Chapter 4
Is the relationship truly innocent?
"If there are no problems, then we'll arrange it this way."
Xu stared blankly at Jiang Fengyi's moving lips and nodded.
Jiang Fengyi narrowed her eyes slightly: "Are you daydreaming?"
Xu, feeling guilty, looked away, avoiding eye contact with Jiang Fengyi. Her ears, hidden beneath her hair, were secretly burning.
"Never mind, you eat first, and we'll discuss it after you finish eating."
The soup in Jiang Fengyi's bowl had cooled down enough to stop burning her mouth. She took a sip and found it to be just the right temperature.
Xu, on the other hand, used the act of lowering his head to drink soup to cover up his awkwardness.
At the same time, she told herself that her relationship with Jiang Fengyi was only a contractual one and would not go beyond that boundary, so she must not think too much about it.
After the meal,
Xu returned to her guest room to avoid being in the same space as Jiang Fengyi.
Are you not home?
Messages kept popping up on the screen.
I rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered.
[There's a typhoon outside, where have you gone instead of staying home?]
When will you be back?
Oh right, I almost forgot about the important matter.
Ye Sangsang stood at the door of Xu Que's house, carrying a large and heavy shopping bag in one hand, while typing rapidly on her phone screen with the other.
I came especially to bring you some food because I was worried you might not have enough.
How about that? Your sister treats you well, right?
Why aren't you replying? Are you busy and haven't checked your phone?
Xu Que [...]
Xu Que: [You type too fast]
Xu Que: "I won't be home these next few days, so don't send me food."
After receiving the reply, Ye Sangsang did not hesitate, picked up her shopping bags, and turned to leave.
Ye Sangsang: [Where will you be staying these next few days?]
Xu Que […lived at his superior's house]
Ye Sangsang [?]
She clearly remembered that Xu was still anxious about getting a permanent position not long ago, but only a few days later, she was already living in her boss's house.
She typed as she walked down the stairs.
Ye Sangsang: [You wouldn't try to seduce your boss just to get a permanent position, would you?]
Ye Sangsang: [But your face is definitely something to boast about. So, what do you say? Did your boss agree?]
Xu immediately pictured Jiang Fengyi's aloof and serene face in his mind, and his face flushed.
Xu Que: [Don't talk nonsense. My relationship with my boss is completely innocent. I live here for work.]
She paused when she sent the message: Can a fake partner who signs a marriage agreement really be considered to have an innocent relationship?
Ye Sangsang: [Yes, because I delegated my work to my superiors.]
Xu knew Ye Sangsang was joking with him, but he had no way of explaining to her that he was staying at his boss's house because of an agreement, so he simply changed the subject.
Xu Que: [Stop reading those trashy novels.]
There was no reply from Ye Sangsang.
She had just climbed one flight of stairs carrying her shopping bags and was taking out her keys to open the door.
Ye Sangsang lived downstairs from Xu Que. When she was looking for a place to live, the real estate agent took her around the neighborhood, but none of the apartments were as good value as the older apartment complex where Xu Que was renting.
She asked Xu to help her inquire, and it turned out that the apartment downstairs from hers was available for rent. Too lazy to look any further, she booked it directly.
Both of them came from orphanages and had similar growth trajectories. Ye Sangsang started working a year later than Xu Que. Since she moved here, she often visited Xu Que's house.
A few minutes later,
Ye Sangsang sat in her living room, with a freshly opened bucket of instant noodles on the coffee table in front of her. The instant noodles and other snacks were lying in a large shopping bag. She had gone upstairs for a stroll and then came back.
In the end, it all ended up in Ye Sangsang's belly.
While waiting for the water to boil, Ye Sangsang picked up her phone to reply.
Ye Sangsang: [What does "a messy, nonsensical novel" mean?]
Ye Sangsang: [That's my spiritual nourishment!!!]
Xu's phone received the message, but the owner of the phone didn't look at the screen again.
"Knock knock knock—"
There was a knock on the door.
Xu immediately put down his phone and opened the door to greet the visitor.
"You were looking for me?"
Jiang Fengyi stood in front of the door holding a stack of A4 papers. She originally wanted to give them to Xu at the bedroom door, but Xu turned her body to the side as soon as she opened the door, as if inviting her into the room.
She had no choice but to go inside.
"These are the documents about me and my family. Take a good look at them so you won't be unable to answer them if asked."
Jiang Fengyi handed a stack of documents to Xu Que: "You need to accompany me to my mother's for dinner next weekend. Just memorize them before then."
When choosing a partner for a marriage of convenience, she reviewed Xu Que's profile: strong learning ability, exceptional memory, and a string of scholarships throughout his life. Memorizing these details was not difficult for her.
Xu accepted it: "Okay, I understand."
"The rest is the story of how we met and fell in love, and you should remember that too."
Xu casually flipped through it.
"Three years of dating?"
"Campus romance?"
"After graduation, the two agreed to work at the same company, only to find out that his girlfriend of many years was actually his boss."
"This...this might be too much..."
The writer who creates romance stories recently switched jobs from a novel website known for its melodramatic plots and hasn't yet broken his old habits.
"Just remember this roughly. I'll say we're having a secret relationship and haven't made it public to outsiders."
"Don't worry, this is between the two of us. No one else can verify it, so there's no need to worry about it being exposed."
"good."
"Buzz buzz buzz—"
The phone that Xu had tossed aside continued to vibrate persistently.
