After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 33.1

Suddenly, Chen Yi turned her head slightly, a light glimmering in her eyes. In all her years, no one had ever said such things to her. The feeling of being worried about, of being held in someone’s thoughts, was wonderful.

Shen Xiaojiang wasn’t sure what that light meant, and she didn’t dare think too much about it.

“Shen Xiaojiang, you really are…” Chen Yi raised a hand, pressing a loose fist against the corner of her mouth, her voice muffled. “Really…”

Shen Xiaojiang bit her lower lip, staring directly at her. She looked at Chen Yi, but she couldn’t quite read her expression.

“Really what?” Shen Xiaojiang asked.

Chen Yi let out a very, very soft laugh. “Really… a dummy.”

Lin Qianqian stood at the bus stop, watching the two from a distance. She finally understood why Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes never held a place for her. It was because Xiaojiang’s vision had long since been filled by someone else.

Her spirit instantly deflated, and a sense of defeat washed over her like a flood. She opened her ride-hailing app and set the destination to Nancheng University.

“Is she alone?” Chen Yi didn’t want to say she had seen Lin Qianqian. If possible, she didn’t want to see the girl at all. At the very least, she didn’t want to see other women with ulterior motives around Shen Xiaojiang.

Shen Xiaojiang suddenly remembered something and snapped her head around to look at the bus stop.

“Oh no!” she said. “I forgot about Lin Qianqian.”

Though she said it, she made no move to go back. She felt she had already made things clear.

Chen Yi gave a soft smile. “Give her a call.”

Shen Xiaojiang didn’t want to.

“Regardless, she came here for you. She’s alone in this strange city; what if she runs into danger?” Chen Yi’s tone was gentle, her eyes calm. She didn’t know what Xiaojiang had just said to Lin Qianqian she wanted to know, yet she didn’t. She wanted to trust Shen Xiaojiang.

In her heart, she admitted she disliked Lin Qianqian, disliked her for trying to steal her light. But Lin Qianqian was Xiaojiang’s classmate. She didn’t want to make things difficult for Xiaojiang, nor did she want her to have any regrets.

Chen Yi forced a smile. “Shen Xiaojiang, I’m serious.”

So gentle. Shen Xiaojiang’s heart felt like it was melting. After a few seconds of thought, she nodded and took out her phone.

Lin Qianqian didn’t answer the call but sent a text instead: [Lin Qianqian: I feel like there’s no place for me by your side right now. I’ll head back first.]

Shen Xiaojiang replied calmly: [Shen Xiaojiang: Okay.]

She didn’t try to argue. After replying, she put her phone away.

“All settled?” Chen Yi asked. “Yeah, she went back already,” Shen Xiaojiang answered.

Chen Yi nodded and said no more. She had done what she felt was right.

“Does your hand hurt?” Chen Yi slowly took Shen Xiaojiang’s right hand. The red marks left from pounding on the glass were startling.

It was the first time Chen Yi had looked at Xiaojiang’s hand so closely. It was a clean, youthful hand. Not exceptionally white, but beautiful, with thin callouses on the index and middle fingers, likely from writing. The ten fingernails were trimmed neatly, with clear, even half-moons at the base.

Shen Xiaojiang had resented Lin Qianqian’s touch, but she didn’t mind Chen Yi’s. In fact, she enjoyed having her hand held by the other woman.

“It… it doesn’t hurt anymore,” Shen Xiaojiang replied against her conscience. “Really?” Chen Yi brushed it with her finger. “Sss” Shen Xiaojiang’s hand reflexively jerked back.

Chen Yi frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed into an expression of heartache. “Liar.”

Shen Xiaojiang laughed awkwardly. “It really didn’t hurt just now.”

“What about yours? I saw your hand shaking.” She took hold of Chen Yi’s slender wrist, gently stroking the inner skin, feeling the rhythm of her pulse.

Chen Yi’s gaze paused, and she looked down thoughtfully. After a long while, she spoke: “It didn’t hurt then, but it does a little now.”

Having said that, she slowly looked up, setting aside her so-called pride to show her vulnerability to Shen Xiaojiang.

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” Shen Xiaojiang said instinctively, without a second thought. As soon as she saw that vulnerable look in Chen Yi’s eyes, she lost herself completely. Her heart and eyes held only one person.

“It’s not that dramatic. Besides, I have to wait for the insurance people.” Chen Yi was conflicted; she wanted to act spoiled with Xiaojiang, but she couldn’t bear to make her worry. As a powerful figure in Nancheng, she felt a strange, new sense of insecurity.

“When will they get here?” Chen Yi checked her watch. “About twenty minutes.” “Is that too long? You probably need to get back to school, right?” Bitter words spilled from her lips.

Shen Xiaojiang paused for a second, her tone full of affection. “No. I’ll wait with you.”

Chen Yi’s eyes widened slightly, a sweet throb of emotion rising in her heart like never before.

After the insurance company handled the situation, they arranged for a tow truck to take Chen Yi’s car for repairs. The two stood by the road, watching the white Bentley being towed out of sight.

It’s still early, Shen Xiaojiang thought. She wished time would move even slower.

“Xiao Yi, are you really okay?” Shen Xiaojiang subconsciously hooked her finger around Chen Yi’s.

“Hmm?” Chen Yi snapped back to reality, the warmth from her fingertip spreading to her eyes. “I’m fine. The car will be fixed.”

In this moment, Chen Yi’s first thought was the car, not herself. This surprised Shen Xiaojiang, yet at the same time, it didn’t. Chen Yi never loved herself. It broke Xiaojiang’s heart.

“I’m not worried about the car,” she said.

A gust of wind blew, sent Shen Xiaojiang’s long black hair fluttering. Chen Yi tightened her grip, wrapping her hand around Xiaojiang’s fingers, gently rubbing the callouses with her thumb. “Then what are you worried about?”

“You.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was resolute. “I’m worried about you. I wouldn’t be this anxious for anyone else,” she said.

Chen Yi’s gaze lingered briefly on a small pebble by the road before shifting to Shen Xiaojiang’s face. Soon, it moved again, landing on the curve of Xiaojiang’s throat. After a few seconds of silence, she laughed softly and hoarsely. “I… am fine.”

Shen Xiaojiang took the initiative to close the distance between them. She withdrew her finger, grasped Chen Yi’s entire hand in her palm, and pulled slightly. The other woman tumbled into her embrace.

“I have to go to the hospital anyway. Why don’t you come with me?”

Chen Yi looked startled. “Me? What would I go for?”

Shen Xiaojiang looked at her seriously. “To get a CT scan. So I can stop worrying.”