The rooftop garden still carried traces of the earlier moment between Bai Zhiqi and Ji Yanluo. The faint scent of lavender hung in the air, the breeze cool and lazy as the city lights twinkled far below. But now, Ji Yanluo was long gone—called away to a sudden call from the board. Bai Zhiqi had quietly returned to her room not long after.
But Han Su had seen it all. From the shadows, pretending to tend to a broken solar lamp, he'd witnessed the way his boss had gently tucked a strand of hair behind the woman who once walked like ice but now sat beside him in fragile calm.
He practically flew down the service stairs to find Xiao Lin.
"She was smiling," he whispered dramatically, clutching the edge of the balcony railing on the assistant's floor. "She. Was. Smiling."
Xiao Lin looked up from her tablet. "Who?"
"Your boss. With my boss."
She blinked, then grinned. "You're joking."
"I swear on Ji Yanluo's immaculate cufflinks."
Xiao Lin shut her tablet slowly. "Tell me everything."
Ten minutes later, they were back on the rooftop, crouched behind one of the potted bamboo dividers, whispering like children hiding from punishment.
"He tucked her hair behind her ear?" Xiao Lin gasped. "Ji Yanluo? The same man who won't even let board members finish their sentences?"
Han Su nodded solemnly. "With all the softness of a historical drama lead. I was expecting background music."
They both laughed, muffling the sound.
"It's happening," Xiao Lin whispered, giddy. "It's finally happening."
"What's happening?"
Both assistants jolted upright like guilty cats.
Ji Lanxue stood above them in a sleek navy coat, arms folded, brows lifted in amusement.
Han Su recovered first. "Ah—Lady Ji—uh—just discussing tonight's…moon phase."
"Moon phase?" she repeated, amused.
Xiao Lin huffed and stood. "We're gossiping, fine. You caught us."
Ji Lanxue smirked. "About?"
Han Su and Xiao Lin exchanged a look, and then both pointed toward the lounge area where Ji Yanluo and Bai Zhiqi had just been.
"Those two?" Ji Lanxue blinked.
"Lanxue," Xiao Lin said, half-whispering, half-squealing. "He tucked her hair behind her ear. He smiled. She smiled. And they *sat there quietly for fifteen whole minutes.*"
Ji Lanxue's jaw dropped, and she slowly turned her head toward the bench, as if trying to see the ghost of the moment.
"Oh my god," she breathed. "My brother has *a crush.*"
Han Su nodded, smug. "And not a casual one. That was 'I-want-to-watch-the-sunset-with-you-every-night' energy."
Ji Lanxue pressed a hand to her heart. "I have waited my whole life for this."
Xiao Lin cackled. "And Bai Zhiqi didn't run away. She didn't glare or threaten bodily harm. She *let him touch her hair.* That's basically a confession in her language."
They all stood there for a moment in reverent silence, the weight of romantic tension not lost on any of them.
Ji Lanxue leaned against the railing and sighed dreamily. "If they get married, do I get to plan the wedding?"
"Can I be the best man?" Han Su asked.
"I'm the maid of honor," Xiao Lin claimed immediately.
Ji Lanxue laughed. "If anyone tells him we're doing this, we're all fired."
"Agreed."
"But still," she added, voice softening. "Maybe… maybe he's finally found someone who sees him past the walls."
They all nodded in quiet agreement, glancing once more at the empty bench, where the seeds of something tender had just begun to take root under moonlight.
And in the shadows, they gossiped on.