Chapter 17 "I wasn't drunk."...
Their gazes met in the air. Liang Qi didn't seem to have completely detached himself from the banquet, and there was still a slightly aloof look between his brows.
On the night of Song Lanxin's birthday, Jingyao took her to the second-floor terrace, and he looked at her with the same indifferent expression.
Three weeks have passed since that day, but when Jiang Nuanyu suddenly recalled that scene, her chest still clenched.
Liang Qi looked at her for two seconds, turned halfway around, and walked towards her.
Jiang Nuanyu's heart jumped into her throat, pounding harder with each beat.
Ye Ji glanced at Liang Qi and asked in a low voice, "You know him?"
Jiang Nuanyu heard it, but did not respond to Ye Ji.
Those painful memories did surface, but only for a few seconds.
At this moment, facing Liang Qi who was walking towards her step by step, she only had one thought in her mind—this is wonderful.
She saw him again, that's wonderful;
It was so nice to see him on my birthday.
Liang Qi stopped in front of her, glanced at the bouquet of flowers in her arms, then noticed the cake box Ye Ji was carrying, before his gaze returned to her face.
He asked casually, "Is it your birthday today?"
Jiang Nuanyu lowered her eyelids and looked at his chest: "...t...um."
Liang Qi pursed his lips slightly, nodded, but said nothing.
Ye Ji, who was standing to the side, noticed the subtle atmosphere between the two and immediately guessed who the man in front of him was.
She tentatively greeted him, "Mr. Liang?"
Liang Qi looked at her and nodded slightly: "Hello."
"Hello, hello," Ye Ji said twice.
Although she didn't drink as much as Jiang Nuanyu, it was still far beyond a light buzz. Especially after confirming that the man in front of her was Liang Qi, she couldn't help but smile.
Seeing this, Liang Qi gave a very faint smile, then looked back at Jiang Nuanyu.
Jiang Nuanyu felt she should say something, but her mind was a jumbled mess, and she blurted out, "You...you're here too?"
"There's an event upstairs," Liang Qi said.
Jiang Nuanyu remembered; it was Tianqi's charity gala.
She didn't ask for more details, only saying, "Well, that's quite a coincidence."
Seeing her aloof, polite, and well-mannered demeanor, Ye Ji was extremely anxious and felt a deep sense of disappointment.
She looked them up and down and said, "Since you've run into each other by chance, why don't you have a chat?"
Jiang Nuanyu glanced at her hurriedly, and Liang Qi also looked at Ye Ji.
Ye Ji met his gaze, her eyebrows twitching, her eyes revealing a hint of something, and asked, "How is it?"
Her intention to matchmake was too obvious, yet Liang Qi didn't seem offended at all.
He glanced at Ye Ji again, then turned his gaze to Jiang Nuanyu and said, "My car is right outside. If you're going to take a taxi, I can give you a ride."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuanyu was stunned and looked up at him.
His expression remained calm as he looked at her, his eyes confirming her point.
"Thank you so much!" Ye Ji's eyes lit up.
Jiang Nuanyu, who hadn't even had a chance to speak, was speechless.
Ye Ji put his arm around her shoulder, walked past Liang Qi, and said in an unusually cheerful tone, "Let's go home, let's go home!"
Jiang Nuanyu was led forward by her, her mind still stuck in place.
After walking a few steps, she turned her head back, only to catch a glimpse of Liang Qi's silhouette.
At the restaurant entrance, Ye Ji spotted the waiting black Maybach and turned to Liang Qi for confirmation.
Liang Qi nodded.
Ye Ji smiled brightly, released Jiang Nuanyu, and unceremoniously got into the passenger seat.
Jiang Nuanyu was still not quite clear about the situation and stood there in a daze; Liang Qi passed by her, turned his head and said, "Get in the car."
Jiang Nuanyu didn't move.
Liang Qi walked around to the other end of the car, opened the car door, and glanced at her again.
He stopped what he was doing, seemingly waiting for her.
Their eyes met, she nodded in greeting, and then sat down in the back seat with the flowers in her arms.
Ye Ji was the first to give the driver her home address.
