Chapter 58 "Jiang An, I have something to tell you..."
As the snow intensified, Xu Mi and Jiang Ting arrived at 7:30. The hall was bustling with people, and music was playing everywhere, creating a lively atmosphere. The two walked in one after the other and spotted Jiang An and Wen Lingshuang in the crowd.
Xu Mi followed behind Jiang Ting, carrying gifts in both hands. Compared to the other guests, her gifts were rather meager, lacking exquisite packaging and valuable rare treasures, consisting only of local specialties from her hometown, similar to what she had given to Jiang An's company last time. Upon closer inspection, Xu Mi was still amazed by Wen Ling Shuang's beauty.
She was so beautiful she seemed otherworldly.
Like a fairy.
So beautiful that no one dared to breathe next to her, for fear of disturbing her.
"Brother, sister-in-law."
Jiang Ting shouted.
Jiang An and Wen Lingshuang turned around and saw Jiang Ting and Xu Mi following behind him.
The young girl was timid, probably because she had never been to such an occasion before. The tension and fear in her eyes were obvious. Wen Lingshuang swirled her wine glass, leaned against Jiang An, and smiled at her, "Hi, Xu Mi, how are you? I've missed you quite a bit since we parted ways at the company last time."
She misses her? Xu Mi was somewhat surprised.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved by such a beautiful woman's words, but not the kind of romantic attraction between a man and a woman, but rather the shock of being remembered.
She knew it might just be polite talk, but with a face like that, no matter what polite talk she said, everyone would take it seriously.
Xu Mi raised her hand and presented her gift, "Mrs. Jiang, this is a gift I brought from home. I wish you and Mr. Jiang a long and happy marriage and many children."
"Another wish for an early birth of a son." Wen Lingshuang's beautiful eyes showed helplessness. "Little sister, can you wish me eternal youth? I don't want an early birth of a son, I want to play for a few more years."
"Then... then I wish you eternal youth and that you and Mr. Jiang will be forever in love."
“I like this one.” Wen Lingshuang winked at Ah Shui beside her.
Ah Shui immediately stepped forward and took the gift from Xu Mi's hand.
Xu Mi said softly, "My gift isn't worth much, I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all, not at all," Wen Lingshuang said with a smile. "Guests are always welcome, I'll be happy with whatever you bring. You must be hungry, there are plenty of good restaurants next door, go and grab something to eat."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jiang." Xu Mi thanked her in a formal manner, which made Wen Lingshuang's lips curl up.
What a sweet little sister.
She's way too young for Jiang An; they're unlikely to be just playmates, but she's more like a mistress...
Jiang An has already taken her as his concubine, so there's no reason for him not to take advantage of her as well.
She glanced at Jiang An.
Jiang An noticed her gaze, and seemed to read something in it. He sighed and said, "Don't overthink it."
"I wasn't thinking anything, but your eagerness to explain makes you seem suspicious."
Jiang An: "..."
He paused briefly, then said, "I'll go over and have a chat with Jiang Ting."
Wen Lingshuang nodded.
Jiang An walked to Jiang Ting's side. He kept serving Xu Mi desserts without paying attention, but Xu Mi saw it and quickly greeted him as Mr. Jiang.
"Xu Mi, shall we talk?" Jiang An looked at her and said, "There are some things I may need to ask you personally."
Xu Mixin felt as if she were being pounded by a drum.
Although intimidated by Mr. Jiang's intimidation, they still nodded.
Jiang An gestured for her to follow him to the tea room in the side hall.
The tea room was simply decorated, and the cabinet next to it was filled with the latest teas, from all provinces and of all kinds. The faint aroma of tea filled her nostrils. She sat down properly, extremely nervous.
Jiang An poured her a cup of tea and asked, "How have you been in Beijing these past few months?"
"It's...it's all good." Xu Mi stammered nervously. "I've been wanting to see you, but Jiang Ting said you were busy with work. Anyway...thank you and Jiang Ting for taking care of me these past few months."
Do you know why I'm so good to you?
Xu Mi couldn't figure this out either.
She could only attribute the matter to the Jiang family's fondness for charity, and she just happened to be the person they chose to do charity work.
