Chapter 20 Violent "Next time, try fanning yourself in bed..."
The bathroom was a little stuffy. Ji Jiazhen sat weakly in the water and laid bare her face to face with Wen Siyu. He was still waiting for her answer; whether she lived or died was up to her.
Ji Jiazhen looked listless, her eyes filled with drowsiness, but she still looked into his eyes, her thoughts clear.
Wen Siyu can talk about love with her, but he cannot have a romantic relationship with her.
Whether he likes her or loves her, that's his business. Ji Jiazhen is willing to believe that there's some truth to it, but out of 100, she can't reciprocate, let alone give back in kind.
Dating him is like trapping yourself in the shell of a "girlfriend," which is tantamount to imprisoning yourself in a cage and completely losing your freedom.
She wasn't a person with particularly high moral standards, but at least she understood one principle: one should be faithful in a relationship.
She can't do it.
She couldn't give up an entire forest for him, nor could she risk being branded as "cheating" for him.
—She knows herself too well; she knows she will definitely cheat on her husband.
So even if Ji Jiazhen convinced herself to believe that his love was real, she still couldn't give him a formal status.
"Being with you, I'll get tired of you because of the novelty, and I'll fall for other people because of my fickle nature. Then when word gets out, another stain will be added to my record—that I'm a cheater."
Wen Siyu knew this, of course, and he didn't want this to happen either. So he wiped the water droplets clinging to Ji Jiazhen's eyebrows with his thumb and said, "It doesn't have to be now. I can wait until you're willing to talk about love with me instead of just me talking to you. But in the meantime, you have to give me at least one privilege."
"What privileges?"
"The privilege of being slept with by you a second or third time."
Ji Jiazhen asked, "Is it that simple?"
He replied, "It's that simple."
This was much easier for her.
The rule of not sleeping with the same man twice isn't absolute. After all, there aren't that many high-quality men, and she inevitably has periods of being single. At such times, Wen Siyu is a good option to fill the void.
But judging from Zhuang Yan's incident, Wen Siyu was quite petty, so she still asked that question.
"What if we can't wait? Are you sure you won't threaten me with something else again?"
Wen Siyu had just taken his hand out of the water when he flicked his finger in front of her, splashing water droplets all over Ji Jiazhen's face. She subconsciously closed her eyes and turned her head away, which earned her a soft laugh from Wen Siyu.
"What's the point of forcing you? In the end, it's all about who's tougher. Do you think I'm tougher than you? You're just heartless."
Ji Jiazhen glanced at his crotch and replied without batting an eye, "Pretty hard."
Wen Siyu deliberately lightly scratched the tip of her finger. "If you're not sleepy, we can do it a few more times. I'd really like to try it in the pool outside. I have plenty of energy. If you're so brave, don't call a halt."
She was too cowardly tonight, so after flirting with him, she pretended to be dead and shut up completely.
The previous topic is now behind us; at least Wen Siyu gave a definite answer: he wouldn't pressure her.
*
They stayed on the island for four days, which completely exhausted Ji Jiazhen's body. He tried the swimming pool he wanted to try on the second day, and he showed off some new tricks in the water. His service awareness was top-notch, and she enjoyed it very much. They also went to the beach she had her eye on, and at sunset, they had sex in the car on the beach. The visually stunning sunset and the all-around extreme physical experience were unforgettable. At her most difficult moment, she bit his lip again.
On the morning of the day they left the island, Ji Jiazhen was putting on makeup in front of the mirror when Wen Siyu leaned against the door and watched her for a long time. When she was almost finished, he walked up behind her, put his hands on the counter, pulled her into his arms, and then brushed aside one side of her hair.
The bite marks from that night were almost gone, leaving only two small dots from her canine tooth. Ji Jiazhen was applying lipstick when he silently lowered his head and placed his hand on her neck. First, she felt a soft, warm touch, then a spreading pain. For a moment, she almost smeared her lipstick outside her lip line.
He let go as soon as he bit her. Her skin was fair and delicate, and the bite mark was quite noticeable, which made her very unhappy.
