Ji Xu'an's footsteps immediately came to a halt. Wen Xueyun seemed to see a flicker of a smile flash through her eyes.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that her presence was somewhat superfluous.
"Aren't you…" going in?
Before she could finish that sentence, Ji Xu'an suddenly raised a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet. Wen Xueyun silently closed her mouth.
She watched with her own eyes as Ji Xu'an stepped back, hiding her figure outside the door. Even if Jiang Jiang were to turn her head at this moment, she would not discover her presence.
Wen Xueyun: ?
Wen Xueyun felt a little dazed. It could not be what she was thinking, could it?
She waited for a while and realized that Ji Xu'an still had not moved. Wen Xueyun had no choice but to accept this fact. Her guess had come true.
Ji Xu'an clearly wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation between Jiang Jiang and that girl. Wen Xueyun felt that she should not be standing here. If she ended up hearing something she should not hear, would that not be very awkward?
But she could not leave either. Ji Xu'an would not let her make a sound. If she went in, Jiang Jiang would definitely stop continuing.
Wen Xueyun felt like she was about to go crazy. She looked at Ji Xu'an's silent profile, and for a moment the filter in her eyes shattered all over the ground.
Was this really something Ji Xu'an would do?
Why were they dragging her into the little fun between the two of them?
She really did not want to have this kind of role!
But Ji Xu'an did not care about her inner turmoil. In fact, their eye contact had only lasted a few seconds. When Ji Xu'an stepped back, the girl sitting beside Jiang Jiang had already begun asking the next question.
"Wow! The word fiancée sounds so impressive. How did you two get together? A family alliance marriage?"
The clothes Jiang Jiang wore and the items she carried were all luxury brands. Ji Xu'an's aura looked even less like that of an ordinary person. The two of them looked like they came from wealthy families.
"Mm… no." Jiang Jiang explained softly, "My sister's family is very rich, but I'm not. After my grandmother passed away, it was my sister's family that took me in."
"Oh—" The girl understood.
She joked, "So you had no way to repay her, and could only offer yourself in return, right?"
As soon as those words were spoken, there was a moment of silence both inside and outside the classroom. Wen Xueyun could clearly feel that Ji Xu'an had become tense.
She withdrew her gaze thoughtfully, suddenly feeling that the two of them might not be as mutually in love as she had imagined.
Otherwise, what was Ji Xu'an afraid of?
Jiang Jiang did not think that much. She lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together slightly. "My sister is really very good to me. As for this matter… the decision isn't up to me."
In other words, she would listen to Ji Xu'an.
Jiang Jiang's words were very ambiguous. It depended entirely on how the listener interpreted them.
At least in her female classmate's view, Jiang Jiang was already living under someone else's roof. Whether she married or not was not something she could decide.
Sigh, Xie Xiao's personality really matched her appearance—inside and out she looked simple and easy to bully.
She rested her chin on her arms and sighed deeply. "Sigh, it's not easy for you."
Jiang Jiang was amused by her. "Actually, it's not as hard as you think."
But the girl only felt that she was putting on a brave face.
Outside the classroom, at the instant she heard that sentence, the upward curve at Ji Xu'an's lips flattened. She stared blankly at the thermos cup in her hand, unable to come back to herself for a long time.
Wen Xueyun also felt that the sentence was a bit strange. It sounded as if Xie Xiao did not truly like Ji Xu'an, but had merely compromised because Ji Xu'an treated her well.
Yet Ji Xu'an clearly looked like she had fallen deeply…
Wen Xueyun clenched her palm. "You…"
She would rather believe that she had misunderstood Jiang Jiang's meaning than believe that from beginning to end it had only been Ji Xu'an's unrequited love.
That was Ji Xu'an.
The person she had cautiously liked for several years.
From the time they met until now, Wen Xueyun had watched Ji Xu'an grow stronger and stronger, and farther and farther away from her. She had always looked up to Ji Xu'an, like gazing at a bright moon hanging high in the sky.
And now someone was telling her that the person she could not have would also lower herself to please someone else. The feeling of longing without fulfillment that she had once tasted, Ji Xu'an might also be experiencing now.
Wen Xueyun only felt it was absurd.
Looking at Ji Xu'an's absent expression, her chest ached heavily. She even wanted to rush in front of Jiang Jiang and say a few good words for Ji Xu'an.
But in fact, Ji Xu'an was not as heartbroken as Wen Xueyun imagined.
Her thoughts were somewhat chaotic, but not purely disappointment. After all, Ji Xu'an had always been very clear that all of Jiang Jiang's choices were made to cooperate with her and Grandmother. Whether it was agreeing to the engagement at the beginning, or later agreeing to cancel the engagement but not make it public, it had always been so.
