After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 35

This embrace lasted for an unknown amount of time, long enough for the dark clouds in the sky to scatter and for the bright moon to peek out.

Due to a critical project, Chen Yi had to catch a night flight to the United States tonight.

After receiving the location pin, He Zhong had already driven over. At this moment, he sat inside the car, watching the two people huddled together from a distance. He rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

“Shen Xiaojiang, shall I send you back?” Chen Yi composed her emotions and pulled away from Shen Xiaojiang’s embrace, her reluctance plain to see.

It was only then that Shen Xiaojiang noticed a black Rolls-Royce parked nearby.

Omega!

What kind of massive “social death” scenario was this?

Shen Xiaojiang had been quite calm just moments ago, but now her face felt hot and burning.

Chen Yi saw through her but didn’t speak up. Instead, as if in retaliation, she hooked her index finger and gave Shen Xiaojiang’s nose a light flick. “Aren’t you leaving?”

Chen Yi turned around first. Her dark red qipao clung to her already slender frame, making her look even more delicate and frail. She pressed down the hem of her skirt with one hand and tucked her hair behind her ear with the other. Her silhouette as she walked toward the Rolls-Royce carried an indescribable sense of loneliness.

Suddenly, an electric scooter came rushing across.

Instinctively, Shen Xiaojiang grabbed Chen Yi’s waist and pulled her into her arms. “Watch out.”

With chest pressed against back, the rising body temperature scalded them both.

Chen Yi’s expression shifted slightly, her eyes flickering. She cast a brief glance at Shen Xiaojiang from the side of her face and then hurriedly looked away, revealing a bashful smile. “Thank you.”

“No… no need for thanks.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s eyelashes brushed against Chen Yi’s hair.

It was so soft, so fragrant. It smelled even better than the flower petals falling around them. It was a milky scent, infused with the subtle, indescribable fragrance of Chen Yi’s skin something situated right between a young girl and a mature woman.

A very special scent.

Shen Xiaojiang inhaled greedily, forgetting time and place, immersing herself in the sweet dream Chen Yi had woven. If she could, she never wanted to wake up.

She slowly tightened her fingers; the silky fabric and the firm curve of Chen Yi’s waist pampered her fingertips and palms. Shen Xiaojiang’s heart rate accelerated, her breathing becoming erratic.

She remembered that morning in the hotel when she had held onto Chen Yi’s qipao and felt an unprecedented “sexual fantasy” toward the garment. It was shameful and embarrassing, but more than that, it was enjoyable.

Feeling Shen Xiaojiang’s touch and the moist heat of her palms, Chen Yi stood perfectly still, behaving herself. Seeing He Zhong approaching out of confusion, Chen Yi made a “stay back” gesture.

She liked it when Shen Xiaojiang was like this with her. She liked it very much.

Realizing her own presumption, Shen Xiaojiang quickly let go.

“Auntie, I… I’m going back to the dorm.”

Chen Yi clenched her fingers, her manicured nails nearly digging into her flesh. Only she knew that while Shen Xiaojiang’s warm breath lingered at the nape of her neck for those few short minutes, her body had experienced a strange, damp reaction.

A fleeting trace of regret crossed her eyes. She smiled at Shen Xiaojiang. “Alright, get in the car.”

The car stopped at the dormitory entrance. Before Shen Xiaojiang got out, Chen Yi tugged at the edge of her clothes again.

Shen Xiaojiang paused, her eyes asking, “What’s wrong?”

Chen Yi bit her somewhat dry lip, her smile losing its color. “It’s nothing.”

Shen Xiaojiang stopped her movements and waited quietly.

Chen Yi lowered her eyelids, her long, thick lashes trembling slightly like two broken butterflies. Her hands were tightly clasped on her lap, the skin at the base of her thumbs pinched red.

The red marks stung Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes.

Frowning, Shen Xiaojiang covered Chen Yi’s hands with her own. One second, two seconds, then she gave two light pats.

“Have a safe flight,” she said.

