Chapter 057: The Choice

Chapter 057: The Choice

The next day, birds were chirping outside the window.

Ji Pushu slept in until the sun was high in the sky and woke up in Qin Ce's arms. Her body wasn't in pain, just a little sore. She had controlled the pace last night, taking it gently all the way.

The actual experience was a bit different from what she had read in those books, but Qin Ce's natural talent in that area was undeniable. She had no idea how he came to be that way.

Ji Pushu thought back to some of last night's events. Opening her eyes, she saw Qin Ce still asleep, his handsome face right in front of her, like a prince waiting to be kissed awake. She was happily surprised by his good looks first thing in the morning.

His chest was broad, and his arms had visible muscles, making her feel secure when held in his embrace. He looked lean yet strong when dressed, but muscular when undressed.

"Brother Ce? Brother Ce?" Ji Pushu called softly twice, but Qin Ce was still asleep and wasn't woken up.

Curious, she glanced at his chest and then lower, where the blanket was blocking her view a bit. She slyly pulled it down, wanting to see exactly what it looked like.

She had used it last night, but the room only had dim, warm lighting, and she had been so nervous that Qin Ce had to help her through it, and she didn't dare take the lead. She still hadn't had a good look. She had heard that everyone's looked different.

They were both wearing pajamas. She must have been so exhausted that Qin Ce had helped her put them on after she fell asleep.

Now, it was getting in Ji Pushu's way. She reached out her mischievous hand to lift it, but suddenly her wrist was caught, and Qin Ce's calm voice came from above her head.

"Looks like you've still got plenty of energy. Having fun?" Qin Ce had just woken up, his voice a little hoarse, with a hint of softness.

"Brother Ce~ You're awake~" Ji Pushu used her usual coquettish tactic, her voice sweet, her eyes blinking prettily, while putting on a shy expression. "Brother Ce, I wasn't trying to touch anything. I just wanted to see if your foot got jostled last night."

"Heh." Qin Ce let out a meaningful light laugh. "Go ahead and take a look if you want. The lighting was bad last night, but it's daytime now, so you should be able to see more clearly. Take a good look, compare it to what you've seen in your books and those little videos, and see what the difference is."

As he spoke, he pulled the blanket off directly and unfastened his cotton pajamas.

"Brother Ce, I'm going to wash up!" Ji Pushu was so startled that she scrambled out of bed and dashed into the bathroom.

When it came to actually looking, she chickened out again.

Sneaking a peek was one thing, but with Qin Ce wide awake and her staring intently, studying it from every angle? She'd feel like a total pervert.

"Tsk, scaredy-cat."

Qin Ce teased her, and he was in a great mood.

·

In the afternoon, after the Ji family driver came to pick her up, Ji Pushu left the Qin residence.

"When will you be back tonight?" Before she left, Qin Ce was still playing chess, he asked calmly.

Ji Pushu paused, feeling a bit flustered and not daring to look back at him.

"Brother Ce, I don't know yet—depends on how things go."

With that, she hurried away. "If I don't come back, I'll let you know, Brother Ce. Don't wait up."

"Fine."

Qin Ce toyed with the chess piece in his hand, watching her graceful figure leave.

He was eager to see what choice she'd make.

For some reason, Ji Pushu felt a chill run down her spine—a creepy, unsettling feeling.

Maybe the car's AC was turned down too low.

"Sister."

Jiang Hanwei was already in the car too, wearing a white dress that matched her appearance, making her look like a delicate little flower.

Ji Pushu, in a bright red dress beside her, was quite striking.

She gave a slight nod without saying anything, and the driver started the car and drove off.

Jiang Hanwei didn't mind; she was used to this kind of dynamic. Still, she asked curiously, "Sister, how are things with Mr. Qin?"

She had heard about the recent turmoil in the Qin family and had always known that Ji Pushu's goal was to marry into the Qin family as the eldest daughter-in-law. Now that there was a change in the Qin household, it was quite intriguing to see how she would choose.

