After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 75

“Ginger, Ginger, what are you thinking about?”

Sun Jiabao was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding a controller and playing video games.

Shen Xiaojiang sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, leaning against the bed frame, holding a Kindle to read a novel, yet she hadn’t turned a single page.

Hearing Sun Jiabao’s voice, she finally turned a page as a mere formality.

Sun Jiabao leaned down and gently poked her shoulder with the controller, asking, “Do you want to come up and play with me?”

Shen Xiaojiang cast a sideways glance at the white controller, her eyes dull and her voice devoid of emotion. “No.”

“Why?” Sun Jiabao turned down the game volume. “This isn’t a competitive game it’s not addictive.”

Shen Xiaojiang shook her head. “Not interested.”

Feeling bored, Sun Jiabao resumed her previous posture and selected a new game, hitting the “Start” button. “Aiyoh, I’ve noticed that you, you’ve never been interested in anything.”

The game volume suddenly increased, and Shen Xiaojiang looked up at the projector screen.

The colored light reflected in her pupils, but the darkness within them was so deep that no color could stain them.

Like oil and water, the brilliance and noise stayed only on the surface. Her eyes were like the pitch-black night outside the window, as dark as ink that could not be thinned.

Downstairs, the banquet finally came to an end, and people began to leave in small groups.

Bodyguards surrounded Chen Yi as she walked toward the living room, followed by fawning guests.

Suddenly, Chen Yi stopped in her tracks and looked up toward the stairs.

Chen Fangru didn’t know what Chen Yi was looking at. She leaned in to help tidy Chen Yi’s hair while asking, “What is it?”

Chen Yi’s gaze flickered slightly as she said casually, “That painting is quite nice.”

Everyone followed her gaze, looking at an oil painting on the wall by the stairs.

The primary color was golden yellow, accented by various other colors misty and abstract.

“Yes, it is nice.”

“Chairman Chen truly has a good eye.”

“May I ask, which master’s hand is this from?”

Hearing the praise from the crowd, Chen Fangru smiled shyly. “It’s no master’s work my girl painted it.”

Chen Yi blinked softly, her upper eyelid not quite meeting the lower. Her lips parted slightly as she spoke in a soft, airy voice, “Jiabao?”

Restrained joy showed in Chen Fangru’s eyes. “Exactly. I have no idea what she was trying to draw, but her father liked it, so he hung it here.”

Chen Yi’s gaze drifted, and she murmured to herself as if lost in thought, “I wonder what she was drawing?”

Her voice was very low, not intended for others to hear, but more like she was speaking to herself.

“Ah? I’ll call Jiabao down to explain it to everyone,” Chen Fangru said excitedly.

“Wait, no…”

Chen Yi’s voice was drowned out by the others.

“Where is Jiabao?” Chen Fangru climbed a few steps. “Sun Jiabao!”

Chen Yi stood at the foot of the stairs with her arms crossed, looking down at an unknown point on the steps, looking as if she were lost in deep thought or daydreaming.

There was no light or shadow in her eyes; no one knew what she was actually thinking.

“Sun Jiabao!”

Chen Fangru called out again. Just as she was about to pull out her phone to call her, Jiabao’s low response came from the second floor.

“Coming, coming!”

After responding, she opened the door and raised her voice: “I heard you! I’m coming right now.”

Chen Fangru was all smiles. “Quick, tell your aunt what you were thinking when you painted this.”

Sun Jiabao’s face pulled into a long scowl. She thought she had escaped all the various hurdles of the evening, not realizing the most difficult one was waiting for her here.

Like a deflated ball, she hunched her back, let her arms hang limp, and pouted. “I was just bored and doodling, there’s no special meaning.”

Chen Fangru glared at her, whispering through gritted teeth, “Put some heart into it. Explain it well.”

As she spoke, she gestured toward the crowd standing around Chen Yi.

Sun Jiabao turned her back and rolled her eyes before waving to Shen Xiaojiang, who was sitting on the floor nearby.

Feeling helpless, Shen Xiaojiang walked out and pulled out her phone to search for explanations of oil paintings.

Sun Jiabao gave an “OK” gesture and began reading the existing text with a straight face, not changing a single word.

