Chapter 26 "Jiang An, do you miss me?"...
Autumn was beginning, and Beijing had experienced several days of torrential rain. When Xu Mi arrived in Beijing alone by high-speed train, the sky was still foggy, and a few wisps of autumn wind carrying damp air rushed towards her. As she walked outside, she saw a car parked in a corner, with two people standing next to it, one tall and one short. The tall one was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, and was tall and handsome, while the short one was a bit older and had an average appearance.
Xu Mi took out her phone and checked the two people's faces. After confirming that it was them, she strode over.
As he approached, he asked softly, "Hello, are you Mr. Jiang?"
Jiang Ting turned his head and saw a pretty and lovely girl with a ponytail standing in front of him. She was about the same age as Jiang An had described, around twenty years old, and looked sickly, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness. He nodded, "You must be Miss Xu. I'm here to pick you up."
Xu Mi looked at the open car door, hesitating, unsure whether she should get in.
Jiang Ting noticed her hesitation, tapped his fingers lightly on the car surface, and said, "I'm not a human trafficker, and besides, you're practically skin and bones, why would I sell you?"
Upon hearing his words, Xu Mi's sickly pale face instantly flushed red, realizing that her little thoughts couldn't be hidden at all. After hesitating for a moment, she stepped into the car. It was probably her first time riding in such a luxurious car, and the interior furnishings and design were incredibly novel. She cautiously looked around, not daring to be too obvious.
Jiang Ting got into the car, snapped his fingers, and the driver started the car and drove off.
This was Xu Mi's first time in Beijing, and she had many fantasies and expectations about this first-tier city. The street scenes and streets that flashed past the car window were all incredibly novel to her. Jiang Ting looked at Xu Mi's profile and took out his phone to send a message to Jiang An.
Jiang Ting: [Third Brother, I picked up Miss Xu. She's quite fair-skinned. Was she the one who took care of you when you were little? But she looks only in her early twenties. There's too much of an age gap.]
Jiang An: [You take care of it for now, I'll check it when I have time.]
Jiang Ting: [Okay, but let me be clear from the start: since you're entrusting this to me, then do it my way. Don't blame me for not taking good care of them when you come to pick them up.]
Jiang An, on the other end of the phone, frowned slightly upon seeing the message.
Jiang Ting is the most lively and cheerful among all the younger generation in the Jiang family, and also the kindest. It's better to have him help take care of Xu Mi than to just send someone else to take care of her.
Autumn has arrived.
As the temperature gradually drops, Jiang An's health has deteriorated in recent years. Frequent business trips or demanding work often result in fevers. Today, he needs to attend a project seminar for HT in the United States. He will be taking a private jet in the evening. He sent a message to Wen Lingshuang before boarding the plane, but she did not reply. Lon said that Wen Lingshuang has been very busy these days, either going to the company for roll call or shopping around. She has even bought several limited-edition cars.
Jiang An listened to the report without much reaction, but as usual, he inquired about the account's expenditures.
Upon learning that the expenditure had exceeded nine figures, the corners of his lips subtly turned upwards.
It's good that I know I'm using his money.
He was afraid she wouldn't use it.
Jiang An felt much better. He leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. After the plane took off, Lon came over with the medicine prepared by the pharmacist. The doctor had said that such a low-grade fever would last for several days. Even if the medicine could suppress it for a few hours, it would relapse periodically. Lon watched Jiang An take the medicine and said in a low voice, "If Madam knew, she might feel sorry for your health, sir."
Ever since he learned that Wen Lingshuang had spent the night at Jiang An's house, Lon stopped calling her Miss Wen and started calling her Mrs. Jiang.
Jiang An had lived in the Jiang family for many years but never truly understood the feeling of 'heartache'. He didn't understand the concern his family had when he had health problems, the worry his family had when he went out alone, or the care his family had when he was injured, let alone heartache.
Jiang An held the water glass in his hand and said softly, "There's no need to bother her with such a trivial matter."
Lon gave a soft "hmm" and walked to the back with the medicine box.
High above the ground, the azure sky outside the window unfolded like a painting. Jiang An's fingers tapped lightly on the cup, and the image of Wen Ling Shuang appeared in his mind. After a long silence, he took out his phone, snapped a photo, and posted it on his WeChat Moments.
A few hours later, Wen Lingshuang drove home. She had a good day, buying three cars and two houses, both located in the city center. She also paid deposits for several pieces of jewelry. In a good mood, she hummed a song as she entered the house. Ah Shui hadn't seen Wen Lingshuang so happy in a long time. Ever since the marriage alliance with the Jiang family was announced, she had always seen Wen Lingshuang with a worried look on her face. Only recently had she seemed to have accepted the marriage alliance and become much more cheerful.
Ah Shui followed behind Wen Ling Shuang, carrying the cooked bird's nest to the table, and said, "Miss, why are you going out in such heavy rain?"
