Jiang Qinian buried his face at the crook of her neck, sniffing lightly, as if searching for the trace someone else had left behind.
His gaze bore straight into her.
“You cheated on Shen Zhe?”
“Weren’t you devoted to him?”
Listen to that, there was a mocking edge to his tone.
Chu Li and Jiang Qinian knew each other through and through.
No need to put on a show in front of him either, so she said, calm and unbothered, “Years ago, I could carry on behind your back with you.”
“Then you went abroad, and I cheated on you with him. So cheating on him again now isn’t exactly strange, is it?”
Looking at it that way, the world really was one giant web of infidelity.
None of these men were any good, so Chu Li didn’t feel much moral burden anymore.
She blinked lightly, speaking as gently as she had when she was younger, her lashes curving with a scattering of moonlight.
Just like back when he’d cornered her in a convenience store in her younger days. It looked like coercion, but really, he was the one who never got what he wanted.
Chu Li’s gentleness carried a streak of mischief: “Are you jealous of him?”
Jiang Qinian said nothing, as if he’d been caught off guard and wasn’t pleased about it. His pitch-black eyes darkened, and he picked up the shackles, binding her wrists: “No.”
He wouldn’t admit it. “I’m just getting even for being dumped back then.”
Chu Li: “…You sick creep.”
Even in a dream, every time she saw these shackles and the like, she wanted to complain loudly about the plot the restricted-content novel had cooked up.
The shackles were soft, and didn’t actually bind her tightly.
But still.
This was genuinely embarrassing!!
In the past, Jiang Qinian had liked using his fingers, but tonight he went straight in with his lips.
As if determined to outdo whatever trace Pei Mo had left behind: “Who was it? The one who made you decide to cheat on Shen Zhe, who provoked you into it, someone he knows?”
“Why didn’t you come to me?”
Chu Li was a little ticklish.
Her eyelashes trembled as she kept her eyes lightly closed: “Because you’re a creep, mm. You’re always in cahoots with Shen Zhe, that’s why I didn’t pick you, mm mm.”
Shen Jichu didn’t seem easy to provoke, unless he made the first move, she wouldn’t casually try anything with him.
Pei Mo had the advantage of having a clear motive, things clicked between them easily and she lost nothing by it.
As for Jiang Qinian.
Ruled out, ruled out!
Playing the little dark room game in dreams could barely pass as a bit of spice. But in reality, whenever she saw him, she sometimes wanted to turn and run, she had no interest in getting entangled with him.
Her broken words were swallowed between his lips and teeth.
Jiang Qinian trailed his fingers steadily downward.
He looked sickly and frail, but his strength was surprising. His dark hair, damp, clung to his forehead, half-covering his brows and eyes, his lips flushed a deep red.
He listened to her mumble for a while.
Understanding perfectly well that even if he couldn’t make out the words, she was cursing him.
So he laughed, deliberately deaf to it: “What? You just agreed. Then let’s cheat on Shen Zhe together.”
Chu Li: “…”
Hah, their friendship really was fragile.
She thought about it, this wasn’t the first time she’d had a dream like this, and decided to just lie back and enjoy it.
The bullet comments couldn’t see anything, only able to hear his lines just now, but they immediately boiled over.
【So fragrant, I opened VIP just to see this, please stop with all these black screens.】
【Huh, the ex-boyfriend can be scary sometimes, like some kind of male ghost. But he really puts in the effort, unlike the last one who wrapped things up after one peck.】
【Case cracked, Shen Zhe and his brother and cousin are just the normal messy-love-triangle type. Jiang Qinian here is the outside lover, this type is suited for affairs.】
Chu Li: “…”
She occasionally used her teeth, biting his wrist a few times.
Jiang Qinian licked her earlobe, chatting with her idly amid the tangled ambiguity: “I heard the Shen family’s going to send Shen Zhe abroad.”
She had no idea where he got his information.
Everyone around them already knew Shen Zhe was going to be sent away. His older brother and his friends all knew, only he himself had no idea.
