Chapter 27 Cute
Chapter 28
"Do you really think of me as the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve my goals?"
Xia Zhiyu looked up at Jiang Zhiyan. She didn't speak, but the wariness in her eyes clearly showed her attitude.
Just like the look she gave Ren Yu when she stood behind him earlier.
The hotel space was small with low ceilings and no windows, so the aromatherapy scent couldn't dissipate, making the already stuffy space feel even more oppressive, with a strong, pungent odor everywhere.
Although she had left Huawan, Xia Zhiyu still saw a post on her WeChat Moments yesterday from a former colleague about the upcoming shareholders' meeting.
But now, Jiang Zhiyan, who should have been at the shareholders' meeting, was standing in front of her, only an arm's length away. She could almost smell the familiar fragrance on Jiang Zhiyan's coat, mixed with a faint tobacco scent.
Just a few fleeting glances later, as the distance closed, Xia Zhiyu suddenly realized that, despite only having not seen each other for a few months, the person in front of her seemed somewhat different from the aloof and arrogant ruler she remembered.
Jiang Zhiyan had lost a lot of weight, his jawline was more defined and sculpted, his eyes were full of spider web-like red blood vessels, his face was unhealthy and pale, his eyes were gloomy, and he was surrounded by a sickly and obsessive aura.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Even his voice was hoarse.
Xia Zhiyu tried her best to remain calm, saying, "There's nothing between us to say."
"Nothing to say?"
Jiang Zhiyan repeated her words, her tone full of suppressed bitterness, "If you don't want to talk to me, then who do you want to talk to, Ren Yu? You were chatting so happily with him just now, but you have nothing to say to me?"
As he spoke, he took half a step closer to Xia Zhiyu, his tall frame almost cornering her against the wall. His breath was filled with Jiang Zhiyan's scent. Xia Zhiyu, unable to bear it any longer, pressed her body against Jiang Zhiyan's chest, her face flushed with anger.
"Ren Yu is my boyfriend. I can talk to him as long as I want. As for you? We broke up a long time ago. Jiang Zhiyan, can't you wake up!"
"Boy friend?"
Jiang Zhiyan savored the three words, the coldness in his eyes growing more pronounced. Jealousy, like a maggot clinging to bone, gnawed at his flesh and blood.
"So you started talking about marriage after dating him for only a few months? Are our five years not as valuable as your few months with him?"
Just thinking about the WeChat message Chen Ruoyu sent him made Jiang Zhiyan's breathing become rapid and erratic, his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, and his watch started beeping.
"What the hell is this to you!"
Xia Zhiyu struggled to break free from Jiang Zhiyan's grasp. The person in front of her felt incredibly unfamiliar, and her tone unconsciously carried a hint of panic, "Do you know that this is illegal detention? If you continue like this, I'm going to call the police."
"I didn't come here to listen to your useless nonsense!"
She glared at Jiang Zhiyan with a fierce expression, her tone quick and steady, but fear lurked in her round eyes, and her lips were bitten until they turned white.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhiyan felt a dull pain in his heart, not to mention that this pain was brought to Xia Zhiyu by his own hands. The words he was about to say suddenly got stuck in his throat.
From the moment Xia Zhiyu saw him that morning, her eyes held a hint of fear. Jiang Zhiyan was clearly aware that he had frightened her.
He knew what kind of person he was in Xia Zhiyu's eyes, and he also knew that Xia Zhiyu had always liked Jiang Zhiyan, who was calm and capable in the face of adversity and could give her enough security.
Xia Zhiyu liked him that way.
Jiang Zhiyan remained silent for a moment before stepping back, turning to open the window, and letting in the damp, cold air.
“I didn’t do what happened between Uncle and Ren Yu. I’m not as bad as you think.”
As he spoke, he handed Xia Zhiyu a cup of hot tea and placed it beside her. It was the light tea that Xia Zhiyu always loved to drink, and it was fragrant and not too hot.
Xia Zhiyu didn't drink a drop.
"You... don't like it anymore?"