Although Shen Xiaojiang stood in a blind spot, because of her height, the people on the first floor could see a small patch of the top of her head.

No one cared except Chen Yi.

Unobtrusive as it was, it stole Chen Yi’s entire focus.

She stared quietly at that patch of hair. Under the warm lights, the black hair took on a different hue than usual it was very beautiful.

She didn’t hear a word of what Sun Jiabao eventually said.

Her mind was filled with Shen Xiaojiang’s indifferent and calm gaze, and her ears echoed with the words “Chairman Chen.”

Her chest ached terribly, as if it were about to burst.

The air felt like a solid mass no matter how hard she tried to breathe, she couldn’t. She felt like she was suffocating, unable to keep up the act any longer.

Feeling lightheaded and seeing the world spin, Chen Yi’s body tilted, and she grabbed the stair railing for support.

“Chairman Chen? Chairman, what’s wrong?”

“Chairman Chen, are you drunk?”

“Chairman Chen…”

They all called her “Chairman Chen.” These three words were like a curse, gnawing at her heart over and over, preventing her from finding peace.

At this moment, she didn’t want to hear that title anymore.

She really didn’t.

Upstairs, Sun Jiabao leaned her hands on the railing, looked down, and shouted, “Auntie!”

After shouting, she immediately turned to run downstairs.

Chen Yi looked up at the person running down the stairs, fantasizing that the face was Shen Xiaojiang’s.

“Auntie, what’s wrong? Heavens, was my explanation really that bad? It’s not my fault, that’s just what it says online…” Sun Jiabao finished and supported Chen Yi.

He Zhong and the bodyguards rushed over upon hearing the noise. The living room was large, but now it was packed with people, making it feel cramped and suffocating.

Shen Xiaojiang stood on the empty second floor bridge, looking like a deity standing on a high point, watching this noisy and restless world with total detachment.

“Should I call an ambulance?” she asked, her hand resting on the railing, intentionally keeping her voice calm. “Should I?”

Chen Yi looked up at the sound and met Shen Xiaojiang’s deep eyes.

She couldn’t hear the voices around her; she only heard Shen Xiaojiang’s.

She only wanted to hear Shen Xiaojiang’s voice.

The world was so noisy, yet this moment was perfectly silent.

The two stared at each other neither looked away, and neither spoke.

After a long while, He Zhong leaned in and asked in a low voice, “Master, should I have a doctor wait at the hotel?”

Chen Yi tilted her chin up. Her slender, exquisite jawline was like a sharp blade, capable of killing invisibly.

The warm yellow light from the crystal chandelier spilled down like golden dust, illuminating Chen Yi’s face. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, casting faint shadows on her face.

“No need,” she said.

It was unclear whether she was replying to Shen Xiaojiang upstairs or He Zhong beside her.

Shen Xiaojiang gave an “Mhm,” nodded, and stepped back a few paces, completely disappearing from everyone’s sight.

“Xiao Qi, are you sure we don’t need a doctor?” Chen Fangru looked worried.

Chen Yi snapped out of it and forced a smile. “Sister, don’t worry. I’m really fine; it was just a bit of low blood sugar.”

Chen Fangru instinctively grabbed Chen Yi’s hand and was startled by the sudden coldness. “Qi, why are your hands so cold?”

Chen Yi pulled her hand back and rubbed it gently. “I’m always like this. I’ll be fine after sitting here for a bit.”

“Alright then, how about this,” Chen Fangru said softly out of concern. “It’s still early anyway. You’re too weak right now, and your hands are like ice cubes. I’ll have the helper brew some ginger and jujube tea to warm you up.”

“Would that be too much trouble?” Chen Yi spoke to Chen Fangru, but her eyes inadvertently glanced upstairs.

Chen Fangru shook her head repeatedly. “How could it be? It just so happens a friend sent me some very large grey jujubes; you should try them.”

“Okay.”

Chen Yi didn’t object. She didn’t want to object.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was just enough to reach Shen Xiaojiang’s ears upstairs.

The guests gradually said their goodbyes to Chen Yi and drove away from the Sun family courtyard.

Chen Fangru stayed with Chen Yi in the living room while Sun Jiabao returned to her room upstairs.

