Chapter 24 He Arranged Work
After Jiang Xue finished discussing the important matters, she left. Once she was gone, the empty room became exceptionally quiet.
Xia Li could almost hear Ji Ling's heavy breathing, which was gushing into her ears.
The warm touch on my side is still clear, so close, spreading like wildfire, as if what's being held in my palm isn't just a section of my waist, but also a heart in turmoil.
Once she came to her senses, she had a chance to break free from Ji Ling's embrace and create some distance, but the warmth still lingered.
To be honest, her relationship with Ji Ling was exactly as described. They barely spoke to each other, there was no third party to mediate, and they could only look at each other from afar.
No, we can't even look at each other.
They didn't even dare to look at each other, and could only let their hearts burn and boil, like water that had just been boiled. At first, the heat was strong, but it slowly cooled down after a while. Taking advantage of this time, they tried to probe with their peripheral vision.
Xia Li lowered her eyes, her hair slightly disheveled from Ji Ling's earlier embrace, a few stray strands falling in front of her eyes and gently brushing against her reddened earlobes: "Hmm... Jiang Xue's matter..."
She tried to find a topic to ease the awkward atmosphere, and tried several different opening lines, but she always stammered.
Ji Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, slowly relaxing his arms behind his back, his slender fingers curling and then relaxing, his voice like warm water: "What's wrong with Jiang Xue?"
Xia Li casually replied, "You knew about Jiang Xue's matter beforehand? I noticed you didn't react much just now."
Actually, that wasn't what she wanted to say, and it had nothing to do with Jiang Xue, but she didn't know how to explain it given their current identities and positions.
Ji Ling nodded, his tone indifferent: "Han Rui mentioned it briefly, but I didn't pay much attention." As he spoke, he lowered his eyes, the stray hairs on his forehead obscuring the depths of his gaze, and casually asked, "Are you going?"
Xia Li looked up. She had always thought Ji Ling's eyes were very beautiful. In the dark, his pupils were a black that contained emotions, and in the light, they had a deep green hue. When he was indifferent, they had a sense of oppression and aggression, but when he smiled slightly, they seemed to contain the deep affection of peach blossoms in spring. They were completely different people.
She nodded in response: "Yes, didn't I just agree?"
Ji Ling responded, "We'll go together."
Xia Li was stunned, her breath caught in her throat, and her voice suddenly lowered as she cautiously asked the question she had been wanting to ask: "Together? Jiang Xue is very perceptive when it comes to emotions; she'll sense it..."
Ji Ling frowned slightly, his eyes filled with confusion: "What did you realize?"
Xia Li stammered, "It's... about the two of us."
Ji Ling asked directly, "Are you husband and wife?"
Xia Li's pupils constricted upon hearing this, and she was taken aback. She quickly waved her hand and said, "It's not that bad."
Ji Ling added, "Could it be that he had a whirlwind marriage like her and accidentally got the marriage certificate?"
Xia Li continued to shake her head and wave her hands, saying, "That's not true."
She thought to herself that if it was just a matter of her putting her arm around his waist when he stumbled, or attending a wedding banquet together, it was at most a private friendship. If it could be linked to marriage, then his mental state was probably not very good.
Seeing her hastily trying to distance herself from the situation, Ji Ling's expression instantly turned cold, and he asked in a cold voice, "Then what else could it be?"
Xia Li was startled by his serious demeanor. She quietly let out a long breath and didn't answer. She traced her fingers in the air and said uncertainly, "I remember it said in the contract that our marriage cannot be announced to the public."
Although she still doesn't understand the reason, it's best to follow the contract to avoid any mistakes.
After hearing this, Ji Ling lowered his eyes and pondered, without immediately answering her question.
He remembered that this happened; he had participated in drafting the contract, but it was entirely Xia Qingqing's request at the time.
His mindset is different now. Before marriage, he only wanted Xia Li as a person. Now, it's not just about the person in front of him. He's had a taste for her sweetness. He wants her heart, everything about her, her unintentional care, and her casual greetings.
Moreover, hiding things isn't a good thing; there will always be people with dirty hands who will reach out to his beloved right under his nose.
Xia Li had no idea what Ji Ling was thinking, but judging from Ji Ling's expression, things weren't going well, and a chill emanated from him.
She had intended to end the conversation there, but Ji Ling, after regaining his senses, said, "Are you going to listen to the contract or to me?"
Xia Li was stunned, and said blankly, "I'll listen to you."
Ji Ling hummed softly, pleased. In a good mood, he took her hand and asked, "Are you done with your work? Let's go home together."
Xia Li stood there, stunned, still somewhat uncertain: "What does this mean?"
To make it public or not.
Ji Ling gazed leisurely towards the door, his eyes veiled with a faint distance, as if separated by an invisible barrier. His voice was low and hoarse: "What do you think?"
Of course, it should be made public.
People always waver between ambiguity and uncertainty. Even when they have touched the edge of the answer, they still swing back and forth between "yes" and "no", and even their sighs are filled with a hint of unspoken confusion.
After a period of time, the studio renovation was completed, and everything was finally settled.
But it's just a facade; there's not much change. It's simply a transition from the mundane life of the previous stage to the present, and it's still insignificant.
The good thing is that she has more freedom. She can go to work when she wants, and if she doesn't want to go to work, she can lie down all day to recover her energy. No one will care about her or ask where she is. But she has also lost pure joy because of this. Now, being busy feels more like completing a task.
