Shen Tingyu mulled it over, unwilling to heed Shen Muyuan's counsel.
Gathering her courage, she sent a message to Ji Zhixiu herself. His reply came back quickly: just two words, the address.
Shen Tingyu stared at the words on the screen, finding it hard to believe.
She had prepared herself for rejection.
If Ji Zhixiu didn't want to see her, she would go to his company in person.
To her surprise, the man had agreed!
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Shen Tingyu opened her wardrobe, pondering which outfit to wear to meet him.
Her heart began to pound uncontrollably, as if it would leap out of her chest.
Shen Tingyu sat down, her palms covering her chest.
It was beating too fast... Whenever she encountered this man, her body's reactions were beyond her control.
She was so happy…
Which outfit should she wear?
This dress was too flashy; she shook her head. That short-sleeved one wasn't pretty either. Shen Tingyu stared at the wardrobe, deep in thought.
She would wear… the dress she wore when they first met. She wondered if he still remembered.
She took a deep breath, picked out her clothes, and sent a text to Ji Zhixiu.
They had arranged to meet at two in the afternoon.
Shen Tingyu applied her makeup meticulously, her black hair cascading down her back, looking perfectly gentle and elegant.
She wore a white puff-sleeved princess dress and a double-layered pearl necklace.
She smiled at herself in the mirror, quite pleased.
Upon arriving at the meeting spot, she realized she was early. kuAiδugg
It was fine, being early was good, she thought to herself.
At two o'clock, Ji Zhixiu appeared precisely on time.
The man pushed open the door of the tea room and looked at her seated at the table.
Shen Tingyu suppressed her racing heart and softly called out, "Zhixiu."
Seeing that Ji Zhixiu remained still, she paused. "Aren't you going to sit down first?"
"No need, we'll just talk for a bit." He looked down at her from his superior height, his eyes devoid of any extraneous emotion.
Shen Tingyu had a bad feeling. A flash of insight struck her, and she said urgently, "I have something I want to tell you too. Let me go first."
Ji Zhixiu glanced at her, his chin slightly raised, with a hint of indifference. "You may."
"Do... do you still have any feelings for me in your heart?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"What's so good about Jiang Mian? Why are you with her?"
"Didn't we have many sweet moments before? Zhixiu, why did you change after I was abroad for three years? Do you know that every night, I regretted it? Why did I leave? If I hadn't left, wouldn't Jiang Mian have had no opportunity?"
She stared intently at Ji Zhixiu, not missing a single flicker of expression on his face.
Ji Zhixiu frowned, knowing that some things had to be made clear to her. This was also his purpose for coming today.
It was his oversight in the past that had caused Shen Tingyu to make repeated mistakes.
He met her gaze, his voice low, interrupting her, "Our matters have nothing to do with Jiang Mian."
"How can it have nothing to do with it?! She is the biggest obstacle between us!"
"I don't love you."
"Then do you love her?!"
"I love her!"
As his emphatic words fell, Shen Tingyu suddenly stood up.
Her eyebrows shot up, her voice a sharp cry that pierced the air, her lips trembling with anger. "What about me?! What were we back then?! Why did you get together with me then? And the bracelet design drawings in your office, the date on that drawing is even earlier than when we got together. Who are you truly hiding in your heart?"
His declaration of love almost burned Shen Tingyu's reason, causing all her unwillingness, anger, and questions to pour out in one go.
But the man remained composed and calm, his gaze towards her filled with a hint of coldness.
It was a kind of indifferent detachment, as if nothing mattered.
She tried to find a trace on his face, something to prove their past affection.
But in reality, the man's voice was cold and indifferent as he spoke again, "Are you done?"
"If you're done, it's my turn. I apologize for our active relationship three years ago. In my heart, there has only ever been one person."
"I mistook the wrong person back then, which is why I ended up with you. I was never moved by you."
"I didn't think you felt about me..." He paused. "But that's no excuse for you to instigate Zhi Lan to do wrong."
His eyes were icy, his tone heavy. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze towards her carrying a sharp edge.
"You know perfectly well what you've done."
Shen Tingyu's body trembled. His words, spoken one by one, struck her ears.
It sent a chill through her entire body… He knew… he knew everything.
"I can let the past go for Muyuan's sake. From now on, you're on your own."
Ji Zhixiu gave her one last look and turned to leave without any hesitation.
As he left, Shen Tingyu seemed unable to bear it any longer and collapsed onto the floor.
Never moved by her?
Only one person from beginning to end?
So, they had known each other for a long time?
Tears fell like broken beads onto the floor. Shen Tingyu murmured to herself, "I was the substitute?"
How ridiculous!
Luo Fei treated her as a substitute.
Ji Zhixiu also treated her as a substitute.
After all her arrogance and repeated attempts to sow discord with Jiang Mian, she was the biggest joke of all.
The tea room was filled with mist, and Shen Tingyu's vision was a blur, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
Her heart was torn to pieces, and an immense terror swept through her.
Trembling, she took out her phone. She dialed the wrong number several times before finally hearing the ringing. Shen Tingyu, her voice choked with tears, said, "Brother... come quickly! I... I think I'm going blind!"
...
On the way back.
Fan Cheng asked in a low voice, "Will the evening meeting proceed as usual, President?"
Ji Zhixiu crossed his legs, his expression placid. "Arrange an online meeting, at the original time."
"Understood, I'll notify them immediately."
"Wait."
Fan Cheng looked up. "What is it, President? Is there anything else you need?"
"Which milk tea is good?" he asked.
