Chapter 12 Stop being unreasonable, stop crying, making a scene, and going to bed...
Chapter 12
"Hey, you two, stop arguing here."
"The garage has poor visibility, blind spots, and is prone to accidents."
The security guard leaned halfway out of the shuttle bus and shouted loudly at the two of them.
...
The northern city still retained some of the daytime heat at night. There weren't many cars on the road, and Jiang Zhiyan unusually didn't turn on the air conditioning, only opening the driver's side window most of the way, letting in a whistling sound.
Xia Zhiyu's long hair was blown by the wind, tickling her cheeks. She was too lazy to care, so she just casually flicked it a couple of times and let her hair fly around.
She was still sulking.
After a while, Jiang Zhiyan had calmed down and wanted to say something, but Xia Zhiyu clearly didn't want to talk to him.
He wouldn't do something like offering a warm welcome only to be met with indifference.
But Xia Zhiyu has a bad stomach and can't get angry. He just went to see the doctor in charge of Xia Zhiyu's health today, and the doctor emphasized that Xia Zhiyu's stomach problem is more serious than before.
Jiang Zhiyan unconsciously tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
A moment later, Xia Zhiyu's wrist was suddenly grabbed, and her palm was gently rubbed twice.
The man's palm was slightly warm, but she still leaned her head back in the seat, pretending not to see Jiang Zhiyan staring at her through the red light between traffic lights.
Jiang Zhiyan only stepped on the gas pedal when the car behind her honked impatiently.
Xia Zhiyu now had a black rubber band on her wrist, which Jiang Zhiyan had just put on her wrist.
He always kept these little things of hers in his cars and office: hair ties, cosmetics, tampons... all sorts of odds and ends crammed into the center console.
Jiang Zhiyan will replenish the inkstone as soon as it runs out.
My heart felt like a dragonfly landing on the water's surface, creating a shallow ripple.
Xia Zhiyu didn't want to cry when they were arguing earlier, but now her eyes are a little hot.
Xia Zhiyu gazed at the gnarled, dark green trees lining the street, then flicked the rubber band on her wrist with her little finger. The sound was soft, and the force of the rubber band snapping back against her skin was not strong.
A little pain, accompanied by a lot of grievances, welled up in my heart, a mix of emotions.
Xia Zhiyu pursed her lips, blinked hard, and suppressed the bittersweet feeling that welled up inside her.
Jiang Zhiyan was always good at using these little tricks to coax her!
Xia Zhiyu was extremely annoyed because her lower lip was sore from being bitten, and her eyes became even redder with anger.
But she just happens to fall for it!
Jiang Zhiyan is a cunning and wicked dog!
Her long hair was gathered to one side and loosely tied into a side ponytail.
Xia Zhiyu had a strand of black hair twirling between her fingers, and she seemed a little more communicative than before. Jiang Zhiyan's gaze softened, and he broke the silence first.
"Drink some honey water first, and I'll make you a hangover soup when we get home."
When one party speaks first during an argument, it is often a signal that they want to make peace.
Xia Zhiyu turned her head away, and Jiang Zhiyan picked up the honey water packaged in hotel packaging from the cup holder and handed it to her.
Xia Zhiyu's gaze unconsciously fell on the hand holding the honey water.
Jiang Zhiyan's hands are very beautiful, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. Years of fitness have caused the veins on the back of his hands to bulge slightly when he exerts himself, making them look like the hands of someone who has lived a life of ease and has not done much manual labor.
Suddenly, the hands I saw when I video chatted with my mother yesterday afternoon popped into my mind.
My joints are large, and the backs of my hands and nail crevices are corroded by dough and oil and salt day after day until they crack and turn red. Hand soap can't clean them, so I can only use dish soap. The more I wash my skin, the drier it gets, and the cracks get bigger and bigger, like dry tree bark. It hurts to apply hand cream, so I can only use snake oil ointment.
Xia Zhiyu lowered her eyes; the hotel cups had a conspicuous SVIP design.
I used to think that love could overcome all difficulties.
But as time went by, Xia Zhiyu discovered that whenever she looked down, she could see the unfathomable chasm between herself and Jiang Zhiyan.
The more you look at this ravine, the deeper it seems, and the more insurmountable it appears.
But the honey water I was holding was hot.
The warm touch gave her the illusion of being grounded.
Looking up again, Jiang Zhiyan loosely gripped the steering wheel, looking at the road conditions indifferently. The dim streetlights reflected on his face, casting a blurry line between light and shadow on his clearly defined profile.