Jiang Zhiyan's tone was somewhat strained.
"The doctor advised me to avoid drinking tea and coffee as much as possible."
Jiang Zhiyan's face visibly paled. "Then I'll pour you a glass of water."
"No need to trouble yourself," Xia Zhiyu said, holding the teacup. "Just tell me what's wrong, I'm not thirsty."
The teacup in her hand was exquisite, not the kind commonly used in hotels. Xia Zhiyu recognized it as the one she had bought with Jiang Zhiyan during their trip to Jingdezhen.
She looked around and spotted many familiar things, from the bedding to the photo of the two of them on the bedside table and the doll next to the pillow—familiar traces everywhere.
The doctor had previously told Xia Zhiyu that, in addition to taking medication, she should try to keep Jiang Zhiyan living in a familiar environment for an extended period of time, which would help alleviate his insomnia and anxiety.
When they first got together, Jiang Zhiyan had severe anxiety. The doctor said that it was normal for him to be unable to fall into deep sleep for a week at a time. He would wake up at the slightest noise.
However, Xia Zhiyu loves to travel, and traveling inevitably requires avoiding familiar environments. The compromise they came up with was to bring as many familiar items as possible when they went out, especially commonly used items such as water cups, bedding, and pillows, in order to help Jiang Zhiyan relax.
At first, Xia Zhiyu strictly followed the doctor's orders to bring things, but later Jiang Zhiyan's condition gradually improved, and the two of them brought less and less luggage when they went out. In the past two years, they no longer needed to bring bedding when they went out. As long as Xia Zhiyu was by his side, Jiang Zhiyan rarely suffered from insomnia.
But this has nothing to do with her now.
What does it matter to her what Jiang Zhiyan is like?
Xia Zhiyu's eyelashes drooped slightly, and the clear hot tea reflected the faint coldness in her eyes.
Jiang Zhiyan restrained himself and kept a certain distance from Xia Zhiyu, who was sitting on the sofa. His voice was strained.
“This is a small city after all, and the judicial environment is not as good as in the north. I’ve handled cases here before, and I’ve heard that there have been cases of torture and forced confessions. Your family’s situation happened so suddenly, I guessed last night that you probably wouldn’t be able to contact the court clerk.”
"As for Ren Yu's students," Jiang Zhiyan's eyes flashed with a cold light, "he himself didn't notice that there were problems with the student records of two students. If I hadn't reminded him, these two children would not have been able to go to school this year. Under the conditions in the Tibetan area, once they start helping their families with chores, they basically have no hope of going to school."
Jiang Zhiyan rarely explained so much at once.
The air grew still.
The teacup in her hands was slightly hot. Xia Zhiyu tilted her head and stared at him for a long while before saying:
"Then what are you trying to do by going through all this trouble to lure me here?"
Her eyes were cold, her clear black and white pupils like pools of icy water, as if she truly had no feelings for him whatsoever.
A profound sense of panic slowly crept into Jiang Zhiyan's heart. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his deep, bright eyes, like cold stars, gazed at her, a clear pain hidden within them.
"I never thought about breaking up, not since the day we got together."
...
Xia Zhiyu confessed her feelings to him for the last time on the afternoon he had dinner with Xia Zhiyu's parents.
It was a Sunday. Xia Zhiyu's father had early morning self-study the next day. After lunch, the two rushed to catch the high-speed train. Jiang Zhiyan drove Xia Zhiyu to the high-speed train station and prepared several boxes of supplements for her parents before they left.
Jiang Zhiyan has always been like this; he is thorough and meticulous in his work, naturally exuding a sense of reliability.
For Xia Zhiyu, this was an almost bewitching charm.
But after having dinner with Jiang Zhiyan and her parents that day, Xia Zhiyu, who had been rejected twice but became more determined after each setback, suddenly retreated into her den like a rabbit that had seen a wolf. Her plan to confess was postponed indefinitely, and she even lost the courage to see Jiang Zhiyan.
