Chapter 48 Pretending to be Accidental
Chapter 47
The deep winter in the northern city is exceptionally cold; the night wind is biting, like a knife scraping straight at people's faces.
Jiang Zhiyan stopped an arm's length away from her, picked up the suit jacket hanging from his arm, shook it open, and loosely draped it over her shoulders. "It's windy and frosty tonight, you'll catch a cold wearing so little."
He looked down at her, his gaze gentle yet fragile, like a snowman that had lost its warmth. Even the fingertips that accidentally touched the skin of her neck were shockingly cold.
They were both using the specially blended couple's fragrance they had made before. Xia Zhiyu swallowed stiffly, feeling nervous and flustered.
Jiang Zhiyan's bottle had a stronger woody note, while hers had a more watery note. The two scents, which smelled completely different on their own, naturally blended together to create a feeling of cold frost gently falling on a cedar tree.
A cool breeze carrying a hint of fragrance lifted the long hem of her dress. Jiang Zhiyan reached out and picked up a withered leaf that had fallen on her shoulder. "It's quite a coincidence today."
Xia Zhiyu's heart skipped a beat, and a strange feeling welled up inside her. Of course, she knew what Jiang Zhiyan was talking about, but after that vague feeling faded, all that remained was a bitter taste in her mouth.
To avoid suspicion when they worked together, she and Jiang Zhiyan never used anything with such clear signs of being a couple. Even when they drove to the law firm, she would get out of the car first, and Jiang Zhiyan would walk out from the garage.
All the couple's items they brought back from all over the country were piled up in a dark storage room until half a year ago, when Xia Zhiyu threw them all into the trash can.
Only this bottle of perfume survived because it was hidden among her pile of cosmetic bottles. It first went to Wangcuo with Xia Zhiyu, then returned to Chuancheng. When Xia Zhiyu decided to return to Beicheng to start over, this bottle of perfume also returned to Beicheng.
Things have really changed.
Xia Zhiyu couldn't help but glance at Jiang Zhiyan a few more times. He looked somewhat lonely and helpless, standing alone in the cold wind, his clothes billowing in the wind, his expression pale and translucent.
Actually, it wasn't just today. From the moment Jiang Zhiyan arrived at her house with gifts, Xia Zhiyu began to feel sorry for him. But what right did she have to sympathize with a capitalist like Jiang Zhiyan? She was struggling to make ends meet herself, so saying that she pitied Jiang Zhiyan would only make people who knew her laugh their heads off.
Sometimes Xia Zhiyu even wondered why Jiang Zhiyan couldn't speak as sharply and hurtfully as before; his painful desire for control and aggression seemed inexhaustible.
If Jiang Zhiyan really remained like this, she could hate and despise him without any reservations, and could sincerely complain to her friends that someone like Jiang Zhiyan should spend his whole life sticking to his job and career and die alone.
What Xia Zhiyu didn't expect was that Jiang Zhiyan would actually take the initiative to change. His words of persuading Xia Zhiyu not to give up the industry she loved still seemed to linger in her ears. Xia Zhiyu could tell that Jiang Zhiyan was genuinely thinking about her and worrying about her at that time.
This left her confused and at a loss.
"It's alright, not too cold," Xia Zhiyu said, lowering her eyes slightly. She had originally planned to take a taxi home, but her assistant had just messaged her saying that most people had left and asking if she needed her to wait for her. On a whim, Xia Zhiyu declined.
The air suddenly became still again.
The maroon paving stones on the roadside faded to their original color, and Xia Zhiyu's gaze unconsciously shifted two inches forward, where Jiang Zhiyan's shiny leather shoes came into view.
These shoes were the ones she had picked out for him before.
She disliked the perpetually dull suede handmade leather shoes in Jiang Zhiyan's shoe cabinet, so she deliberately picked out a few pairs of shiny leather shoes while shopping with him. She thought that even the most conservative man would look sleazy wearing such shoes.
And that seems to be the case.
Xia Zhiyu's mind went blank for a moment, and before she could even think of what to say, she blurted out, "What about you? Aren't you cold? Wearing only a thin suit in the dead of winter, be careful not to catch a fever."
Jiang Zhiyan is actually in good physical condition, but she is prone to allergies. She is easily susceptible to colds, fevers, and bronchitis during seasonal changes. It's not actually that serious, it just looks scary.
Especially for someone like Jiang Zhiyan who rarely gets sick, when he does fall ill, it seems to be exceptionally serious. Xia Zhiyu witnessed this once, and for the next five years, whenever the temperature dropped, Xia Zhiyu would watch Jiang Zhiyan wear thick clothes as if he were a thief.
"It's alright," Jiang Zhiyan said with a faint smile, his slender fingers suddenly lifting to smooth out Xia Zhiyu's wrinkled coat. "This suit looks great, doesn't it?"
"What season is it? Why are you starting to care about looking good? Staying warm is the most important thing."
“Looking good is more important,” Jiang Zhiyan said, staring intently into Xia Zhiyu’s eyes. “You have to dress well to catch fish.”
The allure was intense, like a male fox spirit from the mountains who had secretly slipped down the mountain, his every move exuding a nonchalant seduction.
Xia Zhiyu didn't want to admit that she had also been bewitched.
She cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly, trying her best to casually change the subject:
"So what are you going to do now? Your Maybach must have 24-hour emergency assistance, right?"
"Yes, I've already told them. They said they'll come and tow the car away soon and bring me a spare car. Can you wait here with me for a while? I don't want to be alone in the car."
Jiang Zhiyan spoke in a calm tone, but Xia Zhiyu keenly caught a hint of pitiful weakness in his voice.
She knew that Jiang Zhiyan had claustrophobia; the powerful and influential CEO dared not turn off the lights or close the door when he slept at night.
Perhaps it was because of his advice when she was confused, or perhaps it was because he rushed over in a hurry based on just a guess, Xia Zhiyu thought she was somewhat moved.
There's a satisfying feeling of revenge.
See, you got what you deserved for being so mean, vicious, and arrogant before, haha.
Everyone has a few insignificant dark sides in their heart, but somehow, when Xia Zhiyu stood in front of Jiang Zhiyan, she realized that her little secrets seemed a bit guilty.
Before she could even think for a moment, she instinctively answered, "About how long?"
The implication is clear even without being spoken.
Jiang Zhiyan's eyes held a hint of a smile as he looked at Xia Zhiyu tenderly, feeling a long-lost sense of happiness at being gazed upon with such devotion.
"It will be quick, probably less than half an hour."
He would be happy to have Xia Zhiyu watching him like this every day; he would gladly use his car to block Zhu Ji's way every day.
Jiang Zhiyan gazed at Xia Zhiyu's slightly uncomfortable expression with an almost greedy look.
"Then let's wait in the car. Even though it can't be driven, at least there's air conditioning. You can't get sick; Auntie is waiting for you to take care of her."
Xia Zhiyu indeed remained silent.
The car's heater blew warm air into her face, and Jiang Zhiyan took a short, stout thermos from the center console and handed it to her, saying, "Have some hangover soup."
Before Xia Zhiyu could even utter a word of refusal, Jiang Zhiyan opened the cup for her, and a faint sweet and sour aroma filled the air. "I didn't use honey. I made this soup myself, with dried tangerine peel, snow pear, and glutinous rice. It's not sweet."
Her stomach started churning and boiling, but she couldn't go against her body; she still needed to be healthy to take care of her mother. Xia Zhiyu thanked her and took the cup, sipping her drink slowly.
Jiang Zhiyan has a talent for cooking and making soup. Xia Zhiyu unknowingly drank more than half a cup of sweet soup and felt much better in her stomach.
“Here,” Jiang Zhiyan pointed to the corner of his lips, indicating to Xia Zhiyu, “I’m eating it right at the corner of my mouth.”
Xia Zhiyu's face flushed instantly. She quickly put down her cup and frantically rummaged through her small bag for tissues.
A rich scent of cedarwood suddenly wafted towards her, causing Xia Zhiyu's back to stiffen. Jiang Zhiyan leaned down from the driver's seat, raised his hand, and gently brushed his fingertips across her lips, his voice calm and even.
"Okay, it's clean now."
Then Xia Zhiyu watched as Jiang Zhiyan naturally bit off the white grain of rice from his fingertip, his eyes calmly fixed on her.
How to describe it? A nonchalant and dashing demeanor, as if even the soft breathing and the indifferent glances carried a seductive quality.
Xia Zhiyu heard her heart skip a beat, her throat bobbed unconsciously, and her adrenaline seemed to sense danger, causing her heart to pound violently in her chest.
The warm breeze was filled with a sweet fragrance, which mingled with the clear scent of cedar, creating a kind of intoxicating toxin. Their eyes met, and Xia Zhiyu clearly saw a certain expectation in Jiang Zhiyan's eyes. The man's tall figure approached, so close that she could almost feel his breath and heartbeat.
Like the intertwined and chaotic drumbeats, the air is filled with the subtle yet powerful fragrance of cedarwood that permeates every inch of the room.
Her nerves were in turmoil. Xia Zhiyu subconsciously tightened her grip on the bag strap, her breath caught in her throat, and her lower back felt weak.
Expectation mixed with longing, frame by frame depicting her delicate jawline, eyebrows and eyes, finally settling on the corner of her lips where he had just plucked the grain of rice.
Jiang Zhiyan smiled and brushed aside a lock of long hair that was hanging over her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. His voice was low and slightly hoarse. "How could you be so careless? Your hair is almost falling into the bowl."
He had a small mole on the tip of his nose, which gently fell in front of Xia Zhiyu's eyes. As he bent down, his full chest muscles flashed past under his slightly open shirt.
"Is this job so urgent? Can you handle it by yourself? Do you want to hire me? I'm very free."
He added, lowering his voice slightly at the end, his tone full of seduction.
Jiang Zhiyan leaned his head to the side, resting his elbow on the steering wheel, his expression relaxed as if nothing had happened. The faint fragrance lingered in Xia Zhiyu's mind, stirring up a fire in her heart. She felt a surge of malice and wanted nothing more than to bite Jiang Zhiyan's lips.
“Okay, actually it’s not really a coincidence,” Jiang Zhiyan said with a smirk, “Actually, I’ve been using this perfume every day since I returned to Beicheng, just to pretend it was a coincidence.”
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