When their eyes met, Lin Xiangwan crashed straight into the man’s cold, shadowed gaze.
Jiang Shijing leaned back against the rear seat, looking over at her, one arm wrapped around the woman in his arms. The bouquet of red roses bloomed brilliantly between them.
She instinctively tightened her grip on her handbag.
Back then, on the eve of their wedding, she had run away. Overnight, Jiang Shijing had become the laughingstock of the entire city.
Now that they met again, she didn’t know how to face this former fiancé of hers.
The atmosphere was strange, until the driver got out to check the tire. Only then did Bai Zhiran lean against the car window and smile brightly, her voice sweet. “Hello, Sister Lin. My name is Bai Zhiran!”
Lin Xiangwan had just been about to hail another cab. Hearing this, even her hand on the car door paused. “You know me?”
Bai Zhiran leaned back into Jiang Shijing’s arms and said gently, “Brother Shijing saw you just now. He said you two dated three years ago. Sister Lin, you’re really beautiful. Seeing you makes me feel inferior.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Shijing lightly scraped the tip of her nose.
“Don’t belittle yourself.”
Watching their lovey-dovey intimacy, Lin Xiangwan’s expression didn’t waver.
Jiang Shijing was the deepest scar in her heart. Yet to him, she had never been anything special.
Even though they had dated for two years and she had disappeared for three, her existence meant nothing out of the ordinary to him.
He didn’t even mention that they had once been engaged. With a casual “we dated,” he brushed it off, no different from his countless ex-girlfriends.
“I’ll be going.”
Lin Xiangwan no longer wanted to stay and prepared to call a cab.
Bai Zhiran quickly leaned out the window again. “Sister Lin, why don’t Brother Shijing and I give you a ride? Where are you going?”
Such a warm and kind girl. No wonder Jiang Shijing liked her so much.
Lin Xiangwan picked up her phone. “No need to trouble you. I’ll just book a car.”
“There are so many people calling for cars right now. You’ll have to wait a long time. Hurry and get in!”
Without waiting for her reply, Bai Zhiran shook Jiang Shijing’s arm coquettishly. “Brother Shijing, just give Sister Lin a ride. She looks like she’s in a hurry. Help her, okay?”
“Really, it’s not necessary. Goodbye.”
Not wanting to witness any more of this, Lin Xiangwan turned to leave.
Then Jiang Shijing’s lazy voice sounded behind her.
“Fanxing just announced the appointment of its new chief CEO. Are you sure you still want to waste time?”
Lin Xiangwan froze.
The appointment had been announced so quickly.
She had still failed to make it in time.
“Get in. I’ll wait ten seconds.”
Jiang Shijing fiddled with the roses in the bouquet, his brows tinged with impatience.
Gritting her teeth, Lin Xiangwan got into the car after all.
Sensing the subtle tension, the driver sat a little straighter as he drove.
Not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable, Lin Xiangwan thanked them after getting in, then leaned sideways against the door and played with her phone, trying to avoid any interaction with the two in the back seat.
But Bai Zhiran was talkative. Clutching the back of the front passenger seat, she leaned forward.
“Sister Lin, do you have a place to stay in Rongcheng? Brother Shijing owns several hotels with great environments. Should we have him call and arrange a suite for you?”
As she spoke, a faint scent of citrus and tuberose drifted over.
Lin Xiangwan raised her brows in surprise.
It was the only perfume she used to love, from a well-known domestic handmade perfume workshop called Fulamingya.
She had used it all her life, only changing it after going abroad.
Jiang Shijing had once teased her that she wore it every day, as if she had been marinated in the scent.
What a coincidence.
Lin Xiangwan gathered her thoughts and turned her head politely. “Thank you for your concern. I have somewhere to stay.”
“Yes, yes, I almost forgot. Sister Lin’s family is originally from Rongcheng. Of course you’d go home after returning to the country. I’m such an idiot.”
Bai Zhiran lightly tapped her own forehead.
Home?
Lin Xiangwan paused slightly.
The Lin family had never been her home.
Jiang Shijing glanced at her, loosely draping an arm over Bai Zhiran’s shoulder, his eyes full of indulgence. “Stop worrying about other people. What do you want to do later?”
“Hmm… I want to go home, take a shower, and adjust to the time difference. Tonight let’s go to that FG restaurant we always go to! I want the red-leaf foie gras and the cream pudding!”
When Bai Zhiran talked about food, her eyes sparkled.
Jiang Shijing’s lips curved faintly. He picked up his phone and made a call. “I’ll have Yanjing make a reservation. We’re almost at your neighborhood. I’ll pick you up at eight tonight.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you!” Bai Zhiran’s eyes curved into crescents.
They showed off their affection as if no one else existed.
Lin Xiangwan listened expressionlessly, her hands clenched tightly.
Bai Zhiran was actually getting off early.
She would rather watch them be sweet all the way than be alone with Jiang Shijing.
Unfortunately, less than two minutes later, the car stopped at a residential complex ahead.
As Bai Zhiran got out, she waved at Lin Xiangwan, seemingly not minding at all that she would be alone with her boyfriend.
Lin Xiangwan silently thought that she did not possess such magnanimity. Back then, perhaps that was why Jiang Shijing had never loved her.
Lowering her eyes, she let the atmosphere sink into awkward silence.
Suddenly, a soft scoff came from behind her, cutting off her thoughts.
“Three years. If something hadn’t happened to Fanxing and you didn’t want to grab a share of the money, you wouldn’t have sneaked back, would you?”
Lin Xiangwan looked over instinctively.
Jiang Shijing lounged casually against the seatback, casting her a cold, mocking glance.
In an instant, it felt as if her heart had been clenched tight.
Thinking of everything in the past, she replied calmly, “I have no obligation to tell you why I came back. Thank you for the ride. You can stop here.”
Jiang Shijing said nothing, and the driver did not dare to brake.
Not until the car drove into the garage did Lin Xiangwan grab her bag and get out, walking away quickly.
She hadn’t even had time to turn around when she heard footsteps behind her her arm was seized.
A familiar scent of pine enveloped her. She stumbled a step as she was pulled into a warm, solid chest.
Jiang Shijing took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her waist, his voice carrying a tempting note of amusement. “Lin Xijun has already taken over the company. Going up there now is useless. If you’re really that short on money, why not take it from me? After all, we almost became husband and wife.”
He lifted a hand and slipped a cold bank card into the collar of Lin Xiangwan’s clothes.