She swore she wasn't trying to gloat—after all, if Ji Pushu succeeded, she, as a "sister," would benefit too, wouldn't she? At the very least, she could lean on that status.

She once thought Qin Ce was a good catch, but his aura was a bit intimidating, and his gaze too sharp. Her little tricks would be seen right through, so she didn't dare get close.

She just didn't expect Ji Pushu to be so bold, and it seemed she had succeeded. She was the only woman who could stay by Qin Ce's side.

"Got that much free time? Finished that relationship of yours?" Ji Pushu wasn't angry.

Her so-called plastic friends would be the ones truly probing for information later, and they would genuinely gloat.

Jiang Hanwei was immediately at a loss for words. She sighed with some melancholy, "I broke up with him, but he didn't agree. I laid it all out—everything I knew—but he said he didn't know, that he'd been kept in the dark too."

In short, she was in a mess now. The feelings she'd invested were real, and so was the disgust.

"Sis, what should I do?" Jiang Hanwei was torn.

As a human, one is bound to have emotions. If she could just cut them off casually, she wouldn't be human.

"Go with the flow." Ji Pushu took out a small mirror to check her makeup, admiring herself. "Date a few more guys, and you'll figure it out."

"And," she paused for a few seconds, glancing sideways at her, "you're not short on money, not short on a house or a car. Men are just condiments. Want one or not, it doesn't matter. You don't have to get married. So why overthink it?"

Ji Pushu's philosophy was always simple and straightforward. She wasn't opposed to marriage nor obsessed with it. She just wanted happiness.

As long as you feel your choice will bring you the happiness you want, then just go for it.

Choosing nothing, living alone—that works too, as long as you feel happy.

Jiang Hanwei fell silent.

Her mother always wanted her to marry well. Other choices—this had never really been an option for her.

They soon arrived at the auction house.

Qin Jie was already there, surrounded by admirers, basking in the spotlight. He was smug and full of himself.

Basking in the glory that once belonged to Qin Ce, he felt incredibly pleased. Just thinking that Qin Ce was now a thing of the past made him almost laugh out loud.

When he saw Ji Pushu arriving, he smiled. "Miss Ji, you look gorgeous today."

Ji Pushu wasn't a stunningly gorgeous woman, but she had fair skin, long beautiful legs, and a mix of innocent charm and the refined air of a pampered heiress.

Her posture was also flawless. Just standing there, she was a showstopper.

"Thanks for the compliment, Second Master Qin." Ji Pushu curled her lips in a smile, as a greeting.

"Miss Ji, if you see anything you like today, I'll buy it for you." Qin Jie, now on cloud nine, wasn't shy about showing off his money in front of the woman he was pursuing.

Ji Pushu wasn't the type to be fooled by empty promises. "That wouldn't be right, Second Master Qin. If what I like is too expensive, wouldn't that be an imposition on you?"

"It would be my pleasure to spend money on Miss Ji."

The back-and-forth banter between the two surprised a lot of people there.

Everyone in their circle knew that Ji Pushu had always been chasing after Qin Ce. Now that Qin Ce had lost his power, it seemed she had quickly switched her target to Qin Jie. But then again, in the world of wealthy families, where was there true love? Self-interest came first.

The auction was about to begin.

Ji Pushu made her way to her seat, with Jiang Hanwei beside her, while Qin Jie was one seat away, raising his glass to her with an oily gaze.

So annoying.

Ji Pushu thought to herself, she wasn't that into money and status.

"Five million, sold to Mr. Chen!"

"Seven million, nine million, ten million! Ten million going once, ten million going twice, ten million going three times! Congratulations to Mr. Wang!"

"..."

The main event was still to come; the earlier items were just appetizers.

Ji Pushu watched for a while, but nothing caught her fancy.

