Chapter 3
Stay overnight
"Mother."
Jiang Fengyi gave a cold greeting and stood behind Xu Que without saying another word.
Xu immediately stepped aside after she called out "Mother," letting her enter the house.
But the other party didn't seem to appreciate her good intentions.
"Is this the girlfriend you found?"
When Jiang Xuan mentioned Xu Que, she didn't even bother to look at him, her eyes fixed on Jiang Fengyi.
She looked at a face so similar to her own and couldn't understand how the relationship between mother and daughter had become so distant, or why her daughter didn't understand her good intentions.
Jiang Fengyi lied with a calm expression: "Yes, she is my girlfriend of many years."
Jiang Xuan: "Marrying someone of equal social standing can bring you a lot of help."
Jiang Fengyi: "But similarly, I will also be constrained by the other party's family."
"If you gain benefits, you have to share the risks. There's no such thing as a free lunch. The Zhao family is only close to us because of their interests, and those who come for profit will one day distance themselves from us because of their own interests."
“Mother, you can’t guarantee that you will always bring benefits to the other party.”
"Besides the Zhao family, there's also the Song family..."
"Did you come here today just to talk to me about this?"
Jiang Xuan came to her door without prior notice because she overheard her brother telling her that Jiang Fengyi had suddenly found a boyfriend she had been dating for many years.
"How long have you been together?"
"Several years."
"Why have I never heard you mention this before?"
Have you ever cared about my life?
Jiang Xuan stood outside the door, showing no intention of going inside. Although there was only a Xu Que between her and Jiang Fengyi, it felt as if more than a decade had passed.
During Jiang Fengyi's childhood, the two also had a close mother-daughter relationship.
The obedient Jiang Fengyi would snuggle in her arms and beg for a bedtime story. Usually, Jiang Xuan would put down her work and carry her back to bed.
The hand that signed the document gently covered Jiang Fengyi with a thin blanket printed with a brown bear, and patiently patted her daughter's back again and again until she slowly closed her eyes.
Only after putting the person to sleep would Jiang Xuan continue to immerse himself in his work.
As Jiang Fengyi grew older, her work became increasingly busy. The storybooks she used to lull her to sleep were forgotten in a corner, gathering a thick layer of dust.
As we move to bigger and bigger houses, the memories of our childhood are buried in the old houses from many years ago, fading away with the passage of time.
Now, when Jiang Xuan heard Jiang Fengyi's question, she opened her mouth and closed it again, wanting to defend herself but unable to utter a word.
Suddenly, a cell phone rang, breaking the silence. Jiang Xuan was glad the call came just in time.
She answered the phone with practiced ease.
"What's up?"
"Chairwoman Jiang," the person on the other end of the phone was her assistant, "there's an online meeting in fifteen minutes. Would you like to postpone it...?"
"Proceed as planned, I'm on my way back now."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xuan didn't look at Jiang Fengyi again and took the elevator straight away.
Xu closed the door, and the two returned to the dining table without saying a word. The dinner ended up being rather tasteless. Jiang Fengyi put down her chopsticks after only a few bites and returned to her room.
After everyone left the table, Xu also put down his chopsticks and followed them to Jiang Fengyi's bedroom, hesitating whether to knock on the door and comfort her.
No wonder Jiang Fengyi wanted to have a fake marriage with this stranger; it turns out she was dissatisfied with her mother's domineering ways.
Before he could even utter a word of comfort, the door in front of him was reopened.
Jiang Fengyi stuffed a pile of clothes into Xu Que's arms, her tone normal, not at all like she was feeling down.
"Wear my clothes for the next few days. They're all new and have been washed. We're about the same size, so they should fit you well."
Although they were all brand new clothes that she had never worn, each piece was imbued with Jiang Fengyi's scent as soon as it was taken out of the dressing room.
Xu absentmindedly hummed in response.
"Are you...are you alright?"
Jiang Fengyi was clearly taken aback for a moment, and tentatively asked, "You want to ask about what happened just now?"
Xu nodded.
Jiang Fengyi calmly replied, "I will not be influenced by her."
"But you didn't eat much for dinner."
I don't eat much at night.
"I might have misunderstood."
