0159 Stubborn
Tantai Qing was taking a nap in the office break room. Just as she lay down, Song Yuchang called.
"I have a business dinner tonight, and I think Jiang Jifan will be there too. Are you coming?"
Upon hearing this, he immediately sat up in bed and readily agreed.
Upon receiving this unexpected good news, he couldn't fall asleep when he lay down again. He tossed and turned several times before finally deciding to get up.
Tantai Qing couldn't contain his excitement and anticipation at the thought of seeing her tonight, as if he had returned to the time when they first went on a date.
Fortunately, there are usually several spare suits hanging in the lounge to deal with unexpected situations. After looking around, he finally chose a gray-green retro suit.
He rarely wears such brightly colored clothes, but she once complimented him on how good he looked in such colors, and he remembered it.
After changing her clothes, Tantai Qing remembered something and went back to her office to get something.
"Where's President Song? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
There were seven or eight men sitting in the private room. When they saw that Song Yuchang had not yet arrived, they all asked him about it.
Speak of the devil, and he appears; no sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the private room was pushed open.
The person who arrived was Song Yuchang.
"I could hear you calling me from a great distance," he said with a smile.
"I brought a friend along, you don't mind, do you?"
Jiang Jifan looked up and paused when he saw the man following closely behind.
Tantai Qing spotted her in the crowd at a glance, and paused slightly when he saw that her originally charming waist-length hair had been replaced by a neat collarbone-length bob.
She looked away, focusing her gaze on her nose and her mind.
Naturally, no one present dared to say they minded, and a few who recognized Tantai Qing were the first to speak up and greet him.
"Mr. Dan, it's been a long time."
Tantai Qing focused all her attention on Jiang Jifan, and only gave a perfunctory response when she heard this, looking rather absent-minded.
Although Jiang Jifan was the only woman present, she was not at all reserved due to her extensive experience in social situations. However, when she saw him, she immediately felt extremely awkward. Under his intense gaze, she felt uncomfortable all over.
Although she tried her best to ignore his presence, she could still see his figure in her peripheral vision.
Even with his head down, Jiang Jifan could clearly sense that his gaze followed his every move, which made her feel even more irritable after encountering him at the dinner party.
She was seething with anger, and looked up, but when she saw what he was wearing on his chest, she was taken aback.
The tie clip on his tie—wasn't that the birthday present I'd prepared for him before…?
Actually, she originally intended to throw it away with the card on the day she left, but then she thought about it and realized that she had spent almost two months' salary to buy it, so she put it back on the table in the end.
After the meal began, everyone gradually started eating. Although it was supposed to be a meal, in this kind of setting, no one really focused on eating. Everyone took every opportunity to shift the topic to business.
The people at the dinner table were all seasoned shrewd individuals. Seeing that Tantai Qing had been staring intently at Jiang Jifan since he entered the room, and that his gaze was still burning with desire, they all began to make their own calculations.
"Mr. Tan and Miss Jiang know each other?"
Tantai Qing glanced at the person who spoke, and was about to speak when she heard her reply first: "I don't know her."
He paused, looked up, and saw that she had a blank expression, as if the two of them had never met, just as she had said.
He squeezed his hands on his thighs, the bitterness churning in his chest making his heart ache.
Upon hearing this, their company's CFO, Lin Zhijian, immediately laughed and said, "It's okay if we don't know each other. We can take this opportunity to get to know each other."
"This is our company's finance manager, Jiang Jifan. Not only is she beautiful, but she also has an excellent alcohol tolerance. We usually can't outdrink her."
As he spoke, he beckoned to her, gesturing, "Come here, Xiao Jiang, come and offer President Dan a toast."
Jiang Jifan, the person involved, was so embarrassed that she wanted to run away as fast as she could.
What kind of nonsense is this, making her grovel and offer a toast to her ex-boyfriend who is in a terrible mess because of their breakup?
If she had known he was coming, she definitely wouldn't have come to this lousy invitation.
She sat motionless in her seat, her face stiff.
The atmosphere gradually became tense, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Tantai Qing stared at her without saying a word, harboring a desire to get closer to her, yet unwilling to let her act so humble in front of everyone. In the end, he declined, saying, "No need, I can do it myself, it's no trouble for... Miss Jiang."
But even though he said that, his eyes were still fixed on Jiang Jifan, not at all like he was not using it.
Sitting next to him, Song Yuchang obviously noticed his strange behavior as well. She nudged him with her elbow and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "If you keep staring like that, she might just push you into her arms."
Tantai Qing understood his meaning and then had no choice but to look away.
Everyone assumed he was just being chivalrous and didn't investigate further. Lin Zhijian simply said that Jiang Jifan was being immature, and that was the end of the little incident.
On the surface, Tantai Qing acted as if it were just a normal business dinner, but he kept an eye on her out of the corner of his eye.
During this time, he noticed that she picked up food and then put it down several times, frequently frowning and looking like she was enduring unhappiness. Seeing this, he quietly instructed the waiter.
Jiang Jifan was hesitating about whether to leave early because of her physical discomfort when a waiter suddenly placed a bowl of soup-like liquid in front of her.
