After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 81

The showerhead in the rental house was incomparable to the one in the hotel, yet Chen Yi found the shower incredibly comfortable.

Clear streams of water poured over her head, drenching every inch of her skin.

The shower stall was tiny and fan-shaped. In the corner sat a matching fan-shaped storage basket containing the shampoo and body wash that Shen Xiaojiang used regularly.

In the corner of the basket lay a pale yellow bath lily it looked soft, fluffy, and quite cute.

Chen Yi squeezed some body wash onto the lily and scrubbed vigorously. In moments, her entire body was covered in white foam.

She lowered her head and sniffed lightly, a faint smile playing on her lips as she murmured in a tiny voice, “Now, both of us smell the same.”

The fresh water slid off her body, landing on the floor tiles and forming transparent bubbles around her feet. Soon, the bubbles burst, followed by an avalanche of white foam.

This bathroom had been partitioned off with wooden boards, meaning the soundproofing was mediocre at best. To put it exaggeratedly, every move made inside could be heard clearly from the outside.

The sound of flowing water drifted into Shen Xiaojiang’s ears. She couldn’t sit still, nor could she stand still. The thought of Chen Yi showering just one door away made it impossible for her mind to rest for even a second.

She tried hard to recall what Sun Jiabao had told her something about flying a kite, about loosening the string one moment and tightening it the next. Even though she recognized every word, when they were strung into sentences, it was as if she were “heart blind” she couldn’t understand them at all.

Shen Xiaojiang was no “fishing master” in the dating world. Otherwise, given her excellent looks and personality, she would have had a whole pond full of “fish” by now. All she knew how to do was offer a sincere heart to the person she loved most.

To stop herself from overthinking, she went to the kitchen and splashed cold water on her flushed cheeks.

Get it together, Shen Xiaojiang, she admonished herself internally.

She grabbed a paper towel to wipe the moisture from her face. The moment she stepped out of the kitchen, the sound of the water in the bathroom abruptly stopped.

Shen Xiaojiang stood between the kitchen and the bedroom, waiting in a daze for the sound of the door unlocking. However, after waiting quite a while, there was no movement. She didn’t dare walk toward the bathroom now, fearing she might encounter Chen Yi’s damp eyes right after a bath.

“Shen Xiaojiang,” the person inside called out. “Shen Xiaojiang, are you out there?”

It was truly ridiculous. The moment Shen Xiaojiang heard Chen Yi’s voice, she instinctively moved a few steps closer. But just as she neared the door, she froze.

The bathroom door was a split design, the upper half was frosted glass, and the lower half was solid wood. Looking at the blurred, graceful silhouette through the frosted glass, Shen Xiaojiang didn’t respond. She turned her body sideways and fled the spot.

A few seconds later, there was a click as Chen Yi turned the doorknob.

She poked her head out slightly, her voice misty with the warmth of the steam. “Shen Xiaojiang, is there a bath towel?”

Letting go of her computer mouse, Shen Xiaojiang didn’t look back. “I don’t have a bath towel, but I have a new hand towel. Let me find it for you.”

Chen Yi hummed an “mm-hm” and closed the door.

Shen Xiaojiang opened the wardrobe. Since she didn’t live here often, there were very few items inside, so she easily found the grey-blue towel that still had its price tag on. She went to the desk, pulled a pair of black scissors from the pen holder, and with a quick snip, removed the white tag.

Standing before the frosted glass door, Shen Xiaojiang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just as she exhaled, the door opened. She nearly choked on her breath, startled.

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

The gap in the door wasn’t wide, making it impossible to see exactly what kind of “spring scenery” was hidden within. However, in the warm air, the molecules were moving faster. Shen Xiaojiang caught the pleasant fragrance of the body wash. Though it couldn’t compare to high-end perfumes, the scent was intoxicating. It brought to mind every beautiful, briefly peaceful, windless, and sunny day.

How come this scent doesn’t smell this good when it’s on me?

Shen Xiaojiang crossed her arms and leaned against the wall by the door, glancing sideways at her own shadow on the floor.

After a while, the door opened again still just a tiny crack.

