Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 24.2

Chapter 24.2: “Lin Anran is Missing.”

 

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

 

Lin Anran retracted her gaze and returned to selecting clothes, as if the moment of eye contact was a delusion, as if Lin Anran hadn’t seen Jiang Zhi.

 

But Jiang Zhi was absolutely sure she had seen her.

 

But she chose to ignore her.

 

Jiang Zhi stared intently at Lin Anran a few more times, finally withdrawing her gaze to the traffic light, waiting for the green light to cross the road.

 

The green light flashed several times, but Jiang Zhi didn’t start the scooter, seemingly lost in thought.

 

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Zhi smiled self-mockingly and with relief. She had just hesitated about whether to say hello. She was overthinking it. Lin Anran clearly had no intention of engaging with her.

 

The traffic light turned green again. Jiang Zhi took a deep breath, finally started the scooter, and drove away from the intersection.

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t look back again, thus missing the person on the second floor of the mall behind her, who was staring intently, even affectionately, at her.

 

The sales assistant saw Lin Anran pausing for a long time in front of a dress and asked: “Third Miss, if you like this dress, should I arrange for a model to try it on for you so you can see the effect?”

 

Lin Anran didn’t answer. She continued to pinch the corner of the dress, seemingly choosing clothes, but her gaze had already passed over the clothing and was fixed on the intersection downstairs.

 

Lin Anran was waiting for Jiang Zhi to look back, but the person on the scooter never turned her head, despite the traffic light changing several times.

 

Finally, she drove away.

 

Lin Anran pursed her lips, trying to pretend nothing had happened and continue shopping, but… it seemed impossible.

 

“Third Miss?” The sales assistant, seeing her standing still as if in a trance, called out hesitantly.

 

“Can you shut up? Stop bothering me. You’re so annoying!” Lin Anran frowned tightly, her tone arrogant and aggressive.

 

The sales assistant’s face stiffened. She immediately fell silent, smiling as she backed away.

 

The sales assistant had long heard of Miss Lin’s volatile temper. She didn’t mind it much; she was responsible for serving these high-end VIP customers, many of whom were difficult or enjoyed making trouble.

 

The sales assistant had learned to be adaptable. Since Lin Anran found her noisy, she wisely retreated to the side and said nothing.

 

She positioned herself at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, ensuring she didn’t disturb Lin Anran but could respond immediately if needed.

 

The sales assistant didn’t know what had suddenly happened to Lin Anran, who started finding fault with everything, pulling one dress, then another.

 

“What is all this rubbish? It’s all so ugly.”

 

“How am I supposed to choose from clothes like this? They’re all garbage.”

 

“And the store’s decor—why are the lights so glaring? They hurt my eyes.”

 

“There’s nothing here I like. I don’t like any of it.”

 

As she spoke, she kicked the clothes rack twice, making it wobble precariously.

 

Even though the sales assistant had encountered many difficult customers, she broke out in a slight cold sweat in this situation.

 

Just as the sales assistant was brainstorming how to handle the situation, the person who had been throwing a tantrum, occasionally kicking the rack, suddenly squatted down.

 

She just squatted on the floor, hugging her knees, with her face buried in them.

 

She maintained this posture, motionless, like a fragile small animal.

 

Was she crying?

 

The sales assistant was completely bewildered. Dissatisfaction with clothes shouldn’t lead to crying, right?

 

Are these rich people mentally unstable…?

 

For the past month, Lin Anran had been shopping every day. In the past, when she was unhappy, she would go shopping, and her mood would usually improve afterward.

 

But this time seemed different. She visited one mall after another, bought countless items, but her mood didn’t seem to improve at all. Instead, it worsened.

 

Her favorite activity, shopping, no longer made her happy.

 

Back at home, she curled up alone on the sofa, feet resting on the cushions, hugging her knees, chin resting on her knees, staring blankly at the lawn outside the villa window.

 

All kinds of shopping bags—new clothes, bags, shoes, and jewelry—were piled up around her on the floor, but Lin Anran had no interest in admiring them, leaving them carelessly scattered.

 

The sound of the door opening came from behind, followed by footsteps.

