Yan Jiaojiao walked out of the office building, deciding not to ride Xie Kejia’s scooter again. She casually hailed an empty taxi, and Xie Kejia, finding it boring to ride alone, followed her into the car.
“Jiaojiao, have you lost your mind? How could a dead person come back to life?”
Yan Jiaojiao gazed out the window, the neon lights casting shadows on her profile, making her expression unreadable. She released her lower lip, which she had been biting, and murmured softly, “We’ll see this time.”
Whether the contents of the book were true or false would be determined this time.
If Tian Wei was destined to appear before everyone, she would at least be mentally prepared.
The first thing Yan Jiaojiao did upon returning to Morning Garden was take a shower. After playing games for an hour, she felt a bit thirsty.
She went downstairs to get some water and noticed the medicine box on the corner of the table. Apart from the one pill she had given Xie Chuanyan the previous night, the rest remained untouched.
Had Xie Chuanyan not taken his medicine all day?
His study was still lit when she came downstairs. What a workaholic, completely disregarding her efforts in taking care of him for an hour the night before.
She paced back upstairs but stopped halfway.
The study door was flung open forcefully. Yan Jiaojiao slammed the medicine and water cup down beside Xie Chuanyan’s hand, splashing a few drops of water.
“Take your medicine!”
Xie Chuanyan curled his lips. “Feed me.”
Yan Jiaojiao took a deep breath. “Have some shame, will you? The medicine is right here. Take it or don’t.”
With that, she turned to leave, but as soon as she did, her hand was grabbed. In a dizzying whirl, Yan Jiaojiao found herself sitting on Xie Chuanyan’s lap. His warm, moist lips pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Does my sweetheart care about me?”
“Who cares about you! And don’t call me sweetheart.”
Xie Chuanyan gently stroked the back of her head with his large hand. “You came up with that name yourself. You said you were so well-behaved, not some spoiled young lady, but my little treasure alone.”
“You’ve been asking me to call you that ever since we got engaged.”
Yan Jiaojiao’s cheeks flushed slightly, seemingly surprised that she could ever be so affectionate.
“Anyway, you’re not allowed to call me that anymore!”
She shouted at him fiercely, like a rabbit with its fur puffed up.
He chuckled softly, warmth flickering in his cool eyes. His hoarse voice carried a hint of temptation. “Then call me brother one more time, hmm?”
Yan Jiaojiao recalled the two times she had called him “Brother Chuanyan” the previous night, her toes curling in embarrassment. Perhaps she had caught Xie Chuanyan’s cold, as she began to feel warm all over.
Hearing his low, muffled laughter from his chest, Yan Jiaojiao grew even angrier. She unceremoniously stepped on his shiny black leather shoes. “What are you laughing at?”
Breaking free from him, she ran off, not forgetting to slam the study door shut with deliberate force, fueled by resentment.
It wasn’t until the girl’s figure disappeared that Xie Chuanyan withdrew the smile from his face. Expressionlessly, he turned the microphone back on.
“Continue.”
The people in the video, having witnessed another side of Xie Chuanyan, were still in a daze.
After all, Xie Chuanyan was like an emperor in the capital. His methods were cold and ruthless, and within just two years of taking over the Xie Group, he had become a leading figure in the business world, standing above all others.
No one expected that the cold-faced, fearsome king who held sway over the capital could also show such tenderness toward a girl. The affectionate, doting look in his eyes earlier seemed as though he wanted to keep her in his arms forever, bickering with her.
Even when she lashed out at him, he didn’t get angry but rather seemed to enjoy it.
Only then did they truly witness the legendary extent of Xie Chuanyan’s doting on Yan Jiaojiao.
Seeing that no one spoke, Xie Chuanyan curled his lips slightly and repeated himself, snapping the others back to attention.
Yan Jiaojiao returned to her room, treating the pillow as Xie Chuanyan and pounding it furiously to vent her anger. She only stopped when she grew tired.She reopened the game and noticed a friend request notification in the bottom right corner. Clicking to view the profile, she saw the username “Starlight Beacon” with a higher level than hers. Thinking they could team up for games in the future, Yan Jiaojiao accepted the request.
As soon as she accepted, a team invitation popped up. Yan Jiaojiao joined for a round and was carried through the entire match—far better than her previous random pairings. Immersed in the game, her earlier frustrations quickly faded away.
It was almost one in the morning. Yan Jiaojiao yawned repeatedly, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. When another team invitation appeared, she squinted, declined it, and hurriedly logged off.