Meeting his earnest gaze, Fan Cheng paused. "Are you bringing it for the young madam? Shall I ask?"
"Yes."
The young lady had asked him to bring her a cup of milk tea on his way back, but she hadn't specified which kind.
Fan Cheng quickly opened the company's gossip group chat.
【Which milk tea is the best? Quickly!】
Alice: 【Yishengtang's Mango Pomelo Sago is a no-brainer recommendation.】
Receptionist A: 【Strawberry Bobo is also delicious!】
Secretary B: 【Who's drinking? Who's drinking? Is it the President???】
Alice: 【I've never seen the President drink milk tea, so it's highly unlikely.】
Receptionist A: 【Then it must be the girl who came to the company last time??】
Planning Department C: 【Why couldn't it be the President treating us to drinks?】
Receptionist D: 【Speaking of which, the more I think about it these past two days, the more familiar that girl looks. It's like I've seen her somewhere before.】
【Like who?】
【Remember?】
Seeing that they were getting off track, Fan Cheng quickly closed his phone and looked up. "Mr. Ji, my colleagues say Yishengtang's milk tea is very good."
"Then let's go to Yishengtang first to buy milk tea," he commanded, his lips parting slightly.
There was a long line outside Yishengtang, one of the most popular milk tea brands in the city.
Its influence was undeniable.
Fan Cheng, ordered to buy milk tea, frowned upon seeing the crowd.
A flash of inspiration struck him. He took out his wallet, pulled out a red hundred-yuan bill, and scattered it into the air.
He shouted, "Money! Pick up money!"
"What?! Where's the money!!"
"Damn! Real money!"
The line quickly descended into chaos, and the area in front of the store was instantly cleared.
Fan Cheng straightened his collar, put on his sunglasses, and strode forward, smiling slightly. "Hello, could I have a cup of all your milk teas, please? No ice, 70% sugar, large size, to go. Thank you."
The server was stunned: (⊙o⊙)...
Seeing no reaction, Fan Cheng repeated himself. "Hello, could I have a cup of all your milk teas, please? No ice, 70% sugar, large size, to go. Thank you."
"Oh, oh, oh... Okay..." She came to her senses, glancing reluctantly at the money being snatched up from the ground, then looking at the man before her.
He was a big shot!!
"Immediately! Please wait a moment!"
Fan Cheng leaned against the counter. "No rush."
"Here are the milk teas you ordered. A total of one hundred and sixty-eight cups. We couldn't make the rest due to insufficient raw materials. We apologize."
All the staff in the store had come to help, and the shaking machines were practically spitting sparks...
Thinking that this month's sales would increase, she felt it was worth it.
Fan Cheng nodded and pointed at the car. "Please help me load them into the trunk. Thank you."
Once everything was done, Fan Cheng got into the car.
"Finished buying, President."
Ji Zhixiu nodded slightly. "Well done."
Fan Cheng smiled humbly. "As long as the young madam is satisfied."
Xiushui Mountain Villa.
Jiang Mian's mouth fell slightly agape, her ears burning. She pointed at the table full of milk tea.
A hint of disbelief flickered across her delicate face. "You... you didn't buy them all, did you?"
Ji Zhixiu lowered his gaze, his brow twitching. "You didn't say which kind you wanted, so I bought them all."
Jiang Mian certainly wasn't blaming him.
But it was just too much.
She definitely couldn't finish them all.
"Call Sun Shu and the others in. And Assistant Fan, has he left? Let him take a few cups back."
"He just went out, he probably hasn't gone far."
Jiang Mian nodded, reached for the remote, and sent a message to Sun Shu.
After distributing them to everyone at Xiushui Mountain Villa, there were still twenty cups left.
Jiang Mian pounced on Ji Zhixiu, pushing him onto the sofa and hugging his neck tightly, acting spoiled. "I don't care! You have to help me drink them too!"
Ji Zhixiu's Adam's apple bobbed. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, his voice laced with a smile whispering in her ear, "Can I not drink them?"
"Of course—you can't!"
"Then drink."
However, the two of them didn't finish them all. Jiang Mian was doing alright; she always loved milk tea and drank three cups as if it were water.
Ji Zhixiu didn't like sweet milk tea and finished two cups of fruit tea.
Jiang Mian put the rest in the refrigerator to drink the next day.
Perhaps because she had drunk too much and wasn't sleepy, Jiang Mian was still awake in the middle of the night.
Coincidentally, the production team of a historical drama found her, saying that the show had passed censorship and was about to air, requiring Jiang Mian's cooperation for promotional activities.
Jiang Mian rested her chin on her hand and sighed at the computer, "This drama alone spent nearly half a year on post-production editing and voiceovers."
Ji Zhixiu, sitting on the bed, turned a page of his book. He heard her and said, "Passing censorship was already quite fast. Otherwise, the premiere date would have been even further away."
Jiang Mian turned her head. "How do you know?"
Ji Zhixiu closed his book and placed it on the bedside table. He stared at the young girl's rosy cheeks, raising an eyebrow.
He patted the space beside him with his palm, coaxing her, "Come over to sleep, and I'll tell you."
Jiang Mian hesitated for two seconds, overwhelmingly curious.
Judging by his tone, it seemed this drama had encountered some censorship issues.
She turned off the computer, kicked off her slippers, and snuggled up beside him, eagerly saying, "Tell me quickly!"
The next second, the man's kiss descended like a sudden storm.
Intense and inescapable.
Jiang Mian was like a small boat, drifting with him through the misty rain.