Chapter 3 "I said I liked you, and..."
Jiang Nuanyu stopped by the roadside near the villa, and instead of calling Ji Meng directly, she chose to send a message to Xiao An to confirm the address.
really--
Ji Meng's villa number is "6F", while Xiao An initially sent her "F6".
Xiao An sent several apology messages on WeChat, leaving Jiang Nuanyu feeling helpless and speechless, but the matter wasn't serious enough to warrant an outburst.
She could only say it was okay.
She quickly found the correct address, and when she arrived, Ji Meng was watching the sunset on the terrace.
Jiang Nuanyu didn't explain much about going to the wrong villa, and Ji Meng didn't ask either; the two went straight to business.
Just as Jiang Nuanyu had expected, Ji Meng took this interview very seriously and explained several key points to her, requiring her to meet the requirements that the sponsors hadn't explicitly stated but that the magazine absolutely had to meet.
After communicating with Ji Meng, Jiang Nuanyu headed straight to the fireworks party she had arranged with Feng Shasha.
The party was held on a huge wooden boardwalk platform by the beach, surrounded by a railing made of round logs, with LED strips of light tied along the railing. By this time, the sky had darkened slightly, and the light strips were beginning to shine, emitting a bright and soft glow.
Jiang Nuanyu saw Feng Shasha by the railing, taking a selfie with her phone.
Jiang Nuanyu smiled and walked towards her.
The seaside location offers a wide view and truly excellent scenery.
In the distance, the sea and sky meet, and only a thin layer of sunset remains, yet it is very saturated and bright, like the pupils of a cat in the daytime.
The sea breeze was quite strong, and fine ripples appeared on the distant sea surface, while waves crashed against the shore one after another nearby.
Feng Shasha is interested in everything and keeps taking pictures everywhere with her phone.
In contrast, Jiang Nuanyu seemed somewhat out of touch. She remained seated, drinking, occasionally resting her chin on her hand, her gaze drifting with the flow of people.
After admiring the set of photos she had just taken, Feng Shasha was drawn away by the crowd in the distance.
Jiang Nuanyu glanced in the direction she went, then tilted her head back and drank the rest of the wine in her glass in one gulp.
A fruity aroma of alcohol rose from her nose, and she squinted, picking up the bottle to pour herself another glass.
A hand holding the same bottle reached over her glass and poured her half a glass.
She paused, then looked up following the hand.
It was a strange man, in his early thirties, with neatly combed hair and a decent-looking face.
He pointed to the chair opposite him: "May I sit here?"
There were still cake cups and saucers that Feng Shasha had eaten from in that spot, clearly indicating that someone had been there before.
But Jiang Nuanyu still politely said, "Excuse me, that place is already taken."
"Isn't it not available now?"
The man chuckled softly, sat down opposite him, and poured himself half a glass of wine. "Drinking alone is no fun. Want to have a drink together?"
Jiang Nuanyu really wasn't in the mood to deal with it, nor did she want to be too ruthless. She silently looked away, thinking that if she didn't respond, the other person should know better than to leave.
Unexpectedly, the man said again, "I see you're all alone, and I'm all alone too. Why don't we chat together..." He paused meaningfully and added, "Something like that."
This statement seems to have a hidden meaning.
Jiang Nuanyu frowned, glanced at the cups and saucers in front of him, and said coldly, "I'm not interested. Besides, I'm not alone; I have companions."
“I saw her.” The man raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly, his words becoming more direct. “But she’s a girl too. When you come on vacation, you’d probably want a man to keep you company, wouldn’t you?”
Jiang Nuanyu opened her eyes in disbelief, too angry to speak from the filthy and lewd words.
This person thinks way too highly of himself.
She didn't even bother to give a single word of response, picked up her bag, and got up to leave.
"Why--"
The man called her name from behind, but Jiang Nuanyu didn't turn around.
After quickly leaving the party venue, she walked along the path for quite a distance before stopping.
I walked too fast just now, and the alcohol is making me a little dizzy. My temples are also throbbing.
She rubbed her forehead to calm herself down, and when the shock subsided, she glanced behind her, only to find that the man from before had followed her.
