Chapter Thirty-Eight: Ending the Pure Client-Service Relationship
Lu Xingyao's final performance was as spectacular as ever, with thunderous applause and flowers piled up on the stage during the curtain call.
Luo Yan sat in the audience, watching the radiant girl on stage. She applauded sincerely, but at the same time, her own inferiority complex was stirred up again.
How to describe these feelings? They are contradictory and complex.
After the performance, Luo Yan waited at the theater entrance. After a short while, Lu Xingyao came out, smiled, and walked over to take her arm.
"Have you been waiting long? Come on, let me treat you to milk tea, and we can have a good chat."
The two returned to the popular bubble tea shop and sat in a corner.
Holding the steaming hot milk tea, Lu Xingyao took a sip and looked at Luo Yan with a smile, saying, "You and Jiang Sui are quite familiar, aren't you?"
Luo Yan nearly choked on the pearls, her face instantly turning bright red. She frantically grabbed tissues, "You...you know all about it? Actually, we're not...very close, just have some work-related contact...a normal client-vendor relationship!"
Seeing her flustered state, Lu Xingyao's smile deepened, but there was no malice in his eyes, only a hint of mischief: "Oh, in a normal client-vendor relationship, would someone specially cook porridge and send it to him when he's sick?"
Luo Yan froze. "Jiang Sui told you everything?"
“He didn’t say anything. I found out myself, just to try and guess…” Lu Xingyao blinked. “Looks like I guessed right.”
Luo Yan wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground; she had embarrassed herself in front of her ex-girlfriend!
"Don't misunderstand! I just... I was just showing concern as a colleague. He's the project manager, and being sick all the time would affect his work... I... I didn't mean anything by it, really..."
Lu Xingyao interrupted her with a smile: "Don't be nervous, I didn't mean anything by it. Actually, Jiang Sui and I... ended things before I went abroad. Now we're just old friends, a little more familiar with each other than ordinary friends, that's all."
"..."
Luo Yan, with a straw in her mouth, stared blankly at her.
According to the standard plot, shouldn't the white moonlight (the female lead) reclaim everything that belongs to her upon returning to the country, including the man? This script doesn't follow the usual path.
"The reason for the breakup... my going abroad was only part of it."
Lu Xingyao's gaze was somewhat distant, but her tone was calm and relaxed. "He had a tough time in college, and I helped him. He always felt indebted to me... I'm not a saint, and I have my own selfish motives. He asked me how he should thank me, and I casually said that he had nothing, so he should thank me with himself. That's how it was... We were together for almost seven years. He was so good to me that the whole world was jealous. Maybe he thought he loved me, but I knew very well that his gratitude was far greater than his feelings for me. This unequal relationship was not the kind of love I wanted, so I let him go, and I let myself go too."
Luo Yan was surprised that she spoke so frankly and didn't know how to react.
“He has a lot on his mind, especially about his relationship with his father… He never talks about these things with anyone else and keeps himself very closed off, but I think if it were you, you might be able to get him to open up a little.”
Luo Yan was a little insecure, "Can I do it? You're so outstanding..."
Lu Xingyao looked at her sincerely, "You haven't realized how good you are yet, but he has."
Luo Yan's heart skipped a beat. "What did I find out... He only knows how to make me angry and tease me."
Lu Xingyao laughed heartily, "If Jiang Sui really has no feelings for someone, he won't even bother to say a word. He'll tease you and make you angry, just like a little boy teasing the little girl he likes."
Looking back, Luo Yan realized that Jiang Sui could have ignored the rumors and the "coercion" she was using to cooperate with him, but he had always indulged her until he himself was trapped in the situation.
Just then, Lu Xingyao's phone rang. She glanced at it, gave Luo Yan a sly smile, picked up her phone and sent a voice message: "Come over to the milk tea shop across from the theater."
Luo Yan looked bewildered: "You made plans with someone else?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the door of the milk tea shop was pushed open.
Jiang Sui walked in, his black coat still radiating cold air, and immediately spotted Luo Yan.
What are you doing here?
Before Luo Yan could explain, Lu Xingyao spoke up first: "I invited them, so be polite!"
Jiang Sui's gaze darted back and forth between the two women: "You two know each other?"
“Remember when I told you about the pervert I caught here last time? A girl stepped forward to help, and what a coincidence, it was Luo Yan!” Lu Xingyao smiled brightly and looked at Jiang Sui: “We’ve had enough of talking, and now that you’re here, I don’t have to call a car. You can take her home.”
Jiang Sui glanced at the snow falling heavier and heavier outside the window, then looked at Lu Xingyao, who looked completely innocent, and Luo Yan, who was feeling uneasy, and nodded: "Let's go."
On the way, Jiang Sui focused on driving and didn't say a word.
Luo Yan and Lu Xingyao sat in the back row, watching the snow scenery rushing past the window. Luo Yan was feeling uneasy, while Lu Xingyao was humming a song in a good mood.
As they approached the hotel, Lu Xing suddenly grabbed Luo Yan's hand and said solemnly, "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. Let's keep in touch! Good luck!"
Luo Yan: "..."
This is even more awkward.
