Chapter 19
You crossed the line.
A silent, dark night.
Two burning bodies gently touched, a jolt of electricity running through them, and unspoken feelings began to fester in the darkness.
Do you need me to lull you to sleep?
The voice murmured in Jiang Fengyi's ear.
Just as she was about to run out of breath, a warm hand rescued her from the soft pillow.
Xu chuckled lightly, sending shivers down Jiang Fengyi's spine.
"Don't you feel stuffy burying your face in the pillow?"
I wonder what's wrong with Xu tonight, every word he uttered had a little hook at the end, making Jiang Fengyi blush.
Jiang Fengyi, now breathing smoothly, turned over, facing away from Xu Que, and covered her pounding chest with both hands.
Xu pressed closer again: "Why won't you answer me?"
Unable to tell whose body temperature was higher, Xu only knew that the heat in her body was constantly rising, and even the air was gradually becoming scorching.
She picked up a strand of black hair from the person in front of her and held it between her fingers. She had been itching to do it ever since Jiang Fengyi was lying on the sofa, and now she had finally succeeded.
Xu, however, followed Jiang Fengyi's example, letting strands of hair entwine around her fingertips, the fragrance of flowers blooming in her hands.
His hand kept reaching into her hair, and soon touched Jiang Fengyi's long neck.
What... what is this?
Xu felt the owner of the long hair tremble, and then raise his hand to touch the back of his neck.
Fortunately, the inhibitor patch adhered firmly to the gland and did not fall off like last time.
Jiang Fengyi, who was already in her most vulnerable period, gritted her teeth to hide the emotion in her voice, deliberately lowering her voice to make it sound even colder.
"Please decline!"
"We are just business partners!"
Jiang Fengyi's words served as a reminder to Xu Que, and also to herself, whose mind was in turmoil.
"Go to sleep now."
The romantic atmosphere in the air came to an abrupt end. Xu's long fingers were still entwined around the other person's long hair, and he was unsure whether he should continue.
"Are you...you're angry?"
"You've crossed the line."
Xu froze, realizing that Jiang Fengyi only treated her as an ordinary subordinate.
She thought that she was a special person in Jiang Fengyi's heart.
She thought...
The tentacles retracted into the shell, and Xu closed her long, drooping eyelashes, lying silently in the most side position.
Jiang Fengyi's lips parted slightly, moved a few times, but ultimately remained silent.
A large space was left empty in the center of the bed, with the two people occupying their respective sides, as if separated by vast distances. The temperature in the area where the two had just lain together continued to drop until it finally returned to freezing.
Xu carefully controlled her breathing, worried about disturbing Jiang Fengyi's sleep, but she was just overthinking it. Jiang Fengyi, on the other side of the bed, was wide awake, counting the time with her eyes open.
The two, who were sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, both developed bluish discoloration under their eyelids the next day.
Xu, looking exhausted, began to play the role of a competent subordinate as Jiang Fengyi looked at her.
Good morning, President Jiang.
The curve of her lips was just right, forming a polite yet distant smile.
Jiang Fengyi, who also looked tired, nodded slightly: "Good morning to you too."
This is the result she wanted, so why is she frowning now?
Both of them were trying their best to play their roles, like a pair of wind-up mannequins, performing according to the terms of the agreement without any emotion.
Jiang Fengyi obtained the share transfer contract she wanted and then spent the weekend with Jiang Xuan in a special mother-daughter scene.
As soon as the weekend ended, she left without looking back, taking her only co-star, Xu.
"Thank you for taking up your weekend time."
Jiang Fengyi's businesslike tone shattered Xu Que's heart once again.
"You don't need to go to the company for the next two days. Just rest at home."
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang."
"President Jiang is truly considerate of his subordinates."
Xu Que's answer also made Jiang Fengyi choke up.
The two were so estranged that the entire 22nd floor was discussing in private whether Xu had messed things up and angered President Jiang.
For Xu, each day of the past month felt like an eternity. She both longed to see Jiang Fengyi and regretted seeing her. With each additional meeting, her regret deepened.
That day, He Shuyi had just come out of Jiang Fengyi's office when she walked straight up to Xu Que.
He tapped on her table.
"President Jiang wants you to come in."
Xu's eyes seemed to fill with stars, sparkling with light once more. She had finally waited for Jiang Fengyi to take the initiative to contact her.
"You were looking for me?"
When Xu is happy, her speech always has an upward inflection at the end, making it easy for people to discern her mood.
"Tomorrow is the day we go to the Zhao family's birthday banquet. I was afraid you might forget, so I'm reminding you."
Jiang Fengyi used the act of lowering her head to drink water to hide her true emotions, but Xu felt like every day was an eternity, and she was depressed all day long.
"I haven't forgotten." So that's why she took the initiative to contact him. The light in Xu's eyes visibly dimmed.
She asked, "What time do we leave tomorrow?"
Jiang Fengyi blurted out, "We have to leave first thing tomorrow morning."
After she finished speaking, she took another sip of warm water, feeling guilty.
"Isn't the birthday party supposed to start in the evening?" Xu asked, puzzled. "Do we need to leave so early in the morning?"
"I need to take you to get ready and choose a dress beforehand." Jiang Fengyi had finished the last drop of water in her glass. "After all, it's Old Madam Zhao's birthday banquet, so it needs to be treated with great ceremony."
Jiang Fengyi obviously wouldn't lie, and didn't realize that this statement contradicted her previous one.
Lost in thought and preoccupied with how to ease tensions, Xu failed to notice the flaws in the other person's words.
"Then I'll go ask for leave."
"Um."
Jiang Fengyi kept her eyes fixed on the empty cup in her hand, avoiding eye contact with Xu Que.
"The styling team doesn't know when they'll arrive tomorrow, so you should move to my place tonight in case the styling team arrives before you."
Xu readily agreed.
Neither of them spoke again, and the office fell silent for a moment.
Finally, Xu spoke up: "President Jiang, if there's nothing else, I'll head out now."
"Um."
As he left, Xu politely closed the door behind him.
"Clatter—"
A soft sound struck Jiang Fengyi's heart with a heavy blow.
She stared blankly in the direction Xu had left. She couldn't help but ask herself, was this really the outcome she wanted?
Why only think about pushing people away?
The worst outcome of indulging in emotions is simply finding a new business partner, while the best outcome is—
The collaborator becomes a real partner!
After a month of feeling depressed, Jiang Fengyi suddenly understood. Her furrowed brows finally relaxed, and she couldn't wait to call the person back and start a new conversation with them in a different tone.
Just as Jiang Fengyi was about to make a move, she realized that if she had gone to such lengths to call people back, the other employees might think that Xu had made some mistake.
Thinking of this, she sat back down.
There's plenty of time in the future, no need to rush.
Xu walked out of the office with dull, lifeless eyes, returning to his workstation like a walking corpse.
He Shuyi was taken aback when she saw her like this: "Did you get scolded by President Jiang in the office?"
“Hitting is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love,” she comforted him. “President Jiang is just showing concern for you.”
Xu simply shook his head and said nothing more.
She would rather be scolded or hit by Jiang Fengyi than have the way they interacted now.
Xu turned back to look at the office door he had closed with his own hands, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
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