Chapter 12 Jealousy
When Xia Li woke up, the sky was overcast.
She noticed a blanket had been placed over her, and her hands unconsciously clenched. The warm, soft touch seemed to travel through her skin to her heart, and her pupils dilated as she drifted off into a daze.
She had considered that Ji Ling had draped it over her shoulders, but only for a moment before concluding that it was the wrong answer and that it was more likely that Aunt Wang had brought it.
The moment she woke up, Xia Li went to find her phone. The message page was empty; Ji Ling still hadn't replied. She lowered her eyes and turned off the screen.
"Where's Ji Ling?" she asked Aunt Wang as she walked into the kitchen.
Aunt Wang was tidying up the table when she heard this, and she shook her head: "He came back last night, but just left this morning."
"Ah." Xia Li opened her lips, momentarily surprised, only able to utter simple syllables. Her heart felt like a tangled ball of yarn, a jumbled mess.
Even after I came back, I couldn't contact them; they were like strangers.
With her head down, she finished breakfast, tidied herself up, and prepared to go to work at the studio as usual.
Perhaps because of the many worries in her heart, she felt that her steps were very heavy, as if her shoes were filled with water, so heavy that each step required a lot of effort, and she couldn't help but take a small breath.
The driver slowly stopped the car in front of her. She was about to go to the back seat when the passenger door suddenly opened. The damp morning air, mixed with moisture and a faint scent of grapefruit, lingered around her nose.
A chill ran down her spine, and based on the familiar scent, she instantly determined that the person in the car was Ji Ling.
Just as she expected, Ji Ling casually rested his knuckles on the steering wheel, slightly tilted his chin up, and his dark eyes were exceptionally deep.
"Get in the car, I'll give you a ride."
His cool, magnetic voice interrupted her thoughts.
Xia Li lowered her head, clenched her hands, and got into the car. Her chest heaved violently. She took a deep breath, swallowed, and was about to speak when Ji Ling spoke first: "We're getting married next month. Have you taken leave yet?"
Xia Li was stunned. She had prepared herself for everything, but she didn't expect Ji Ling to ask about something trivial instead of mentioning anything else.
She nodded and replied, "Please come in."
Actually, she hadn't had time yet, but she certainly couldn't say that.
Ji Ling was in a good mood after receiving a response, and his gaze softened. He coughed lightly twice, covering his mouth, and glanced back at her, though he seemed a little awkward.
Xia Li noticed and tilted her head in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Did she say something wrong?
Ji Ling coughed twice more, slowing down his driving considerably, and said casually, "If you're too tired from work..."
What he wanted to say was that Xia Li left early and returned late every day with an irregular schedule. If she was too tired from work, she could quit her job and become her own boss. He would invest, and if she lost money, he would take responsibility, and if she made a profit, she could keep it.
But before he could finish speaking, he turned his head and saw Xia Li looking down, biting her lip, lost in thought. She hadn't heard him at all. Noticing that something was wrong with her, he pulled the car over to the side of the road and asked her, "Something on your mind?"
Xia Li looked up at the sound and saw Ji Ling's large, strong hands gripping the steering wheel. Her heart changed with his movements, filled with trepidation, hesitation, and unease.
She finally steeled herself and, gritting her teeth, asked, "Does Sheng Minyang's matter have anything to do with you?"
Seeing this, Ji Ling stopped what he was doing, the steering wheel almost crushed in his hand. He frowned and turned to her, asking, "What did you say?"
Ji Ling hated hearing Sheng Minyang's name from Xia Li. No matter when or where, the name Sheng Minyang was like a warning button between them, which would be triggered if they were not careful.
Xia Li thought he didn't understand, so she explained it in more detail: "The post that was trending on social media yesterday was about the rumors about Sheng Minyang's molestation."
Sheng Minyang? Indecent assault?
Ji Ling's eyes turned cold upon hearing this. He loosened his grip on the steering wheel, leaned back slightly, and stared ahead with annoyance, saying, "I don't understand. I don't know."
He didn't understand what Xia Li was talking about. He did hate Sheng Minyang, but he wouldn't do something so despicable. He wasn't the kind of person who would stop at nothing. He didn't know how Xia Li viewed him. Did she really think of him as such a vile person? It was utterly ridiculous.
Xia Li saw him coldly utter a few words, unsure whether it was a denial or an avoidance of answering, and considering her precarious relationship with him, she didn't press him any further.
She was about to give up when she saw Ji Ling make another move. Ji Ling said in a low, barbed voice, "You came to me about this?"
Xia Li did not deny it.
Ji Ling was even more displeased, her eyes filled with coldness. She unconsciously raised her voice, which trembled as she asked, "Because of Sheng Minyang? You care about him that much?"
Xia Li replied, "No, I will keep an eye on whoever it is."
Anger boiled in his chest, Ji Ling's eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of losing his temper. Xia Li's answer was irrelevant and did not touch his sore spot at all. He felt even more aggrieved and gritted his teeth, saying, "Then why do you doubt me? Or do you not trust me?"
Xia Li remained silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. Then she saw Ji Ling smile, the spring in his eyes transforming into a volcano about to erupt, spewing lava in a dangerous manner.
Ji Ling continued, "That's true. There has never been any trust between us."
