44. Too much purpose
Back in this empty yet familiar apartment in the city center, Jiang Nan relaxed almost immediately. She kicked off her shoes, stepped barefoot on the cool floor, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Although the second half of the journey in the car was awkward, we finally got home safely.
Chen Yunsheng followed her in and casually placed the car keys on the entrance cabinet.
There, the two plush rabbits were still sitting side by side, casting a small, cute shadow in the halo of the light strip. His eyes swept over them, then fell on Jiang Nan's slightly tired face.
"Tired?" he asked.
"A little bit," Jiang Nan admitted honestly, bending down to pick up her shoes and preparing to put them in the shoe cabinet. Then she heard him say, "There seems to be... that matcha mille-feuille in the refrigerator. If you're hungry, you can have some."
Jiang Nan paused.
In truth, she had no appetite. Mental tension was indeed more physically demanding than exercise, but it also made her less motivated. But seeing that Chen Yunsheng seemed to want to say something more, she nodded: "Okay, thank you."
But she first went back to her room, washed her hands, put her bag away, and changed into more comfortable home clothes. Before leaving, she looked in the mirror and found that her face was really pale. So she raised her hand and rubbed her cheek, trying to rub some color.
By the time Jiang Nan lingered out of the room, Chen Yunsheng was no longer in the living room. She glanced around and noticed a faint, cold white light filtering through the crack in the study door. She raised an eyebrow slightly, confirming that Chen Yunsheng was in the study before heading towards the kitchen.
Before she even got close, she saw a plate of matcha mille-feuille cake on the center island, with a small fork beside it. Next to the cake was a glass of water, its walls thick with tiny water droplets.
Jiang Nan looked at the cake and the glass of ice water, and the indescribable feelings in his heart quietly emerged again.
He is always like this, seemingly indifferent, but so thoughtful in details that people can't ignore it, and she will have wild thoughts because of these details.
Jiang Nan complained in his heart that he must be crazy because he always mistook other people's cultivation for goodwill.
After these words came out, the lustful thoughts that weighed on her heart suddenly dissipated.
Afterwards, Jiang Nan picked up the plate and cup of water, walked slowly to the living room, sat cross-legged in her usual spot on the carpet, and began to enjoy her dessert.
The cake had a delicate and soft texture, and the bitterness of the matcha balanced out the sweetness of the cream. To put it bluntly, the cake was delicious. But after two bites, she started to lose focus.
Too many things happened today, and they were so complicated that they suddenly flooded into her mind like a tangled mess - Mr. Chen knew about the agreement, Su Wanrong's ambiguous words, Li Li's repeated difficulties, Chen Minghui's sudden disappearance, and Chen Yunsheng's earth-shattering words that he didn't want it to end so soon.
She thought about these things, became dazed, and then poked the cake from time to time.
At this time, the door of the study was gently pushed open.
Then, Chen Yunsheng came out, an empty glass in his hand. He wanted to go to the kitchen to get some water, but the first thing that caught his eye was Jiang Nan sitting there, staring blankly at the cake. He looked at her, and his pace unconsciously slowed down.
"Isn't it tasty?" He walked over and sat down on the single sofa next to her naturally.
Logically speaking, the cake should taste good - he was on the way, and took advantage of the time when Jiang Nan was asleep to send a message to Wei Yan, asking him to buy the cake and put it in the refrigerator.
"Ah? No," Jiang Nan came back to his senses and quickly forked up a large piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth, puffing his cheeks and mumbling, "It's delicious."
Chen Yunsheng said nothing, but looked at her intently. There was a faint smile in his eyes, as well as a hint of inquiry.
He knew that she was not at peace, just as his own heart was far from as calm as it appeared on the surface.
For a moment, both of them fell silent.
"Today--" The two people spoke almost at the same time, and stopped at the same time.
"You speak first." Chen Yunsheng held the cup and waited quietly for the next words.
Jiang Nan tapped the water droplets on the glass with her fingertips, lowered her eyes to look at the cake in front of her and said, "Thank you for today."
"Thank you for what?"
"A lot. Helping me out, and...what you said to Grandpa," she paused, her voice trailing off. "I know it was just a temporary solution, but thank you for...not embarrassing me too much."
Hearing this, Chen Yunsheng was silent for several minutes.
At first glance, his confession at that time did seem to be a temporary measure, but he himself could not tell how much of it was a performance he did according to the situation, and how much of it was the truth he took the opportunity to reveal.
"You're welcome," he finally chose a safe answer, "This is a problem I should have dealt with."
trouble.
Jiang Nan chewed over the word gently in his mind.
To her, it was a huge problem, but to him, it was perhaps just another problem that needed to be dealt with. What about her? Was she also a problem in his eyes?
This realization made her feel a little sour.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she picked up the glass and took a big sip. The icy water washed over her throat, bringing a sense of clarity.
"That Miss Liang," she suddenly remembered this person and couldn't help asking, "Will she come again in the future?"
