until I really can't take it anymore."
"You..." Sophia hesitated.
"I'm not considering jumping ship for now," Jiang Ruoqi knew what she was going to say. "Adapting to a new environment is too tiring—more tiring than office politics. Let me off the hook. I haven't even found a place to live in Xinhai yet."
But speaking of apartments... "Alright, it's getting late. Make sure Ada goes to bed early."
"Okay." Sophia couldn't help much either. She let out a soft sigh. "You too. Take care of yourself."
"Don't worry."
Jiang Ruoqi hung up and messaged Meng Shang.
【Seven】: Dr. Meng, I've decided on this apartment. Could you please help me contact the landlord, or send me their contact info? Thanks~
After sending, both her hands were occupied by the nail technician under the UV lamp, alternating between applying color and curing. So even though she was dying to see if Meng Shang had replied, she had to wait until her nails were done. Meng Shang replied, saying he'd communicate with a colleague who had a 12-hour time difference and then sent over the landlord's WeChat business card, listing the monthly rent, deposit, and payment methods in detail. Jiang Ruoqi finished reading but didn't rush to add the landlord.
【Seven】: Dr. Meng still up?
Meng Shang replied quickly.
【Meng Shang】: On night shift today.
【Seven】: Still able to reply—doesn't seem too busy?
As Jiang Ruoqi paid at the front desk, fending off the sales pitch for a membership card while replying, she multitasked and forgot the general taboo for overworked people. By the time she walked out of the nail salon, the moon was high in the sky. The city center streets were sparser than during the day but not empty or lonely, since the office building right opposite was still brightly lit. Jiang Ruoqi checked her phone; Meng Shang's message followed hers. It was a voice message. She tapped it. After a brief static, Meng Shang's low, resigned voice came through, almost whispering: "Shh... can't say not busy—I'll be taught a lesson by the night-shift god."