3
What would his reaction be?
Ji Yanheng, a man so proud and confident to the core, if he ever found out about this, wouldn’t he lose face entirely and fly into a rage out of humiliation?
After all, since childhood, everyone had always revolved around him.
Jiang Yiruan thought maliciously: once Ji Yanheng learns that Jiang Siyu never waited for him at the airport, even if he sees Jiang Siyu again later, what kind of good attitude could he possibly have toward her?
And with Jiang Siyu’s personality—unable to bear even the slightest grievance—the two would likely only drift further and further apart.
When that time comes, she couldn’t be blamed for seizing the opportunity, could she?
At the airport.
When Ji Yanheng arrived at the spot he had agreed upon with Jiang Siyu and found no one there, the man who always remained expressionless finally showed visible turmoil in his demeanor.
The hand holding his phone turned pale at the knuckles from the force of his grip.
As he stood there, lost and unsure where to look for the Jiang Siyu who should have been waiting for him, a message from Jiang Yiruan came through.
First, a photo.
When he tapped it open, it showed the back view of a woman bending over to get into a car.
The photo was blurry, but Ji Yanheng’s sixth sense immediately told him the person in it was Jiang Siyu.
Sure enough, the next moment another message from Jiang Yiruan popped up.
[Ah Heng, it seems Sister left quite a while ago. Have you arrived at the airport? The rain is so heavy—please be careful.]
[You knew she had already left?] Ji Yanheng asked suspiciously.
Having prepared for this in advance, Jiang Yiruan immediately sent back a voice message.
[I was worried about you driving to the airport in the rain, so I had someone check and only then got the news. Ah Heng, if I had known Sister had already left, I would never have let you make the trip for nothing.]
The voice from the phone was filled with concern and grievance, softening anyone’s heart involuntarily.
Thinking of how, all these years, even when he had been cold toward her, Jiang Yiruan had obediently accepted that outcome, Ji Yanheng rubbed his throbbing temples.
Yes, Yiruan was not A’Yu.
She was gentle and considerate—if she had truly known, she would never have let him make the trip in such heavy rain for nothing.
With that thought, Ji Yanheng turned and left the airport while sending Jiang Yiruan a message to comfort her.
Ji Yanheng: [I believe you. It’s late, so get some rest. I’ll find time to accompany you another day.]
Jiang Yiruan replied immediately: [Okay~ You take care too. Remember to let me know you’re home safe.]
Looking at the concern revealed between the lines of Jiang Yiruan’s message, Ji Yanheng no longer felt the same flutter of excitement he once had.
After getting into the car, Ji Yanheng, for some inexplicable reason, opened the photo Jiang Yiruan had sent him again.
Even just a blurry back view, it wasn’t hard to tell how exquisite and beautiful the owner of that figure was.
‘In these four years, she never contacted me once. A’Yu, was what happened back then worth you being angry for so long?’
Ji Yanheng let out a soft sigh, saved the photo, and started the car, the slight displeasure in his heart dissipating just like that.
Back then, it was ultimately his own partiality toward Yiruan that had made her leave in anger for all these years.
Now that she had returned, this time, he would surely make it up to her.
The next morning.
Jiang Siyu, wrapped in her soft, fluffy blanket, kicked her legs a couple of times, then turned over but still couldn’t fully wake up.
She didn’t force herself either, hugging the blanket and going back to sleep for another round.
So by the time she woke up again, it was already past two in the afternoon.
Slept a full twelve hours? Not bad at all.
Jiang Siyu praised herself inwardly, then grabbed her phone and headed to the bathroom.
While brushing her teeth, Jiang Siyu noticed several missed calls on her phone.
Most were from Ji Yanheng.
A few, however, were from her dear father.
Sometimes Jiang Siyu wished her memory weren’t so good, so she wouldn’t have to remember all this garbage so vividly.
Ignoring the missed calls, Jiang Siyu finished washing up and immediately called Fu Lin.
“Babe, you’re awake?” Fu Lin’s sweet, doting voice came through.
Jiang Siyu hummed in acknowledgment before continuing, “I’m hungry.”
There was a hint of coquettishness in her tone.
The moment Fu Lin heard that voice, her heart melted completely: “Then wait for me to pick you up. Anything you want to eat?”
“I want to eat Shengjing’s food,” Jiang Siyu answered while casually pulling clothes out of her suitcase.
Although Shengjing was a private club, its chefs were poached from five-star hotels or top-tier private kitchens, so the food was undeniably good.
During all those years abroad, what Jiang Siyu missed most was the cooking of Shengjing’s chefs.
“Alright.” Fu Lin agreed readily. “Then wait for me obediently. I’ll be there in about half an hour.”
Jiang Siyu: “OK.”
Shengjing’s business hours started at four in the afternoon, but by the time they opened, the first floor of the club was already packed with people.
When the two walked into the black-gold VIP private elevator, the already heated atmosphere grew even more intense.
“New faces?”
“That woman is stunningly beautiful.”
“If I looked like that, I’d walk around Jingbei with my head held high!”
“So what if she looks like that? She’s still just someone’s plaything.” Someone with a foul mouth suddenly blurted out.
The next moment, the girl beside her immediately shot him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Open your stinking mouth and shit comes out—are you rectum-brained, with nothing but crap in your head?”
“None of your damn business, I wasn’t even talking about you.”
“Your mouth stinks up the air around me. Say one more word and see what happens!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the several burly guys accompanying her all stood up at once.
Seeing that he couldn’t afford to mess with them, the man shut his mouth and slunk away, disappearing into the crowd.
Once he was gone, the people around her asked, “You know that girl from earlier?”
As her friends, everyone knew Xia Jing wasn’t the impulsive type.
She usually ignored scum like that who spoke without thinking.
What’s more, Xia Jing was usually the quietest and gentlest person—this was the first time they’d ever seen her curse someone out.
Xia Jing was silent for a moment before replying, “She’s Jiang Siyu.”
“Who?” The people around Xia Jing erupted. “Did I hear that right? Jiang Siyu? The eldest daughter of the Jiang family who went abroad years ago and vanished without a trace—that Jiang Siyu?!”
“Yes.” Xia Jing nodded, but an involuntary look of worry surfaced in her eyes.
Half an hour ago, Ji Yanheng and Jiang Yiruan had entered Shengjing one after the other.
Xia Jing was worried Jiang Siyu might end up at a disadvantage if she ran into them.
The Jiang family of today was no longer the Jiang family of old, where Jiang Siyu was the sole eldest daughter.
And Ji Yanheng was no longer the Ji Yanheng of those days, who put Jiang Siyu first in everything.
But all Xia Jing could do was worry—she couldn’t get into the black-gold VIP elevator, and she had no power to intervene in matters of Jiang Siyu’s circle.
At this moment, on the 17th floor of the club.
After getting out of the elevator, Fu Lin took off her mask and sunglasses. Being a top-tier female celebrity came with its own troubles sometimes.
But… she looked at the person who emerged from the elevator half a step behind her, strolling along at a leisurely pace, and after a long silence, asked somewhat nervously:
“Ah Yu, you’re never going to enter the entertainment industry in this lifetime, right?”
Jiang Siyu didn’t stop walking. She reached out, hooked her arm around the neck of the drama queen Fu Lin, pulled her into her embrace, and continued toward the private room.
“I’ll go find an agency tomorrow.”
“No way!” Fu Lin stroked the smooth, fair hand resting on her shoulder, blinked her eyes, and leaned against Jiang Siyu’s chest with feigned fragility:
“It’s enough that I’m out here grinding away in the entertainment industry. Isn’t it better for you to just stay home and enjoy the good life, sis?”