Lin Yujing collected her thoughts and revealed a sweet smile, whispering softly, “Hello, brother-in-law.”
Jiang Xu didn’t even glance at her. He nodded expressionlessly and walked slowly toward the door.
Lin Yujing looked somewhat awkward as she stared at Jiang Xu’s retreating figure. The man’s shirt was slightly wrinkled, and his short hair was somewhat disheveled, as if he had just woken up.
Had Jiang Xu and Lin Jianxi been taking a nap inside? Lin Jianxi was such a scheming bitch. Why was she still coming here after renting out the shop? Was she just bored?
She deliberately stayed inside without coming out—wasn’t it just to make Jiang Xu go in and see her?
…
5:30 p.m.
Lin Jianxi emerged from the studio. As usual, she took a stroll around the shop and was just about to leave when a familiar voice sounded in her ear.
“Sister.” Lin Yujing slowly walked toward Lin Jianxi. She wore a dark green cheongsam that accentuated her curvaceous figure, her face adorned with exquisite makeup.
“Sister has already rented out the shop, so why are you still coming here?” Lin Yujing said sarcastically, “I must say, sister is truly dedicated!”
Lin Jianxi remained calm. “It’s my shop. What does it matter to you whether I come or not? Do you live by the sea?”
“You…” Lin Yujing was left speechless. Was she implying that she was meddling too much?
Lin Jianxi lowered her gaze to glance at Lin Yujing’s abdomen, then looked at her neck. “Is your neck tight? It must be tiring to keep your stomach pulled in all the time.”
Lin Yujing’s expression stiffened upon hearing this. Damn it, did Lin Jianxi have X-ray vision? How could she tell just by looking that her neck was tight and she was holding in her stomach?
The cheongsam was indeed a bit tight around the neck. It wasn’t custom-made for her, so it was normal for it not to fit perfectly.
Suppressing her anger, Lin Yujing said, “Sister truly has sharp eyes! For the sake of filming, I have no other choice. Do you know what this is called, sister?”
Lin Jianxi frowned slightly but said nothing.
Lin Yujing raised her slender, delicate fingers to adjust the hairpin on her head, curling her lips into a smile. “This is called professionalism.”
“Should we award you a professionalism prize?” Lin Jianxi continued, “Feeling out of breath is normal. Just endure it—it’ll pass soon.”
After saying this, Lin Jianxi walked past Lin Yujing, swaying gracefully in her high heels as she headed toward the door.
“…” Lin Yujing stomped her feet angrily on the spot.
Her assistant hesitated for a few seconds before mustering the courage to step forward and say, “Sister Jing, let’s go eat first. We still need to change and do makeup later.”
Lin Yujing took a deep breath and glared viciously at Lin Jianxi’s retreating figure. “Let’s go.”
Meanwhile, Lin Jianxi walked out of the cheongsam shop. The area around the shop wasn’t as crowded as it had been in the morning, with only about a dozen or so people left—all of whom appeared to be paparazzi.
She walked nonchalantly to the parking space outside the alley, found her car, opened the door, got in, and closed the door before retrieving a pair of flat shoes from underneath and changing into them.
Just as she put on the shoes, she caught a glimpse of a coldly handsome face out of the corner of her eye. Her first thought was that it was Jiang Xu.
Lin Jianxi thought she must have been mistaken.
She looked more carefully—the man standing outside her passenger-side window was indeed Jiang Xu.
Jiang Xu wore a white shirt, the top button of his collar undone, revealing his pale neck and Adam’s apple. He raised his hand and knocked on the car window. “Lin Jianxi.”
Lin Jianxi frowned slightly and rolled down the window, meeting the man’s peach-blossom-like eyes. “What do you want?”
Jiang Xu gazed at her deeply. “Open the door.”
Lin Jianxi looked utterly confused.
Jiang Xu gazed at the woman’s fair and delicate face and said, “I’m off work. Give me a ride on your way.”