 

Lin Anran didn’t move, only throwing out an impatient word: “Go away.”

 

The footsteps behind her continued to approach and did not stop because of her command.

 

“Do I have to go away, too?” A familiar voice came from behind.

 

Lin Anran’s expression shifted slightly. She turned to look.

 

The person approaching wore a classic Qipao, her long hair pinned up with a jade hairpin, giving her a vintage, graceful aura.

 

Lin Anran was surprised: “Second Sister, why are you here? Weren’t you still abroad for a dance performance?”

 

Lin Yishu walked around the mess of shopping bags and sat down beside her: “The performance is over. As soon as I got back, Big Sister told me our Anran was throwing a tantrum again, that no one could comfort her, and that she was making a scene every day.”

 

Lin Anran pouted: “I wasn’t throwing a tantrum, and I wasn’t making a scene. Stop being so self-important.”

 

Lin Yishu pointed to the shopping bags scattered everywhere on the floor: “You won’t let the housekeeper come in to clean up for you, making this whole mess. Isn’t that throwing a tantrum?”

 

Lin Anran turned her head, cheeks puffed out, and said nothing.

 

Lin Yishu rubbed her head: “You won’t talk to Big Sister, but you can talk to me, right? Come on, tell Second Sister what happened. Maybe I can help you solve it.”

 

Lin Anran’s voice was muffled: “You can’t solve it.”

 

Lin Yishu: “How do you know I can’t solve it if you don’t tell me?”

 

Lin Anran fell silent again. She hugged her knees tighter, completely immersed in a downcast mood.

 

Lin Yishu was patient and didn’t rush her. She sat quietly with her, waiting gently for her to speak.

 

After about ten minutes, Lin Anran finally spoke, saying awkwardly: “It’s nothing major. I just made a friend recently, but I don’t really like her. She’s just average.”

 

Average? She was acting like this, and the friend was “average”? Lin Yishu understood her little sister and didn’t expose her. Instead, she said: “Our Anran can actually make friends. That’s good.”

 

Lin Anran glared in dissatisfaction: “Why can’t I make friends?! It’s not that I can’t. It’s that none of them are worthy. I’m not willing to hang out with them.”

 

Lin Yishu chuckled softly: “Alright, alright. Second Sister misspoke. Don’t be angry. Keep talking. I’m listening.”

 

Lin Anran’s lips moved twice, but she was speechless for a while. She didn’t know how to describe her current emotions, or this friend she called “average.”

 

“She’s my only friend, but she has better friends. She likes that person more. I don’t like her like that. I don’t like it.” Lin Anran finally said this after a long time.

 

Lin Yishu slightly raised an eyebrow, understanding now.

 

“You wish she only had you as a friend?”

 

“Not exactly… but yes.” She couldn’t articulate it clearly.

 

“Have you talked to her about this?”

 

“No.”

 

Lin Yishu patted her head, guiding her patiently: “Then try to communicate with her. Friends need to open up and talk to each other. Unilaterally cutting off contact won’t solve the problem; it will only make it worse. If you insist on doing this, you might end up losing this friend.”

 

Lin Anran looked out at the lawn. Usually garrulous, she fell silent, remaining quiet for a long time.

 

No one knew what she was thinking or if she had taken those words to heart.

 

“You want to change my post?” Jiang Zhi slightly frowned.

 

This was too sudden. Without any warning, she was working fine yesterday, but today she was being moved.

 

Jiang Zhi was naturally reluctant. After all, her current working environment, both the management and colleagues, was relatively harmonious.

 

She didn’t want to change to another post, let alone move to another department.

 

Editor-in-chief: “This is a temporary transfer decision from above, something I can’t veto. Your salary will be increased by 10%. See if you can accept it.”

 

They’re giving me a raise.

 

Jiang Zhi’s initial reluctance vanished instantly. She smiled brightly: “Okay, Editor-in-chief. I’ll move over there shortly.”

 

The editor-in-chief laughed at her: “A moment ago, you looked like you’d resist to the death. The moment money was mentioned, you were instantly willing.”

