Chapter 24 She's someone I don't want to let go...
Xu Yuewei lay on the bed in the guest room. The mattress beneath her was thick and soft, like being submerged in shallow sea.
Her body was very tired, but her mind was somewhat excited. Neither of them would give way, so she could only close her eyes and doze off lightly.
After an unknown amount of time, she sensed someone enter the room and knew who it was without even opening her eyes.
The man sat down beside her bed.
The quilt, pillowcase, and pillow cover all carried the scent of laundry detergent and a faint mothball smell. They were originally ordinary and unremarkable smells, but the moment they sensed his presence, they seemed to have an owner.
It all smells like him.
Xu Yuewei didn't dare to close her eyes tightly, afraid that she would be found out that she was pretending to be asleep, so she turned over and lay on her side with her back to him.
He cautiously opened his eyes a crack, held his breath, and strained his ears, but could not detect any sound.
To be honest, she would rather he did something so she could catch him in the act.
The condom box under the sofa was wrapped in plastic film and had not been opened or used.
In a flash, Xu Yuewei realized that he must have bought it at the convenience store when he parked earlier, and accidentally or intentionally dropped it there.
He's serious.
She initially thought his talk of infidelity was just a joke, as was typical of him, but the pink box seemed to be mocking her naive fantasy.
As she sat in the passenger seat, agonizing over his scandals and mustering the courage to ask questions she was too ashamed to utter, he was actually thinking such... disgusting things.
If this is also a form of revenge and humiliation, then he has succeeded.
As for what he just said... she couldn't believe it.
She thought that after she ran away last time, Jiang Shiyan must have changed his strategy. He deliberately pretended not to care about the past, making her think that he still loved her no matter what, and then naturally got back together, slept with her, and then dumped her.
Given his personality, he is highly likely to do something like this. It's a form of revenge born of spite.
Or simply ignore it all and force it now...
Wrapped in the blanket like a cocoon, Xu Yuewei waited warily.
After a while, Jiang Shiyan made a move.
He gathered her long hair, which was draped over the pillow, and twisted the ends of her hair with his fingers, coiling it tightly and then loosening it, repeating this playfully.
One last time, he let go of the hair curled in his hand, braced himself with one hand beside her, carefully avoiding the messy strands of hair, leaned closer, but did not kiss her.
It's like passing by a flower bud, wanting to enjoy its fragrance beforehand, but not picking it.
The strands of hair fell naturally, which should have been a reassuring sign, but the light dent behind her came through the mattress. She couldn't see what he was doing, and she was so nervous that she dared not breathe.
The heartbeat is like a shrinking sponge, absorbing time and pumping it out, making it hard to distinguish between seconds and seconds, teetering on the edge of disorder.
"...I know you're still awake."
Jiang Shiyan sat on the edge of the bed, twisting his waist, and smiled faintly as he looked down: "Good night."
He then whispered, "I haven't told you this in a long time."
Xu Yuewei still didn't dare to turn over, and only relaxed slightly after she felt him leave.
The last impression of the day was the faint light filtering through the gap in the center of the closed curtains.
*
The next day, when Xu Yuewei woke up, the light shining through the gap was even brighter, but the curtains blocked out the light well, and the room was still as dark as night. She wanted to check her watch, but after feeling around for a while, she realized that her phone was not with her.
She recalled that it should have been in her handbag, but the last time she saw it last night was in Jiang Shiyan's hands.
Whenever I think of him, I think of that silly kiss.
Xu Yuewei sat on the bed in a daze for a while, then suddenly lay down and buried her face in the soft down comforter.
I don't want to face him, and I don't know how to face him.
Her mood brightened with the bright light and sunshine of the day, and she thought, what if what he said last night was true? What if they really could start over?
Xu Yuewei kept her head buried until her stomach growled with hunger before slowly getting out of bed.
She opened the door, leaving only a narrow slit, and scanned left and right. She didn't see Jiang Shiyan, but she could smell the aroma of vegetable soup in the air.
Her stomach growled loudly for a long time, so she clutched her stomach and left the guest room.
It was bright outside, and the curtains were drawn, a different atmosphere from last night. But when her gaze fell on the smooth leather of the sofa, her eyes darkened.
Xu Yuewei tiptoed into the kitchen, following the scent.
Beside the stove stood a middle-aged woman wearing a pink and white apron, her hair tightly coiled back, revealing her broad, round face. Upon seeing her, she wiped her hands on the apron twice, smiled, and quickly walked over: "Good morning. Would you prefer plain congee or pumpkin and vegetable soup? Both are good for the stomach."
It turns out there's a housekeeper in this family.
Xu Yuewei forced an awkward smile: "Last night... I didn't disturb you, did I?"
