As for what Ji Xu'an was thinking, Jiang Jiang did not know. In any case, when signing the agreement, there was not the slightest trace of reluctance on Ji Xu'an's face; she was even rather proactive.
This made Jiang Jiang recall when the two of them had just met. Ji Xu'an had repeatedly warned her not to attempt to covet the Ji family's property.
Who would have thought that now, it was Ji Xu'an who was taking the initiative to transfer everything under her name to Jiang Jiang?
Back then, Ji Xu'an probably could not have imagined that such a day would come.
Jiang Jiang's mood was somewhat complicated, but Old Madam Ji clearly supported Ji Xu'an's decision as well. In the end, Jiang Jiang did not raise any objections and, in front of everyone, signed her name on the agreement.
The agreement was made in duplicate. Jiang Jiang and Ji Xu'an each held one copy.
Watching Ji Xu'an carefully tuck one copy of the agreement into her bag, Jiang Jiang also silently put away the other copy.
Old Madam Ji looked at the two of them cheerfully. "Xu'an, remember to notify little Yuan. Tonight our whole family will have a meal together."
"Alright," Ji Xu'an responded.
The curve of her lips never fell. Her gaze lingered on Jiang Jiang for a long time, her eyes hiding a certain ardor and anticipation.
Even without looking at Ji Xu'an, Jiang Jiang could feel her good mood at this moment.
For some reason, it felt as though her cheeks had been brushed by warm air, and a brilliant blush climbed up from her neck.
Old Madam Ji watched this scene and smiled without speaking.
Everyone was smiling, so Jiang Jiang also curved her lips slightly. She looked up at the gentle sunlight overhead, and an inexplicable emotion was fermenting in her heart.
Transferring property ownership was a troublesome matter and not something that had to be rushed. After putting away the agreement, the three of them discussed the engagement banquet.
Ji Xu'an's intention was to make it grand, preferably inviting everyone they knew. But in that case, the preparation time would become longer.
Old Madam Ji did not involve herself in the matter and left it entirely to Jiang Jiang and Ji Xu'an to discuss. Jiang Jiang had no objections and said everything would follow Ji Xu'an's decision.
So in the end, the engagement banquet was set for before the New Year, around mid-December.
Jiang Jiang thought that time happened to coincide with when Old Madam Ji passed away in the original novel. Perhaps this event could bring some joy and help Grandma safely get through that calamity.
Ji Xu'an did not know Jiang Jiang's plan, but when she saw Jiang Jiang nod in agreement, her mood became even more urgent.
If Secretary Zhao had not called Ji Xu'an again, Ji Xu'an might have forgotten about everyone else for the moment.
"I'll go take a call first." Ji Xu'an picked up her phone and informed Jiang Jiang.
Old Madam Ji and Jiang Jiang were both sitting to the side, but when Ji Xu'an spoke, she only looked at Jiang Jiang. Jiang Jiang felt an inexplicable awkwardness, especially when she saw Old Madam Ji looking at her teasingly. The blush on Jiang Jiang's face deepened.
There was nothing ambiguous in Ji Xu'an's words, yet her attitude itself gave off a distinctly ambiguous feeling, as though between the two of them, she and Jiang Jiang were closer.
Old Madam Ji knew Jiang Jiang was thin-skinned and did not say anything further, instead asking about Jiang Jiang's life at school.
On the other side, Ji Xu'an answered the call. From the receiver, Secretary Zhao let out a sigh of relief.
"Those two finally left." Secretary Zhao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "But before leaving, Arkle's bodyguard said something to him. His expression didn't look too good."
Secretary Zhao paused and lowered his voice. "I suspect what he said is related to Miss Xie."
He relayed what Arkle had said before leaving to Ji Xu'an.
The smile on Ji Xu'an's face faded. She pondered for a moment. "Go to the relevant person in charge at S University and get today's noon surveillance footage."
Although Jiang Jiang had said that the person Arkle sent only followed her for a while and did not harm her, Ji Xu'an suspected that the other party had done far more than that.
Jiang Jiang perhaps did not want her to worry, so she had deliberately concealed the matter.
For some reason, Ji Xu'an suddenly felt uneasy. She rubbed her brow and softly instructed Secretary Zhao, "Don't let Jiang Jiang know about this for now."
"Understood," Secretary Zhao replied.
