Chapter 14 Synopsis 1: Breakup
Chapter 14 (VIP Chapter)
What does he mean?
Xia Zhiyu was stunned. She looked at Jiang Zhiyan seriously and suddenly felt like a stranger.
"What do you take me for, Jiang Zhiyan?"
His tone was strained, as if he was about to burst into tears.
Jiang Zhiyan stopped drying his hair, his brows furrowing.
"Don't be too sensitive. What I mean is that after marriage you will have more security and no financial burden. Whether you pursue your hobbies, become a social media creator, or continue to be a lawyer, it will be beneficial to you in every way."
He gave such a long explanation, a rare occurrence, and his tone was unusually gentle.
But this was the first time Xia Zhiyu had ever seen someone talk about marriage with such indifference, like presenting a PowerPoint presentation.
From her perspective, without any emotional factors involved.
Who would propose like this?
Even the most clueless man knows that a marriage proposal should at least include flowers and a ring, let alone Jiang Zhiyan. Even if he's never eaten pork, he's at least seen pigs run. Given Jiang Zhiyan's meticulous nature, if he truly wanted to propose to her, how could he not have done his homework?
Four years ago, when the two of them went to Disneyland, as fireworks lit up the sky above the castle, Jiang Zhiyan looked at her with a smile, his eyes so tender they seemed to overflow with tears.
He said, "If you really like it that much, let's have our wedding and engagement party at Disneyland."
What did the fireworks on the castle look like again? So much time has passed, Xia Zhiyu can't remember anymore.
Jiang Zhiyan's words remained in her mind. Even now, when they were speechless, those words would occasionally echo in her ears, stirring up a faint sense of anticipation from time to time.
Her heart ached as if it were being clenched, and Xia Zhiyu gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Is it all beneficial and without any harm? Do you think I'm only marrying you for your money?"
The meaning of this statement changes when the cause-and-effect relationship is reversed.
He had taught Xia Zhiyu this language skill before.
Jiang Zhiyan laughed, his voice chillingly cold. "Xia Zhiyu, don't keep deliberately misinterpreting my words. You know perfectly well what I mean."
"Knowingly?"
Xia Zhiyu sneered, "You mean I knew you were using money to insult my love?"
The tone was cold and sarcastic, specifically targeting individual words in his speech to attack him. Isn't that just being unreasonable?
Jiang Zhiyan suddenly felt a headache coming on, and he retorted irritably.
"When we were cross-examining each other in court before, I didn't see you have the ability to attack back with a word or two. Now you're giving it all back to me, aren't you?"
Xia Zhiyu: "Whether it was a slip of the tongue or what you really thought, Jiang Zhiyan, you know the answer in your heart."
Her voice grew increasingly shrill as she spoke, and taut veins were faintly visible on her forehead. The words slipped out...
"Is what you call love? You're just insulting my independent personality."
"If this is love, I wish you had never loved me at all."
"I'm not that cheap."
Xia Zhiyu's tone suddenly dropped, becoming a chilling calm.
Having been in love for five years, she knew better than anyone what kind of knife would be needed to kill Jiang Zhiyan with a single blow.
Seeing him in pain, seeing him bleed and cry, was unbearable.
A twisted sense of pleasure, born of revenge, rose in Xia Zhiyu's heart. She wanted nothing more than to laugh out loud, letting her tears flow backwards into her heart.
Even breathing stopped for a moment. There was a deathly silence all around, like molten lava erupting from a volcano engulfing everything. The air was scorched and distorted by the high temperature.
Jiang Zhiyan saw his own blank expression reflected in Xia Zhiyu's eyes.
Unfamiliar, pale, and broken.
The suffocating feeling of lack of oxygen gripped his throat, his flesh tearing apart inch by inch, the pain making Jiang Zhiyan wish he could curl up on the ground and wail in agony.
Xia Zhiyu's words were tantamount to tearing Jiang Zhiyan's heart out and smashing it to pieces on the ground, causing excruciating pain to seep through his flesh, bones, and blood.
He was willing to do so much for her, but in Xia Zhiyu's mind, he was insulting her, wasn't he?
Was he wrong to do everything he could to pave the way for Xia Zhiyu?
He loved Xia Zhiyu, and he was willing to give up his own life for her. But what about Xia Zhiyu?
She would only stab him in the back over the smallest, most insignificant things.
Did Xia Zhiyu ever truly love him?
A surge of grievance mixed with anger rushed to Jiang Zhiyan's head. His eyes turned cold, his jawline was taut, and the veins on his arms bulged.
The shrill ringtone of the cell phone sounded like a death knell.
A phone call to Jiang Zhiyan in the middle of the night is usually for an extremely urgent matter.
