Chapter 29
◎When you blocked the wine for that girl...it hurt a lot◎
On Sunday, Sang Xinqi was so busy that she didn't even have time to move all her belongings into her new home until nightfall.
"Thank you. I'll treat you to a big meal some other day," she said, looking at Jiang Xun who was slumped on the sofa.
Jiang Xun waved his hand, "Why are you being so polite to me?"
"Do you need my help?"
Sang Xinqi glanced at the wound on his face and said, "Forget it. Take care of yourself first. The cat's paw print is still there."
Jiang Xun: “…”
"I worry every time I look in the mirror. What if I get a scar?" He took out his phone and looked at his face.
Sang Xinqi packed her luggage without even looking up. "Don't worry, you won't die."
Jiang Xun stood up and said, "Okay, I'll leave first."
Sang Xinqi nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, don't tell Liao Yishen I'm moving across the street from him."
Jiang Xun smiled mischievously, "Why, you want to try something more exciting?"
Sang Xinqi pushed him out the door, "Just go!"
After seeing Jiang Xun off, Sang Xinqi put her luggage into the second bedroom one by one.
By the time I finished packing my clothes, shoes and hats, the wall clock had already pointed to eight o'clock.
She ordered a takeout and ate the food without any taste.
The chopsticks poked the rice unconsciously, but my thoughts drifted to the door across the street.
Why is Liao Yishen silent today?
Did he stay at home all day, or was he not at home at all?
She wanted to ask Jiang Xun several times during the day, but finally swallowed her words back.
After moving to the new residence, the commuting time was much earlier than usual. Sang Xinqi got up early, washed carefully, picked out a neatly cut dress from the closet, matched it with a gray coat, and put on some delicate makeup.
Before leaving the house, she turned around in front of the full-length mirror at the entrance to make sure her look for the day was impeccable.
The moment I pushed the door open, my eyes unconsciously drifted to the door opposite. The dark brown door was still closed tightly, and not even a trace of light came through the gap.
She bit her lower lip lightly. She had been fantasizing about meeting Liao Yishen by chance in the early morning, but it seemed she was overthinking it.
Arriving at the company, Sang Xinqi immediately plunged into her intense work. She didn't even have time to drink a sip of water the whole morning. She ate a few bites of takeout during lunch break, and then worked non-stop again in the afternoon.
The studio is not very big. In the open office area, colleagues are discussing the project progress in low voices while working.
"Hello, who are you looking for?" Xiao Zhang at the front desk looked up and saw a tall man standing at the door.
The man smiled slightly, fine lines forming at the corners of his eyes, "Is your boss here?"
"Yes, I'll go and inform them right away," Xiao Zhang walked quickly into the inner room and couldn't help but look back twice more.
When Sang Xinqi pushed open the glass door of her office, she raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Xu Jianian?"
"I came here to discuss a project and happened to be passing by," Xu Jianian handed over the paper bag in his hand, "I remember you liked the fruit tea here."
"You're so polite," Sang Xinqi said, stepping aside to let the person into the office. She could vaguely hear her colleagues whispering behind her, "What a unique temperament..."
"Could it be Mr. Sang's..."
As the office door closed gently, the gossip was blocked out. The sunlight shone through the blinds, casting mottled shadows on the floor. Sang Xinqi gestured to Xu Jianian to sit in the reception area.
After Xu Jianian sat down, the two exchanged a few words.
He took a sip of tea and said, "President Han of Tianqi Group is holding a birthday party for his daughter on Wednesday. Each invited guest can bring a close friend. I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you to come along?"
Sang Xinqi raised an eyebrow at this and was about to decline, but he added, "You just returned to China not long ago. This is a good opportunity to meet more people and expand your network."
The words on the tip of her tongue twisted, and Sang Xinqi nodded slightly, "Okay."
Xu Jianian did not stay long. After a brief conversation, he got up and left. After seeing the guests off, Sang Xinqi returned to work. Her focused profile looked particularly calm in the twilight coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The lights in the office stayed on until it was completely dark, and the entire floor fell silent.
Sang Xinqi glanced at her watch and saw that the hour hand was pointing to nine o'clock.
She neatly tidied up her workbench, locked the design in a drawer, picked up her bag, and flicked the switch on the wall with her index finger. With a click, the studio was plunged into darkness, with only the light and shadow of the neon sign outside the window casting a shadow on the glass.
It was past nine in the evening, and the traffic on the way home was light and smooth. She quickly reached her door, tapped her fingertips on the combination lock a few times, and the door opened with a click.
When she pushed the door open, her eyes inadvertently swept across the door opposite. The dark brown security door, which was always closed, still stood there silently, like a wall that no one cared about.
Just as she turned around and closed the door, a slight "click" sound suddenly came from behind her, which was particularly harsh in the silent corridor.
