After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 74

Outside the window, the rain drizzled rhythmically, collecting into tiny pools on the leaves, falling into the small river, and rippling outward in concentric circles.

Times had changed. What was meant to be a simple meal was interrupted by a continuous stream of people coming to offer toasts.

They bowed and scraped, their eyes filled with either respect or awe, affectionately calling out “Chairwoman Chen” one after another.

Chen Yi watched them indifferently, her gaze thick with an indecipherable complexity of emotion.

After three rounds of drinks, the table quieted down slightly. Everyone began to chat casually and pick at the dishes.

Chen Yi had removed her nail extensions, her clean nail beds revealed small, white crescents.

She raised her hand to lightly stroke the rim of her glass, her gaze drifting appearing to look at the food on the table, yet seeming to look somewhere much further away.

The sounds of conversation and laughter in her ears felt as if they were blocked by a transparent barrier; she could hear them, but she couldn’t make out the words.

Perhaps, subconsciously, she didn’t want to hear them.

The people at the table became a blur. The only person she could see clearly was Shen Xiaojiang, sitting far off with her back turned.

Chen Fangru, who was sitting opposite Chen Yi, had something to attend to and got up to leave for a moment.

Chen Yi’s field of vision suddenly cleared. Everything between her and Shen Xiaojiang seemed to vanish.

She froze, then abruptly turned her head toward the person beside her.

“Chairwoman Chen, is something wrong?” The person being looked at was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, thinking their chance to impress had arrived. “Do you need help? More wine, or should I serve you some food?”

The look of a person who judges others by their status was truly hideous, even nauseating.

Chen Yi didn’t even glance at the person. She quickly turned her head back to look at the plate in front of her, absentmindedly pushing the food around with her chopsticks.

Even sitting so far away, Shen Xiaojiang heard that title: “Chairwoman Chen.”

The hand holding her chopsticks trembled slightly, and a slice of beef fell onto the slowly rotating glass lazy Susan.

Shen Xiaojiang saw the lonely slice of beef, but she didn’t pick it up immediately. Her chopsticks hovered in the air for a few seconds before she withdrew them.

A moment later, she picked up a napkin from beside her, wrapped the beef in it, and placed it on the edge of her plate.

“Shengjiang, try this. I think the flavor is quite good; you should like it too.” As she spoke, Sun Jiabao placed some food on Shen Xiaojiang’s plate.

Originally, Shen Xiaojiang had felt hungry after getting off the plane. But now, faced with a table of exquisite delicacies, she couldn’t summon a shred of interest; it all tasted like wax.

At this table, besides her and Sun Jiabao, were several family elders.

Once these elders were full, they wanted to gossip.

Every one of them was staring intently at the head of the main table.

“Chen Yi is doing well for herself now apparently she’s become some kind of Chairwoman.”

“She’s got money. I heard she invested in a few tech projects and got the position that way.”

“Nowadays, money makes the world go ’round.”

In the eyes of a crow, every swan is guilty.

For those they don’t appreciate, even if that person succeeds, they will only attribute it to wealth and connections a stroke of luck from the gods. They will never acknowledge the immense hardships the person endured.

They saw the Chen Yi who was draped in jewels, glamorous and moving, using all her energy on her appearance and networking.

Only Shen Xiaojiang had seen the entire wall of books in the Venus bar.

Boring, tedious, and profoundly difficult business texts.

And only she knew how much effort Chen Yi had poured in during those silent, dark corners of time.

But now, none of that had anything to do with her anymore.

The relatives’ gossip was relentless.

“Your Xiao Ming graduates this year, right?”

“Already graduated. He’s just lying around the house all day sleeping.”

“What about a job? Has he looked?”

Another relative suddenly whispered, “We’re about to talk to Chen Yi and see if she can arrange an internship for him somewhere.”

“You’re planning to ask her too? So am I. I heard the kids from the Zhang and Li families are also waiting for placements.”

“Exactly! As long as she opens her mouth, she can find any kind of job!”

“Who knows? Last time I sent her something, she didn’t accept a single thing. She’s got quite an ego and a strange temper.”

“I think she’s strange too. If it weren’t for my kid’s job, I…”

“Shh, stop talking.”

After all, Chen Yi held great power now. These relatives didn’t dare discuss her too loudly behind her back a bunch of children who were about to graduate or had already graduated were all counting on her to arrange jobs.

Shen Xiaojiang despised the way they sailed with the wind while speaking filth.

Before her ears could find peace, she suddenly heard someone ask:

“Jiabao, is this your classmate?”

“She’s a classmate and my best friend.” Although Sun Jiabao hated them too, she answered dutifully.

She didn’t want these people going to her parents to complain about her.

“What year are you in? What’s your major?”

Such familiar questions.

“The same as mine,” Sun Jiabao answered briefly.

“Have you taken any certificate exams? Are you going to grad school?”

They were asking Sun Jiabao, but their eyes were actually on Shen Xiaojiang.

Shen Xiaojiang didn’t care to engage.

Sun Jiabao: “My bestie is much more impressive than me. She’s in the top tier for recommended graduate school admission and is currently interning at Wanning Electronics.”

It was unclear if they were asking out of genuine interest or just to feel important strictly speaking, they wanted to find common ground between others and their own children.

