Chapter 14.14: I hope Alai feels happy in being loved.

Gu Lai hung up the phone as soon as she finished speaking, and Jiang Yi didn't even have time to react.

The "not reacting" part doesn't mean Jiang Yi was caught off guard or didn't expect Gu Lai to bring up divorce, but rather that Jiang Yi was a little unsure of what to do or "should" do.

She looked down and turned off her phone after it had been hung up, seeing her expressionless face reflected in the screen. Then, her secretary gently tapped on the glass and mouthed "investment banking."

Jiang Yi didn't respond. Leaning against the table in the break room, she took out a cigarette from the drawer, lit it, and took one puff after another. Only after several puffs did she belatedly realize that she was experiencing a slightly unfamiliar bitter and spicy taste.

She was smoking a pre-cut cigar that someone had given her, and she was smoking it like a novice cigarette.

Jiang Yi slowly exhaled the last bit of smoke, crushed it, and threw it away. He stayed there for about fifteen minutes before pushing open the door and leaving.

She remained expressionless. The waiting secretary, knowing only that she had taken an important call, felt nothing at this moment; the secretaries in the office were long accustomed to her icy demeanor when she was working and contemplating. As the secretary reported, her pace quickened, and when she stepped into the conference room she had just left, a smile had returned, radiant and flamboyant.

The visitor stood up with a smile: "President Jiang must have received good news."

Jiang Yi smiled and extended his hand: "How could that be? Please."

No one believed this wasn't just polite talk, because Jiang Yi became incredibly assertive afterward.

Jiang Yi was busy at the company until 10 PM. On the way home, she chatted with Ge Li about the schedule and personnel matters. After arriving home, she took out her computer to check emails, clicking through each unread email one by one. She even deleted the spam emails one by one. Then she remembered that she still had some documents to review, so she went to get some water to continue.

Unexpectedly, when she stood up, her head buzzed and she almost stumbled and fell.

Jiang Yi then realized that he had been busy for too long, and his mind was filled with hazy data and reports.

Jiang Yi slowly sat back down.

The staff had already left for the day, and she was all alone in the villa. It had been like this for the past few days, and it would be the same tonight.

The housekeeper, Eileen, had already turned on the thermostat, and the realistic flames displayed on the five-meter-high TV wall were reflected in her eyes.

Jiang Yi sat down and didn't move for a long time, leaning against the cushion and staring at the electric stove, as if he were in a trance.

They dated for three years, were married for seven, and have been together for a total of ten years since they met. Jiang Yi wanted to recall something, or rather, reflect on and sort out this relationship, but she couldn't. She thought about it for a long time, but it was all jumbled up, and her head only felt more and more swollen.

She was about to get up to find something to drink, whether it was liquor, tea, or coffee, when she noticed a camel bone cigarette case on the coffee table in front of her. It seemed she had put it in her pocket while smoking in the car and then carelessly left it there because it felt uncomfortable. So she changed her mind and took one out.

The moment the lighter clicked, Jiang Yi easily recalled the phone call Gu Lai had given her while she was still in I country. His first question was about how many cigarettes she'd smoked. So, after returning from I country, she intentionally avoided smoking at home, but for some reason, she found herself increasingly irritable, and she'd almost finished the cigarettes in the office.

Now, she's heard Gu Lai say "divorce" to her with her own ears. Other than that, the only known "advantage" is freedom to smoke.

Yes, divorce.

Jiang Yi aimed the blue flame at the cigarette butt, lit it, held it between her fingers, took a drag, and then slowly exhaled. The tobacco smell stimulated her throat, lungs, and senses, making her slightly more awake.

She thought of Gu Lai today, and that phone call.

Actually, there was nothing unexpected about it. When Gu Lai said the word "divorce," Jiang Yi felt as if the dust had finally settled, as if he had just heard a death sentence pronounced by a court and was finally hearing it carried out.

She wasn't surprised; every ending has its warning signs. In fact, upon reflection, she had long anticipated this scene; if it hadn't been this phone call today, there would have been another one.

A ten-year relationship ended just like that. Jiang Yi couldn't lie to himself about not being sad. The fact that he can't do anything about it now is proof of that.

But it doesn't seem to be that painful.

Jiang Yi remembered a movie in which Gu Lai had a cameo role, where the protagonist was so heartbroken after a breakup that he lost his voice. It was a somber movie, and Jiang Yi had only watched it because of Gu Lai, but now she strangely recalled this scene—the protagonist silently moving through the crowd, yet his tears flowed so freely.

Should she cry?

Jiang Yi stubbed out her cigarette; she was thinking of Gu Lai.

What is Alai doing at this moment?