Sang Xinqi's fingers suddenly froze on the doorknob, her heart seemed to be clenched tightly, beating violently against her chest. She held her breath, slowly leaned over, and put her eyes to the peephole. In her distorted vision, she saw a blurry silhouette lowering its head to adjust its collar, and the pale back of its neck glowed bluish-gray under the cold white corridor light.
When the man turned around, she subconsciously shrank back until the footsteps gradually faded away and were finally drowned out by the "ding" sound of the elevator.
"It's like I'm a thief..." She leaned against the door and pulled the corners of her mouth in self-mockery, but her fingertips were still trembling slightly.
At around four o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, Sang Xinqi was hunched over her desk sketching a design, her pencil scratching on the paper. Her assistant Xiao Zhang knocked on the door gently, followed by Xu Jianian.
Sang Xinqi said without even looking up, "I'll be right there."
Xu Jianian nodded and found a seat to sit down.
Her "immediately" was quite true to her words. With a sharp stroke of the pen on the paper, she stood up and said, "Alright."
Xu Jianian looked at her, took out a gold-plated gift box from his side and handed it to her.
Sang Xinqi raised her eyebrows, "What is this?"
"Dress," Xu Jianian said concisely.
She couldn't help but laugh, "The thing we have the most of in our line of work is clothes."
Xu Jianian raised the corners of his lips slightly, "That's right."
"Then you're still sending me?"
"New products for next month, need a model to try them on."
Sang Xinqi spun the box around. "So I have to advertise for you for free?"
"Of course," Xu Jianian's eyes flashed with a cunning light.
After a few jokes, Xu Jianian said goodbye and left.
When Sang Xinqi changed into a dress in the office and pushed the door open, she immediately caused a burst of exclamations.
"Boss! This skirt is tailor-made for you!" Xiao Zhang's eyes lit up.
Photographer Axiao immediately adjusted the lens and took a few consecutive shots.
"It really suits me," Sang Xinqi said narcissistically, then waved her hand, "We should set off."
Xiao Zhang said, "Okay!"
Xu Jianian handed over a camel coat at the right time and said, "It's cold outside."
She took it and put it on, and they walked out of the studio side by side.
The drive was longer than expected, and by the time we arrived at the mountain villa, dusk had already penetrated the clouds.
The parking lot was already filled with various vehicles, and the banquet hall was brightly lit.
Xu Jianian led her through the crowd, exchanged a few words with President Han, and then led her to the terrace.
"What a grand ceremony," Sang Xinqi said, looking at the elegantly dressed guests.
Xu Jianian shook his champagne glass and said, "It's a coming-of-age ceremony after all."
The two of them shuttled among the elegantly dressed people, and Xu Jianian took her to deal with the guests with ease. The fragmented light reflected by the crystal chandelier fell on the champagne glass, reflecting blurry smiling faces.
"Sorry, she's not in a position to drink today. I'll take her the glass."
A deep voice penetrated the noisy crowd, like a thin needle piercing the eardrum unexpectedly.
Sang Xinqi suddenly turned her head and saw the man who had been haunting her dreams. He was leaning forward slightly and taking the wine glass from his female companion with a gentle look in his eyes.
As he raised his glass, the cuff of his suit slid down half an inch, revealing a silver watch.
"Yi Shen, thank you," the woman beside him whispered softly, "I really don't feel well today..."
"But," the senior raised an eyebrow at him, "Why are you so gentle to me today?"
Sang Xinqi felt a sharp pain in her fingertips. She looked down and realized that she had clenched the wine glass tightly without knowing when. The cold wall of the glass formed a layer of mist in her palm.
She stared at the glass of wine that Yi Shen drank with a frown, and suddenly a bitter taste rose in her throat.
"Let's go over there," she turned suddenly, her skirt drawing a stiff arc.
Xu Jianian's gaze lingered on her stiff back for a moment. He didn't ask anything, but followed calmly, "Okay."
His leather shoes made a steady sound as they stepped on the marble floor, like a silent barrier separating her from the laughter behind her.
"Let's sit over there for a while?" Xu Jianian pointed to the corner.
Sang Xinqi nodded mechanically, "Okay."
The long table was filled with exquisite desserts. Xu Jianian picked out a few of her favorites, and the porcelain plate and silver fork made crisp sounds when they collided.
She poked at the raspberries on the mousse cake, and the cream collapsed on the tip of the fork.
Jiang Xun clearly said that he was single.
What about the intimate interaction just now?
The champagne glass reflected the gentle outline of the man as he lowered his head, like a thorn piercing her eyes. She picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp, the bubbles bursting in her throat with a fine pain.
Is it still in the ambiguous stage? Or has it already...
The cold wall of the cup touched my burning forehead, but it could not extinguish the fire in my heart that was burning more and more fiercely.
"Thank you all for coming to my daughter's birthday party."
