Chapter 48 Suspicion "Miss, the master has come to pick you up in person..."
The following day at noon, Meng Cenjun came to say goodbye.
The old lady was in the dining room. Seeing that he had already changed into a formal suit, she simply told him to sit down.
Meng Cenjun knew she had something to say, and the two sat facing each other across a large ebony round table.
"Have you figured it out?"
He hesitated for a moment, then said only, "I want to go back; I have some things to take care of at the company."
The old lady snorted, seemingly not intending to take her words to heart.
"Lan Jia and I spoke on the phone yesterday, and she kept making a scene, demanding that I let you go back. Was that your idea?"
Seeing that she had gotten straight to the point, he didn't need to hide anything. "I just want to prove that I have absolutely no intention of getting involved with anything related to the Yi family." He was willing to give up all the money and shares. If she gave the order, he could even resign from all his positions and leave Payne. He was showing such loyalty, so sincerely removing all the thorns and claws, just to let her know that he had nothing and was not even a threat. He was also begging her to be merciful and let him go, and to let Lan Jia go too.
"Don't want anything?" The old woman laughed coldly. With Lan Jia as his crutch, of course he could give up everything.
"You were quite willing to take the gamble. Now you've got what you wanted; she has feelings for you."
"I'm really disappointed in you for using your schemes against your own people."
For the past decade, the two have maintained a distant yet peaceful relationship. These words, however, represent a complete breakdown in relations and show a lack of politeness.
Faced with the old lady's questioning, Meng Cenjun remained silent and agreed to everything. He had indeed acted out of self-interest, and he had always felt deeply ashamed.
Seeing that he was unyielding and had already decided to push her into a dead end, the old lady glared at him with a sullen face, her chest heaving.
Just then, a servant brought up a tray, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Grandma, the ginseng soup is ready."
She has been a vegetarian for a long time, but she is getting old and has gotten used to taking ginseng soup to nourish herself and keep her spirits up.
A small bowl was placed in front of her. The old lady calmed her breathing, lowered her head to drink the soup, and ignored him.
When Meng Cenjun saw her full head of silver hair, he couldn't help but feel bad. Unfortunately, he didn't have Lan Jia's quick wit, nor did he have the right to speak sweet words. He couldn't say anything to comfort her, so he could only sit stiffly like a wooden puppet, waiting for her to decide his fate.
Steaming hot, the old lady blew on it with her pointed lips and drank it spoonful by spoonful.
He lowered his eyes and thought to himself that if Lan Jia were here, she would probably have already become restless. If she were here, she could easily pull him away from the table.
Lan Jia, Lan Jia, his heart was already restless, on its way home.
After a while, she had drunk most of the soup. The servants left, and the old lady wiped her mouth with a silk handkerchief before speaking: "Company affairs are complicated, you should go home early. I always serve vegetarian food here, so I won't keep you for dinner."
Meng Cenjun nodded and was about to get up to say goodbye when she heard Lan Jia say softly, "Lan Jia is still young and fickle. She may have someone in her heart today, but she might have someone else tomorrow. When she's happy, she might say a few sweet nothings like a child, but don't take it too seriously."
He clenched his fists and refrained from refuting.
"I know you won't listen to anything I say now, but I have one last piece of advice."
"To outsiders, you are still siblings. For the sake of each other's future and reputation, you should abide by the rules and not cross the line when necessary."
"Yes." She was his sister, and he hadn't originally planned to go that far.
"Alright, I know you're eager to go home too, let's go."
Meng Cenjun stood up and said with difficulty, "Please take good care of yourself."
The old lady was only focused on fiddling with the prayer beads on her wrist, no longer even glancing at him.
Only after Meng Cenjun had walked away did she let out a mocking snort.
Today, this cause and effect has been planted in his heart, and all that remains is for it to take root and sprout.
These two are a paranoid pair, one suspicious and the other distracted; who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause in the future?
She'll wait and see, until the day they regret it.
At this time, Lan Jia was unaware that someone had caused such unpleasantness for her sake. Due to the shortage of staff in the costume department, she suddenly became a temporary leader overnight. Although she only had a subordinate, Song Qingqu, to do her bidding, she was already very happy and proud to have tasted the sweetness of power.
