Chapter 61 Coveting My Beloved: "Did I hurt you?"
Lan Jia never expected things to turn out this way. She had only come to discuss serious matters, but in the end, he held her tightly and wouldn't let go.
Kissing is something that takes practice, and once she got him started, there was no stopping him.
In fact, she reached her limit several times during the process, and in the chaos, she even knocked over a coffee cup. But Meng Cenjun didn't seem to have any intention of letting her go. This sudden little episode only stimulated him to be more intimate and passionate.
Lan Jia was also discovering for the first time that Meng Cenjun was not as ascetic and rigid as he appeared. She also deeply felt the oppressive and predatory feeling that the significant age gap brought her. She had broken his vow, like opening Pandora's box, and perhaps endless troubles awaited her.
Her lips parted, she gasped for breath, and with red eyes, she called out, "Brother..."
Meng Cenjun gently rubbed her moist, full lips with his fingertips: "Did I hurt you?"
"I never expected you to be like this," she complained, sounding a little aggrieved.
"So what kind of person do you want me to be?"
Without hesitation, Lan Jia raised her chin and said, "I want you to listen to me."
Meng Cenjun smiled: "If you can meet my requirements, then I will listen to you."
"for example?"
"You must always put me first."
Lan Jia pondered his unusual behavior, and then it dawned on her. She asked in surprise, "Are you jealous?" Jealous that she brought someone back without telling him? Or jealous that he came to please her for someone else's sake?
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
Lan Jia paused for a moment before saying, "Jingwei is a girl, and now she's facing difficulties. Don't make things harder for her."
Seeing her eagerness to defend him and her misinterpretation of him, Meng Cenjun said in a calm tone, "I promised to resolve her matter."
Lan Jia observed his facial expression and sensed that he was displeased, as if he wanted to get rid of the person rather than resolve the issue. A sense of unease immediately arose in her heart. However, thinking that he wouldn't break his word, she reluctantly calmed down and said, "Okay, I believe you."
Lan Jia felt she had been with him for too long and couldn't keep ignoring Jing Wei. Seeing that the matter was settled, she was about to get up and leave, but Meng Cenjun still wouldn't let go.
"What?" she asked, puzzled.
Meng Cenjun looked at her earnestly: "Once you're done with this busy period, let's plan a trip, okay?"
Lan Jia was surprised and laughed, "When did a workaholic change his ways?"
"I just realized what's most important and adjusted the balance between work and life accordingly."
She was naturally happy and readily agreed. The two of them lingered for a while longer before stopping.
Meng Cenjun still had things to finish, so Lan Jia stood up and left the study with weak legs.
He stared at her back, and the thought of the way she had been peeping at him from the doorway cast a shadow over him.
On her way back to her room, Lan Jia felt inexplicably uneasy, fearing that the matter might not be resolved. She knew Meng Cenjun well; once he formed a prejudice against a person or thing, it was difficult to reverse the impression. Now, even if she spared a little more attention, he would take it out on the people around her. It was hard to imagine how he would handle Ruan Jingwei's situation.
She figured that since Meng Cenjun wouldn't let her get involved openly, she would secretly contribute in her own way.
Because he was preoccupied with his own thoughts, he didn't pay much attention to Ruan Jingwei's unusual behavior.
Lan Jia assumed that she was still troubled by the marriage arrangement, so she gently comforted her for a few moments, then asked the maid to come up and change the bedding before letting her hair down and going to the bathroom.
After taking a shower, I went to the walk-in closet and saw about a dozen rare bags that had been sitting in a glass cabinet and had never been taken out. I also opened the jewelry cabinet and saw that many of the high-end jewelry pieces were gifts from my family and I never had the occasion to wear them. They were just a bunch of cold, lifeless things. I thought I might as well use them to make some money.
If she uses the funds in the account, Meng Cenjun will definitely know. These are the only things she can freely dispose of. She might as well take advantage of her day off tomorrow to get this done.
Lan Jia had made up her mind, while Ruan Jingwei was still hesitating.
They had originally planned to target Meng Cenjun, but they had just stumbled upon the siblings' secret and he happened to discover it. He might hold a grudge, let alone help her resolve the Shen family's marriage arrangements. As for Yi Lanjia, she seemed indecisive. With this, that path was completely blocked, and the Yi family could no longer remain there.
But besides Yi Lanjia, who else could she turn to for help? Was she really going to marry that scoundrel Shen Kuo?
She was unwilling to accept it!
"Still thinking about it?" Lan Jia dried her hair, lifted the covers, and lay down in bed.
Ruan Jingwei was in no mood to respond to her at the moment, and only gave a bitter smile.
Lan Jia asked her, "Have you ever thought about leaving your current family?"
She paused, seemingly finding it unrealistic: "Where can I go if I leave them? As long as I'm on the Li River, they'll still try every means to bring me back."
"Or go to a city where nobody knows you and start over?"
Ruan Jingwei remained silent. Although her family wasn't wealthy, they had allowed her to live as a pampered young lady for over twenty years in order to fetch a good price in the future. She was already used to being supported by others, and if she were to start earning money with her own hands, she might not be able to accept a lower standard of living for the time being.
But of course she wouldn't tell Lan Jia the truth, so she said, "If I leave here and live in anonymity, won't I never see you again?"
Lan Jia was deeply moved. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Lan Jia's waist, snuggling close to her affectionately. "I don't want to part with you either. I don't want you to leave."
"Marriage is a matter of free choice. How can there be any forced marriage? If anyone should leave, it should be Shen Kuo. Why should we avoid him like the plague?"
