Chapter 5 Living Worse Than a Dog

Chapter 5

She was trembling.

Jiang Zhiyan instinctively thought of getting up and sitting next to Xia Zhiyu, draping his coat over her shoulders, and then loosely wrapping his arms around her waist.

Later, Jiang Zhiyan climbed onto the solid ice, but Xia Zhiyu remained anxiously lying on the narrow ice floe.

She was timid and frail, and even though she knew that orcas could appear at any moment and overturn the fragile ice floes, Xia Zhiyu still dared not come down.

Jiang Zhiyan understood why Xia Zhiyu was like this, because she had never experienced hardship.

She had her parents when she was studying, and then he came along after she started working. In every stage of Xia Zhiyu's life, someone paved the way for her, so naturally she became lazy.

But how can one live like a parasite forever, clinging to someone else's body?

Parents, children, and lovers may all pass away first.

Jiang Zhiyan understood this principle at a very young age; he knew clearly that the only person he could wholeheartedly rely on was himself.

Jiang Zhiyan firmly believes that work helps people grow, and the prerequisite for self-reliance is having an independent and stable career.

Especially for women, learning to enjoy solitude and the joy of advancement is essential to truly taking control of their lives.

But Xia Zhiyu is not like that.

Jiang Zhiyan saw it clearly: although Xia Zhiyu was very enthusiastic when she first started working, she never put work first.

Traveling is more important than work, flower viewing is more important than work, even cooking soup and eating are more important than work.

Xia Zhiyu's life was full of beautiful scenery, so much so that she forgot to build a solid foundation for herself.

He has to push her, he always has, and he still does.

Wasn't one of the reasons he chose to go abroad alone a year ago to cultivate Xia Zhiyu's independence?

Jiang Zhiyan forced himself to sit back on the stool, his hands clasped tightly together on the table, his left thumb pressing and squeezing against the tendon sheath of his right hand, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Give her some more time. Jiang Zhiyan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his brows furrowed unconsciously due to tension, making him appear even more cold and stern.

Jiang Zhiyan's grandfather was Spanish, and by his generation, the mixed-race genes were no longer very obvious. Only his deep-set eyes and tall, strong body still highlighted his mixed-race appearance.

When he gets angry, his brow bone lowers unconsciously, and his eyelids fold coldly and slant towards the sun, making his Western bone structure more three-dimensional, appearing arrogant and indifferent.

This almost critical and harsh expression was like a paper shredder, crushing Xia Zhiyu's meager self-esteem into dust.

It's so cold...

Are air conditioning free in upscale restaurants? It's much colder than a law firm.

Xia Zhiyu shivered from the cold. Her fingertips twisted into a ball, and the shape of her finger bones on the back of her pale hand was clearly visible, as if they were about to pierce through her flesh.

The shame made her try to curl up into a ball, but every cell in her body was fighting against the guilt.

She didn't understand why she couldn't be as talented and hardworking as Jiang Zhiyan, and she didn't understand why she couldn't resist so-called laziness.

Her fingers, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, turned white. The chill was so intense that she could barely see the exquisite lace tablecloth in front of her.

The vision went from clear to blurry, and the wooden stripes on the table became distorted.

Xia Zhiyu didn't dare to look up. She blinked hard, and two tears soaked her suit pants. The water stains gradually spread on the silk fabric, like a large stain spreading in her life.

Perhaps, whether to Hua Wan or to Jiang Zhiyan and Jiang Jing, her existence is like a stain.

She was an eyesore and unsuitable, and I wanted to get rid of her but there was no suitable opportunity, so I had no choice but to fumigate and steam her again and again with a high-temperature sterilizer.

My stomach was churning and howling like a stormy sea, convulsing, twisting, and aching.

Her body was screaming that it wasn't right, but she stubbornly stayed by Jiang Zhiyan's side because of her unyielding love.

But now even Jiang Zhiyan is treating her like a stain.

Xia Zhiyu arched her back slightly, her shoulders hunched inward, in so much pain that she wanted to overturn the table in front of her and hysterically yell at Jiang Zhiyan in despair what he wanted to do, what he and his mother wanted to do to her.

But from what standpoint did she make this statement?

Is she an employee? Or is she Jiang Zhiyan's girlfriend?

What will Jiang Zhiyan think of her?

Will his gaze shift from indifference to astonishment, and then to an undisguised disdain like his mother's?

They complained that she was lazy, stupid, and out of place in the elite city of Beicheng.

My heart ached terribly, and a torrent of emotions overwhelmed me.

Before she could speak, Xia Zhiyu tried her best to suppress the urge to vomit, staggered to her feet, covered her mouth, and hurried toward the bathroom.

A dull thud echoed in the air as a body collided with the corner of a wooden table.

The lace tablecloth was stained with a patch of tears that had slid down, clashes incongruously on the table.

When Jiang Zhiyan anxiously asked the waiter for a wet towel and rushed over, Xia Zhiyu was leaning against the sink, vomiting so badly that she couldn't straighten her back.

Her lips and face were both deathly pale, physiological tears hung from the corners of her eyes, and cold sweat dampened a few strands of hair at her temples, which clung tightly to her pale cheeks, making her look extremely pitiful.

Jiang Zhiyan stood frozen in place, a strange and immense sense of fear sweeping over him. It felt as if a knife was being sharpened in his heart, causing a dull, throbbing pain.