More importantly, Jingwei had successfully passed the interview and was going to join the film crew. Nothing is more exciting than working with a good friend, and Lan Jia had a smile on her face after a busy morning.
In the afternoon, when things were quieter, Lan Jia had given advance notice to Jing Wei to come and report for duty at this time, so that she would have time to show her around the environment.
Upon receiving the call, Lan Jia excitedly rushed downstairs, leaving her younger brother, Song Qingqu, with no choice but to accompany her to pick up the person.
A taxi drove into the cobblestone street, stopped, and a girl in a dark blue dress got out, carrying a small white goatskin bag over one shoulder. She was so fair that she seemed to glow in the sunlight.
Ruan Jingwei looked around nervously, and only when she heard a familiar voice did she look around.
"Jingwei!"
Lan Jia waved and jogged over.
She had barely smiled when a soft body rushed over and hugged her tightly.
"I've been waiting for you for so long."
Lan Jia let go of her hand and said to her with a grin.
The taxi started moving and drove out of the alley. Lan Jia saw it and casually asked, "Where's your driver?"
"My brother called me away," Ruan Jingwei said in a low voice.
It was her good-for-nothing brother again. Lan Jia felt a little resentful, but knowing that her brother didn't want to talk about it, she didn't say anything more.
"From now on, let's go home together after get off work."
Ruan Jingwei nodded.
"By the way, let me introduce you to another colleague." Lan Jia stepped aside, making way for Song Qingqu.
"Hello, my name is Song Qingqu." He glanced at Lan Jia and smiled, "I'm one of her underlings."
Ruan Jingwei gave a shy smile and took his outstretched hand, but in her heart she thought: the two of them were already so familiar with each other, while she had joined halfway through, it was as if she had appeared out of nowhere, an inappropriate piece of the puzzle. For a moment, that feeling of unfamiliarity and unease grew stronger.
Song Qingqu scrutinized the two of them closely and said jokingly, "You two look so alike, like twins."
"Really?" Lan Jia pricked up her ears and was the first to respond.
"Hmm...when he doesn't make any expression, his eyebrows and face shape are very similar."
Lan Jia tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Ruan Jingwei, what a beauty! Her heart fluttered with joy, like a little bird taking flight.
Hearing this, Ruan Jingwei also turned to look at Lan Jia. She saw that Lan Jia was simply dressed and had no makeup on, but her little shirt was the most vibrant pale yellow. She had fair skin and two sweet dimples when she smiled, like fragrant gardenias.
She still had that innocent and bright appearance. How could she possibly resemble her?
As she was thinking this gloomily, Lan Jia took her arm again, her soft, warm skin pressing intimately against hers. She suddenly felt an uncomfortable unease and had to take two steps forward, prompting Lan Jia to let go of her arm.
"It's getting late, should I go report for duty first?"
Lan Jia smacked her forehead. "Right, I almost forgot about the important matter!"
The two people surrounded Ruan Jingwei and entered the residential building of the film crew together.
After the process was completed, Lan Jia handed her the employee badge and said with a smile, "Next, I'm going to start modifying you."
Song Qingqu, leaning against the doorframe, also smiled, remembering Lan Jia's awkwardness on her first day reporting for duty. "Your hair is long, which is inconvenient at work. You can tie it up later." Seeing that she didn't bring a hair tie, Lan Jia handed her a spare melon-colored hair clip. "You can use this for today."
Ruan Jingwei nodded.
Lan Jia stroked her chin and said, "A skirt isn't very convenient either, a simple short-sleeved shirt and shorts will do." She then added, "Anyway, you look good in anything."
Ruan Jingwei pursed her lips tightly; she had spent a long time choosing her clothes before leaving the house today.
"Finally... let's get our bags replaced too." Lan Jia excitedly showed her his canvas bags. "I bought a whole bunch, they're sturdy and durable, essentials for work. If you want them, I'll bring a few over for you tomorrow!"
Ruan Jingwei gripped the shoulder strap of her handbag and forced a smile: "It's okay, no need, I'll change it tomorrow."