After discussing this matter, Ji Xu'an changed the topic. "By the way, help me find a wedding planning company. One with a good reputation."
Secretary Zhao was stunned at first, then seemed to realize something. Half surprised and half probing, he asked, "Is something good about to happen between you and Miss Xie?"
A smile gathered on Ji Xu'an's face again. Her tone remained as calm as ever, but Secretary Zhao felt he could hear a trace of pride and smugness.
"Yes. The engagement banquet will be held before the New Year."
Single dog Secretary Zhao twitched the corner of his mouth. He was busy with work every day, so busy he had no time to date. He was still single, yet his boss was getting engaged.
Ji Xu'an did not care how resentful Secretary Zhao felt and continued instructing him, "I want to propose first. Contact the wedding planning company as soon as possible. It's best if they can come up with a suitable plan before the end of this month."
Secretary Zhao felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier. Like an emotionless tool, he said, "Yes, President Ji. Don't worry. I'll arrange it as soon as possible."
After hanging up, Ji Xu'an took a deep breath. Once she steadied her emotions, she turned around to go back to Jiang Jiang.
As soon as she turned, she saw Jiang Jiang standing not far away, her almond-shaped eyes curved, quietly watching her.
Ji Xu'an's heart panicked for a moment. She did not know when Jiang Jiang had come, nor was she certain how much Jiang Jiang had heard.
Feeling guilty, Ji Xu'an restrained the smile on her face, her expression becoming somewhat solemn.
Jiang Jiang, however, mistakenly thought this series of reactions meant Ji Xu'an was displeased. After all, Ji Xu'an lost her smile the moment she saw her. Anyone would misunderstand.
Jiang Jiang thought that Ji Xu'an had always been someone with a strong sense of wariness. It was perfectly normal for her to be unhappy because she had "overheard" her call.
But Jiang Jiang had truly just arrived and had not heard much. She had only vaguely caught Ji Xu'an's last sentence, something about making sure the other party produced a suitable solution.
That was clearly work-related. Jiang Jiang did not pay much attention to it and quickly put it out of her mind.
Ji Xu'an remained silent. Jiang Jiang became more certain that her mood was bad. She pressed her lips together and spoke first to break the silence.
"Elder sister, Grandma said she's a bit tired and wants to take a nap."
She was explaining why she had appeared there.
When Ji Xu'an had been silent, she was actually carefully observing Jiang Jiang's reaction. After confirming again and again, she still did not see any surprise or anticipation in Jiang Jiang's eyes.
It seemed Jiang Jiang had not heard her mention "proposing."
Ji Xu'an silently let out a breath. The corner of her lips lifted slightly again. "Mm, then let's not disturb her."
Their relationship had just undergone a change. Although Ji Xu'an said she wanted to date Jiang Jiang, she did not actually know how to get along with her.
But instinctively, Ji Xu'an did not want to part with Jiang Jiang so soon. Even if they did nothing, she wanted to stay with her a little longer.
So Ji Xu'an suggested, "The weather is nice today. Do you want to take a walk by the lake?"
It was hard to imagine Ji Xu'an saying something like this. She was usually so busy that one could hardly see her, and she had just been discussing work on the phone. Yet now she had the leisure to invite Jiang Jiang for a walk.
Jiang Jiang guessed that Ji Xu'an might have something to say to her.
Could it be about Zheng Zhouzhou?
With that thought, Jiang Jiang did not refuse Ji Xu'an.
The two of them walked forward along the main road. After passing a stone path cutting through the lawn, they finally reached a small path built around the lake.
During this time, neither Ji Xu'an nor Jiang Jiang spoke. They walked side by side, their shoulders separated by the distance of a fist.
Ji Xu'an vaguely felt something was not quite right. When other people dated, was it like this for them as well?
Or was it because of what had happened before, so Jiang Jiang was still not used to the change in their relationship?
Ji Xu'an lowered her eyelashes and secretly glanced at Jiang Jiang's left hand hanging at her side. Then she shrank her own fingertips somewhat unnaturally.
She wanted to hold Jiang Jiang's hand.
But they had only just started dating. It had not even been half an hour since they signed the agreement.
If she already wanted to hold hands so quickly, was that too rash?
Ji Xu'an turned her head, pretending to look at the reflection of trees on the lake's surface. Bathed in sunlight, a faint, barely noticeable blush appeared on her cheeks.