Ji Jiazhen nudged his shoulder, "What's wrong with you?"
Wen Siyu and she looked at each other in the mirror, and he smiled lazily, "Don't you like dogs?"
His smile was clearly intentional.
"I have a shoot the day after tomorrow, you bastard!"
Perhaps those two positions he was in that morning made him feel comfortable, because he was in an incredibly good mood right now, and he could even laugh out loud when he was scolded.
"Say it again, I'd love to hear it."
Ji Jiazhen was furious. She turned around and glared at him, but in the end she couldn't control herself and slapped him hard across the face. Her fingernails scratched the corner of his eye, leaving a shallow bloodstain.
He and Duan Qiyin truly deserve to be called brothers; they both deserve a slap in the face.
Wen Siyu took a step forward, her lower back pressed against the washbasin, and he chuckled softly as he said:
"Try fanning yourself in bed next time, it'll feel good, and I can get you..."
The last few words were blocked by Ji Jiazhen's palm; he couldn't say anything serious, so he had to cover them up.
That's how the two of them ended up returning to China: one wearing a turtleneck and the other wearing a mask.
Beneath the high collar were extremely ambiguous teeth marks, and beneath the mask were finger marks that hinted at discipline.
—That's what Wen Siyu thought.
*
The day after returning to China, Ji Jiazhen went back to the company. She was now completely fed up with Duan Qiyin and was ready to make a comeback. Of course, Sister May had to come and discuss the follow-up work with her.
The conversation lasted for more than two hours, and the itinerary was even longer than before she went to the island. When she came out of the office, she saw a familiar face standing outside the door. Not surprised, she guessed that the person would be waiting for her there.
Jian Yi stood there, noticeably thinner, her bone structure more prominent. Ji Jiazhen remembered that she had joined the crew a few days ago, her hair cut in a blunt style for the new role. Now, with her face bare, she looked, frankly, even more distinctive.
Ji Jiazhen raised his chin and pointed to the empty conference room on the right, indicating that they should talk there.
Jian Yi followed her without saying a word and closed the door after entering.
Are you feeling unwell?
Ji Jiazhen's voice came as soon as the door closed.
The two fan groups have been feuding for a while now. Jian Yi's side is bombarded with insults, and Ji Jiazhen's side is also receiving a lot of criticism. However, their different mindsets lead to different outcomes. Jian Yi is clearly struggling to cope with this onslaught. She's tried to contact Ji Jiazhen twice recently, but Ji Jiazhen hasn't responded. May even acted as a mediator, saying that Jian Yi's mood and state of mind have been affected by the insults lately, and hoped that Ji Jiazhen would accept her friend request so that the two could resolve things privately.
When Ji Jiazhen received May's message, she was lying on a lounge chair by the pool, engrossed in reading the online comments criticizing her. She would even take screenshots of the funny ones and send them to Xu Yanning. Xu Yanning would say that the criticisms were justified, and then the two of them would laugh together.
This is her attitude towards criticism; partly because she's used to it, and partly because she genuinely doesn't care. Jian Yi clearly can't be this composed.
"Is what you mean by 'dignity' just using your fans as pawns while you reap the benefits?"
"Honey, don't act all innocent. Your fans have been cursing me pretty harshly. I've been imitated for no reason, and in the end, I've been verbally abused mercilessly. Aren't I being wronged?"
Jian Yi lowered her eyes, her expression was indifferent, and her voice showed no emotional fluctuation.
"That's how the company positions me and plans for me. What do you think I can do?"
Ji Jiazhen scoffed, "As a beneficiary, you shouldn't try to shirk all responsibility. You've already received the benefits, so it's ridiculous to tell me all this now. It's unnecessary."
“Then let’s compete fairly and squarely. You and I both know perfectly well that suppressing trending topics and buying articles are underhanded and don’t look good.”