Ji Xu'an knew that Jiang Jiang simply did not want to disappoint Grandmother. She had never deeply considered this before. But at this moment, Ji Xu'an suddenly had a bold thought.
Was it that no matter how unreasonable the request they made, Jiang Jiang would agree without hesitation?
Did she truly feel no grievance in her heart?
Ji Xu'an could not help thinking—then what about an even more excessive request? Could Jiang Jiang accept that as well?
For example, turning this engagement that existed in name only into a well-known fact?
—
When Ji Xu'an and Wen Xueyun walked into the classroom one after the other, Jiang Jiang felt that the way both of them looked at her was strange.
Ji Xu'an was slightly better. Nothing could be read from her face. But Wen Xueyun's expression was far more obvious. Jiang Jiang vaguely saw something like shock and heartache in her eyes.
Jiang Jiang: ?
But Ji Xu'an did not say much. After placing the cup on Jiang Jiang's desk and giving her a few instructions, she prepared to leave.
"Sister, drive carefully on the way." Jiang Jiang's almond-shaped eyes curved. The smile on her face was sweet and obedient.
Ji Xu'an's heart warmed slightly. "Okay."
She left decisively. Instead, Wen Xueyun looked at Jiang Jiang as if she wanted to speak but hesitated. It seemed she wanted to say something, but because there were others around, she ultimately did not say it, only smiling at Jiang Jiang. The smile was somewhat stiff.
Jiang Jiang opened the thermos and took a sip. The water temperature was just right. She lowered her head and glanced at the time on her phone, roughly guessing what had just happened.
Ji Xu'an had gone for quite a while, and just now she had entered together with Wen Xueyun. That meant she had most likely heard what she had said to her classmate at the door.
No wonder Wen Xueyun had such an expression. She probably thought that the reason she agreed to be with Ji Xu'an was because she had no other choice.
Perhaps Ji Xu'an thought so too.
Jiang Jiang did not intend to explain. Since Ji Xu'an was pretending not to have heard, she would also pretend to be unaware. Besides, she did not think what she had said was wrong.
It depended on how Ji Xu'an chose to interpret it.
Jiang Jiang took a deep breath, put away her thoughts, and began listening seriously to Wen Xueyun's lecture.
…
By the time Ji Xu'an arrived at the company, Secretary Zhao had already been waiting for her for a long time.
"This Saturday you're going on a business trip to City B. I booked the flight for Friday at 2 p.m. Do you think this time is suitable, or do you need to change it?"
A timetable quickly flashed through Ji Xu'an's mind. She thought for a moment. "It's fine."
Secretary Zhao let out a breath of relief and closed the office door behind him. Just as he was about to hand the documents in his hand to Ji Xu'an, he heard his boss say without turning her head, "Book one more ticket."
Secretary Zhao recalled the list of accompanying personnel. Everything seemed to have already been arranged without omission. "Someone else is going as well?"
Ji Xu'an walked to the desk and sat down. "Mm."
She confirmed his question but did not say who. Only then did Secretary Zhao react. Could it be Miss Xie?
Secretary Zhao was not certain, because Ji Xu'an was not someone who acted on emotion. Even if her love was strong, it should not be to the extent of taking someone along for a mere two-day business trip, right?
But then again, that might not be certain. After all, the last time President Ji went on a business trip without Miss Xie, something happened to her. Perhaps President Ji had been bitten by a snake once and feared ropes for ten years.
Secretary Zhao gossiped about his boss's private life in his heart, but answered quickly aloud, "Understood."
Ji Xu'an did not explain to him. She took the documents from Secretary Zhao and instructed at the same time, "Later, notify the heads of each department to come to Conference Room 2 at ten sharp for a meeting."
Secretary Zhao nodded in acknowledgment. Just as he was about to go out and notify the relevant personnel, Ji Xu'an suddenly called him back.
"By the way, how is the hospital side?"
Secretary Zhao turned and met Ji Xu'an's gaze. His footsteps paused. He subtly sensed that President Ji was not in a very pleasant mood.
"Liang Junsheng's condition is relatively stable. There is no immediate danger to his life." Secretary Zhao spoke somewhat euphemistically.
At first glance, it sounded as if Liang Junsheng was doing quite well. But in fact, he was merely not dead.
Ever since Ji Xu'an had arranged for people to take good care of him, Liang Junsheng had begun having nightmares day and night. Because his sleep quality could not be satisfied for a long time, his mental state had deteriorated significantly. In just a few days, he had lost a great deal of weight, and he often muttered nonsense.