Still, Jiang Qinian wasn’t quite that omniscient, he didn’t know every truth either.
He misread the intent behind it: “Looks like there’s a conflict of interest within the Shen family.”
“If he leaves, what will you do without your golden thigh?” [1]golden thigh (dà tuǐ, 大腿) – Slang, internet slang for a powerful or wealthy patron whose coattails you ride, “hugging the golden thigh” means latching onto someone with the … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3115109_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3115109_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
Jiang Qinian’s fingertips traced along the curve of her waist, cool to the touch, sometimes giving her the feeling of some damp, aquatic creature kissing her.
Chu Li paused.
Prompted by his reminder, she genuinely began to think it over.
If Shen Zhe went broke, she’d of course collect a breakup fee first, then pretend to reluctantly say goodbye.
She couldn’t cut ties outright, in case he made a comeback later and held a petty grudge against her.
Chu Li was always careful about these things.
Otherwise she wouldn’t have made a modest living off this little scheme for years.
Jiang Qinian, by her ear, coaxed her in a devilish tone: “If you want him exiled abroad forever, I can help you with that.”
Chu Li: “I don’t do anything illegal.”
She eyed him warily, refusing to step into his trap.
Jiang Qinian said nothing, his eyes steeped in black, and she couldn’t tell if he was actually considering something, like tampering with Shen Zhe’s race car, some outlaw scheme along those lines.
“It’s fine, I’ll do it.”
Chu Li’s sleep, once again, wasn’t restful.
Her closed eyelashes trembled now and then in the dream.
Sweat beaded at the tip of her nose, and only once the chaotic, indulgent dream dissolved did she wake up.
Her waist ached slightly.
The room had an early-wake mode, the bed she lay on slowly tilted upward, settling into a comfortable, naturally-waking position. The aromatherapy scent had changed to something like morning dew in a light mist.
“Morning, Miss Chu.”
The butler greeted her when he saw her come out: “Young Master Shen seems to have caught a fever last night, for some reason, might be from drinking after his injury.”
Chu Li: “?”
Looks like Jiang Qinian didn’t even need to lift a finger, Shen Zhe could get himself into trouble all on his own.
Drinking.
Why couldn’t he just misjudge things a little more and pop some cephalosporin antibiotics along with the alcohol while he was at it?
【Shen Zhe called Li Li last night and faintly heard Pei Mo’s voice. Half-convinced he’d misheard, he still went to vent to his no-good friends, and stood out on the balcony catching the night air.】
【And so he earned himself a 39-degree fever, hehe.】
【Lately he seems to have a vague sense he can see the bullet comments, half-delirious with fever in his room~】
She’d woken up a bit early, so she hadn’t called for the Shen family’s chef to specially prepare breakfast in her suite. The butler led her downstairs, pulled out a chair at the long table for breakfast, and she picked up her knife and fork.
To keep up appearances.
She casually asked, “Is Shen Zhe doing alright?”
The butler shook his head: “The young master’s been acting strange lately. The day before yesterday he said he was hallucinating, yesterday he said he was hearing things, and Mr. Shen just went to check on him.”
Chu Li knew all about it.
But well, karma was karma.
Only thing to say was Shen Zhe had it coming.
Her eyes curved, looking like a clean crescent moon.
Watching this, the butler mused inwardly, admiring how tolerant she was toward Shen Zhe, never once holding it against him.
【In my next life if I transmigrate into a wealthy-family novel, I want to be the butler too, hehe. Such a fun job, just say a few classic lines and get to watch the drama unfold the whole time.】
【Li Li: I’m laughing at his bad luck, not sympathizing with him~】
The long table downstairs was empty at first, she was busy scooping up shrimp egg custard and had just taken a sip of corn juice.
When she saw an elderly woman with a head of silver hair come and sit down as well.
She vaguely recalled that Shen Zhe’s parents were gone, he currently had only a grandmother left.
