After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 52

“You’re back?” Shen Lanxin’s voice rang out.

Chen Yi walked in front, still feeling a bit unaccustomed to facing Shen Xiaojiang’s mother.

“Mm,” she responded softly.

“Ms. Shen, why is Old Zhou’s dessert shop closed?” Shen Xiaojiang asked listlessly as she shut the door and changed her shoes.

“Which one?” Shen Lanxin asked, confused.

Shen Xiaojiang looked up and thought for a moment. “The one at the West Gate intersection, the one we usually go to.”

Shen Lanxin smiled. “Look at what time it is. Business owners need to go home and sleep too.”

Shen Xiaojiang let out a shallow “Oh.”

“Sister Xiaojiang!” Suddenly, a childish voice came from behind the door.

Shen Xiaojiang spun around and saw Chen Yi standing eye to eye with a little girl.

The little girl was a bit shy, realizing she had identified the wrong person, she ducked into Shen Lanxin’s embrace.

“Don’t be afraid, Ruirui. This is Sister Xiaojiang’s friend, you can call her ‘Sister’ too,” Shen Lanxin said as she knelt down to comfort the girl.

Shen Xiaojiang walked over to Chen Yi’s side and gently brushed her finger against the back of Chen Yi’s hand.

Chen Yi turned to look at Shen Xiaojiang.

The two shared a smile.

Shen Xiaojiang stepped forward, knelt down, and opened her arms to the little girl. “Are you Ruirui? You’ve grown so much! Come here, let Sister give you a hug.”

Ruirui was the granddaughter of Shen Lanxin’s cousin, roughly eight years old.

“Look at that my cousin’s granddaughter is already eight, and my daughter has only just started college. Tsk tsk, you really can’t compare,” Shen Lanxin remarked.

Hearing her mother’s words, Shen Xiaojiang only gave a faint smile.

Chen Yi said nothing, but she stared intently at the little girl as if she were trying to burn a hole through her face.

In the kitchen, Shen Lanxin put on her apron and pinned her hair up with a claw clip.

Shen Xiaojiang obediently helped tie the apron strings behind her.

She had a strange quirk, she could tie a beautiful butterfly bow for others, but whenever she tied one for herself, it turned out ugly.

“What kind of dessert soup do you want?” Shen Lanxin asked.

“Almond milk with taro balls,” Shen Xiaojiang replied.

“Go wait outside.”

“Alright! Love you, Mom!”

“Stop being cheeky. Go accompany your classmate.”

Shen Xiaojiang rummaged through the cabinets. “I’m in no rush. I want to prepare something special for her. Mom, where did we put the dried osmanthus?”

Chen Yi sat on the sofa with Ruirui sitting opposite her the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Ruirui held a doll, but her eyes kept drifting toward the iPad on the coffee table.

Chen Yi went through the motions of swiping on her phone, but she was actually peeking at Ruirui.

When their gazes met, it wasn’t the feeling she had expected.

In fact, there was no feeling at all.

If she didn’t say or do something, the atmosphere would only get more awkward.

Chen Yi desperately wished Shen Xiaojiang would come out of the kitchen at that moment.

“Do you… want something?” Chen Yi asked somewhat unnaturally.

Ruirui was afraid of her and didn’t dare speak.

Chen Yi was a classic “bold featured” beauty her looks were striking and carried a certain sense of aggression.

In this immediate circle, only Shen Xiaojiang wasn’t afraid of her.

“Do you want… this?” Chen Yi picked up the iPad and handed it to Ruirui.

Ruirui took it, her eyes filled with tension and trepidation.

To avoid scaring the child, Chen Yi leaned back on the sofa and remained silent after handing over the tablet.

The last time she had seen a child this age was thirteen years ago.

Ruirui’s eyes were also very clean clear black and white but they couldn’t compare to that girl in the rain thirteen years ago.

That girl had light in her eyes a light that carried pure warmth and sincerity.

She was the first piece of kindness the world had ever gifted to Chen Yi.

Even though they were the same age, and even though they both wore dresses and pigtails, they were completely different.

“Here, have some water.” Shen Xiaojiang handed Chen Yi a glass of warm water, using the same strawberry-patterned mug from the ginger tea the day before.

