After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 80

Shen Xiaojiang and Chen Yi each gripped one end of the phone, standing opposite each other in a lingering silence.

“I…” Chen Yi blinked rapidly, using her other hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Lately, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m always misplacing things.”

Time ran out, and the screen automatically went dark.

The black surface reflected the daylight, the interplay of light and shadow sliced the phone screen diagonally into two halves.

The pupils of Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes also returned to a deep, ink-black color.

She scratched the back of her head, feeling a bit embarrassed but trying her best to suppress it. She stammered, “Actually, occasionally, I… I’m like that too.”

“Though,” Shen Xiaojiang added, “I’ve always been prone to being reckless.”

Chen Yi pursed her lips into a faint smile.

Then, Shen Xiaojiang let go of the phone and pointed behind her. “I’m going back to my room.”

Chen Yi pulled the phone back with both hands and gave a soft “Mm.” She didn’t leave, however, remaining at the door as if she still had something to say.

Just as Shen Xiaojiang turned around, she hesitated for a second before turning back, her gaze landing on the slippers that had been changed out on the shoe rack. “Are you… leaving now?”

Chen Yi also glanced at the slippers she had just been wearing. “No, I’m going out to buy a few things.”

“What is it?” she asked.

Shen Xiaojiang didn’t look at her, her voice flat. “Nothing. The insulated container is still in the kitchen. I just thought if you were leaving, I could give it back to you.”

Chen Yi’s gaze lingered on Shen Xiaojiang’s face, finding it amusing in her heart. “Mm, I’m not leaving yet.”

“Oh.” Shen Xiaojiang rubbed her nose, pinched her lips, and slowly turned away.

Chen Yi reached out and tugged at her sleeve. “Hey, is there anything you want to eat?”

Shen Xiaojiang turned back and caught a glimpse of Chen Yi’s fingertips. She removed her nail art?

She gave a light cough. “No.”

Chen Yi withdrew her hand. “Then, something to drink? Carbonated drinks, or milk tea?”

Shen Xiaojiang still didn’t look at her, replying coldly, “I don’t drink those.”

Chen Yi didn’t get angry; her expression remained neutral, making it impossible to tell what she was feeling.

“Okay, I understand,” she said. She turned around and, with light steps, disappeared into the hallway.

Shen Xiaojiang stood with her back to the door. Only after the sound of high heels faded did she peek out.

She waited in the hallway for a while until she heard the sound of high heels again.

Chen Yi had already reached the first floor, walking gracefully toward her car.

The moment she pulled open the car door, she suddenly stopped and looked up abruptly toward the third floor toward Shen Xiaojiang’s position.

Shen Xiaojiang’s reaction speed was lightning-fast, a skill honed from playing volleyball in high school.

She jerked back instantly. She wasn’t sure if the person on the ground floor had seen her.

After a long while, the car started. The roar of the engine wasn’t as ostentatious as Bai Shuhua’s sports car, but it was still powerful.

Soon, the sound began to move. After a brief pause, the car sped off, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Shen Xiaojiang sighed. Just as she turned around, she bumped into a neighbor from another unit coming out to take out the trash.

“Have you had lunch yet?” the person asked kindly.

Shen Xiaojiang was startled. Since they lived on the same floor, they were neighbors. she replied politely, “Not yet.”

Even though she hadn’t eaten, she had lied to Chen Yi, claiming she already had. Perhaps in front of Chen Yi, she was as childish as ever.

I can’t be like this.

Right, I can’t.

Shen Xiaojiang took two deep breaths to steady herself. She went back inside, wiped her glasses, added hot water to her cup, and sat back down in front of her computer to clatter away at her code.

What was Chen Yi playing at? Vanishing without a word, then returning without a word, saying nothing at all. Why should she just be accepted back?

She was like a reckless wind, barging into her life uninvited, turning everything upside down, and then leaving nothing behind.

And what was up with that lock screen photo? When was it taken? Why didn’t she remember it?

After typing a few lines, she felt they weren’t right and deleted them all with a flourish.

An hour later, the raspy doorbell rang again.

The person pressing the bell didn’t seem to be in a hurry; the sound was gentle and nonchalant.

Yet, Shen Xiaojiang found this inexplicable gentleness irritating.

She got up and opened the door.

Seeing the large and small bags Chen Yi was carrying, she pretended not to notice and turned away expressionlessly.

“Whew…”

Chen Yi was panting slightly. She first moved two smaller grocery bags inside the door, then hauled in a larger one.

Deep red marks were left on both her arms and palms from the heavy bags.

Just as Shen Xiaojiang reached her bedroom door, she felt a pang of reluctance and stole a glance back.

Chen Yi was tall, but because she was thin, she looked small and fragile.

With her slender arms and legs, she looked like she weighed less than the bags she was carrying.

Even though it was September, the daytime was still very hot. Furthermore, this was the third floor; carrying all these things up by herself was truly no easy feat.

The tip of her nose and her forehead were beaded with sweat. Strands of hair were stuck to her neck with dampness, making her skin appear even more pale and translucent.

“Do you need help?” Shen Xiaojiang asked.

Chen Yi seemed to be enjoying herself, showing no intention of asking for help. “It’s fine. You’re busy; I can do it myself.”

Her tone wasn’t one of disappointment; instead, it held a hint of excitement.

Like a child with a new toy, she seemed to have developed a deep interest in these mundane tasks and couldn’t bear to stop.

