Fascination

Standing close, their warm breaths brushed against each other’s face.

Ji Xi stared at the face in front of her, gaze falling on their exquisite and beautiful nose.

There was a small mole next to the tip of the nose.  

The exact location.

The feeling of déjà vu let Ji Xi recall memories from many years ago, instantly distracting her train of thought.

The two were about the same height, so their line of sight matched.

Qiao Zhiyu also glanced over the girl in front of her, from her face to the eye-catching tattoo on her shoulder.

After a moment of silence…

“Thank you.” She nodded in gratitude, her reply gentle and polite.

“No problem,” Ji Xi said, but had still not let go. Her stare was fixated on her, unaware her gaze was so focused it was easy to misunderstand.

Her gaze was too “affectionate”.

Between strangers, this contact fell into the category of excessive intimacy.

Qiao Zhiyu felt uncomfortable being stared at like this. She scanned over Ji Xi and immediately walked around her, not saying another word.

After she left, Ji Xi turned around for another glance before her thoughts were dragged back into reality.  

She felt startled, she must’ve overthought it.

How was it possible.

The world was so big, how could she meet her again. There was a lot of people with moles on the tip of the nose.

After Jiang Nian finished touching up on her makeup, she walked out satisfied. She walked over to Ji Xi and unexpectedly discovered for the first time Ji Xi was dazed from looking at a beautiful woman.  

“Do you know her?” Jiang Nian tapped Ji Xi’s shoulder with her own.

“I don’t.” Ji Xi sounded a little sad.

“Why are you staring at her if you don’t even know her?” Jiang Nian glanced over Ji Xi, her eyes filled with curiosity. She joked, “Your eyes are fixated on her, I thought she was your ex-girlfriend.”

Ji Xi felt exasperated, “What are you on about.”

Given there was only two of them, Ji Xi and Jiang Nian changed their seating to a small round table to drink.

Ji Xi’s alcohol tolerance was better than Jiang Nian’s. Jiang Nian complained that Ji Xi was abnormal, she was competitive in everything, and even wanted to be number one in drinking.

The ambience in the bar was good, and the singer sang an emotional song, her voice clear and compelling.

Ji Xi was a little absent-minded, still thinking about the person she bumped into, and in addition, a few things from the past.

She looked up and took a sip of her drink, slowly scanning around her surroundings, before suddenly stopping. She saw that figure again.

The other person sat in an inconspicuous corner, where the lights shone on dimly.

Long hair tucked behind her ears, Ji Xi peered over at her from an angle and saw her side profile. Her high nose bridge and almost perfect silhouette was visible.

It was noisy in the bar, but the corner she sat in was extremely quiet. Ji Xi would draw in her spare time, and she suddenly wanted to sketch this scene into her drawing book.

She seemed to be here alone, holding the wine glass, taking a sip from time to time. Her profile looked slightly lonely, as if she had something on her mind.

Why else would a person drink alone if they didn’t have something on their mind.

Ji Xi usually never pays this much attention to other person. Perhaps because she had a certain resemblance to the person in her memory, she could not help but look over at her.

In addition, the more she looked at her, the greater the resemblance was.

“Is your work going well recently? When will you become a full-time employee?” Jiang Nian asked mildly.

With her mind elsewhere, Ji Xi did not answer immediately.

Jiang Nian followed Ji Xi’s line of sight and saw that woman again. She thought about Ji Xi’s distracted appearance and suddenly understood something.

“Hai,” Jiang Nian cleared her throat.

Ji Xi reacted slowly and replied, “I’ll known in 2 months. It’ll depend on the assessment.”

Jiang Nian only tilted her head as she looked towards Yu Xi and started laughing. The laughter was full of meaning.

“What are you laughing at?” Ji Xi knew she wanted to say something.

“What do you think I’m laughing at?” Jiang Nian raised her arms and propped herself on the table, pointing to the direction Ji Xi was looking at just now, “I’m laughing at how your soul has been taken away by another person. She is pretty though, you interested?”

“You misunderstood,” Ji Xi explained as she rubbed her forehead.

“What am I misunderstanding? Your eyes have been staring a hole through her since the bathroom.” Jiang Nian thought to herself her intuition was really accurate, she’s always guessed Ji Xi was deep in the closet.

Ji Xi didn’t know how to explain to Jiang Nian.

Just at this time, the person that was not that far away also turned her head over in their direction.