Yan Jiaojiao arrived at the classroom, idly twirling a pen. With Xie Kejia absent due to family matters, she was left to attend class alone.
The teacher hadn’t arrived yet when a shadow fell beside her, accompanied by a warm, magnetic voice.
“May I sit here?”
Yan Jiaojiao looked up to see Huo Shuyang, holding textbooks and looking every bit the diligent student. She nodded in agreement.
“I heard you failed physics again?”
“Are you mocking me?”
Yan Jiaojiao glared at him irritably. Huo Shuyang quickly explained, his ears turning red. “That’s not what I meant. If you’re willing, I could help tutor you.”
Yan Jiaojiao studied Huo Shuyang. His features were sharp and handsome, with clear amber eyes, a high nose bridge, and lips that seemed to curve into a smile even when pressed together.
He looked like a warm, harmless young man.
“Are your grades good?”
“Not bad. I’m ranked first in the entire grade.”
Yan Jiaojiao was slightly surprised and immediately added his contact information. After class, she clasped her hands respectfully. “Teacher Huo, I’ll be counting on your guidance from now on.”
She absolutely did not want to repeat the year again.
Yan Jiaojiao had already walked away, leaving behind a faint cherry blossom fragrance in the air. Huo Shuyang thought of the girl’s radiant smile and chuckled softly to himself.
“I’ll do my best, Yan Jiaojiao.”
Just as Yan Jiaojiao was leaving the school gate, someone blocked her path. The girl had bright red hair, fair skin, but a few newly sprouted pimples were visible beneath her makeup, looking awkwardly symmetrical—one on each cheek.
Tsking, Yan Jiaojiao shook her head and tried to step around her, but the girl stubbornly blocked her way again.
Yan Jiaojiao frowned in annoyance. “Redhead, move aside for me.”
The girl exploded at the remark. “Don’t go too far!”
She had just dyed her hair this trendy new color, and Yan Jiaojiao dared to address her with such disdain.
“Besides, you’re a redhead too!”
“Mine looks better than yours.”
Yan Jiaojiao’s hair was smooth and glossy, shimmering like a golden waterfall under the sunlight, a dazzling shade of crimson.
“Yan Jiaojiao!”
Liu Jinzi had originally dyed her hair red because she thought Yan Jiaojiao’s looked good, but the result was a disaster—her scalp hurt terribly, and her hair texture turned coarse overnight.
Hearing the girl call her name, Yan Jiaojiao asked curiously, “Who are you?”
Unaware of Yan Jiaojiao’s amnesia from the car accident, Liu Jinzi assumed she was being deliberately provocative as usual.
She snorted coldly. “Yan Jiaojiao, you’re so childish. Pretending not to know someone is a trick I stopped playing in middle school.”
Yan Jiaojiao took half a step into the shade of a tree, her mini electric fan blowing her hair gently. She tilted her head and stared at Liu Jinzi. “You look utterly ordinary. What makes you think I’d remember you?”
Liu Jinzi was infuriated by her arrogance, her face turning pale with anger. “You think you’re so pretty yourself!”Yan Jiaojiao leaned close, her fluttering lashes blinking, eyes like autumn waters gleaming with starlight, the upturned corners carrying a bewitching allure.
She was already stunningly beautiful, her skin flawless like a perfect piece of uncarved jade.
“Not good-looking?”
Liu Jinzi was also captivated by her beauty, mouth agape and speechless. Seeing Yan Jiaojiao about to leave, she hurriedly said, “Yan Jiaojiao, tomorrow is my birthday!”
Yan Jiaojiao didn’t even turn her head. “What’s it to me?”
Liu Jinzi chased after her. “Seriously? I gave you a limited-edition bag for your birthday. Aren’t you planning to return the favor?”
“Oh, just give it back then.”
“I’ll send you the party location for tomorrow night. You have to come!”
“Depends on my mood.”
Yan Jiaojiao, eating ice cream, suddenly realized this girl was decked out in designer brands from head to toe. For her birthday, there would probably be quite a few people attending.
Couldn’t she gather some information there?
Yan Jiaojiao raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her. “Who’s going to your birthday?”
Liu Jinzi was practically drooling watching her eat ice cream. She swallowed hard and resisted—her body easily gained weight, and she absolutely couldn’t consume more calories, or this month’s dieting would be for nothing.
“Lots of people, anyway.”
“Will the Tian family be there?”
“Of course. They’re our biggest business partner.”
Yan Jiaojiao smiled with satisfaction. The driver had arrived, and she got into the car, tossing back, “Send me the address.”