Old Madam Shen’s silver hair was pinned up, and she looked quite sprightly. Beside her sat a middle-aged woman, presumably some relative of the Shen family, who sized Chu Li up a few times.
“Little Wang, where’s this guest from?”
The butler’s surname really was Wang.
Chu Li greeted the two of them politely, neither servile nor arrogant. She heard the butler introduce her: “This is the young master’s girlfriend—”
Old Madam Shen let out an “oh,” looking as if she’d suddenly understood: “Jichu’s girlfriend?”
Chu Li nearly choked on the corn juice she was drinking.
Before she could correct the mistake, she heard the creak of wheelchair wheels approaching from that direction.
Shen Zhe had originally been sitting with his legs crossed, yawning.
Hearing that line from a distance, his lazy phoenix eyes widened slightly, and he called out, “Grandma.”
“What are you saying.”
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Behind his wheelchair, Shen Jichu, who’d come along with him, lowered his lashes, expression restrained. He didn’t look at Chu Li, his gaze fell on Shen Zhe, unreadable.
Old Madam Shen looked him over.
Then slowly turned her eyes toward Shen Zhe: “Is that so? Well, your grandmother’s getting old, my eyesight must have played tricks on me.”
She wore a warm, kindly smile, telling Chu Li to eat more, as if the mistaken identification a moment ago had just been an inconsequential little slip.
Chu Li thanked her politely too.
【No, no, Grandma’s eyesight is fine, no mistake at all, as they say, the ginger gets spicier with age. [2]the ginger gets spicier with age (jiāng shì lǎo de là, 薑是老的辣) – Proverb, older ginger root has a stronger bite, just as older, more experienced people tend to be sharper judges of … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3115109_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3115109_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });】
【Shen Zhe has no say at home, he’s just a spoiled young master. Old Madam Shen took one glance and immediately clocked that it was his older brother who’d invited Li Li here.】
【By the way, Shen Jichu sat silently thinking things over for a long time last night, and didn’t send another message pressing Li Li about it. Instead he dug up that plan to send Shen Zhe abroad again.】
【The good show’s about to begin.】
Chu Li saw this bit of commentary, blinked lightly, and noticed Shen Jichu sit down beside her.
Shen Zhe, wheeling himself over alone, was a step slower.
When he arrived, he asked, somewhat confused: “Brother, that’s my seat.”
Shen Jichu: “First come, first served.”
Shen Zhe: “?”
The other man glanced at him coolly, calmly, reaching up to loosen his tie: “You haven’t been home in a while. While you’re recovering these next few days, it’s a good chance to spend more time with Grandma.”
His reasoning was thorough and left no room for argument.
Shen Zhe had no choice but to comply, sitting down next to Old Madam Shen.
He lazily drank a spoonful of oatmeal porridge, chatted with her for a bit, then heard Old Madam Shen ask, “You and Miss Chu, do you two have any plans right now?”
Shen Zhe didn’t take it to heart.
Beside him, Shen Jichu’s chopsticks paused slightly, and the napkin under his plate slipped off his fingers to the floor, landing right by Chu Li’s side.
She bent down and picked it up for him.
He said a cool thank you, and their fingers parted the instant they touched, acting in front of others as if they barely knew each other.
As if that person who’d asked her, in the dream, whether it had really been her, hadn’t been him at all.
Shen Zhe, beside them, was completely oblivious to this exchange.
He went on, tone rising lazily: “Grandma, you’re from the older generation. Young people nowadays dating in this new era don’t bother with that stuff.”
“I’m still young, let’s wait a bit longer.”
He had no intention of being tied down by anyone, like he always told his friends, he liked living free.
Chu Li didn’t bother responding to him.
It wasn’t the first day Young Master Shen’s brain had short-circuited, she drank her corn juice, keeping her head down to lower her presence.
Every time she lowered her head, she felt a burning gaze settle on her with a kind of weight. And whenever she looked up, the other man had already looked away without a trace.
References[+]