Chapter 22 22: Old love is hard to let go

Even Jiang Yi herself didn't know why she agreed to meet him.

When Gu Lai texted her in the morning, she was still in a meeting with government officials.

Gu Lai's message is still pinned to the top of her chat list. When the message arrives, the screen lights up, vibrates, and the phone makes a short, sharp sound on the solid wood table, like an unmistakable murmur.

Jiang Yi glanced down at the screen, and without much thought, immediately took her phone away from the table. She wasn't sure if anyone around her who had also heard the commotion had instinctively looked at her lit-up phone; the screen saver was still a picture of Gu Lai.

She replied to Gu Lai's message quickly, with the same calm and collected demeanor she displayed when handling work, only slightly delayed by the speaker's remarks at the meeting. She didn't think much of it at the time, only reopening the chat history afterward to figure out what had happened.

It's not hard to guess. Gu Lai's studio is probably confirming her schedule with her; there are many occasions in the fashion and entertainment circles that require her to attend at the beginning of the year. As for Mayer, who was mentioned, she's been using this opportunity to purge her personnel, while Mayer is probably trying to do something else through the property division issue. Let her be.

Jiang Yi had already made arrangements for Gu Lai, ensuring that she could be a carefree trust darling even without his help, and that she would be worry-free for life as long as she didn't start her own business.

People are subject to unpredictable fortune, and she wouldn't let A-Lai fall into a situation where she would be guilty of possessing a treasure without her by her side.

But what is she hearing now?

Jiang Yi couldn't finish her sentence. She looked at Gu Lai, the woman who had captivated her at first sight ten years ago, and who, even without makeup, was still as radiant as a white tulip.

Her temples throbbed with pain, as if the persistent low-grade fever she had been suffering from recently had returned.

Smoking or drinking, or anything strong or stimulating, can help suppress the urge to smoke or drink.

Jiang Yi pressed two fingers against her temples, gritted her teeth slightly, and her expression was almost imperceptible. She changed the subject: "What kind of schedule did you say you wanted to discuss? Whether you go to the big show or not is up to you. What else? The annual meeting? You can come or not."

Gu Lai was still thinking about her earlier sentence, "in my eyes," and remained silent for a long time.

Jiang Yi waited for a while, and finally, out of desperation, called her softly, "A-Lai."

Gu Lai looked up, shifting her gaze from the documents in front of her to Jiang Yi.

She said, "You'll get angry if I tell you."

Jiang Yi had already guessed it, and she knew that this was just a warning from Gu Lai, but she would still say it.

Gu Lai looked into her eyes and chuckled, "And you know I'll still say it—my answer is either fine or I don't know. To be honest, really, you..."

She flicked the papers in her hand, making a few crisp, short sounds: "So generous, so indulgent." It almost made me feel that you still loved me as passionately as you did back then.

Jiang Yi asked, "Isn't it good?"

Gu Lai lowered her head for a moment, then quickly looked up at her again: "That's great."

She took a deep breath, as if needles were piercing her heart and lungs, and her tailbone tingled as if being blown by the wind. She slowly and deliberately chose her words.

"I'm trying to figure out what you meant earlier. I don't interfere because I really don't understand, and I... have already received so much. From the beginning until now, I've never known you thought this way."

Jiang Yi felt he couldn't continue.

Aside from deliberately starting a fight, she usually wouldn't let Gu Lai's words go unanswered. She had already waited for Gu Lai in front of the French windows in the old house too many times, and she didn't want to make Gu Lai wait anymore. So she would reply instantly when she saw a message, and she would answer any question.

But she couldn't speak at this moment.

What was she trying to say? Was it pretentious or straightforward? She didn't realize that her words had become unbearable for Gu Lai, but when she truly knew that what she wanted to say was like a series of barbs, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

...At least let's part ways amicably.

Gu Lai saw Jiang Yi press his thumb against his temple and cover his eyes with his four fingers, as if he was so tired and disgusted that he didn't want to speak at all. After a long while, he uttered four words in a deep voice, "I understand."

Her demeanor, however, told a different story; every inch of her skin seemed to say, "That's it."

Gu Lai suddenly remembered the times when Jiang Yi repeatedly pressured her to "explain" before she impulsively brought up divorce.

Compromise can feel so perfunctory.

—What were Jiang Yi's feelings at that time?

Gu Lai watched as she propped her head up to cover her eyes, then stuffed the scattered documents into a leather bag.

Jiang Yi remained motionless.

She wasn't like that. Gu Lai knew Jiang Yi too well; even the slightest movement would make her look over alertly. She was incredibly perceptive, able to detect anything, whether it was a physical disturbance or a broader ripple.

Gu Lai stood up. A carpet was laid on the floor, and she walked very lightly. It wasn't until she stood in front of Jiang Yi and suddenly cast a shadow that Jiang Yi felt her presence.

