Chapter Twenty-Nine: What's it like to bounce back and forth on the edge of a sinkhole?
Seeing Luo Muyang starting to talk nonsense, Luo Yan sighed resignedly.
He's my own father, after all; I can't let him sleep on the floor in this cold weather.
They called a designated driver, and with great effort, they shoved the drunken old man into the car. Still feeling uneasy, they climbed in themselves as well.
On the way, she sent Xu Jingfei a WeChat message:
Ms. Xu, your ex and loyal simp has had too much to drink and is currently being packed up and sent home. PS: He may be naive, but he really did give you the money; please handle this with discretion.
I don't know if Xu Jingfei read it or not, but she didn't reply.
They arrived safely, and the designated driver helped Luo Muyang to the living room sofa before leaving.
Looking at Luo Muyang, who was sprawled out like a rag doll, muttering "Feifei, don't go," Luo Yan shook her head helplessly, went to the kitchen to pour him a glass of honey water and put it on the coffee table, then found a blanket and covered him up haphazardly.
"Other people's children are raised by their parents, but I grew up on a breath of immortality. Did I owe you two something in my past life...?"
Just then, the sound of the smart lock unlocking came from the door. The door opened, and Xu Jingfei, her hair disheveled and casually tied back, wearing a loose sweatshirt and yoga pants, looked like she had rushed over. When she looked up at the scene in the living room, her eyebrows immediately furrowed: "Is he unreliable and you unreliable too? How can a father and daughter get so drunk?!"
Luo Yan shrugged: "Isn't it because someone blocked him? He went to the beauty salon to find someone and was kicked out in public. He must have been traumatized."
"Just let him drink himself to death, that would save you the trouble!" Xu Jingfei snapped irritably. "How did you manage to bring him back? Did you embarrass yourself in public?"
"I called a designated driver to bring me back, so I didn't have a chance to embarrass myself." Luo Yan paused, but couldn't help herself, "Why don't you go in and take a look?"
"Look at him? I'm afraid I'll get a sty!" Xu Jingfei scoffed, but didn't turn around and leave immediately. Her tone seemed to soften a little: "Serves him right, who told him to mess around with Xu Jinglan."
"He said he was tricked by his aunt, and he now knows that she wasn't genuinely trying to help him, but just deliberately trying to upset you. He's incredibly regretful."
"At least he's not completely stupid." Xu Jingfei snorted and finally walked in.
"I've completed my mission, I'm leaving now."
Luo Yan started to walk out as she spoke.
"Stop!" Xu Jingfei called out to her, looking her up and down. "What are you doing running around like this late at night?"
Luo Yan felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but it was immediately extinguished by Xu Jingfei's next words: "If something happens, I'll have to go to the police station to bail you out. It's too much trouble."
"Thank you for your concern, thank you and your whole family." Luo Yan rolled her eyes and turned to leave.
Behind him came Xu Jingfei's disdainful scolding: "You're drunk like a dead pig... Luo Muyang, get up! Stop pretending to be dead! Go to your room and sleep, I can't drag you... Hey, I'm warning you, don't lay a hand on me, you forced me to slap you here!" And then came Luo Muyang's groggy, surprised reply: "Feifei, you're back? Hehe... I knew you cared about me... Don't go..."
"It stinks! Don't touch me!"
While cursing, Xu Jingfei lifted Luo Muyang up, poured honey water into his mouth, and Luo Muyang choked twice before leaning against her, chuckling foolishly.
"Feifei...I love you!"
Luo Yan walked quickly out of the villa. A night breeze blew by, and she found the scene from earlier somewhat amusing.
One is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit. Lock it up, she swallowed the key.
After this "heart-to-heart talk between father and daughter" and witnessing her parents' "love-hate relationship," Luo Yan inexplicably came to terms with her own mindset.
What's wrong with liking Jiang Sui? It's not illegal, why make things difficult for yourself? Maybe... it's just a momentary infatuation.
Look at Luo Muyang's miserable state, then look at Ms. Xu's awkwardness, and then think about the painful lesson learned from Wu Yuzhou. Love is such a tormenting thing!
Luo Yan, an independent woman of the new era, a civil servant with a secure job and a bright future, why would she be so foolish as to jump into this pit?
Moreover, Jiang Suitian fell into that sinkhole and was never found.
So the next day at work, Luo Yan tried her best to have the words "seal her heart and lock away her love" engraved on her forehead. Her attitude towards Jiang Sui was more "normal" than ever before: businesslike, polite and considerate, never looking at him for a second longer, never saying a word more than necessary. She was just a heartless client. She discussed the plan when she needed to, took notes when she needed to, tried her best not to look at Jiang Sui, and spoke as concisely and businesslike as possible.
"The equipment installation plan for Cishou Temple has been confirmed."
"The scenic area management indicated that this location needs to be slightly adjusted."
"The new requirements have been compiled into a document and sent to your email."
His calm tone, clear eyes, and upright attitude moved Director Zheng to tears.
Luo Yan was smug. As expected of her, her acting skills were superb, and she was sure she could fool everyone.
But she soon discovered that emotions don't follow any rules; the more she tried to restrain herself, the stronger the backlash became.
