After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 76

Chen Yi stood at the door of the second floor room for a long time so long that her elder sister, Chen Fangru, eventually came up looking for her.

“Xiao Qi, why haven’t you come down yet?” Chen Fangru’s voice was warm and gentle.

She and Chen Yi had practically grown up together even in middle school, the two would do their homework side by side.

Chen Fangru had entered family life early, giving birth to Sun Jiabao. At first, the employment environment in Nancheng was harsh, and their family had a difficult time. Later, they moved to Haishi, and life gradually improved. Eventually, Sun Jiabao tested back into a university in Nancheng for college, and Chen Fangru and her husband returned to Nancheng to open a supermarket. With Chen Yi’s help, the business flourished, becoming a chain with nearly twenty locations in Nancheng and plans to expand beyond the city.

However, after returning to Nancheng, Chen Fangru stopped managing the supermarkets, devoting herself entirely to being a full time housewife.

Her personality was nothing like Chen Yi’s one focused more on family, the other on career.

It was hard to say whose choice was better. One could only say that everyone follows their own path. People are inherently different, and so are the roads they choose.

“Sister, I’m coming,” Chen Yi replied.

An onlooker sees clearly, while the person involved is often confused.

Chen Fangru saw her sister’s unhappiness at a glance. She stepped forward and led her toward Sun Jiabao’s room. “Xiao Qi, what’s wrong?”

Chen Yi blinked, switching to her “business mode” in a split second. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Chen Fangru narrowed her eyes at her. “Since we were kids, what have you ever been able to hide from me? It’s not that I don’t understand; I just don’t always say it out loud. Usually, if you don’t bring it up, I don’t interfere. But today, you’re different.”

“How am I different?” Chen Yi’s smile was as light as a passing cloud.

“I’m guessing it’s not about work,” Chen Fangru said with eyes as sharp as a torch.

Chen Yi gave a casual smile. “Oh?”

“No matter how hard work gets, you never wear it on your face,” Chen Fangru whispered. “Don’t forget, I’ve been through it all. Sometimes you can’t see what’s right in front of you, but others can. You… is there something going on?”

Chen Yi’s throat tightened, and her laughter was stifled.

She gripped the fabric of her qipao tightly. Though her broken palm was covered by a bandage, it still throbbed with a dull pain. With just a little pressure, the sensation surged through her entire body.

Strange. Before, she truly couldn’t feel pain. But now…

She gave a soft hum and walked toward the door. “Alright, sister, stop guessing blindly. What could possibly be going on with me? Instead of guessing about me, you should worry about Jiabao.”

“Jiabao?” Chen Fangru was successfully diverted.

The image of Sun Jiabao and Shen Xiaojiang sticking close together earlier flashed through Chen Yi’s mind, making her feel uneasy.

She blinked guiltily. She was a thirty-year-old woman, yet she was actually jealous of a child and even throwing a tantrum. It was indeed unbecoming.

She stared blankly at the photo on Sun Jiabao’s bedside table, her lips parting and closing. It took a while before she could organize her thoughts. “Nothing, just saying. I’m going down.”

“Huh?” Chen Fangru’s brow furrowed, relaxed, then furrowed again.

To Chen Fangru, who was entirely devoted to her family, Jiabao was her life.

Seeing Chen Fangru’s expression, Chen Yi felt a pang of self-reproach.

It was fine during the days she didn’t see Shen Xiaojiang, but now that she had, she couldn’t ignore her. She couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand in her eye; she couldn’t stand anyone showing intimacy toward Shen Xiaojiang that exceeded friendship.

She was so selfish, so contemptible.

But she simply couldn’t bear to see anyone else touch Shen Xiaojiang it wasn’t just unbearable it was a feeling of loathing. Even if that person was her own niece.

Chen Yi’s heart felt split in two: one half was filled with guilt, while the other was searching for reasons to justify her feelings.

In the end, the justifying side won.

I was never a good person to begin with, was I? Have I ever lacked for despicable methods?

Reaching the first floor, Chen Fangru hurried down and plopped down next to Sun Jiabao, looking her up and down as if searching for something.

Chen Yi walked slowly to the last step. Looking at the empty seat next to Shen Xiaojiang, she felt nervous.

“Xiao Qi, come quickly, the tea is getting cold.”

“Coming.”

Responding, Chen Yi walked gracefully between Shen Xiaojiang and Chen Fangru, gently pulling out a chair and sitting down softly. Her every movement was demure and soft, completely devoid of the “Queen of the Business World” aura she possessed during the day.

The two had no eye contact, let alone conversation. From the moment Chen Yi sat down, she and Shen Xiaojiang acted like complete strangers.