"Miss Jiang, this is ginger sugarcane juice, which has the effect of dispelling cold and strengthening the stomach."
She was startled and subconsciously looked up in the direction of Tantai Qing. She saw him looking at her with gentle eyes that also contained a hint of sorrow, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
This was clearly his order.
Fortunately, everyone was talking about business and didn't pay too much attention to her.
Jiang Jifan looked away and quietly thanked the waiter.
Despite feeling unwell, she quietly pushed the bowl away in the end.
Tantai Qing noticed her rejection and lowered his eyes sadly.
Halfway through the meal, some people at the table got a little tipsy and said they wanted to toast them, so they actually went around toasting each of them.
Although everyone secretly despised him for being a disgrace, they still smiled and raised their glasses in return for his toast.
When it was Jiang Jifan's turn, she hadn't even realized what was happening. She was pretending to be focused on picking out rice when the person stumbled and fell down beside her.
She was startled, her face paled, she dropped her chopsticks, and her scream caught in her throat.
Tantai Qing was almost startled and jumped up.
"Hey, slow down, Lao Li..." Everyone burst into laughter when they saw his embarrassing state and told him to slow down.
Mr. Li let out a soft "Oh," waved his hand, and with a flick of his fat arm, put his arm around Jiang Jifan's shoulder, held the wine glass to her lips, and said drunkenly, "Come on, Xiao Jiang, let me toast you."
The overwhelming smell of smoke and alcohol made her feel nauseous. Jiang Jifan forced himself to turn away, suppressing his anger, and awkwardly pushed him away with a smile, saying, "Mr. Li, you're drunk."
Upon hearing her words, Mr. Li immediately felt that she was disrespecting him, his expression changed instantly, and he stood up, saying to her, "Hey, what's wrong with you today? Rejecting President Dan is one thing, but why are you rejecting me too..."
His words were quite ambiguous, inevitably leading people to have all sorts of wild thoughts.
Jiang Jifan had already mentally torn him to pieces, but on the surface he still smiled apologetically and said, "President Li, you misunderstand. I've been having some allergies lately, and the doctor advised me not to drink alcohol. Please forgive me."
No wonder she hadn't touched alcohol, but Tantai Qing subconsciously felt that things weren't so simple. The way she looked unwell just now didn't seem like an allergic reaction; rather, it seemed like…
He was startled by his own guess, and his heart skipped a beat.
The others chimed in, saying, "Yeah, Xiao Jiang, why are you being so polite today?"
After regaining her senses, seeing that they were still bothering her, Tantai Qing's face darkened. She suddenly stood up, walked to her side, separated the annoying CEO Li from her, put her hands on the back of the chair and encircled her, and said sternly, "Please stop now."
Everyone was taken aback.
Song Yuchang immediately stepped in to smooth things over, laughing and saying, "That's enough, it's not gentlemanly for you grown men to make things difficult for a girl."
The matter should have ended there, but Jiang Jifan was never a delicate flower that needed to be pampered. When her stubborn temper flared up, she stood up, pushed his hand away, picked up the wine bottle, poured a full glass of red wine, held the glass in her hand, looked around, and said, "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, I'll drink first, and everyone else can drink as they please."
After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed the glass of red wine in one gulp.
She was still as stubborn as ever, and Tantai Qing sighed helplessly.
After finishing her drink, she slammed the glass down on the table, made an excuse to go to the restroom, grabbed her bag, and turned to leave.
Tantai Qing followed closely behind her.
"Who are these two...?" Everyone had already guessed, but pretended not to know and asked Song Yuchang.
Song Yuchang glanced at them indifferently, his tone casual and unreadable: "It's just a young couple having a tiff, and you two are joining in the fun. You really don't know how to make things worse..."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically. Remembering that they had just forced someone to drink, they were immediately embarrassed and quickly apologized, begging him to convey their apologies to Tantai Qing.
Song Yuchang, disgusted by their lack of tact, sneered, "What I said doesn't matter. He's usually pretty good-natured; he was genuinely angry just now. If I hadn't been there, he would have given me face. You people..."
He pointed at them, saying, "They'll inevitably be ostracized by him."
Everyone inwardly cried foul; it was clearly the young couple playing a game of riddles, yet outwardly they kept toasting and smiling obsequiously.
"Just know that, don't make things difficult for them." Song Yuchang knew when to stop, took a sip of the wine they offered, and reminded them.
A few days later, Mr. Li, who had led the way in making things difficult for Jiang Jifan, and the few who had been the most vocal in their criticism, bought stocks based on the advice of others. As a result, the stocks plummeted, and they lost several million dollars, suffering a complete loss and complaining bitterly. But these are all stories for later.
Although it was an excuse, Jiang Jifan actually ran to the bathroom as soon as he stepped out the door.
She vomited twice in the toilet, and after that, she walked weakly to the sink to wash her hands.
Jiang Jifan braced her hands on the sink, looking at the pale woman in the mirror, and suddenly felt extremely embarrassed.
It's all because of her damn pride, and...