“Oh.” Chen Yi’s thoughts were interrupted, and she temporarily put the memory of the little girl aside.

Shen Xiaojiang pointed at Ruirui. “I haven’t seen you in two years; you’ve grown so tall.”

Chen Yi took a sip of the warm water and smiled. “Yes, children grow fast.”

Shen Xiaojiang set her cup down. “Ruirui, what grade are you in?”

The little girl was shy, her chubby face slowly lifting from the tablet. “First grade.”

Her voice was immature, sweet, and pleasant to the ear.

After looking into the girl’s eyes for a few seconds, Chen Yi looked away. Her gaze landed on Shen Xiaojiang’s cup the strawberry on it was a vibrant red.

Then, her gaze fixed on the profile of Shen Xiaojiang’s smiling face.

“Sister Xiaojiang, I can never get past this level!” Ruirui pouted, looking at Shen Xiaojiang with eyes full of expectation.

Shen Xiaojiang had just picked up her cup but set it back down. She sat beside Ruirui, took the tablet, and helped her out.

“Oh wow, this level really is hard! But Sister has a way…”

“Wow! Sister Xiaojiang, you’re amazing!”

“Hahaha, pretty great, right?”

As Shen Xiaojiang laughed, she looked up and her eyes collided with Chen Yi’s.

Chen Yi was stunned for a moment, then gave a shallow smile and was the first to look away.

Shen Xiaojiang said to the little girl, “Ruirui, let’s go sit next to that sister, okay?”

The little girl hesitated.

Shen Xiaojiang stroked the back of her head, her tone very gentle. “She hasn’t played this game before. Let’s play it together so she can watch, okay?”

“Okay.” The little girl reluctantly gave in.

The two of them sat down beside Chen Yi.

Ruirui was squeezed between Chen Yi and Shen Xiaojiang, leaning slightly closer to the latter.

Shen Xiaojiang looked up and saw that Chen Yi was also looking at the game.

Chen Yi was usually someone without much warmth from her gaze to her soul, everything was cold but in this moment, Shen Xiaojiang felt that she was flesh and blood.

She remembered “Old Man Mao” mentioning in class once: “Maintaining one’s humanity is very important.”

From what Shen Xiaojiang knew so far, Chen Yi’s life consisted of nothing but work.

No life, no entertainment.

Since she was very young, Shen Xiaojiang had heard a certain phrase more than once. The business world is a battlefield.

She hadn’t understood it then.

Even now, she didn’t fully understand it.

However, she didn’t want to understand it.

In her eyes, the business world wasn’t a battlefield, but a cage.

It imprisoned a group of people who were unwilling to leave and ultimately unable to leave, forcing them to fight like trapped beasts.

Just as Chen Yi had said before, everyone makes different choices, and the paths they end up on are different.

Chen Yi had chosen to engage in the deceptions and power struggles of the business world.

This was her choice. It wasn’t for Shen Xiaojiang to judge as good or bad; she could only respect it.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, Shen Xiaojiang felt as though they had been acquainted for a long time.

She worried that Chen Yi was tired; she worried she was lonely.

But she didn’t know how to help her. All she could do was share her own light with Chen Yi whenever they were together, bringing her warmth.

She didn’t know if her thoughts or actions were correct, she could only catch a glimpse of the answer from Chen Yi’s expressions.

Whenever Chen Yi smiled, Shen Xiaojiang felt a brief sense of self-validation.

Perhaps everyone around Chen Yi wanted something from her, but Shen Xiaojiang didn’t. She didn’t want anything from Chen Yi, she only wanted her to be happy, genuinely happy.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Shen Xiaojiang lowered her head.

“Our Ruirui passed another level! So impressive!” Shen Xiaojiang said while clapping.

At that moment, Chen Yi looked up at her, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.

“Kids, the almond milk is ready! Come and drink it while it’s hot.” Shen Lanxin brought over a wooden tray with three white porcelain bowls, steam swirling from the rims.

“Yay!” Ruirui was the first to leave the sofa, and Shen Lanxin picked her up to sit in a chair.