The aunt replied, "I don't stay here at night. Mr. Jiang only hires me to cook some meals and tidy up the house."
Xu Yuewei nodded in sudden realization: "I'd like some soup, thank you."
"No trouble at all."
The auntie gave a relieved smile, the kind that comes from someone who says, "Young Master hasn't smiled in ten years." She said, "Mr. Jiang specifically instructed me to take good care of you, but I'm afraid I haven't been thorough enough. Please have something to eat first, and let me know in advance what you'd like to eat for lunch and dinner so I can prepare accordingly."
"No need, I'll leave right away."
The aunt's warm smile froze for a moment: "This..."
A bad feeling lingered in Xu Yuewei's heart. She ignored the aunt and walked towards the door.
However, her bad premonition came true when she gripped the doorknob and pressed down, but the door didn't open.
The spacious, single-level apartment, over 200 square meters in size, is structured like a flat can that can't be opened from the inside.
"This door can only be unlocked with a key or with administrator privileges now." The aunt walked up behind her. "I'm sorry, young lady, I'm just doing someone a favor."
"..."
If he brought her here last night because of an emergency and to escape, what about now? What does he mean?
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Jiang also said that if you want to take a shower, you can use the bathroom in his bedroom. There is a bathtub and clean towels. If you need a change of clothes, I can go out and buy some for you."
Xu Yuewei sneered.
Why act out such childish domineering CEO roles? Isn't it all just to get cleaned up so they can go to bed together?
Xu Yuewei took a deep breath and turned to the aunt, saying, "Auntie, have you seen my bag? There's also a plastic bag with a silk flower inside."
"I can give you the bag, but not the other bag." The aunt smiled a little awkwardly. "Mr. Jiang seems to have hidden it, and I don't know where it is. I think he means that if you leave, you might not be able to get it back."
In the kitchen a few steps away, the range hood was silent, and a fragrant vegetable soup was simmering in a pot.
Bubbling and bubbling, the sound of the bottom being boiled to a pulp.
“That was my grandmother’s keepsake.”
She pursed her lips, and for the first time in her life, she took the initiative to tear open the rift in the past and expose it to outsiders.
After a fleeting moment of sadness, she looked pleadingly at her aunt:
"Please, please help me."
*
at the same time.
About four or five kilometers from Wuqiao Airport, there is a cluster of villas. Because of its remote location, the natural environment is beautiful, and you can see the rolling mountains when you look out the window.
Meng Jiao chose to buy the villa here for two reasons: first, it's close to the airport, so she can sleep in a little longer before rushing to her event; secondly...
Because of its remote location, most of the owners here are not wealthy businessmen, making it particularly suitable for keeping mistresses.
Her neighbor to the east was a canary. Of course, she herself was one too.
However, she wasn't hidden away by Zhou Weinian; she hid herself away.
Sometimes she admired herself for actually managing to get the eldest son of the Jia Huan Group to drive so far to have an affair with her.
Meng Jiao knew perfectly well that it was all thanks to her face and figure... and maybe some personal charm as well; she was not only beautiful, but also humorous.
In short, the first thing she does at the start of each day is to check her face for pimples or swelling, and then spend half an hour to an hour on her skincare routine.
But today, she hadn't washed her face or combed her hair. Wrapped in a blanket to cover her naked body, she sat cross-legged on the bed like a triangular rice dumpling, her phone pressed against her face. She was so angry she could barely speak: "Zhou Weinian! You...you...you did this on purpose, didn't you?!"
Last night, when Meng Jiao was exhausted and drenched in sweat, her phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated. She felt relieved: "Someone's looking for me, it might be urgent..."
“What could be urgent at this hour?” Zhou Weinian calmly took her hand, pinned it behind her back, took her phone, glanced at it, raised an eyebrow and smiled, then casually muted it and tossed it on the ground. “Nonsense ads, ignore them, focus on your work.”
She was so engrossed in her phone that she slept in late this morning. Her head was still foggy, and after looking at it for a while, it completely crashed.
Having perfectly missed the initial PR lull, her name and Jiang Shiyan's name are now prominently displayed at the top of the trending topics list, followed by a dark red "hot" label.
Such a big event, yet her agent didn't contact her, and Zhou Weinian wasn't by her side either. For a moment, it seemed as if she was both the most eye-catching person in the world and being ignored by the whole world.
She quickly called Zhou Weinian, but after listening to her stammering description, he calmly said, "I'm discussing it with your 'boyfriend' right now."
Meng Jiao was stunned.
Zhou Weinian continued, "We have unanimously decided to take this opportunity to clarify your rumors."
Meng Jiao gradually realized what was going on. He must have seen the message someone sent her last night and knew about the trending topic, but he deliberately didn't let her know. After all, she was face down at the time and couldn't see what he was doing, so it was too easy for him to keep it from her.
