Chapter 35 The sofa cushions were all soaked.
Chapter 36
Old Xia was too busy in the kitchen by himself, so he asked Ms. Song to help him beat an egg. Only Xia Zhiyu and the other two were left in the living room, forming a three-legged balance.
Jiang Zhiyan couldn't stand Ren Yu coming to Xia Zhiyu's house all the time, acting as if it were his own home.
Ren Yu also disliked Jiang Zhiyan. If Xia Zhiyu's parents hadn't been unaware of Xia Zhiyu's relationship and cohabitation with Jiang Zhiyan, he would have definitely skinned Jiang Zhiyan alive and fried him into a dried-up fryer to avenge Xia Zhiyu for being bullied for so long.
There was no heating in Chuancheng, so the house was already cold. Jiang Zhiyan and Ren Yu sat facing each other, their eyes filled with disdain and coldness, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.
Xia Zhiyu felt somewhat helpless, but she didn't know what to say to break the deadlock. So she just sat stiffly on the sofa and pretended to be blind, sipping the white fungus soup half-heartedly.
After a brief standoff, Jiang Zhiyan grew increasingly disdainful of Ren Yu. "He's a grown man in his twenties, why does he act like a braggart, always making a fuss? No wonder Xia Zhiyu has looked down on him all these years."
Ignore Xia Zhiyu's previous lie about marrying Ren Yu.
If the two of them really planned to get married, wouldn't they tell Xia Zhiyu's parents? Jiang Zhiyan secretly regretted that his emotions had outweighed his reason at the time, and that he had believed all the lies Xia Zhiyu told him. Now that he thought about it, those lies were so bad that they could be exposed with just a little thought.
Besides, with Ren Yu's carefree and irresponsible attitude, how could Xia Zhiyu possibly be interested in him? Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Ren Yu expressionlessly, his gaze as if he were looking at a nobody on the street.
He scoffed lightly, his gaze shifting away on its own, only to be involuntarily drawn to the black-and-white school uniform photo of Xia Zhiyu hanging in the living room window a second later.
The girl in the photo has a rosy complexion and bright eyes. Even though she's wearing a school uniform that's considered outdated in China, it can't hide her vibrant energy.
Just like the first ray of sunlight squeezing out from the heavy clouds in the early morning, clean and warm.
The slight displeasure caused by Ren Yusheng was instantly soothed by that clear smile.
Jiang Zhiyan suddenly felt glad that she hadn't believed the doctor.
Looking at the photo, he unconsciously recalled the scene when he first met Xia Zhiyu. The charming girl in the auditorium was his exclusive memory.
Bold yet shy, cautiously exploring like a cat on tiptoe, Ren Yu had never seen Xia Zhiyu like this before.
Jiang Zhiyan's mood suddenly relaxed, and even a faint smile appeared between her eyebrows and eyes. "How come after so many years, you are no different from when you were in high school?"
A clear and deep male voice suddenly rang in her ears, and Xia Zhiyu reflexively looked up at Jiang Zhiyan.
Her eyes were moist and she looked a little dazed. Plus, she was wearing a light-colored nightgown, which she wore at home. She looked exactly like she did when they were in a good relationship at home.
Jiang Zhiyan's warm smile deepened, and the person who had just been glaring at Ren Yu suddenly became like a thawing ice river in early spring.
Xia Zhiyu suddenly noticed something different about Jiang Zhiyan. She had spent so much time with Jiang Zhiyan that she could spot his new hairstyle at a glance.
Interestingly, Jiang Zhiyan, a person with such a cold and hard personality, has rather soft hair, making it seem like he's just relying on quantity to make up for it.
Soft hair is not easy to style and tends to make one look younger when it hangs down. Five years ago, when Jiang Zhiyan first joined Huawan Core, the thing that bothered her most every morning was that her soft hair was difficult to style and made her look younger and less experienced.
There are many older lawyers in Huawan, and Jiang's as well. These so-called senior lawyers are most adept at using their so-called seniority to intimidate people. Moreover, in the legal profession, anyone who has done it knows that bald lawyers are the most trustworthy for their clients.
The reason is simple: excessive hair loss indicates a long career and rich experience, and clients naturally prefer experienced lawyers.
Jiang Zhiyan was young and sharp back then. Xia Zhiyu watched him stay up all night, only to have to attend pre-trial conferences early the next morning. No matter how much she felt sorry for him, there was nothing she could do. This was Jiang Zhiyan's life and his choices. All she could do was help him handle as many cases as possible and teach him how to fight his hair.
