Chapter 44 What is their relationship?

Chapter 44

Jin Ran noticed a slight pain in the back of her neck while taking a shower at night.

Warm water poured over my head, wetting my hair and splashing onto my fair skin. It felt like being burned, making my body tremble slightly.

For a moment, she thought she had been bitten by an insect, because she couldn't see it no matter how she looked, so she had to go find someone with wet hair.

Jiang Mingxu lifted her rather thick hair to take a look, and then said, "It's not bugs, it's sunburn."

It got quite a tan; the back of my neck is bright red, and some areas are even peeling.

Jin Ran exclaimed incredulously, "But I clearly applied sunscreen!"

She ran to the dressing room, took the bottle of sunscreen out of her bag, and examined it closely before realizing that it had just expired two days ago.

"..."

Over there, Jiang Mingxu had already called Wei Mo, who immediately recommended several medications after hearing about the situation. He was looking at a food delivery app on his phone when Jin Ran, who had just come out of the room again, glanced at the half-dark sky outside. Despite her exhaustion, she suddenly perked up: "I remember there's a pharmacy outside the complex, why don't we go out and buy some?"

Jiang Mingxu paused, his gaze sweeping across her face, before putting away his phone: "Okay."

The two tidied up quickly.

Considering that she was only going to be in the neighborhood, Jin Ran wore an oversized light white tank top and a pair of slim-fit jeans, while Jiang Mingxu changed into a casual shirt.

This made Jin Ran wonder if his wardrobe only contained suits and shirts.

Once she came out and a breeze blew, she knew how right the other person's decision was, because it was actually a bit cold tonight!

The villa area has a low occupancy rate, making it particularly quiet at night, with the occasional neighbor walking by with their dog.

The two walked side by side. Jin Ran crossed her arms, feeling goosebumps all over. To distract herself, she chatted with the other person casually: "Did I scare you when I messaged you today?"

Jiang Mingxu admitted: "There was one thing, at the time, we had just finished our work inspection and everyone was at a dinner party."

Upon hearing this, Jin Ran suddenly had a bad feeling: "Did the others hear it too?"

Jiang Mingxu coughed lightly, concealing the slight amusement in his eyes: "President Lin was talking about how he made a billion from thirty yuan, but then his mouth was still open and his voice stopped."

It was originally an awkward situation, but after Jiang Mingxu described it this way, Jin Ran couldn't help but laugh: "It's not my fault. If President Lin is going to hold a grudge and interrupt his bragging, he should blame you. But in this way, won't your reputation be ruined? In the future, when those bosses talk about you, they will definitely say that you are a henpecked husband."

"It's alright," Jiang Mingxu said nonchalantly. "They won't say it to my face."

Jin Ran was speechless.

Is this the confidence that comes from having the backing of a tech giant?

Let the winds blow from all directions, I remain steadfast and unmoved.

“Besides, this isn’t a bad thing,” Jiang Mingxu slowed down and, without Jin Ran noticing, walked unnoticed from the inner passage to the outside, his large figure blocking out most of the cold wind.

"From now on, they will automatically exclude me from some dinner parties to avoid trouble, and also..."

He glanced over, his tone calm: "Given our relationship, that voice message is perfectly normal."

Jin Ran's eyes flickered slightly. Their relationship... what kind of relationship did they have?

She recalled those words spoken down the mountain, each one echoing uncontrollably in her mind, making her feel as if a feather was tickling her heart. He knew she wasn't "Jin Ran," so what kind of image did she truly have in his heart?

A slight ripple stirred in my thoughts.

Jin Ran is that kind of person. Whenever she is sure that she is safe, she can't help but want to take a step forward. Just like in this game of guessing, she noticed the safety signal released by Jiang Mingxu and received it perfectly, and then began to push her luck.

Just as every cell in her body was clamoring to test that barely visible boundary, Jiang Mingxu, who was walking beside her, suddenly stopped.

"arrive."

Jin Ran looked up and saw the white light emanating from the signboard in the night, and felt inexplicably disappointed.

We haven't even had a chance to test the waters yet.

Jiang Mingxu, unaware of her complicated thoughts, stepped inside first. He told the pharmacist the name of the medicine he needed, and after the pharmacist took it out, he carefully examined it and then patiently inquired about the dosage and precautions.

Throughout, Jin Ran stood quietly to the side, watching him handle everything with ease. She didn't need to worry about anything, or even say a word; everything was arranged perfectly and thoughtfully.

At one point, she suddenly understood the favored heroines in the novel.

Who could resist such tenderness?

Back home, Jin Ran wiped the back of her neck with a damp towel again. She then laboriously tied her hands behind her back. She had so much hair that even when it was tied up on top of her head, many stray hairs still fell down.

Her job was to gather all the stray hairs together.

When the phone rang, Jiang Mingxu was frowning slightly as she applied the medicine to her sunburned skin according to the dosage instructed by the pharmacist.

