6 – You Dare Splash Me?
In the evening, Jiang Wanning was bored out of her mind. She really didn’t want to stay at home—the sight of Jiang Wanrou and Du Shiqin, mother and daughter, annoyed her—so she grabbed her car keys and drove to her studio.
After staying there for about half an hour, her cousin Jiang Zhe called. “Ningning, where are you?”
“At the studio. Ge, do you need something?”
Jiang Zhe had just gotten into his car after leaving the airport. The moment he turned his phone on, he received a message, and after reading it, he immediately called Jiang Wanning.
His voice was serious: “I heard from your uncle that you almost got into trouble the other night? There was a rainstorm that day—do you never check the weather forecast before going out?”
He scolded her mercilessly: ”You got what you deserved! You’re a grown adult—how can you be so thoughtless? Running off alone to some deserted place. Were you looking for a thrill?”
Knowing that Jiang Zhe was just worried about her, Jiang Wanning held a bottle of pear perfume under her nose and sniffed it, replying dismissively, “Ge, you think I’m like you, with a secretary reminding me of everything I do?”
Jiang Zhe’s tone was resigned: “The way you sound, you want me to assign you a personal assistant?”
“No need for that.” Jiang Wanning didn’t need a tagalong, and besides, she liked her freedom.
Jiang Wanning seemed to hear a secretary calling out “President Jiang” on the other end of the line. She paused for a moment and asked, “Ge, why do I hear Secretary Lu’s voice? Are you back?”
“Mm. On my way back from the airport.”
Sensing an opportunity, Jiang Wanning set down the small clear glass bottle, leaned back against the desk, and stretched lazily. Her mood today was neither particularly good nor particularly bad.
She just wanted a drink.
If not alcohol, then some non-alcoholic drink or dessert would do. The point was, she wanted to relax.
She wanted to go to the bar owned by Jiang Zhe’s friend.
But Jiang Zhe kept strict watch over both her and Jiang Wanrou—especially Jiang Wanning. He had explicitly told his friend that without his permission, his sister was not to be let in.
Jiang Zhe’s friend was a total bootlicker.
He obeyed Jiang Zhe’s every word.
Jiang Wanning just wanted to sneak in and relax—she wouldn’t drink anything or do anything, just sit there and play on her phone. Even that wasn’t allowed.
“Ge, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“Don’t tell me—you want to go to the bar?”
“Ge, you’re a mind reader!” Jiang Wanning flattered Jiang Zhe effortlessly, one line after another, without even having to think. “Ge, you’re so smart—you guessed it before I even said anything! No wonder you’ve been so outstanding since we were kids. Comparing people really is enough to make one die of envy.”
“All right, enough with the flattery.”
Jiang Wanning giggled. Around Jiang Zhe, she lost some of the distant coldness she showed others.
She seized the chance: “Tell your friend not to kick me out. It’s precisely because I was frightened that I want to go relax. Besides, I can observe some people and find some inspiration—it’ll be enlightening for my ideas.”
Jiang Zhe agreed.
He was rather tired, but because of what had happened with Jiang Wanning, he didn’t rush home. Instead, he decided to stop by his friend’s bar as well. As it happened, he had arranged to meet a business partner, so they could talk there that evening—and he could relax a little at the same time.
Jiang Wanning arrived at nine o’clock sharp.
This was exactly when the bar got lively and crowded.
The bar’s bouncers and manager all knew Jiang Wanning—she was the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, the boss’s friend’s sister. Plus, the boss had given instructions, so this time, when they saw Jiang Wanning, they didn’t throw her out. Instead, they treated her with the best of everything.
Except that no alcohol was provided.
Jiang Wanning sat alone in her seat, watching the various crowds coming and going, thinking, if only Shu Xia were here.
She studied everyone—men and women alike, young or mature—carefully examining each person’s tastes and characteristics.
She picked up her lemonade and took a sip.
Then a figure blocked her view.
“Beautiful, enjoying this all by yourself? No one keeping you company?”
Jiang Wanning was long used to this kind of pickup approach from strange men. She didn’t respond, just kept sipping her lemonade, treating the man sitting across from her as if he were air.