Shen Xiaojiang picked up a spoon and scooped up a jujube. It was her first time eating this kind of date; its size was startling, almost like a small apple.

Just as she was about to take a bite, she heard the woman’s soft, silk-like voice beside her.

“The juice will spray out, be careful of the heat,” Chen Yi said. She then slowly raised her hand, taking small sips of the tea from her spoon.

Shen Xiaojiang didn’t look at her, but she was indeed more careful when biting into the date. The fruit inside was indeed quite hot luckily she hadn’t taken a large bite, otherwise, she surely would have blistered her mouth.

Just as she finished the date, Shen Xiaojiang’s gaze drifted toward the tissue box in the center of the table.

As if sensing her thoughts, the woman beside her quietly and slowly pushed two clean tissues toward her.

Shen Xiaojiang originally didn’t want to take them, but refusing directly felt a bit petty. To avoid appearing petty, she took the tissues and said a polite and distant “Thank you.”

A moment later, the helper brought over a white porcelain plate stacked with small white pastries.

“What is this?” Sun Jiabao asked unceremoniously, reaching out to grab a piece and sniffing it. “Smells pretty good.”

“White kidney bean osmanthus cake,” the helper replied before exiting the living room.

When Shen Xiaojiang had seen oily food during dinner, she had felt nauseous, but seeing this osmanthus cake clearly sparked her appetite.

She hadn’t reached for her chopsticks yet when she saw the person beside her stand up.

I’ll wait for the elder to take some before I do, she thought.

At that moment, she watched as the “elder” carefully picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and placed it onto Shen Xiaojiang’s plate.

She froze for a second. Looking at the cake sitting quietly on her plate, Shen Xiaojiang felt both angry and amused. She was angry that this cowardly elder was suddenly trying to curry favor, yet she found the absurdity of it funny for the same reason.

She didn’t move her chopsticks for a long time.

“Shengjiang, this osmanthus cake isn’t like the ones in the school cafeteria. This is the real deal, the taste is top-tier!” Sun Jiabao had already polished off three pieces.

Chen Fangru turned her head and smiled. “Xiaojiang, you should eat it while it’s hot.”

Shen Xiaojiang nodded. She looked at the woman beside her who was silently sipping soup, then at the cake on her plate, and took a symbolic bite.

It was indeed delicious. She took another two bites and finished it off. She comforted herself with the thought that she only ate it because of Sun Jiabao and Aunt Fangru, not because of Chen Yi.

After finishing the tea and snacks, Chen Yi took the initiative to clear the dishes in front of Shen Xiaojiang.

As she handed the dishes to the helper, her finger lightly brushed against Shen Xiaojiang’s hair.

The strands slid across her fingertip, brewing a storm within her broken palm. Chen Yi didn’t care at all. Her gaze fell upon that dark, shiny hair, which seemed to hold a shimmer of light within.

Fragmented and delicate, it was like a dazzling diamond.

But she was very disciplined; just as Shen Xiaojiang was about to notice, she quickly withdrew her hand.

“Auntie, what happened to your palm?” Sun Jiabao had just noticed.

Chen Yi glanced at the bandage covering her palm, then cast a fleeting glance at the back of Shen Xiaojiang’s head. She blinked and said with a slight hint of grievance, “I accidentally hurt it. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s heart leaped. She squinted her eyes slightly and instinctively picked up her cooled water glass, taking a sip. As the water slid down her throat, she could hear the “gulp” of her own swallow.

“Oh,” the simple minded Sun Jiabao responded, then looked back down to play on her phone.

“It’s getting late, Sister, I…” Chen Yi paused, her fingertips tracing the edge of the table. “I’m heading back.”

Hearing Chen Yi’s voice, He Zhong, who had been waiting nearby, stood up and gave a signal. The driver then pulled the car up to the living room entrance.

Chen Fangru looked at the headlights at the door, knowing she couldn’t ask her to stay any longer. The time spent sitting and chatting with Chen Yi was always too short. Though she wanted to keep this cozy moment, she knew she couldn’t.

“Alright, I won’t keep you. Are you still staying at the hotel?” she asked.

Chen Yi gave a soft “Mm.”

Chen Fangru nodded. “Okay, then be careful on the road. Send me a message when you get to the hotel.”

“Okay.”

Chen Yi had only walked a few steps when her body stopped. She tilted her head slightly toward the back, her eyes lowered, her gaze casual and calm. “Jiabao’s classmate, aren’t you going back?”

Shen Xiaojiang was called out, and everyone’s eyes turned toward her.

“Xiaojiang, it’s so late. Why don’t you stay here for a couple of days and go back to school with Jiabao on Monday?”

“Yeah, Shengjiang.”

Chen Yi listened, remaining silent. She stared at a corner of Shen Xiaojiang’s striped shirt as if the answer she wanted was hidden there.

