After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 67

“What identity?”

After asking, Shen Xiaojiang raised her eyes and looked at Chen Yi seriously.

The other woman’s eyelids flickered slightly. Meeting Shen Xiaojiang’s gaze, she found herself speechless.

Shen Xiaojiang was angry…angry at Chen Yi.

Why was someone eight years her senior so cowardly, so weak? What on earth went through that head of hers day after day?

She stared intently at Chen Yi, tracing the woman’s exquisite features with a sharp, piercing gaze.

Chen Yi felt a numbness creep up the back of her neck under that scrutiny.

In this moment, Shen Xiaojiang’s gaze felt physical, like a hand striking her face, causing a raw ache.

To do such frantic, wild things in the dead of night, only to heartlessly abandon the other person afterward… it was clearly self-inflicted, a consequence of her own making. What right did she, Chen Yi, have to control anyone else? What right did she have to comment on someone else’s future?

She couldn’t control Shen Xiaojiang. She had no right.

They… were nothing to each other.

“Forget I said anything.”

Those four words squeezed through the gaps in Chen Yi’s teeth, carrying the warm moisture of her breath, but they froze in the air before they could even reach Shen Xiaojiang.

Shen Xiaojiang tightened her grip on the wet wipe in her hand. Clear droplets of water seeped from the lines of her palm and fell onto the floor by her feet.

She would have preferred it if Chen Yi scolded her, if she forbade her from getting close to anyone else.

She would have even preferred it if Chen Yi cried and told her not to leave, not to throw her away.

Anything would be better than this saying nothing, doing nothing.

Chen Yi blinked rapidly, her light amber eyes darting within her narrow eyelids. She looked both guilty and afraid.

It didn’t look like her at all.

Shen Xiaojiang looked away, turning her face toward the raging wind and rain outside the window.

Neither spoke again they fell into silence.

After a while, Shen Xiaojiang looked back and wiped the soles of Chen Yi’s feet once more.

She did it with such focus, as if it were the very last time.

She didn’t intend to force Chen Yi. In this relationship, she had done everything she should and shouldn’t have done.

Now, she was handing the initiative back to the other woman, letting her think long and hard about the relationship between them.

If she wanted to continue, Shen Xiaojiang would accompany her. If not, then she should stop doing things that led to misunderstandings. Shen Xiaojiang would not cling to her.

“Done.” She let go of Chen Yi’s ankle, stood up, and tossed the wet wipe into the trash. Then she walked to the sink and meticulously rinsed her hands under the faucet over and over again.

It looked like she was washing away dirt, but it felt more like she was trying to wash away her obsession with Chen Yi.

Though she knew it was hard to “break the fever” for Chen Yi, and that this obsession wouldn’t be easily washed clean.

However, she needed to let the older woman know, if she couldn’t figure it out herself, then Shen Xiaojiang could act as if they had never met.

“Done?” Chen Yi asked blankly.

“Mhm.” Shen Xiaojiang’s voice was a bit cold.

Chen Yi’s eyes dimmed, and she forced a bitter smile. “I understand.”

It was unclear what she understood, but Shen Xiaojiang stopped responding to her.

She was tired.

You can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

And you can never catch someone who is actively trying to miss you.

Chen Yi climbed down from the marble countertop and stepped into her shoes.

This time, Shen Xiaojiang did not help her.

“I’m leaving.” Chen Yi looked toward the door.

“Mhm.” Shen Xiaojiang didn’t ask her to stay.

She walked to the door, opened it for Chen Yi, and turned on all the lights in the dim corridor.

“Where is the car parked?” Shen Xiaojiang asked.

Walking behind Shen Xiaojiang and looking at her tall, straight silhouette, Chen Yi replied softly, “The underground parking lot.”

“I’ll walk you there.” Shen Xiaojiang had looked at the directory when she arrived; she had a photographic memory.

Chen Yi didn’t refuse.

The two of them rode the elevator together, keeping a wide distance as if they were strangers.

Chen Yi’s fingertips dug into her palms, debating whether she should say something.

However, before she could decide, the elevator doors opened.

They had reached the underground parking lot.

Shen Xiaojiang held the “open” button with one hand and made an “after you” gesture with the other.

