Chapter 30: Imaginary Rival
After Jiang Xue finished speaking, she left angrily, leaving only Xia Li and Ji Ling behind.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled patterns on the corridor. Dust motes floated in the air, slowly swirling and wandering in the quiet space.
Xia Li and Ji Ling's hands were clasped tightly at this moment, without any gap, as if they were one person. The accidental touch of their fingertips was particularly awkward, as if a tiny electric current ran through them, causing their hearts to tremble.
Ji Ling's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but the words were swallowed back down, and silence fell over the air.
Xia Li looked up, neither asking nor explaining, but gently shook his hand as if deliberately avoiding him, as if nothing had happened, and asked him, "Jiang Xue and the others are at the beach, the second round has started, shall we go over?"
Ji Ling lowered his eyes, his gaze tinged with a pale gold by the sunlight. When this light clashed with his slightly greenish pupils, a beautiful ring actually formed around the outer edge of his pupils.
When Xia Li looked up, she saw herself clearly in his eyes. Her hair was messy, and her face appeared in his eyes without any defense. It was exceptionally clear, and his face also appeared in her eyes.
We are intertwined, each other in our own way, and all we can hear is each other's disordered breathing. The world consists of only us.
Ji Ling turned away to avoid eye contact, loosened his grip, coughed lightly, and looked into the distance: "Do you want to go?"
Xia Li lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and did not give an answer.
As if tacitly understood, the answer was already known. At this moment, there was probably no mood to do anything, and the wandering thoughts had drifted far away, never to return.
They wandered aimlessly, circling around and around several times.
Finally, Xia Li suggested, "Let's go to the beach."
Ji Ling remained silent and nodded.
They deliberately avoided the venue of Jiang Xue's second wedding banquet, and led by a waiter, they took another path and circled around to the back of the hotel.
Passing through a narrow, vine-covered pebble path and a doorway, one arrives at the seaside. The moment the afternoon sunlight streams through the water, Xia Li unconsciously squints, her breathing becoming easier, and her heart feeling lighter.
Instead of heading towards the beach, they followed the shady path along the sea.
Xia Li always felt that Ji Ling had something to say, but Ji Ling didn't say it. Instead, he used the most clumsy way, stumbling and tentatively probing, slowing down his steps and gently, slowly, and cautiously touching her heart.
The sea breeze whistled in, carrying a subtle coolness.
Ji Ling's grip on her hand tightened and loosened intermittently, his palms already damp with a thin layer of sweat. He glanced down at her, then quickly looked away, turning his gaze to the end of the road, and said stiffly, "We..."
What he wanted to say was, "Let's get married again," but remembering the promise he made to Xia Qingqing when signing the contract—that he wouldn't make it public for at least a year—he hesitated and didn't say anything more.
He blamed it all on the innocent sea breeze, saying it was because the sea breeze was blowing too hard.
Xia Li looked up at the sound and gazed at him.
The sun was right to her side, forcing her to squint, which obstructed her vision and made her hearing less sharp than usual.
A cool breeze whistled by, and Xia Li tilted her head slightly, her eyes pausing for half a second before a hint of confusion appeared: "Hmm?"
Ji Ling stared intently at her, his lips slightly parted, but he ultimately didn't speak, attributing this time to the intense sunlight.
There aren't that many reasons. The truth is, he doesn't understand the other person's feelings. He doesn't know Xia Li's thoughts. Offending her is the same regardless of gender, age, or appearance. He's afraid that his words will make her uncomfortable and push her further away.
I'm even more afraid she'll refuse.
Seeing his dazed expression, Xia Li blinked, retrieved the words she had almost said, and asked softly, "What were you about to say?"
Ji Ling did not answer immediately, but simply looked at her quietly, and then gently raised her hand, placing it against her forehead from a short distance to shield her from the piercing sunlight.
His eyes held hesitation, struggle, and probing; a single emotion could not express it.
Xia Li didn't understand. She gently took Ji Ling's large hand, pulled it down, and then looked up and said softly, "No need, thank you."
Ji Ling lowered his head, his pupils trembling almost imperceptibly. Xia Li's words had rendered him powerless to struggle. He gently put the object down and said nothing more.
At this moment, Xia Li suddenly brought up what had just happened. Her voice was unusually unclear, as if she were in a dream, and she spoke haltingly: "Mr. Xu just now..."
Ji Ling bent down slightly and listened silently to what she had to say.
Because they were walking very slowly and holding hands, their posture looked somewhat strange and awkward from behind.
Xia Li didn't know how to start the conversation. She paused halfway through her sentence, sighed softly, and didn't continue.
Ji Ling had a general understanding of this, but it wasn't comprehensive.
His idea is that there is no need to worry about what has already happened or what has not yet happened. If one thing is already set in stone, no matter what you do, you can't change it. If one thing is still in the making, no matter what you do, it's all just pointless worry.