Shen Xiaojiang wasn’t used to staying at other people’s houses, and she had some internship work to organize. She politely declined. “Thank you, Auntie, but I still have to go back. I have things to handle.”

Chen Fangru looked disappointed. She wanted to say more but was pulled back by her daughter.

Sun Jiabao knew Shen Xiaojiang’s temperament; she knew that if Shen Xiaojiang said she had things to do, she really did. She stopped trying to persuade her. “Alright then, I’ll have the driver, Uncle Ma, take you back.”

Shen Xiaojiang: “No need.”

Chen Yi: “There’s no need.”

They spoke in perfect, simultaneous unison.

As the overlapping words fell, Shen Xiaojiang and Chen Yi locked eyes. With a tacit understanding, they both looked away at the same time, staring at some random point in front of them.

“Uh…” Sun Jiabao looked at Chen Yi, then at Shen Xiaojiang. “What’s the situation?”

“What do you mean ‘what’s the situation’?” Shen Xiaojiang’s voice was low, but there was a flicker of inexplicable irritation in her eyes.

Chen Yi turned to look at Shen Xiaojiang’s profile, her gaze darkening. After being apart for so long, she knew everything would be difficult, but she hadn’t expected it to be this difficult.

“Huh?” Sun Jiabao blinked, suddenly turning off her phone screen.

Shen Xiaojiang gritted her teeth. “I’ll just call a car myself.”

Chen Yi turned around, thought for a moment, then turned back. Her slender waist, bound by the black qipao, looked as if it might snap. She slowly shifted her gaze, her tone neither hurried nor slow. “Where are you going? I’ll give you a lift.”

Shen Xiaojiang clenched her fists and looked into Chen Yi’s eyes with a mirthless smile. “Thank you, Auntie, but it’s more convenient for me to take a taxi. I wouldn’t want to trouble you.”

“Is that so?” Chen Yi’s light colored pupils were full of cunning.

“Yes.” Shen Xiaojiang picked up her phone and opened a ride hailing app.

Knowing words were useless, Chen Yi turned and walked toward the door.

Sun Jiabao’s home wasn’t in a remote location, and the signal was full, but Shen Xiaojiang tried several times and no driver would accept the order.

“How is it?” Sun Jiabao asked, resting her chin on her hands.

Shen Xiaojiang glanced at her. “Your house’s internet isn’t down, is it?”

Sun Jiabao turned her phone around to show Shen Xiaojiang her game interface. “How could it be down? My game is still running!”

Shen Xiaojiang pursed her lips.

Outside, Chen Yi stood by the car door, delaying her entry.

The next second, she turned around and called out softly to the anxious figure, deliberately letting her voice take on a flirtatious tone: “Classmate Jiabao, at this hour, it’s very hard to get a ride here.”

Chen Fangru, who had walked Chen Yi to the door, turned back and chimed in: “There might be a car after a while, but you’re a young girl going back alone so late; I wouldn’t feel at ease.”

Sun Jiabao nudged Shen Xiaojiang’s arm. “Hey, hey, hey, why are you being so stubborn?”

Shen Xiaojiang glared at Sun Jiabao, mouthing her name syllable by syllable, then whispered: “Who’s being stubborn?”

“Don’t be afraid. My aunt isn’t a bad person; it’s not like she’s going to eat you. Besides, you’ve interacted with her a few times before. Just treat tonight as catching up on old times,” Sun Jiabao said, pursing her lips into a smile that revealed a certain clear headed foolishness.

Shen Xiaojiang licked her lips and sighed. While scratching her neck, she turned her face away to look at the ground.

She thought to herself: Who wants to catch up on old times with that coward?

However, she steadied her nerves. Hadn’t she already decided to be strangers? Hadn’t she already decided to forget her? Then being this hesitant now would only be stranger.

It was just sharing a car; what was the big deal?

“Fine,” Shen Xiaojiang said, shooting a sharp look at Sun Jiabao. “If anything happens to me, remember to repent.”

“Oh, my little ancestor, what could possibly happen? What’s that saying? Even if my head rolls off, it’ll leave a scar the size of a bowl. Besides, I’m perfectly at ease with you being with my aunt,” Sun Jiabao said as she pushed her toward the door. “If it really doesn’t work out, you could even go back and sleep at my aunt’s place.”

“Forget it. Farewell.” Shen Xiaojiang gave Sun Jiabao a look that said figure it out yourself.

Shen Xiaojiang found it ironic if Sun Jiabao knew she and her aunt had once had a “thing,” would she still be able to say such words?

“Hey, have a safe trip then!” Jiabao looked like she was enjoying the drama, waving at Shen Xiaojiang’s sour face.