As for why he knew Jiang Zhiyan's hair was soft...
Xia Zhiyu couldn't help but recall a time on the sofa when Jiang Zhiyan, after she pulled his hair, first glanced up at her without saying a word, his eyes dark and deep, hiding an intense, unyielding desire.
Even the sofa cushions got soaked that day.
Xia Zhiyu's mind exploded with a loud bang as she realized she was recalling something.
No! What strange things is she thinking about?
Is this the price of being single for too long?
Thanks to her years of experience as a lawyer, Xia Zhiyu may not be good at much else, but she has an excellent ability to control her facial expressions. Luckily, she didn't suddenly blush in front of Jiang Zhiyan.
Little did she know then that so many things would happen later. Back in high school, Xia Zhiyu always thought she would actually go to teacher's college.
“There have been some changes,” she said with a hint of nostalgia. “When I saw my high school classmate yesterday, she said I smelled like a corporate slave, and she could smell my classmate’s scent from five meters away.”
Jiang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. "Where is the 'corporate slave' vibe? I can't see it. You look exactly the same as in the photo."
“No, you don’t understand,” Xia Zhiyu shook her head heavily. “The scent of a corporate slave is an aura that can only be tracked by its own kind. You’re not a corporate slave, so of course you don’t understand. How could capital understand the pain of a corporate slave?”
Her tone inexplicably carried a hint of heaviness, like a turtle suddenly burdened with a heavy shell. She shook her head dramatically, but a smile still lingered between her brows, and her eyes sparkled.
Jiang Zhiyan was amused by her quirky and clever appearance, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
He was handsome, and his smile was like a spring breeze caressing willows or ice melting on a mountain. He was so beautiful that even Xia Zhiyu, who used to see him all the time, couldn't help but take a closer look at him.
A sense of emotion welled up within me.
Xia Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't expected that she and Jiang Zhiyan would be able to chat so amicably after their breakup.
Life is truly unpredictable; who would have thought that one day she would be sitting in her own home chatting with her ex-boyfriend and former boss?
Even a dog would shake its head at that.
"What are you guys talking about? Xiaoyu's high school photos?"
Ms. Song came out of the kitchen and immediately saw Jiang Zhiyan looking at Xia Zhiyu with a smile, trying his best to attract attention like a forsythia in bloom. But the butterflies didn't even look at him, only caring about drinking her white fungus and lotus seed soup.
That damn good-for-nothing daughter of mine.
Song Yue squeezed his eyes shut, forcibly suppressing the urge to lift Xia Zhiyu up and hang her on the wall.
Having been through similar experiences, she naturally understood the budding romantic feelings in Jiang Zhiyan's eyes when he looked at Xia Zhiyu. Otherwise, what would a big boss like him want to come all the way from Beicheng to help solve her family's case and bring a whole trunk full of gifts?
It wasn't a holiday or festival, and Xia Zhiyu was just his subordinate, so what did he want from her?
Is this two ounces of rice from her house?
That brat, I don't know if she's pretending to be stupid or if she really is, she's just wasting her time eating a crisp white radish.
Xia Zhiyu looked completely innocent as she received a sharp glare from Ms. Song.
“Yes,” Jiang Zhiyan’s smile remained unchanged, “I’m talking about how she’s changed from before.”
Song Yue squinted and looked at the photos from afar. "These are photos from when she was about to graduate from high school. Wait a minute, Auntie will go get you some of her old photos. My daughter was so pretty when she was little."
"mom!"
Xia Zhiyu jumped up as if her bottom was on fire, and her cheeks quickly flushed red.
Even the most clueless person could see what her parents were up to by now, and Xia Zhiyu wanted nothing more than to tell Song Yue what kind of scoundrel Jiang Zhiyan really was.
"Mom? What mom? Mom's right here."
Ms. Song remained unmoved, turned around and took out a thick photo album of Xia Zhiyu from childhood to adulthood, and squinted her eyes as she introduced it to Jiang Zhiyan bit by bit.
From elementary school students wearing red scarves, to junior high and high school students, each page records Xia Zhiyu's growth trajectory.
Growth is not just Xia Zhiyu's growth, but also her and Ren Yu's shared growth.
Every mark of Xia Zhiyu's teenage years hides Ren Yu's disgusting tentacles, like flies.
The thin-rimmed glasses perched on Jiang Zhiyan's nose concealed the coldness clearly visible in his eyes.