"Fish!"

He tried to support Xia Zhiyu's shoulder, but his outstretched hand was slapped away.

"Don't touch me."

Xia Zhiyu's voice was hoarse and grating. Stomach acid corroded the mucous membrane in her mouth, making it extremely difficult for her to speak. She didn't even glance at Jiang Zhiyan, her delicate and beautiful face and body language filled with resistance.

She even took two steps back.

Jiang Zhiyan's arm, which had been pushed away, stiffened. As it fell to his side, his fingertips clenched together. His voice was strained as he handed over the towel.

"Wipe your face, I'm going out to make a phone call."

He stared at Xia Zhiyu's slender, white nape, his gaze sliding inch by inch down to Xia Zhiyu's thin, clearly visible collarbone. Jiang Zhiyan paused, his eyes darkening.

"Um."

Xia Zhiyu leaned against the sink, her body so weak she could barely stand. She turned her head to look at herself in the mirror.

The woman in the mirror was pale, fragile, and unfamiliar; it was impossible to tell that she had been able to walk the Ya'an hiking trail independently for three days and four nights during her university years.

What happened to her? Xia Zhiyu asked herself blankly, why was she in such a sorry state?

"What's wrong with her?"

Jiang Zhiyan's brows furrowed deeper and deeper as he listened to what was said on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. Please arrange another medical check-up as soon as possible, and I will take her with me."

He hung up the phone, and Xia Zhiyu came out of the bathroom with unsteady steps. When she looked up, she met Jiang Zhiyan's slightly dissatisfied gaze.

"Dr. Song said you didn't have a physical exam in the first half of the year?"

Jiang Zhiyan habitually grabbed Xia Zhiyu's left hand, his fingers firmly gripping hers, not giving her a chance to break free, and immediately began to scold her.

"Don't you know your own health condition? Why do you always make excuses for not getting a checkup?"

“I’m fine,” Xia Zhiyu said softly.

Jiang Zhiyan laughed in exasperation, "If there's no problem, why are you throwing up today?"

"You must have caught a cold; the air conditioning was set too low."

"Don't you know how to wear warmer clothes? You're a grown adult, can't you even take care of yourself?"

The resentment and dissatisfaction in his tone were clearly visible.

A deep sense of exhaustion washed over Xia Zhiyu. She couldn't understand why Jiang Zhiyan could always find a way to retort no matter what she said. Was this what a top-tier lawyer was like?

When problems arise during negotiations, it is important to seize the high ground and criticize the other party for insufficient preparation from a superior position. Gaining a psychological advantage is beneficial for conveying one's own demands.

Jiang Zhiyan has already incorporated this approach into her daily communication with her.

Work and life are seen as a single entity.

Xia Zhiyu gave a self-deprecating smile.

Jiang Zhiyan knew Xia Zhiyu's physical condition very well. She was vomiting like this, so it was most likely gastroenteritis. She definitely couldn't eat at the trendy restaurant.

The northern city outside the car window was enchanting at dusk, with the orange-red sunset painting the sky and the afterglow stretching as far as the eye could see.

The temperature inside the carriage was comfortable. Xia Zhiyu wrapped herself in Jiang Zhiyan's coat, leaned back in her seat, and looked out the window at the scenery without saying a word.

"Take your medicine first. I've made an appointment with Dr. Song for a gastroscopy tomorrow morning. I'll go with you."

"Um."

The room fell silent. Xia Zhiyu, with her back to Jiang Zhiyan, huddled under the covers, scrolling through her phone idly. The sound of a puppy barking and howling came from under the covers.

Xia Zhiyu couldn't help but smile.

Jiang Zhiyan placed the hot water on the bedside table, glanced at Xia Zhiyu's black hair whorl sticking out from under the covers, and felt somewhat dissatisfied.

Having not seen each other for so long, Xia Zhiyu would rather scroll through short videos than exchange a few words with him, nor even ask if his previous business trip went smoothly.

They don't look like a couple at all now.

Whenever we contact each other, all we do is argue—on the phone, at home, and at the office.

What's the point of this relationship?

Jiang Zhiyan's brows furrowed with coldness as he stared down at Xia Zhiyu, the oppressive feeling of being in a superior position seeping into Xia Zhiyu's bed like glue.

But men are always good at convincing themselves, using all sorts of reasons. For example, right now, Jiang Zhiyan naturally assumed that Xia Zhiyu was still angry about work.

This is precisely what Jiang Zhiyan finds most intolerable about her.

Jiang Zhiyan couldn't understand why someone would be so lax in their work attitude. Not only that, Xia Zhiyu would bring her work-related emotions home. This wasn't the first time Jiang Zhiyan had been given the cold shoulder by Xia Zhiyu over trivial work matters.

With his thoughts in mind, his face unconsciously revealed a hint of arrogance and indifference.

With a disdainful look, he pressed heavily on Xia Zhiyu.

The tiny bubble of happiness that had finally risen in Xia Zhiyu's heart gradually disappeared as if it had encountered water vapor. The corners of her mouth slowly flattened out, and even the cheerful little dog on the screen could not awaken her joy.

So, who's the dog here?

How could someone be so unlucky as to have to endure her boss's cold shoulder even when she's sick?

Looking at the fluffy puppy on the screen that was eating better than her, happier than her, and a hundred times happier than her, Xia Zhiyu felt tears welling up in her eyes.

A note from the author:

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