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Seeing him walk out, Xiaoqi immediately began pacing and looking around the room.
It was a very spacious suite, complete with a study and a walk-in closet. Outside, there was a massive balcony casually furnished with a set of milky-white sofas that looked so inviting you just wanted to lie down on them.
Xiaoqi switched on the small lamp on the balcony, sat down on the sofa, and looked up at everything, suddenly feeling a bit troubled.
Sigh, even this guy's balcony is bigger than her entire bedroom... How utterly despairing...
She couldn't help but earnestly sink into a brief few seconds of melancholy over the gap between their living standards.
However, Xiaoqi's physiological makeup destined her sorrow to be short-lived. She immediately reminded herself that she wasn't even from Earth, so why bother feeling down?
Besides, her alien brain had a habit of going on strike the moment she felt depressed, and a wave of drowsiness soon washed over her.
Xiaoqi had already been catching a bit of a cold, and just moments ago, President Lin had personally taken care of her and given her medicine.
After taking the medicine, Xiaoqi let out a small yawn, got up from the sofa, and wobbled over to the bed to sleep.
Then she heard the door being pushed open, followed by a mellow yet gentle voice, "Get up and drink a cup of milk before going back to sleep."
Xiaoqi rubbed her sleepy eyes, staring blankly at the cup of hot milk.
"What are you looking at? Drink it."
This sentence wasn't quite as gentle as the previous one.
"Oh!"
After finishing the milk, Xiaoqi finally realized that President Lin had brewed the milk for her himself.
He had personally fetched her slippers, personally brewed the milk, and even brought it to her.
A sudden surge of turbulent emotions swept through her heart like a wild gale, leaving everything in a glorious mess.
Her heart began to bubble with tiny effervescent fizzing sensations rising from the very depths of her soul.
She pressed a hand against her chest, feeling as though something was about to burst right out of her body.
Calm down, calm down.
The previous Yichen had even picked food for her and removed fish bones!
Perhaps she had grown too accustomed to the indifference of this Lin Yichen, so the moment someone treated her nicely, she simply couldn't handle it.
Yet why is he treating me so well at this moment?
Even his gaze seemed rather gentle.
Could it be that he doesn't hate me anymore?
Then again, this Lin Yichen was as fickle as the weather.
Since this aloof Lin Yichen was rarely ever gentle with her, she ought to thank him properly to increase his favorability rating.
That way, she might stand a chance of getting her signal transmitter back in the future.
Furthermore, he was her boss; establishing a good relationship with him could only bring benefits and no harm whatsoever!
Pondering this, she lifted her gaze and addressed Yichen with exceptional politeness and sincerity: "President Lin, thank you. Not only do you look handsome like this, but you're also very likable!"
Yichen paused slightly, then stood up with a calm expression. Without a word, he walked out of the room, though a small curve played at the corners of his lips as he exited.
He walked into the room where Xiaoqi had stayed earlier and stepped into the dressing room.
The first thing that met his eyes was the set of clothes Xiaoqi had changed out of.
After a moment of thought, he picked up the pink dress, and a card slipped out from the pocket.
He picked it up, letting his thoughts wander naturally. With the dress still in his hand, he noticed a bra resting on the counter.
He hurriedly set the dress back down.
Only then did he remember that he had only given her a shirt.
That meant she hadn't worn...
Which implied that the panties underneath...
He hadn't noticed them earlier, meaning she had kept wearing her damp underwear the entire time.
Yichen couldn't help feeling a wave of self-reproach.
disregarding the hour, he strode right out.
Having drunk her cup of milk, Xiaoqi enjoyed a wonderful night's sleep. The moment she woke up the next day, her cold was entirely gone, leaving her brimming with energy and full of vitality.
Thinking of what Yichen had said yesterday, she immediately got out of bed and rushed over to the floor-to-ceiling window to push it open. It had rained last night, and as she opened the window, the post-rain morning breeze brushed against her cheeks, carrying the faint, refreshing fragrance of grass and trees—an air so pure and elegant it was intoxicating.
Xiaoqi took a deep breath, lifted her gaze, and was instantly struck with astonishment.
Not far below, mountain ranges were encircled by lingering wisps of clouds and mist, and the air quality was superb.
To the side lay a vast expanse of gardens and woods, bordered by the azure sea under a clear blue sky, nestled against the mountains and facing the water.
It was practically a fairyland.
That dream immediately flashed through her mind; the scenery here looked exactly like the one in her dream.
Recalling how she had materialized in the living room that day and seen the cool-toned interior, she hadn't even looked properly before instantly teleporting away.
As if remembering something, she dashed straight to the entryway, threw the door open, and ran out.
What met her eyes were refined and exquisite yet comfortable porches and hallways extending north and south. The living room and bedrooms featured low windows and hexagonal bay windows, while the dining room connected the north and south, seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor scenery, complemented by an enormous garden...
Truly, it was identical to the scene in her dream.
Did that mean Lin Yichen's next words would be...
"Not afraid of the cold?"
Seeing her legs exposed beneath the oversized shirt, Yichen immediately averted his gaze, his voice sounding somewhat raspy, "Go change your clothes quickly, I'm taking you back."
"Oh!"
Xiaoqi walked back into the room to find a set of unopened clothes neatly laid out on the bed, complete with underwear and a bra ==
She walked over, picked them up, and checked the sizes. They were her exact measurements, causing her face to instantly flush red like a cooked shrimp.
How on earth does he know my measurements so precisely?
And he even got the underwear...
A sudden thought struck her, and she lowered her gaze to look at herself.
Mortification instantly overwhelmed her.
