Episode 9 Breaking the Ice
When Lin Ying woke up the next day, it was already ten o'clock.
She hadn't drunk alcohol for a long time. Two cans of beer with very low alcohol content, plus a full glass of whiskey with a concentration close to that of Maotai, were enough to make her feel the same way as the day after her wedding - a hangover.
Then she remembered that her first time with Yan Yiming was when he was still hungover. This memory made her want to escape whenever she touched it.
The hotel curtains had excellent light-blocking properties. She used the remote control button on the bedside to open them, and the white-hot light that shone in almost melted her.
When she stood up and put on her nightgown, she noticed... there was no one around.
That’s right, since he insisted on staying last night, he must have had something else to take care of today, otherwise he would have gone back to Shanghai directly yesterday.
In the dialog box, Jiang Shu also left a message at around eight in the morning...
Lin Ying was about to reply when another call came in. Her hand trembled and she almost dropped the phone.
"Aying, where are you? Aunt Wu has been knocking on the door for a long time, but no one answered. She also called you but you didn't answer."
It seems that Lin Ying’s outburst last night did not have any deterrent effect.
She escaped briefly for one night, indulged herself with a hangover, and woke up with her life still a mess.
"...Mom, the team building ended too late last night, so I stayed at a colleague's house. It's the weekend and I just got up. Can you let Aunt Wu go home first? It will take me at least an hour and a half to get home."
"I told you yesterday to drink less. Where is your colleague's house? It's so far away? I'll arrange a car to pick you up..."
"No, no, I...we went to Disneyland to watch the fireworks last night, so we decided to stay nearby...we've already got a taxi, so there's no need to send one."
I can come up with all kinds of reasons to remedy the situation.
Lin Ying hung up the phone, got dressed as quickly as possible, took a taxi to the high-speed rail station, and booked the next ticket back to Shanghai.
Jiang Shu's call came just as she got on the high-speed train.
The other party first asked: "Are you awake? Why aren't you replying to the message?"
Only then did Lin Ying realize that she had completely forgotten about him.
"Ah... well, I can't go. I'm on the high-speed train going back home. My mother-in-law called the nanny and asked me to open the door for her, but I'm not at home. It's quite embarrassing..."
"Are you on your way back?"
The high-speed rail officially started operation.
"Um."
"So, will we still need keys for the next week?"
Lin Ying had no choice but to drag out that universal sentence again, "Let's talk about it later."
Then hang up the phone.
The original text of his message that morning read: "I've booked a table at a Suzhou restaurant near the Lingering Garden for lunch. You seem to be in a bad mood. Can I take you to visit the gardens this afternoon? And go back together in the evening?"
It's already past eleven o'clock. Jiang Shu should be calling her from the restaurant, right?
Is this considered a form of standing someone up?
Anyway, I didn't agree to it. Besides, given our current relationship, there's really no need for such a high-sounding thing.
Although they had known each other since childhood, they had little experience in going out on dates together, especially with the ambiguous atmosphere between them. Lin Ying could even imagine the scene of them secretly kissing behind the rockery while visiting the garden... That was all there was between them.
This time, Aunt Wu came not so much to take care of the housework as to serve as Ren Jiahui's spy.
Before Yan Yiming was not at home, Lin Ying at least had some autonomy. She only let Aunt Wu come three days a week, and she had some personal space the rest of the time. Now she has 24-hour care and is not even taken away at night.
In this way, she had a rough idea of Lin Ying's diet, daily life, and even what she said and did in her personal time.
This is a hundred times more suffocating than if Ren Jiahui herself came.
After all, Ren Jiahui still has some time to spend at home, and Aunt Wu will just do her job conscientiously.
After enduring for four or five days, Yan Yiming was about to return from Guangzhou. This was another typical example of failed resistance.
That night, Aunt Wu suddenly received a call and spoke to Lin Ying with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Mrs. Xiao Yan, something happened at home and I have to go to the hospital..."
Before she could finish her words, Aunt Wu burst into tears. Lin Ying happened to come home from get off work and saw Aunt Wu wearing an apron and the food had not even been put into the pot.
Seeing this, she hurriedly said, "Auntie Wu, don't get excited. Which hospital? I'll drive you there."
Upon inquiry, I learned that Aunt Wu's grandson was hit by an electric bike after school today. It was said that the bike ran a red light first, but the owner of the bike was very aggressive and ran away on the spot after hitting the child. The poor child fainted for a long time at the traffic light before being taken to the nearest hospital by 120. His life is still uncertain...
The family car was bought by Lin Jidong, who said it was for Lin Ying's dowry. However, the couple rarely drove the car after their marriage. Yan Yiming didn't like driving. Lin Ying usually took the subway to commute, which avoided traffic jams and saved time. But today the situation was urgent, so Lin Ying took the car keys without hesitation.
