After Failing To Tame The Scumbag - Chapter 4

Becoming a Drenched Puppy

The “spectators” spoke up at just the right moment: “Looking at it this way, Ji Jin isn’t really in the wrong. Just playing around is fine. People like us, could we really let ourselves be tied to a single boat by a mere marriage certificate?”

“Even if marriage is truly unavoidable, one must consider social standing, right? Some people are only suited to be girlfriends for a bit of fun. Besides, I’ve heard this Yun Chuxiu isn’t exactly easy to deal with, she’s quite the control freak!”

Ji Jin’s face darkened completely. Now that the conversation had reached this point, any thought of “directing debts to the debtor” was cast far to the back of her mind. She let out a cold sneer, the fury in her eyes unconcealed. “You people”

“What they’re saying isn’t entirely wrong,” Jiang Fanyin interjected with her usual steady delivery, smiling as she cut Ji Jin off. “If I recall correctly, when you and Yun Chuxiu first met, she was still in the early stages of her business. Back then, you gave her quite a lot of money.”

“‘Equivalent exchange’… forgotten? That’s the phrase you usually love to keep on your lips, President Ji. If you could truly use money to bind Yun Chuxiu to you forever, I imagine you’d be quite willing to pay whatever the price, wouldn’t you?”

Ji Jin lowered her eyes. It was as if the final veil had been twitched aside. Her gaze flickered, and she suddenly fell silent.

…Such a proposition was, in truth, far too tempting for her.

If…if she really could use something more tangible to tie Yun Chuxiu’s love firmly to her person, what a wonderful thing that would be… Even just thinking about it, Ji Jin felt so happy she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

But…

Ji Jin had not forgotten the cold expression on Yun Chuxiu’s face when she saw that bank card. She couldn’t forget the chill in Yun Chuxiu’s eyes, like the sharpest icicle, piercing not just the card, but Ji Jin herself, who was being viewed as just another “inanimate object.”

“I…”

Ji Jin brushed aside the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind. Just as she was about to argue back, she felt a cold breeze brush past her, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Miss Yun, you’ve arrived at just the right time,” Jiang Fanyin was the first to clap. She tilted her head, watching Ji Jin’s stiff posture with an innocent laugh. “President Ji seems to have more to say. Why don’t we let her finish?”

Ji Jin turned and frantically grabbed Yun Chuxiu’s hand, her eyes a mix of panic and desperation. “A-Xiu, don’t listen to what they’re saying. I’m not close with them, we aren’t the same kind of people…”

“I didn’t hear anything,” Yun Chuxiu interrupted. Her gaze swept slowly over everyone present before she simply said, “Since we aren’t friends, there’s no need to stay any longer. President Jiang probably feels the same way, right?”

Having been met with a polite but firm rejection, Jiang Fanyin wasn’t annoyed. Her tone carried the heavy vibe of someone enjoying a show: “Are you sure you don’t need to finish what you were saying?”

Ji Jin opened her mouth, but before a single syllable could escape, she was cut off by Yun Chuxiu’s calm tone.

“It’s not necessary,” Yun Chuxiu said, not avoiding Jiang Fanyin’s expectant gaze. She even gave a nonchalant smile. “The people, the explanations, none of it is necessary.”

The room fell into total silence. Everyone caught in the periphery of her gaze looked away, the more timid ones even clenched their fists or swallowed hard.

Compared to the previously visibly angry Ji Jin, it was clear that the composed Yun Chuxiu possessed a level of intimidation that was truly terrifying.

…At least Ji Jin had a Jiang Fanyin to directly counter her and step on her sore spots. But this one… Jiang Fanyin didn’t look like she actually wanted to grind her into the dirt, she was being rebuffed and she was still smiling!

The crowd watched in silence as Jiang Fanyin’s smile grew increasingly meaningful.

Noticing the stares, Jiang Fanyin raised an eyebrow. “Why is everyone looking at me like that? Are you dissatisfied with the reward I paid?”

The others shook their heads in unison. After a moment, someone who considered themselves on decent terms with Jiang Fanyin couldn’t help but ask, “President Jiang, has your purpose for calling us here today been achieved?”

“Of course,” Jiang Fanyin glanced at Lin Xing, whose expression was grim in the corner, and added pointedly, “I’m not the only one who achieved their goal, right?”

Lin Xing pursed her lips and said nothing. After hitting send on an eight minute long voice message, she stood up and left immediately.

“What Lin Xing did today was wrong of her. I’ll have a good talk with her later and make sure she apologizes to you.”

Yun Chuxiu rubbed her temples. The rain outside was still heavy, and because she was walking fast, her legs were soaked within minutes. Watching her cold silhouette, Ji Jin felt a surge of panic and distress. She didn’t even bother with an umbrella, running straight into the rain like a fool.

“Ji Jin,” Yun Chuxiu stopped and looked at her disheveled state. Suddenly, a faint, ghostly curve appeared on her lips as she whispered, “Do you remember? The first time we met, it was raining just as hard as this.”

“A-Xiu…” Ji Jin lowered her head. Realizing something, her voice grew smaller. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“There’s no need for that,” Yun Chuxiu’s voice was thin. She allowed the other woman’s pleading gaze to crash into her pupils over and over without being moved. “I can guess what they were saying. I’ve heard enough of that talk; I’ve heard worse. You simply didn’t refute them, it’s not a big deal.”