"Let's browse around." Wen Lingshuang sat down on the edge of the bed, opened her phone to scroll through her WeChat Moments, and saw Jiang An's posts.
A photo taken at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
There was a box of white medicine in an inconspicuous corner. Only after zooming in and looking closely at the name of the medicine did I realize that it was a fever reducer.
Jiang An has a fever?
After pondering for a moment, Wen Lingshuang sent a message to Lon.
Scroll down further to see today's itinerary for our trip to the United States.
Hmm.
He stood her up again.
He said he would accompany her to the literary gathering dinner, but now he's vanished without a trace.
Wen Lingshuang opened his chat window, about to send a message, but her raised hand froze in mid-air.
He stood her up, and she was still anxiously concerned about his health...
After thinking for a moment, I opened Lon's chat window and typed: [Are you guys going to America today?]
Lon replied: [Yes, ma'am.]
Mrs.
Wen Lingshuang's face felt hot. Jiang An was just like him, so shameless. How could he call her "wife" like that?
Wen Lingshuang: [Oh.]
Lon stared at the "typing..." message in the chat box...
After typing for ages, all I got was an "oh".
After thinking for a moment, he felt something was wrong. Because of Jiang An, he had more or less come into contact with Wen Lingshuang. This famous young lady in the industry, although pretentious, was also straightforward and frank. She was also very protective of her own and didn't hold back her emotions. She said what she wanted and did what she wanted. When he sent her Jiang An's schedule before, she didn't pay much attention to it, which probably meant she wasn't interested in it.
They asked about my itinerary for no reason today.
Could it be...?
Lon opened his Moments and scrolled down diligently, but found no updates from Jiang An.
After a moment's thought, I replied to Wen Lingshuang: [Madam, we arrived in Los Angeles, USA at 11 PM tonight, but my husband has developed a high fever. We were originally scheduled to return to China on the evening of the 18th, but that may have to be postponed.]
Shortly after the message was sent, Wen Lingshuang replied: [High fever? What's the temperature?]
Lon: [39°]
After sending the message, he glanced at Jiang An inside the rest pod and sent another: [Accompanied by coughing and allergies, the condition is quite serious.]
Wen Lingshuang: [Why is this happening?]
Lon: [It recurs every autumn and winter, so it's considered a seasonal illness. It's most likely related to your childhood experiences, but I can't disclose the specifics. You can ask him directly, my wife.]
This isn't exactly a lie; the gentleman does experience relapses of his illness periodically every autumn and winter, but it's highly uncertain.
Given my good condition this year, there's a high probability that it won't recur, and even if it does, it will likely just be an allergic reaction.
On the other end of the phone, Wen Lingshuang looked at Lon's reply, her beautiful brows furrowed. She knew that Jiang An was not having a good time in the Jiang family, but she didn't know exactly how he was having a bad time. Perhaps her subconscious was telling her not to try to understand Jiang An's past. No one wants to expose their scars to others, but how could she spend the rest of her life with him without understanding his past?
After swiping through her WeChat Moments and liking Jiang An's post, she got up and went to the dressing room.
Jiang An waited a long time before finally receiving Wen Lingshuang's "like".
He looked at the red heart several times to make sure the other person hadn't left her a message or inquired about his health.
Doesn't this little devil care about him at all?
Or is it that the fever reducer he was taking pictures of wasn't effective enough?
The rain intensified, and the elegant gathering banquet officially began at 7 p.m. Wen Lingshuang, dressed in a gown, appeared at the banquet with Tan Zhu, instantly becoming the focus of the entire event.
She was already used to the way others looked at her, whether it was admiration or disdain, she accepted it all.
It's normal to be amazed.
It's normal to feel contempt.
The former are mostly men.
The latter are mostly women.
Isn't that a form of praise?
Her beautiful eyes scanned the crowd and accurately spotted Jiang Xu and Jiang Qi. However, this time, the Jiang family had brought more than just the brothers; Jiang Ting had also come.
Jiang Ting, with her sharp eyes, spotted Wen Lingshuang and immediately jogged over, calling out as she ran, "Third Sister-in-law!"
This shout attracted the attention of many people.
Hearing Jiang Ting shout like that in private was acceptable, but to do it in front of so many people was a bit hard to accept. Wen Lingshuang coughed lightly, signaling Jiang Ting to shut up, but Jiang Ting pretended not to see it, and ran to her side with a grin, saying, "Third Sister-in-law, you're finally here. I thought you weren't coming."
"Why wouldn't I come?" She glanced at Tan Zhu's amused gaze and said, "I remember you've never participated before, why are you here this time?"
"Hey, I was just bored," Jiang Ting said with a grin. "I was originally planning to bring a friend, but she suddenly got a fever, so I decided against it."
"What friend? Girlfriend?" Wen Lingshuang teased.