Standing there, she felt as if she were on Lan Jia's private property, feeling utterly alone and vulnerable, at Lan Jia's mercy, being scrutinized and dressed according to her whims. Every word Lan Jia spoke to her felt like a lord issuing orders to an outsider, and she felt inexplicably repulsed. She felt as if even the air in this cramped and messy room was thin, and she was at a loss, as if even her oxygen had been taken away from her.
Back in school, Lan Jiaxin would tailor clothes and often use her as a model, her hands moving freely, making her turn this way and that. She often said that Lan Jiaxin was her muse, but in Lan Jiaxin's eyes, she felt no different from a puppet. Perhaps Lan Jiaxin was just a tool for Lan Jiaxin to showcase her work? And now, Lan Jiaxin was the object of Lan Jiaxin's power? Ruan Jingwei couldn't help but start speculating again.
"Jingwei, are you alright?" Lan Jia asked with concern when she saw that Jingwei didn't look well.
"It's nothing, it's just too hot," she casually made up an excuse.
“That’s how it is in old residential buildings; the air conditioners are old and not very powerful. Qingqu, could you please get a bottle of ice water from the refrigerator?”
"Thanks."
"You can come with me this afternoon. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
Ruan Jingwei nodded.
Lan Jia held her hand and said sincerely, "Jingwei, I'm so glad you could come."
She smiled and subtly changed the subject, "I brought some homemade canelés, why don't you share them?"
"Great! My favorite!" Lan Jia's eyes lit up at the mention of sweets.
When Song Qingqu returned with the water, he politely declined, saying, "Thank you, but I don't like sweets."
Ruan Jingwei met his thoughtful gaze and awkwardly looked away.
After a busy day at work, Lan Jia and Ruan Jingwei hadn't eaten dinner because they had arranged to have French food together.
After calling Aunt Ming to inform her, the two left the film crew together.
We still had to walk along the bluestone path to the big banyan tree. Ever since Lan Jia protested, Zuo Tai had been parking his car far away.
But just as they were halfway there, Zuo Tai called.
"Miss, the master has come to pick you up in person."
Lan Jia was first stunned, then overjoyed. Meng Cenjun had actually returned!
But after calming down, she faced another dilemma. She had already promised Jingwei.
"What's wrong?" the person next to me asked softly.
After a difficult internal struggle, Lan Jia finally apologized with a bitter face: "I'm sorry, Jingwei, I probably can't have dinner with you."
"Why?"
“My brother is coming back from a business trip and is picking me up on the way.”
"Oh, it's alright, then go ahead." She said indifferently.
Lan Jia's emotions were fluctuating wildly, so she naturally didn't notice the disappointment and displeasure hidden in her voice.
"Should I go? Jingwei, are you really okay?"
"Okay, I can go home by myself."
"Am I really going?" She still looked at her with some unease.
Ruan Jingwei was genuinely helpless this time, and forced a smile: "Go ahead, I can manage on my own."
"Then just walk all the way to the alley entrance; it's convenient to catch a bus there."
"good."
"Let's meet again tomorrow!"
After saying goodbye to her, Lan Jia ran off like a happy rabbit.
He ran a short distance away, then turned back and waved to her.
Ruan Jingwei nodded to her and sighed.
How wonderful it is to have family members come to pick you up.
Clutching the shoulder strap of his bag, he continued walking forward, feeling lost and dejected, when he stepped on something that seemed to have bumped into him.
She looked down and saw a pink octopus-shaped plush keychain. After examining it, she recognized it as one of Lan Jia's personal items; she had always liked these little things.
Ruan Jingwei picked it up, dusted it off, and put it in her bag.
As I reached the alley entrance and took out my phone to call a taxi, I saw a black sedan with consecutive license plates gliding towards me.
The burly driver approached and politely asked, "Are you Miss Ruan?"
Ruan Jingwei responded blankly, and saw that he had already opened the back door of the car. "Miss Lan Jia instructed me to take you home safely."
A moment later, she got into the car feeling dizzy, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Author's Note: The next chapter will feature a sweet sibling relationship [milk tea emoji].
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