Ji Xu'an did not pay attention to Fu Xiaoyin. She walked to Jiang Jiang and asked softly, "Are you planning to go back to the hotel first, or go out for a walk?"
Jiang Jiang thought for a moment. "Let's go back to the hotel first. Sister has been busy all morning, you should be tired too. Let's go back and rest for a bit."
Ji Xu'an could not describe what she was feeling. Jiang Jiang was clearly concerned about her, yet Ji Xu'an still felt that a barrier had already formed between them.
She tentatively reached for Jiang Jiang's hand. Jiang Jiang did not refuse. Ji Xu'an slowly tightened her fingers and led Jiang Jiang toward the door.
The partner had arranged a private car for them. Ji Xu'an let Jiang Jiang get in first, then got in herself and sat beside her.
Fu Xiaoyin stood not far away watching the two of them get into the car. She stroked her chin. The more she looked, the more she felt that these two were terribly twisted.
Ji Xu'an had practically written caution all over her face, and even so, Jiang Jiang still thought Ji Xu'an did not like her.
But this was not Jiang Jiang's fault. Who told Ji Xu'an to be foolish herself?
Yesterday, when Ji Xu'an had cleanly and decisively rejected her, Fu Xiaoyin had even thought Ji Xu'an truly had some clever strategy. After all that, it turned out Ji Xu'an had simply been guarding against her.
She knew absolutely nothing about being in love.
Sure enough, in the end, she would have to assist.
—
When Ji Xu'an and Jiang Jiang returned to the hotel, someone had already come to clean the room. The red rose that had been bought for nine yuan and ninety-nine cents was placed on the stand to the right of the entrance.
After being left overnight, the petals were already somewhat wilted.
On the way back last night, Jiang Jiang had clearly protected that flower so carefully, yet now she had casually left it there without even giving it a glance.
Ji Xu'an pressed her lips together. She still very much wanted to explain what had happened last night, but she was not sure whether Jiang Jiang wanted to hear it now. She did not dare speak rashly and could only silently follow behind Jiang Jiang, secretly observing and searching for a suitable opportunity.
With such a large person following behind her, Jiang Jiang was not blind. How could she not notice?
For a moment, she did not even know what expression she should wear.
Of course Jiang Jiang could sense Ji Xu'an's hesitation to speak, but she did not know whether Ji Xu'an's reaction was simply because she had noticed something off about her mood and intended to coax her?
If that was the case, then whether she listened or not made no difference.
Jiang Jiang did not speak either. She busied herself tidying up, letting Ji Xu'an trail behind her eagerly, pretending not to notice her struggle and probing.
Ji Xu'an kept holding back her words. It was not until Jiang Jiang turned around, about to go back into the room, that she finally spoke and stopped her.
"Jiang Jiang." Ji Xu'an's tone sounded calm enough, but her hands behind her back were tightly clenched into fists.
"Can we talk?"
Jiang Jiang walked over to the sofa and sat down. She interlocked her fingers around the glass in her hands. Her fingertips were warmed slightly red by the water, yet she did not notice. She lowered her eyes to avoid Ji Xu'an's gaze and asked softly, "What does Sister want to talk about?"
Ji Xu'an crouched down in front of Jiang Jiang. She looked up at her, her gaze moving from Jiang Jiang's closed lips to her long lashes, and finally fixed unwaveringly on Jiang Jiang's eyes.
"Jiang Jiang, I'm sorry. Last night was my fault." Ji Xu'an apologized honestly.
Jiang Jiang lifted her eyes to look into Ji Xu'an's. Her tone remained gentle, even carrying a hint of confusion. "Where was Sister wrong?"
She truly seemed not to know what Ji Xu'an was referring to.
Ji Xu'an's heart tightened. "At that time, I didn't mean to say nothing. I just…"
I was just too cowardly, afraid that I had misunderstood everything, so I hesitated and struggled, and in doing so missed the best timing.
But before Ji Xu'an could finish, a finger pressed against her lips, successfully stopping the rest of her words.
Jiang Jiang clearly did not want to hear her say more. No matter how unwilling Ji Xu'an felt, she could only fall silent and look at Jiang Jiang, waiting for her final judgment.
Jiang Jiang withdrew her hand. "Sister, you don't need to explain. I'm not angry."