She kept saying "professional," but her ears were perked up, trying to catch every word Jiang Sui said. She wanted to thoroughly understand every word he said, including his tone and punctuation. Her eyes were fixed on the documents, but her peripheral vision kept following his figure. His gaze would occasionally sweep over her unconsciously, and her heart would skip a beat. She would then ponder it for a long time.
Gradually, Luo Yan began to care about whether her hairstyle looked good, whether her clothes were appropriate, whether she said anything stupid enough to make him laugh. She also remembered that he drank coffee without sugar or milk, would subconsciously hold her breath when he frowned, and would have her heart race when he said a simple "You've worked hard." She even shamelessly searched online for "how to tell if a Capricorn man is interested in you," and the search results suggested: give up immediately.
We're doomed.
She's acting like a little girl, so anxious and insecure...? A crush?!
Luo Yan, Luo Yan, how long did it take to make that promise before you tore it down yourself? Doesn't it hurt to be slapped in the face? You've finally met your match!
That day, Jiang Sui led his team to inspect the ecological wetland park on the outskirts of the city, and Luo Yan, as the liaison for the client, naturally went along as well.
The wetland scenery was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the inspection process went unexpectedly smoothly; everything was going well.
On the way back in the evening, the sky, which had been clear and blue, suddenly became covered with dark clouds without warning. Then, large raindrops pelted down, turning into a torrential downpour in an instant.
The group was caught off guard and soaked to the bone, then ran back to the parking lot in a disheveled state.
Jiang Sui's car was parked a little further away, and he and Luo Yan were the last to arrive. When they reached the car, they looked like they had been pulled out of the water, their hair wet and stuck to their foreheads, their clothes completely soaked and dripping water.
"Why does this weather change so suddenly?" Luo Yan complained as she futilely wiped the rain off her face.
Jiang Sui opened the car door. "Get in."
Luo Yan didn't bother to be modest and quickly squeezed in. As soon as she sat down, she shivered. Every pore on her body was letting in the cold, and her teeth were chattering.
Jiang Sui tore off a few tissues and handed them to her: "Wipe yourself."
"Thank you." Luo Yan took the tissue and wiped her face and hair haphazardly, feeling extremely frustrated.
This image is completely ruined.
The car was cramped, and both of them were soaked to the bone. The smell of rain mixed with the faint minty scent on Jiang Sui's body, creating a somewhat ambiguous atmosphere.
Jiang Sui turned on the heater, glanced at Luo Yan who was shivering, and then at the torrential rain outside the car window that showed no signs of abating.
“With the traffic jam and heavy rain at this time, it will take at least two hours to get back to the city.” He turned to Luo Yan and suggested calmly, “It’s about a half-hour drive to my house. Go change into some dry clothes first.”
Luo Yan froze instantly as she dried her hair.
Go to his place?! A lone man and a woman, soaking wet, about to get intimate... isn't that a bit too much?
So my first instinct was to refuse: "No need, the rain will stop in a bit..."
Before she could finish speaking, a gust of cold wind carrying rain seeped in through the cracks in the car window, and she couldn't help but sneeze loudly.
Jiang Sui glanced at her and said, "It's getting colder today. If you go back like this, you'll get sick, which will affect the project's progress."
Ahead, Xiao Huang had already driven away with the technicians. Luo Yan looked at her wet clothes and dripping hair, and shivered again, feeling a little panicked.
My mind is in turmoil again.
Go ahead! What are you afraid of? A clear conscience fears no accusation! It's not like you haven't been to his house before!
You can't go! What if he can't control himself... or what if you can't control yourself?!
Another chill ran through her, and Luo Yan, as if possessed, whispered in response, "Okay..."
Thirty minutes later, in the underground parking lot.
The elevator doors closed, and the mirror reflected the two people looking somewhat disheveled.
Luo Yan stood half a step behind Jiang Sui, and the scent of cedar mixed with tobacco on his body, which was soaked by the rain, became clearer. Occasionally, her arm would accidentally touch him, and she could feel the warmth beneath his damp and cold clothes. She was so nervous that her palms were sweating and her heart was pounding so loudly that the whole building could hear it.
Jiang Sui used his fingerprint to open the electronic lock and stepped aside to let Luo Yan go first.
Nothing has changed here; it remains a minimalist, austere space with a black, white, and gray color scheme. It's so clean and tidy that it doesn't seem like someone lives here regularly; in fact, it feels a bit too spacious and deserted.
The only difference was the folder with the "Yu'an City Culture and Tourism Bureau" logo casually tossed on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, which looked particularly out of place.
Jiang followed her gaze and said, "I left it in my car last time, I was too busy and forgot to return it to you."
"Oh...it's nothing important." Luo Yan looked away, but her heart skipped a beat. He actually left it there instead of throwing it away?
"Go to the guest room bathroom to take a hot shower, change out of your wet clothes, wash and dry them."
Jiang Sui pointed in a direction, then walked towards the master bedroom while unbuttoning his wet shirt, seemingly oblivious to everyone else. By the time he reached the door, he had already taken off his shirt. Although he quickly closed the door, Luo Yan still caught a glimpse of his bare back.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and muscular build...
Luo Yan blushed and quickly looked away. She ran into the guest room bathroom as if fleeing, locked the door, leaned against the door, and let out a long sigh. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt like she was about to have a nosebleed.
Oh no! Was she absolutely determined to look at me?
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