When the elevator arrived at the office floor, Ji Xu'an led Jiang Jiang out by the hand. Unexpectedly, they ran straight into Fu Xiaoyin.
Fu Xiaoyin's gaze was first drawn to their tightly interlocked fingers, and then she noticed that the watch Jiang Jiang was wearing was the same model as Ji Xu'an's.
The overwhelming display of affection hit her so hard that she was momentarily speechless.
When Ji Xu'an saw her, her brows imperceptibly furrowed as well.
"Manager Fu, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, oh, I came up to deliver something." Fu Xiaoyin finally snapped back to her senses.
In truth, she had seen the photo the receptionist posted in the small group chat and had come up specially to gossip. At that time, Ji Xu'an and Jiang Jiang had probably just reached downstairs, so Fu Xiaoyin had arrived on this floor before them.
Ji Xu'an glanced at her empty hands. "If you're done delivering it, go back to work."
Fu Xiaoyin rubbed her palms together. Whenever she saw Ji Xu'an's cold expression, she felt a bit intimidated, but she still tried her best to maintain composure. "I just remembered there's something else I haven't taken care of. I'll go down later."
As she spoke, she secretly winked at Jiang Jiang, though her words were directed at Ji Xu'an.
"President Ji, why did you bring your little sister here again today?"
Fu Xiaoyin's impression was still stuck on how her attempt to assist had backfired and earned her Ji Xu'an's displeasure.
Jiang Jiang and Ji Xu'an had left in a hurry that time, and Fu Xiaoyin hadn't had the chance to explain things face to face. Afterward, because of Ji Xu'an, she had been severely punished at home. Her parents had ordered her not to go out, and Fu Xiaoyin had been confined at home for a period of time, only returning to the company yesterday.
But just from the way the two of them interacted, it was obvious that their relationship was progressing smoothly, so Fu Xiaoyin's remark was mostly teasing.
Ji Xu'an, however, explained seriously, "Not little sister. Fiancée."
"We'll hold an engagement banquet before the New Year. The invitation should be sent directly to the Fu family. You're welcome to attend."
Fu Xiaoyin froze for a moment and instinctively looked at Jiang Jiang.
Jiang Jiang had been standing obediently beside Ji Xu'an the whole time. After receiving Fu Xiaoyin's questioning look, she gave her a very slight nod.
Only then did Fu Xiaoyin believe that Ji Xu'an and Jiang Jiang were truly going to get engaged.
At first she was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, both of them had feelings for each other. They had only been lacking the step of laying everything out in the open. As long as one of them took the first step, their relationship would undergo a qualitative leap.
Now it seemed they had already cleared up all misunderstandings.
Fu Xiaoyin's emotions were complicated, a mixture of relief and faint melancholy. However, she did not remain silent for long and quickly smiled and nodded.
"Alright, I'll definitely go when the time comes!"
Ji Xu'an relaxed slightly. "Mm."
Seeing that Ji Xu'an still seemed to be on guard against her, Fu Xiaoyin hurriedly added a couple of flattering words. "Actually, I saw it a long time ago. President Ji and Miss Xie are simply a match made in heaven. The two of you together are a perfect pairing, a union blessed by fate."
Fu Xiaoyin had thought Ji Xu'an would be happy to hear that, but Ji Xu'an's expression instead turned faintly unpleasant. Fu Xiaoyin looked at Jiang Jiang in confusion and then noticed that Jiang Jiang's expression was also strange.
What was going on with this wife-and-wife pair?
Had she said something wrong?
In the past, Ji Xu'an would indeed have been very pleased, but ever since learning the "truth," she could no longer bear to hear the words "match made in heaven." Even though she knew Fu Xiaoyin most likely meant no harm, Ji Xu'an still felt indirectly targeted.
She comforted herself inwardly. It didn't matter. The one fated with little Yuan was the Xie Xiao from the story, not her Jiang Jiang.
Even if those two looked exactly the same, they were not the same person.
So she did not need to worry excessively…
Before Ji Xu'an could fully calm herself, she suddenly thought of something, and her expression tensed again.
Wait?!