“I’m fine,” Jiang Fengyi abruptly changed the subject. “By the way, you’re staying in the guest room next to mine.”
"good."
Xu left with the clothes in his arms, not understanding why Jiang Fengyi, who was clearly heartbroken, insisted on pretending that she was fine.
Perhaps she didn't want to show her vulnerable side to others. To Jiang Fengyi, she was just a stranger she had only known for a day.
The south wall of the living room was replaced by a single piece of panoramic glass. Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Jiang Fengyi could see the city lights, with warm yellow lights lighting up one by one in front of her.
The crystal chandelier in the center of the living room shone with silvery-white light. Under its glow, the cool-toned light resembled a cold spring in winter, its chill seeping into one's skin little by little.
It just shines coldly, devoid of any emotion.
"What a terrible light, replace it tomorrow."
Jiang Fengyi was just about to find someone to change the lamp when she caught a glimpse of Xu returning.
"I made you some honey water, have some."
She saw Xu approaching her step by step, holding a glass.
"It's very sweet, you should try it."
Xu loves sweets, but the children in the orphanage can't eat sweets every day. The teachers in the orphanage will make a lot of honey water, and each child can get a cup.
That was the only sweetness she experienced in her childhood.
Once you swallow the sweet honey water, even the saddest things will melt away.
Hopefully this will be useful to Jiang Fengyi as well.
the next day,
The crystal chandelier in the living room escaped damage.
Xu boasted that he could easily cook home-style dishes, and decided to show off his skills to Jiang Fengyi today.
She stood in front of the refrigerator and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
"You can cook whatever you want, I'm not picky about food."
The refrigerator was filled with all sorts of ingredients, but Xu quickly scanned the contents and decided on a menu.
"Then I'll make some delicious and appetizing scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and also a yam and pork rib soup."
Jiang Fengyi didn't have to go to the company today. She was at home wearing her pajamas when she saw Xu Que wearing pajamas from the same brand as hers. She had the illusion that the two of them were really a couple.
To avoid continuing to overthink things, she stepped forward and asked, "Do you need any help?"
Xu, however, would never let the employer who paid her do the work, and immediately refused.
"No need, no need. You can just wait in the living room. These two dishes are very simple."
Xu moved swiftly, slicing the green peppers into pieces in the time it took to speak. The pork rib soup was already simmering in the pot, steaming out in bursts.
Seeing Xu Que's practiced stance, Jiang Fengyi knew that staying here wouldn't be of any help, so she left.
The wind outside was howling and rain was pounding against the window. The typhoon had made landfall, and there wasn't a single pedestrian in sight.
The greenery in the community was blown about by the wind, with some not-so-thick trees being snapped in half, and many others uprooted and lying haphazardly on the ground.
In extreme weather, humans are as insignificant as ants, powerless, helpless, and with nowhere to turn, only able to quietly wait for the disaster to pass.
The sizzling sound of hot oil replaced the howling wind and entered her ears, instantly pulling her out of her slump.
As soon as the eggs hit the pan, the aroma wafted forcefully into Jiang Fengyi's nostrils, even though she was sitting in the living room, far from the kitchen.
Soon, the spatula began to flip the eggs rapidly, the sizzling sound in the kitchen grew louder, and the aroma of the eggs became even more intense.
Jiang Fengyi, who wasn't particularly hungry, felt as if all the food in her stomach had been digested the moment she smelled the aroma, and she started craving food.
"It smells so good!"
I'm a little hungry.
Jiang Fengyi was planning to find something to eat at home to fill her stomach, but after searching around, she found that there were no snacks at all.
Xu called out from afar, "You can wash your hands and get ready to eat!"
"So fast?"
After Jiang Fengyi finished washing her hands, Xu had already brought the dishes to the dining table.
"The soup needs to simmer a little longer, let's eat first."
The freshly cooked dishes were still steaming hot, but Xu handed the bowl and chopsticks to Jiang Fengyi.
"Try my cooking."
After speaking, she stared at the other person nervously, feeling a little nervous. Although everyone who had eaten her cooking praised it highly, Jiang Fengyi was used to eating delicacies and didn't know if she would like it.