Shen Xiaojiang took a sip of water, looked straight at them, and gave them a “polite” smile.

The two felt awkward and stopped pursuing those boring topics.

“I’m full,” Shen Xiaojiang wiped the corners of her mouth and leaned in to whisper to Sun Jiabao.

Sun Jiabao, who had been picking up food a second ago, immediately dropped her chopsticks, her face filled with panic: “What are you doing? Where are you going?”

Her pitiful gaze seemed to say don’t leave me.

Shen Xiaojiang ruffled her straight bangs and smiled: “I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Then I’m going too.” Sun Jiabao dreaded being left alone with the relatives.

If you can’t afford to offend them, then of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best.

Seeing Shen Xiaojiang stand up, Chen Yi’s eyes flickered. She intentionally raised her glass to her face, watching through the glass to see where the other was going.

Suddenly, her hand slipped, and the glass fell.

Fortunately, the glass didn’t break.

Unfortunately, red wine splashed all over her.

The scene felt familiar. Several months ago, at Sun Jiabao’s birthday banquet, something similar had happened.

The difference was that back then, no one cared about her. Now, no one dared not to.

Chen Yi’s expression remained flat as she looked at the red liquid, staring blankly for a moment.

Everyone around her swarmed in, offering tissues and asking concerned questions. Those who didn’t know better would have thought something major had happened.

Through the chatter, Shen Xiaojiang naturally heard it too.

But she didn’t turn back. She walked stiffly and directly toward the first-floor restroom.

After a long while, Chen Yi looked up at Shen Xiaojiang’s already empty seat.

She raised a hand to signal the people around her to stop, then headed toward the restroom herself.

Leaving the dining room and crossing the living room, she reached the destination.

The area was recessed to separate the wet and dry sections.

Shen Xiaojiang didn’t actually need to use the restroom. She sat on the toilet and took out her phone to look at the photos Bai Shuhua had sent her.

They had gone to Hollywood, the forest park, and the beaches lined with palm trees to chase the sunset.

[Bai Shuhua: @ShenXiaojiang You should be here]

Shen Xiaojiang stared at the chat window with Bai Shuhua for a long time, not knowing what to reply.

It was true; if she hadn’t rushed back home, she would have been there at this very moment.

“Shengjiang, don’t leave tonight. Just stay at my place,” Sun Jiabao’s voice came from outside.

In high school, the two had frequently stayed at each other’s houses.

Shen Xiaojiang looked away from her phone and toward the frosted door: “No, I have to go back. The plants in my rental might be dying.”

“I have the keys to your place. I went to water them every week while you were away. Don’t worry, they should all be alive… probably.” The unreliable person said unreliable things.

Shen Xiaojiang was speechless, shaking her head with a smile.

Sun Jiabao turned on the faucet, her voice drowned out. Shen Xiaojiang didn’t catch what was said afterward and didn’t mind.

The sound of the water grew quieter until it stopped completely.

A shadow appeared on the frosted glass of the door: “Shengjiang, how much longer will you be?”

Shen Xiaojiang checked the time on her phone. “A little longer.”

“Okay, then I’m going up to my room. Come find me directly once you’re done.” Having left the dining table, Sun Jiabao had no intention of going back.

Shen Xiaojiang’s thoughts were neither on the vibrant, chaotic photos on her phone nor on Sun Jiabao’s room.

She didn’t dare admit who was truly on her mind.

So much so, she couldn’t even recall if she had actually agreed to Sun Jiabao’s request.

After Sun Jiabao left, Chen Yi finally walked in, her steps cautious and light.

She stood some distance away from the frosted door; from Shen Xiaojiang’s current angle, she was invisible.

Chen Yi didn’t rush to turn on the faucet. Instead, she stood before the mirror, scrutinizing herself with meticulous care.

She adjusted her hair for a while, looked in the mirror; looked in the mirror, then adjusted her hair again.

She made no sound. In fact, she didn’t dare make a sound.

She was like an innocent young girl experiencing the first flushes of love.

She knew Shen Xiaojiang was just a door away. She knew that if she simply pushed that door open, their eyes would meet.

But, after their eyes met, what would she say? What could she say?

“Hello?” “How have you been?” “Using the restroom?”

Suddenly, Chen Yi furrowed her brows and bit her lip. She felt that all these greetings were terrible.

She braced her hands against the marble countertop, staring at her reflection.

In those few seconds, she even felt a surge of appearance anxiety.

In these two months, had she become uglier? Had the insomnia made her look sallow or old?

At that moment, Shen Xiaojiang stood up. Having shifted her position, she saw the shadow on the door.

“Jiabao?” Shen Xiaojiang called out softly toward the figure.

The moment Chen Yi heard the voice, she sucked in a sharp breath. Her heart sank heavily and violently.

Her face remained expressionless, but her heart was in a state of absolute tension. The fingers braced against the marble curled up instinctively.

No one responded.

But Shen Xiaojiang knew that person wasn’t Sun Jiabao.

This was a Sun family dinner it was unlikely there would be a voyeur here.

So, who was outside the door?

Shen Xiaojiang adjusted her breathing, composed her emotions, and rested her fingertip on the door handle.

Her silhouette appeared on the frosted glass. As the distance closed, it grew larger and larger.

It was just like the tension and fear magnifying infinitely within Chen Yi’s heart.