She had no choice but to keep walking forward, trying to shake him off, but the man walked even faster and caught up with her not far away.
"What do you want to do?" Jiang Nuanyu turned around and asked warily.
The man reached out and pressed down, saying, "Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you."
Jiang Nuanyu still glared at him warily.
"I just want to get to know you. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything. We can keep in touch first," the man said with a smile.
Jiang Nuanyu glanced around. This place wasn't as lively as the party, so her blunt refusal lacked some of its confidence.
She swallowed hard. "I... I said I'm not interested."
“We can talk first, isn’t that how interest develops through contact?” the man said.
Jiang Nuanyu was speechless for a moment. She didn't want to talk to him, but she was even more afraid of provoking him. Who knew what kind of person he was?
She was contemplating whether to feign agreement and return to the party venue first when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a white figure approaching from the previously deserted path.
Jiang Nuanyu stared intently at the newcomer as if she had grasped at a lifeline.
Liang Qi, dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts tracksuit, was running along the trail.
After Jiang Nuanyu recognized the figure as Liang Qi, she stared at him intently without blinking.
Liang Qi felt her gaze, raised his hand to press the sports watch on his wrist, and slowed his pace to walk towards her.
He stopped in front of her, glanced at the man beside him, and smiled politely: "Editor Jiang."
He remembered her surname.
Jiang Nuanyu was briefly surprised, followed by joy and a little nervousness.
The fear of being harassed by a strange man vanished instantly, and I felt inexplicably safe, with only my heart pounding in my ears.
She nodded slightly: "Mr. Liang."
The man next to him immediately lost his imposing manner upon realizing that the two knew each other.
However, one thing rises while the other falls.
Jiang Nuanyu instinctively took a small step closer to Liang Qi, then turned to the man and calmly said, "I'm sorry, I'm really not interested in making friends. It's quite deserted here, and I feel a little uneasy with you following me like this. Can we keep our distance?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Qi looked at the man.
The man glanced at Liang Qi and quickly said, "Oh, sure, sure. I won't bother you any longer." Then he headed back towards the party.
Once the others had walked a little further away, Jiang Nuanyu completely relaxed and said, "Thank you."
Liang Qi casually asked, "How did we get here?"
Jiang Nuanyu pointed to the brightly lit wooden platform in the distance and said, "We were at the fireworks party, but just now he... I..."
Liang Qi sighed helplessly, "Who would run to a less crowded place after being harassed?" He glanced in the direction of the party, "Are you alone? Aren't there any security guards there?"
“My colleague wasn’t there at the time, and the security guard…” Jiang Nuanyu said truthfully, “I didn’t notice.”
Liang Qi glanced at her and said, "I'll walk over with you."
"..." Jiang Nuanyu was genuinely surprised and stammered, "You've gone to so much trouble..."
Liang Qi didn't waste any time with her: "It's no trouble. Let's go."
Jiang Nuanyu could no longer refuse.
However, the two remained silent the entire way.
When they were close to the wooden platform, she stopped asking Liang Qi to "escort" her.
She stopped, turned around, and said, "I can go back by myself now. Thank you, Liang Qi." Realizing her mistake, she quickly corrected herself, "Uh—no, Mr. Liang…"
This was probably the first time Liang Qi had been addressed by his full name by someone he had only met once. His gaze shifted slightly as he looked at her, but quickly returned to normal, showing no sign of being bothered.
"You're welcome," he said.
Jiang Nuanyu looked up at him. He looked slightly different from his appearance during the interview during the day. At this moment, he had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and a few strands of hair damp with sweat clung to his forehead, exuding the hormones of a mature man.
Perhaps she was emboldened by the alcohol, for she stared at him intently for quite a while.
Liang Qi didn't dwell on her unusually direct gaze and was about to take his leave—
"Whoosh—whoosh—" A sharp, piercing sound suddenly came from afar.
Along the coast, several iris-shaped fireworks suddenly exploded in the pitch-black night sky. After a few bursts, the five-colored flames slowly spread outwards.
Jiang Nuanyu was so surprised that she slightly opened her mouth.
She had never seen such large fireworks before!