In addition, Ji Xu'an had arranged for people to read online comments about him to him every day. Liang Junsheng could not stand anything related to the internet now. As soon as someone took out a phone in front of him, he would scream hysterically.
Previously, some people had thought Liang Junsheng was lucky to have survived such a severe fall. Now, what remained was only sympathy.
Yet everyone remained silent about it. No one thought to speak up for him.
The things Liang Junsheng had done made it impossible for anyone to pity him. Everything he was experiencing now was the retribution he deserved.
Sometimes being alive was more painful than dying. Liang Junsheng had not never thought about suicide, but each time he was "promptly" discovered by the caregivers and bodyguards.
After several attempts, he had gained many more wounds on his body, yet he was still very much alive.
Secretary Zhao knew that someone reported Liang Junsheng's situation to Ji Xu'an every day. Ji Xu'an likely already knew these things. Therefore, he quickly shifted the topic to He Xinyao.
"He Xinyao's family background is far more affluent than that of ordinary people. When she was in school, her personality was somewhat strange. She was quite famous at school. Many students and teachers knew her."
"The He family does not have any direct conflict of interest with our company, nor does it seem like she was bought off by anyone."
Compared to the conspiracy theory Ji Xu'an had speculated about, Secretary Zhao was more inclined to believe that this was purely He Xinyao's personal behavior.
"I've heard that her parents and older brother dote on her very much and rarely interfere in her private matters. President Ji, perhaps it's simply that He Xinyao herself has an issue with Miss Xie. Her family may be unaware."
Since He Xinyao had even forced a classmate to suicide, it did not seem surprising that she would target Miss Xie because she disliked her.
Ji Xu'an had read the information Old Liu had investigated. Combined with what the hospital staff said about He Xinyao having nightmares last night, Ji Xu'an suspected that Jiang Jiang had likely said something to He Xinyao.
Was that what she had concealed last night?
When He Xinyao fell down the stairs, was it really just because she was careless? Or had Jiang Jiang said something that frightened her?
Based on Ji Xu'an's understanding of Jiang Jiang, she was a warmhearted and kind person. If she knew that He Xinyao had committed such a heinous crime, she would certainly not remain indifferent.
However, even if Jiang Jiang had truly done something, Ji Xu'an did not think it was Jiang Jiang's fault. The only thing she was worried about was whether He Xinyao would use this to smear Jiang Jiang.
Moreover, He Xinyao's disgust toward Jiang Jiang came in a way that was far too strange…
Just as Ji Xu'an was frowning and thinking deeply, Secretary Zhao suddenly remembered something. He boldly speculated, "I heard from her former classmates that He Xinyao has a serious internet addiction and never parts with her phone. President Ji, could it be that someone online incited her to go after Miss Xie?"
Isn't there often that kind of news? Some people with antisocial personalities will manipulate teenagers into committing crimes online.
Hearing this, Ji Xu'an's fingertip that had been lightly tapping on the desk paused. She lifted her eyes to look at Secretary Zhao. "Find a way to figure out what's on that voice recorder."
Her intuition told her that something very important must be hidden in the conversation between Jiang Jiang and He Xinyao. Since Jiang Jiang was unwilling to tell her, she could only use other means to find out clearly.
—
After class, Jiang Jiang was called to the office by the counselor. Ji Heyuan followed along as well. She was afraid that the counselor might believe He Xinyao's nonsense and blame Jiang Jiang because of it.
But in fact, she had overthought it. The counselor only wanted to tell Jiang Jiang not to worry about this matter anymore.
"Student He's injuries aren't serious. She's taken a few days off and may come back to class next week."
The counselor comforted Jiang Jiang. "She might have been dazed from the fall last night and said some unfavorable things about you. Don't take it to heart. She has already admitted that she made it all up."
To be honest, the counselor had also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If it really had been Jiang Jiang who pushed He Xinyao, the counselor instead would not have known what to do.
For Ji Xu'an's sake, the school leadership certainly would not let this matter spread and affect Jiang Jiang's normal life at school.
Sometimes reality was just like this. Jiang Jiang's background was stronger than He Xinyao's, so He Xinyao was destined to silently swallow this bitter fruit.
Fortunately, none of this had anything to do with Jiang Jiang.
The school leadership could set their minds at ease, and the counselor did not have to continue suffering the torment of her conscience.
"I heard that there's some conflict between you and Student He. I hope you won't blame her because of this. I will also remind her not to vent her anger on you again."
"If she targets you again afterward, you can also tell me. The faculty won't just sit by and do nothing."
When the counselor said this, she glanced at Ji Heyuan in a seemingly casual way.