When they arrived at the hospital, there was a long line outside the pediatric operating room. Aunt Wu, a family member, rushed to the front. According to the doctor, the child's life was saved, but the violent impact caused a concussion, which may leave sequelae...
Aunt Wu's son and daughter-in-law are usually busy with work, so the old lady always takes care of her grandson. This time, her grandson had such a big accident, and Aunt Wu felt like she was facing a great enemy, and she couldn't help but complain about him.
Her son and daughter-in-law were in a mess, constantly scolding her, saying that she was working as a live-in nanny for a few bucks, and now, no one was picking up the child from school, so this was the problem...
Lin Ying didn't want to intervene, but seeing Aunt Wu being scolded and misunderstood by her own family, with a face full of grievance, she really couldn't bear it anymore -
"You gave birth to the child, so you are his legal guardians. Aunt Wu is doing nothing wrong, whether she's taking care of the child or acting as a live-in nanny. Instead of blaming the elderly, why don't you think about how the child can recover? At the very least, find the perpetrator and the insurance company. Minimizing the losses is more effective than blaming the elderly!"
But in a hurry, the two of them were also worried and confused. Not only were they unreasonable, they also bit Lin Ying's capitalist face and even urged Aunt Wu to resign on the spot...
Although Lin Ying didn't like being monitored, she also knew that if it weren't for Ren Jiahui's coercion, the incident with Aunt Wu's grandson might have been avoided. If anyone really wanted to blame the capitalists, it would definitely be the Yan family.
After the group of people argued endlessly, Lin Ying thought about it and called Jiang Shu directly. The other party sounded like he was driving, but she didn't care so much and put all her demands on the table -
"Can you help me arrange a reliable lawyer who can handle civil disputes? Also, does Zhonghe Insurance also own shares in Jiang Lin? Do you have a familiar manager you can recommend to handle the personal injury insurance claim?"
Hearing such a precise request, the person on the other side took a few seconds to digest it.
"I'll go ask later." Jiang Shu agreed first, then asked: "Where are you? Are you in trouble?"
"It's not me who's in trouble, it's our auntie..."
She briefly outlined the situation, including the fact that she had recently been under surveillance by Ren Jiahui, and was even the trigger for this incident, so she wanted to try to help Aunt Wu. In this way, Aunt Wu would remember her kindness and would help her persuade Ren Jiahui to give up control.
At the very least, Aunt Wu usually treats her well. Although Lin Ying is sentimental, she is not a person who cannot distinguish between right and wrong.
Three days later, the matter was properly handled by the lawyer and insurance manager recommended by Jiang Shu.
The child's condition was not delayed any further due to the normal claims process, and there were no sequelae. The Wu family's attitude towards Lin Ying suddenly changed 360 degrees.
On the day Lin Ying visited Aunt Wu's grandchildren for the last time, she discovered that Jiang Shu had arrived early. Taking advantage of the situation, she explained to the Wu family what had happened that day, and how she had asked Jiang Shu to find the person. They were once again filled with gratitude, especially Aunt Wu.
When leaving the hospital, Lin Ying pretended to have no choice but to get into Jiang Shu's car.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
She fastened her seatbelt with a hint of complaint.
"I've helped you with so many things, can't I come and hear you say 'thank you' in person?"
"Didn't you say before that there's no need to talk about trouble between us."
The air was silent for two seconds, and Jiang Shu couldn't help laughing——
"That's right. Then just think of it as me missing you and finding an excuse to come see you."
Lin Ying glanced at the direction of his navigation. It was his home, not a villa or a hotel.
"Yiming will be back tonight."
She looked out the window deliberately, but the emptiness in her heart needed to be broken.
"Actually, why pin all your hopes on him not being home? If you want, I can send you on a 'business trip' like I did last time."
He made such a calm suggestion, but it caused the ice in Lin Ying's heart to silently crack.
When they arrived at the underground parking lot, Lin Ying was about to get out of the car, but Jiang Shu used the same trick again - the car was locked again.
His lips came closer like last time, and this time she accepted it very naturally, even actively catering to his habits, until their mutual enthusiasm became overwhelming, and his fingers skillfully explored the depths of her skin, and then Lin Ying carefully pushed it away -
"Not here...we'll be seen."
"My car has one-way glass."
"But I don't want to be here..."
Jiang Shu teased: "You are quite strict about the environment."
“…Isn’t it possible?”
"Okay, I'll do as you say. Where are we going?"
Lin Ying hesitated for a long time. She thought, why not just forget it? But she felt unwilling to do so. It was so hard to see him, so hard to escape surveillance. Her husband wouldn't be home until the evening, and now there was no one at home...