She felt that she was inferior to Jiang Zhiyan, and even her decent academic qualifications were not comparable to Jiang Zhiyan's.
"He's smart and capable, with a strong work ethic, and surrounded by so many outstanding people. Why would he like me?"
During her lunch break, Xia Zhiyu sullenly complained to Fang Xinle, chin in hand, unaware that Jiang Zhiyan was sitting at the table diagonally in front of her, chatting with a client.
Fortunately, although Xia Zhiyu was blinded by her own involvement, Fang Xinle was a clear-headed observer. Fang Xinle earnestly advised Xia Zhiyu...
Xia Zhiyu looked at Fang Xinle with expectant eyes, then cleared her throat and said seriously, "You can eat twenty dumplings and two flatbreads in one meal. Can Jiang Zhiyan do that?"
The customer opposite Jiang Zhiyan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Fang Xinle!"
Even though Xia Zhiyu tried to lower her voice, the embarrassment and annoyance in her tone were clear.
Jiang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow slightly, and a smile spread across the corners of his eyes.
"Ahem, let's get serious," Fang Xinle said with a grin, putting his arm around her shoulder. "First of all, you're four years younger than Jiang Zhiyan, so isn't he just a typical older man dating a younger woman? He should be secretly pleased that he's getting her, what else is there to say?"
Jiang Zhiyan's expression gradually darkened.
"Secondly, he has many outstanding women around him, so do you have fewer suitors? The other day, that guy from the automation department next door even brought a guitar and sang for you and gave you flowers downstairs in your dorm. Have you forgotten him so quickly?"
"Furthermore, just talking about work, you've already received an offer from the largest TV station in Haicheng. That alone isn't enough to show that you're outstanding among your peers. Jiang Zhiyan only has the advantage of being a few years older than you. Who knows who will be more capable in the future?"
"And you can walk for three days and three nights, which is something that someone like Jiang Zhiyan, who sits in the office for a day and a night, could never do."
Jiang Zhiyan's face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
The client sitting opposite him, who had been intently studying the proposal, visibly began to look around, and the corners of his mouth twitched as if he was trying to suppress a laugh.
The two whispered something to each other for a few more minutes. Jiang Zhiyan couldn't hear clearly, but he guessed it wasn't anything nice, since Fang Xinle was laughing like he'd been possessed by some duck spirit, quacking incoherently.
Jiang Zhiyan's bad mood continued into the afternoon when she went to work. Before the meeting, she changed into a light-colored suit.
Online sources say that light-colored clothes make you look younger.
However, Fang Xinle's words did seem to give Xia Zhiyu a lot of confidence. A few days later, when Jiang Zhiyan deliberately passed by Xia Zhiyu's desk, he clearly saw the two small bold "love letters" in the middle of the WPS document.
Based on this, Jiang Zhiyan reasonably deduced that Xia Zhiyu planned to confess her feelings to him this afternoon. During his lunch break, Jiang Zhiyan went to get his hair done.
But he waited week after week and still didn't receive a love letter.
Even as Xia Zhiyu's internship was nearing its end, Jiang Zhiyan still hadn't received the last 7KB document from the folder named 'Future Plans' on Xia Zhiyu's computer desktop. This document contained, along with other files such as travel plans, work diaries, shooting scripts, thesis revision formatting requirements, and graduation projects…
Anyway, everything else comes before the love letter.
7KB, less than four hundred words, is already quite long for a love letter. Jiang Zhiyan saw the full text on the third day after the document was produced. That day, Xia Zhiyu rushed to the basement cafeteria with Fang Xinle to grab some sweet and sour pork, and the love letter was prominently displayed on the desktop.
Jiang Zhiyan didn't want to read it, but his eyes had their own ideas. In the end, he could only repent while reading it countless times, and he could recite it word for word while lying in bed at night.
But at least it's in the future plan document, so there's always hope for him, Jiang Zhiyan could only console himself with that thought.
Fortunately, he hadn't confessed yet, so during this period of working together, Jiang Zhiyan got to know Xia Zhiyu a little better.