Zhou Weinian had been unhappy with her using a fake relationship as a shield for a long time.
But no matter what, it's really too much to not wake her up or prevent her from participating in the discussion for fear of her objection!
...Two chauvinistic bastards!
Meng Jiao had no idea that the two men she was mentally whipping were sitting in her living room on the first floor. One was casually wearing a bathrobe, but his posture exuded nobility, while the other was dressed in a suit and had light dark circles under his eyes.
Zhou Weinian acted like the host, slowly and methodically preparing the coffee.
Jiang Shiyan declined.
"Mr. Jiang, didn't you sleep well last night?" Zhou Weinian looked at him with interest as the bottom of his cup gently tapped against the saucer.
Jiang Shiyan glanced at his clothes and smiled knowingly, "Yes, that's why we've run into trouble."
Zhou Weinian's eyes behind his glasses flickered, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Meng Jiao has caused you trouble."
"It's just a collaboration, nothing to do with trouble. You're exaggerating."
Jiang Shiyan picked up the document on the table. "Then I'll tear this one up."
"Please go ahead."
The agreement reached with Meng Jiao was not just a verbal promise; they drafted a contract, one for each of them, but now both copies have been torn up.
Zhou Weinian blew on his coffee: "I'm a little curious, how much profit did you actually make from this so-called cooperation?"
Jiang Shiyan gathered the strips of scrap paper on the table, crumpled them into a ball, and played with them in his hand.
"I originally thought it was big enough to at least break even."
He doesn't deny that in the very beginning, they were really competing.
He only thinks that he can't lose to his ex, and he needs to have a new love to balance things out.
And the profit was... She cried twice.
After a brief silence, Jiang Shiyan met Zhou Weinian's probing, slightly wary gaze and gave him a relieved smile:
"But it seems I lost both the principal and interest."
Before Zhou Weinian could say anything, Jiang Shiyan's phone received a call. He gestured and went outside to answer it.
"Aunt Zhang."
"Mr. Jiang, I'm sorry, I failed to keep an eye on the person for you."
Jiang Shiyan wasn't surprised: "When did you run away? Have you eaten?"
Aunt Zhang: "No..."
"..." Jiang Shiyan didn't know what to say to his elder, but he still complained a little, "Did you give the things to her?"
Speaking of this, Aunt Zhang suddenly raised her voice: "You're still asking me? If I had known earlier that it was someone's elder's heirloom, I definitely wouldn't have agreed to it."
Jiang Shiyan raised an eyebrow slightly, and her lips parted slightly in surprise.
So that's how it came about. It makes sense, but it's also unexpected.
How can you threaten people like this?
Aunt Zhang's voice turned somber, "Sigh, it reminds me of my old mother too..."
Of all the housekeepers Jiang Shiyan had hired, Aunt Zhang was the most interesting, so he signed a long-term contract with her.
His house was empty, but Aunt Zhang brought more than just cleanliness to the space. She would suddenly sing a line from Huangmei Opera while cooking, and ask him for his opinion when serving the dishes. Jiang Shiyan would smile and say that he wasn't a professional at it, and Aunt Zhang would say, "Oh, what's wrong with just praising me?"
I knew she was unreliable.
Jiang Shiyan said helplessly, "I'm not that bad. I just returned it to her when I got home."
“She was about to call the police, so I couldn’t refuse to let her go. She sent her WeChat location to a friend and also sent her a voice message saying that if she didn’t contact her again within ten minutes, she would call the police for her. I did try to persuade her, but she said that it was you who was in trouble, not her.”
Aunt Zhang muttered to herself, "In some ways, she's a lot like you..."
Inexplicably, an image of a rabbit gnawing on the wire mesh of its cage, trying to escape, popped into Jiang Shiyan's mind.
Only then did she begin to see a trace of her past.
Over the years, only he has been able to provoke such a strong reaction from her.
Jiang Shiyan suppressed his eagerness to see her, and his restless emotions turned into a smile at the corner of his lips.
"Oh, by the way, she said she also hid something for you under the sofa, and I couldn't resist taking it out..."
Aunt Zhang's voice distorted: "Why is it a box of family planning supplies?!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiyan's eyelids twitched slightly, his pupils moved slightly, and his smile froze on his face.
She said that once you see this, you'll understand what she means.
Aunt Zhang was both embarrassed and eager to gossip, "What do you mean? What exactly is your relationship?"
When faced with this question again, Jiang Shiyan said:
"She is someone I don't want to let go of."
-----------------------
Author's Note: If love and hate are intertwined, the story will unfold with her running away and him chasing. [Lower-eared rabbit head]
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