Shen Xiaojiang placed the iPad on the coffee table. As she looked up, she saw Chen Yi standing nearby, staring at her.

“Let’s go,” Chen Yi said.

Suddenly, Chen Yi reached out and brushed away the hair that was partially covering Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes.

Shen Xiaojiang had just started to stand up; unsure of what Chen Yi was doing, she sat back down obediently. “Wha… what is it?”

Chen Yi looked into Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly smiled. “Nothing. I just think your eyes are beautiful.”

“Oh?” A small ripple of happiness washed through Shen Xiaojiang’s heart. “Oh.”

She never cared when others complimented her looks, but when Chen Yi complimented her, she would feel happy for a long time.

Shen Xiaojiang had always loved almond milk, ever since she was a child.

It wasn’t something she needed every day, but when the craving hit, she had to have a large bowl.

Shen Lanxin was an average cook when it came to stir-fry, but she was great at making dessert soups.

She had rolled taro balls and put them in the milk to add texture.

Shen Xiaojiang had been studying in Nancheng for the past two years and rarely craved it there, mostly because people in Nancheng didn’t care for it much and even when they did, it didn’t taste like home.

Just as she sat down, Shen Xiaojiang immediately stood up again and grabbed a transparent jar from a nearby cabinet.

“What’s that?” Chen Yi asked curiously.

Shen Xiaojiang kept it a secret, smiling without a word.

“Osmanthus?” Chen Yi could faintly see them through the jar.

The dried flowers were tiny and golden.

Shen Xiaojiang twisted the lid open, picked up a clean spoon, scooped out a small pinch, and sprinkled them over her bowl.

Then, she turned to Chen Yi. “Want to try some?”

Chen Yi looked at Shen Xiaojiang’s bowl, then back at her own.

“Okay. I want mine just like yours.”

Shen Xiaojiang froze for a second, then nodded with a smile.

The golden osmanthus petals rested atop the almond milk, instantly enriching the aroma of the food.

It wasn’t just the scent of milk, nor just the scent of osmanthus. The two blended together, triggering a much deeper, more layered fragrance.

“Only you would love these fancy, over the top touches,” Shen Lanxin teased with a smile, her tone far from accusatory.

Shen Xiaojiang simply curved her eyes in a casual smile.

Then, she watched as Chen Yi took a sip of the almond milk, deliberately eating a few of the petals that had been softened by the liquid. Shen Xiaojiang paused her spoon, watching her with a focused and tender gaze.

When Chen Yi looked up, Shen Xiaojiang whispered, “How is it?”

“Even better than Old Zhou’s dessert shop,” Chen Yi replied.

Shen Xiaojiang pursed her lips into a smile. She reflexively reached out and wiped a trace of milk from the corner of Chen Yi’s mouth.

“I prefer almond milk over milk tea,” Shen Xiaojiang said, then lowered her head to take a mouthful of taro balls.

Chen Yi paused for a few seconds. The corner of her mouth, where Shen Xiaojiang had just touched, twitched slightly.

After finishing the dessert, Ruirui was picked up by her mother.

Shen Xiaojiang went downstairs to see the guests off, and Chen Yi followed, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as she watched.

The moment Shen Xiaojiang turned around, Chen Yi’s phoenix-like eyes shifted, a trace of nonchalance in her gaze. “Are you this good to everyone?”

Shen Xiaojiang was taken aback. “Huh?”

Chen Yi didn’t speak; she turned as if to walk back into the house.

Shen Xiaojiang quickly grabbed her wrist. “Auntie, are you… jealous?”

Her tone was a bit sour and stiff, her eyes holding a flicker of grievance mixed with anger if this wasn’t jealousy, what was it?

Chen Yi spun around abruptly and gave Shen Xiaojiang a measured glare. “Why would I be?”

“Oh, I see, I see. But Ruirui is just a child it’s only right that I’m nice to her.” Shen Xiaojiang moved closer to Chen Yi, taking her hand and gently fiddling with her fingertips.

“I’m not that petty,” Chen Yi said, pouting arrogantly.

“Right, right, I understand. I totally get it.” Shen Xiaojiang rested her chin on Chen Yi’s shoulder, looking at her with smiling eyes.