Jiang Jiang did not notice Ji Xu'an's little thoughts. She was thinking about how to start a conversation.
In the end, Jiang Jiang decided to be direct.
"Elder sister."
Ji Xu'an was still thinking about how to reasonably hold Jiang Jiang's hand when Jiang Jiang's soft call suddenly sounded by her ear.
The wandering thoughts in her mind were abruptly interrupted. Ji Xu'an froze for a moment. Her gaze shifted in fluster before finally settling on a willow tree in the distance, leaving Jiang Jiang only her composed profile.
"Ahem… what is it?"
Had she been too obvious just now and been discovered by Jiang Jiang?
Seeing that Ji Xu'an was not even willing to look at her, Jiang Jiang's mood became especially complicated for a moment.
In the room earlier, Ji Xu'an had clearly been in a good mood. Just because she had "overheard" her phone call, had she become guarded against her again?
Jiang Jiang lowered her eyelashes and did not look at Ji Xu'an's face. "Regarding He Xinyao, what do you plan to do?"
Ji Xu'an had not expected this to be what Jiang Jiang wanted to talk about. A trace of indescribable loss passed through her heart, and those ambiguous thoughts faded along with it.
"He Xinyao's family has been pleading for her. But I think she should pay the price for what she has done."
When Ji Xu'an said this, her tone was not intense. She had seen too many unfair things. Everyone had their own pain and troubles. Ji Xu'an could understand others' suffering, but what she cared about most was herself and her family.
The fundamental reason she wanted He Xinyao punished was because He Xinyao had attempted to harm Jiang Jiang.
But she had not succeeded. That reason alone was not enough to bring He Xinyao much punishment.
Ji Xu'an knew Jiang Jiang very much wanted to seek justice for that deceased girl. Otherwise, she would not have specifically asked Old Liu to investigate the matter.
"I had someone contact their former classmates. A few of them have expressed willingness to testify. Even if He Xinyao wants to deny it, she won't be able to."
Jiang Jiang let out a long breath. "Thank you, Elder sister."
She knew she did not have enough power to accomplish this herself, so she could only rely on Ji Xu'an.
"Why thank me?" Ji Xu'an did not like hearing her say thank you. "This is what I should be doing."
Jiang Jiang lifted her eyes and only then realized that Ji Xu'an's gaze had fallen on her at some point. She stared at Ji Xu'an's eyes for a long time. The emotions in those dark eyes were deeply hidden. No matter how Jiang Jiang searched, she could only see the most superficial calmness and composure.
Ji Xu'an's tone had been too matter-of-fact, giving Jiang Jiang an illusion, as if whatever she wanted to do, Ji Xu'an would accomplish for her.
But Ji Xu'an's emotions were always unpredictable. Whether she was happy or not depended on a single thought. Jiang Jiang did not dare to be too confident.
She always felt she had never truly seen through Ji Xu'an.
It seemed something stood between them. Ji Xu'an could not completely trust Jiang Jiang, and Jiang Jiang could not fully hand over her trust either.
She had wanted to slightly reveal her identity to Ji Xu'an, but after hesitating for a few breaths, Jiang Jiang gave up.
Better to wait until Ji Xu'an met Zheng Zhouzhou.
Time quietly passed as the two of them looked at each other. Ji Xu'an did not even realize how long had gone by. Later, when she repeatedly recalled that scene, she always felt that Jiang Jiang had actually wanted to tell her something, but in the end had changed her mind and said nothing.
But at that time, Ji Xu'an had not asked. Later, Jiang Jiang did not give her another opportunity to ask.
After sending Jiang Jiang back to school, Ji Xu'an went to the company.
That afternoon, she originally could have left work early. But just before the end of the workday, Ji Xu'an suddenly received a call from Arkle.
"Ji Xu'an." On the phone, Arkle's voice carried a strange excitement. "You stood me up during the day. You won't not come again tonight, right?"
Ji Xu'an lowered her head to glance at her watch. "The same private restaurant as noon. Seven o'clock sharp."
After saying that, Ji Xu'an was about to hang up. She still had to tell Jiang Jiang that she might return a bit late tonight.
Ji Xu'an had specifically looked it up online. An excellent partner should know to proactively report her itinerary.
Arkle laughed. "Alright."
"Ji Xu'an, you'll definitely be very interested in what I have to say."
"It's related to your little fiancée."
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