Chapter 34: Your Ring Looks a Lot Like the One My Ex Gave Me

Qin Zhaoli changed the subject. “Have you two thought about when to hold the wedding?”

“Not in a rush…” Zhixian replied. When their parents had met for dinner, the topic had come up, but they decided to leave it to her and Qi Yanjing to decide.

The two of them hadn’t discussed it since.

Qin Zhaoli nodded. “That’s true. Weddings can be quite a hassle. Besides, if you and Qi Yanjing were to have one now, I’d honestly be a bit scared.”

Zhixian looked up after neatly arranging the mugs. “Scared of what?”

“Scared that Gu Yuchen wouldn’t be able to handle it and might lose it, crashing the wedding in a fit of madness,” Qin Zhaoli said, laughing. “Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him right now.”

They had only recently broken up, and Gu Yuchen was undoubtedly not ready to see Zhixian with someone else. If he found out… well, who knows what might happen?

Zhixian realized she hadn’t even thought about Gu Yuchen.

Fortunately, since they weren’t planning a wedding anytime soon, it wasn’t something to worry about for now.

“Besides,” Qin Zhaoli continued, “Gu Yuchen hasn’t made trouble for Li Chaomu either. We grew up together, and while his feelings for you and her were different, there’s still some emotional foundation. He’ll probably sulk for a while, annoy you for a bit, and then get over it eventually.”

Although she said this, she wasn’t entirely sure—it was impossible to predict Gu Yuchen’s thoughts, which were more inscrutable than the depths of the ocean.

Zhixian nodded thoughtfully.

Qin Zhaoli glanced at the time. “I’ve got to go now—I’ve got a meeting to attend soon.”

“Alright.” Zhixian turned her gaze to the mugs on the table and picked one up, holding it out to Qin Zhaoli. “Want a mug?”

Qin Zhaoli couldn’t help but laugh as she accepted it, teasing, “I’ll take it—let’s see what kind of magic this mug supposedly has to charm people.”

That was clearly a jab at Gu Yuchen.

Carrying the mug, Qin Zhaoli said her goodbyes. “I’m off now.”

After seeing Qin Zhaoli off, Zhixian packed the remaining mugs into a box and got started on her work for the day.

“Today’s the last day for the 3,000-cup order. We’re finally wrapping this up,” one of the staff members said, diligently preparing the final 500 cups for the order.

The workload had been heavy these past few days, with both the large order and the usual sales traffic in the store.

“I’ll send you all a big bonus tonight—make sure to check your accounts,” Zhixian said as she packed coffee into boxes.

Immediately, the staff began praising her with a mix of humor and genuine admiration. “Boss, you’re the best!”

This order had indeed been profitable, and Zhixian wanted to reward her team for their hard work.

By 4 p.m., they had filled all ten boxes.

But today, the assistant wasn’t the only one who arrived—the woman from yesterday’s awkward encounter also showed up.

Xie Anru entered the shop and greeted Zhixian. “We meet again.”

Zhixian smiled politely.

As usual, the staff loaded the boxes onto the truck. Once finished, Xie Anru turned to her assistant and said, “You can go now.”

The assistant said goodbye to Zhixian before leaving.

Xie Anru stayed behind, observing Zhixian as she worked. Although Qi Yanjing had explicitly told her not to investigate, she had done some light digging anyway.

Zhixian, age 26, had a mother who was the head physician of the top hospital and a leading authority in her field. Her father was a university professor with his own studio. Beyond that, Xie Anru hadn’t looked further.

Zhixian, ready for a short break, turned her head and noticed the woman from yesterday watching her. When their eyes met, the woman smiled.

Zhixian walked over and asked, “Can I help you with something?”

“Have a seat, Boss Wen,” Xie Anru gestured toward the chair opposite her.

Wen Zhixian sat down, taking the opportunity to rest for a moment.

“Apologies for what happened yesterday,” Xie Anru said. She had just returned from abroad and, between being exhausted and annoyed that Qi Yaochuan hadn’t answered her calls, had found someone to vent her frustrations on.

“You didn’t accuse me of anything. If you had come in lecturing me, I wouldn’t have let you through the door,” Wen Zhixian replied straightforwardly.

Xie Anru pulled the corners of her lips into a slight smile. “If there’s fault, it’s usually shared. Both sides deserve criticism, but it shouldn’t be groundless.”

She pulled a jewelry box from her bag, revealing a necklace inside, and placed it in front of Wen Zhixian.

Zhixian glanced at the logo on the box—it wasn’t cheap.

“I truly feel bad about yesterday. I brought this back from overseas; think of it as a token of apology,” Xie Anru said.

The situation felt oddly familiar. Earlier that morning, Aunt Zhao had handed her a red envelope in this very spot.

“That’s unnecessary. Thanks, but it’s not a big deal,” Wen Zhixian declined firmly.

No matter how much Xie Anru insisted, Zhixian refused to accept it. Left with no choice, Xie Anru put it away.

“My last name is Xie,” Xie Anru offered.

Zhixian nodded. “Miss Xie.”

Xie Anru thought to herself, Someday, ‘Miss Xie’ could turn into ‘Big Sis Xie.’ But she only smiled and accepted it for now.

Wen Zhixian glanced toward the counter. The staff member had stepped away to use the restroom, leaving the area unattended.

She turned back to Xie Anru. “Miss Xie, make yourself comfortable. I need to get back to work.”

Xie Anru nodded. “Go ahead, I should get going soon, too.”

“Do visit again,” Zhixian said with a wave before heading to help out.

“One cappuccino, please.”

Zhixian looked up at the customer—a beautiful woman in professional attire. She had been noticing more attractive customers in the shop recently.

After three or four minutes, Zhixian handed the coffee to the woman. “Here’s your coffee. Please take it.”

The woman stared at Zhixian’s hand for a while, her gaze fixed on the ring on Zhixian’s left ring finger, before taking the coffee.

By then, the staff member had returned. With her work done, Zhixian sat back down, planning to pick up Qi Yanjing later.

Resting her chin in her hand, she thought about the moment that morning when Qi Yanjing kissed her. His scent, faintly woody and crisp, lingered in her mind.

She was lost in thought when someone sat across from her.

Zhixian turned to see the woman who had just ordered the cappuccino.

“Hello. May I sit here?” the woman asked.

Zhixian smiled politely. “Please, go ahead.”

The woman’s gaze returned to the ring on Zhixian’s finger. After a long moment of scrutiny, she said, “Your wedding ring is beautiful.”

Zhixian found the sudden comment a bit strange. She glanced at her own ring and replied, “Thank you.”

“It looks a lot like the one my ex-boyfriend gave me,” the woman said evenly.

The ring was unique, but not a limited edition. It wasn’t surprising if someone else had a similar one.

“Then your boyfriend must have loved you very much,” Zhixian said, offering a courteous compliment, even if it was just polite nonsense.

The woman smiled but didn’t respond.

Then she asked, “Aren’t you busy?”

“I was just covering for them for a bit. They’re back now,” Zhixian replied. Glancing at the time, she added, “I have to go now.”

It was almost 4:30—time to pick up Qi Yanjing.

Grabbing her car keys, she headed straight to the school.

On the way, she sent Qi Yanjing a message: Can I come pick you up now?

His reply came almost instantly: Yes.

Then another message followed: Thanks for the trouble.

When she arrived at the school gate, Qi Yanjing was already waiting.

As he approached the car and opened the passenger door, Wen Zhixian couldn’t help but ask, “Did I keep you waiting long?”