Jiang Zhiyan didn't even glance at her phone, immediately hanging up. Her suppressed anger was palpable, her voice icy and chilling.
"Xia Zhiyu, say that sentence again."
The tip of her nose and throat were filled with the strong, bloody smell of capillaries snapping from excessive force. Xia Zhiyu wiped her cold face, each breath accompanied by a violent, throbbing, cold pain.
Looking up again, Jiang Zhiyan's eyes were red, and her extremely cold voice concealed the wound she had just inflicted, which was still bleeding profusely.
After so many years together, this was the first time Xia Zhiyu had seen Jiang Zhiyan disregard his work and only care about her.
This was also the first time I had ever seen Jiang Zhiyan so injured.
The phone rang again, then was hung up after two rings. Jiang Zhiyan stared intently into her eyes, the suppressed pain in her beautiful eyes clear, her face pale.
The man's rare display of vulnerability struck Xia Zhiyu's heart hard.
Damn, my compassion stirred for a fleeting, inopportune moment.
In the five years they spent together, not only did she get to know Jiang Zhiyan, but Jiang Zhiyan also knew exactly where Xia Zhiyu's weaknesses lay.
Xia Zhiyu's heart trembled slightly. The hurtful words that were on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down. She sighed, a weariness creeping into her eyes.
That's enough.
"Can you stop making noise? It's so late, go to sleep."
Jiang Zhiyan was clearly dissatisfied with Xia Zhiyu's perfunctory and evasive solution to the problem; his words were sarcastic and unfriendly.
"Xia Zhiyu, I really can't understand how you could be so ruthless as to crush my sincerity. Is it you who is wronged by marrying me? It's clearly me, okay?"
"Why should I share half of the money I worked so hard to earn with you? Why? Because I want to insult your few thousand dollars?"
He paused for a moment, then gave a cold, mocking laugh.
"Could you please insult me like this?"
Every word was sharp and piercing, almost robbing Xia Zhiyu of her ability to think.
Before the sadness and pain came an almost calm disappointment.
It was as if Jiang Zhiyan saying those words was exactly what she expected.
That's true. How could someone as arrogant as Jiang Zhiyan allow himself to be in a lower position in a relationship? He would only pin all the problems on her.
Xia Zhiyu took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. "No matter what you really think, I don't want to marry you."
Jiang Zhiyan stood by the bed and quietly watched her for a long time. His gaze, like a probe, scraped across Xia Zhiyu's skin inch by inch. As his gaze grew colder, the smile on Xia Zhiyu's lips gradually disappeared.
Until a faint, undisguised sneer appeared on Jiang Zhiyan's handsome face,
"Can't you do math, Xia Zhiyu? You're not even happy with exchanging 60 million for 20,000? Let's schedule another brain CT scan for your physical exam, to see if eating popsicles has damaged your brain."
Jiang Zhiyan never hides his arrogance. In his words, only those with capital can be arrogant. Jiang Zhiyan's family background, ability, and appearance are his capital. He doesn't need others to enter his heart, nor does he bother to get close to others.
Arrogance is Jiang Zhiyan's armor of spikes, which he uses to pierce all those who care about him with equal sharpness.
Xia Zhiyu saw the arrogance on his face, and once again her pride was wounded by this condescending arrogance.
Her mind was buzzing, then briefly went blank, as if a hammer had fallen from the sky and shattered her consciousness.
The air conditioner was blowing cold air, making my fingers feel icy and stiff.
Xia Zhiyu's face briefly showed that blank, bewildered expression again.
A hint of barely perceptible frustration appeared between Jiang Zhiyan's brows. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but was interrupted by Xia Zhiyu's indifferent voice.
"I just don't want it. No matter how much money you have, I don't want it."
She was just not happy. So what if it was less than 20,000? It was still money she earned honestly through her own hard work. From 3,000 to 3,500, and now to 20,000, every step of the salary increase was earned through her performance.
The 20,000 yuan that Jiang Zhiyan looked down on was the most direct result of her two years of work.
What right does he have to look down on her?
Her anger surged faster than her tears fell; she sat bolt upright in bed and shouted at Jiang Zhiyan:
"Yes, I just don't want to. I can earn enough for myself and spend it as I please. Why should I take your money for nothing? What do we have to do with each other?"
Jiang Zhiyan frowned; he was truly angry now, and his words carried a hint of venting his frustration.
"What's wrong with you so late at night? If you don't want to, then you don't want to. There are plenty of people who want to marry me, I don't need you."
That's true.
Xia Zhiyu tugged at the corners of her mouth, biting her lip with her sharp white teeth, her smile a mocking and sarcastic one similar to Jiang Zhiyan's.
In just the two years she's been working here, Xia Zhiyu has heard the names of at least seven or eight women who might be going to marry Jiang Zhiyan.
