Chapter 36 "You don't need to keep your mouth shut so tightly."...
Liang Kongxiang suddenly felt a void behind her, a feeling of emptiness washing over her for two seconds. The cushion was gone.
I looked up.
Jiang Jiaoming quickly pulled out the pillow, placed it flat on his lap, then casually crossed his legs and turned to look at the door.
As soon as Zhuo Qiyun pushed open the door, she saw a tall figure dart from the bed to a chair with lightning speed. She was stunned for a moment, then closed the door behind her, and met Jiang Jiaoming's gaze. "...President Jiang."
Why isn't it Zhuang Yexue?
Geng Jiali glanced around the ward without making a sound, but the bathroom door was half open and there was no sound from inside, which meant that Zhuang Yexue was not here.
"Hmm." Jiang Jiaoming responded, gesturing with his chin towards the two chairs opposite the foot of the bed, and said, "Sit down."
Although Zhuo Qiyun agreed, she didn't sit down. Instead, she walked to the bedside, bent down, and examined Liang Kongxiang's knees closely. The area around her knees was covered with light red iodine.
Upon seeing this, she got goosebumps and, feeling sorry for him, asked in a high-pitched voice, "Does it hurt...? How did you fall like this? Don't the props team pay attention to this kind of thing?"
"Getting injured while filming is commonplace, it's normal," Liang Kongxiang smiled and comforted her.
That makes sense, but Zhuo Qiyun still couldn't get over her anger, so she didn't speak freely because Jiang Jiaoming was nearby.
The investors were obviously uncomfortable standing around, but Zhuo Qiyun smiled and said, "President Jiang, why don't you go back and rest first? Jiali and I will stay here and keep watch."
As she spoke, she subconsciously reached for the pillow on his lap. She had just managed to grab a corner, thinking that Jiang Jiaoming would hand it to her, but she couldn't budge it at all. Just as she was about to let go, she saw Jiang Jiaoming looking at her calmly, his hands on the pillow, pressing it down lightly.
During their eye contact, Zhuo Qiyun was slightly taken aback, then immediately let go, her heart skipping a beat.
It's all her fault for being out of her mind this morning and rushing around without thinking things through. Both times she saw Jiang Jiaoming, who was with Liang Kongxiang, he seemed so easygoing and agreeable. Especially last night at dinner, he even thoughtfully called a car for them. She relaxed and genuinely started treating him like a good-natured friend…
But he was really strange. It was just helping me get a pillow, why was he so fierce? Anyone who didn't know better would think there was something under the pillow...
"Did they ask you to get a pillow?" Geng Jiali glanced at Zhuo Qiyun and suddenly said, breaking the silence. She pulled Zhuo Qiyun behind her to shield her from her daze, and then politely greeted Liang Kongxiang, asking her how she was feeling.
Geng Jiali turned to look at Zhuo Qiyun, who immediately said, "I've taken a week off. I'll go back when you're better."
A week is considered a luxury for top-tier female celebrities.
Liang Kongxiang was worried that they would be bored since they were unfamiliar with the area, so she thought for a moment and said, "Let me introduce you to a friend. He is a local and can show you around in the next couple of days."
"Who is it?" Zhuo Qiyun asked expectantly, taking a step forward and placing her hands on the bed frame at the foot of the bed. She leaned forward slightly and teased her, "You're doing pretty well now, making friends so quickly."
Jiang Jiaoming suddenly threw the pillow at Liang Kongxiang, stood up, and smiled: "Louis?"
Hearing this, Zhuo Qiyun became interested. She first thanked President Jiang, and then looked at Liang Kongxiang to confirm, "Really?"
Geng Jiali sneered inwardly. Only a fool like Zhuo Qiyun could not tell that Jiang Jiaoming and Liang Kongxiang were flirting, and was still asking Liang Kongxiang how handsome the other person was, and whether he was the type he had shared with her before.
Zhuo Qiyun would sometimes send photos of male internet celebrities' physiques to Liang Kongxiang. She knew all the male celebrities, and they were all terrible. She said that seeing those abs made her want to vomit. Internet celebrities were something new and far away, which was perfect for satisfying her fantasies.
Liang Kongxiang recalled for two seconds.
She didn't know much about Louis's physique, but it was very similar to Jiang Jiaoming's. Liang Kongxiang nodded and objectively commented, "Not bad."
