The man’s typed words appeared cold and detached, yet his gift-giving speed left no room for hesitation. Before Jiang Shu could stop him, [Nanfang] had already sent two extravagant gifts and showed no signs of stopping…
“No more gifts, thank you [Nanfang]. Please don’t send any more,” Jiang Shu said with some urgency.
She genuinely feared he would continue sending more.
Today’s two “Moon Palace” gifts successfully cemented [Nanfang]’s position as the top contributor.
The live chat took an unexpected turn: [Heartthrob Xiao Zhang]: “Wowza, what’s going on here? Am I the only one thinking this?”
[A Local Egg]: “The one above! I get it,”
[Online Forgery]: “What does this mean? What did I miss? I just went to the bathroom and now I can’t understand what’s happening?”
[Call Me a Shipper]: “… Suddenly feeling like I’m shipping this. A pure-hearted domineering CEO splurging on gifts & a cool yet lively female appraiser – isn’t this perfect to ship, folks!”
[Heartthrob Xiao Zhang]: “That’s why you’re the best! Great summary, thumbs up!”
Jiang Shu: “………………” Can people really ship anything?
“Alright, can you give me the bracelet now?”
Two informal appraisal results being identical meant there was already a ninety percent chance it was fake.
Lin Miaomiao was genuinely upset, to the point where she wouldn’t even eat her favorite taro-flavored potato chips.
But her emotions came and went quickly. Seeing the live stream viewers starting to ship her cousin with someone, she found it rather amusing.
“Wow, cousin, look how well this person described you! Hahaha, they actually called you a pure-hearted domineering CEO, perfectly capturing your essence!”
She kept making exaggerated faces and chattering nonstop beside him, completely unfazed by her cousin’s wooden, expressionless face.
“Look at this netizen – she says you definitely have feelings for the streamer. Her intuition is always accurate!”
“…………………………………………”
These people… really…
What did they mean by him definitely having feelings for Jiang Shu…
Could someone really tell whether a person likes someone else just from a few words exchanged online?
What about her?
Could she… tell?
After the live stream viewers amused themselves with their shipping for a while,
A few more people uploaded photos of jewelry. By the time Jiang Shu finished answering, over two hours had passed, and her throat felt worse than before.
She chatted briefly with the netizens about jadeite color knowledge before ending the stream amid everyone’s concerned messages.
The mineral water in her room was finished, so Jiang Shu called the front desk to request more.
This high-end hotel usually delivered items quickly, but this time it took half an hour.
She noticed it was an unfamiliar room service staff, different from the person who had delivered her meals the previous times.
She didn’t think much of it – staff changes weren’t unusual. Perhaps it was just a shift change.
After unscrewing the cap and taking small sips, she finally felt some relief in her throat, barely suppressing the dry, itchy sensation.
Glancing at the wall clock, she saw there were still twenty minutes until 6 o’clock.
No rush – the sky hadn’t even darkened yet.Jiang Shu scrolled through her contact list, her fingertip lingering on the entry for “A’Cheng.” It wasn’t for long, yet it felt like an eternity, enough to make her heart ache with a dull pain.
After a while, her finger slid downward. Anyone watching would have found it strange because the contact name below was still “A’Cheng.”
Few people would save the same person twice unless… they were different individuals.
She dialed the second phone number. The call rang once before being disconnected—likely because Cheng Xiyu was busy. At this hour, what else could he be occupied with if not work?
He had more than just her as a woman. Losing one wouldn’t matter much to him, would it?
She sent a WeChat message: “Can I not come over tonight? I’m not feeling well.”
After waiting a while and receiving no reply, she actually felt relieved. She took it as silent consent.
She had informed him. He hadn’t responded. If she didn’t go over tonight, it wouldn’t be her fault.
Her cold hadn’t fully recovered, and her throat was still sore from the spicy food. All she wanted now was to rest properly.
Was the room’s air conditioning set too high?
Why did she suddenly feel so hot? The sudden warmth flushed her fair skin with a rosy hue.
Dazedly, she glanced at the AC temperature—26 degrees.
Why was it so hot? This heat was strange and intense, unlike normal circumstances or illness-induced fever.
The inner heat grew even more unsettling. She felt as if she were soaking in a hot spring, too weak to muster any strength.
She panted lightly, like a stranded fish…
Thud, thud, thud. Jiang Shu faintly heard someone knocking on her door.
“…Yes?” she asked, struggling against the rising discomfort.
The knocking paused briefly. It seemed there was more than one person outside, murmuring and discussing something—it didn’t sound like Chinese.
“Room service.” This time, she heard it clearly—the tone sounded like a foreigner speaking Chinese.
She hadn’t ordered any room service. Had they come to the wrong room?
“No, thank you.” Regardless, she couldn’t let a stranger see her in this state.
Hearing her refusal and no door opening, the person outside grew impatient and resumed knocking—thud, thud, thud—though not too loudly, likely to avoid drawing attention.
At this moment, she finally realized she had probably been set up.
Since lunch, she hadn’t consumed anything except—the water that had been delivered earlier.
She looked at the half-empty bottle of mineral water.
Faintly, she heard whispers outside the door. Though unclear, she caught the word “key.”
Were they going to get a key?!
Panic surged in Jiang Shu’s heart. In this frantic moment, for reasons even she couldn’t explain, Cheng Xiyu was the only person she could think of.
If he came, everything would be fine…
The phone rang again, but this time, it wasn’t hung up. Someone answered:
“Who is this? Do you need something from my Cheng-ge?”
“…………………………”
It was a girl.
Did he ask her to answer?
But… why?
Was her heart sick?
Why did it hurt so much.
“If you’re not saying anything, I’m hanging up. How bizarre.”
Jiang Shu: “……………”
……………………………
From the moment she heard the girl’s voice on the phone, it felt as if her throat were blocked, rendering her speechless…
Cheng Xiyu… wouldn’t be coming.
He wouldn’t come…He was going to accompany someone else now.
What should she do now?
Her consciousness gradually blurred as she slumped by the window, eyelids growing unbearably heavy…
Memories of the past flooded her mind in a chaotic kaleidoscope:
[“Brother Cheng! You have to apply to the same university as me!”]
[“Alright… which city would you like to go to then?”]
[“Nanshi! I want to go to Nanshi!”]
……………………………
I wanted to take the exams with you for Nanshi…
…in our passionate youth at eighteen…
The strawberry wine you gave me has spoiled, and I never got to receive the next jar.
A wave of nostalgic memories,