Every time a so-called marriage partner appears, Xia Zhiyu is dragged out by her colleagues and repeatedly criticized.
Others get married and get fireworks, but why is it that when Jiang Zhiyan has a little scandal, she gets the fireworks?
Just because her family is poor and she is not as capable as Jiang Zhiyan, does that mean she has to be used as gossip in Jiang Zhiyan's romantic affairs and be treated as Jiang Zhiyan's appendage by Jiang Jing?
Isn't Xia Zhiyu an independent individual?
Isn't the 20,000 she earned through her own abilities money?
Xia Zhiyu covered herself with the blanket and sneered, "Go ahead and go. Your circle only cares about marriages between people of similar social standing and business alliances. You'd better take advantage of your youth to buy yourself a good price, so as not to waste your prime years."
"Xia Zhiyu, why are you talking to me like that?"
Jiang Zhiyan had just finished showering when he was inexplicably choked by Xia Zhiyu for a long time, and his anger rose from his chest.
"I'm talking to you like this! Who do you think you are? How else do you expect me to talk to you? Do I have to light three incense sticks and make an offering before I can even speak to you?"
"If I really ordered it, could you handle it, Jiang Zhiyan? You think it's fun to be a father by stepping on other people's backs?"
"You are so noble, how could I be worthy of marrying someone as arrogant as you? How could a nobody like me be worthy of you?"
Xia Zhiyu launched into a long tirade without taking a breath, her sharp tongue and ruthlessness no less than Jiang Zhiyan's.
Expressing emotions is like throwing away all the useless but reluctant clutter that's piled up at home; the room is empty, and so is the person.
However, after venting her anger, all the pent-up bitterness suddenly surged up.
Tears streamed down her face.
Xia Zhiyu lowered her head, silently shedding tears, her teeth clenched tightly, swallowing all the sounds.
Jiang Zhiyan wasn't like this when they first got together. Although he was cold and controlling, he at least knew to ask for her opinion before making a decision.
From choosing their postgraduate entrance exam subjects to living together and deciding on their work locations, every decision concerning their future was made jointly by her and Jiang Zhiyan.
Xia Zhiyu thought Jiang Zhiyan was different from other rich kids.
Jiang Zhiyan will teach her to be ambitious and encourage her to grow. Like the guiding lover that all girls who admire strength dream of, he will help her grow wings and become rational and strong.
Jiang Zhiyan revised her first due diligence report.
Jiang Zhiyan took her on her first trip abroad.
He taught her to ski, to scuba dive, to play golf; Jiang Zhiyan spared no time in nurturing her.
He taught her in every detail how to communicate with clients, how to produce better reports, and how to gain an advantage in court.
Xia Zhiyu still clearly remembers that in the Sisi Museum, Jiang Zhiyan held her hand and earnestly told her that women must maintain their subjectivity in order not to be overwhelmed by worldly conventions.
Sunlight streamed through the arched glass windows, which were adorned with delicate images of the Virgin Mary and shimmered with vibrant colors, showering Jiang Zhiyan like scattered gold.
He was so strong and handsome that he was beyond reproach. More importantly, such an outstanding person loved her, so he was willing to support her.
Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears, their breaths mingling briefly and intimately. Jiang Zhiyan bent down and gently brushed away the strands of hair clinging to her face, his tender, amber eyes filled with her reflection.
A kiss placed between the eyebrows carries a tender and careful expression of love.
But now? A cold voice ripped Xia Zhiyu from her reverie. Jiang Zhiyan stared at her expressionlessly, his pupils dark and unfathomable.
"Xia Zhiyu, do you have to talk like that?"
She looked up, feeling dazed. Five years had passed, and Jiang Zhiyan's composure and arrogance had become even more attractive with the passage of time.
This was precisely what she admired most in her youth. Xia Zhiyu never denied that her love for Jiang Zhiyan was always mixed with admiration for strength.
But as she got closer to him, she was repeatedly pierced to the core by Jiang Zhiyan's innate arrogance and indifference.
It turns out that the subjectivity he spoke of was the subjectivity that Jiang Zhiyan recognized, not the person she herself longed to become.
This is clearly an invisible form of oppression that kills without leaving a trace.
She was wrong.
Now, Xia Zhiyu finally admits that she and Jiang Zhiyan were always strangers. They were never a good match. She had just been blinded by her own ideal lover.
She needs to wake up. How can someone who is not suitable in the first place become suitable in the end?
Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
-
After being scolded for no reason, Jiang Zhiyan forced himself to calm down.
Arguing solves nothing except for venting emotions. Xia Zhiyu is not usually like this. Someone must have said something to her for her to be so fierce.