Whose call was it?

Jin Ran looked like a ghost with a talisman stuck to her body; only her eyes could move. She pitifully asked Jiang Mingxu for directions.

The latter glanced at it and read out the name in the notes: "Xu Zhen".

If I remember correctly, the female referee I played games with today had this name. She was a substitute teacher who joined Wencheng Middle School in the same batch as Jin Ran: "Should I pick her up?"

He asked.

"Take it."

Jin Ran was just thinking of asking Xu Zhen to tutor Jiang Xuli. There are techniques to learning Chinese. She had audited Xu Zhen's class before. Despite her petite and cute appearance, she was very serious when she taught.

She felt that a student with a temper like Jiang Xuli needed a teacher like Xu Zhen.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the call connected, a powerful shout came from the other end: "Ranran! You've kept this from me for so long!"

Jin Ran was so startled that she almost jumped off her chair, but Jiang Mingxu reacted quickly and grabbed her shoulder to prevent the medicine from spilling.

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Jin Ran became even more honest this time, her tone somewhat helpless: "What have I been hiding from you?"

I always thought you were single!

"But you didn't ask me. You can't expect me to tell every person I meet that I'm married, can you?"

Xu Zhen choked, realizing it made sense, but wait, something's not right!

She suddenly realized, almost falling for the girl's trick: "But your boyfriend is Jiang Mingxu! Jiang Mingxu! The chairman of Mingji Technology, a billionaire worth over a hundred billion!" She repeated the important point three times. "And you, my good friend, are the president's wife of Mingji Technology! A true socialite!!!"

Every word and phrase was heart-wrenching, spoken with utmost effort.

Jin Ran, who was being questioned: "..."

Jiang Mingxu, who overheard this by accident: "..."

The atmosphere was a little awkward. Jin Ran thought to herself, "If you knew that the billionaire CEO you're talking about is right next to me, I wonder what you would think?"

Fortunately, Jiang Mingxu didn't say anything and continued to quietly apply the medicine for her, which made Jin Ran breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, hearing Xu Zhen's voice gradually rise on the other end of the phone, she felt slightly guilty. She had indeed intentionally concealed her identity from her colleagues—not because she looked down on them, but simply because she was afraid of attracting unnecessary trouble.

Leaders and colleagues are different. The principal knows her identity, which makes many things easier to handle later. But if other colleagues find out, it will cause gossip—especially before she has achieved anything.

However, it was really wrong to keep it from her friend. Jin Ran had originally planned to tell her friend when she had some free time, but she didn't expect the two of them to meet suddenly.

Just as she was about to apologize, she heard Xu Zhen break down and say, "If I had known you were a rich man's wife, who would have eaten at the cafeteria with you every day! I want to eat Michelin! I want to eat black truffles! I want to eat king crab!"

Jin Ran: "..."

He truly is her best dining partner, never forgetting his love for food.

Her tightly pursed lips unconsciously lifted, her mood relaxed, and her tone became lighter as she smiled and said, "If you like, you can come to my house for dinner after the teacher recruitment interviews next week."

Although Chef Wang couldn't make street food, the dishes that Xu Zhen specifically requested were all his specialties.

Xu Zhen certainly wouldn't refuse. She was extremely curious about her best friend, not only about her life in a wealthy family, but also about Jin Ran's partner.

Then, at one point, she lowered her voice and asked slyly, "Ranran, how did you and President Jiang recognize each other...?"

Before the question could be fully voiced, Jiang Mingxu's fingertip accidentally brushed against her sunburn, and Jin Ran immediately hissed softly, "Ouch, be gentle..."

There was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.

Then came Xu Zhen's panicked gasp: "I'm sorry, I didn't know... Oh well, I won't bother you anymore, goodbye!"

Then he quickly hung up the phone.

Jin Ran, still not quite understanding what was happening, stared blankly at her ringing phone: "What happened to her?"

Jiang Mingxu stopped moving at some point. He withdrew his hand, the medicine dissolving with his body heat, filling the air with a pungent medicinal smell that could make one feel dizzy after a while. Hearing her question, he simply said, "You probably have too much of an imagination."

Jin Ran agreed wholeheartedly, nodding: "She does have a very rich imagination, and she especially loves reading novels. Last week she even said she would recommend a novel to me."

Jiang Mingxu: "Really? What novel?"

"It's a story about hateful men and women fighting in some run-down city. It sounds like a martial arts novel. I'll show it to you after she gives it to me," Jin Ran said generously.

"good."

The couple finished their conversation calmly, and seeing that it was getting late, they said goodbye and went to their respective rooms to rest.

Jin Ran was exhausted and fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down. In another room, separated by several walls, Jiang Mingxu rubbed his nose, feeling that he could smell a faint medicinal scent.

Helpless, he got up again, took a cold shower in the bathroom, and then slowly closed his eyes in the twilight.