Thinking of that man, Jiang Jifan splashed water on his face and took a deep breath.
After drying her face, she picked up her phone and sent Lin Zhijian a message saying she was feeling unwell and would have to leave early. After a couple of minutes, she struggled to leave in her high heels.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she went out, she ran into Tantai Qing, who was waiting for her outside the women's restroom.
Upon seeing him, Jiang Jifan suddenly straightened up, even her slightly bent legs, clad in high heels, instantly stiffened.
She suddenly regretted not touching up her makeup earlier.
When she came out, Tantai Qing's gaze lingered on her slightly pale face. He recalled the sound of her vomiting inside and asked, "Jifan, did you lie to me? The child... you didn't abort it at all."
A barely perceptible flicker of panic crossed Jiang Jifan's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and looked at him with a mocking smile, saying, "Tantai Qing, what are you thinking? What am I going to do with this child if I don't abort it? Keep it to take care of you in your old age?"
He didn't feel uncomfortable at all in the face of her harsh and cruel words. Instead, he blamed himself for being tongue-tied and how he could so easily provoke her anger every time.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Tantai Qing stopped her in time.
"Ji Fan, can we have a proper talk?"
"What's there to talk about? What's there for us to talk about?" Jiang Jifan found him ridiculous and spoke without any mercy. "We're all adults. Do you have to be told things so harshly before you understand?"
Seeing that he didn't speak, she continued, "You've been making trouble from the very beginning, don't you feel ashamed? Does Qiao Xianzhi know that you've begged so humbly from any woman other than her?"
Tantai Qing didn't understand why this was a matter between the two of them, and why unimportant people had to be involved.
Knowing that she was deliberately provoking him, he sighed softly and said helplessly, "Jifan, I think there are many misunderstandings between us, but no matter what, from the time I met you until now, my feelings for you have always been sincere."
Even though he loved her, he didn't want her to misunderstand his true feelings like that.
"Sincerely?" Jiang Jifan sneered upon hearing this.
"I don't need it, you can keep it for someone else."
Having said that, she immediately shook off his hand and strode away.
"Let's stop arguing about the child, okay? Let's just let this go," Tantai Qing caught up with her again, walking beside her and pleading softly.
He wanted to move on from this unpleasant experience; he was more afraid of losing her than losing the child.
"The past?" She stopped and squinted at him, feeling that he still didn't understand the current situation.
"I've already let go, only you are still clinging to the past."
Tantai Qing knew she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and he didn't believe her.
"Let's part ways amicably, and not make ourselves look so cheap."
Jiang Jifan gave him a cold look and turned to leave. When he saw that he was about to chase after him, he immediately stopped and said harshly, "If I hadn't been with you in the first place, there wouldn't have been so much trouble."
These words left Tantai Qing speechless.
She actually started to regret being with them...
He had clearly felt intense love for her back then, so why has it turned out like this now?
Tantai Qing stood there in a daze, and when she came to her senses, the person she was chasing had already disappeared.
Jiang Jifan felt waves of stomach pain as soon as he stepped out of the hotel lobby, perhaps because he had just drunk alcohol.
She made her way to the front desk and asked the hotel staff for help getting a taxi.
Seeing that she looked unwell, as if she was about to collapse at any moment, the receptionist quickly asked her to sit down and personally arranged for a car.
"Thank you." After getting into the car, Jiang Jifan sincerely thanked her.
The receptionist said it was just a small favor, and as soon as the car left, she immediately took out her phone and made a call.
"Mr. Tan, Miss Jiang has already left."
Tantai Qing stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the black car that had driven away below. After a long while, she said in a low voice, "Yes, you've worked hard."
Jiang Jifan registered at a nearby hospital.
"Don't you know that smoking and drinking are prohibited during pregnancy?" The male doctor looked at her impatiently, his tone sarcastic, as he held the report in his hand.
She bit her lip, lowered her head, and remained silent, an indescribable sense of grievance welling up inside her.
Seeing her like this, the male doctor didn't know what to say anymore. He asked the nurse to give her an IV drip and prescribed some medication to help prevent miscarriage.
The emergency room was full of couples, but Jiang Jifan sat alone on a cold bench receiving an IV drip, a feeling of loneliness and desolation washing over him.
It was already late at night when she left the hospital. There were very few cars on the road. Just as she was about to call and ask where that heartless Xing Yeye was, a black sedan suddenly stopped steadily in front of her.
"Miss Jiang, please get in the car."
The driver in the driver's seat was the same one who had just brought her to the hospital. Just as she was wondering why he was here again, he spoke up and said, "Ms. Jiang, please get in the car. Don't worry, I will take you safely to your destination."
Seeing that she did not move, he said again, "This is my job, and I must complete it, otherwise I will not be able to hand it in. Please understand."
Jiang Jifan instantly understood, and a deep sense of powerlessness enveloped her.
She was tired and no longer wanted to maintain her pitiful, worthless self-esteem.
In the end, she got into the car that man had arranged for her.
The author believes that having loved someone in the past but no longer loving them is more heartbreaking than never having loved at all.
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