The culprit was first identified as Fang Xinle. Before he came out, Xia Zhiyu was hiding her phone like a thief, and she was chatting with Fang Xinle at that time. Fang Xinle had never been kind to him, and it wasn't the first time he had tried to sow discord between Xia Zhiyu and him.
But the most urgent task now is to deal with Xia Zhiyu, who is puffed up like a fathead fish.
Jiang Zhiyan squeezed his eyes shut, his anger boiling in his blood, raging and pounding against his heart. The familiar feeling of suffocation gripped his throat, making it difficult to breathe.
Relax, take deep breaths, and slow down your breathing rate.
Due to health reasons, Jiang Zhiyan has maintained good living habits for many years and usually pays attention to calming her mind and cultivating her inner peace, so she basically avoids putting herself in an emotional crisis.
Excessive anxiety can cause him to experience recurrent respiratory alkalosis.
Besides mental health issues, extreme environments can also be a contributing factor. Jiang Zhiyan tried the latest treatment methods during her year in the United States, but with little success.
Currently, the only way to prevent relapse is by controlling emotions, and Jiang Zhiyan has always done a good job in this regard, until he met Xia Zhiyu.
Jiang Zhiyan's life, which was so uneventful it was almost stagnant, was turned upside down by Xia Zhiyu.
He said in a deep voice, "Have you calmed down after you've finished cursing?"
Xia Zhiyu didn't reply; her head was throbbing from crying.
After a moment of silence, a sniffling sound suddenly broke the stillness.
Jiang Zhiyan only then noticed that Xia Zhiyu's face was covered in tears.
"You're crying again. You're the one making a scene, and you're the one who's feeling wronged. What do you really want, Yu Yu?"
Without explanation or reassurance, Jiang Zhiyan's tone was indifferent, as if her outburst had no effect on him whatsoever.
Jiang Zhiyan always acts like this whenever they argue.
Xia Zhiyu really couldn't understand what he was trying to achieve by being calm.
Love should be passionate and intense, burning like a raging fire to melt the bones and blood of two people, uniting them into one.
Jiang Zhiyan always maintained a calm and composed demeanor, while she was like a clown, stubbornly jumping forward alone in a two-player cooperative game, only to die time and time again in the green venom she couldn't jump over.
The wound was festering and burning, the pain building up layer by layer, making it difficult for Xia Zhiyu to even breathe.
What does she want?
All she wanted was for Jiang Zhiyan to respect her autonomy. Was that so hard to do?
Jiang Zhiyan knew perfectly well what she wanted.
This isn't the first time we've argued about this.
But what about Jiang Zhiyan?
He would simply stand aside and watch coldly as she cried and complained like a madwoman.
Can unequal love still be called love?
Xia Zhiyu didn't even look at Jiang Zhiyan. She pulled the corner of the blanket over herself, shivering, and refused to communicate.
The bed and the floor are separated by an insurmountable chasm.
Jiang Zhiyan, enduring the dizziness, sat on the edge of the bed and forcefully pulled off the blanket that Xia Zhiyu had used to cover her head, trying to talk to Xia Zhiyu properly.
Xia Zhiyu, as if reacting to a sudden jolt, slapped his hand hard, glaring at him fiercely with her reddened eyes, her voice shrill.
"Jiang Zhiyan, don't touch me!"
His tone was so intense, as if he had been touched by something disgusting.
After saying that, he suddenly pulled the blanket back and pressed it under himself.
A short, suppressed sentence came from under the covers: "I want to break up with you."
Break up, again. Can she please stop threatening him with breaking up?
Jiang Zhiyan almost fainted from anger.
That's enough, really enough, he didn't want to coax her at all.
He's already coaxed Xia Zhiyu so many times today, why should he still have to coax her? He's not a pushover, someone who would offer the other half of their face after being slapped.
The room door slammed shut, and Jiang Zhiyan went to the study without saying a word.
Xia Zhiyu nestled in her blankets, tears streaming down her face.
The pillowcase was damp and stuck to her face. Xia Zhiyu's sobs were low and muffled, so suppressed that it sounded like she was being abused.
What happened to her beautiful love? Now it's all gone.
-
Several bags of emergency gas mixture containing 5% carbon dioxide were placed in the study. Jiang Zhiyan skillfully tore open a bag, covered his mouth and nose, and leaned against the wall to breathe slowly.
Take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down.
Xia Zhiyu rarely goes into the study; she prefers to work in bed, and only goes to the study when there is a video conference or something similar.
She was still wearing her SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas during the video conference, and her upper body was dressed neatly, but she couldn't stand up. She had to ask Jiang Zhiyan to help her get a document.
Just thinking about Xia Zhiyu's quirky and mischievous appearance made Jiang Zhiyan's lips curl into a slight smile, but he quickly suppressed it after a couple of seconds. His eyelashes drooped, and his brows and eyes were full of annoyance.