Jiang An took a sip of tea and said, "When I was a child, I worked in a tea plantation in Jiang District. I was very close to a friend there. After I left the tea plantation, I never saw her again. When I went to look for her a few years ago, that tea plantation had changed hands several times."
Under the table, Xu Mi clenched her fists tightly, her palms already sweating.
She listened in a daze, but she could probably understand what she was hearing.
She asked cautiously, "Do you think I am her?"
“I know you’re not, you’re too young.” Jiang An looked at her and said calmly, “But you fit the bill in other aspects, and given that you were critically ill at the time, it was only natural for me to help you.”
In other words, he helped her out of consideration for their past friendship?
Xu Mi frowned slightly, only then realizing why a big shot like Jiang An would contribute money and effort; it turned out she had benefited from his influence.
"Thank you for your care. I will repay that money."
“You don’t have to pay it back,” Jiang An said, pouring tea. “I can even give you a very generous sum of money, but I have one condition.”
"What are the conditions?"
"Make Jiang Ting give up on you."
Jiang An's fingers lightly traced the teacup as he said, "Jiang Ting is different from me. He doesn't have any autonomy, including the books he's studying now and the direction he'll take in the future. He has to completely listen to his elders. Do you know what happens when someone who can't decide what they want to do in the future tries to have autonomy?"
Xu Mi looked at him without saying anything.
"They will be skinned alive and their bones torn apart," Jiang An said, enunciating each word clearly. "They will live a life worse than death."
Xu Mi: "..."
“So what I’m talking to you about now isn’t to force you, it’s to save you.” Jiang An took a sip of tea. “You and he are both very young. If you really feel that your feelings for him are unwavering, then listen to me, take the money I’m giving you, and come back to him when he has complete autonomy.”
Xu Mi lowered her eyes.
It turns out that liking someone is like a gentle rain, nourishing silently. What you thought was an illness turned out to be a relationship.
She gave a bitter smile and said, "Thank you for being so considerate of me."
"Don't feel like I'm forcing you or looking down on you, Xu Mi. I've been through your age and your situation before. I know better than anyone how ridiculous it is to talk about freedom, feelings, and ideals when you don't have autonomy. You're young, and Jiang Ting is young too. You can wait until you're older and your thinking is more mature before talking about these romantic things."
Xu Mi remained silent for a long time, then took a deep breath and said, "I understand. Don't worry, I won't bother Jiang Ting."
Jiang An smiled and said, "You can pester him, but don't misunderstand me. I didn't kick you out; I meant don't for the next few years."
He tapped the table lightly with his index finger. "Or let's play a game. Let's bet on whether Jiang Ting likes you or loves you. If you win, I won't need you to pay me back. If you lose, you'll have to pay me back the money and the interest at the normal floating interest rate of the bank."
Is there a difference?
“Yes.” Jiang An nodded. “Liking is a matter of time, but love is a matter of a lifetime.”
Xu Mi looked at him.
After looking at him for a long, long time, he said, "Mr. Jiang, you are a very good person."
"Thanks."
"Wishing you and Mrs. Jiang a long and happy marriage."
Xu Mi stood up. "I'll bet with you this time."
*
After Jiang An left, Wen Lingshuang pulled Anne, Grace, and Claire to drink. Together with Fang Pei and the other three, they played games while drinking. These three were skilled at playing games and spent money like water, often losing tens of millions in a single night. But with Jiang An present, the three were apprehensive and dared not play too much.
Seeing their timid and hesitant demeanor, Wen Lingshuang kept assuring them that Jiang An wouldn't cause them any trouble.
Anne thought to herself, "No way."
They're only saying this because nothing has happened yet. If something does happen, none of them will be able to escape.
She married Jiang An and became his confidante, but they had absolutely no connection with him.
“Playing Truth or Dare is fun too, why do we have to use money?” Grace winked at Anne. “Besides, Anne’s dad has been keeping a close eye on her savings lately, so she doesn’t have any extra money to play with us.”
"Really?" Wen Lingshuang asked in surprise. "Why is someone watching your secret stash so closely?"
