Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Although Pei Ge had told him the truth, Ji Ziming still brought her to a dessert shop.

  They did not dine in, however, but just ordered a takeout.

  The newly bought desserts thickly filled the car with a sweet fragrance.

  This was unusual for this man who had never allowed anything with a distinct smell in his car before.

  His feelings of dislike were replaced by a different emotion as he saw her hold that box of desserts in the passenger seat.

  The sweet stuff caused his lips to curl up slightly.

  “Why do you like to eat desserts?” His voice dissipated the companionable atmosphere in the car.

  Perhaps, it was the desserts’ sweet fragrance or today’s emotionally stirring incident that made her feel like chatting with him.

  “Because of my father,” she smiled lightly as she mentioned her father.

  “Your father?” He eyed her in confusion.

  That night he visited her house, he saw neither her father nor any items belonging to a man.

  “Mhm. My father would buy me my favorite cake after work when he was still around,” she explained with a smile.

  The quick-witted him easily guessed that her father was no longer alive.

  “Whenever I eat sweet cakes, I feel that my father is still there – that he hasn’t left me at all,” she said softly while tightly holding the box of desserts.

  “.……” Words failed him in that moment.

  His deep-set eyes lingered on her indefinitely as his lips tried to form words that were not spoken in the end.

  Silence reigned in the car again.

  The steadily receding scenery outside the window began to look familiar as they neared their destination.

  He chose this moment to speak again. “I don’t accept your resignation. If you are busy right now, I can grant you a one-week leave.”


  “.……” Her eyes opened wide at his words.

  “Focus on taking care of your mother’s wellbeing for now and don’t worry about the company’s matter,” he gently continued.

  “CEO Ji, my decision is firm regarding my resignation.” She looked at him weakly, not understand why he would not let her go.

  She knew it was not easy to find a job these days, but she did not expect that it was even more difficult to resign.

  She was not an elite and did not hold any fantastic track record; why was it difficult for him to let her go?

  “Mhm. I am firm on this as well,” he coolly said, fixing her a serious gaze.

  “.…… My resignation stands whether you accept it or not.” Feeling too lazy to argue, she simply snorted at him.

  “You can try,” he said unconcernedly.

  She was annoyed by his cold arrogance.

  She shot him an irritated glare before turning her gaze away from him and on to the passing scenery outside. She was silent throughout the drive.

  The last leg of the journey, thus, ended in an unhappy note.

  She was still fuming when the car reached her neighborhood.

  She slammed the door when she got off the car but realized that a certain someone also alighted from it.

  “.…… What are you doing?” she frowningly grumbled.

  “I’ll go with you to visit Auntie,” he calmly said.

  “.…… No need. It’s been a tiring day. I have lots of things to discuss with my mom. It won’t be appropriate for you to visit her now.” She looked at him seriously.

  He studied her serious look and eventually nodded not to follow her up.

  “Anyway; thank you for today,” she softly said as she continued to gaze up at his flawless face.

  “It’s nothing.” He felt his heart burn at the rare gentleness in her eyes when she looked at him.

  “Then…… Good night,” she quickly bid him goodbye. Pursing her lips at the smile on his face, she raced up the stairs.

  His smile faded in her absence.

  The cold expression returned to his face.

  Nonetheless, despite the coldness on his face, his deep-set eyes held a hint of gentleness.

  He lifted his head to silently observe the sensor lights light up on every floor.

  Only after all the lights had gone off did he look away and return to his car.

  He shut the door and sat in the driver’s seat. As he was putting on his seatbelt, he suddenly frowned.

  Although she had taken the desserts with her, the car still smelled strongly of them.

  For some reason, his forehead relaxed even as he breathed the lingering sweetness in the air.

  He was clearly someone who hated sweet stuff.

  Even if it was just a whiff, he would be unwilling to smell it, yet, right now, with the car full of this hateful smell, he unexpectedly did not dislike it.

  He even felt a hint of happiness.

  He inhaled deeply and permitted the sweet fragrance to linger on his body.

  His mouth evoked a smile as he looked in the direction of her home.

  Basking in the sweet smell within the car he somehow got used to, he stepped on the accelerator and drove away.

  The lingering smell in the car made it seem as if that dumb woman was still with him……