He hadn't seen Xia Zhiyu laugh so carefree in a long time.
The last time the two had a sweet date was a year and a half ago.
In the past, whenever he returned home after a business trip, Xia Zhiyu always had countless plans to fulfill: rafting, mountain climbing, ancient towns, diving... Xia Zhiyu had so many places she wanted to go, she had no time to argue with him.
Now, the moment he walks in, there's an argument; the moment he closes the door, there's a fight. Any casual remark from him could ignite Xia Zhiyu's sensitive nerves.
Jiang Zhiyan asked himself honestly if he had ever done anything to wrong Xia Zhiyu. He would always inform Xia Zhiyu in advance when he went on business trips, and he never went to those messy drinking parties and gatherings. He was the one who took care of Xia Zhiyu's work.
What else could she possibly be dissatisfied with? Jiang Zhiyan couldn't figure it out.
He casually flipped through a few documents, but couldn't concentrate on a single word. He was extremely frustrated, and the densely packed small characters in front of him eventually transformed into the image of Xia Zhiyu crying in bed.
I'm so angry I could die.
Jiang Zhiyan's gaze swept over the rubber figures Xia Zhi bought.
One of the white-haired little figures was even stepping on his project proposal.
His arrogant demeanor was exactly the same as Xia Zhiyu's when she jumped on his forehead.
Jiang Zhiyan felt frustrated. He stared at the white-haired little figure for a while, then stretched out a finger and pressed the little figure down onto the document.
You heartless bastard.
There's only one bedroom in this house with a bed. They kicked him out and didn't even bother to throw him a pillow.
...
"I took a two-week vacation."
Xia Zhiyu bent down and dragged her long-term travel suitcase out of the storage room. Fang Xinle's voice in her earphones carried a hint of worry.
Is it safe for you to go to such a far place alone?
“What’s unsafe about this?” Xia Zhiyu casually took out a new box of mosquito repellent patches and herbal balm and stuffed them into the box. “I used to ride my motorcycle alone on the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop.”
“That’s true…” Fang Xinle’s voice trailed off, and after a moment’s hesitation, she asked again, “Does Jiang Zhiyan know you’re going on a long trip?”
Jiang Zhiyan...
Xia Zhiyu's hands paused for a moment, but her tone remained light and cheerful.
"Jiang Zhiyan is too busy lately and can't find the time."
Fang Xinle has been quite busy with work lately, and Xia Zhiyu didn't want to tell her about her plans to break up at this time.
Fang Xinle subconsciously assumed that Jiang Zhiyan knew about this, but just couldn't find the time to accompany Xia Zhiyu.
"He's so busy he can't even take care of his girlfriend," Fang Xinle said with a pout, then asked, "So you two are back together now?"
Xia Zhiyu gave an ambiguous reply, "Pretty much, not much different from before."
After all, ever since Jiang Zhiyan returned to China, the two of them have been either arguing or giving each other the silent treatment. This breakup and subsequent silent treatment is no different from before.
Fang Xinle was relieved. Even a traditional, old-fashioned father like Jiang Zhiyan was comfortable letting Xia Zhiyu go alone. He probably had arranged people to take care of her from the moment she got off the plane until she checked into her hotel, ate, and visited the attractions.
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and just as they were about to hang up, Fang Xinle suddenly remarked with emotion,
"It's been many years since we went on a trip together. The last time we went was when we were juniors in college, to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It's great to be a student; you can go wherever you want."
"Looking back, time has flown by. It's been five years since we graduated."
"Yeah, I still remember how nervous you were when you were preparing to confess your feelings at the inn, you couldn't even speak properly. Who would have thought that you two would be dating for five years in the blink of an eye."
...
Xia Zhiyu took off her headphones, methodically packed the things she needed to take with her, called a taxi, checked in, and successfully boarded the plane. After that, the confession Fang Xinle had mentioned came to her mind.
Jiang Zhiyan rejected her confession twice.
The first time was at an inn in Kunming.
It was quite a coincidence that Xia Zhiyu, Fang Xinle, and Jiang Zhiyan's group entered the inn almost one after the other during that trip.
Xia Zhiyu recognized Jiang Zhiyan at a glance.
He was dressed casually, with a few buttons undone at the collar of his shirt. His clear gaze lingered on Xia Zhiyu for a moment, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.
He didn't know Xia Zhiyu, but Xia Zhiyu knew him. There was even a separate album of photos of Jiang Zhiyan's speech in their school's group chat.
Xia Zhiyu later learned that Jiang Zhiyan, Chen Yue, and two other childhood friends would travel together every year.
It was purely Xia Zhiyu's good luck that she was able to run into Jiang Zhiyan in Chuncheng; even the heavens were helping her.