The unfamiliarity was unsettling.

This version of Shen Xiaojiang looked different from before.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, He Zhong, who was parked in a VIP spot, spotted her and started the engine to drive over.

Sensing no footsteps behind her, Chen Yi turned around. She saw Shen Xiaojiang still standing inside the elevator, with no intention of coming out.

Chen Yi’s face turned pale and then flushed red as she asked stutteringly, “Shen Xiaojiang, are you… are you coming to work at Wanning?”

Shen Xiaojiang looked at her, her eyes devoid of emotion. “I don’t know.”

If Chen Yi remained indecisive, then this was the last bit of tenderness Shen Xiaojiang would offer her.

As the black Rolls-Royce drew closer, Shen Xiaojiang released the button. The elevator doors slid shut slowly, bit by bit.

Their locked gazes were severed the moment the Rolls-Royce came to a complete stop.

Looking at the closed elevator doors, the place in Chen Yi’s heart that had been full suddenly felt empty.

It felt as if a breath was stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down, leaving her feeling as though she were suffocating.

Uncomfortable, painful, heart-wrenching.

“Seventh Mistress, are you ready to head back?” He Zhong had to ask twice before Chen Yi turned around, looking utterly lost.

Those pale amber pupils were vacant and abstract.

Throughout the journey back, Chen Yi didn’t say a single word. Silent tears fell, mirroring the silent rain being blocked by the car window.

He Zhong didn’t dare speak, didn’t dare breathe loudly, and didn’t even dare honk the horn. When he encountered pedestrians, he simply stopped and waited.

Back at school, Shen Xiaojiang buried herself in high-intensity studying and part time work. She wanted to forget Chen Yi to forget that coward who didn’t dare speak the truth or face reality.

Soon, two weeks passed, and all the exams were over.

Sun Jiabao’s JK Club was holding its final event of the year: a mixer with the Computer Science Club.

A club full of girls and a club full of boys what could they possibly have to mix?

Sun Jiabao kept pestering Shen Xiaojiang to go with her.

Shen Xiaojiang felt like throwing up at the thought of those boys. Seeing them in class was bad enough; now that vacation was starting, she didn’t want to see them again. The thought made her feel physically ill.

“I’m not going,” she said decisively.

Sun Jiabao wasn’t usually one for acting spoiled, but wearing a JK miniskirt and pink cat ears, she looked incredibly cute. Her voice was soft and pleading: “Ginger baby, are we still best friends?”

Shen Xiaojiang had been avoiding Sun Jiabao a little lately. After all, Chen Yi was Jiabao’s aunt, and their first meeting had been at Jiabao’s birthday party. Seeing Jiabao inevitably reminded her of Chen Yi and that cold, indifferent face.

But in this moment, she realized that regardless of everything, Sun Jiabao was innocent. She didn’t even know anything had happened between her and Chen Yi.

It wasn’t fair to treat her this way.

Shen Xiaojiang tilted her head back and let out a long sigh to the heavens: “Argh! How did I end up as your best friend? Was it destiny or a curse!”

Sun Jiabao happily linked her arm with Shen Xiaojiang’s and, as usual, walked toward the clubroom with light steps.

“Why is your club in such a remote place? It’s in the middle of nowhere,” Shen Xiaojiang grumbled, her mood still sour.

Sun Jiabao leaned against her shoulder, pinched her cheek, and teased, “Oh? You never complained about the distance before. Are you just lacking exercise lately?”

Shen Xiaojiang knew exactly what Sun Jiabao meant by “exercise.”

She wasn’t going to fall for it.

“I’ve been exercising lately! I cycle and do yoga every day,” Shen Xiaojiang said seriously.

Sun Jiabao pulled back, her round eyes narrowing into thin slits. “Tsk tsk, not that kind of exercise.”

“You’re crazy,” Shen Xiaojiang laughed, rolling her eyes. Sun Jiabao continued to tease her.

Shen Xiaojiang suddenly turned around. “I changed my mind. Go by yourself.”

Sun Jiabao lost her nerve and immediately backtracked. “Oh, oh, my little ancestor, I was wrong! I was wrong, okay?”

Shen Xiaojiang stood there, glaring at her. “The next person to say another word is a dog.”