Jiang Jiaoming narrowed his eyes, his face turning cold.
Geng Jiali gave Zhuo Qiyun a look, and before Zhuo Qiyun could react, Geng Jiali had already changed the subject, "Where is Zhuang Yexue?"
Liang Kongxiang: "She went back temporarily. I thought Ye Xue would send you a message."
Geng Jiali's expression changed for a moment. What did she mean by that?
“Then you’re overestimating my importance in her heart. I would like to say that,” Geng Jiali said half-jokingly, “but she doesn’t consider me a friend.”
"It's not good to think too much when you're sick, Miss Liang. Thinking too much is not conducive to recovery," Geng Jiali reminded her lightly.
"Thank you." Liang Kongxiang understood perfectly what she was saying; it meant she was distancing herself from Zhuang Yexue.
After a while, even Zhuo Qiyun fell silent, her thoughts drifting away. She sat on the chair at the foot of the bed, lost in thought. She slowly came back to her senses and then stood up. "Kong Xiang, why don't you stay here with President Jiang for now? Jia Li and I won't bother you any longer. Call me anytime if you need anything."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Jiang Jiaoming couldn't wait for them to leave. He crossed his arms and kept staring intently at Liang Kongxiang lying on the bed. When he heard footsteps moving toward the door, he said without turning his head, "Take care."
"Well, handsome tour guide..." Zhuo Qiyun coughed twice awkwardly. Geng Jiali felt embarrassed and couldn't bear to look at her, so she just walked away. Zhuo Qiyun sighed twice at her back, then turned around and pointed to her phone at Liang Kongxiang in the ward, saying in a flustered manner, "You must remember to push it to me, Kongxiang!" After saying that, she ran after Geng Jiali.
The two of them disappeared in a flash.
The door slammed shut, and Jiang Jiaoming immediately locked it. He slowly walked to the bedside, pinched Liang Kongxiang's chin, and lifted it slightly. "Not bad? Tell me, what's so good about him?"
"Your summary isn't very accurate."
"What did Zhuo Qiyun send you?" Jiang Jiaoming remembered the photos of her figure that she mentioned, took out Liang Kongxiang's phone and shoved it in front of her eyes, "Unlock it."
Before Liang Kongxiang could react, Jiang Jiaoming had already unlocked his phone with facial recognition, easily found the WeChat interface, first looked through his chat history with Louis, then opened the group photo in the chat history, repeatedly zooming in and out with two fingers, frowning, "Who is this again?"
He held up a photo of Liang Kongxiang and Brian, and Liang Kongxiang found his overreaction amusing. After carefully confirming the threat, Jiang Jiaoming left, muttering, "Quite charming," and then tried to search for Zhuo Qiyun's name, but Liang Kongxiang suddenly took his phone away.
"Let's look at it again, Mr. Jiang."
"Are you feeling guilty?" Jiang Jiaoming's curiosity reached its peak, and he was wondering whether he should take advantage of Liang Kongxiang's sleep to secretly take a look and find out which mistresses Zhuo Qiyun had shared with her.
“Jiang Jiaoming,” Liang Kongxiang put her phone back in her pocket, “didn’t you say you wanted me to teach you how to change?”
Jiang Jiaoming was taken aback. After a few seconds of silence, he was still unwilling to give up and said, "In the past few years, I have never liked anyone else, nor have I ever seen anyone else."
He also couldn't stand Liang Kongxiang being distracted by anyone else.
“I know,” Liang Kongxiang said gently, “you should also try to trust me.”
Trust, trust.
They had reached a point of no return because of this word. Hearing this, Jiang Jiaoming couldn't help but feel a momentary tremor in his heart. He pursed his lips, looking deeply resentful, and sat back down beside Liang Kongxiang, gazing at her.
Suddenly, he raised his hand, cupped her face, and gently squeezed it. "Oh."
He then asked, "But I don't like it when you praise other men, what should I do?"
“Like Louis?” Liang Kongxiang asked.
Jiang Jiaoming pinched her face harder, letting out a cold snort from his nose: "You still dare to mention him?"
“To be honest, I have no feelings for him, but your constant mentioning of him only makes me pay more attention to him,” Liang Kongxiang gently pushed Jiang Jiaoming’s hand away. “You already knew that I wouldn’t like anyone else, didn’t you?”