Chen Yi’s eyes grew slightly moist. In an instant, the stubbornness carved into her bones collapsed. After a long while, a low, hoarse voice drifted out: “Could you… wait until my car has driven away before you turn around?”

Shen Xiaojiang felt a drop of warmth fall onto her hand. It grew cold very quickly.

Chen Yi did not want to see Shen Xiaojiang’s retreating back.

Shen Xiaojiang understood. She stood at the dormitory gate, watching the Rolls-Royce drive into the distance until the exhaust fumes swirled and dissipated in the air.

She lifted her hand and saw that crystalline drop. Her heart was a whirlwind of complex emotions.

Chen Yi wondered: What happened today?

It had been many years since she was like this, so long that she thought her tear ducts had atrophied. Her vision was blurred and her eyes ached, yet she felt much lighter.

She looked back and saw Shen Xiaojiang still standing at the gate through the rear window. Her heart felt warm. Shen Xiaojiang had given her the courage to cry and the hope to live.

He Zhong didn’t dare disturb her.

Since taking over the “Venus” bar, this was the first time he had seen Chen Yi cry. When the pressure was immense or when she was lonely and needed company, Chen Yi always wore a mask, smiling calmly like a heartless money-making machine, like the walking dead.

If it weren’t for Shen Xiaojiang, she wouldn’t show this human side at all.

He Zhong didn’t know if this was a good or a bad thing. Does a machine need humanity? Probably not. Because if it does, the machine breaks; it has to be factory reset or… destroyed.

Chen Yi cried silently; to an outsider, she might have just looked like she was dazed. It wasn’t until the car stopped at Nancheng Airport that she tremblingly raised her hand to wipe away the tears.

The moment she stepped out of the car, that smiling mask was put back on.

“Good evening, Seventh Mistress.”

“Seventh Mistress, the private jet departs in half an hour.”

“Seventh Mistress, this is the data on the Zhongjian Group. It has all been printed. Please review it.”

“Seventh Mistress…”

“Seventh Mistress…”

Chen Yi took the documents and was surrounded by a crowd as she walked toward the SVIP lounge.

Machine Chen Yi: Online.Mortal Chen Yi: Offline.

He Zhong watched all of this quietly, his expression solemn.

Shen Xiaojiang stood in the wind for a while, waiting until the scent of the car’s exhaust had almost vanished before turning to head back.

The person on the night shift today was the dormitory auntie whom Sun Jiabao described as having a very foul temper. She was a relative of the school leadership and was considered to have some “backing.” Most students were afraid of her.

“Auntie,” Shen Xiaojiang called out calmly.

The dorm auntie, wearing thick glasses, caught sight of her and immediately stood up from her stool, walking toward Shen Xiaojiang. Seeing her coming with such momentum, Shen Xiaojiang was startled, thinking she had missed curfew again.

“Auntie, let me explain…”

“Shen Xiaojiang from the Computer Science department?” the auntie asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” Shen Xiaojiang replied.

The auntie pulled out a small blue card Shen Xiaojiang had never seen before, with “0809” written on it.

“Auntie, this is…?” Shen Xiaojiang took the card and looked at it for a long time.

After confirming there were no other students nearby, the auntie cleared her throat and said, “This is an access card. I processed one for you. In the future, if you come back late, just swipe the card.”

What did this mean? Shen Xiaojiang was completely bewildered.

The auntie pointed to the four digits on the card and lowered her voice: “The access machines over here at Building 7 often malfunction. If you encounter a situation where the card won’t swipe, just enter these four digits.”

“A password?”

The auntie gave Shen Xiaojiang a look and let out an “Mm.”

Another student walked in, and the auntie ruffled her hair and turned away. Shen Xiaojiang raised an eyebrow slightly, still not quite understanding. Was this… a privilege?

“Ginger!” Sun Jiabao was leaning over the staircase railing, wearing pajamas, her hair still wet.

Shen Xiaojiang acknowledged her and started walking up. “Why are you out here?”

Sun Jiabao performed her standard move, hooking her arm around Shen Xiaojiang’s shoulder and intentionally lowering her voice: “Can’t you tell? I was waiting for you.”