Jiang Yi subconsciously let go and looked up, but Gu Lai grabbed her hand even faster.

It's still so cold.

Gu Lai gently took her hand and smoothed her hair behind her ears, revealing a pair of button earrings. Gu Lai then noticed that she was actually wearing earrings today, and wondered how she had picked out this pair from a bunch of flamboyant large pendants and tassels.

Gu Lai gently removed her earring and asked, "Does your head hurt?"

Jiang Yi didn't move the whole time, just looked up at her, and then chuckled softly: "You just think I'll indulge you."

Gu Lai turned and placed the earrings on the table: "Do you know how?"

Jiang Yi remained silent.

When Gu Lai looks down from this angle, it gives her the feeling that this thorny rose is still under her control.

She pressed on Jiang Yi's Zanzhu acupoint, and the slightest touch of her fingertip caused his eyelid to twitch.

"Close your eyes," Gu Lai said.

Jiang Yi closed his eyes quietly.

...Even Jiang Yi seemed to be intentionally reinforcing this misconception.

Gu Lai massaged her acupoints with a slightly clumsy touch.

Sometimes being too rich can create romance that is unattainable for ordinary people, but it can also deprive lovers of some of the ordinary intimacy between them.

When was the last time you did these things? A few years ago?

Gu Lai thought for a while but couldn't remember. All she could recall was eight or nine years ago.

Back then, she was a carefree, pretty face in the entertainment industry. Because Jiang Yi suffered from cold constitution and sought medical treatment, she unexpectedly learned some massage techniques from an old Chinese medicine doctor. After Jiang Yi stayed up all night or had social engagements, Gu Lai would ask her to give him a massage.

Later, she started reading books and chatting with all sorts of professional aromatherapists and massage therapists. She realized how superficial her knowledge was and how dangerous it was to be massaged by unprofessional people.

So she gradually stopped doing it. Occasionally, when she saw Jiang Yi's unpleasant expression, she would make an appointment with a familiar aromatherapist and then send the message to Jiang Yi's assistant.

...After that, who knows which ghost sent her aromatherapists and assistants.

Gu Lai stared at the corners of her eyes, thinking to herself, "Stop being so stubborn. If you're so resistant to surgery, even the best eye cream won't prevent crow's feet."

Besides, as an entrepreneur, you're being a bit too vain.

Jiang Yi suddenly spoke up: "What are you thinking about?"

"How perceptive," Gu Lai said, pressing her voice slightly. "I'm wondering if you've been paying health managers a salary for nothing lately."

After she finished speaking, Jiang Yi fell silent. In the past, when Jiang Yi was in the wrong, he would sometimes do this, pretending that he didn't understand. Sometimes he would even secretly observe her expression, and when he was discovered, he would calmly look back and ask questions, which made Gu Lai feel inexplicably guilty.

Gu Lai unconsciously curved her lips into a smile as she thought of this, but quickly straightened them after realizing it.

Jiang Yi didn't see it.

Gu Lai felt a little relieved for a moment, but after noticing her own emotions, she wanted to slap herself.

Wake up!

"I'm a bit busy," Jiang Yi said.

Even though Gu Lai was the one who struggled her way up from the bottom, Jiang Yi was the real workaholic. Standing next to her, Gu Lai sometimes felt embarrassed to admit how hard she worked for her dream of entering the entertainment industry.

She would get impatient with wire work during filming and think about finding a stunt double, and she would give up on scripts she wanted to work with because she didn't want to work with particularly demanding directors. Jiang Yi was different. She had personally witnessed how Jiang Yi stayed up all night long and how he gradually made cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and coffee necessities in his life.

Jiang Yi didn't care at all. She said she was serving her own ambition, something many people couldn't achieve even if they traded their youth for wealth.

Gu Lai also knew that sometimes it was out of necessity, and sometimes it was simply because that's who she was. If a person could change so easily, there wouldn't be the saying "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature," and Jiang Yi wouldn't be the person she is today.

But then again, what does it matter to her if others are in a worse situation? She has no great love, she doesn't care, and among all the beautiful flowers, she only sees this one rose.

So can't you pause for someone?

Gu Lai stopped what she was doing, withdrew her hand, and sneered: "Anyway, you always have a reason."

Jiang Yi opened his eyes and looked at her: "Are you angry?"

Gu Lai choked, then looked down at Jiang Yi, who looked up at her with a slightly mocking expression.

“Worrying about your ex-wife’s sister is not a good habit,” Jiang Yi blinked and said gently. “You have to break this habit.”

Gu Lai said coldly, "You've recovered from enjoying my services for half a day, and now you know how to say things like this?"

Jiang Yi calmly admitted his mistake: "Then I was wrong."

Gu Lai hadn't expected Jiang Yi to have such a smooth transition to admitting his mistakes; he was even more difficult to deal with now. She stared at Jiang Yi, unsure what to say, and after a long while, it was Jiang Yi who made the first move.