In fact, Jiang Nuanyu's home is closer to the restaurant.
The driver waited for Liang Qi's instructions.
Liang Qi knew where Jiang Nuanyu lived, but he seemed to tacitly agree to Ye Ji's arrangement, simply saying, "Let's go."
The car slowly drove away from the restaurant's entrance.
The lights of the roadside buildings streaked past the car window, and the late summer street scene receded gradually outside the window, moving faster and faster.
No one spoke inside the car.
Jiang Nuanyu held the flowers in her arms, the raw and damp scent of the stems wafting in her nostrils.
Her eyes were looking out the window, but her mind was still in the car.
Although she wasn't completely drunk, the alcohol did impair her judgment.
Her mind was still a mess. Seeing Liang Qi made her feel surprised and happy, but gradually, worries about the previous misunderstanding took over more of her thoughts.
She couldn't understand why Liang Qi still treated her with such gentleness and consideration.
He took the initiative to walk up to her, greet her, and even offered to take her and her friends home.
She didn't know if he believed her or if he didn't care at all.
Does he believe she and Jingyao are completely innocent, or does he not care what kind of relationship she has with others?
She suddenly thought of her conversation with Shi Youning, and her heart sank to the bottom of the water. She also tended to think that the answer to this question was the latter.
The car stopped with its hazard lights on, finally arriving at the entrance of Ye Ji's residential area.
Jiang Nuanyu subconsciously thought that she should get off the bus as well.
She gathered the bouquet in her arms, turned to Liang Qi, and smiled slightly: "Thank you for bringing us back."
Liang Qi looked at her, and after a few seconds, said, "You're welcome."
Jiang Nuanyu pushed open the car door and leaned halfway out to get out, but Ye Ji outside the car pressed her back into the seat.
Jiang Nuanyu was startled.
Ye Ji leaned against the car door, her head bowed, and said, "Mr. Liang, thank you for the car. Then, I'll ask you to take Jiang Nuanyu home."
"goodbye!"
Before she could finish speaking, she closed the car door from the outside.
Some people become more alert and quick-witted after drinking alcohol, while others become slower to react.
Jiang Nuanyu seems to belong to the latter category.
She leaned back in her seat, staring blankly out the car window at Ye Ji. It wasn't until the car started moving again and Ye Ji's figure disappeared from sight that she snapped out of her daze.
She sat up slightly, turned around, her eyes glazed and bewildered, "I..."
"It's on the way," Liang Qi said.
“…Oh.” Jiang Nuanyu no longer had the mental capacity to consider whether the route was truly smooth; she simply said, “Alright, thank you for your trouble.”
Liang Qi looked away and didn't respond to her polite words.
Jiang Nuanyu didn't say anything more.
After a while, Liang Qi turned to look at her and saw that she was still looking out the window. Just like the first half of the journey.
He had thought that Ye Ji would say something to him after getting out of the car, even if it was the kind of conversation she had made before, trying to control the atmosphere and hide her unease, but which ended up awkwardly revealing her sincerity.
His gaze shifted from her profile to the bouquet of roses in her arms. The dewdrops on the petals shimmered with a warm, translucent light under the layers of streetlights.
Today is her birthday.
Birthday……
His eyes narrowed, and he roughly understood her silence.
Regardless of exactly what happened on Song Lanxin's birthday, Jingyao's act of bringing her to the terrace did embarrass her, so much so that even after so many days, she still harbors resentment towards him.
He understood, but he didn't break her silence.
The car exited the overpass and turned into an intersection near the residential area.
Jiang Nuanyu looked out the window. The streetlights here were dimmer, and she suddenly caught Liang Qi's reflection on the glass.
Although it was only half of his body that was blurry, his composed aura and the physique of a mature man still captivated her gaze.
She watched him secretly, yet brazenly.
Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to look around before they arrived at their destination.
After the car came to a stop, she said politely, "I've arrived. Thank you, Mr. Liang."
After saying that, she felt it wasn't quite right, so she changed her words: "...President Liang."
Liang Qi remained silent for a moment.