"Nothing really happened last night. You just misunderstood my relationship with Sister Fu, and I explained a few words."
As Jiang Jiang spoke, she even curved her lips into a faint smile. "When you didn't say anything at that time, I thought you refused to believe my explanation, so I felt a little sad."
"I was too willful and made Sister overthink as well." At this point, Jiang Jiang pursed her lips shyly. "By the way, did I perform okay today? I didn't cause Sister any trouble, right?"
From the moment Jiang Jiang stopped her from speaking, Ji Xu'an had remained silent, quietly listening to her explanation.
As Jiang Jiang said more and more, the blood in Ji Xu'an's body gradually cooled. Her lips pressed tightly together, her dark eyes staring straight at Jiang Jiang, her gaze growing dimmer and dimmer, until by the end, a faint watery redness spread in her eyes.
Jiang Jiang had originally wanted to say more, but now she stopped. She looked at Ji Xu'an with some surprise. Even the glass in her hand trembled slightly, the hot water inside rippling in circles.
Ji Xu'an's eyes… were they red?
Before Jiang Jiang could see more clearly, Ji Xu'an turned her eyes away to avoid her gaze. Her thin lips parted, her voice slightly hoarser than before. "No. You did very well."
Jiang Jiang let out a breath of relief. "That's good."
She took a sip of hot water to moisten her throat. Her lips became even more full under the sheen of water, and even her voice softened, carrying a faint damp warmth.
"If I ever have someone I like, I will definitely tell Sister."
Ji Xu'an remained silent for a long time. Jiang Jiang did not know what she was thinking. From her angle, she could not fully see Ji Xu'an's expression, but she thought Ji Xu'an should be satisfied, right?
She had taken the initiative to write off what happened last night. Ji Xu'an no longer needed to worry about how to coax her. After this, their relationship would return to being close and harmonious as before.
That should be what Ji Xu'an wanted, right?
Jiang Jiang believed she had already been considerate enough.
But Ji Xu'an still seemed entangled in those probing words from last night.
"You said that compared to Fu Xiaoyin, you would prefer me." Ji Xu'an took a deep breath, her voice even lower. "Does that mean you might also develop feelings for me that go beyond family?"
This question, which should have been asked last night, was finally spoken by Ji Xu'an more than ten hours late.
If she had heard this sentence last night, Jiang Jiang might have suspected that Ji Xu'an had some feelings for her.
But now she was not certain. Ji Xu'an's reactions made her afraid to be sure.
Jiang Jiang guessed that perhaps Ji Xu'an was not asking because she wanted an affirmative answer.
After all, when they had not known each other long, Ji Xu'an had also used similar methods to confirm Jiang Jiang's feelings.
Perhaps now she meant the same thing?
Ji Xu'an wanted to know whether she would like her, not because she liked her. On the contrary, it was precisely because she did not want her to like her, did not want their relationship to change, that she was testing her.
After hesitating for a long while, Jiang Jiang said softly, "I was just giving an example. Sister treats me very well. I won't make Sister unhappy."
Ji Xu'an's heart sank even deeper. Her face turned paler and more ashen than ever before. All the secret thoughts in her heart were crushed to pieces by Jiang Jiang's few sentences.
Jiang Jiang's explanation was a not-so-subtle rejection. If Ji Xu'an were smart and rational enough, she should stop here and not continue entangling herself.
But she was unwilling.
"I won't be angry." Ji Xu'an explained solemnly. She paused, a trace more urgency in her tone. "Why would you think I would be unhappy because of that?"
She would clearly only be desperate to have it.
Jiang Jiang tilted her head, her almond eyes filled with pure confusion. "Sister forgot?"
"It was Sister who told me not to have unnecessary thoughts, because you would never like me."
"And when we canceled the engagement, Sister also agreed very much. I thought that compared to lovers, Sister would rather be sisters with me."
"Isn't that what Sister thinks?"
Jiang Jiang's voice was not cold, nor was there the slightest trace of accusation or dissatisfaction. She simply wanted to remind Ji Xu'an not to forget what she had once said.
The color completely drained from Ji Xu'an's lips.
She had not forgotten. She had said all those words herself, and Jiang Jiang remembered every single sentence clearly.