Would A-Lai be more upset than her?

Perhaps it was the effect of the tobacco, but now, recalling that phone call, Jiang Yi felt it was a little clearer. Gu Lai actually paused for a while after saying "divorce," though he couldn't remember exactly how long. They were both silent until Gu Lai finally hung up.

What was Gu Lai doing in his silence? Was he waiting for her to try and win him back? Or was he waiting for her to tell him how they planned to arrange the divorce? After all, their assets alone were enough to warrant a major public relations drama.

Jiang Yi certainly believed the former, and that the latter was just her money-grubbing conjecture. But she also knew, and believed, that Gu Lai knew this was impossible.

They've argued until their faces turned red, slammed doors, smashed pillows, and even run away from home. They've said all sorts of sarcastic things, but they've never said anything truly hurtful, like threatening to divorce.

That wasn't a threat; that was joking about the relationship.

So what is Gu Lai waiting for?

Perhaps she herself didn't expect it when she said it. This wasn't a decision Gu Lai made after careful consideration, but rather an impulsive one, yet she realized how natural and unbelievable it was after she spoke.

Of course that's unbelievable, you fool.

Jiang Yi smiled, and when he reflexively reached for his cigarette pack, he found it was empty. The ashtray was full of cigarette butts of all shapes and sizes. He then looked at his phone and it was already 3:30.

His father's.

Jiang Yi staggered to the bedroom. Without turning on the light or tidying up, he simply lay down and went to sleep.

She thought she would have insomnia, but she fell asleep very quickly. Bizarre dreams soon surged up and overwhelmed her previously struggling to stay awake, like a computer playing a PowerPoint presentation that had been infected with a virus, flashing in a jumbled mess and disappearing just as quickly.

Occasionally, she would even realize she was dreaming, but she wouldn't know what she was dreaming about. The chaotic, bizarre geometric shapes expanded and shrank, eventually transforming into the familiar bedroom ceiling, growing larger and closer. When Jiang Yi opened her eyes, it was extremely far away again, and for some reason, a voice told her to reach out, but she could never quite reach it.

In her desperation, Jiang Yi called out "A Lai," but there was no response. Only then did she suddenly come to her senses.

I turn on the light and look around; my shadow is my only companion.

Jiang Yi got up, slipped on his slippers, took out a thermometer, and measured 38 degrees Celsius.

Perhaps due to the fever and the sudden awakening from her sleep, Jiang Yi felt groggy and took a long time to think. She pondered for a while that her groggy state before falling asleep was probably due to the fever, and then realized that her most urgent task was to bring down the fever.

But she had never taken care of anyone before. She even relied on her private doctor and later Gu Lai to arrange everything for her. She really didn't know what medicine to take or what to do when she had a fever.

Jiang Yi took out his phone to call his private doctor, but then stopped.

She called the doctor, and Gu Lai would probably know by the time she woke up.

That would be disgusting.

She just brought up divorce, without mentioning trying to salvage the relationship, and then immediately started having a fever and all sorts of aches and pains. Isn't this just deliberately making a scene and being dramatic?

Jiang Yi didn't think she was despicable enough to stoop to that level. She didn't want to add an even more disgusting chapter to the already absurd decade that had ended.

But who can she contact next? Anyone can cross paths with Gu Lai.

Jiang Yi never expected that she would also have a day when she lacked connections. After hesitating for a long time, she went back to sleep. Less than two hours later, she got up with a gloomy face, slapped off the alarm, ate a few bites of breakfast hastily, and took a car to the company.

For several days in a row, Jiang Yi would get up, work, daydream, and sleep, with a low-grade fever on and off. In between, she even drove herself to a pharmacy, experiencing a long-lost moment of ordinary life.

Before Jiang Yi met Gu Lai, her only contact with doctors and hospitals was related to medicine. She had never actually bought medicine herself. The first time she went to a pharmacy was because of Gu Lai.

At that time, Gu Lai was still at a low point in her career. One night, Jiang Yi picked Gu Lai up from the photography studio and told her that he wasn't going home but going for a drive.

She drove her convertible along the winding mountain road, hurtling towards the vast city lights, circling again and again, faster and faster. The trees on both sides cast towering, dark shadows against the inky blue night sky. Whether it was the strong mountain wind or the wind whipped up by their speeding car, the grass and trees seemed to dance wildly in their fleeting glances.

Gu Lai shouted—very unusually loudly—and she did too. The tires and engines roared arrogantly, and if the sound were slightly quieter, no one could hear what they were saying.

Gu Lai told her to slow down, but Jiang Yi refused. She kept pressing the accelerator, and while driving, she glanced at Gu Lai out of the corner of her eye, looking like she wanted to do something but didn't dare, and laughed.