Jiang Jiang immediately understood what she meant. The counselor was hinting to her, hoping she would not complain to Ji Xu'an again and would let this matter end here.
After all, if Ji Xu'an continued to pursue it, the leadership would only continue putting pressure on the counselor, and in the end she would very likely be pushed out to take the blame.
Jiang Jiang understood the counselor's difficulty, but she did not agree outright. Instead, she said tactfully, "I don't get to decide this matter. It depends on what Student He wants. I never intended to make trouble with her. It would be best if we could both live in peace, but as for what Student He thinks, I don't know."
Cold sweat almost broke out on the counselor's forehead. "Yes, yes, yes. I will definitely speak clearly to Student He as well."
After coming out of the counselor's office, Ji Heyuan couldn't help giving Jiang Jiang a thumbs-up.
"Not bad, Xie Xiao. I was worried you, this little soft bun, would get bullied. I didn't expect you to be quite tough."
When she heard the counselor speak like that just now, if Jiang Jiang hadn't pressed down on the back of her hand, Ji Heyuan would have nearly snapped back.
From beginning to end, it was He Xinyao who had taken the initiative to cause trouble. Why in the end should Xie Xiao be the one to compromise?
Wasn't it just because they thought Xie Xiao was easy to bully, trying to coax her into obediently listening with a few words? It wasn't that easy.
Ji Heyuan curled her lips. "It's only because I don't have much authority. If it were my sister sitting next to you, do you think she would still dare to say that?"
Jiang Jiang couldn't help laughing. "Alright, I'm not even angry. Don't be unhappy either."
Ji Heyuan didn't dwell on it for long and quickly smiled again. "That annoying person won't be back at school until next week. You can have a few peaceful days."
"Oh right, Xie Xiao, you don't seem to have any more classes this morning, do you? It's only a little past ten. Do you want to come hang out in our dorm for a while?" Ji Heyuan asked.
Jiang Jiang shook her head. "I won't go. I want to visit Grandma at the sanatorium."
Ji Heyuan paused for a moment, her expression a little awkward. "Then… I'll go with you."
Jiang Jiang naturally wouldn't refuse. When getting into the car, she asked casually, "You've been spending time with me a lot lately. Does Miss Zheng have any objections?"
Only then did Ji Heyuan remember that she still hadn't replied to Zheng Zhouzhou's messages.
Her mind had been preoccupied with serious matters just now, and she had almost forgotten about last night's dream. Hearing Jiang Jiang mention Zheng Zhouzhou now, Ji Heyuan became uncomfortable again.
"Why would she have any objections?" Ji Heyuan said this aloud, but still took out her phone, opened WeChat, and sent Zheng Zhouzhou a "Good morning."
Zheng Zhouzhou replied almost instantly.
[Zheng Zhouzhou: I thought you were planning to ignore me for the rest of your life.]
As soon as Ji Heyuan saw her sarcastic tone, her interest immediately faded.
That was why she didn't like replying to Zheng Zhouzhou's messages. Every time it was either an argument or veiled sarcasm. Zheng Zhouzhou might not be tired of saying it, but Ji Heyuan was already tired of hearing it.
[Ji Heyuan: Something happened last night, so I didn't have time to reply to you.]
She briefly explained what had happened last night. Of course, in Ji Heyuan's account, all the blame fell on He Xinyao. At the end, Ji Heyuan couldn't help complaining a few times.
[Ji Heyuan: Targeting someone for no reason. There must be something wrong with her brain.]
When she said this, she had no intention whatsoever of implying anything about Zheng Zhouzhou, but in Zheng Zhouzhou's eyes, Ji Heyuan was clearly criticizing her indirectly.
She suppressed her dissatisfaction and replied:
[Zheng Zhouzhou: Luckily Miss Xie is fine.]
Ji Heyuan felt something was strange. Those words had actually come out of Zheng Zhouzhou's mouth? Since when did she care so much about Xie Xiao?
Ji Heyuan typed slowly.
[Ji Heyuan: Indeed. Xie Xiao's luck has always been quite good.]
Zheng Zhouzhou thought to herself, how could Xie Xiao's luck be bad? She was the female lead!
But she had been waiting for Ji Heyuan to say that sentence. Almost as soon as Ji Heyuan's message was sent, Zheng Zhouzhou replied.
[Zheng Zhouzhou: Miss Xie's luck is indeed unmatched. I still remember you used to speak ill of her in front of me. Not long after that, you injured your leg from a fall. Maybe everyone who targets Miss Xie will end up accidentally falling.]
Ji Heyuan froze.
She recalled the firm look in He Xinyao's eyes when she said someone had pushed her last night. A chill suddenly crept up her back.
