Chapter 17 This is the life you were supposed to live
The elevator rises slowly, and through the sightseeing glass, you can see the scene below.
Jiang Tingwan saw that the two men were still in a stalemate. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, then she took out her cell phone and made a call, asking the Jiang family to send a driver over.
"Sister, are Mr. Lu and Mr. Shen pursuing you?"
Ruan Yue got the documents and went downstairs with Jiang Tingwan. She looked up curiously and asked Jiang Tingwan.
She had a petite figure, and Jiang Tingwan was wearing high heels. When the two stood together, Jiang Tingwan was obviously much taller than her.
Jiang Tingwan didn't know how to explain the complicated relationship between them for a moment.
If you say it's pursuit...it doesn't seem so pure, but if you say it's just preparation for marriage, the daily actions of these two people are mixed with some ambiguity.
Besides, Lu Zhaoye always seemed to disdain her before, but she didn’t know why he went crazy today. It might be the man’s competitive spirit that was playing tricks on him.
After thinking for a moment, she made up a story: "These two people have never gotten along. It has nothing to do with me."
Unexpectedly, Ruan Yue actually believed it and nodded obediently.
"And you?"
Jiang Tingwan changed the subject and asked softly, "Why did you choose to intern at Shen's Group?"
The elevator descended at a constant speed, and the logo of Shen Group cast a faint blue light on the glass curtain wall, as if telling the glory of this business empire.
Ruan Yue was slightly startled, then lowered her head, and her voice was as light as a falling feather.
"Because..." Her words seemed to carry the warmth of memories, "This is the brightest place I saw for the first time."
As the elevator number continued to jump, Ruan Yue's narration seemed particularly clear in the small space of the elevator.
In the first two years after she was adopted, life gave her a little warmth.
However, the good times did not last long. The adoptive father gradually became addicted to gambling, and debt collectors came to the door like a tide. The adoptive mother was finally overwhelmed and chose to leave.
In the cold winter, she could only huddle in the drafty attic to do her homework, her fingers so frozen that she could hardly hold a pen.
When she was eighteen, she finally arrived in Kyoto after twenty hours of bumpy hard seat ride, carrying with her all the savings she had accumulated from working part-time, a wrinkled 700 yuan.
"It was just dawn when I left the train station,"
Ruan Yue's eyes lit up instantly, as if she recalled the shock of that moment, "I looked up and saw the glass of Shen's Building glowing."
She pursed her lips a little embarrassedly, and a shy smile appeared on her face.
“At that time, I thought, how nice it would be to work here.”
Jiang Tingwan listened quietly, her thoughts drifting away. She suddenly remembered that when she first arrived at the Jiang family, she was also shocked by the magnificent scale of the mansion and was speechless.
"Have you ever thought about joining Jiang's company in the future?"
The elevator dinged and stopped steadily on the first floor. Jiang Tingwan was the first to step out of the elevator. "Finance, real estate, entertainment... whatever you choose."
Ruan Yue hurriedly trotted to catch up, his eyes wide open, full of surprise and disbelief, "Is it really possible?"
"I heard that Jiang's finance is very powerful..."
Jiang Tingwan thought to herself that the little girl probably hadn't fully adapted to her identity as the daughter of the Jiang family.
"It's impressive," she chuckled, her eyes full of tenderness, "but Jiang Shixu is in charge of that area - you haven't met him yet, right?"
She gently pushed open the glass door and motioned for Ruan Yue to follow. "I forgot to mention it before. You have a brother."
The warm sunlight shines through the door, stretching the two people's shadows into long ones, like a warm painting.
Ruan Yue suddenly stopped and said with a choked voice: "Sister..."
"Hmm?" Jiang Tingwan turned around, facing the light, and the expression on her face was unclear.
"Thank you..." Ruan Yue whispered, "You changed everything for me..."
She reached out and gently smoothed Ruan Yue's hair.
"You are originally a child of the Jiang family..." He paused again, "This is the life you should have lived."
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In front of the Shen Building, the sun shines freely, and two slender and tall figures, like two sculptures of completely different styles, stand on both sides.
Lu Zhaoye leaned against the black SUV, with the collar of his light-colored shirt casually open, showing an unruly and casual attitude.
The silver lighter between his fingers flashed a cool light as it opened and closed, just like his sharp eyes and the unruly temperament that he inadvertently revealed.