All those indifferent words she had once spoken without care now turned into sharp blades stabbing into Ji Xu'an's heart. Dejected, she lifted her head to meet Jiang Jiang's clear eyes. Her lips moved, yet she could not say even half a sentence in explanation.
What could she say? That those words were not spoken by her?
Thinking of the sentence Jiang Jiang had repeated again and again, "I'll listen to Sister," Ji Xu'an belatedly understood its deeper meaning. The bloodied ache in her chest surged again with suffocating pain.
She did not know how to explain. In the end, she could only say softly to Jiang Jiang, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
It was her arrogance and self-righteousness that had led to today's consequences. She had brought this upon herself.
Back when she did not like Jiang Jiang, she had been wary in every way and repeatedly warned Jiang Jiang not to indulge in wishful thinking. Now what right did she have to beg Jiang Jiang to forget her previous indifference and open her heart to accept her?
Ji Xu'an had even less right to ask Jiang Jiang to forget everything that had happened before.
She did not even dare let Jiang Jiang notice her loss of composure. Ji Xu'an thought that if Jiang Jiang knew she liked her, she might find it ridiculous.
The person who had once stood above her and demanded that she not harbor improper thoughts had ended up being the first to fall for her.
Ji Xu'an's throat was painfully dry. The words she spoke seemed squeezed out one by one.
"Jiang Jiang, you did nothing wrong. It was the former me who went too far." Ji Xu'an's voice was almost hoarse. "Those things I said, just treat them as if I was crazy. I wasn't clear-headed and did many foolish things."
"I don't expect you to forget those things, but could you…" Even Ji Xu'an felt her request was excessive. "Could you give me a chance to make up for my mistakes?"
Jiang Jiang looked at her thoughtfully. What did Ji Xu'an mean by this?
She remained silent for too long. Ji Xu'an grew more and more anxious, afraid that not only would she fail to obtain a chance at redemption, she would push Jiang Jiang even farther away.
So she parted her lips again and pleaded softly, "Jiang Jiang, Sister truly knows she was wrong."
Jiang Jiang caught the way she addressed herself—Sister.
She understood. After going around in circles, Ji Xu'an was still worried that she would dwell on what had happened before, and that it would affect the relationship between the two of them.
Jiang Jiang believed she had seen through Ji Xu'an's thoughts. She emphasized again, "I can understand what Sister was thinking back then. I really am not angry at you."
Of course Ji Xu'an knew that she was not angry at her. She was simply being obedient to her.
But she did not want Jiang Jiang's obedience. She would rather Jiang Jiang get angry at her. At least that would mean Jiang Jiang cared about her.
Not being angry also meant not liking her.
Yet Ji Xu'an could not say any of this. Jiang Jiang was already gentle enough with her. She had no right to ask Jiang Jiang for anything more.
Today's conversation ultimately ended in Ji Xu'an's silence.
Jiang Jiang even went back to the room to take a nap. Ji Xu'an, however, sat on the sofa in a daze for more than two hours. It was not until a subordinate called her and asked her to go out to inspect the experimental base that she forced herself to pull herself together. She left a note for Jiang Jiang on the table, then went out.
By the time Jiang Jiang woke up, Ji Xu'an had already been gone for a while.
The note said that if Jiang Jiang wanted to go out for a walk, she could call the bodyguard. A string of phone numbers was written below.
Jiang Jiang did have that idea. She wanted to take a look at the famous attractions in B City.
After discussing it with the bodyguard, Jiang Jiang tidied up briefly. She tucked the room card into her pocket and walked out of the room, only to run straight into Fu Xiaoyin, who was closing her door.
"Sister Fu?"
Fu Xiaoyin chuckled and deliberately asked, "Are you going out?"
Jiang Jiang: "Mm."
To be honest, she had thought Ji Xu'an would take Fu Xiaoyin along as well. After all, Ji Xu'an's full vigilance toward Fu Xiaoyin was obvious to anyone who was not foolish.
In fact, Ji Xu'an had considered it. But Fu Xiaoyin's skin was thick enough. She rolled around on the bed, clutching her stomach and shouting that it hurt. Ji Xu'an could not really ignore whether she lived or died and drag her out by force. In the end, she had no choice but to give up on that idea.