The kitchen counter was too small to hold everything. Chen Yi laboriously moved the bags to the dining table, taking things out one by one and carrying them into the kitchen, repeating the cycle over and over.

Shen Xiaojiang stood leaning against her doorframe with her arms crossed, watching the busy woman with a cool expression.

Then, she silently retreated back into her room.

When Shen Xiaojiang worked, she set her phone to vibrate.

Now, the phone that had been lying quietly on the desk began to buzz frantically.

[Jiabao: Jiang-jiang, please come back. I really can’t take it anymore.]

[Jiabao: Chen Xingnan actually brought a bunch of people to the dorm to play games. It’s so noisy.]

[Jiabao: And they’re all girls.]

[Jiabao: She clearly said she didn’t like seeing me in miniskirts, but among her friends, whose skirt is longer than mine??]

[Jiabao: [Image]]

[Jiabao: [Image]]

Shen Xiaojiang could feel Sun Jiabao’s fury through the screen.

She clicked on the photos, they were surreptitious shots Sun Jiabao had taken of those girls.

She quickly replied.

[Shen Xiaojiang: Taking secret photos is illegal. Calm down.]

[Jiabao: I won’t!]

[Shen Xiaojiang: Also, this is a girls’ dorm. If Chen Xingnan doesn’t bring girls over, is she supposed to bring a three legged monster?]

[Jiabao: A three-legged monster? Obviously not, but…]

[Jiabao: Whose side are you on? Get it straight, I’m your best friend! eye_roll.jpg]

[Shen Xiaojiang: Precisely because you’re my best friend, I have to stay out of it. I’m not taking any sides.]

[Jiabao: Fine, then just wait to see me die of anger. crying.jpg]

[Shen Xiaojiang: Dying is fine, it’s a clean break. You won’t have to attend Old Mao’s classes anymore.]

[Jiabao: Jiang-jiang, I love you so much, how could you say that to me? streaming_tears.jpg]

[Shen Xiaojiang: Since they’re all playing games, why don’t you join them? Let them see the skills of our Miss Sun.]

[Jiabao: I don’t want to. I don’t like them. But… they really are so pretty, waaaa…]

Shen Xiaojiang didn’t bother saying anything else.

Just then, the range hood in the kitchen started humming, and the aroma of cooking wafted in.

The bedroom door wasn’t closed. Shen Xiaojiang tiptoed to the door and glanced through the glass door of the kitchen.

My goodness, Chen Yi was actually… stir-frying!

The counter next to her was filled with ingredients.

A phone was propped up on the spice rack, showing what looked like a cooking tutorial video.

Shen Xiaojiang’s expression turned serious. Her throat tightened, her mind went blank, and she retreated back into her room, leaning against the wall in a daze.

On her phone, Sun Jiabao’s messages were still bombarding her.

Shen Xiaojiang glanced at them; they were mostly empty complaints.

She changed the subject and, after some editing, typed a line.

[Shen Xiaojiang: My ex came to find me. I don’t know what she wants.]

After a moment of thought, Shen Xiaojiang felt that the word “ex” wasn’t quite accurate. She immediately tapped “Withdraw.”

However, the time limit had passed, she couldn’t take it back.

Sun Jiabao immediately sent a series of exaggerated emojis.

Several in a row, flooding the chat.

The phone lagged for a moment.

Shen Xiaojiang: “…” I shouldn’t have sent that.

[Jiabao: No way! Such a huge piece of gossip! Let me grab some popcorn first.]

[Shen Xiaojiang: I used the wrong word. Not “ex.” It’s the one who rejected my confession.]

[Jiabao: Sister, stand tall! She thinks she can just reject you when she wants and come find you when she wants? Who does she think she is? Does she think you’re a pushover?]

Before Shen Xiaojiang could reply, more messages arrived.

It was clear that Sun Jiabao was even more worked up than she was.

[Jiabao: Inconsistency, hypocrisy, she absolutely owes you an explanation!]

[Jiabao: A good horse never turns back to eat the grass it already passed.]

[Shen Xiaojiang: I’m not a horse.]

[Jiabao: Then a good “Ginger” (Jiang) doesn’t eat it either!]

[Jiabao: Even if you do eat, you can’t make it that easy for her. You can’t let her off cheap. Besides, dating is like flying a kite, you pull it tight for a bit, then let it out a little. When it’s loose enough, you tug it back again. Whatever you do, don’t let people think you’re easy to fool.]

[Shen Xiaojiang: The key point is, she hasn’t even offered “grass” to eat. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.]

[Jiabao: Don’t! Sister, let me tell you, stop looking for problems in yourself. That person is the one being shameless. If she doesn’t say anything, then just “let the bullets fly for a while.” Do nothing.]

Uh…

If memory served, Sun Jiabao had never been in a relationship either.

Furthermore, what she and Chen Yi had before couldn’t exactly be called “dating.”

[Jiabao: Jiang-jiang, I just had a thought. Do you want me to do some improv?]

[Shen Xiaojiang: What?]

[Jiabao: I can act as your pursuer to make that person jealous.]

This was indeed exactly the kind of method Sun Jiabao would come up with.

Shen Xiaojiang nearly died laughing.

[Shen Xiaojiang: Forget it. That won’t work.]

If Sun Jiabao knew that the person she was trashing so hard was her own beloved aunt, could she still say these things with a straight face?

Shen Xiaojiang had just put her phone down when she heard a knock on the door.

She turned around to see Chen Yi, whose face was covered in sweat.

“Um… those plates are all okay to use, right?” Chen Yi blinked, her voice slightly raspy.