Afraid Shen Muran might refuse, she pointed to the window seat on the left. “I’ll wait for you over there.”
With that, she dashed straight to the spot.
After placing her things on the chair to save the seat, she thought eating steak might leave her thirsty, so she went outside to the vending machine and bought two bottles of soda water.
When she returned, she found only one steak sitting on the table, with the meal card lying quietly beside it.
Just then, a notification for an unread message appeared on her phone screen.
【Something came up. Not eating anymore.】
“Haha, check out the new motorcycle my brother bought me—totally sick!”
Not far away, Ji Chengyu was showing off his new toy to a friend over the phone.
The moment their eyes met, the man immediately turned away, pretending he hadn’t seen her.
“Ji Chengyu!”
Unfortunately, Jiang Li caught him anyway.
“Watch my bag and food for me. I’ll be back in a bit.”
With that, she grabbed her phone and one bottle of soda water and hurried out of the cafeteria.
She hadn’t spent much time buying the drinks, so Shen Muran couldn’t have left long ago.
His state seemed off.
Jiang Li couldn’t help but worry.
She didn’t want anything to go wrong in this relationship.
“Shen…”
As soon as she stepped out of the cafeteria, she saw Shen Muran following a girl toward the corridor of the neighboring teaching building.
“Muran, I signed up for tennis as an elective this semester. The teacher told us to buy our own rackets to practice, but I’m a complete beginner.”
The girl lowered her head shyly and handed over a tennis racket. “I wanted to ask you to take a look and see if I bought the right one.”
Shen Muran merely glanced at it and gave a simple “Hmm.” “It’s suitable for beginners.”
Zhou Jie bit her lower lip, her hands hanging down and clasped together in a gentle, adorable manner. “I heard you’ve been working as Jiang Li’s sports assistant lately. Are you… doing this willingly?”
As she slowed her speech, she glanced up and noticed the man’s thoughtful expression, then quickly added innocently, “I don’t mean anything by it.”
“It’s just that I heard she used to lead the way in bullying you, saying a lot of insulting things. I just… wanted to remind you that someone like Jiang Li, a wealthy heiress, might be very playful and easily give others the wrong impression…”
Shen Muran: “No.”
Jiang Li hadn’t said many insulting things to him either.
Zhou Jie’s words were blunt, almost spelling out: ‘Jiang Li only sees him as a plaything. Don’t fall for it and think that just because you’ve caught the fancy of a rich heiress, you can become her favored companion.’
Shen Muran clenched his hands slightly and glanced at the time.
If it weren’t for the fact that she had introduced him to a quick-money part-time job a few days ago, he wouldn’t have wasted time alone with her to look at the racket, let alone listen to this pointless chatter.
The man pressed his thin lips into a straight line. “Is there anything else?”
Zhou Jie thought he meant he hadn’t fallen for Jiang Li, and the worried look on her face faded, replaced by a sweet smile.
“Alright, then… Muran, please think carefully about what I mentioned last time.”
Shen Muran didn’t respond. After watching Zhou Jie leave, he turned to head back to the sports institute but paused mid-step.
The girl hiding behind the pillar had been eavesdropping for who knows how long.
Jiang Li’s gaze was calm as she tilted her head against the pillar, a slow smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
“Shen Muran, I’m very playful. Tell me, have I given you the wrong impression?”
The girl’s current attitude was exactly like Jiang Li before Zheng Shuman’s kidnapping.
Every move was just as teasing and casual, always making it seem as though she had the upper hand when questioning others.
Haughty and full of pride.
Shen Muran froze for a moment, his fingers unconsciously curling inward.
The girl extended a finger and beckoned. As if bewitched, he walked over.
Jiang Li shoved the soda in her hand into his grasp, her bright lychee-like eyes curving into crescents, yet not a trace of warmth lingered in their depths.
“So skipping a meal for ‘something important’ was actually a date with a beauty. My apologies—I hope I didn’t disturb you earlier.”
“The water was bought for you to quench your thirst during your meal. If you don’t want it, just throw it away.”
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows that fell across the girl’s face. But the smile at the corners of her lips faded, like sand slipping through an hourglass.