When she had fallen before, she had also felt as if someone had kicked her calf. It was very similar to He Xinyao's experience last night.
Previously, Ji Heyuan had only been busy being angry and hadn't thought about the similarities between the two incidents. Now that Zheng Zhouzhou pointed it out, Ji Heyuan realized how coincidental it all seemed.
Could it be that Xie Xiao really had some kind of guardian spirit?
Ji Heyuan suddenly thought of someone—Xie Xiao's grandmother, Fang Xunchun.
It was said that she understood some metaphysical knowledge. Not only could she read feng shui, she could even calculate other people's fates. Wasn't her sister's engagement to Xie Xiao arranged in this way?
Ji Heyuan had always scoffed at this before, but now she felt a bit doubtful. Could it be that the one who had always been protecting Xie Xiao was her grandmother?
So everyone who offended Xie Xiao would suffer retribution—not only her and He Xinyao, but Liang Junsheng as well.
Otherwise, how was it that Xie Xiao had only sprained her ankle, while Liang Junsheng had fallen so severely?
Ji Heyuan shivered. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Jiang Jiang's wrist, her tone extremely fawning. "Xie Xiao—no, Sister Xie. Before, I failed to recognize Mount Tai (a person of great importance, talent, or status) and offended you. You're not angry with me, right?"
Jiang Jiang glanced subtly at the phone resting on Ji Heyuan's lap, then looked at her with confusion. "Little Yuan, I'm not angry with you. You don't need to be like this."
Ji Heyuan muttered mysteriously, "That's good, that's good."
She clasped her hands together and whispered very softly, "Grandma Fang, you heard it. Xie Xiao isn't angry. I already know I was wrong. You mustn't punish me for this anymore."
Jiang Jiang: …
She could roughly guess why Ji Heyuan had gone crazy. Zheng Zhouzhou must have said something to her.
When she chose to use the same method again against He Xinyao, Jiang Jiang had already guessed that Zheng Zhouzhou would definitely not let go of this opportunity to let Ji Heyuan see her true face clearly.
However, judging from Ji Heyuan's reaction, Zheng Zhouzhou was probably going to be disappointed.
Jiang Jiang couldn't help curving her lips slightly.
Sure enough, a moment later, when Zheng Zhouzhou received Ji Heyuan's latest reply, she was almost angered to the point of vomiting blood.
[Ji Heyuan: Zhouzhou, thank you for reminding me. For the sake of my little life, I'll definitely treat Xie Xiao even better in the future!]
[Ji Heyuan: You should stop going against Xie Xiao too. She really has a guardian spirit!]
Ji Heyuan swore that her reminder was absolutely sincere, but unfortunately Zheng Zhouzhou seemed unable to appreciate her good intentions.
[Zheng Zhouzhou: How else do you plan to treat her well? Don't forget, she's your sister's fiancée.]
That sentence seemed to overlap with last night's dream. Ji Heyuan's smile instantly froze on her face.
Jiang Jiang, sitting beside her, was completely unaware and even added fuel to the fire.
"I've long forgotten about the past. At least you treat me very well now…"
Old Liu in the driver's seat silently cast a curious glance over.
Ji Heyuan's smile was extremely stiff. She felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, as though in the next second Ji Xu'an would deal with her as a love rival.
"Not really…" Ji Heyuan forced a laugh and desperately tried to salvage the situation. "I definitely can't compare to my sister!"
Xie Xiao and her sister were true love. She was merely a witness to their love!
Jiang Jiang frowned slightly. She looked at Ji Heyuan, her eyes seeming to carry a deeper meaning. "That's different, little Yuan."
"Why would you compare yourself to my sister?"
Hearing this, Old Liu's gaze also turned strange.
That's right. The second young miss was just the younger sister-in-law. What was there to compare between her and President Ji's fiancée?
Could it be that she…
Old Liu instantly withdrew his gaze. Then, the partition between the front and back seats slowly rose.
Ji Heyuan: …
There's nothing you can't hear. Hurry up and raise it!!
Ji Heyuan didn't even know how to explain. She looked at Jiang Jiang with a numb expression. "I never thought about comparing myself to my sister…"
As she was speaking, the phone resting on her lap suddenly rang. The vibration startled Ji Heyuan. She hurriedly picked up the phone, but in the next second, she put it down even faster.
Seeing her horrified expression, Jiang Jiang curiously leaned over to take a glance, then the corners of her lips curved slightly.
"Little Yuan, it's my sister calling. Aren't you going to answer?"
—
Author's Note:
Little bird, you're sweating bullets now, aren't you?
—
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