Even more coincidentally, their itineraries were almost identical.
Xia Zhiyu and Fang Xinle missed the last bus down the mountain in their rush to take one last set of photos before sunset. Jiang Zhiyan's car happened to pass by the meadow and took them down the mountain.
It must be fate that we've met so many times!
Especially on her last night in Kunming, she ran into Jiang Zhiyan again at a not-so-famous folk bar.
Jiang Zhiyan was particularly eye-catching tonight. His hair was all combed back, his eyebrows and eyes were bright, and he was as noble and self-possessed as a man who had stepped out of an oil painting. He attracted the attention of most of the opposite sexes as soon as he stepped into the bar.
Xia Zhiyu even heard the girl at the next table scream like a fangirl.
Fang Xinle urged, "If you don't make a move on a man of this caliber, someone else will. Even just touching his hand wouldn't be a loss for you!"
In just a few words, Xia Zhiyu watched as two or three people tried to strike up a conversation with Jiang Zhiyan but were rejected.
The alcohol ferments in the stomach, and the intoxication rushes straight to the brain.
In a daze, Xia Zhiyu even felt that Jiang Zhiyan had glanced at her several times without her noticing.
To die beneath a peony is to die a romantic death, even as a ghost.
I asked Jiang Zhiyan for her WeChat.
I was rejected.
Fang Xinle: ...
"Did you waste all those years learning how to do live-streaming? You spoke for so long and all you did was ask for WeChat?"
Fang Xinle, hiding behind the magazine, looked at him with a face full of disappointment and frustration. She lowered her voice.
"I went through all that trouble to keep Chen Yue here and create opportunities for you to be alone, and all you wanted was a WeChat?"
Xia Zhiyu hurriedly tugged at her sleeve, "Okay, okay, next time, I'll confess to him next time I have the chance."
"You're still waiting for an opportunity? This is the best opportunity. Where will you find an opportunity next time? Are you going to wait outside a law firm until they get off work?"
"Once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever!"
Fang Xinle spoke faster and faster, and even Chen Yue, who was sitting diagonally opposite them, cast a curious glance at her.
"alright!"
Xia Zhiyu jumped up from the sofa, her face as red as a monkey's bottom. "I'll go now."
"Well done," Fang Xinle said solemnly, patting Xia Zhiyu's shoulder and whispering in her ear, "Don't be afraid. I heard from Chen Yue that Jiang Zhiyan likes your type. Go for it."
"If we get rejected, we'll just find another handsome guy. There are plenty of fish in the sea. If we get rejected, we'll move on to the next one."
"Alcohol emboldens cowards, come on, down this glass in one gulp!"
The words were easy to say, but Xia Zhiyu closed her eyes tightly, tilted her head back, and didn't know what kind of wine Fang Xinle had handed her. It was burning hot and spicy when it entered her mouth.
She wiped her palms on her pants, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, whether from nervousness or sweat.
After finally waiting until Jiang Zhiyan's companions disappeared from sight, Xia Zhiyu looked up and met Jiang Zhiyan's gaze.
Peaceful, gentle, and seemingly containing encouragement and... expectation?
Her heart pounded violently in her chest, and her throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire. Xia Zhiyu thought she must be hallucinating from drinking, otherwise how could she see expectation in Jiang Zhiyan's eyes?
"careful!"
Suddenly, a huge impact came from behind. Xia Zhiyu felt a pain in her back and instinctively raised her hand to protect her chest. Then she crashed into a warm, woody-scented embrace.
The glass shattered and shards fell with a crisp sound.
The unexpected embrace was something straight out of an idol drama.
A man's suppressed groan rose from above, short and sexy.
She was tightly embraced from behind, and then quickly released her after she regained her balance, subtly protecting her from behind.
Where were you hit? Does it hurt?
Jiang Zhiyan's worry was clearly visible in his voice, and his slightly rapid breathing, which fell on her ear, caused a tingling sensation.
He gazed at her, his beauty beyond compare.
Immediately following were a series of apologies and expressions of concern, but Xia Zhiyu couldn't hear a single one. Her attention was entirely focused on the full pectoral muscles under her hand, and her mind was completely blank.
The full, firm yet soft texture, the heartbeat pounding against my eardrums.
She stared blankly up at Jiang Zhiyan's beautiful, star-like eyes.
As if she were stepping on a cloud, Xia Zhiyu's legs felt weak and her face was flushed.
She heard her own voice, hazy with intoxication, carrying the sticky, coquettish tone typical of southerners.
This was the first time Xia Zhiyu had addressed Jiang Zhiyan by his full name; she blurted out the sentence out of nowhere.
"Don't you think my heart is beating really loudly?"