Jiang Nuanyu was unsure whether her random change of address had offended him, and feeling unable to explain, she remained silent for two seconds before pushing open the car door and getting out.
She was carrying a large bouquet of flowers and also had to keep an eye on her bag. As soon as she got off the bus, the alcohol took effect.
She felt a little dizzy, and just as she regained her balance, she saw Liang Qi get out of the car from the other side.
He closed the car door, walked around to the back of the car, his eyes falling on her, and said, "I'll take you downstairs."
Jiang Nuanyu frowned slightly, blinking her eyes in confusion: "Why? Didn't it only deliver here last time...?"
Liang Qi said, "You've had too much to drink."
"I didn't drink too much," she retorted instinctively.
She hoped he had other reasons for choosing to send her back.
She didn't want the excuse that she was drunk.
She whispered, "I really didn't drink too much..."
Liang Qi looked at her for a moment, then stopped arguing with her about it and simply said, "Let's go."
Jiang Nuanyu remained still, pursing her lips as she looked at him with a hint of stubbornness in her eyes; he also looked back at her, but made no further move.
She couldn't outmaneuver him in the end, and started walking into the residential area; Liang Qi followed her and walked beside her.
Once inside the residential area, the bright sodium lamps on the street disappeared, and the surrounding environment became dim. Only the decorative streetlights of the residential area softly and ambiguously embellished this tranquility.
Along with the swaying shadows of the trees, the two long shadows were cast together on the winding path.
This is Jiang Nuanyu's daily commute route, and now, Liang Qi is actually by her side...
Lost in thought, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at him.
Liang Qi noticed this, looked up, and moved his gaze from her feet to her face.
A gentle breeze picked up, and Jiang Nuanyu breathed in the cool summer night air, feeling exceptionally clear-headed, as if she were about to float away.
However, her unsteady footsteps betrayed her.
She was so focused on Liang Qi that she didn't notice where she was going and suddenly stumbled.
Liang Qi immediately reached out to help her, but before he could touch her, she steadied herself.
"I'm fine." She gave a guilty smile: Why did my legs go weak just now?
Liang Qi lowered his hands and said, "Watch where you're going."
"oh."
She finally turned her head back, her eyes were on the road, but her mind was elsewhere.
For a fleeting moment, she hoped that Liang Qi would bring up what happened that night.
Curiosity, concern, even questioning—as long as he showed the slightest interest, she would immediately explain everything to him.
But he just walked quietly to the side, not asking a single question or saying a word, seemingly genuinely indifferent.
But... he then offered to walk her downstairs.
Is this also another form of caring?
She seemed to have suddenly found courage.
Walking to a slightly dimmer spot, she swallowed several times, pursing her lips repeatedly: "Um..."
As she hesitated to speak, Liang Qi glanced at her but didn't urge her.
She was still trying to find the right words, but she couldn't come up with anything. As she was about to reach the bottom of the stairs, she finally spoke: "That night, I didn't know you would be there."
Liang Qi did not speak.
She added, "Actually, I don't even understand why I went."
Liang Qi asked, "Was it Jingyao who took you there in the first place?"
She did not appear to have any personal relationship with the other people at the party.
“Yes…” she said truthfully, “but—”
"You two knew each other before."
He spoke in a very calm tone; it was a declarative sentence.
"I don't acknowledge it..." she denied halfway, then lost her confidence. "It's not that I don't know him, but it's not that I don't know him either..." She herself felt contradictory after saying that, and her eyebrows furrowed.
"He suddenly came to the magazine office to find me, and that's why I agreed to go... When I was on Dream Island, I did go to his villa, but I went to the wrong place..."
Her speech was completely jumbled up, and the more she tried to explain herself, the less she could express herself clearly. She was so anxious that her head started to ache.
She paused, then steeled herself, regardless of whether he wanted to know or cared, and said only, "Actually, Jingyao and I—"
Before she could finish pronouncing the word "Yao", her feet suddenly lost their footing.
A note from the author:
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In this chapter, the soul travels to Ye Ji's body for three seconds.
What? Politeness?
No, I don't want it!
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