“Who told you to take over the company?” Jian Yao suddenly felt Ji Xixing was being a bit silly. “You should seriously investigate this matter. It concerns whether or not you’ll have any say in the Ji family.”
“But darling, the most important thing for me right now is my graduation project.”
Ji Xixing wanted to cry.
It wasn’t that she didn’t care about the shares. There was simply an order of priority, and for her at the moment, her graduation project was the most urgent issue.
If she remembered correctly, during graduation season, the university held a farewell gala.
Ji Chenhuan had performed at that event.
It was there that she caught the eye of a director, officially opening the road to her entertainment career.
That opportunity was what allowed Ji Chenhuan’s path to become smoother and smoother.
Ji Xixing intended to attend that farewell gala, and she also intended to complete her graduation project successfully.
The surprise she had prepared for Ji Chenhuan at the birthday banquet might only tarnish her reputation somewhat, but she absolutely could not allow Ji Chenhuan to seize this opportunity and soar to success through the farewell gala.
From the moment she entered this novel and became Ji Xixing, she had understood one thing.
In the end, either she or Ji Chenhuan was destined to meet a tragic end.
Jian Yao didn’t understand why Ji Xixing was so obsessed with her graduation project. Leaning helplessly against the wall, she sighed.
“Fine, darling. Book a room at our usual place and wait for me. I’ll come over later.”
“Although I probably can’t help you with the project, I’ll accompany you through this difficult time,” Jian Yao declared affectionately.
“You really sound like a scumbag,” Ji Xixing accused.
What kind of attitude was that?
Doing absolutely nothing and specializing in emotional support.
After hanging up, Ji Xixing faced another dilemma.
Ji Lifeng had people watching her, and since it was nighttime, if she walked out through the front door, he’d definitely start nagging her again.
But if she didn’t use the front door, then she’d have to climb out the window…
What kind of situation was this?
She even had to bring along her dusty old laptop.
After three seconds of consideration, Ji Xixing decided to open her bedroom door first and check the situation outside.
Downstairs, Ji Lifeng, Wang Nianlin, and Ji Chenhuan sat together chatting warmly. Soft lights cast a gentle glow over them, making the scene look like a beautiful but fragile painting.
Ji Xixing found it painfully dazzling.
She immediately shut the door again.
After a second of contemplation, she opened the window in despair and estimated the height from there to the ground.
Jumping probably wouldn’t kill her, but she might end up crippled…
Taking out her phone, she sent a message to Jian Yao.
Ji Xixing: Darling, I still can’t get out. You’ll have to wait a little longer.
Ji Xixing: [Crying][Crying]
A while later, Jian Yao replied.
Jian Yao: Have some dignity.
Ji Xixing: [Crying][Crying]
Ji Xixing: A dog ate my dignity.
Since there was nothing else to do, Ji Xixing opened her laptop and resumed studying her bizarre graduation project.
For now, she could only wait until the family downstairs finished chatting and went to sleep before sneaking out.
The Ji Xixing in the novel had been a fine arts student. Her graduation project involved using software to create an animation.
The sketches had already been completed, several hundred drawings in total. The pictures stored on the computer were apparently the revised drafts she had modified according to her professor’s instructions.
But there was one huge problem.
After staring at them countless times, Ji Xixing still couldn’t figure out what on earth she had drawn.
She simply couldn’t understand it.
Thinking about how she had always shared everything with Jian Yao, Ji Xixing felt that perhaps Jian Yao might know what sort of work she had originally wanted to create.
That was why she had asked her for help.
It wasn’t that Ji Xixing hadn’t considered starting the project over from scratch, but doing so would require an enormous amount of time.
Not to mention she’d have to pick a new topic and bother her supervising professor again.
And she would definitely get scolded.
In this short period, Ji Xixing had gone through all her chat records with the professor, all her books, and every file on her computer, yet she still couldn’t understand what exactly this graduation project was supposed to be.
Exhaustion gradually overtook her.
Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on her desk.
By the time a phone call woke her up, it was already one in the morning.
Jian Yao’s cold laughter came through the phone, instantly driving away all traces of sleep.
“Darling, it’s already late at night. Why haven’t you come to our date yet?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Darling, I’m coming right now. Just wait a little longer.” Ji Xixing hurriedly closed her laptop, packed her things, and tidied herself up.
After hanging up, she frantically opened her bedroom door.
The lights outside had already been turned off, and the vast living room was enveloped in silvery moonlight.
Ji Xixing crept downstairs as quietly as possible, carefully avoiding making any noise.
Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she suddenly noticed a shadow standing in the darkness.
Her heart pounded violently with nervousness.
Then the lights came on.
The darkness vanished, and the scene before her became clear.
Seeing the butler standing there, Ji Xixing finally relaxed.
The butler had just opened his mouth to address her as Young Miss when Ji Xixing immediately placed a finger over her lips in a shushing gesture.
He instantly understood and tightly shut his mouth.
Carrying her laptop bag, Ji Xixing slipped out of the house unnoticed.
Their usual place was the five-star hotel owned by Jian Yao’s family. In the past, Ji Xixing often went there to see her.
She took a taxi to the hotel, where everyone recognized her.
Without any obstruction, she headed straight for the top floor.
The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she saw a familiar figure.
Instinctively, she tried to retreat back inside, but she was half a beat too slow and was pulled over by a powerful force.
The man’s features were sharp and clean. His handsome brows and eyes carried a frosty elegance, while the fitted black suit outlined his tall frame.
Strands of hair hung over his forehead, and the gold-rimmed glasses added a touch of restrained allure.
His pleasant voice fell into Ji Xixing’s ears, carrying both confusion and reproach.
“Do you dislike me so much that you keep trying to avoid me?”
“No.” Ji Xixing answered guiltily. “I don’t.”
As she desperately tried to come up with an excuse, her eyes shifted and landed on Jian Yao, who was yawning near the corner.
Jian Yao walked a few more steps before finally spotting them.
Seeing Ji Xixing, she rubbed her eyes uncertainly.
From her angle, her best friend Ji Xixing was entangled with a man!
Jian Yao froze.
Once she recovered, the first thing she did was evaluate the man’s appearance.
Unfortunately, from where she stood she couldn’t see clearly, but she could roughly tell that he wasn’t ugly. In fact, he was probably handsome.
She had been planning to take a closer look when her excellent eyesight caught the signals Ji Xixing was sending her.
Being the understanding friend she was, Jian Yao gave an “OK” gesture before turning around and leaving decisively.
After all, seeing that her best friend was no longer hanging herself on Cheng Songjin’s rotten tree and had even found someone new, Jian Yao felt genuinely relieved.
And since things seemed to be progressing rapidly between the two of them, she naturally didn’t want to interrupt.