Jiang Li had only wanted to see what Shen Muran was up to. Now that she knew the answer, she turned and left without hesitation.
Just as she turned away, Shen Muran fought the urge to reach out and stop her.
And if he did stop her—would he explain that he and Zhou Jie had only met by chance?
He recalled the warning Lu Zheng had given him that day.
In the end, he said nothing.
Their current connection existed only because he was her follower.
A month from now, Jiang Li’s gaze would no longer linger on him.
Shen Muran twisted open the soda and swallowed down the sour, bitter feeling rising in his chest.
Jiang Li walked quickly. As she lifted a hand to brush back her hair, her fingers accidentally grazed the corner of her eye. With a light swipe, the dampness was wiped away.
Earlier, she had kept her emotions perfectly in check.
The Shen Muran now was not her husband. She had no right to question him.
Why could that girl call him so intimately—”Muran”?
What was she asking him to consider?
Becoming boyfriend and girlfriend?
After leaving the teaching building, she returned to the cafeteria as if nothing had happened and finished her meal. In one go, she downed the entire bottle of sparkling water. The bubbles churned in her stomach, and she let out a long, satisfying burp, dispelling the gloom in her heart.
Ji Chengyu, who had been admiring the latest motorcycle model, instantly stiffened. His eyebrows shot up as he looked at her. “Sis Li, why are you farting with your mouth? Did you see your crush getting swarmed by flies and decide to drop the whole ‘proper lady’ act?”
And in public, no less!
Jiang Li stomped on his foot with her shoe heel. “My heart may be dead, but my mouth isn’t. Don’t make me curse.”
She channeled her anger into her appetite, devouring an entire plate of steak.
As a result, when she got home, she had to take a whole row of digestive tablets.
It was Friday, and students were let out early.
As soon as Jiang Fan got home, Jiang Li yanked his backpack off and threw it on the floor—nearly into the trash—before dragging him into her room.
“You—play a round with me.”
A game controller was shoved into Jiang Fan’s hands.
His round, chubby face was utterly bewildered.
Had the old witch been possessed?
She was actually inviting him to play games.
Wait—Dad wasn’t away on a business trip yet. Was the old witch setting him up?
If he really agreed to play, Dad would probably jump out from some hidden corner, drag him up, and give him a beating.
“Play! I give permission.” Jiang Li saw his hesitation. Without waiting for his response, she started the game.
They were playing King of Fighters.
“Take this! Focus, or you’ll get beaten to death.” Jiang Li rarely played games, but King of Fighters was the exception.
She was an expert.
“Hmph, you amateur! If you lose, don’t go crying to my dad!”
Jiang Fan’s competitive spirit ignited, and his trash-talking volume suddenly rose a notch.
He had no idea where Jiang Li had dug up such an old-fashioned game.
Though it was tricky to master, he had plenty of experience. After taking a few beatings, he quickly got the hang of it.
The room echoed with the sounds of KOs.
The two of them, one big and one small, were fully immersed in the game world.
Jiang Li’s resentment ran deeper than the Evil Sword Immortal’s, and she kept defeating Jiang Fan in the game. “Don’t dodge, you little brat.”
With a quick flick of her wrist, her thumb deftly circled the joystick, and the character on the screen crouched low, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
After more than a dozen rounds, Jiang Li remained the ultimate victor.
She was thoroughly satisfied, but Jiang Fan was on the verge of tears.
His chubby little fingers were practically about to snap the joystick, yet his attacks remained pathetically weak.
“Damn it, get up and fight me again!” The little brat’s determination to defeat Jiang Li had reached its peak.
Jiang Li casually tossed the game controller onto the bed. “Sure, but you have to finish your homework first.”
“Noooooo!” Jiang Fan clung to Jiang Li’s leg, refusing to let go.
“Shh! Back off.”
While playing the game, Jiang Li noticed that Song Ying’er had called her several times, so she picked up her phone and dialed back.
The sound of exhilarating club music blasted through the other end.
“Little Li, tonight at ‘Silent Alley,’ there’s a whole squad of male models—each one a tall, long-legged hunk at 188 cm! Come join the fun!”
Silent Alley?
A familiar memory bit into her.