Shen Xiaojiang pushed her away, rolled her eyes, and hopped up to the next step. “I don’t believe a word of it.”

“It’s true!” Sun Jiabao tried to catch up. “My heart for you can be witnessed by the sun and the moon!”

At that moment, Chen Xingnan climbed up panting, holding a strawberry flavored Cornetto. “Baobao, I searched the entire cold drink freezer at the mini-mart, they really didn’t have the coconut flavor you wanted.”

Sun Jiabao pursed her lips. “Fine, strawberry it is.”

Witnessed by the sun and moon? What a lie! She was clearly waiting for ice cream…

Shen Xiaojiang pouted, though she wasn’t truly angry.

Sun Jiabao: “Ginger, I’m serious remember to let me copy Old Man Mao’s homework, ahhhh!”

Strawberry flavor?

“Sun Jiabao!” Shen Xiaojiang asked. “Does your aunt… also like strawberry-flavored things?”

“My aunt?” Sun Jiabao took the unwrapped Cornetto from Chen Xingnan, her brain working rapidly as she frowned. “I don’t think so. I remember my mom saying my aunt’s palate is extremely picky. She doesn’t eat cilantro, she doesn’t eat spicy food, nothing too sour, nothing too salty… she rejects all sweets. Strawberry is a sweet flavor, isn’t it? How could she like it!!”

Shen Xiaojiang froze.

If she didn’t like sweets, and didn’t like sweet flavors, then who was that jar of strawberry-flavored lollipops in the hotel room prepared for?

Sun Jiabao took a bite of the ice cream and asked, “What’s up? Why are you suddenly asking about my aunt?”

Shen Xiaojiang’s mind was a mess, and she didn’t want to explain. “Nothing.”

“Hey!” Sun Jiabao pointed the Cornetto at Shen Xiaojiang’s retreating back. “You really do have a little secret! Holy crap, you aren’t actually making a move on my aunt, are you?? Hey, Big Ginger, Stinky Ginger…”

Shen Xiaojiang closed her ears and kept her mouth shut. Just as she pushed open the dorm room door, she saw Lin Qianqian packing her things.

“You’re leaving?”

Facing Shen Xiaojiang’s question, Lin Qianqian looked aggrieved. “Yes. I didn’t come at the right time, and it seems everyone doesn’t welcome me. I have at least that much basic self-awareness. Leaving is the only way out.”

Lin Qianqian’s speaking style was poetic and roundabout. Something that could be explained in one sentence, she insisted on turning into a flowing narrative. In Sun Jiabao’s words, listening to her talk made your ears grow calluses.

“Ginger, ignore her. She can go wherever she wants,” Sun Jiabao said, sitting down at her desk.

Shen Xiaojiang said nothing.

Hearing this, Lin Qianqian’s eyes turned red again. “Ginger, waaaa…”

Shen Xiaojiang’s brow furrowed slightly. She continued, “There are no more buses now. Just sleep in my dorm tonight. I’ll go sleep in the room next door, and you can go to the station tomorrow morning.”

Sun Jiabao, who had just put on her headphones, took them off again. “Why sleep next door? Do they have an empty bed?”

“Yeah,” Shen Xiaojiang replied.

Sun Jiabao pouted. “Just squeeze in with me.”

“Didn’t I tell you guys last time? I’m not used to sleeping with others…” The words were out of her mouth when Shen Xiaojiang thought of Chen Yi. She paused for two seconds, her confidence visibly draining. “…sleeping in the same bed.”

Seeing Sun Jiabao take off her headphones, Chen Xingnan took hers off too, mimicking Sun Jiabao’s tone: “Just squeeze in with me!”

Sun Jiabao grabbed a pack of tissues and threw them at Chen Xingnan. “Get lost!”

Lin Qianqian’s expression was very ugly. Tears welled in her eyes as she choked out: “This ‘others’ probably doesn’t include her, right?”

“Huh?” Sun Jiabao and Chen Xingnan both turned around with “free gossip” expressions. “Who?”