Hearing this, Ruan Jingwei said sadly, "That's because I have no right to refuse, I have no power in my hands, and I can only be manipulated by others."
"Lan Jia, what about you? Have you ever thought about going out and making your own way in the world?"
"Hmm...yes, I want to stay in New York and work as a designer, open my own studio, personally design many beautiful costumes, and I also want to win major awards, stand in the spotlight, and climb to even higher stages..."
"If you were to live in the United States long-term, I'm afraid your family wouldn't agree, would they?" Ruan Jingwei thought of the look in Meng Cenjun's eyes when he looked over at the door of the study. The hostility and strong possessiveness were striking straight to the heart, as if warning her not to covet his beloved possessions.
She was still shocked. This shouldn't be the kind of feelings a brother should have for his sister; it was so pathological that he viewed everyone around his sister as an enemy, regardless of gender. She couldn't say for sure who had seduced whom in this forbidden relationship, but she always felt that Meng Cenyun was a very scary person. Spending too much time with him might even erode her freedom.
But she wouldn't say much in front of Lan Jia, partly because she was afraid Meng Cenjun would cause her trouble.
After some thought, Lan Jia also felt downcast. Pine's headquarters were in Lijiang, and Meng Cenjun couldn't possibly abandon everything to go abroad with her. As for her grandmother, she only wanted her to have a stable life after marriage and would never agree to her running around the world pursuing her ideals.
You can't have your cake and eat it too; you always have to make choices when you want something. Fortunately, she hasn't graduated yet, so she has enough time to think and discuss who should make concessions.
She reached out and turned off the lamp, saying, "If they don't agree, I'll do everything I can to make them agree. If they want to form a marriage alliance with the Shen family, then we'll do everything we can to prevent them from succeeding."
Lan Jia leaned her head against hers and said in a gentle voice, "Jingwei, no matter what, you have me. I will do my best to help you with your difficulties."
In the darkness, Ruan Jingwei gave a muffled "hmm," her eyes slightly moist.
The two lay side by side, Lan Jia's body heat radiating through them, warm and vibrant. In this ephemeral world, only this touch was real and reliable. Perhaps Lan Jia truly cared for her, but her strength was too small to help her much.
Ruan Jingwei recalled the events of the day from beginning to end, and felt even more ashamed when she thought about those vicious and absurd thoughts.
The next morning, both of them took the day off, and Lan Jia had the maid bring breakfast to their room.
As they were eating, Lan Jia said apologetically, "I have to go out today and won't be able to stay home with you. If you need anything, just ask Aunt Ming or any of the maids. There's a media room in the house, and my study on the third floor. If you're bored, you can go there to pass the time..."
After listening to her rambling explanation, Ruan Jingwei smiled and told her to go about her business. Actually, she was also willing to stay at the Yi family's residence, because she was afraid that Shen Kuo would cause trouble again.
Lan Jia then instructed, "Then you must wait for me at home. I have something for you tonight."
Ruan Jingwei nodded, and after breakfast, she saw her carrying a heavy bag as she went out.
When they arrived at the door, the car was already waiting. Lan Jia got into the passenger seat, and Qiao Zimu complained beside her, "It's really not easy to get you to come out, Miss."
Although both families live on Anfeng Road, they have been so busy lately that they haven't been able to meet at all.
Lan Jia tossed the large bag onto the back seat and said irritably, "Alright, stop joking. We're here on business today. How are those private sellers I asked you to contact doing?"
"Don't worry, it's all taken care of. They're all super-rich women in my sister-in-law's circle, they're generous and quick to spend." Qiao Zimu thought for a moment, then asked with some concern, "Why are you in such a hurry to sell? Don't you always like those jewels? Some of them were even your birthday gifts, it hurts me to look at them. Lan Jia, if you need money, I can just transfer it to you directly."
"Just let me sell it for a good price, and don't ask me anything else."
After saying that, Lan Jia felt her tone was too harsh, so she softened it and said, "Xiao Qiao, this matter can't be known by anyone else. I only asked you to help me because I trust you. After it's done, I'll treat you to dinner, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Zimu was instantly appeased, as if he had returned to his childhood, when he and Lan Jia were playing pranks together. A smile appeared on his face, and he immediately started the car with great joy.
Seeing the Bentley drive away, Zuo Tai picked up his phone and put it to his ear: "Sir, Miss doesn't allow anyone to follow."
A voice came through the receiver: "Then make it more discreet."
Zuo Tai agreed and followed Lan Jia at a distance.
The weather was great today, and the sun was blazing. After traveling to and from various places, Lan Jia was exhausted and her mouth was dry. Fortunately, Qiao Zimu was sweet-talking and quick-witted, and helped her negotiate the price. They managed to pass the time for half a day and made quite a profit.
At this moment, Ruan Jingwei was holed up in Lan Jia's study, holding a fashion magazine to pass the time. Not wanting to bother anyone, she hadn't asked the servants to do anything since Lan Jia left, and planned to just stay here and pass the day.
But to my surprise, after sitting for only a short while, a maid knocked on the door and came in, saying, "Miss Ruan, your car is ready."
Ruan Jingwei was immediately terrified.
She wasn't afraid of her family, much less of Shen Kuo.
What she feared was that Meng Cenjun would come after her!
Author's Note: The darker side of my personality is gradually being revealed. [Poor thing]
I'd also like to recommend another great song, About You - The 1975. The female vocals at 03:05 are absolutely stunning!
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