“Shen Xiaojiang, is there any laundry detergent?” Chen Yi asked naturally, not very loudly, as if she knew Shen Xiaojiang was right there.

Shen Xiaojiang thought for a moment. “Yes, it’s right behind the toilet, a blue bottle.”

After a few seconds, Chen Yi’s voice rang out again. “It’s not here.”

How could it not be there? Shen Xiaojiang thought. She had used it just last night.

She turned around toward the bathroom door but didn’t see Chen Yi. The door was ajar, leaving a small opening for her. Steam drifted out, racing to cling to Shen Xiaojiang. She swallowed hard, her heart tightening.

What did Chen Yi want to wash with laundry detergent?

She didn’t dare think about it. But even without thinking, her ears gradually turned red.

“It’s really not here.” Chen Yi’s silhouette reappeared against the frosted glass.

Shen Xiaojiang’s heart skipped a beat.

The door was pulled open a bit wider. Chen Yi held her qipao in front of her body to cover herself. Her neck was like a swan’s, her collarbones like a white jade ring, and her shoulders were perfectly squared. Her hand pressed against her soft curves, and every knuckle of her fingers turned a faint shade of pink under Shen Xiaojiang’s gaze.

“Really, it’s not here.” This repetition was softer and lower than anything she had said before.

Shen Xiaojiang tried her best not to look at any part of her. She stole a quick glance inside sure enough, the bottle wasn’t there. Then she remembered, it was likely on the balcony.

“I’ll go get it from the balcony,” she said, preparing to leave.

“Shen Xiaojiang…”

Chen Yi’s voice moved closer.

Shen Xiaojiang held her breath. The lovely scent of the body wash drew nearer.

“My qipao is dirty, and I want to wash it. Could you give me one of your pieces of clothing? Anything will do.”

The tension in Shen Xiaojiang’s brow eased slightly as she let out a soft “Okay.”

A while later, Chen Yi emerged from the bathroom wearing one of Shen Xiaojiang’s T-shirts and a pair of jeans. Carrying a washbasin holding her dripping, fleshy pink qipao, she headed toward the balcony.

Shen Xiaojiang looked at the paperback novel in her hands, but her gaze drifted, intentionally or unintentionally, toward Chen Yi.

As footsteps approached, Chen Yi placed the washbasin back in the bathroom. When she came out, she asked softly, “I have to leave now. Is it alright if I wear your clothes out?”

Before the other could respond, she immediately added: “I’ll wash them and return them.”

With her putting it that way, what reason did Shen Xiaojiang have to disagree?

After Chen Yi left, Shen Xiaojiang put down her novel and went to the balcony. Looking at the dripping qipao, she shook her head with a smile and took her stomach medicine with some warm water.

The next day was gloomy, looking as though it were about to rain again. Shen Xiaojiang cooked some porridge for herself although it turned out more like mushy rice, she wasn’t picky. As long as it filled her stomach, it was fine.

According to the files provided by Bai Shuhua, the variables added were completely unable to trigger a new linear reaction. To put it simply, Bai Shuhua’s ideas were still too naive. What worked for others wouldn’t necessarily work for them.

“I see. Never mind then, I’ll just consider that ten thousand dollars thrown down the drain,” Bai Shuhua said.

Just as Shen Xiaojiang was about to hang up, she noticed something odd about a few characters on the screen. A “rule” refers to a stable, recurring, established situation; conversely, an anomaly does not constitute a rule.

It was as if Shen Xiaojiang had realized something. “President Bai, wait. If possible, I mean if I want to set an error within the code.”

“What?” This was the first time Bai Shuhua had heard such a theory.

Shen Xiaojiang switched her phone to speaker, her hands flying across the keyboard. “I had a very impressive professor the students nicknamed him ‘Old Hairy Head’ who talked about a case. It was an old one, of course. A piece of code that couldn’t run for over a decade became the strongest encryption specifically because of an error. I want to try it.”

“Are you joking? Do you know how many lines of code are generated in the world every day? That was just a one off case.” Bai Shuhua really wanted to give up.

Shen Xiaojiang seemed very confident: “I know, but I still want to try. Every valuable program contains at least one error,” she said.