Anne shook her head helplessly, "It's no exaggeration, the daily turnover is 100,000. If you hadn't chartered a plane for me to come to Beijing to see you this time, I would have had to fly economy class."
Wen Lingshuang covered her mouth and laughed, "No way, does it have to be so pitiful? Come on, let me earn some money for you. Don't let a perfectly good young lady go and fly economy class, making people laugh their heads off."
"So I really don't have the money to play with you guys, please have pity on me and don't go overboard."
Wen Lingshuang pouted, "Okay, but it's a deal, whoever loses has to drink double."
"OK."
Several people spoke in unison.
Fang Pei started by spinning the wheel, and it landed on him first. He shrugged helplessly and said he would choose truth.
Anne asked mischievously, "The truth?"
The group exchanged winks and glances.
"Then tell me, do you still like Ling Shuang? Have you ever thought about taking her away from Jiang An?"
Everyone knows what kind of feelings they have for each other. It's precisely because we're so familiar with each other and get along so well that we dare to talk about these topics so openly.
Fang Pei wasn't angry. After pondering for a moment, she said, "I like it. I've thought about it."
Wow.
The four exclaimed in unison, including Wen Lingshuang.
Fang Pei sighed and continued spinning the wheel. "You guys wait, or I won't hold back when it's your turn."
The spinning wheel spun rapidly and soon landed on Anne. Fang Pei rubbed his wrists, cracked his neck, and sneered, "Your turn."
Anne shrugged indifferently. "Unlike you, I don't choose truth or dare. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
“Just pick any man on the scene and kiss him.”
Grace slammed her fist on the table and screamed, "Find Jiang An! Find Jiang An!"
Anne glared at her fiercely, then saw Jiang Ting walk past from behind.
She dared not touch Jiang An.
But she dared to touch the Jiang family.
She stood up gracefully, walked directly to Jiang Ting, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed his cheek, leaving a deep lip print on his cheek with her crimson lips.
This sudden move caught Jiang Ting off guard.
Seeing this scene, Xu Mi, who was standing to the side, felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if stabbed by a knife.
She stared blankly for a moment, then walked towards the door.
Seeing this, Jiang Ting snapped out of her daze, shoved Anne aside, and chased after Xu Mi, calling out, "Xu Mi! Xu Mi!"
Anne was pushed back half a step by him, and looking at Jiang Ting's back, she said with disdain, "That's why I hate boys, they're so strong when they fight."
After saying that, she swayed her hips and sat down on the sofa, then asked Fang Pei, "How was it?"
Fang Pei sneered, a cigarette dangling from his lips, "That's powerful."
"continue."
Anne spun the wheel, and this time it came to a steady stop in front of Wen Lingshuang.
The show is about to begin.
Anne rested her chin on her hand and asked with a smile, "Miss Wen, what would you like to choose?"
Wen Lingshuang held her wine glass, swirled it slightly, and said, "I choose Truth or Dare."
“Okay!” Anne clapped her hands. “Then go find Jiang An and tell him…”
She paused slightly, then said, "Tell him you want to sleep with Fang Pei tonight."
Wen Lingshuang: "..."
Good and bad.
No wonder they're her "bad friends," they've screwed her over to the core.
Wen Lingshuang raised an eyebrow slightly, downed her drink in one gulp, and stood up. "Do you think I'm afraid? Just say it."
She walked into the tea room in her high heels and closed the door behind her.
As soon as the door closed, Anne and the others crowded around, pressing their ear to the door to listen for any sounds inside.
Inside the door, Wen Lingshuang walked up to Jiang An, sat on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Jiang An naturally placed his hand on her soft buttocks and gently patted them. "Why did you come in? Aren't you going to drink anymore?"
Wen Lingshuang looked into his dark eyes and swallowed slightly.
I glanced instinctively at the closed door.
If I'm not mistaken, Anne and the others are listening outside the door.
At worst, I'll just buy him a few more boxes of condoms. What's the big deal?
She took a deep breath and said, "Jiang An, I have something to tell you."
Jiang An smiled and said, "Go ahead."
“I…” she paused, “I want to sleep with Fang Pei tonight.”
Author's Note: Punishment! Punishment! Punish severely!
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