Jiang Jiang looked exactly like the original Xie Xiao. Xie Xiao was the wife "destined by heaven" for little Yuan. Jiang Jiang also seemed to have once had a fiancé…
Connecting these known conditions together, Ji Xu'an arrived at an answer she was extremely unwilling to accept.
Could Jiang Jiang's fiancé also have something to do with little Yuan?
For example, could he resemble little Yuan?
At that thought, Ji Xu'an could not help casting a sidelong glance at Jiang Jiang.
Jiang Jiang felt a chill under Ji Xu'an's gaze. She had the vague sense that Ji Xu'an might have guessed something, yet Ji Xu'an did not question her further. Even after they returned to the office, Ji Xu'an did not bring up the topic again.
She had Jiang Jiang sit down on the sofa, while she bent over to pick up a cup of milk tea from the desk and handed it to her. "I just had someone buy this. It's still warm."
The straw had already been inserted. Jiang Jiang took it and had a sip. The sweet flavor burst in her mouth, and she unconsciously licked her lips, the tension in her heart easing quite a bit.
"Sister, I…"
"I know what you want to ask." Ji Xu'an cut in. "Here's a report. After you read it, you'll understand."
She turned toward the desk, pulled one file from a stack of documents, then walked back to Jiang Jiang and handed it to her.
When Jiang Jiang looked at it, she realized it was a report about Liang Junsheng. It was extremely detailed and thoroughly explained the cause of Liang Junsheng's death.
The first thing Jiang Jiang checked was the time of death.
Approximately just a few minutes after she had received Ji Xu'an's message, Liang Junsheng had used the fruit knife he had hidden to slit his carotid artery and commit suicide.
In fact, before this, he had attempted suicide several times, but each time he had been discovered in time and saved.
Only this time, for some unknown reason, no one noticed. It was not until Liang Junsheng's body had already gone cold that a caregiver discovered him.
Jiang Jiang guessed that perhaps it was because Zheng Zhouzhou had previously concealed herself well. She was the protagonist of the story. As long as she intended to use Liang Junsheng to bring Jiang Jiang down, Liang Junsheng was still useful, so "Heaven's Will" had helped him escape danger again and again.
Until this time, even Zheng Zhouzhou herself could barely protect herself. Liang Junsheng, this cannon fodder, naturally lost his protective umbrella.
Jiang Jiang let out a breath and continued reading.
The report described Liang Junsheng's state at death in extreme detail, stating that the flesh at his neck was mangled, the spurting blood had soaked through the bedsheets, and even after he stopped breathing, his eyes remained wide open, his expression extremely ferocious.
Jiang Jiang did not feel much discomfort in her heart. As long as she thought of the kittens Liang Junsheng had tortured and killed, all she felt was relief.
When Liang Junsheng abused those cats, had he ever thought that one day he would take his own life in a similar manner?
Ji Xu'an had been watching Jiang Jiang's reaction carefully, worried she might be frightened. But even after Jiang Jiang finished turning the last page of the report, her expression had not changed much.
Ji Xu'an let out a sigh of relief. She did not think Jiang Jiang was cruel. She was only glad that Jiang Jiang had not been scared.
"Don't overthink it. This person will never affect you again."
Jiang Jiang put down the report. "Mm, don't worry, sister. From now on, I'll just act as if this person never existed."
She truly did not look afraid at all. Her mood seemed unaffected as she took several more sips of milk tea.
While Ji Xu'an felt reassured, another question surfaced in her mind—what kind of life had Jiang Jiang lived before?
Aside from her disgust toward Liang Junsheng, could her nonchalance also be because she had long since become accustomed to such things?
Ji Xu'an wanted very much to understand Jiang Jiang, to know what kind of people and events she had experienced.
But Jiang Jiang had already said she did not remember.
Ji Xu'an could only infer possible aspects of her past from certain reactions, such as her fiancé.
He should still only be a fiancé, right?
Ji Xu'an thought absentmindedly.
She and Jiang Jiang each occupied a separate space. She sat at the desk handling work, while Jiang Jiang typed away at the coffee table.