Their relationship was like a pile of loose sand, easily scattered by the wind, leaving only empty space.
Xia Li lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her knuckles, staring blankly at the tips of her shoes, not daring to meet her gaze.
She hadn't expected Ji Ling to be like this, so emotional. And because of Ji Ling's current state, she was certain that this matter had nothing to do with him, and that she had misunderstood him.
She felt ashamed, but racked her brains without finding a solution. She was at a loss, not knowing how to bring this irreparable relationship back to where it all began.
Perhaps we shouldn't have asked Ji Ling about this; perhaps we should have remained silent.
After a long while, filled with remorse, she solemnly said to Ji Ling, "I'm sorry."
But Ji Ling was not pleased by her apology; instead, her tone became even colder, making people even more anxious: "You don't need to tell me."
They now have a marital relationship that is more complex than that of ordinary people. Because of this relationship, their connection is intimate and doesn't require the usual formality.
Ji Ling also knew that their marriage was like a thin sheet of paper, which he used to cover up their unbearable past. Although it would eventually break, he didn't care at all. He could cover it up for as long as possible, which was the best plan for now.
Every argument with Xia Li is related to Sheng Minyang, so was her waiting last night also because of Sheng Minyang?
Reason is like ice meeting a blazing fire; it melts instantly, leaving behind a mess of filth and a raging fire called misunderstanding.
“Instead of doubting me, you should doubt whether the Sheng Minyang you trust is really as the trending topics say…” Ji Ling leaned closer, his warm lips breathing in and out, his breath brushing against Xia Li’s ear, unintentionally touching her earlobe, and said clearly, word by word: “Indecent to others.”
"Impossible." Xia Li retorted almost immediately, putting distance between them.
Ji Ling's eyes were gloomy. He licked his canine teeth and said in a sinister tone, "What? You trust him that much?"
Xia Li didn't say anything more. She was now certain that Ji Ling knew nothing about yesterday's trending topics, so Ji Ling definitely didn't know that the person whose name was listed alongside Sheng Minyang's on the trending topics was her.
They remained silent the entire way.
Soon after Xia Li arrived at the studio, absurd rumors resurfaced.
Wang Shu sat at her workstation, scrolling through her mouse, surrounded by a group of people.
"No way? What is all this?" Wang Shu exclaimed in despair, her hands still busy refreshing the trending topics page as a flood of abusive posts came crashing down on her.
The colleague standing right next to Wang Shu stared intently at the large red characters on the trending topic, almost thinking she couldn't read Chinese, and angrily exclaimed: "Sister Xia Li sexually harassed a male artist she was working with? Are you kidding me? I don't know which idiot wrote this up with their feet!"
They'll do anything for traffic, and so will their fans; they start attacking without any concrete evidence.
Another colleague chimed in, "These days, male celebrities are either skinny and monkey-faced or fat and chubby. Do they really think they look like the heavily edited photos from our fans? In reality, their faces are full of pockmarks. If you zoom in on the photos, I'd think they were puddles in a muddy field. They have no manners and are incredibly short-tempered. Working with them is more like Xia Li being harassed."
Wang Shu indignantly agreed: "Exactly! Every time we work with a male celebrity, we have to mentally prepare ourselves for a long time, because if we're not careful, we'll get scolded. Speaking of which, is someone targeting us? Yesterday, the trending topic was about Brother Sheng molesting Sister Xia Li. After we clarified, the public opinion was just starting to improve, and today Sister Xia Li is in trouble again."
Someone chimed in: "Who will be next? It's not my turn, is it? I really don't want to see my own photo trending on social media, with all sorts of unrealistic nonsense being made up about me."
Wang Shu clicked her tongue: "Pah, I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously."
Xia Li stood to the side, lost in thought. She found a quiet room, picked up her phone, and searched for trending topics. The page popped up, and the trending topic "Guo Tiao" topped the list, reaching an astonishing number of views.
The celebrity who was sexually harassed in the entertainment industry was someone Xia Li had worked with last year. Xia Li had some impression of him back then. At that time, he was still a very ambitious unknown. Now, two months ago, he rose to the second tier with a hit drama and became somewhat famous.
The male celebrity's fans are all denouncing Xia Li and hoping to get an explanation.
Xia Li clicked on the video with the most views, which was a three-minute surveillance video.
Xia Li watched the whole thing with a furrowed brow. Luckily, no one was around. If someone had been there, seeing her expression, they probably wouldn't have dared to breathe too loudly.
She felt somewhat ashamed, because her own problems had dragged the studio and Sheng Minyang into the mire as well. She was also very curious about who had gone to such lengths to make this move.
Frustrated, she rubbed her forehead and sighed. She wanted to ignore it, at least it wouldn't affect her. She wouldn't let a random trending topic disrupt her life.
But the longer it drags on, the more innocent people might be affected. Thinking about this, I tried to contact the male artist's agent, only to find that I had already been deleted from his friend list and blocked.
Is it really necessary? If they didn't have something to hide, why would they do this? So they tried to contact the person who posted the video again, but just learned that Sheng Minyang had already been contacted and there had been no response.
What are all these troubles? Xia Li sighed helplessly. At this moment, the only person who might be related to these matters suddenly popped into her mind. This person knew many people in the male artist's company.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