"Um, your phone seems to be ringing a lot."
Jiang Fengyi had wanted to remind her earlier, but Xu didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, so she didn't say anything more.
But the person on the other end of the phone seemed to be in a hurry, as the phone kept vibrating non-stop.
Xu didn't even need to open her phone to know who was so persistent in looking for her; it must be that Ye Sangsang guy.
Under Jiang Fengyi's gaze, she reluctantly unlocked her phone.
Even now, news about Ye Sangsang continues to emerge.
Ye Sangsang: [Where is she?]
Why aren't you replying to me?
【Ah, I understand!!!】
Ye Sangsang, who often reads novels, suddenly changed the subject, seemingly imagining some plot.
Are you with your boss?
How's it going? Has living under the same roof made your relationship warmer?
[I'm so worried, why aren't they replying to my messages?]
Jiang Fengyi didn't mean to peek at Xu Que's screen; it was just that the two were too close, and Xu Que made no attempt to shield her.
One message after another unexpectedly entered Jiang Fengyi's field of vision.
Silence fell instantly, with only the silent vibration of the phone.
"Your...your friend is quite lively."
Xu stood there awkwardly, his lips twitching upwards in a stiff smile.
"Sorry, she misunderstood our relationship. Just pretend you didn't see it..."
Ye Sangsang, without waiting for Xu Que's reply, immediately pressed the video call button.
Xu frantically tried to hang up, but accidentally touched the connection instead.
Ye Sangsang's gossipy face immediately moved closer to the screen.
"Tell me honestly, did you and your boss...?"
Xu Que was not the only one in the frame; Jiang Fengyi, who hadn't had time to leave, was also there. The background was a bedroom, and the two were wearing matching pajamas.
This further confirmed her suspicions.
Ye Sangsang's almond-shaped eyes widened even more.
"Wow!!!"
"You, you... Xu, Xuque... you all..."
The usually talkative Ye Sangsang suddenly became a stutterer, her mouth agape, unsure of what to say.
"What's the matter with sending this video?"
Her gaze was completely drawn to Jiang Fengyi, ignoring Xu Que's question. She stared at Jiang Fengyi without blinking, utterly mesmerized.
His voice was several times louder than usual: "Hello, Xu Que's boss."
Jiang Fengyi replied politely, "Hello, Xu Que's friend."
Ye Sangsang's smile was overflowing as if it were free, her round almond-shaped eyes narrowing into slits.
"Hello, hello, just call me Sangsang."
"Hello Sangsang, I am Jiang Fengyi."
Seeing that the two were ignoring him and chatting, Xu forcefully joined their conversation: "Ye Sangsang, I'm talking to you. You haven't answered me yet about what's the matter with the video call."
Then she turned to Jiang Fengyi and introduced her: "This is Ye Sangsang, a friend I grew up with in the orphanage. She lives downstairs from me now."
Ye Sangsang finally answered Xu Que's question, but her answer was completely irrelevant.
"Xu Que, you're so lucky!"
After saying that, she turned her gaze to Jiang Fengyi.
"Yiyi, you're so beautiful, even more beautiful than those celebrities on TV!" Ye Sangsang said sincerely, "Do you have to be pretty to get into your company?"
If everyone in the company had that kind of looks, Ye Sangsang couldn't imagine how happy she would be working there, seeing beautiful women every time she turned her head.
This was the first time Jiang Fengyi had encountered someone asking her such a question, and she felt quite surprised.
She thought back carefully: "I don't care about looks, but there are definitely a lot of good-looking people in the company."
"Can I apply for a job at your company?"
"Of course, you are welcome to submit your resume."
Xu abruptly interrupted them, "Alright, I'll hang up if there's nothing else."
Ye Sangsang: "No, I want to see you two more."
Xu, however, was not accustomed to her: "Make it clear, are you looking at the two of us or just Jiang Fengyi?"
"She's my boss, not yours."
"Just because he's my boss doesn't mean I can't watch it? You're so domineering. We just exchanged names, and we're friends now."
After saying that, Ye Sangsang asked softly and uncertainly, "Yiyi, are we friends now?"
When Ye Sangsang saw that the two were wearing the same pajamas, she tacitly agreed that Jiang Fengyi and Xu Que were already living together, which led her to treat Jiang Fengyi completely as if she were her best friend's boyfriend.
With Jiang Fengyi dressed in casual pajamas and appearing approachable, Ye Sangsang's sense of restraint was greatly reduced.
"Show some respect to my boss. Who gave you permission to call her Yiyi? Call her General Manager Jiang!"
Ye Sangsang turned the tables: "You wouldn't forbid me from calling her Yiyi, but then call her that in private, would you?"
"Don't talk nonsense. There's nothing between her and me."
Ye Sangsang clearly didn't believe it, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two: "It's okay that you're wearing matching pajamas?"
Jiang Fengyi watched the two bickering back and forth with great interest, and their presence brought a lively atmosphere to the otherwise quiet house.
She enjoys this kind of lively atmosphere.
Seeing that Ye Sangsang was about to be defeated, Jiang Fengyi decided to stand up for her new friend.
"Are you really okay?"
As soon as Jiang Fengyi spoke, the two who had been arguing immediately stopped and looked at her.
"But we just signed the marriage agreement yesterday."
"Does this count as a clean relationship?"
After saying that, Jiang Fengyi turned her head and blinked quickly at Xu Que outside the camera's view, a sly glint of a triumphant prank flashing in her light-colored pupils.
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