After all these years, how come he still doesn't understand?
Perhaps she did understand. Liang Kongxiang thought of Jiang Jiaoming's words before, "I'm stupid, you have to remind me all the time," and felt that it was not impossible to give him more security so that he wouldn't sink deeper and deeper into the swamp of his own imagination.
Her gentle and soothing tone made Jiang Jiaoming's heart pound uncontrollably, as if he had just run three thousand meters, his blood was boiling, his limbs were swollen, and he stared straight at Liang Kongxiang.
For him, if life and living meant Liang Kongxiang's gentle gaze and love, then he would start looking for ways to defy time, prolong his life, and extend the time he was loved by Liang Kongxiang.
He remained silent for a while, just staring blankly at her.
“Let’s get married,” Jiang Jiaoming suddenly interrupted, his tone firm: “Let’s get married now.”
The sudden shift in the topic caught Liang Kongxiang off guard. She paused for a moment, then smiled, "What are you thinking about?"
“I will get a tubal ligation,” Jiang Jiaoming said. “You don’t need to worry about it affecting your career.”
“Jiang Jiaoming,” Liang Kongxiang felt it necessary to make things clear to him, “now is not the right time. I know you sometimes feel insecure, but I can’t get married at this stage…” She deliberately spoke of this serious topic in a lighthearted tone, glossing over it with a joke: “We haven’t even started pursuing each other, and you’re already talking about marriage?”
"I dare to pursue you, do you dare to say yes?" Jiang Jiaoming asked. If it weren't for the fact that she was in the prime of her career, he would have wanted to make their relationship public long ago, so he could give her gifts without worrying about her being exposed, criticized, or targeted. Ideally, he would have all the paparazzi in the industry help him to show off their love in a high-profile manner.
"That depends on how well President Jiang pursues people."
“Liang Kongxiang,” Jiang Jiaoming frowned, not in the mood to deal with her slowly now, and spoke in a serious tone, “I can’t accept others coveting you, but I will believe in you, and you can’t just give up on me like before.”
Hearing this self-righteous tone, Liang Kongxiang laughed. "Wasn't I just teaching you how to do it? In the future, when you encounter this situation, don't take it seriously. Do you really think they're more attractive than you?"
Putting aside his temperament, appearance, and physique, Jiang Jiaoming, apart from being slightly oblivious to her love for him, almost understood all her preferences and thoughts. He was willing to listen and reflect, to care about and value Liang Kongxiang's soul and dreams, to accompany her into the valley to search for rare plants on a drowsy, sultry afternoon, and to walk with her on an empty street at three in the morning to dance the steps that had been shown in the movie theater.
Whether love is a perfect match or a magnetic resonance, Liang Kongxiang believes that Jiang Jiaoming is her irreplaceable other half.
"But I'm just jealous, so what?" Jiang Jiaoming seemed to be genuinely seeking advice, looking for a way to vent his dissatisfaction without angering Liang Kongxiang.
"Swallow it and digest it yourself."
“No,” Jiang Jiaoming stared intently at her, saying each word clearly, “I’m going to get it back from you.”
The two of them knew exactly how they were going to ask for it.
The atmosphere started to turn strange again. Liang Kongxiang realized that the two of them had long since crossed the safe distance. Jiang Jiaoming's face was very close to hers, and they were staring at each other, their breaths almost mingling.
This time, with no one in the ward, Jiang Jiaoming acted without restraint and didn't bring a pillow.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Jiaoming only lightly kissed the tip of her nose, then stepped back a little and chuckled, "Miss Liang, you don't need to close your mouth so tightly," he touched her lips, "After all, I'm so traditional, I don't plan to kiss before dating."
“It’s quite traditional,” Liang Kongxiang said slowly, unfazed by his words, “He can even stand up for his ex-girlfriend a couple of times.”
"Why are you staring at it all the time?" Jiang Jiaoming asked without the slightest hint of guilt or embarrassment, "Do you miss it more than your hand?"
If they kept talking, it would never end. Liang Kongxiang ignored his increasingly vulgar topic and said, "Let's talk about business first. I'm going to finish reading the project proposal and script now."
Boring.