Ji Jiazhen's gaze fell on her face, a mocking smile on his face. "Should I call you naive or just clueless? I'm not your fan, and your innocent, pure persona won't work on me. We're both in this industry, so stop pretending to be spotless. You're more familiar with the process of buying articles than I am. Besides, if I have the ability, why wouldn't I use it? Do you think I'm playing house with you? The word 'unpresentable' will never be associated with me. Wait until you're on par with me before you talk about a fair competition. What you're experiencing now is just tit for tat, and I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine. Speaking of which, you just took a script from me, didn't you?"
"..."
Yes, Jian Yi just took a script for an ancient costume drama from Ji Jiazhen. Although Ji Jiazhen couldn't possibly accept it, it was handed to her and then Jian Yi took it.
Ji Jiazhen stood up and left her a message before leaving.
"Keep a calm mindset. Don't break down because of a few insults. Everyone in the industry has been through this. The scariest thing is when no one is criticizing you."
*
The temperature in City A has been hovering around zero degrees Celsius for the past few days, and a layer of fog has formed on the windows, completely blocking the view.
Ji Jiazhen got up early and exercised for two hours, sweating profusely. She had just come out of the bathroom, her hair still wet. Her leisure time was officially coming to an end. She had a red carpet event to walk in three days, and after that, her schedule would be seamless with no time to rest. She needed to be fully prepared for her work, and image management was the most basic requirement.
She had a private appointment this afternoon that she didn't want to go to, but the other party threatened to kill herself if she didn't come, so she had no choice but to go, since this scoundrel was her mother.
...
No. 116, Yuting Mansion.
Half an hour after Ji Jiazhen arrived, Jiang Wanrong cried in front of her for half an hour, sobbing uncontrollably as if she had suffered a great injustice. But the words she spoke were about asking her for money, and in an outrageous way.
The crying annoyed her, so she retorted sharply, "If all else fails, I'll find you a role. Your crying scenes are more realistic than those of several veteran actors. Once you become famous, the pay will be quite good, enough for what you want."
Jiang Wanrong was speechless at her words, but she still sat next to her and cried. Ji Jiazhen ignored her and looked at her phone without looking up.
“This time we’re really in trouble. The company’s cash flow is terrible, and we’re in a huge deficit. Your Uncle Zhao is working himself to the bone every day, and his hair has turned quite a bit gray. Mom is so worried that she had no other choice but to come to you.”
"If you don't have the money, just sell this house. A house in Yuting Mansion can fetch at least tens of millions. I won't give him a single penny."
Jiang Wanrong took her hand and earnestly advised, "We're family. Uncle Zhao has raised you for so many years, it's only right that you give him some money. Besides, Uncle Zhao is indeed facing some difficulties right now, and Mom is caught in the middle, which is also very difficult for her. Just think of it as doing it for Mom's sake. No matter what, you should call him Dad..."
Jiang Wanrong's words were interrupted by Ji Jiazhen.
What do you want me to call him?
Ji Jiazhen finally raised his head and shifted his gaze from his phone to Jiang Wanrong's face.
Jiang Wanrong's expression froze on her face. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, "Mom isn't..."
"Ms. Jiang, would it be better to call you Mrs. Zhao?"
Ji Jiazhen scanned the woman in front of her, who had an exquisite hairstyle and was extremely well-maintained.
“I haven’t called you Mom for eight years, and I haven’t contacted you for seven years. When I went abroad, you didn’t care, and when I came back, you didn’t come to pick me up. Now that you’re short of money, you’re threatening suicide and begging me to come and lend you money. Am I a money tree or a money-giving Buddha?”
Jiang Wanrong looked embarrassed and was about to speak when Ji Jiazhen cut her off.
"Don't you know in your heart whether you've taken care of me or not? Didn't you already know whether Zhao Yifeng wanted to take care of me or just sleep with me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud bang at the door, and Zhao Yifeng returned.
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Author's Note: Chapter 19 has been deleted from the original version and is no longer available on my end. Those who missed it, please remember to check back on time next time. It's been locked and will no longer be accessible.
Also, I will not and cannot publish the content of this story outside of Jinjiang. JJ does not allow authors to do so, so please don't ask me for it! (orz)
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