Chen Yunsheng frowned and said calmly, "I'll take care of it. She and her family won't have the chance to bother you again."
Jiang Nan believed he could do it, just as he had easily dealt with the rumors in the company before. This absolute power gap once again made her clearly realize the chasm between the two of them.
"She didn't actually do anything," Jiang Nan said. "It's just her words and actions... that make people feel a little uncomfortable."
"Feeling uncomfortable is the biggest mistake," Chen Yunsheng said, looking at the swirl of hair on her head. "You don't have to force yourself to deal with anyone or anything that makes you uncomfortable. Just leave it to me."
His words were like a feather, gently landing on her heart, itching, but unable to grasp. Jiang Nan actually wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say, so she just forked a piece of cake, stuffed it into her mouth, and bit it hard.
The sweetness spread between the lips and tongue, but it could not suppress the bitter and chaotic throbbing in the heart.
Chen Yunsheng watched her puffing out her cheeks like a hamster, his eyes softening unconsciously. He found himself increasingly drawn to observing her subtle movements. They were vivid, real, and overflowing with joy, completely different from the ever-stressed elegance and propriety of his world.
"Next weekend," he spoke again, his voice slower, "if you don't want to go, you can find an excuse to cancel."
Jiang Nan looked up in surprise: "Is it okay? But Grandpa..."
"I'll talk to Grandpa," Chen Yunsheng explained calmly, "He's just old and likes to be busy. But there's no need for you to deal with those troubles every time."
The protective tone in these words was too obvious, and Jiang Nan could no longer pretend not to understand.
"It's actually not that bad," she said quietly, avoiding his gaze. "It just feels a bit like... working overtime. Besides, I'm paid, so it's my duty to do this."
She deliberately brought the relationship back to the employment level where money was paid in exchange for goods, as if this would make her safer.
Chen Yunsheng heard the meaning of drawing a line in her words and frowned slightly. At the same time, he felt an inexplicable mixed feeling of loss and irritation in his heart, which made him almost want to ask her if she could only see the agreement and the money.
But in the end he restrained himself.
He didn't want to scare her.
"An agreement is an agreement," he said, choosing his words carefully, trying to keep his tone calm and peaceful. "But it doesn't include unconditionally enduring the malice of others. That's my bottom line."
Jiang Nan hummed and said nothing more. She felt that the topic was sliding in a dangerous direction, but she was not ready yet.
So the two of them fell into silence again, and this time the silence was no longer like before with a vague ambiguity and temptation, but was instead filled with a tension full of uneasiness.
Jiang Nan quickly finished the rest of the cake, almost wolfing it down. Then she stood up and said hurriedly, "I'm done. I'm going to wash up first. I'll wash the dishes tomorrow."
"Leave it there, Auntie will deal with it tomorrow." Chen Yunsheng stood up.
"Oh, okay." Jiang Nan nodded, carrying an empty cup and plate, and hurried to the kitchen. Her back revealed a sense of escaping panic. Then, she hurried across the living room and said to him quickly, "I'm going to get back to work. Goodbye."
Before Chen Yunsheng could even agree, Jiang Nan entered her room. He stood there for a long time without moving. After a long while, he raised his hand and rubbed his brow, revealing a regretful expression.
He seemed to have messed up.
Elsewhere, Jiang Nan ducked into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on her face. The cool water temporarily soothed the burning sensation on her cheeks. Then she looked up at her panicked self in the mirror and sighed deeply.
She was finding it increasingly difficult to treat him normally.
"Jiang Nan! Wake up! Don't let your imagination run wild!" She slapped her face hard and whispered a warning to the mirror, "That's the boss! The financial sponsor! The person we agreed to marry! When the time comes, we'll go our separate ways!"
She repeated it softly several times before her restlessness subsided.
Then, she composed herself and slowly walked out of the room.
The lights in the living room had dimmed, leaving only a floor lamp beside the sofa emitting a dim glow. Chen Yunsheng was not in the living room, probably back in his study or bedroom.
After realizing this, Jiang Nan's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but she also felt a sense of loss. She stood at the door for a moment, stunned, then tiptoed back into her room.
She thought that tonight would probably be a night of tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
In the study, Chen Yunsheng stared at the computer screen, unable to absorb a single word. He repeatedly recalled their conversation that night, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that his performance had been clumsy and impatient, not gradual enough, and too focused on his own goals.
He had handled many business negotiations that were thousands of times more complicated than this one, and he had always been calm and composed, handling them with ease, but he lost his composure in front of her.
After a few minutes of silence, he picked up his phone and opened the chat with Jiang Nan. The conversation was still lingering on the news he'd heard that morning. He paused, his fingertips hovering over the screen, hesitating for a long moment before exiting the interface and tossing the phone aside.
He thought, let’s wait a little longer.
He was afraid that if he pushed her too hard, she would retreat into her shell of silence.
That night, the lights in both rooms of the apartment were on until very late.
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