Lin Xiangwan couldn’t refuse.
There was still a business partnership to discuss that afternoon, and she couldn’t very well decline any invitation from Zhou Yan.
But at Zhou Yan’s reception, Jiang Shijing would definitely be there.
Yesterday’s events were still vivid in her mind. Lin Xiangwan closed her eyes briefly. Thinking about how Jiang Shijing had taken advantage of her, she felt a trace of discomfort facing the girl in front of her.
She nodded. “I’ll be there on time. Thank you, Miss Bai, for making the trip. I’ll walk you out.”
Bai Zhiran smiled and naturally linked arms with her. “Sister Lin, can you call me Zhiren? If you’re always this polite, I won’t even know how to talk to you.”
Lin Xiangwan wasn’t the type to get familiar quickly. She hesitated at that.
Before she could respond, Bai Zhiran’s phone chimed twice in her pocket.
She took it out, and the smile on her face instantly froze.
Sensing something was wrong, Lin Xiangwan subconsciously glanced at the screen.
The news headline was striking.
#Young Master Jiang Meets Actress at Night, Suspected of Finding New Love#
The top three comments below were just as eye-catching:
Another one? I thought Bai Zhiran would be the last.
The last girl surnamed Bai lasted three months. That’s impressive.
Jiang Shijing is way too fickle. No wonder his former fiancée ran away.
Lin Xiangwan raised an eyebrow, not expecting to see her own name while casually reading gossip.
The girl in front of her looked on the verge of tears. Lin Xiangwan could only change the subject. “Do you want to grab lunch together? The lion’s head meatballs in Fanxing’s staff cafeteria are really good.
Five minutes later, the two arrived at the staff cafeteria.
Given that Lin Xiangwan had suddenly returned to seize power, everyone at Fanxing had been gossiping about her fleeing abroad to escape her wedding. And Bai Zhiran had frequently appeared in the news her face was hardly unfamiliar.
As Jiang Shijing’s former fiancée and current girlfriend appeared together, the impact was no less shocking than a seventy-six-year-old grandmother competing on a high-energy obstacle course show.
Lin Xiangwan, however, acted as if nothing was wrong. She set a plate of lion’s head meatballs in front of Bai Zhiran.
After a long while, Bai Zhiran looked up at her. “Sister Lin, should I go ask him and get a clear answer?”
Lin Xiangwan curled her lips, her tone tinged with sarcasm. “The news is already out. What’s there to ask?”
After saying that, she added belatedly, “I’m not saying that to target you.”
She just empathized all too well.
Bai Zhiran bit her lip, her emotions surging. “But I don’t think Brother Shijing would change his heart! He said I’m the most obedient and well-behaved, the least troublesome. He and that actress are just playing around, right? He wouldn’t take it seriously, would he?”
Lin Xiangwan took a deep breath and put some food in her bowl. “Try this lion’s head. It’s really delicious.”
“Sister!” Bai Zhiran grabbed her hand.
The meatball fell back onto the plate, splashing a few drops of oil onto her white dress. She didn’t even notice, staring only at Lin Xiangwan. “Will you go find him with me?”
Lin Xiangwan slowly pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
The girl looked like she was about to shatter.
Even in the noisy environment, Lin Xiangwan could feel her collapse.
For some reason, her heart softened.
Perhaps it was because she saw her former self in Bai Zhiran.
Jiang Shijing… you really do harm people deeply.
A few seconds later, Lin Xiangwan picked up her car keys and took Bai Zhiran to find him.
She followed the location mentioned in the news to the restaurant rooftop. Sure enough, the entire rooftop had been cleared out.
Jiang Shijing was chatting and laughing with a female celebrity, not caring in the slightest about being photographed.
Lin Xiangwan glanced at Bai Zhiran, who was trembling slightly beside her, and lowered her voice. “I’ll leave you here. Remember no matter what happens, keep your dignity. Respect yourself.”
Hearing that, Bai Zhiran nervously grabbed her. “Sister Lin, don’t go. I I’m scared.”
Lin Xiangwan brushed off her hand and said word by word, “This is something you have to endure yourself. Only by feeling the pain can you wake up. No one else can help you. Do you understand?”
Just like back then, no one had helped her.
Betrayal wasn’t something that became easier just because someone stood beside you.
Only by helping yourself could you truly grow.
Lin Xiangwan turned and left, never once looking back.
Yet after reaching downstairs, she still couldn’t relax. She sat in her car and waited slowly.
It was a rooftop.
She was afraid Bai Zhiran might do something foolish.
Half an hour later, Jiang Shijing appeared.
Standing beside him was Bai Zhiran, her cheeks flushed, tears replaced by a smile.
Whatever explanation Jiang Shijing had given, the girl was no longer sad. Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at the man beside her.
They looked like a couple deeply in love there wasn’t the slightest sign of parting ways.
Lin Xiangwan suddenly felt ridiculous.
She had worried for nothing.
Bai Zhiran wasn’t her. To Jiang Shijing, she wasn’t someone dispensable.
Lin Xiangwan started the car.
But Bai Zhiran noticed the movement and ran over to knock on the window.
Lin Xiangwan’s gaze brushed past her, instinctively looking at Jiang Shijing.
With his hands lazily in his pockets, he walked over.
“I heard Miss Lin drove Zhiren here. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
Bai Zhiran looked guilty. “Yes, Sister Lin, thank you for driving me here even though you’re busy. I don’t know how to thank you. How about Brother Shijing and I treat you to a meal?”
Lin Xiangwan was about to refuse.
Jiang Shijing had already pulled open the back door and gotten in without ceremony. “Let’s switch to a lighter restaurant. MJ at the intersection ahead is pretty good.”
Seeing the two of them already seated, Lin Xiangwan tightened her grip on the steering wheel, desperately wanting to curse.
What on earth had possessed her to get involved in this mess between them?
Was she just a prop in their little game?
Grinding her teeth, she drove them to the destination, stepped on the brakes, and said coldly, “I still have a partnership meeting with Dingsheng. I won’t be eating with you. Please get out.”
Sensing something off, Bai Zhiran looked back and forth between them, then, at Jiang Shijing’s subtle signal, went into the restaurant first.
The moment the car door closed, Jiang Shijing suddenly leaned in close to Lin Xiangwan’s ear. “Miss Lin is really considerate acting as a chauffeur for my girlfriend. If we hadn’t slept together, I might have suspected you were interested in her.”
His warm breath brushed against her earlobe. Lin Xiangwan’s body tensed as she restrained herself from gripping the steering wheel harder.
She replied coolly, “I just couldn’t stand watching a young girl’s heart break. I couldn’t exactly watch someone step into your trap, could I?”
“But it turns out I was overthinking. No need for me to worry.” She stared straight ahead, ignoring his presence. “Get out.”
Jiang Shijing was silent for a few seconds, then let out a soft, ambiguous chuckle and pushed the door open.
Bai Zhiran was waiting at the entrance and had clearly taken in everything that just happened.
When the man approached, she concealed all her emotions and put on an innocent smile. “Brother Shijing, you didn’t argue with her, did you?”
Jiang Shijing glanced at her. His eyes were cold completely different from his usual demeanor tinged with faint world-weariness.
“What? Were you hoping we would?”