Jiang Ting laughed and said, "No, it's a friend that my third brother asked me to take care of, a very young little girl."
"?" Wen Lingshuang's expression was somewhat strange. "What girl?"
Jiang Ting clicked his tongue and leaned closer, saying, "What other girl could she be? A mistress, of course."
Wen Lingshuang's brows furrowed suddenly.
Before she could speak, Jiang Ting couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, saying, "Third Sister-in-law, you're nervous! You're nervous!"
Wen Lingshuang: "..."
Jiang Ting laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face. Seeing this, Tan Zhu angrily rebuked, "What do you mean? Are you making fun of my sister?"
"No..." Jiang Ting waved his hand with a smile, "I wouldn't dare."
He tried to calm himself down and said, "She's a childhood friend of my third brother. They got along quite well, but there was no romantic relationship between them. The girl is only twenty years old, a full eleven years younger than my third brother."
"You mean your brother played with a newborn baby when he was eleven years old?"
Jiang Ting shrugged. "That's why I said something was fishy. With such a big age gap, there's no way there could be love."
It means to reassure her.
But how could she feel at ease after he said that?
So what if there's an eleven-year age difference? She and Jiang An are six years apart, and there are countless couples in the industry with age gaps of twenty or more.
Wen Lingshuang was a little annoyed, but she didn't show it on her face. "There are many things about your brother that I don't know or understand. Maybe he really does have some connection with other people."
Jiang Ting was just joking at first; no normal person would connect two people with such a large age gap.
But he forgot Wen Lingshuang's personality; once she started acting up, no amount of persuasion could change her mind.
Jiang Ting realized he was in trouble and quickly explained, "No, no, it's really not what you think. That girl is very well-behaved. I've been taking her out to play these past few days. She's timid and has a soft personality. She's not the type my brother would like."
"Are you saying my sister is bold and has a bad temper?" Tan Zhu glared at him. "Does your Jiang family dare to bully my sister?!"
"No, no, no!" Jiang Ting was so frightened by these words that his face turned pale. He could even imagine the look in Jiang An's eyes when he found out that he had bullied Wen Ling Shuang. He quickly waved his hands and said, "I didn't mean that. I really didn't mean that. Third Sister-in-law is the most beautiful woman in the industry. Who wouldn't envy my third brother for marrying her?"
Within the Jiang family alone, countless direct and collateral descendants are envious.
Wen Lingshuang was too lazy to argue with Jiang Ting.
She doubted Jiang An would dare to keep a mistress; if he did, she would chop him up.
His gaze swept past Jiang Ting and landed on Jiang Xu and Jiang Qi not far away. He said, "Jiang Ting, I'm giving you a chance to make amends."
Jiang Ting hesitated, staring blankly at Wen Ling Shuang's profile, "You, you said..."
As long as it's not about killing or arson, he'll do anything.
It's better than when Third Brother comes back and finds out he's caused trouble for his fiancée.
“Call Jiang Xu and Jiang Qi over and tell them that I have a few rules to establish.”
Jiang Ting: "..."
A storm is brewing.
*
Jiang An arrived in the United States at around 11 p.m. He went straight to the hotel as soon as he landed. He repeatedly checked his phone, wondering if Wen Lingshuang had sent him a message or asked about his condition, but unfortunately, there was nothing.
After arriving at the hotel, he finally couldn't hold back and tentatively called Wen Lingshuang.
At that moment, he admitted that he really missed her.
After the call was connected, there was a rustling sound on the other end, which was a bit noisy and jarring.
He knew she was attending a banquet, but so much time had passed; the banquet should have ended long ago. He rubbed his temples and asked, "Yangyang, where are you?"
Then came another rustling sound.
After what seemed like an eternity, Wen Lingshuang's voice finally came through, softly saying, "At home."
Hearing her soft tone, Jiang An's heart melted into a gentle ocean. He couldn't suppress his longing even through the phone. He walked to the sofa, sat down, and asked in a low voice, "Am I disturbing your rest? How about attending the banquet?"
With a slightly sleepy tone, he said, "The banquet isn't over yet."
"Hmm?" He raised his hand to look at his watch. "It's almost dawn where you are, isn't it? Still not finished?"
Wen Lingshuang seemed drunk, yet also sober. After a few laughs, she answered irrelevantly, "Jiang An, do you miss me?"
The question came out of nowhere, catching Jiang An off guard.
He was now certain she was drunk and not sober, so he could only patiently ask, "Are you home? Is anyone else around?"
After saying that, my thoughts drifted into the darkness of that night, along with the faint breathing on the other end of the phone.
A large bed, soft lips, a skirt that can be lifted at will...
He was somewhat unable to control himself and whispered, "Yangyang, answer me."
"Answer me first."
Jiang An took a cigarette from the coffee table next to him, held it between his fingers, and said, "Yeah, I miss you."
I even think about seeing her right now.
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