Goodness, she hadn't worn a bra at all last night, and she had just gone running outside like that...
How utterly mortifying.
Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, Xiaoqi grabbed the clothes and hurried into the dressing room, though her sense of shame was instantly blown away by the sight before her.
This dressing room was shockingly large, with vertical mirrors lining all four corners, the walls, and even the ceiling. Pure white European-style cabinets neatly held eight rows of pure handmade suits, and the interiors of the cabinets were lined with pure gold.
She immediately walked over and touched the pure gold lining inside the cabinet.
My goodness, it felt even smoother than her own delicate skin.
She then spent a few seconds despairing and worrying.
President Lin is unimaginably wealthy.
Xiaoqi's speed in changing clothes was remarkably fast. Two minutes later, she stood before the full-length mirror, looking at her reflection.
She felt that wearing this outfit lent her an aura of capable charm mingled with a trace of playfulness.
The upper half was a white shirt, but in a somewhat doll-like style with pleats running along both sides of the collar, cinched at the waist with a slender bow-tied leather belt. It was paired with black pencil trousers that outlined the graceful lines of her slender legs.
If she paired this with black high heels, oh wow, she would be the epitome of an infinitely charming and capable career woman.
Xiaoqi twirled a lock of her hair.
With such a capable outfit, her hairstyle ought to match that level of efficiency as well.
"Are you ready?" Yichen walked in, and what greeted his eyes was the young girl with her dark hair tied up high, revealing her fair and slender neck.
The urban sunlight slanted through the floor-to-ceiling window, casting a warm glow over her. Framed by the golden sunlight, she possessed an ultimate, hazy aesthetic.
Yichen's heartstrings twitched inexplicably.
"All set," Xiaoqi said with a beaming smile as she walked over.
Yichen looked at the young girl before him: her hands resting at her sides were like tender shoots of white grass, her skin like congealed lard, her neck like the larvae of a longicorn beetle, her teeth like melon seeds, her forehead resembling that of a cicada, her moth-like eyebrows arched, her charming smile captivating, and her beautiful eyes darting brilliantly...
"What are you looking at?" Xiaoqi asked, glancing at him, inexplicably feeling that his gaze at this moment lacked a fraction of its usual sternness and possessed an extra touch of... softness.
Hah! Must be my imagination!
Yichen snapped back to his senses instantly. "Hold on to this," he said, before turning and walking out.
Xiaoqi looked down and saw a card along with a white box.
Upon opening it, she found a white smartphone.
A multitude of questions immediately bubbled to the surface.
First: The dressing room earlier was entirely filled with men's clothing, which meant... this room was where he slept.
Second: There were no women's clothes here, yet the outfit she was currently wearing was brand new, implying it had just been purchased.
Third: Where on earth was her three-thousand-yuan pink dress?
She immediately dashed out.
In the car, Xiaoqi asked bluntly, "Why did you make me sleep in your room?"
The man beside her maintained a composed expression and answered concisely, "It rained. That room is warmer."
But I didn't think the first room was cold at all, and don't all the rooms have heating?
Never mind, that question wasn't important. On to the second question.
"When did you buy the clothes I'm wearing?"
With him leaving the house at midnight yesterday, all the storefronts would have been fully closed.
He must have called someone he knew who owned a clothing boutique.
When the great President Lin makes a personal phone call, who would dare refuse to give him face? They would have driven straight to the store to let President Lin pick out items piece by piece.
After sorting out the clothes, he must have remembered that her phone had been ruined by the water.
Fortunately, his own phone had been placed on the car's dashboard; otherwise, if both their phones had been soaked and ruined, it would have been quite troublesome.
He had bought the clothes and intended to bring them in immediately, but realizing how late it was, he had waited until morning. Yet when he entered, she hadn't been there.
The fleeting moment he saw the empty room had caused Yichen's heart to ache sharply once again.
It was only upon seeing her standing outside the door that his heart finally settled.
Naturally, Yichen wouldn't recount all of this blow-by-blow; whenever he spoke of it to her, he made everything sound utterly effortless.
"I bought them for you. Do you like them?"
"I like them," Xiaoqi said, her thoughts suddenly shifting, "Um... you're not going to make me pay you back, right?"
"..."
Yichen frowned. "I bought them for you as a gift. You don't need to pay me back."
Xiaoqi let out a breath of relief.
This icy President Lin really is nice after all; that other President Lin was an absolute capitalistic tyrant.
Then she thought of the third, and most crucial, question.
"By the way, where is my pink dress?"
Yichen really didn't want her wearing that dress; he felt that when she wore it, she looked far too alluring.
Just looking at her in it made him restless...
And so he had hidden the garment away.
Naturally, President Lin would never admit to such a thing!
"Thrown away."
"What? You threw it away?" Xiaoqi nearly bolted upright in her seat, feeling a sharp pang of financial heartache. "Do you know that dress cost me three thousand yuan?!"
"Mm. The one you're wearing cost me thirty-six hundred, so the outfit you have on is a much better deal."
"..."
Xiaoqi didn't want to speak anymore.
Her phone suddenly rang.
"Answer the phone."
It took Xiaoqi a long while to realize that the sound was coming from the phone on her person.
Why did this ringtone sound somewhat familiar?
Unable to recall immediately, she answered the call. It was Yiyang, asking her if she had finished reviewing the documents over the past three days and whether she would be coming into the office today.
Xiaoqi thought to herself that her relationship with him seemed to have eased considerably, and going to the office would give her better opportunities to interact with him more often.
She immediately replied that she would be heading to the office right away.
After hanging up, a realization hit her. She tapped open her contacts list, only to find a single entry: his phone number, saved under his full name.