But at that moment, his heart was pounding, pounding hard against his chest, each beat rapid and heavy, and his ears were ringing.
He was worried about things that hadn't even happened yet; his panic spread through his veins to every part of his body, and even his fingertips trembled slightly.
"Never mind, there's really nothing to mention." Xia Li raised her eyes, then lowered them again, her fingertips curling unintentionally as she spoke weakly.
At this moment, Ji Ling spoke up, guiding the conversation: "You can tell me whenever you want to talk. I'll always be here for you."
He longed to know the grievances she had suffered, and he would help her resolve them one by one. However, he was also afraid that she would bring them up, afraid that she would reopen her wounds. He felt sorry for her, but he was also afraid that she would unintentionally mention his name.
Xia Li stared at him in astonishment. Ji Ling's words gave her immense comfort.
The damp, salty scent of the sea permeated the entire path. In the distance, waves surged up one after another, then quietly receded, leaving behind a soft, rustling sound. A sense of excitement quietly grew in the sea breeze.
Xia Li glanced at a familiar figure not far away and her heart skipped a beat.
Sheng Minyang also missed the second wedding banquet and happened to appear on this path.
At this moment, Sheng Minyang also noticed her presence.
Xia Li, separated by a long road, watched Sheng Minyang's small, blurry figure. She could feel Sheng Minyang's astonishment, as if he had stopped walking for a moment, but he quickly recovered and walked straight towards them.
As he approached, Sheng Minyang's expression turned deathly pale. His slightly smiling gaze shifted from Xia Li's face to her clasped hands with Ji Ling, lingering between the two. His bitter smile instantly turned gentle, and he said, "What a coincidence, you're here too. Didn't you go to the wedding banquet by the sea?"
Xia Li noticed Sheng Minyang's probing gaze and somewhat embarrassedly moved her hand, which was clasped with Ji Ling's, back, trying to hide it behind the corner of her clothes.
Ji Ling noticed her subtle movements and glanced at her. He happened to see her lowered eyes. Dissatisfied, he didn't go along with her wishes. Instead, he increased the force and deliberately shook their hands forward.
His expression remained calm and composed, making it seem as if the action was unintentional.
Xia Li was stunned. She thought that Sheng Minyang was right in front of her, and he didn't know about her relationship with Ji Ling. He also had no intention of guessing Ji Ling's little thoughts, so she went along with his actions and stopped arguing.
She was about to answer Sheng Minyang's question when Ji Ling spoke first, "Yes."
Xia Li sighed, rubbing her forehead. What kind of response is that? Saying even one word is too much, yet she insisted on speaking. She's far too petty…
She asked Sheng Minyang, "Is the wedding over?"
Sheng Minyang replied, "Not yet, they're still at the beach." He pointed in a direction and continued, "There's a banquet later, I just came out for some fresh air."
Sheng Minyang's gaze kept shifting back and forth, making Xia Li feel uncomfortable. Just as she was about to change the subject, two different male voices suddenly came from beside her.
A gentle, warm voice said, "What are you doing here...?"
A cool, distant voice said: "We're together."
The former comes from Sheng Minyang, and the latter comes from Ji Ling.
They looked at each other in bewilderment, arrogant and domineering.
Xia Li was caught in the middle, her eyes lowered, biting her lip, unable to speak, feeling extremely embarrassed.
Ji Ling looked at her, frowned, and said, "You've almost bitten my lips raw."
Xia Li looked up in astonishment, her eyes filled with disbelief. Then she realized that Ji Ling was referring to her unconscious behavior just now, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Terrified, Ji Ling's words lacked a subject, which made her think wildly, as if they had accidentally crossed paths.
Sheng Minyang firmly believes that Xia Li would never cheat on him, so it is highly likely that she and Ji Ling have become husband and wife.
Xia Li nodded slightly. She felt guilty towards Sheng Minyang for not explaining the matter to him.
Ji Ling glanced at him disdainfully: "What's wrong? What's it to you?"
Sheng Minyang sighed softly and said, "There's no need to be so vigilant. No one's going to take it from you."
He particularly despised Ji Ling's behavior. Who doesn't know that Ji Ling has a family now? If she's married, she's married and has already registered her marriage. How could anyone steal her away? Why hide it? Even his tone and actions have changed from polite to distrustful.
Ji Ling's eyes swept over her from head to toe, scrutinizing her with wariness and a hint of defiance: "If you want to argue, don't do it here. It's not good in front of her."
His intention was not to let Xia Li be affected by negative emotions, but Sheng Minyang misunderstood him and thought he really wanted to say something.
Xia Li was even more puzzled. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her brows furrowed tightly. Half of it was because of the sunlight, and the other half was because she was confused. She was completely bewildered by the cryptic conversation between the two men.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