The Lexus logo in the center of the steering wheel is eye-catching, and the Patek Philippe gold dial on the wrist shines brightly.
The handsomeness of wealthy people has a clear sense of boundaries.
This feeling of inferiority is especially pronounced for someone like Shangjiang Zhiyan, who is both wealthy and capable.
Xia Zhiyu paused briefly, her fingertips gripping the honey water so tightly they turned white.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Jiang Zhiyan turned his head and coaxed her like a child:
"Drink it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Honey helps with hangovers. Whenever she has unavoidable social engagements, Jiang Zhiyan will get her a cup of hot honey water in advance. Even the hangover medicine in her bag is prepared by Jiang Zhiyan.
He did take meticulous care of her in her daily life, but was this the kind of meticulous care that Xia Zhiyu wanted?
The longer they lived together, the more exhausted Xia Zhiyu felt.
Jiang Zhiyan treats her like a kite; he controls the direction and the destination, while the kite simply needs to fly high.
It was as if they were completely unaware that the higher the kite flew, the more likely it was to break into a big tree.
-
She put the honey water back on the center console untouched, without even glancing at Jiang Zhiyan, using this stubborn resistance to show her dissatisfaction.
After a while, her voice suddenly rang out in the carriage, her voice so tense that it was slightly dry.
"Jiang Zhiyan, I don't want to be a lawyer anymore. I want to quit my job and work full-time as a self-media creator."
The wind blew through the ends of her gathered hair, making it sway like a lively black fishtail.
Jiang Zhiyan's hand on the steering wheel suddenly tightened. If he remembered correctly, Bian Lin was a self-media blogger who also owned a dog.
This wasn't the first time Xia Zhiyu had mentioned leaving her job, but it was the first time she had brought up the idea of working full-time as a self-media creator.
It's hard for Jiang Zhiyan not to wonder if Bian Lin had instigated her in something.
"Self-media? Do you know how many people are desperately trying to get into this industry right now?"
Xia Zhiyu remained silent, huddled on the stool, as quiet as a turtle hiding its head.
Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Xia Zhiyu, who was leaning back in her chair and refusing to look at him. His teeth itched, and he wished he could bite Xia Zhiyu's neck and ask her what she wanted to do.
This silent resistance was like the stupid fish on his desk that starved to death after refusing to eat.
Why can't we learn to adapt to the environment in the fish tank?
He gets angry every time he sees Xia Zhiyu acting like she's on a whim.
They are extremely impulsive before making decisions, never considering practical issues, and start daydreaming as soon as they open their eyes.
She's the one who sits at her desk every day hoping that the parties involved will have something come up and can't attend the pre-trial conference. She's also the one who procrastinates and doesn't want to go out on fieldwork. When she looks at her work summary at the end of the year, Xia Zhiyu is sure to be at the bottom.
In today's society, you can't expect the environment to adapt to you on its own.
Trying to lie low in the most competitive industry is no different from waiting to be slapped to death by the waves on the beach.
Now they're arguing over a little chick, Bian Lin, using work as an excuse.
They even considered becoming full-time self-media creators.
Has Xia Zhiyu lost her mind? How can she be so clueless?
With several things piling up, a burning anger of disappointment and frustration flared up in Jiang Zhiyan's chest.
Jiang Zhiyan's expression turned cold and stern, and he fell silent.
He was the eldest grandson and had shown extraordinary talent since childhood. Whether at home or outside, he was always fawned over by others. Jiang Zhiyan was used to being high and mighty and had never made concessions for anyone.
Until he had Xia Zhiyu.
He's clumsy and impulsive in everything he does, and interested in everything. He can swing his sleeves like a whirlwind when he wears an oversized coat. Even though he's in his twenties, his eyes still have the silly look of a child. If he gets sold out, he'll just happily help the seller count the money.
How could he feel at ease with Xia Zhiyu like this?
The once arrogant young master began to pave the way for Xia Zhiyu. He used to look down on all kinds of social engagements and interpersonal relationships, but now he did them all. Jiang Zhiyan even bowed down to his own mother, whom he had always avoided, just so that Xia Zhiyu could get into Huawan.
Now look what's happened! Not only is Xia Zhiyu ungrateful, but this time she's gone so far as to stomp his face on the ground for Bian Lin's sake.
A chill crept across Jiang Zhiyan's face as he slowly backed the car into the garage. As Xia Zhiyu grabbed her bag, Jiang Zhiyan got out first, coldly uttering a sentence before closing the door.
"Xia Zhiyu, even if you really can't find the reason for the argument, there's no need to drag work and workplace issues into this with me."