“OK, OK. Whatever you say,” Sun Jiabao surrendered.

They arrived at the clubroom. The small space was filled with the smell of sweat and sebum. It was packed with people, the sheer crowd was intimidating.

Shen Xiaojiang almost turned back.

If it weren’t for Sun Jiabao’s grip, she would have already bolted from the door.

“Senior Xiaojiang!” A girl wearing a slightly sheer pink shirt and a grey miniskirt approached her.

Shen Xiaojiang remembered her; they had taken an elective together.

The girl was very sweet-looking, and her voice was like honey.

Sun Jiabao pouted. “Go away, Ginger has a date today.”

Shen Xiaojiang thought Sun Jiabao was being childish and gave her a helpless smile.

The junior student laughed too. “Senior Jiabao, your skirt looks really good today.”

Sun Jiabao had a soft spot for compliments and was instantly won over. “Really?”

The junior smiled brightly. “Really!”

And just like that, the junior earned Sun Jiabao’s approval.

“Senior Xiaojiang, I heard you went to the early campus recruitment. A junior from the Computer Science Club went too, he interviewed for Wanning Electronics. What about you?”

Early recruitment wasn’t a secret. Many schools now announced the names of students involved to motivate others. Regardless of the final outcome, it was an honor and a form of recognition.

Shen Xiaojiang smiled. “What a coincidence. So did I.”

The junior instantly became a fan girl, her eyes shining as if she were looking at her idol.

“Wow, Senior Xiaojiang, you’re my role model!” she said.

Sun Jiabao had no interest in Wanning Electronics, planning to simply inherit her family business. “Right? My best friend is amazing!”

The junior nodded vigorously, her twin tails swishing against her face. “So amazing!”

Shen Xiaojiang gave the junior a polite, distant smile. “Study hard, and you can do it too.”

Coming from anyone else, it might have sounded dismissive, but from Shen Xiaojiang, it was strangely convincing.

Hearing the conversation, several people gathered around. The senior who had also interviewed for Wanning approached and said shyly to Shen Xiaojiang, “Hey, can we exchange WeChat? We can keep each other updated on any news from Wanning.”

Shen Xiaojiang declined with a faint smile. “Sorry, I don’t really use WeChat much.”

The senior backed off gracefully. He knew Shen Xiaojiang was beautiful and talented—not someone easily won over. He understood.

Speaking of WeChat, Shen Xiaojiang suddenly thought of a certain someone.

Since they had added each other, her chat history with Chen Yi was pitifully short.

Chen Yi didn’t post on her “Moments,” and Shen Xiaojiang didn’t check hers often.

During the free time segment of the mixer, Shen Xiaojiang sat in an empty seat by the window and took out her phone.

She stared blankly at the time on the screen.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Had that cowardly older woman still not figured things out?

Or had she already made a decision?

Was a silent break the final ending for the two of them?

Shen Xiaojiang opened WeChat. The pinned chat was still Chen Yi.

She hadn’t changed it, she didn’t want to.

Suddenly, she noticed that Chen Yi had changed her profile picture.

It was a very familiar photo.

Shen Xiaojiang gripped her phone tightly, wanting to tap on the image yet hesitating.

“Ginger, let’s go.” Sun Jiabao leaned over, her elbow resting on Shen Xiaojiang’s shoulder.

Before Sun Jiabao could see, Shen Xiaojiang locked her phone screen.

“Okay,” she replied guiltily, not even knowing where they were going.

On the other side, inside the Wanning Electronics headquarters, Bai Shuhua and Chen Yi sat facing each other in the office.

It felt like a confrontation, a game of chess anything but a conversation between old acquaintances.

“So, what do you want from me?” Bai Shuhua set down her coffee cup. She wore a white suit over a royal blue satin shirt.

She looked every bit the female Vice President.

Chen Yi wasn’t used to coffee and hadn’t touched her cup. “No tea?”

Bai Shuhua knew Chen Yi well, she didn’t easily drink water from outside. If she drank, it had to be tea brewed in front of her.

Initially, Chen Yi had only studied the Way of Tea to please the Old Master performing for him, pouring for him but later, it had become a habit.