Jiang Jiaoming sat back down in his chair, elbows resting on the back, legs crossed. While scrolling through his phone, he suddenly remembered something and looked up: "Teacher Liang hasn't added me on WeChat yet, right? How can I send it to you?"
"You've taken my phone several times already, haven't you? I've given you chances." Liang Kongxiang's hook wasn't very obvious, and Jiang Jiaoming didn't take it.
His heart felt like it was being swarmed by dandelions, itching intensely. He reached out to take advantage of her, but Liang Kongxiang grabbed his hand that was about to pinch her cheek, pushed it away, and gave him the same line Jiang Jiaoming used: "I'm so traditional, I don't plan on having any intimate physical contact before we start dating."
This time, Jiang Jiaoming truly experienced the feeling of "lifting a stone to drop it on his own foot." He felt a breath stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down, and grunted twice, "You're just being stubborn."
She probably secretly longed for him to kiss and hug her. Jiang Jiaoming felt much better as she fantasized this, flipping through the project proposal.
A verification message suddenly popped up on WeChat. When I opened it, the profile picture was a pure white lily.
He looked up, but Liang Kongxiang casually looked away. Two birds were walking and hopping on the branches outside the window. When the wind blew, the branches swayed, and the two birds flew away.
The ward was quiet.
Jiang Jiaoming lowered his eyes, clicked "accept friend request," and forwarded the file. Liang Kongxiang's phone buzzed twice.
Jiang Jiaoming: [Project Proposal.pdf]
Jiang Jiaoming: Are you shy again?
She clicked in and quickly browsed the content. The director of "In the Name of Justice" had representative works in this genre, the screenwriter was a renowned screenwriter like Luo Jing, and the editor had won numerous domestic and international awards. In the suspense genre, good editing is crucial. To be honest, if the character's highlights and personality traits suited her taste, she wouldn't have handed this project over to Zhuang Yexue. After all, giving such a good project to Zhuang Yexue would be choosing to squeeze her own living space and make way for her.
"The script isn't finished yet, so the project isn't in a rush and won't start so soon. Don't worry about it clashing with your schedule." Jiang Jiaoming said this half-truthfully. In fact, it could start in six months, but as long as Liang Kongxiang was willing, time was a minor issue.
Liang Kongxiang was still looking at the female lead's character design, but she couldn't make a complete decision based on that alone. After finishing, she sent it to Chen Yun, intending to discuss it with her.
They quickly called back with a video.
Considering the potential for business privacy issues, Jiang Jiaoming decided to leave the house and go downstairs to buy Liang Kongxiang some light breakfast.
There were patients on stretchers waiting to have surgery in front of both elevators. Jiang Jiaoming simply didn't want to squeeze in with them and decided to walk up the stairs to kill time. After all, it was really torturous not being able to see her even though she was nearby.
He walked to the stairwell in a few steps, pushed open the door, and found it dark inside, with a stuffy smell of walls and dust that was quite unpleasant.
After walking down two floors of stairs, I vaguely heard several women's voices seemingly talking about something...
Like Chinese. He frowned.
I walked quietly down a few steps, and this time I could hear more clearly.
"I'll say it one last time, I had absolutely no idea she was injured," Geng Jiali said coldly, as if to say that she was tying Zhuang Yexue to her side. "If we look at it that way, you can't escape either."
Zhuang Yexue asked indifferently, "Do you have any evidence?"
"Do you have any evidence?" Geng Jiali retorted.
"What am I afraid of?" Geng Jiali said. "Can you produce any evidence that I harmed her? Besides, you still call her by her full name in public. Are you out of your mind?"
"You..." Zhuo Qiyun was so angry with her that she didn't bother with her anymore. She pushed her aside and tried to push the door of the stairs, but it wouldn't budge. The door was locked.
In despair, she went upstairs to find an exit on another floor.
Before I had taken more than a few steps, I suddenly heard footsteps rushing upwards overhead.
Zhuo Qiyun's heart was pounding. In the dark and secluded stairwell, her blood was surging, and she almost couldn't stand. Her hand unconsciously gripped the wall, and she turned around and quickly whispered to the person behind her, "Someone was eavesdropping on our conversation!"
Geng Jiali and Zhuang Yexue originally wanted to argue a few more times, but upon hearing this, their expressions changed instantly. They exchanged a glance and immediately ran upstairs!
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