She raised her hand, grasped Gu Lai's wrist, and gently pressed it, a caress devoid of any ambiguity: "Thank you for your hard work."

Gu Lai felt it for a while, and originally wanted to say "cold as a ghost's hand", but couldn't think of a next line no matter what. So she had to give up showing off her literary talent and withdrew her hand with a dark face: "It's freezing cold."

Jiang Yi's hand was empty, but he withdrew it without changing his expression and said, "Is that so? I've always been like this."

Gu Lai actually regretted it a little after she withdrew her hand.

The atmosphere just now was so wonderful, it felt like we were back in the quiet but pleasant past. Even though not all of her wild thoughts were romantic, they were like a touch of flirtatious dark chocolate in a cream cake. It's human nature to be addicted to sweetness.

Perhaps it was because she broke the beautiful atmosphere that Gu Lai felt that Jiang Yi's words just now seemed to have a hidden meaning, and that there was more hidden beneath the surface than she had revealed.

But Gu Lai didn't want to think about it.

Jiang Yi is right. You have to treat your ex-wife's sister-in-law the way you would treat her. She always listens to advice.

Gu Lai asked, "Are you only talking about your hands?"

Jiang Yi looked up at Gu Lai, then lowered his gaze as if deep in thought. Gu Lai could only see her slightly upturned eyelashes and nose, like a butterfly gracefully alighting. Her smooth, full forehead was a silent invitation.

Gu Lai's daydreaming didn't last long. When Jiang Yi looked up, she raised her eyebrows a little guiltily.

Perhaps because Gu Lai was blocking the light, Jiang Yi's eyes were now deep and unfathomable. Her gaze swept back and forth, unlike her usual lingering, more like an emotionless scrutiny.

“I didn’t mean to use a metaphor, but it’s true. I really feel that it has always been like this. From the first day you met me, this is how I speak, this is how I live, everything is the same. My environment hasn’t changed drastically. Everything that made me who I am in the past is still an inseparable part of me today.”

Jiang Yi paused subtly for a moment, then reached past Gu Lai to pick up the pair of exquisite pure gold button earrings on the table and casually tossed them directly into the open handbag next to her.

When Gu Lai was touched by her seemingly casually, he felt a tingling sensation, like being pricked by a rose thorn.

"For example, assets that are still being pursued for appreciation, busy schedules, all kinds of social interactions, shady dealings and calculations that cannot be seen by others, these are all... one part of personality."

In the end, Jiang Yi still chose the less sensitive foreign language, concealing the dangerous spikes that were about to be revealed.

She smiled and didn't continue.

"That's too philosophical. Take the documents back and we'll talk about them later. I mean it when I said those schedules and activities were optional; I've never joked about these things. Having someone assess whether they can bring you enough return on your investment is what makes your studio's people so well-paid."

Gu Lai took a moment to process this, then reluctantly set aside the preceding "philosophy": "That's it?"

She spoke vaguely, but Jiang Yi understood immediately.

“That’s it,” Jiang Yi said. “No matter what grand ceremony or show it is, the essential purpose is to pursue profit. You should be worried that they will take advantage of you as a high-end client. It’s probably because the people in the studio have a strong agent mentality, and you and Feng Lu have always been deeply involved over the years, which is why you have these questions.”

After Jiang Yi finished speaking, she turned on her phone, tapped it a few times, and then turned it off again. Gu Lai glanced at her as she typed; it was indeed getting late.

Gu Lai could certainly see through such a simple urging.

But when will we meet again?

She chose to pretend she didn't understand.

"I have another question you haven't answered yet," Gu Lai said, gazing at her. "Why are you being so generous?"

Jiang Yi's expression was almost helpless: "I also want to ask you why you keep agonizing over this issue? From yesterday at the airport to today, wouldn't it be better to just enjoy it directly?"

Gu Lai did not back down: "You told me the answer clearly and plainly, so of course I won't ask again. Besides, the airport yesterday is different from today. You told me about yesterday because you didn't want any news that required public relations."

Jiang Yi stared at her for a while, then finally sighed as if giving up.

“A thousand pieces of gold can’t buy my happiness, and I happen to have plenty of gold. What other answer could there be? To be even more pointed,” Jiang Yi said softly, “what are you expecting me to say?”

The answer she hinted at was so obvious that Gu Lai could almost hear the two words popping out of her head.

...Old feelings are hard to let go, and lingering emotions remain.

Gu Lai suddenly choked.

But unlike before he filed for divorce, Jiang Yi was no longer as aggressive as before.

After she finished speaking, she gave Gu Lai a reassuring smile as if nothing had happened, and casually picked up her phone and waved it: "Okay, it's getting late. You have plans for tomorrow, right?"

As if in response to her words, a waiter knocked on the door: "Your car has arrived."

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Thank you Niledavoya, 77, and My Girl for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]

Thanks to March for the rocket launcher! [heart]