Alcohol clouded her judgment, and Xia Zhiyu added in a daze, "After seeing you, it kept jumping around."
"Guess why?"
The girl looked up at him, her gaze as bright as the stars.
Jiang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow in surprise, a slight smile playing on his lips, his voice like a devil's whisper in Xia Zhiyu's ear.
"Because you want to marry me, you want to give me half of your monthly salary of 20,000 yuan."
"This is a sure-fire way to make money."
His voice was low and husky, with a seductive charm. Xia Zhiyu swallowed hard, unable to resist the urge to agree.
What are they divided into?
Divide her salary?!
Xia Zhiyu broke out in a cold sweat. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw the air conditioner blowing cold air at her, making her hands and feet icy cold.
No wonder I'm having nightmares.
Xia Zhiyu, still shaken, turned the air conditioner vent around.
It's too cold; she can't stand it.
-
As soon as I stepped off the plane, I was hit by the humid heat unique to southern cities. Strands of hair clung to my neck, tickling me.
Xia Zhiyu spotted Bian Lin holding up a sign with his name in the crowd at a glance. The boy had curly hair and raised the sign high as soon as he saw her, looking as excited as a puppy sniffing the wind, except he had a tail sticking out behind him.
"Why are you the one who came to pick me up?"
Xia Zhiyu came to Shanghai partly to relax, and partly because she had recently been in contact with several MCM companies.
There happened to be a pretty good job in Shanghai with decent pay, so Xia Zhiyu came over to check out the market.
I never expected that Bian Lin would also work for this company.
"No, that's not it," Bian Lin said with a grin as he took her luggage. "This company is run by my brother. I'm just a figurehead. I only found out today that the marketing teacher actually contacted Sister Xiaoyu."
Xia Zhiyu was pleasantly surprised, "What a coincidence! Is it possible that we could become colleagues?"
"That depends on whether Sister Xiaoyu is willing to sign with our company."
The two had only exchanged a few words when Xia Zhiyu's phone suddenly rang.
It is Jiang Zhiyan.
Xia Zhiyu's mood, which hadn't been relaxed for long, visibly sank. She let out a heavy breath and answered the phone.
Before she could even finish saying "Hey," Jiang Zhiyan launched into a barrage of questions: "Xia Zhiyu, what are you doing now? The case is nearing its end, and you're resigning now. Have you even considered who will take over your job?"
Xia Zhiyu silently turned her phone volume down to the lowest setting and calmly explained:
“My work is finished, and I have handed over all the details to Attorney Liu. If you have any questions, please have Attorney Liu email me. I will reply to everyone after my vacation ends.”
Before Jiang Zhiyan could reply, Xia Zhiyu hung up the phone decisively and muted it. A smile returned to her face, as if the call hadn't affected her mood at all.
This doesn't seem like the behavior of a normal couple at all, especially considering what my cousin had told me about Xia Zhiyu's relationship situation...
Bian Lin's heart stirred slightly. "Sister Xiaoyu, would you like to try our local specialties? I know a really good hole-in-the-wall restaurant, where only locals know about the authentic dishes. The roast goose is especially delicious."
"And there's a large lake over there, the scenery is quite nice."
Food and photo shoots were exactly what Xia Zhiyu wanted to do. She had made the decision to travel this time in a hurry, and only had a rough idea of what to eat on Xiaohongshu. She was worried about what to eat, and Bian Lin finally solved her problem.
Xia Zhiyu readily agreed, "Okay, I'll treat you to a meal. Thank you for coming all this way to pick me up."
The airport is far from the city center, taking more than an hour to drive there, but Bian Lin had an urgent matter to attend to, so the two of them had to go to the city center first and then take a detour to the place to eat.
Bian Lin felt a little guilty. "It's almost lunchtime, and I'm so sorry to have troubled Sister Xiaoyu to come with me on an empty stomach."
"Hey, it's no big deal, don't worry about it. I just ate my airplane meal before I got off the plane, so I'm not hungry yet. I'll digest it a bit before eating, so I don't waste food."
Bian Lin smiled and replied, "Chao Xiang Guan's dishes are really famous, and it's the only branch in the entire city of Shen, so it's definitely authentic."
Outside the car window were Shanghai's most famous landmarks, set against a backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, creating a particularly atmospheric scene. Xia Zhiyu pressed the shutter button, adjusted a filter, and posted it to her social media account.
Caption: After the heavy rain, the sky is clear and there is no more gloom!
Shortly after posting, several comments appeared in the comment section. After reading a few replies, Xia Zhiyu chatted with Bian Lin about the company's situation and got a general idea of what was going on.