Chen Guan, who was standing next to him, was leisurely adjusting his cufflinks.
The lead-gray suit was tailored to fit him perfectly, outlining his handsome features of broad shoulders and narrow waist.
He looked gentle, but his eyes were as cold as frost, like an undercurrent hidden beneath the calm surface of a lake, revealing a coldness that was hard to ignore.
These two outstanding people with distinctive styles attracted the attention of passers-by and Shen's employees, with curiosity and speculation mixed in their eyes.
"If Mr. Lu is too idle," Shen Guan's fingertips lightly brushed across his cuffs, his movements were elegant and leisurely, but his tone was sharp, "Shen's Legal Department is just short of a case."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoye sneered and snapped the lighter in his hand shut. The crisp sound echoed in the air, as if it was his response to Shen Guan's provocation.
“Boss Shen is so anxious to send me in, is he afraid that he can’t compare to me?”
In an instant, the air seemed to be suddenly solidified by an invisible force, and a tense atmosphere quickly spread between the two people, as if a storm was about to come.
At this tense moment, a slender figure walked out of the revolving door.
Jiang Tingwan had a graceful figure, and she was walking towards this side holding Ruan Yue's hand.
"It's the one who came to see Mr. Shen last time..."
Some employees couldn't help but murmur, their eyes closely following Jiang Tingwan's figure.
Several employees who had seen her last time were whispering to each other, secretly guessing which man she would stop in front of.
However, Jiang Tingwan walked calmly between the two people in full view of everyone.
Both of them were startled, with a hint of surprise in their eyes.
She glanced back gently, her cascading hair shone with a silky luster in the sunlight.
Just at this moment, a black Bentley drove slowly and stopped steadily in front of her.
"Goodbye, gentlemen."
The corners of her mouth rose slightly, outlining an elegant and charming smile, and then she took Ruan Yue to her seat.
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In the afternoon, Jiang Tingwan led a group of people to accompany Ruan Yue to her rental house to pack up their belongings.
In the corridor, the mottled lights flickered, as if they would go out at any time, adding a somewhat eerie feeling to this old space.
Jiang Tingwan was wearing high heels, and every step she took on the cracked tiles made a subtle and slightly dull creaking sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet corridor.
She subconsciously looked up at the crumbling fire hydrant, her brows slightly furrowed, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes.
"Sister, be careful on the steps." Ruan Yue said as she took out the key. With a bit of embarrassment on her face, she explained, "This building is older than me..."
As the rusty iron door was slowly pushed open, a harsh sound was heard, and the scene before one's eyes formed a sharp contrast with the dilapidated outside.
The beige floral curtains, slightly whitened from repeated washing, were still carefully hung in front of the window. On the small bookshelf, yellowed second-hand textbooks were neatly stacked, with the edges of the pages slightly curled up, as if telling the knowledge and stories they carried.
On the windowsill, there are several small flower pots carefully transformed from mineral water bottles, planted with lush green mint. The leaves sway gently in the breeze, emitting a faint fragrance.
"I bought moisture-proof mats and sound-proof cotton."
Ruan Yue excitedly opened the wardrobe as if she was showing off her most precious treasure, and found it was filled with densely packed sound-absorbing material.
"This way we won't disturb the neighbors at night."
Jiang Tingwan walked into the room quietly, her fingertips gently stroking the paint-chipped desk. On the table was a textbook full of annotations. The handwriting was neat and serious, and every stroke revealed the owner's thirst and persistence for knowledge.
“Can I take this away?”
Ruan Yue carefully held a tin box with a few faded hairpins in it. Her eyes were full of attachment and expectation. "It was left by my adoptive mother... I mean, the previous mother."
Jiang Tingwan gently took the box. The cold touch of the metal instantly reached her heart, causing her to tremble slightly.
She looked at Ruan Yue and said softly, "Of course."
After a pause, she added.
"It's up to you to decide what you want to take away."
Downstairs, there was suddenly the sound of children playing happily, and the dilapidated unit door was banging in the wind.
Jiang Tingwan stood quietly in this small house full of traces of life.
She suddenly realized it with great clarity.
Those were the years that should have belonged to Ruan Yue, the days of fine clothes, delicious food and abundant flowers.
Now, all that remains are a few faded hairpins in a tin box and densely packed notes between the pages of a book.
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