A deep male voice spread throughout the hall through the microphone, and the noisy banquet hall gradually quieted down. In the halo of the crystal chandelier, President Han stood on the steps and gave a speech with a smile, while the band behind him played a melodious waltz at the right time.
When the girl in a white princess dress walked out from behind the curtain, the whole audience burst into applause. The diamond crown in her hair shone with tiny rays of light under the lights, and her long skirt was like a blooming lily.
Amidst everyone's blessings, the girl closed her eyes and made a wish, and the candlelight flickered and went out as she blew on it.
As the waiters began to cut the three-tiered cream cake, Xu Jianian noticed that Sang Xinqi's eyes swept across the crowd again. Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the rim of the champagne glass, and her eyelashes cast swaying shadows under her eyes.
"Let's go back," he said softly.
Sang Xinqi nodded in a daze, the remaining wine in the glass reflecting her unfocused pupils.
The second half of the banquet had already become a futile search for her. She would try to catch a figure among the elegant clothes and then hurriedly look away when she saw the person's gentle profile.
How ridiculous, she laughed at herself in her heart.
I haven't seen him for several years and I never felt anxious or uneasy. But at this moment, the man's slightly frowned brow when he blocked the wine for others was like a thorn, piercing deeper into my flesh with every heartbeat.
Silence filled the carriage.
When the car stopped downstairs of her residence, Xu Jianian unbuckled his seat belt and said, "I'll take you upstairs."
Sang Xinqi shook her head, her voice slightly drunken and soft, "No, thank you."
"You've had quite a bit to drink," he frowned.
"I can drink a lot," she said, her fingertips running across the car window, leaving a hazy mist on the glass.
Xu Jianian smiled and said, "Next time we meet, don't make it like these two times..."
"Hmm?" She suddenly turned her face, and her earlobe, faintly visible among her hair, was coral-colored.
The street lights cast mottled shadows on her face through the car window, and the drunkenness made the corners of her eyes turn a bright red, like a cinnabar plum blossom suddenly blooming in the snow.
Xu Jianian's breathing hitched, and his knuckles unconsciously tightened on the steering wheel.
"Absentminded," he said, his voice a little hoarse.
"Ah..." She dragged out the last word as if she had suddenly realized something, and an apology appeared in her moist eyes, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he looked away, "rest early."
The moment I opened the car door, the night wind blew in with a cool breeze.
Sang Xinqi staggered, and immediately heard the sound of a car door slamming shut behind her. Xu Jianian quickly walked over and held her elbow, and the scent of mint aftershave mixed with his body temperature enveloped her.
"It's okay," she waved her hand, her smile vague in the moonlight, "I'm going upstairs."
When she turned around, the hem of her skirt brushed past his trouser legs, like a feather gently passing by.
Xu Jianian followed her, watching her swipe her card and enter the elevator. He didn't raise his hand to loosen his tie, which had suddenly become tight, until the metal door was completely closed.
-
When Liao Yishen stepped out of the elevator, the corridor light cast a long slanted shadow on his shoulder. He suddenly stopped in his tracks. The slender figure leaning against his door was tracing the convex and concave lines of the house number with her fingertips out of boredom.
"Liao Yishen..." She looked up at the voice, her alcohol-soaked voice like melted honey, "You're back."
The moonlight seeped in from the window at the end of the corridor, giving her a hazy silver edge, and the crimson at the corners of her eyes looked as if someone had carefully outlined them with a cinnabar pen.
His hand holding the key suddenly tightened, and the metal teeth marks dug deep into his palm.
Slightly tipsy, she looked even more charming than usual. Her fair cheeks were stained with red, and the corners of her eyes were filled with water. Her voice was light and soft, "Liao Yishen... I miss you so much..."
As proud as she was, she looked up at him at this moment, her moist pupils filled with undisguised attachment.
Liao Yi took a deep breath and paused.
The image of her chatting and laughing with others in the banquet hall suddenly popped into his mind. He turned his face away abruptly and asked, "Why are you here?" His voice was as cold as ice.
"I'm jealous," she suddenly laughed, poking his heart with her fingertips, "When you blocked the wine for that girl...it hurt a lot here."
This sentence was like a blow to his ears, making his eardrums buzz.
It turned out that she saw him, saw him standing next to his senior sister who was not feeling well, saw him blocking the wine for her, and saw him being gentle and considerate to his senior sister.
But she didn't know that he was pretending all night because he was angry that there was another man standing next to her, and he wanted to see if she would care if she saw another woman standing next to him.
But seeing her sad about this, I felt both happy and sad.
"You're drunk," he said in a tight voice, reaching out to support her swaying body, "I'll take you..."
"No need," she broke free from his hand and turned around, her high heels making a crisp sound on the ground.
The blue light of the combination lock flickered on her face. With a few "beep" sounds, the door opposite, which he thought had been vacant for a long time, opened.
Liao Yishen was stunned, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
When did she start living across from his house?
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