“Beautiful, why aren’t you talking? Is this your first time here? How come I’ve never seen you before? I’ve seen plenty of beautiful women, and honestly, you’re the first one who stunned me the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“You really are gorgeous.”
The man was generous with his compliments—praise that sounded utterly sincere.
Jiang Wanning finally reacted. She looked up, her eyes cool and indifferent as she regarded him, her gaze lazy and distant. “Thanks. You’re very handsome too. That’s all—now you can go.”
The man choked, momentarily stunned.
What was with this woman? Why wasn’t she playing by the rules?
The colder a woman looked on the outside, especially one as stunningly beautiful as her, the more attractive she became. Not only did the man refuse to leave, shamelessly, he even leaned in closer, raising his glass to gently clink it against Jiang Wanning’s lemonade.
“Miss, how about adding me on WeChat?”
Jiang Wanning replied, “I don’t have WeChat. But I do have a brother. Want me to give you my brother’s WeChat?”
As she finished speaking, her gaze casually drifted to the side.
Suddenly, she froze.
Not far away, a man in a flame-blue uniform stood at the corner of the hall, green leafy plants behind him, facing the bar’s supervisor and manager. The three of them were talking.
Jiang Wanning recognized him almost at a glance.
It was Captain Fu.
It was Fu Yan.
So it was true—love at first sight really existed.
The moment she saw Fu Yan’s sharply defined, smooth profile, she could clearly hear her own heart: thump, thump-thump, thump-thump-thump, beating without pause.
She’d run into him again!
What a damn twist of fate—and it was wonderful.
Jiang Wanning propped her arm on the table, resting her chin in her palm, staring at Fu Yan without blinking. In that moment she looked quiet and lovely—black hair, fair skin—making the man hitting on her across the table itch with longing.
Unfortunately, Jiang Wanning didn’t notice him at all.
In her eyes, there was only Fu Yan.
Fu Yan in his uniform was impossibly handsome.
Strikingly eye-catching, and radiating an extraordinary sense of security.
Flame blue. Jiang Wanning murmured to herself. Her favorite color used to be lake blue, because it was so clean and clear. But ever since meeting Fu Yan, she had started noticing orange, and flame blue too.
After a while, Fu Yan seemed to sense something. He turned his face, looking in Jiang Wanning’s direction.
Their eyes met.
Jiang Wanning broke into a lovely smile.
As if to say: Hello, Captain Fu. What a coincidence—we meet again!
Fu Yan’s expression froze slightly. He hadn’t expected to run into Jiang Wanning here.
She came to bars to drink?
Then Fu Yan’s gaze landed on the man beside Jiang Wanning. He took only one look before coldly withdrawing his gaze.
The pickup man followed Jiang Wanning’s gaze over. He saw three people in total, and finally his eyes settled on Fu Yan.
“Sis, the look in your eyes tells me you like that firefighter? Let me tell you, you can like any kind of man you want—just not a firefighter! That job is dangerous and dirty. It’s nothing but flood rescue and firefighting, climbing buildings, diving in to save people, even carrying gas canisters. One of these days, he might lose his life!”
“Sis, haven’t you seen the news? So many firefighters have died saving people. They have no real skills, no money—just trading their lives for…”
Before he could finish, half a glass of lemonade splashed across the man’s face. Then, as a waiter approached, Jiang Wanning seized the opportunity to grab a glass of wine and poured it all over the man’s head.
Jiang Wanning stood there, looking down at him, her eyes ice-cold.
She said two words in a hard, unyielding tone: “Apologize.”
“You dare splash me! You fucking—”
Jiang Wanning didn’t wait for him to finish, nor did she give him the chance to curse. She snatched the waiter’s cleaning cloth and swiftly stuffed it into the man’s mouth, cutting off his voice.
She raised an eyebrow and clapped her hands. “Say one more word and I swear I’ll knock your teeth all over the floor! You can insult me all you want, but insulting that man—or any firefighter—is off-limits! What they do may seem unremarkable and worthless, but every life they save—even a cat or a dog—is a life, priceless, something that can’t be measured in money!”
“What would you know?”
Knowing nothing, yet spewing filth from his mouth—people like this were despicable, hateful. He deserved to have hot water thrown at him!
Jiang Wanning gave a contemptuous smile. “Compared to him, compared to what he does, what exactly are you?”