 

Jiang Zhi rubbed her nose, not feeling embarrassed. She worked to make money. If changing posts meant a raise, why not?

 

Leaving the editor-in-chief’s office, Jiang Zhi began packing up her workstation, preparing to move directly to the adjacent department.

 

A familiar colleague leaned over: “I heard you’re being transferred. They say you’re going to be the assistant to the new manager of the next department.”

 

Jiang Zhi nodded while packing: “Yes, moving to the next department.”

 

“What’s going on? You were doing so well. Why the sudden transfer?”

 

“Who knows?” Jiang Zhi didn’t care, as long as she got a raise.

 

The colleague seemed to remember something and lowered her voice: “The manager of the next department resigned recently. I heard a new manager was parachuted in. I wonder if they have a good temper. It better not be someone difficult to deal with. I have a bad feeling about suddenly being put there.”

 

Jiang Zhi’s movement of tidying the desk paused. A new manager?

 

“But it should be fine,” the colleague patted her shoulder: “You can handle our Miss Lin. No matter how picky or bad-tempered the new manager is, they can’t be worse than Lin Anran. Don’t worry, you’ll definitely be okay.”

 

Hearing Lin Anran’s name suddenly, Jiang Zhi was momentarily lost in thought.

 

It had been a week since their brief eye contact at the intersection.

 

Jiang Zhi shook her head: “When in doubt, take action. Besides, my new manager might not have a bad temper. Maybe they’re easy to get along with.”

 

Colleague: “Let’s hope so.”

 

Jiang Zhi put all her items into a cardboard box, picked it up, and hugged it: “Alright, I’m pretty much packed. I’ll head over now.”

 

The colleague waved her hand, reluctantly.

 

“What are you doing? I’m just next door. You only have to go around a wall to see me. Why are you acting like we’re saying a final goodbye?”

 

The colleague laughed: “Get out of here. Hurry up and go.”

 

Jiang Zhi nodded, hugging the box, and walked towards the next department.

 

She often had business dealings with the adjacent department. Most people there were at least familiar, if not known by name. Because she was familiar with the environment, Jiang Zhi didn’t feel much tension despite the change.

 

“Jiang Zhi, you’re here. The manager is waiting for you in the office. They said they have something to tell you, so go straight in once you arrive.” A female colleague told her, pointing to the office.

 

“Okay, I understand. Thank you.” Jiang Zhi temporarily placed the cardboard box on an empty workstation and walked towards the office.

 

She stopped at the office door and raised her hand to knock.

 

Following the “knock, knock,” a voice came from inside: “Come in.”

 

Jiang Zhi’s movement froze. This voice, why does it sound so familiar? Is it an illusion?

 

Why does this voice sound a little like…

 

She collected her thoughts, gently pressed the doorknob, and pushed open the office door.

 

The office was simple and modern. The first things that caught her eye were the large French windows and the desk beside them.

 

The person sitting at the desk was wearing a black business suit, their hair tied up, and half-rimmed glasses perched on their nose. They were bent over, reading documents on the desk, only showing a side profile.

 

Jiang Zhi glanced quickly, then breathed a sigh of relief. It must just be a similar voice.

 

Jiang Zhi had already determined that this person was not Lin Anran. Firstly, Lin Anran wouldn’t be back. Secondly, this person’s clothing style and hairstyle were not typical of Lin Anran.

 

But when the manager turned their face towards her, and Jiang Zhi saw her full face, she froze.

 

???

 

Is that Lin Anran?

 

It seems like her, but I’m not entirely sure. Let me look again.

 

The face was definitely Lin Anran’s, but her style had changed, and quite drastically.

 

When Lin Anran wore a suit, she looked surprisingly passable at first glance, like a professional career woman, but on closer inspection, it looked like a child wearing adult clothes.

 

Especially the half-rimmed glasses on her nose—they didn’t even have lenses, purely decorative.

 

Lin Anran scanned her briefly, her chin slightly lifted, maintaining her familiar, arrogant expression: “Hello, Jiang Zhi. My new assistant.”

 

This was the first time Lin Anran had ever correctly called her by her full name.

 

Not Jiang Yi, but Jiang Zhi.