In the midst of the shock, the flowers floating in the air each burst forth with tiny streams of light, spreading across the sky and covering it completely. The petals were fluffy and soft, as if one could feel their fuzzy texture with just their eyes.
Jiang Nuanyu was so stunned by the magnificent and beautiful scene before her that she was speechless and subconsciously turned her gaze to Liang Qi.
He tilted his head slightly, also watching the fireworks. However, unlike her face, which was full of amazement, his expression was indifferent, without any particular emotion.
The ever-changing light and shadow of the fireworks danced across his face, his undulating profile drawing a clear line between himself and the darkness. Colorful highlights shone on his high nose, brow, and jaw.
His eyes, however, remained as bright as ever, no less so than the firelight.
Jiang Nuanyu felt her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest and leap out of her throat, and all the blood in her body was rushing to her head with each heartbeat.
On Christmas Eve six years ago, feelings mixed with regret suddenly resurfaced.
She remembered—that feeling was being moved.
She enjoys the thrill of love, but dislikes regret.
If only I could say it the moment I felt my heart flutter...
Then she liked it even more.
The thought had barely formed in her mind when she blurted out, "Liang Qi, I like you."
Liang Qi's gaze paused in mid-air for a moment, then he looked down at her.
His thin eyelids drooped slightly, his gaze was light, yet his sharp black eyes seemed to pierce through people's hearts.
But perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, or perhaps it was the grandeur of the fireworks overhead that made other feelings disappear, but Jiang Nuanyu's eyes were bright, and she met his gaze without looking away.
There was only one thought in her mind—she liked him.
I liked it a long time ago, and now I like it again.
"I like you." She said it again in a very soft voice, for this moment, and for the feelings that had once stirred her heart.
Liang Qi looked at her but did not respond immediately.
Women who are interested in him either try to show their charm or ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, or try to cater to his preferences in order to win his favor.
He had no opinion on this kind of highly purposeful and meticulously calculated behavior. But he had seen it all before.
The person in front of me was so open and honest, revealing all his cards right away, and seemed completely unconcerned about my feedback. It was truly refreshing.
He didn't speak, but seemed to nod and looked away into the distance.
The giant fireworks display floating in the air gradually faded and fell, and the night slowly returned to its original state.
A whiff of gunpowder entered her nostrils, and Jiang Nuanyu's rationality began to return. She realized the inappropriateness of her actions.
"Was what I just said... offensive to you?"
Liang Qi found it even more interesting. He lowered his eyelids and looked back, seeing that her eyes were downcast and she seemed genuinely worried.
He shook his head slightly and said, "No."
Jiang Nuanyu visibly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "That's good."
Liang Qi couldn't help but ask her, "What would you do if I said yes?"
Jiang Nuanyu panicked instantly, stammering for two seconds before truthfully saying, "If you insist on pursuing this, there's not much I can do..." She quickly added, "But if possible, it would be best if you wouldn't pursue it. The magazine values this collaboration very much..."
Liang Qi chuckled very softly.
Jiang Nuanyu knew he didn't care, so she relaxed a little. When she looked up and saw the smile that hadn't faded from the corner of his lips, she felt a sudden push. She looked up at him and asked, "Can we meet again?"
“Of course,” Liang Qi added. “I said I wouldn’t pursue the matter, and the cooperation with the magazine is safe.”
Jiang Nuanyu: "..."
Was he joking with her in the second half of his sentence?
She then pressed her advantage: "Besides working together, can we still meet, given that I've already told you I like you?"
As expected, Liang Qi fell silent.
He looked at her for a moment, then asked instead of answering, "Do you want to see me?"
Jiang Nuanyu was taken aback and looked up at him. Unlike the relaxed tone of his voice, the emotions in his eyes were not very clear. Not indifferent, not frivolous; not unmoved, yet showing no obvious ripples.
But she nodded anyway: "Mm."
“Let’s meet then,” he said quickly.
Jiang Nuanyu was briefly dazed, but then waves of joy surged through her heart.
She believed that it was her initiative that brought her and Liang Qi together.
But at the time, she didn't know that relinquishing the initiative was simply Liang Qi's usual way of retaining control.
A note from the author:
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