The last photo in the album is from when they graduated from high school. Ren Yu has his arm around Xia Zhiyu's shoulder and is boldly making a peace sign at the camera. Xia Zhiyu is holding two books, her lips are upturned, and she is smiling sweetly and obediently.
Anyone who posts this photo will think they are a sweet and loving young couple.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhiyan felt an inexplicable surge of anger rising within him.
Xia Zhiyu was particularly enthusiastic, chatting with Ren Yu about their high school days. After a long time, Jiang Zhiyan became increasingly irritated, and the forced smile on his face began to falter.
"Do you remember this photo? We took a hard seat train overnight. The guy sitting opposite us was snoring so loudly that it shook the heavens when he slept."
Ren Yu raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jiang Zhiyan with a provocative look.
Xia Zhiyu said excitedly, "Of course I remember. That was my first viral vlog, and it was after that day that I became determined to work part-time as a self-media blogger."
Jiang Zhiyan's face grew increasingly grim as he coldly glared at the photo album, as if each of the photos had stepped on his every sore spot, causing it to explode with a deafening roar.
“And this too,” Xia Zhiyu turned two more pages, her tone full of surprise, “Our two families went to Yanji together back then.”
This is a group photo. In a Korean-style restaurant, Xia Zhiyu's family and Ren Yu and her son are happily toasting each other. Xia Zhiyu's arm is close to Ren Yu's, and her eyes are smiling as she raises her glass. Xia Zhiyu and Song Yue are reminiscing about the past around this photo.
But Jiang Zhiyan only noticed that Ren Yu's gaze was fixed on Xia Zhiyu, who was beaming with joy in the photo, her eyes filled with tender affection.
Just then, Xia Zhiyu's teacup was empty. She refilled her own cup first, and then naturally took Ren Yu's cup. While talking to Song Yue, she refilled Ren Yu's teacup and added some sugar to it.
Jiang Zhiyan then noticed the sugar jar on the coffee table.
Xia Zhiyu and her parents never add sugar to their tea, so it's obvious who this sugar jar is specifically for.
Photos, sugar bowls, water glasses... looking around Xia Zhiyu's house, you can see Ren Yu's shadow everywhere.
The deep friendship between childhood sweethearts spanning twenty years is palpable.
It felt like thick, dense water vapor trapped in Jiang Zhiyan's mouth and nose.
Jiang Zhiyan knew what this was.
This is jealousy.
Jealousy that penetrates deep into the bone marrow and corrodes the blood.
Song Yue was smiling as he turned to talk to Jiang Zhiyan when he turned his head to look at Jiang Zhiyan, whose face was serious as he stared at the photo album, looking as if he were looking at some important document.
Before she could say anything, Song Yue suddenly realized that while her family treated Ren Yu like their own child, in Jiang Zhiyan's eyes, Ren Yu was a man who was close to Xia Zhiyu in age and had a similar personality.
Song Yue suddenly tensed up, and when he looked at Xia Zhiyu, she was still grinning at Ren Yu like a fool.
Fortunately, Lao Xia finally finished cooking the last dish. He lifted the kitchen curtain and said, "Come on, stop chatting and come and serve the dishes."
"Okay, I'm here, Dad."
Xia Zhiyu got up and headed towards the kitchen.
Song Yue pressed her shoulder down to sit down and instructed her without giving a chance to explain: "Don't be clumsy and get in the way of the kitchen. Sit down and talk to Zhiyan. Zhiyan has come all the way here and brought so many gifts. How can we neglect our guest?"
Xia Zhiyu looked in the direction Song Yue pointed and immediately saw two bottles of Moutai.
All the gifts piled in the corner came in pairs, a custom in Xia Zhiyu's hometown for a new son-in-law to visit his family. There were cigarettes, alcohol, tea, snacks, abalone, ginseng... and even two neck and back massagers. After working outside for so many years, Xia Zhiyu had developed a good eye for things; just those two bottles of wine alone were worth nearly 100,000 yuan.
Xia Zhiyu had a hard time explaining herself.
What's this? When they were dating, he didn't mention meeting her parents, but as soon as they broke up, he came to meet them with gifts and a big smile.
Is Jiang Zhiyan really that despicable?
Xia Zhiyu neither understood nor respected it.
Jiang Zhiyan's gaze remained fixed on Xia Zhiyu.
She turned her head to look at the gifts he had carefully prepared, her lips flat, her long, thick eyelashes drooping indifferently, as if she were tired of them.
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