Every few minutes, Ji Xu'an would lift her head to glance at Jiang Jiang. Her mind was filled entirely with matters related to Jiang Jiang. She simply could not calm herself to work.
From the very beginning, Jiang Jiang had been especially close to Grandmother, and she had repeatedly emphasized that her respect and affection for Grandmother were completely sincere.
Did that mean that in Jiang Jiang's former life, there had also been an elder very similar to Grandmother?
Was it her own grandmother?
As Ji Xu'an pondered, she suddenly recalled something that had happened a long time ago.
It was at the old Ji residence, when she and Jiang Jiang had first met. She had walked in from the main gate, while Jiang Jiang had been standing at the corner between the first and second floors. The moment their gazes met, Ji Xu'an had clearly seen shock in Jiang Jiang's eyes.
Jiang Jiang had seemed to murmur something as well, but the distance had been too great, and Ji Xu'an had not heard clearly.
At the time, she had not thought much of it. But now, recalling it, Ji Xu'an sensed something was wrong.
If it had been the real Xie Xiao, one could explain her strange reaction by saying she might have seen Ji Xu'an before. But Jiang Jiang was not Xie Xiao.
Logically speaking, she should never have seen Ji Xu'an before.
So why had she shown shock the first time she saw her?
After thinking it over, Ji Xu'an could arrive at only one possibility—Jiang Jiang had perhaps seen her long ago.
Or rather, she had seen someone who looked extremely similar to her.
So when she suddenly saw someone she recognized in another time and space, Jiang Jiang had reacted so out of composure.
Ji Xu'an's heart sank straight down. If this guess of hers was true, then another guess was most likely true as well.
Was the person Jiang Jiang had once been engaged to truly little Yuan from another time and space?
Ji Xu'an had already forgotten what Jiang Jiang's reaction had been when she saw Ji Heyuan. Otherwise, she could have further verified her speculation.
Even so, Ji Xu'an could not stop following her line of thought.
So Jiang Jiang cared so much about little Yuan because of that fiancé who resembled little Yuan?
If two different worlds truly shared so many similarities, then in Jiang Jiang's world, was her fiancé's family also more powerful and influential than Jiang Jiang's?
Ji Xu'an thought that perhaps Jiang Jiang had also been forced. In the old days, women were subjected to many constraints. In matters of marriage, they could only obey their parents. How could they possibly have the right to decide for themselves?
So Jiang Jiang probably did not like her fiancé that much. But her attitude toward little Yuan…
Irritated, Ji Xu'an put down the pen in her hand and closed her eyes, temporarily suppressing the matter of the fiancé.
It was not even certain that such a person existed. She should not create trouble for herself.
Compared to that, there were more important matters to consider.
Jiang Jiang had come here and replaced Xie Xiao. Then where had the real Xie Xiao gone?
Was it possible that she had gone to Jiang Jiang's time and space, taking Jiang Jiang's place?
Did Jiang Jiang know about this?
Ji Xu'an's gaze once again fell upon Jiang Jiang. From her angle, she could clearly see Jiang Jiang's profile. The other woman was staring intently at the computer screen, completely unaware of how tangled Ji Xu'an's thoughts were.
Jiang Jiang was undoubtedly a very intelligent girl. She had adapted to this world at the fastest speed, without letting anyone detect the slightest flaw. Admittedly, this was also because no one would think in that direction at all. Still, Ji Xu'an could not deny Jiang Jiang's learning ability and her composed response to change.
She twirled the pen in her hand as scenes from the past replayed in her mind one by one.
Jiang Jiang was fully focused on writing the latest chapter of her novel when she suddenly heard Ji Xu'an ask from not far away:
"Jiang Jiang, when did you come here?"
Jiang Jiang sighed inwardly. She was not unaware of Ji Xu'an's gaze upon her, nor did she fail to understand that Ji Xu'an would eventually ask this question.
She saved the newly written content, then closed the laptop and turned to look at Ji Xu'an. "Ten days before I arrived at the Ji family."
That time point…
Ji Xu'an felt a jolt in her heart as she recalled the things Fang Xunchun had said.
Did Fang Xunchun know something?
For example, that Jiang Jiang would sooner or later replace Xie Xiao?
—
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