Bai Shuhua had been a programmer herself, she had certainly heard that saying before. She wanted to continue arguing, but thinking of Shen Xiaojiang’s talent, she fell silent. Shen Xiaojiang was the partner she had chosen, and she trusted her.

Often, setting an error code is more complex than writing the original code. You have to ensure the program runs correctly while using a bug to fix a bug. So far, the only one who had achieved this was the founder of Wanning Electronics, the elder Meng Changchun. However, he no longer involved himself in company affairs, and Bai Shuhua couldn’t possibly trouble him over such a trivial matter.

“Xiaojiang, go ahead and do what you think is best. Just do your best, don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Bai Shuhua said before hanging up.

Although Shen Xiaojiang knew what to do, it wasn’t as easy as imagined. She needed to think it through.

She opened WeChat to find it flooded with messages from Sun Jiabao.

[Sun Jiabao: Girl, what happened later yesterday?]

[Sun Jiabao: Did that self-righteous woman do anything to you?]

[Sun Jiabao: Girl, tell me, you didn’t get ‘conquered,’ did you?]

[Sun Jiabao: Laugh-cry emoji]

Then there were some memes that Shen Xiaojiang didn’t understand and didn’t care to understand. She sent a casual reply..

[Shen Xiaojiang: Conquered? How is that possible!]

As it turned out, the stomach medicine prescribed this time was very effective, she was already starting to feel hungry.

At the same time as yesterday, the doorbell of the rental house rang. Shen Xiaojiang already knew who would be pressing that bell. After composing her emotions, she went to open the door.

Chen Yi was wearing a black tiered fringe camisole dress. The fringe wasn’t entirely black, there were a few white strands hidden within, giving it a strong sense of design. A long black ribbon was tied around her neck in a small knot on the right side, adorned with a white camellia. Her exceptionally beautiful legs were tucked into a pair of black wide-calf leather boots, featuring a white “Double C” logo on the side.

Shen Xiaojiang recognized the brand. She had seen it in Sun Jiabao’s fashion magazines, this entire outfit was from Chanel’s autumn runway collection this year and wasn’t even in stores yet. Whether it was the unique design or some other factor, Shen Xiaojiang thought it looked beautiful. Not all black brings gloom; there can also be a dark sexiness and an intense fire. All of this was embodied in Chen Yi at this moment.

After entering, Chen Yi changed into Shen Xiaojiang’s slippers. She then took the insulated bags and grocery bags into the kitchen. Perhaps benefiting from yesterday’s experience, Chen Yi’s cooking speed was much faster today.

“Shen Xiaojiang, time to eat.” After knocking twice on the doorframe, she turned back into the kitchen to bring the soup to the table.

There was sautéed shredded pork with wormwood, stir-fried yam with wood ear mushrooms, sweet and sour spare ribs, and a mushroom and pigeon soup. Looking at the well-presented dishes, Shen Xiaojiang didn’t act coy today and began eating quietly.

“Have some soup, don’t choke,” Chen Yi said with a smile. “The soup takes a long time to simmer, so I had the hotel chef prepare it in advance. See if it’s to your taste.”

Chen Yi’s smile was elegant and poised, her voice as gentle as it was yesterday. No, it was even gentler like water, like cotton, like the cozy warmth after a shower.

“Yes, it’s delicious,” Shen Xiaojiang said.

The sweet and sour ribs Chen Yi made were truly excellent. She had chosen “paper thin” ribs where every fiber of meat was soaked in savory sauce. The meat was surprisingly tender Shen Xiaojiang almost polished off the bones as well. Furthermore, they were sprinkled with small pearl onions and white sesame seeds, making the aroma richer and showing how much care had been put in.

Today, Chen Yi washed Shen Xiaojiang’s clothes, dried them, and hung them in the wardrobe. She even cleaned the house while she was at it. Shen Xiaojiang felt somewhat bad about it, but the other woman wouldn’t let her do anything, as if protecting a precious treasure.

Before leaving, Chen Yi gave a soft reminder: “Don’t forget to take your medicine. Also, be a good girl, okay?”

Chen Yi: The clothes and everything else are just excuses. In fact, “Little Silly Jiang” is the only reason I go to that rental house.