The studio's second order came from Jiang Xue.
In Xia Li's eyes, Jiang Xue is a contradictory person.
She is truly unique: tall, with a tan complexion, slim but not skinny, confident and generous, sharp-tongued, yet very good at expressing affection and love.
Living freely, for example, in something as important as marriage, Jiang Xue can follow her current thoughts without hesitation, going with her heart, and not caring about how things will develop in the future.
At the same time, they are also very indecisive, for example, they always hesitate on small things, such as what clothes to wear today, what perfume to wear, and which piece of jewelry to choose.
They collaborated many times, and whenever Xia Li asked, "Aren't they all the same?"
Jiang Xue shook her head, replying with an arrogant and critical tone.
A: "How can they be the same? This is my symbol for the day. Even the slightest mistake will ruin my good mood for the whole day."
Xia Li had previously disagreed with this statement, until a few days ago when she needed to name her studio for registration. She had been struggling with this for several days, but had no one to share her thoughts with.
One morning she woke up late, and Aunt Wang accidentally put a pomelo in the fruit she had prepared. The thin membrane of the fruit wrapped the translucent flesh, and when she bit into it, the juice splashed out, and the sweet and sour taste exploded on her tongue, bursting out with a refreshing citrus fragrance. Then she noticed that the flowers that were changed every day at the back garden gate had been replaced with pomelo blossoms that were about to bloom.
The pomelo blossoms early and for a short period, around early April, with a sweet, woody, citrus scent that greets the nose.
She couldn't help but think of Ji Ling.
That day, she had a good mood all day long.
Xia Li envied Jiang Xue. If she could be more carefree and unrestrained like Jiang Xue, perhaps she wouldn't be so hesitant and indecisive now.
When she picked up her phone to discuss cooperation with Jiang Xue, she talked non-stop for several hours. Ji Ling, who was sitting on the sofa next to her, couldn't stand it anymore.
"Who are you chatting with?" Ji Ling frowned, wrinkled his nose, and sat down with his arms crossed. His voice was muffled, and even Xia Li, who was slow to notice, could hear the displeasure in his tone.
"Jiang Xue," she answered honestly.
Upon hearing this, Ji Ling raised an eyebrow, slightly lifted his eyelids, and glanced unintentionally at her phone screen before turning away as if he didn't care. He shrugged slightly, appearing quite indifferent.
"Oh?" he uttered, his gaze still unintentionally fixed on her. "What are you talking about? You seem to be having a lot of fun."
Xia Li was momentarily surprised, tilting her head in confusion. Did she look happy? No, she seemed quite anxious...
Then she realized that Ji Ling might have just been saying it casually, and what he really wanted to find out wasn't the content of the chat. She paused, turned up the brightness of her phone screen, opened the chat page with Jiang Xue, flipped it over, and handed it to Ji Ling to prove to him that she really was chatting with Jiang Xue about work.
Ji Ling glanced at it: "She wants to cooperate with you?"
Xia Li thought about it and realized that this was a valid approach, but not entirely reliable. So she explained, "Her friend owns a resort hotel, and they need a photographer to help with location shooting, so they contacted me."
Ji Ling nodded to indicate that he understood the situation, then glanced at Xia Li casually: "So why did you reject her? You've been talking about this for the past few hours?"
Xia Li nodded in affirmation: "Yes, I've been trying to make excuses to her for hours."
As for why she rejected Jiang Xue, it was mainly because of the psychological trauma she suffered during a competition many years ago. She didn't want to get involved in landscape photography, but she didn't tell Ji Ling the real situation and her thoughts. Instead, she made up an answer on the spot: "I haven't taken landscape photos for many years. I've been in contact with people all the time, and I'm afraid I won't be able to take good photos."
Ji Ling turned her head, her expression complex, the worry in her eyes gently concealed by her drooping eyelashes.
At this moment, Xia Li continued, "Moreover, Jiang Xue is a perfectionist when it comes to small things. If something goes wrong, I won't be able to explain it to her."
After she finished speaking, she looked up and noticed Ji Ling's gaze. At this moment, because of her second explanation, the worry and doubt in her eyes lessened, and she seemed to be thinking about something.
Seeing that Ji Ling didn't speak, Xia Li assumed that she had talked too much and annoyed him, so she pursed her lips awkwardly, lowered her eyes, put away her phone, and continued to silently deal with the matter with Jiang Xue.
"You..." Less than two minutes later, Ji Ling's voice was cold. He paused before speaking, his eyes filled with complex emotions, "Are you very free? Or do you really need money?"
"Huh?" Xia Li was taken aback. She didn't quite understand how Ji Ling had connected the two.
Taking photos for people is exhausting and doesn't pay well; it's purely physical labor. For her, persisting until now is more of a psychological comfort. If she is a snail, then photography is the snail's shell, not a vessel to support her passion, but rather a testament to her perseverance.
Is she free? She nodded, then felt something was off, shook her head, and gave an ambiguous answer: "Not bad."
"Not bad, huh?" Ji Ling asked casually, but Xia Li didn't dare to answer. Then he sighed and said in a low voice, "My dad's company is changing its headshots in a few days. Shall we go?"
Xia Li was stunned for a few seconds before she reacted, at a loss for what to do. She wanted to refuse, but then she heard Ji Ling say, "You're thinking of a reason to refuse? You won't have a chance."
Xia Li pursed her lips and shook her head. When she calmed down, she realized that she and Ji Ling were extremely close, almost touching.
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