Xia Zhiyu is lazy and not very ambitious. She is not exactly careless about her work, but she never puts in any effort either. She is a typical Gen Z, with a "get by" attitude towards everything she does.
The life principles he believes in are very different from those of Jiang Zhiyan.
Xia Zhiyu may not work hard, but she is very hardworking and proactive in life. She plans her trips meticulously, afraid of missing any places. Every holiday is packed with activities, and her number of followers on social media is growing rapidly.
The comments section under her travel itinerary sharing posts on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) says she's full of life and personality.
Jiang Zhiyan felt the same way. He thought Xia Zhiyu was like a lively tourist frog, cutely carrying her little backpack, sending him lots and lots of photos from every tourist spot she visited.
He would reply to every single one of her messages, and if it was a city he had visited, he would even tell Xia Zhiyu where to find good restaurants.
Actually, Jiang Zhiyan asked local customers himself. As a workaholic, he didn't have time to visit stores. He just wanted to have something to talk about with Xia Zhiyu.
The two chatted almost every day during that period. When Xia Zhiyu went out, they would chat on their phones. When Xia Zhiyu came to work, they would chat during their meals, talking about what interesting things Xia Zhiyu had encountered on her travels, and what interesting games Xia Zhiyu had recently played...
As they were chatting, Xia Zhiyu suddenly confessed her feelings. She had just swallowed the omelet rice in her mouth when she said, "Jiang Zhiyan, I like you."
After saying that, she casually scooped up a spoonful of omelet rice, thoughtfully poured some ketchup on it, and ate it into her mouth with a gulp, looking at him with her cheeks bulging out.
There was still some tomato sauce on the corner of his mouth.
They are so cute.
They also have a huge appetite.
As the saying goes, it's not that I'm afraid of finding a woman beautiful, it's that I'm afraid of finding a woman cute.
Being beautiful is a normal human aesthetic standard, while being cute is a conclusion drawn through subjective filters. How can such a beautiful thing exist in the world?
As Jiang Zhiyan stared at Xia Zhiyu, he wondered how someone could be so adorable even while eating. The ketchup on her lips seemed to have a soft-focus filter on it, making it look sweeter than the other ketchup from the same box.
Jiang Zhiyan couldn't recall what he had said in a moment of madness. He only remembered that Xia Zhiyu was smiling very happily, her eyes sparkling, just like the photos she had sent him when she was traveling in West Lake. A cat and a human face were close together, with two pairs of round and bright eyes.
That photo is his phone's screen saver, and seeing it always lifts his spirits.
Chen Yue commented that Jiang Zhiyan's actions were particularly thorough.
Jiang Zhiyan thought so too.
He thought to himself that he must love Xia Zhiyu, who was so adorable.
But what was the result?
...
Now, Xia Zhiyu stares coldly at the water glass, not even wanting to glance at him.
The room was eerily quiet. Xia Zhiyu placed her water glass on the table, as if she was about to announce her departure at any moment.
“I went to the United States before because Huawan had problems. My father and my second uncle wanted to kick me out of Jiang’s Group. During that time, I was busy attending various meetings to try to win over other shareholders, but I was still a step behind…”
Xia Zhiyu heard Jiang Zhiyan's version of the story, which was something Jiang Zhiyan had previously avoided talking about and was unwilling to tell her.
Especially when the topic of his parents and illegitimate child came up, Jiang Zhiyan's entire demeanor suddenly turned cold and indignant. When the dark secrets of those powerful families' struggles were laid bare before Xia Zhiyu, she felt terrified.
The year Jiang Zhiyan described was completely different from the year she remembered.
The Jiang Zhiyan standing before her now was completely different from the Jiang Zhiyan she remembered.
“I always thought my father was incapable of love, but it wasn’t until I saw him willing to give everything for the twins that I realized he only didn’t love me and my mother.”
"And my mother? She only uses me as a tool to attack my father."
"None of them loved me, or rather, I was never their first choice."
Jiang Zhiyan began to gaze at her with that captivatingly affectionate look again.
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