Thinking back to her battle of wits with Ji Xu'an, Fu Xiaoyin felt rather pleased with herself. "Since President Ji isn't here, how about I take you out for a stroll? I'm very familiar with B City too. I can be your tour guide."
Jiang Jiang thought about it and agreed.
"Then I'll trouble you, Sister Fu."
So Fu Xiaoyin went out of the hotel together with Jiang Jiang. Even though the bodyguard arranged by Ji Xu'an kept looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze, she pretended not to notice.
Although the bodyguard would definitely report this to Ji Xu'an, as long as Ji Xu'an did not personally come back to drive her away, what did it matter?
Fu Xiaoyin was indeed very familiar with several attractions in B City. On the way to the nearest one, she took the opportunity to briefly introduce some related information to Jiang Jiang.
Jiang Jiang listened very attentively, almost to the point of taking out a small notebook to write things down.
She had recently been writing a novel and just happened to need relevant material. It was always good to accumulate more.
Speaking of which, Jiang Jiang's novel already had more than five hundred bookmarks. Before setting off yesterday afternoon, she had posted the second chapter she had finished writing. She had not checked the comments yet.
Looking at the mere one thousand words left in her drafts, Jiang Jiang felt a bit bald from worry.
Writing was so hard!
Forget it. Better to have fun first.
Jiang Jiang followed Fu Xiaoyin and acted like a special forces soldier for an afternoon, visiting two or three attractions. Both her feet were faintly sore from all the walking.
Fu Xiaoyin's stamina was even worse than hers. When they got in the car at the end, she collapsed onto the back seat without caring about her image. Even so, she still struggled to bring Jiang Jiang to a place that could be considered somewhat special.
"What is this place?"
Jiang Jiang followed Fu Xiaoyin inside. A gentle piece of music immediately sounded by her ears. The lighting inside the room was relatively dim, but Jiang Jiang could still see many tables.
"Is this a place to eat?" Jiang Jiang guessed.
"In a way. There's food." Fu Xiaoyin giggled. "Let's find a booth and sit first. It's not too late yet, so there aren't many people. When it gets dark, it'll be very lively."
Fu Xiaoyin skillfully led Jiang Jiang to a corner booth and sat down. Soon a waiter in a black suit walked toward them.
Jiang Jiang looked at Fu Xiaoyin with an especially well-behaved expression, so much so that Fu Xiaoyin almost could not bear to bully her.
"It's fine. I'll order something with a low alcohol content for you. I definitely won't let you get drunk."
Hearing this, Jiang Jiang immediately reacted. So this was a place for drinking. Did all bars look like this?
Jiang Jiang curiously looked around at the surroundings.
Her gaze did not fall on Fu Xiaoyin, so she did not notice Fu Xiaoyin whispering something into the waiter's ear.
It was not until someone suddenly plopped down beside her that Jiang Jiang looked at the newcomer in slight surprise. It was a woman dressed in a sexy and mature style. Her expression was calm, and there was a faint resemblance in temperament between her brows and eyes and Ji Xu'an.
Jiang Jiang froze for two seconds, then turned her head and realized that there was also a young girl sitting beside Fu Xiaoyin, attentively pouring wine for her.
"Sister Fu, this is…" Jiang Jiang trailed off.
Fu Xiaoyin's expression did not change. "This is very normal. When you come to a bar to drink, someone will accompany you. Don't be nervous."
Really??
Jiang Jiang was still hesitant. She was not sure whether Fu Xiaoyin was deceiving her. If this truly was the custom here, then if she showed too much resistance, would she seem out of place?
So Jiang Jiang did not say anything more.
Seeing this, Fu Xiaoyin secretly let out a sigh of relief, thinking that this time she had really gone all out!
On the surface Jiang Jiang accepted it, but secretly she took out her phone to search.
Just as she was looking it up, the woman beside her poured a glass of wine and leaned in toward her.
Feeling her breath, Jiang Jiang quickly shifted to the side.
"No need, thank you!"
Her gaze did not fall on the woman's face at all. Because of that slight resemblance to Ji Xu'an, Jiang Jiang felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"Did I do something wrong?" the woman looked at Jiang Jiang faintly.
Fortunately, her voice did not sound like Ji Xu'an's. Otherwise Jiang Jiang would not have been able to stay.