Lin Jianxi fell silent for a moment before unlocking the car door, thinking to herself that their film crew got off work quite early.
Jiang Xu opened the car door, bent down to slip inside, pulled the seatbelt over, and fastened it. Then he turned his gaze to stare at Lin Jianxi.
“What are you looking at me for?” A flicker of unease flashed in Lin Jianxi’s eyes as she pulled her own seatbelt on.
Jiang Xu remained silent, a faint, elusive smile lingering in his eyes. His gaze drifted down to her feet—she had swapped her high heels for flats because she was driving.
Lin Jianxi’s hand, still gripping the buckle, stiffened. Following his line of sight, she realized he was looking at her feet. Her slender back tensed slightly, and she felt somewhat uncomfortable.
She stared straight ahead and started the engine.
After driving for a while, she noticed he was still looking at her feet. Unable to hold back, Lin Jianxi said, “It’s very rude to stare at a specific part of someone for so long.”
The corners of Jiang Xu’s lips lifted into a faint curve. He withdrew his gaze. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have looked for that long.”
Lin Jianxi’s hands on the steering wheel paused. The recent Jiang Xu felt somewhat unfamiliar to her. The old Jiang Xu would never have stared at a specific part of her for no reason.
Nor would he have held her while sleeping—it was always her who took the initiative to hold him. Now, not only did he insist on holding her, but he also kissed her frequently, and with deep, French kisses at that.
Noticing her distraction, Jiang Xu’s brow slowly furrowed. In a low voice, he said, “Lin Jianxi, focus on driving.”
Lin Jianxi’s expression instantly turned cold. “If you’re worried about your own safety, you don’t have to ride with me.”
Jiang Xu turned his head to gaze deeply at her. “I’m not just worried about myself. I’m worried about you too.”
Lin Jianxi’s heart trembled violently. She glanced at the man beside her out of the corner of her eye, suppressing the strange feeling in her chest. She tried her best to ignore Jiang Xu’s presence and focused on driving.
It was rush hour, and what should have been a twenty-minute drive ended up taking over thirty minutes. By the time they arrived home, it was already past six.
The car drove through the gates of Lanxi Garden and finally came to a stop in front of the courtyard. Lin Jianxi turned off the engine, unbuckled her seatbelt, swapped her flats for high heels, and got out of the car.
It was evening, and the entire sky was tinged with a soft, pale orange-red hue from the sunset.
Jiang Xu stood straight at the doorway. The distant orange-red glow of the horizon spilled over him, casting a hazy, gentle halo around his tall, upright figure.
Seeing this scene, Lin Jianxi felt a moment of disorientation. It had only been a few years, yet the once-youthful boy had transformed into a tall, mature man.
Jiang Xu turned his head slightly and noticed her standing motionless in place. Puzzled, he called out, “Lin Jianxi?”
Lin Jianxi snapped back to reality and walked toward him. As she passed by the man, her hand was enveloped by a large, warm one.
Lin Jianxi’s body stiffened slightly, unable to regain her composure for a long moment. After a few seconds, she lowered her gaze to their joined hands—the man’s warm, large hand was wrapped around hers.
Jiang Xu led Lin Jianxi inside by the hand. Only when they reached the entryway to change shoes did he release her.
Lin Jianxi bent down to change her shoes. The man stood extremely close to her, and the familiar, cool scent of wood drifted faintly into her senses. It smelled pleasant.
She paused for a few seconds before putting on her shoes and walking further inside.
Jiang Xu’s gaze followed Lin Jianxi’s moon-white silhouette. After a while, he slowly followed behind her.
After dinner, the two of them went to their respective studies.
Lin Jianxi sat at her desk, a classical book open before her. Just as she was deeply engrossed in reading, her phone on the desk suddenly vibrated. Frowning, she glanced at the screen—the caller ID showed Qiao Zhisheng.
Lin Jianxi tapped the answer button with her fingertip, and Qiao Zhisheng’s lazy yet clear voice drifted into her ear.
“Xixi, log in!”