Bai Shuhua never drank tea; she preferred alcohol and coffee.

She shrugged. “Your visit was a surprise. I didn’t prepare any.”

She was telling the truth.

Most people who came here adapted to her tastes; almost no one made their own demands.

After all, the guest should follow the host.

Chen Yi glanced toward the door, and He Zhong entered carrying tea leaves.

Bai Shuhua felt both annoyed and amused.

With the help of Bai Shuhua’s assistant, He Zhong respectfully brought a top-tier blue and white porcelain teacup from Liming Hall to Chen Yi.

Bai Shuhua shook her head with a smile. “Chen Xiaoqi, you’ve spent too much time with those old fogies. Your taste is so old-fashioned.”

Chen Yi looked indifferent. “In the future, keep some tea I like. I’ll be coming by often.”

“What?” Bai Shuhua was puzzled.

Chen Yi took a light sip of the perfectly tempered tea and said calmly, “The Old Master didn’t agree to your new project, did he?”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.

Bai Shuhua was developing a smart device under her own name, one that changed traditional robotic arm programming. It was currently facing issues and wasn’t being accepted by the market.

She had invested a lot of her own money and was currently in a deficit.

Since it hadn’t shown results yet, she couldn’t apply for company funds.

She had mentioned it to the Old Master, but he didn’t see the potential and rejected it outright.

Bai Shuhua nodded. “Yes. But I believe this project will be a success.”

“Mhm. I believe so too,” Chen Yi agreed seriously.

“Oh?” Bai Shuhua narrowed her eyes, confused.

Chen Yi slowly looked up, glancing at the trophies on Bai Shuhua’s bookshelf. “I’ll invest in you. Once it hits the market, the profits will be split 70-30. You get seventy.”

The two of them had never gotten along.

They might speak in private, but in business, they were like enemies.

Bai Shuhua’s eyes flickered she thought she had misheard.

“Chen Xiaoqi, you’re hilarious. With my credit, I can get a bank loan or apply for financing.” Bai Shuhua looked her in the eye.

Chen Yi lowered her gaze to the tea in her cup, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly it was unclear if she was smiling or blowing on the hot tea.

She was a known eccentric in the business world a venomous snake that lay in wait, watching for the right moment to strike its target with a fatal blow.

“Why don’t you try then?” she said with a playful smile.

“You…” Bai Shuhua knew her own words were self-deception.

The reason she had returned to the country was because of financing difficulties.

After returning, because her business philosophy differed from the traditionalist Old Master Bai, she couldn’t get his financial support. She was indeed short on cash.

However, Chen Yi wouldn’t be this kind for no reason.

Helping her now meant she must want something in return.

Bai Shuhua considered her motives.

Chen Yi wasn’t smiling anymore, nor was she drinking tea. She simply inhaled the aroma from the cup. “Don’t bother guessing. If I help you, you have to help me. It’s mutually beneficial.”

“What do you want me to do?” Bai Shuhua looked at her askance.

Bai Shuhua had her own ideas at work and had always done well, but she was no match for Chen Yi.

In terms of strategy and tactics, she was outclassed.

Although she was the most capable competitor for Chen Yi for the position of Chairperson, the role wasn’t just about innovation; it was about tolerance and comprehensive strength. Even Old Master Bai felt Chen Yi was a better fit than his own granddaughter.

Chen Yi looked out the window. The piercing sunlight reflected in her pupils, and the bright green leaves were as vivid as the green qipao she wore.

“On the day of the election, the vote in your hand can only be cast for me,” she said without blinking, her voice calm and shallow, like an emotionless machine. “And your supporters must also vote for me.”

“How am I supposed to convince them…”

Chen Yi said coldly, “Figure it out yourself.”

Bai Shuhua hesitated.

Chen Yi added, “Technological innovation has a shelf life. Make your decision quickly so I can transfer the funds. If you miss the window, no one will be able to help you.”

After a long sigh, Bai Shuhua agreed.

Chen Yi had finally waited for the chance to make Bai Shuhua bow her head, and through her response, she had finally obtained what she had once dreamed of.

The biggest obstacle to reaching the top was gone.

Finally, she was one step closer to that seat, yet Chen Yi didn’t feel as happy as she had imagined.