She did not lift her head, instead seriously typing into the search bar. When she saw the results confirming that Fu Xiaoyin had not lied to her, Jiang Jiang closed her eyes with a headache.
The woman was still looking at her. Even Fu Xiaoyin and the other girl were looking over as well. Jiang Jiang had no choice but to explain, "It's not your problem. I'm not used to being too close to strangers."
She thought of Ji Xu'an, who was still working. For some reason, Jiang Jiang suddenly felt a bit guilty.
She felt like a dissolute young master sneaking out to drink behind the back of her lawful wife. The last time she had gone to KTV with Ji Heyuan and the others, no one had accompanied her. Why was this time different?
"Is your family too strict?" The woman had long noticed Jiang Jiang repeatedly looking at her phone. She thought Jiang Jiang was replying to someone's messages.
Without waiting for Jiang Jiang to speak, the woman continued to persuade her, "It's fine. Girls also need to relax once in a while. We're not doing anything, just drinking."
As she spoke, she handed the poured wine to Jiang Jiang again. Jiang Jiang had no choice but to take it. She touched it lightly to her lips, but the wine did not enter her mouth.
Seeing that she was no longer blindly resisting, the woman appropriately changed the topic. She was actually very good at chatting, but Jiang Jiang still listened somewhat absentmindedly.
She opened WeChat several times, then closed it again.
Ji Xu'an had not sent her any messages.
Jiang Jiang was very patient. Before Ji Xu'an contacted her, she did not reveal a single word. It was not until more than twenty minutes had passed that Jiang Jiang's phone suddenly rang.
It was a call from Ji Xu'an.
Jiang Jiang did not avoid the others. She placed the phone to her ear and softly called, "Sister."
Fu Xiaoyin, with sharp ears, heard that address and could not help shivering.
Ji Xu'an was coming to catch someone!
Although everything was within her expectations, Fu Xiaoyin still instinctively felt a bit frightened.
Ji Xu'an heard the music on Jiang Jiang's side and felt that something was off. "Jiang Jiang, have you finished visiting the attractions?"
From her words, it was obvious that she had long known that Jiang Jiang was together with Fu Xiaoyin.
"Mm, we've finished. Sister Fu said she'd bring me to broaden my horizons. We're at a bar."
"What?" Ji Xu'an's breathing seemed to falter for a moment.
Even through the screen, Jiang Jiang could feel her anxiety and her teeth grinding.
"Which bar are you at?"
Jiang Jiang blinked innocently. "I don't know either. Sister Fu brought me here."
Ji Xu'an restrained herself and took a breath. "Hand the phone to Fu Xiaoyin. I'll ask her."
So Jiang Jiang passed the phone over.
She watched as Fu Xiaoyin's expression changed again and again, finally settling into one of righteous acceptance of death.
Jiang Jiang could not help letting out a light laugh.
The woman beside her suddenly asked, "Is your sister coming to take you back?"
"Probably." As she spoke, Jiang Jiang took her phone back from Fu Xiaoyin.
The woman sighed. "What a pity. Will we have another chance to meet? Can we add each other as friends?"
Before Jiang Jiang could answer, a cold voice suddenly came from the phone receiver.
"No."
Jiang Jiang lowered her head in astonishment. Fu Xiaoyin had not hung up the call at all!
The woman was also stunned for a moment. She sized up Jiang Jiang's expression and jokingly said, "Your sister manages you quite strictly. It's just adding a friend. That's not allowed either?"
Jiang Jiang felt as though she had fallen into some strange Shura field.
Ji Xu'an was almost angered into laughter by that sentence. "Just adding a friend?"
In front of Jiang Jiang, she did not say anything more cutting.
"Wait for me. I'll arrive in about half an hour."
Jiang Jiang obediently replied yes. Her fingertip was already hovering over the hang-up button when she heard Ji Xu'an say in a low voice, "I'm very worried about you, Jiang Jiang."
"Can you not hang up?"
Before Jiang Jiang could refuse, Ji Xu'an softened her tone and continued to strive for it.
"Don't worry. You can play however you like. I won't interfere with you."
"As long as I can hear your voice."
—
Author's note:
President Ji: Fu Xiaoyin, you're dead :)
Fu Xiaoyin: (shrinks her neck) (whistles) (pretends not to be afraid)
—
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