Capítulo 26: O que é seu

Ling Qiuyu: "!!!"
Xiaoxiao: "!!!"
Ling Qiuyu thought she had misheard. "Sister Yan, what did you just say?"
"I said, the lipstick mark on your junior brother's neck probably isn't yours!"
"Lipstick mark?"
Li Yan nodded seriously. "Yes, I saw it when he leaned over to carry you earlier!"
At this, Ling Qiuyu had no choice but to believe it.
Well, her mood plummeted.
Actually, she didn't know why, but hearing that Gong Jingchen had a lipstick mark on him made her feel instantly unhappy.
Xiaoxiao was still pondering.
That man hadn't left Sister Qiuyu’s side all night, and his attitude toward her didn't seem like that of a scoundrel!
Wait, no. I remember Sister Qiuyu was carried in his arms last night.
Then the lipstick mark—
Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened as she looked suspiciously at the distracted Ling Qiuyu.
There was a high probability that it was Sister Qiuyu’s!!!
The car pulled up in front of a restaurant.
Xiaoxiao opened her mouth to speak.
"Get out and have breakfast first. We’ll go back to the hotel to pack later; we’re heading back to H City tomorrow morning." Li Yan’s voice cut off what Xiaoxiao was about to say.
Ling Qiuyu’s newly accepted variety show was in this city, so it was time to go home.
Xiaoxiao had no choice but to swallow her words and wait to ask later.
The three of them returned to the hotel after breakfast.
Li Yan went back to her room because the company needed her.
Xiaoxiao followed behind Ling Qiuyu, staring at her back for a moment before jogging up to her. "Sister Qiuyu, I have a guess."
Ling Qiuyu took out her hotel room card. "What guess?"
Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. "The lipstick mark on that man's neck might be yours!"
"Clatter." Just as Ling Qiuyu was about to swipe the card, it slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
Ling Qiuyu’s eyes widened slightly. She glanced at Xiaoxiao, quickly picked up the card, swiped it with a "beep," pulled Xiaoxiao inside, and pressed her against the door.
Ling Qiuyu couldn't believe she would do such a thing. "Are you... serious?"
"Yes!" Xiaoxiao nodded firmly.
Ling Qiuyu let go of her and sat on the sofa, her gaze vacant, completely unable to process the situation.

Meanwhile, Gong Jingchen took the elevator to the top floor, passed the office area, and returned to his private presidential office, completely unaware of the gossip behind him.
Secretary Xiao Li: "Hey, did you see the lipstick mark on the left side of the President's neck?"
"For real? He plays that wild?"
"I couldn't tell. The President always looks so ascetic, but in private... you know!"
Someone was skeptical. "Maybe you saw it wrong?"
Xiao Li held up four fingers. "I swear, it really is a lipstick mark! Even though only half of it was visible."
"Ahem, ahem." Assistant Yang Rui, who had just come up, stood behind them and heard the entire gossip session.
He assumed the authority of the President's chief assistant. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you still want your jobs?"
Everyone shut up immediately and went back to work; they didn't want to lose their high-paying positions.

Inside the office:
"Give me the proposal for H Company!"
As Yang Rui walked in, he subconsciously looked at Gong Jingchen’s neck.
The lipstick mark was really there!!!
Could it be that the President—snuck a snack last night?
He was so shocked and distracted that he didn't hear Gong Jingchen call him.
Gong Jingchen looked up and said calmly, "Are you done looking?"
"Ah, no—" Yang Rui lowered his head. "Yes, I'm done!"
Gong Jingchen tapped the desk. "The proposal!"
Yang Rui handed over the proposal and opened his mouth, hesitating.
Gong Jingchen flipped through the document. "Assistant Yang, such hesitation—are you looking for a reason for me to fire you?"
Yang Rui: "No, President. It’s just that there are some things I don't know if I should say."
"Then don't say them!"
Yang Rui: "..." If I don't say it, I'm afraid I'll be fired the moment the meeting starts!
He decided to be brave. "President, you have a lipstick mark on your neck!"
The pen in Gong Jingchen’s hand paused, and he looked up.
Under the President’s sharp gaze, Yang Rui swallowed hard and pointed to the spot on his neck with his right hand. "Right here."
Gong Jingchen realized something. Without changing his expression, he went into the adjoining lounge’s bathroom, pulled his collar down slightly, and saw a faint lipstick mark.
Gong Jingchen curled his lips and washed it off.
When he came out, he unusually reminded Yang Rui to go to the meeting.
Perhaps it was Yang Rui’s imagination, but it seemed his boss was in a better mood after coming out of the bathroom.
Yang Rui followed Gong Jingchen in a daze, staring at his back in confusion.
Honestly, he really admired his boss for being able to walk out so calmly after being discovered with a lipstick mark.
Maybe people would guess that last night...
Wait, last night!!!
Yes, how could he forget? The President spent the whole night with Miss Ling. Could it be?
It seemed he had discovered something major!
Had things developed that quickly?