When we arrived, the snow was falling even heavier, and a thin layer had already accumulated on the ground.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang. Please take care on your journey."
Luo Yan unbuckled her seatbelt, and just as her hand touched the door handle, Jiang Sui suddenly spoke up: "With this much snow... the roads must be icy by now, there's a section prone to accidents..."
"What?"
"It's too cold, and I'm not fully recovered yet..."
Jiang Sui stared straight ahead, her tone as calm as if she were stating a task, "Let's go to your place for a cup of hot tea, and you can leave when the snow lightens up a bit." As she spoke, she rubbed her hands together, then covered her mouth with her breath, looking quite cold. She even pulled out a tissue and sneezed, then looked at her with eyes that seemed to say, "How can you be so heartless as to kick me out?"
Luo Yan was somewhat bewildered.
Is this some new way he's playing pranks? But the snow is really heavy, and he's only just recovered from a fever. What if his condition relapses or something happens on the road…?
While he was still hesitating, Jiang Sui had already unbuckled his seatbelt and gotten out of the car. While gesturing for Luo Yan to get out, he stamped his feet and said, "Come on, it's freezing..."
Luo Yan: "..."
Whose house is this anyway?!
Upon opening the door, Luo Yan rushed inside, busily tidying up the clutter on the sofa. Jiang Sui looked around and remarked, "It's much tidier than when I last came."
Luo Yan was a little embarrassed and annoyed. "It's not as tidy as your empty mansion! If you want tea, go boil your own water!"
The kettle hissed as it spewed steam. The two of them each held a cup of tea. Luo Yan sat cross-legged on the fluffy carpet in front of the coffee table, while Jiang Sui sat on the sofa, casually hugging a cushion to his chest.
What did Xingyao talk to you about?
Luo Yan stammered, "Well... it's nothing, we just talked about... things from your university days."
Jiang Sui looked at the rising steam in the cup.
"The summer after my junior year ended, my dad cut off my financial support and forced me to go back and beg him. At that time, I was penniless and had to find all sorts of part-time jobs... Those two months felt like two years. When I was sick, I couldn't even afford medicine, and I didn't dare to rest. All I could think about was earning money on my own..."
"One day, I fainted on my way to work, and that's when Xingyao appeared. She took me to the hospital, paid my medical bills, and advised me not to waste my time on part-time jobs... Because she was an art student from a well-off family, she often gave me her living expenses and helped me find internships. You could say that without her, I wouldn't have been able to graduate..."
Jiang Sui spoke calmly, as if he were talking about someone else's business.
“The year I returned from studying abroad, she said she no longer needed me and that she was going to pursue her dreams in a bigger world… At that time, I felt that she had abandoned me, but later I realized that she had actually let me go.”
"Then do you still...love her?"
"After she left, I wasn't as heartbroken or reluctant to let go as I had imagined. Even now, although I think of her occasionally, it's just like thinking of a very familiar old friend. There's gratitude and nostalgia, but no romantic feelings."
"You didn't have to tell me these things..."
"I want to tell you... I don't want you to keep avoiding me because of this."
The snow was falling quietly outside the window, while the room was warm and cozy, filled with the aroma of tea.
“That day…” Luo Yan hesitated for a long time, but finally mustered up her courage, “I acted impulsively… I’m sorry.”
Jiang Sui paused, holding the teacup. "I almost forgot about that. You kissed me and then ran away. I suffered a huge loss."
Luo Yan's face turned bright red again, and she quickly turned away.
"So... what do you want?"
Jiang Sui smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Do you hate me?"
Luo Yan turned to look at him and shook her head.
"So that's liking someone?" he pressed, his voice carrying a dangerous allure.
Luo Yan felt a surge of heat under his gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly: "Yes, I like... you."
The next second, Jiang Sui suddenly leaned over, placed his thumb on her lips, and kissed her.
Luo Yanxin almost stopped beating.
Was he... trying to kiss her? Why was he using his fingers to separate them?
"Can you take it off?" Jiang Sui looked at her flustered eyes, his thumb still on her lips.
Are you asking for my consent?
"Um."
Luo Yan lowered her eyes and nodded gently.
Jiang Sui suddenly picked her up and placed her on the table, holding her hands behind her back with one hand and gripping the back of her head with the other, making her unable to move and forced to passively endure this almost predatory kiss.
The kiss ended.
Jiang Sui pressed her forehead against hers. "Here, is that enough?"
Luo Yan's eyes were hazy as she took the initiative to wrap her arms around him and kiss him.
"I want more..."
Jiang Sui picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, placing her on the bed.
Luo Yan felt as if she were in a dream, her fingers unconsciously gripping the bed sheet beneath her, too nervous to look at him.
His hands, burning hot, parted her blouse, resting on her waist and slowly moving upwards, his kisses traveling from her lips to her neck, shoulders, and chest...
"ah......"
She called out softly, and he paused. "You can stop anytime if you don't want to."
"There's no reason I don't want to..."
Is this your first time?
"Do you have... a virginity complex?"
"I mean, if this is your first time, you have to be gentle."
"..."
Clothes gradually fell off, and panting filled the air.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, gently covering the world.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