“Sigh, finally all the riffraff are gone. The house is quiet again.” She tore open a bag of potato chips and started munching.

“Ginger, want some?”

Shen Xiaojiang hadn’t eaten much for dinner, and seeing the chips actually made her feel a bit nauseous.

“No,” she replied.

Sun Jiabao stuffed another mouthful of chips, took a wet wipe handed over by Shen Xiaojiang to give her hands a quick wipe, and continued playing her game. “All of you are just… off today.”

Shen Xiaojiang smiled and shook her head. “In this whole world, only you, Miss Sun, are ever ‘on’.”

“You bet!” Sun Jiabao laughed heartlessly.

“Oh, right,” Shen Xiaojiang looked toward the door and lowered her voice. “Your aunt… how is she?”

“Hmm?”

“I asked if your aunt is okay.”

Sun Jiabao was distracted. “She’s fine. She’s downstairs talking to my mom.”

“Is she really fine?” Shen Xiaojiang repeated. The moment her gaze met Sun Jiabao’s, she immediately looked away.

Sun Jiabao tilted her head back, revealing a slight double chin, pouted, and blinked. “Seems like it’s not that you don’t know how to care about people you just care about beautiful women.”

Shen Xiaojiang froze and stopped talking.

Sun Jiabao tossed the controller aside, hooked her arms around the neck of the seated Shen Xiaojiang, and whispered in her ear: “Am I right?”

As if swatting a fly, Shen Xiaojiang tried to push Sun Jiabao’s hands away.

“No.”

“How is it not? I think it is, it is, it is!” Sun Jiabao was used to fooling around with Shen Xiaojiang like this; neither of them felt awkward. “Tell me, do you like my aunt?”

“What are you talking about? No, I don’t.” Shen Xiaojiang gripped Sun Jiabao’s wrists with both hands, preparing to use her strength for a shoulder throw.

“If you like her, just say it! Hahahaha…”

Knock, knock, knock!

At that moment, the two who were happily tangled together were interrupted by the sound of knocking. They looked toward the door simultaneously.

“Ahem,” Chen Yi stood sideways, her eyelids lowered, looking off into the distance with a hazy, uncertain gaze. “The door was open.”

“Oh.” Sun Jiabao had no intention of letting go of Shen Xiaojiang. In fact, she tightened her grip, pulling the other girl even closer. “Is something the matter, Auntie?”

Chen Yi’s eyes barely lifted. The moment she saw Sun Jiabao tighten her arms, her right eyebrow twitched slightly.

The hand that had been knocking stopped, clenching into a fist at her side.

She swallowed, her lips trembling slightly as she spoke with difficulty: “The… the ginger and jujube tea is ready. Do you want some?”

Sun Jiabao: “I’ll have some.”

Shen Xiaojiang: “I won’t.”

Chen Yi’s eyes moved slowly, her chest rising and falling slightly with her accelerating heartbeat.

Her gaze swept through the room with feigned indifference, brushing past Sun Jiabao’s unimportant face before finally landing on Shen Xiaojiang’s beautiful brow bone.

The girl had one leg bent while the other remained in a cross-legged position.

After a brief collision with Chen Yi’s gaze, Shen Xiaojiang immediately looked back down at the Kindle in her hand.

When she stayed still, she was quiet and beautiful.

The snowy white legs, the rounded kneecaps, the fresh and clean outfit Chen Yi found it hard to look away once she had started.

“Are you drinking it or not?” Chen Yi directed this question straight at Shen Xiaojiang.

Sun Jiabao pulled her arms tighter, forcing Shen Xiaojiang to lean back. From Chen Yi’s perspective, the two clinging to each other looked as if they were about to kiss.

Chen Yi deliberately maintained an expressionless face, but her heart was already in a state of chaos.

Waves of bitterness surged like a boundless tide, threatening to swallow her whole.

Her head, her throat, her chest, and her very marrow were all saturated with this sour, aching sensation.

It was so painful, so suffocating.

If she could, she wanted to step forward right now and tear them apart, then give Sun Jiabao a long, harsh glare to warn her never to be so intimate with Shen Xiaojiang again.

But she couldn’t. What standing did she have?

What right did she have?