"This is so boring, you know?"
After saying that, he slammed the car door shut with a loud bang, and without waiting for Xia Zhiyu, he got on the elevator.
He's a complete lunatic.
Xia Zhiyu was so angry she nearly fell backward.
...
"Jiang Zhiyan, what did you mean by that just now? Do you think I was deliberately looking for an excuse to argue with you? Didn't you bring up Bian Lin first, saying that I was arguing with him? How come now it's become that I wanted to start a conflict?"
As soon as she entered the house, Xia Zhiyu kicked off her high heels, making a stomping sound on the floor, her chest heaving violently.
Jiang Zhiyan had just entered the room and was taking something out of the refrigerator.
It would have been better if Xia Zhiyu hadn't brought it up, because the moment she did, Bian Lin's smug face flashed through Jiang Zhiyan's mind.
He and Xia Zhiyu hadn't argued for a year or two, their relationship was so stable, but because of Bian Lin, Xia Zhiyu unleashed a torrent of fury in front of him like a red-eyed rabbit.
Jiang Zhiyan really couldn't understand how Bian Lin, a mere blogger who made a living off his looks and his dog, could provoke such a huge argument between him and Xia Zhiyu.
The matter of him putting his arm around Xia Zhiyu's shoulder could have been resolved with a few words of explanation from her; he knew Xia Zhiyu wasn't the type to cheat.
He admitted that he had been momentarily blinded by jealousy, but Xia Zhiyu couldn't keep blaming him for every argument.
Is it wrong for him to be strict with her at work?
These days, so many people can't find jobs. If he doesn't become stricter with her, when will Xia Zhiyu ever be able to handle cases independently?
He even wanted to make her a hangover soup.
Jiang Zhiyan was furious and retorted angrily.
"Yes, yes, Xia Zhiyu, are you never going to stop? I admit I misspoke earlier, okay? I apologize. I shouldn't have guided and trained you, nor should I have given you cases and brought you into Huawan. Especially today, I shouldn't have waited for you in the parking lot for two hours, witnessed you hugging and kissing another man, and then questioned you."
"It's all my fault, are you satisfied now?"
Jiang Zhiyan's sarcastic tone when he opened his mouth was like that of a Weibo troll reincarnated.
The air was filled with her favorite room fragrance. Xia Xiaojiang nimbly hopped out from the corner, its tail held high, circling around her legs. Jiang Zhiyan was wearing the same style of loungewear as her.
The atmosphere was tense, as if the house had been split in two. She stood on the shaky floor, her feet trembling.
In the blink of an eye, the home she had worked so hard to maintain suddenly crumbled.
Xia Zhiyu was stunned.
It took her quite a while to realize what was happening, and her eyes quickly welled up with tears.
"You really think I'm just being unreasonable with you?"
'Isn't that so?'
Xia Zhiyu stood barefoot on the ground, her gaze fixed on Jiang Zhiyan's face, which couldn't hide his disdain.
They stood at a distance, one in the living room and the other in the entryway where they changed shoes, facing each other head-on.
Xia Xiaojiang's tail, which was always held high at home, was now pressed tightly against the ground, and its pupils dilated rapidly, its eerie green pupils glaring coldly at Jiang Zhiyan.
ungrateful.
Jiang Zhiyan gritted his teeth. If he hadn't spent a high price to buy Xia Xiaojiang from the breeder, he would be a stud now, working 996 hours a day. He wouldn't be living a lazy life like he is now after being neutered.
Like the final calm before a volcanic eruption, a tense atmosphere permeated the air.
Xia Zhiyu gritted her teeth, fighting back tears that were about to spill from her eyes.
Time ticked by, and the creative clock they'd bought in Rome during their trip to the living room struck precisely on the hour. A colorful wooden bird played a recording—the gentle, loving voice of twenty-four-year-old Jiang Zhiyan urging them on.
The sound stopped abruptly, and the little bird froze in place.
Xia Zhiyu's tears streamed down her face.
She knew then that the person in front of her was no longer Jiang Zhiyan, who loved her.
Zhiyan would never talk to her like that.
A note from the author:
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Seeing everyone asking if I can update more often, I really want to update daily too, but the collection isn't moving at all, sob sob. I need to accumulate collections and word count to get into the paid version. After that, I'll update four, five, six, seven, or eight thousand words a day. My paid chapter is a very long and complete argument!
Thank you so much, my darlings, for continuing to read Yu Yu Zhi Yan's story! Love you all! [Panda head]
P.S.: Don't you guys think the new title sounds more like a contemporary romance novel than the old one?
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