Soon, a pair of jade bracelets appeared. They were exquisite, centuries old, crafted with extremely fine workmanship. They had once been worn by a famous empress and were a wedding gift from the emperor to his first wife, carrying great value.

Ji Pushu fell in love with them at first sight. The opening bid was ten million, and she went straight to twenty million.

But there were plenty of rich ladies at the auction, and some wanted to go up against her.

"Twenty-six million." Ji Pushu remained calm and continued to raise the bid.

Jiang Hanwei's heart was pounding as she leaned over and whispered, "Sis, do you have that much money?"

As far as she knew, Ji Pushu only had about twenty million to spend at the auction, and she herself had even less.

She had only come to mingle in the social circle, with no intention of bidding—she couldn't afford it. Her father might give her a few million, but tens of millions? Absolutely not.

"If I want something, I'll get it." Ji Pushu certainly didn't have that much—it exceeded the money she could freely use.

But before leaving, Qin Ce had given her the funds, without specifying a limit, only saying she could spend as much as she wanted, even on the most expensive item.

Qin Ce would never deceive her; Ji Pushu firmly believed that.

So now, she didn't hesitate to raise the bid, determined to win.

A few rich ladies dropped out, leaving two other bidders. In the end, Ji Pushu secured the bracelets for thirty-eight million.

This was a bit of a slap in the face for Qin Jie, who had offered to buy her gifts. He wasn't short of tens of millions, but spending that much just to please a woman made him wince, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He could put on airs on the outside as the second young master of the Qin family, but the cash on hand he could actually use was limited.

As for the remaining auction items, none caught Ji Pushu's eye. However, she bid fifteen million for a vase, thinking Qin Ce might like it.

After the auction, it was time for the banquet, a lively affair with glasses clinking and chatter.

"Miss Ji, care to dance?" Qin Jie sidled up to her again.

He wouldn't give up until Ji Pushu was his, so he could flaunt her in front of Qin Ce.

"Sorry, Second Master Qin, my heels are too high and uncomfortable today, and I've hurt my foot. I can't dance." Ji Pushu had made her choice, and she rejected him again.

She simply couldn't accept someone less handsome than Qin Ce. Once you've met someone that amazing, you can't settle for less.

Besides, Qin Ce wasn't poor. He could casually spend tens of millions on her. But Qin Jie was stingy; even if she were with him, she wouldn't get much money, and she'd have to deal with his affairs outside—too much trouble.

Qin Jie's expression darkened. He wasn't an idiot. Ji Pushu's repeated rejections meant she was refusing his olive branch and still sticking with Qin Ce.

"Miss Ji, I think there's something I really must tell you," Qin Jie said with the smugness of a petty man. "Now that Qin Ce is no longer protecting you, how long do you think the Ji family can hold out against the Qin family's takeover? A smart woman like you should know whose side to choose."

He was threatening her with her family, and given his petty nature, he would likely follow through.

Unfortunately, Ji Pushu wasn't someone who could be easily intimidated. If Qin Ce had made that threat, she might have been worried, but Qin Jie? Not a chance.

"I don't know how long we'll last," Ji Pushu said with a smile. "But I think it'll be longer than you expect, Second Master Qin."

"And besides, Qin Ce only has a problem with his legs, not his mind. What do you say I get him to take you on, how long do you think you could last, Second Master Qin?"

Ji Pushu coldly insulted him, then left the banquet with an air of superiority.

Such a boring banquet without Qin Ce by her side. She'd rather go back and snuggle in his arms playing chess.

Qin Jie, on the other hand, was so furious his face twisted in rage.

He knew all too well what Qin Ce was capable of. The fact that Qin Ce hadn't been killed—only crippled—still made him uneasy.

In a corner.

Two bodyguards were keeping a close eye on things.

Seeing Ji Pushu leave, one of them spoke into his walkie-talkie, giving a detailed account of their conversation. Then he heard a soft chuckle.

"Get her home safely."

"Yes, boss."