Xiaoxiao tried to comfort her. "Sister Qiuyu, there's a tiny chance it isn't yours, so don't worry."
"A tiny chance? That means there's a high probability it is?"
"How will I face him later? No, how will I face him tonight!" Ling Qiuyu was distressed.
Xiaoxiao: "Why don't you just pretend you don't know?"
"Buzz, buzz, buzz."
Her tone was low. "Hello, Sister Yan."
"What's wrong? Unhappy? Don't worry, the company is already working to remove the trending search. However, this topic is a bit troublesome, so it might take some time to die down."
"...It's trending again?" Ling Qiuyu asked Xiaoxiao to open Weibo.
They had been photographed at the bar and the hospital last night.
Fortunately, the photos only showed Gong Jingchen’s profile, and Ling Qiuyu was wearing a mask while he held her arm.
[Tell me, doesn't this guy's back look familiar?]
[That handsome side profile! Ah!!!]
[Familiar, very familiar. So who is he???]
[...Ah, does Qiuyu really have a boyfriend? She's been photographed twice now. Please announce it quickly!]
[Probably not, right? Didn't Qiuyu say she would announce it immediately if she had a boyfriend?]
[Everyone, don't guess blindly. Shipping the CP isn't bad either! Maybe it's true?]
[Great, that makes sense!]
[Agreed. Qiuyu isn't young anymore; she really needs a boyfriend, even though I might be heartbroken...]
[Consider me, a loyal fan.]
[And me...]
"Sister Qiuyu, your fans seem very concerned about your love life. Every time you trend, it's because you were photographed with a man." Xiaoxiao summarized while browsing the comments.
Ling Qiuyu was thoughtful. With Xiaoxiao's reminder, she realized it too. Thinking back, every trending topic was indeed about her romantic relationships.
"Qiuyu, are you still listening?" the voice on the phone asked.
"Yes, Sister Yan. Just clarify it. We aren't in that kind of relationship!"
"Okay, I'll have them clarify it on the company's official Weibo later."
"Mm!"
Ling Chen also called.
"Sister Qiuyu, Sister Yanyan said you were hospitalized for an allergy last night. Are you feeling better?" the boy’s urgent voice came through.
"Yes, much better. Are you out again?"
"Yes, I'm at an internet cafe playing games with my classmates."
"By the way, I accepted a variety show. I'm going back tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"
There was silence on the other end for a moment before he spoke. "Alright, then I'll go back too!" Even though he didn't want to.
Sensing Ling Chen’s disappointment, Ling Qiuyu added, "Don't worry, you still have five days of vacation. I'll talk to your sister!"
Ling Chen was happy. "Oh yeah! Thanks, Sister Qiuyu. I'll hang up now! Bye!"
Ling Qiuyu hung up and checked her unread WeChat messages, including one from Director Li asking if she felt better.
Since they left early last night, Xiaoxiao had already explained it to them.
Ling Qiuyu typed a few words.
[Much better, thanks for asking!]
She then lay back on the sofa, looking lifeless.
What should she do tonight? Even if it wasn't certain, it could really be true!
"Sister Qiuyu, I think it's okay even if it is true. You call him 'brother,' so it’s normal for a little sister to accidentally kiss her brother."
Though that was true, she wasn't actually his sister, which was exactly why it was so awkward.
Ling Qiuyu closed her eyes. It was all that tea—no, the alcohol's fault.
The name sounded nice, but why include the word "tea" if it was alcohol!
Ling Qiuyu’s thoughts were in chaos; she had spent the entire day thinking about it.
At five in the afternoon, the sun began to set, dressing the horizon in a rosy glow.
Seeing the message from Gong Jingchen, Ling Qiuyu waited for him at the hotel entrance in advance.
When Gong Jingchen arrived, driving himself, he saw her pacing back and forth at the entrance from afar, deep in thought.
The car stopped slowly in front of her. Ling Qiuyu looked up and saw Gong Jingchen’s handsome side profile through the window, recalling the photos the netizens had taken and their comments.
He certainly had the looks for it!
That side profile!
Before she could collect her thoughts, Gong Jingchen had already unbuckled his seatbelt and come to her side.
He patted the back of her head and opened the front passenger door. "What are you thinking about? Get in!"
"Oh, oh!" Ling Qiuyu recovered and sat inside, fastening her seatbelt.
As he drove, Gong Jingchen asked, "Have you decided what you want to eat?"
Ling Qiuyu shook her head. "Not yet!"
She then snuck a glance at him. Seeing he didn't intend to settle the score, he must have forgotten, right?
Ling Qiuyu felt secretly relieved.
Gong Jingchen pondered for a moment and drove her to a villa complex with an ancient aesthetic on the outskirts—Jinlu Villa.
Jinlu Villa offered both dining and scenery.
The interior of the villa was decorated in an ancient style, surrounded by clusters of flowers that embraced the grounds. A clear pond with fish swimming in the water created a tranquil environment. Eating here would surely give one a good appetite.
Gong Jingchen led Ling Qiuyu to his private room. Looking at the decor, she liked it more and more.
Ling Qiuyu pushed open the wooden window, and a rush of floral scent mixed with the freshness of grass greeted her.
She took a deep breath and turned to smile brightly at Gong Jingchen. "It's so beautiful, I love it here!"
Gong Jingchen’s lips curled up; seeing her happy made him happy too.
A moment later, a waiter came in.
"President Gong, would you like to order now?"
"Yes," he gestured to Ling Qiuyu. "Come over and order!"
"Okay!"
Ling Qiuyu flipped through the menu and asked Gong Jingchen, "Brother, do you have any dietary restrictions?"
Gong Jingchen didn't answer. "Order whatever you want to eat!"
In the end, Ling Qiuyu ordered a few of her favorite dishes and added a spicy boiled fish.
Ahem, truthfully, Ling Qiuyu couldn't handle much spice, but she loved spicy food.
The dishes were served quickly.
Seeing the bowl of boiled fish with its red, chili-laden broth, Ling Qiuyu swallowed involuntarily.
Gong Jingchen’s gaze swept over the spicy boiled fish in front of her, and his brows furrowed slightly. However, seeing how her eyes lit up when she looked at it, he ultimately said nothing.