Jiang Yi would swear to Hermes and the God of Wealth that if she had been driving a training car instead of a sports car, Gu Lai would have slammed on the brakes.

She finally slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. As soon as she pulled the handbrake, Gu Lai got up from the passenger seat, pounced on her, and pressed her against the back of the seat.

Strangely enough, Jiang Yi's first reaction was to support Gu Lai's waist. He was genuinely startled by Gu Lai's strange and awkward posture and was afraid that she might hurt herself.

Because of her profession, Gu Lai's waist was much more flexible than the stick-like woman's, and she was also much stronger. Jiang Yi didn't struggle; in fact, she seemed to be enjoying it, leaning back in her chair and staring at Gu Lai. She saw anger tinge in Gu Lai's beautiful, bright eyes, with a very subtle glint of water at the corners, making it hard to tell whether it was sweat or tears that had unintentionally flowed out due to the earlier stimulation.

All of this did not fade from Jiang Yi's sight; instead, it began to become increasingly extravagant.

Jiang Yi couldn't help but have a thought that would infuriate Gu Lai's fans: Only I have seen and possess a Gu Lai like this.

Gu Lai's bite was particularly vicious.

For a moment, Jiang Yi felt like she was suffocating, soaring straight into the clouds. It wasn't until Gu Lai separated them, panting, that she realized she had been bitten.

Gu Lai stared at her, so close their noses were almost touching. Jiang Yi looked into her beautiful, alluring eyes, almost unable to focus.

She didn't know if it was because the distance was too close or because it was too mesmerizing—she subconsciously licked the wound on the corner of her mouth, the rusty taste carrying a slightly stinging and tingling sensation that rushed straight to her brain, stimulating her nerves to tremble.

Jiang Yi laughed like that, and then coughed a little.

“That’s so violent,” she said.

Jiang Yi's voice was still a little hoarse, but that didn't stop her from subtly licking her bitten lip, a gesture that was both accusatory and suggestive.

She watched with almost smug satisfaction as Gu Lai's gaze deepened.

Gu Lai gritted her teeth and asked her in a low voice, "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe, isn't that good?" Jiang Yi asked with a smile. "Did you feel better after venting?"

Gu Lai looked at her silently.

“I’m here for you, A-Lai,” Jiang Yi said. “Don’t worry, don’t be anxious.”

Gu Lai felt a bit weak when they separated, and when she sat back in the passenger seat, her legs went weak and she twisted her ankle.

Jiang Yi didn't have a first-aid kit in her car, but there happened to be a pharmacy nearby. She took her phone and ran to buy some medicine, not knowing what to get, relying entirely on the shopkeeper's directions. When the pharmacist scanned the code, he asked who she was buying it for. She casually typed "girlfriend," waved to the shopkeeper with her back turned, and ran off again, leaving behind a trail of goodbyes and laughter.

Gu Lai insisted on applying the medicine and ice herself, but her movements were slow and clumsy. Jiang Yi, having nothing else to do, could only offer his critique of the pharmacy. Gu Lai listened to her complaints for a while before suddenly realizing that she could just use the medicine at home. Jiang Yi immediately chimed in, sincerely saying that she could rest at home as well.

Gu Lai said very seriously that she had a schedule tomorrow and couldn't let her fans down.

Jiang Yi glanced at the windshield and said lazily, "Well, that's it. You really let your fans down by impulsively getting photographed." Gu Lai gave her a playful glare and said, "Fine, let them take the picture."

Jiang Yi mocked you, saying that your love for your fans wasn't very genuine, but before he could finish speaking, she bit him.

Gu Lai looked at her with bright eyes and said, "I love you."

Then Gu Lai gave her a long, tender kiss, turned his head and loudly announced to the untinted windshield that it was true.

Jiang Yi placed a bag of fever-reducing medicine on the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and quietly looked out the windshield, but saw nothing. She didn't cry; instead, she laughed, a tired and somewhat helpless laugh.

It started off with a bang, and nobody thought about the public opinion surrounding it. But when it ended, she didn't even want to tell her secretary the word "divorce."

But now she suddenly wants to tell the boss that he's not her girlfriend, but her lover.

I hope her lover will always be loved, loved by fans, and loved by those who deserve it and those who deserve it even more.

...I hope Alai feels happy being loved.

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Update on time!!! If it's not on time, then it's Jinjiang's problem! I don't have time to write the thank-you message on my computer today, I'll write it tomorrow [heart]

Happy Year of the Snake! [Rose] May everyone have a prosperous new year, enjoy good health and longevity, and may all your wishes come true!