Jiang Fengyi picked up a small piece of golden-yellow egg and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. She tasted not only the tenderness of the egg but also the sweet and sour flavor of the tomato.
She continued to try another dish: thinly sliced lean meat coated in starch. With one bite, the aroma of the sauce immediately filled her mouth, along with the slight spiciness of the green peppers. It was perfect with a mouthful of rice.
When she tasted the delicious food, her light-colored pupils widened slightly. After swallowing the food in her mouth, she said, "If you don't want to work in the future, you can come to my house and apply for a chef position."
Hearing Jiang Fengyi's evaluation, Xu Que felt relieved.
"I'm glad you like it."
"You eat first," Xu said, getting up. "I'll go check if the soup is ready."
When Xu brought the soup over, Jiang Fengyi had already eaten several bites of food; her appetite was unusually good today.
"Sit down and eat with us."
The two had only met yesterday and didn't have much to talk about, so they sat quietly at the table and ate their meal in silence.
Xu took the initiative to break the deadlock: "Tell me what other dishes you like to eat, and I'll make them for you next time."
Jiang Fengyi, who didn't care much for food and drink, actually started to think about it seriously.
"There's nothing I particularly want to eat right now. I'll let you know when I do."
"good."
After a moment of silence, Jiang Fengyi spoke first.
She asked Xu Que for his opinion: "Do you want to make our relationship public or keep it a secret from the rest of the company?"
"Go public? Aren't we fake to begin with?"
Xu never considered going public, tacitly assuming that she would only play the role of a newlywed partner in front of Jiang Fengyi's family.
"I understand what you mean. So we're still strangers at the company."
Although many of the company's senior executives are from the Jiang family, they rarely come to the company throughout the year, and very few of them actually do anything substantial.
Jiang Fengyi lowered her head in thought. Xu needed to change jobs, otherwise if she continued to stay in the sales department, the two of them would hardly see each other.
Got it!
"After you finish working from home, go to the HR department to sign a new contract."
Xu looked up, her eyes instantly lighting up: "Is it a formal employment contract?"
"Yes, after you become a full-time employee, you'll be my assistant on the 22nd floor."
"But...but I've never worked as an assistant before, I was in the sales department."
"It's okay, you can learn at your own pace. I have more than one assistant."
Jiang Fengyi took a sip of the steaming pork rib soup, then put down the spoon because it was too hot, intending to let it cool down a bit before drinking it.
She and Xu analyzed, "We're in the same boat now, so we need to get to know each other as soon as possible. The assistant role will allow us to meet reasonably every day."
“Not only my mother wants me to marry into a political alliance, but other members of the Jiang family also want me to get married, get pregnant, have children, and gradually relinquish the power I hold.”
"In their view, an omega should stay at home and raise offspring."
“No!” Xu interrupted her for the first time, “What kind of life an omega wants to live depends on the omega’s own wishes.”
Looking into Jiang Fengyi's eyes, she said sincerely and resolutely, "No one can define how a person should be."
Across from her, Jiang Fengyi's eyes sparkled: "I knew I hadn't chosen the wrong person."
She took a deep breath and continued to share her guesses with Xu.
“My mother was called back to work yesterday, and she definitely won’t give up. I’m worried she’ll try to contact you privately, so we’re trying to stay together as much as possible during this time, eating and living together, so she can’t find a chance for you to be alone.”
"If anyone in the company makes things difficult for you, just tell me. I'm your strong backer."
Jiang Fengyi, dressed in her pajamas, earnestly analyzed the pros and cons. This softened her aloofness at the company and enhanced her approachability and friendliness.
This naturally made Xu feel close to him.
Jiang Fengyi herself was also very easy to talk to.
"It's okay even if you don't know how to do the work of an assistant. The identity of an assistant is just a cover."
Jiang Fengyi emphasized: "You must remember, you are my partner."
Although he knew that he was just using Jiang Fengyi's excuse to refuse the arranged marriage, he couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart upon hearing these words.
Beneath her aloof exterior lies a soft and gentle soul.
Ironically, only he himself could see this contrast.
Xu, however, quietly developed a desire to possess Jiang Fengyi, wanting only to see this side of her. This possessiveness had already surfaced before he even realized it.
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