It was then, the two people’s gaze unexpectedly lined up, and they made eye contact again. Ji Xi was slightly embarrassed; she turned her head away and held up her glass to drink.

Qiao Zhiyu looked at her silently for half a second, before glancing down at her watch. She put down her wine glass and picked up her bag in preparation to leave.

“Hey! Hurry up and go ask for her number.” Under the table, Jiang Nian lightly kicked Ji Xi’s leg. The emperor was not in a hurry, yet the eunuch was more anxious than him. She urged, “If you’re interested, then just go straight for it. How can you get a wife if you don’t have a thick enough skin?”

Ji Xi, “……”

The two were not on the same channel at all.

“Don’t blame me for not reminding you. You may never meet again once we leave here.”

Jiang Nian’s words hit the nail on the head.

She will never meet her again once they leave here. Ji Xi weighed her options silently for a moment before decisively standing up and chasing after the tall and elegant figure that was leaving.

Although the chances were almost zero, she might as well try it, since they’ve met.

“Hello,” Yu Xi walked forward.

Hearing someone call her from behind, Qiao Zhiyu turned around unhurriedly, she looked at the person in front of her indifferently and recognized her at once.

The tattoo on her shoulder was way too characteristic, it left a deep impression on her.

Qiao Zhiyu had in fact noticed Ji Xi before they bumped into each other in the bathroom. The incident earlier with the confession was very high profile. She remembered this girl was the one being confessed to. She was beautiful and had a pretty smile.

Qiao Zhiyu was not surprised she was stopped by Ji Xi. She even guessed that this girl would come up to hit on her, because she noticed that she had been peeking at her.

Perhaps because it was boring tonight, Qiao Zhiyu felt an impulse to stay. She wanted to see how this girl will try to hit on her.

Ji Xi took out a bag of wet wipes and held it towards her. She smiled and asked, “Did you drop this earlier?”

The wet wipes were her own. Ji Xi was only trying to find a gimmick to strike up a conservation, so she did not seem so obtrusive.

Qiao Zhiyu had drank quite a bit already, so the effects of alcohol were starting to catch up. Her cheeks were mildly flushed red, and her eyes displayed a sense of leisure and charm.

She looked down at the wet wipes and looked back at Ji Xi, her face erupted in a gentle and generous laughter. She replied, “It’s not.”

Although she was laughing, it still gave people a sense of alienation.

Temperament is a mysterious thing. Even if other person does not say anything much, you can still sometimes see a person’s self-restraint with just a few gestures.

Ji Xi concluded that she had recognized the wrong person. The person in front was proud and elegant, with a proper queenly aura, and she was probably the daughter of a rich family.

She was not from the same world as her.

Ji Xi was quite accurate in her judgement of people. If the girl in front of her wasn’t soaked in a money jar growing up, it would be difficult to have this kind of temperament. In addition, the expensive clothes on her body also confirmed this point.

Seeing Ji Xi was unwilling to leave, Qiao Zhiyu knew there must be something else.

Sure enough.

“I apologize for what happened earlier in the restroom. Did I hurt you?” Ji Xi unconsciously stared at the mole on the tip of her nose again.

Qiao Zhiyu answered concisely as usual: “No.”

“May I ask, are you from Beilin?” Since she’s already here, Ji Xi continued to ask, wanting to check on her suspicions.

Qiao Zhiyu didn’t answer, but just leisurely stared at Ji Xi’s face with a light smile.

Being stared at like this, Ji Xi suspected that she had been led astray by Jiang Nian, why did it feel… a little flirtatious.

What exactly is she thinking.

Ji Xi did not care much about other people’s appearances, and would rarely comment on it, but the person in front of her was indeed beautiful. Her beauty was not only superficial; her confidence and leisure also made others feel comfortable.

Realizing her abruptness, Ji Xi explained seriously, “Have we met before? You remind me of a friend, she…”

Ji Xi hadn’t finished yet.

Qiao Zhiyu’s red lips quirked up as she laughed. She glanced at the young girl in front of her, before responding in a slightly longer sentence, “Are you planning to get my contact information next?”

Ji Xi, “???”

“I’m sorry, I don’t like women.” After finishing speaking, Qiao Zhiyu turned around and left.

The other person was left astonished at the same spot. Ji Xi could not help but reflect on what Jiang Nian told her before. Did she really look gay?

Authors notes:

Xiao-ji: I’m straight.

President Qiao: I don’t like women.

Let’s see whose flag will fall first.