If the previous times were just attempts to test each other, then this time, it was a secret affair that was played out in the open.
When Lin Ying grabbed the man's tie and dragged him into her husband's bedroom, she knew she was completely lost in this erotic game.
Even though they were still afraid and knew that neither of them could be on the same page, they still spared no effort to race against time. Every time they met, they were playing a cat-and-mouse game, anticipating further escape and enjoyment...
However, today's enjoyment encountered a little episode - when Jiang Shu was about to enter, he suddenly remembered: "Do you have condoms at home?"
Lin Ying reacted, "It's all used up long ago."
But this episode did not dampen their enthusiasm.
Lin Ying deliberately put her arms around his neck and pleaded in a coquettish voice, "Oh, it's okay just once! It's okay for Yiming and I to not wear it often, okay?"
Acting like a spoiled child at this moment was no different from a fairy. Jiang Shu would be satisfied with anything she said—not to mention that she was directly on top today. The wedding ring was poking at the gaps between her fingers, and Lin Ying felt it was in the way, so she simply took it off and threw it on the bedside...
The ceiling chandelier she was used to seeing every day spun endlessly, taking her to heaven and earth. But this time, the person taking her to heaven and earth was not her husband.
When it came, Lin Ying held Jiang Shu's face. There was a fleeting shyness on his face, but she found it extremely interesting. It was her first time to appreciate the expression of a man during his climax. She couldn't help but tease - "Is it your first time without wearing it?"
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, the fragrance of tuberose filling his body. He reminded her tenderly, and it seemed he was also reminding himself:
"Just this once."
After taking a shower, Lin Ying changed into a decent set of home clothes. When she walked out of the bedroom, she saw Jiang Shu already dressed and standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, admiring the half-skyline of the financial city on the opposite bank.
Lin Ying helped him get a glass of water from the counter and jokingly handed it to him:
"Haven't you seen enough of the place where you go to work every day?"
Jiang Shu said, "This is your home. You are the one who looks at this place every day."
Seeing the same scenery every day, even life remains the same, and people are even more so.
How many people, in their entire lives, might not be able to sit peacefully at home and enjoy such a view like hers? Would they call her behavior Versailles? She doesn't know how to appreciate the blessings she has.
"It doesn't matter what scenery you see, life is the same anyway."
Seeing her face darken, Jiang Shu suddenly pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, lingering kiss...
The view from where they were standing was too wide, so Lin Ying deliberately pulled down the curtains to block it. After agreeing with him for a while, she pushed him away and said guiltily, "What are you doing..."
"This way, when you look at this scenery next time, you can think of something happy."
Jiang Shu still held her waist, his eyebrows touching hers deliberately. Lin Ying laughed, "How can this be considered a happy thing?"
He deliberately used his fingertips to rub her earlobe, remembering the fragrance of tuberose he had smelled in her bedroom at that time, and couldn't help but joke with her:
"Isn't this the 'dangerous pleasure' you were looking for?"
Realizing that he was deliberately teasing her, Lin Ying struggled to escape from his arms - Yan Yiming seemed to be about to fall to the ground, and she didn't have time to go through all that again.
Lin Ying took out a bunch of snacks from the cupboard and spread them on the coffee table. He turned on the TV with the remote control, then sat lazily on the carpet with his legs crossed. He opened various packages and started eating...
"You should leave quickly. I'll cook after a short break. Aunt Wu is not here, so I need to prepare the food before Yiming comes back."
Hearing this, Jiang Shu asked, "Are there any ingredients in the refrigerator?"
"Yes, I have."
"I'll help you prepare the ingredients, and you can just put them in the pot when the time comes. It's rare that I have some free time, so you can rest for a while."
Hearing this, Lin Ying's deer eyes flickered as she looked at Jiang Shu who was standing in front of the refrigerator. Her expression and eyes conveyed "You are so nice!"
An hour later, Jiang Shu helped her finish all the tedious processes, from mincing the green onion, ginger and garlic to blanching the raw meat and pickling the vegetables. Everything was ready and only the food had to be put into the pot.
Seeing that Lin Ying was engrossed in watching a variety show, he didn't want to disturb her, but when he reached the entrance, he couldn't help but turn back. He returned to Lin Ying and kissed her greedily on the mouth again and again, his voice soft and reluctant -
"I'm leaving now. See you another day."
But when he turned around and walked to the entrance again, just as he was about to open the door and leave, he found that the door lock was about to open...
Click.
The door opened from the outside. Yan Yiming, carrying his suitcase, looked at the unexpected person in the hallway and opened his mouth to say -
"Jiang Shu, why are you here?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