The two chatted all the way. Bian Lin was so talkative that Xia Zhiyu didn't even have time to look at her phone. They arrived at the restaurant at just over eight o'clock. The owner was an acquaintance of Bian Lin, and as soon as they entered the restaurant, seven or eight dishes were served.
Xia Zhiyu asked in surprise, "So many dishes? Can the two of us finish them?"
Bian Lin handed her a hot towel to wipe her hands. "If you can't finish it, just pack it up. Sister Xiaoyu has come all this way, so of course you have to try everything. Shanghai seafood is very famous."
"And having one more dish might give Sister Xiaoyu another reason to come to Shanghai more often."
The boy looked at her with a smile, his eyes sparkling with a bright light.
"She won't come to Shanghai often," a familiar, cold voice suddenly rang in my ears.
Xia Zhiyu was startled and turned around. Jiang Zhiyan was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair neatly combed back, looking like he was going to a banquet, which was completely out of place in the casual restaurant.
He stood imposingly beside Xia Zhiyu, looking down at Bian Lin as if he were trash.
Her words were sharp and confrontational: "Don't you know Xia Zhiyu is allergic to seafood? Oysters, scallops, tuna, lobster—are you trying to get her to the emergency room tonight?"
Bian Lin's face stiffened, and his eyes filled with panic and guilt as he looked at Xia Zhiyu. "Senior, I didn't know..."
"You invited someone's girlfriend to dinner without knowing anything about her. Don't you even have the most basic sense of boundaries?"
Jiang Zhiyan interrupted Bian Lin with disdain, but the underlying dissatisfaction in his words pierced Xia Zhiyu's heart like needles. She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm as she explained.
"I invited Bian Lin to dinner. I wanted to ask him about some work-related matters. Jiang Zhiyan, don't make wild guesses."
"Work-related matters?"
Jiang Zhiyan gave a cryptic sneer and looked coldly at Bian Lin, "Then should I thank you for your ulterior motives in using work as an excuse to get close to my girlfriend?"
The air froze for two seconds, and Bian Lin's face turned bright red at a visible speed.
"Jiang Zhiyan!"
Xia Zhiyu, unable to contain herself any longer, shouted angrily, "Bian Lin is my friend, so watch your words!"
"Respect?" Jiang Zhiyan laughed. "If I respect someone who covets my girlfriend, then I'd be disrespecting myself."
“This meal is on me. As for you,” he glanced at Bian Lin with disdain, “stay away from my girlfriend, or I won’t mind having a word with your brother.”
His tone was full of the condescending threat of the victor of the law of the jungle, like a lion roaring at a lion that had strayed into its territory.
But reality is not the animal world, and she is not Jiang Zhiyan's possession.
A heavy sense of suffocation enveloped Xia Zhiyu.
-
The moment Jiang Zhiyan stepped into the house in Shanghai, his face was frosty, and his words were like venom corroding Xia Zhiyu.
"Xia Zhiyu, I really don't understand. Do you treat dating like a job posting on Boss Zhipin? Isn't dating one boss like me enough? Do you want to date another one?"
"Why don't you keep saying to Bian Lin that you feel you have no agency and that you're not being respected?"
So, your dignity has been damaged, or is it a limited edition, only available to those in front of me?
Jiang Zhiyan scoffed, his disdain evident in his tone, each word more hurtful than the last.
His harsh words, like ignited explosives, were unleashed upon Xia Zhiyu.
The room was filled with the rich, savory aroma of chicken soup, and the food on the table was beautifully presented, with even a small chocolate cake in the center. It was Xia Zhiyu's favorite shop.
The aunt had already left after preparing the meal, leaving only her and Jiang Zhiyan in the house. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar objects in the house, Xia Zhiyu felt dazed.
Jiang Zhiyan bought this when they came here for a trip before, because the view outside the window was beautiful, with an unobstructed view of the sea and the silvery white sand beach, and Xia Zhiyu liked this scenery very much.
During her previous vacations, she loved to sit in the hanging chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, swinging her legs back and munching on the fruit Jiang Zhiyan had cut for her. She would then casually pick up a piece and hold it to Jiang Zhiyan's lips as he sat on the sofa next to her, reading documents, her smile sweet.
"Alright, our big boss should take a break too."
Mangoes from Shanghai are famously sweet; their smooth, creamy flesh melts in a passionate kiss.
The room was filled with all kinds of seashells that Xia Zhiyu had picked up on the beach. The shells had been carefully treated and placed in display cases for better preservation.
Undeniably, Jiang Zhiyan treated her very well materially.
But life isn't just about material things, and being locked up in a gilded cage isn't the kind of love she wants!
Xia Zhiyu grabbed Jiang Zhiyan's arm, looked up at the man with a face full of anger, and calmly and firmly ended the argument.
"Jiang Zhiyan, let's part ways amicably."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