Ji Jin panicked completely. She wanted to grab Yun Chuxiu’s hanging wrist, but she was afraid the rain on her body would soak the other’s clothes. Her hand remained suspended in the air before losing strength and slowly curling into a fist.

She kept her head down, her heart racing and her voice hoarse: “I know everything they said was wrong. I wanted to defend you…”

Yun Chuxiu let out a laugh and asked, “Your defense was standing there listening to how they disparaged and mocked me?”

Ji Jin froze. Her pupils, suddenly lifted, contracted uncontrollably for an instant.

“You don’t want to believe me?” Ji Jin stared obsessively at the seemingly indifferent Yun Chuxiu, her ink-dark eyes swirling with suppressed emotion. She took a step into the drenching rain, looking incredulous like a poor, completely soaked puppy.

After just a few seconds, the expression Ji Jin was forcing herself to maintain collapsed entirely.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes, A-Xiu… Don’t, don’t be disappointed in me…”

“Do you have to say these things in this environment?” Yun Chuxiu sighed, sharing half of her umbrella with her again. Her tone remained steady. “We’ll talk about everything when we get back. From this stretch of road, the return trip is about ten minutes. You’d better organize your explanation for me within those ten minutes.”

“I’m also curious… what exactly were you thinking while they were slandering me?”

Yun Chuxiu pulled her gaze away. For a moment, her eyes grew dim, mirroring the oppressive and gloomy rain outside the umbrella.

If this had been the other rain in her memory, the Yun Chuxiu of that time would have turned and left instantly, never giving Ji Jin even the slightest chance to catch up, let alone starting a relationship with her.

But unfortunately… this was seven years later.

Surprisingly, having guessed what happened in the bar, Yun Chuxiu didn’t feel angry at all. She was even able to handle the aftermath calmly and take Ji Jin away… Thinking closely, it just felt like being caught in an unexpected downpour.

The one truly stung was always someone else.

“A-Xiu,” Ji Jin sat obediently in the passenger seat. Her eyes flickered with a failed attempt to hide longing and fear. She opened her mouth but didn’t dare say much. Her slightly trembling hand reached out to the side, groping around in small movements.

…The ring. Where was the ring?

Ji Jin’s brain felt as if it had been struck several times by a sharp hammer. Everything related to rational thought had leaked out. She only wanted to use every possible method to mend the situation.

“What are you looking for?” Yun Chuxiu caught the movement. Her peripheral vision lingered for a moment, though she didn’t turn her head.

“I’m looking for the ri…that box. I felt it last time, I didn’t…”

Ji Jin’s speech was jumbled, scrambled by her emotions.

“You must be mistaken,” Yun Chuxiu looked ahead, her gaze fragmented by the light and shadow. “What you’re looking for isn’t here. The trash has already been cleared out.”

Ji Jin went completely rigid.

“Ji Jin,” Yun Chuxiu paused and sighed again. “I told you, didn’t I? Never let your emotions dictate your actions, no matter how special the person you’re facing is.”

Even though she held all the cards, Yun Chuxiu had no intention of taking advantage of the situation to strip this person down and crush them… That broken, helpless look didn’t suit Ji Jin at all.

“Think it over. The trip is almost over.”

As her voice fell, a bone-chilling silence returned.

“Mm,” Ji Jin finally snapped back to reality after a long while. Her whole body felt like it had been jolted by electricity. Her eyes were vacant, her response relying entirely on instinct.

Ten minutes was too short, Ji Jin thought. How could she explain that suspicious silence?

Was she supposed to tell Yun Chuxiu bluntly that while others were being vicious, she..the lover was actually fantasizing about using money, using shackles, using everything that could be exploited to trap her by her side? To achieve a more stable, lifelong “equivalent exchange”?

Ji Jin had seen what a broken marriage looked like. Her parents, who were so well-matched and childhood sweethearts in everyone else’s eyes, were left with nothing but endless complaints and tearing at each other after marriage. Even she, their child, felt nothing but neglect and suffering.

If you want to get something, you must exchange it for something of equal value. She had always done things this way.

The car stopped.

Ji Jin followed closely behind Yun Chuxiu, biting her lower lip repeatedly until she tasted the dull, metallic tang of blood. She remained silent, acting only as a loyal shadow trailing behind.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely.

Yun Chuxiu wasn’t in a hurry, she even took the initiative to give her time to shower and change, she was generous to the point of being entirely devoid of selfish desire.

And because of that, Ji Jin grew increasingly uneasy. Especially when she came out to see Yun Chuxiu wearing headphones, not even looking up. Her heart leaped into her throat instantly.

She walked straight over, curled up on the soft carpet, and silently hugged Yun Chuxiu’s casually crossed legs.

Separated only by a layer of soft loungewear, Ji Jin tilted her head slightly. As if pained by the overhead light, her eyes were dry and rimmed with red.

“I’m so scared you won’t want me anymore, A-Xiu,” her voice was thick, carrying a hint of self-mockery. “When I heard those mocking words, the first thing I thought of wasn’t talking back, but…”

“How wonderful it would be if A-Xiu could really stay by my side forever, and love me forever.”