Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: “I’ll Give You All the Money.”

 

Even after many years, the scenes and moments from the past felt as if they happened yesterday. Everything had not faded with time; instead, the memories were vivid.

 

Jiang Zhi had always resisted recalling these things and dared not bring them up, but today, unexpectedly and without warning, she laid everything bare.

 

She was so afraid of letting Lin Anran know her past; she had thought she would conceal those foolish and ignorant memories forever if possible…

 

Why did she suddenly confess? Was it an emotional breakdown triggered by the environment?

 

Jiang Zhi also didn’t understand why she suddenly blurted out these things.

 

The moment the words left her mouth, Jiang Zhi lowered her head, looking at the snow beneath her feet, afraid to look directly into Lin Anran’s eyes.

 

Lin Anran wouldn’t like this version of her. Since she couldn’t forgive or accept her past self, why pressure anyone else?

 

Forget it, just forget it. A person like her didn’t deserve someone as wonderful as Lin Anran.

 

How could the girl untainted by dust fall for someone covered in mud?

 

Don’t taint her.

 

“I…” Her lips parted, and just as one syllable escaped, her hand was abruptly taken.

 

A warm hand, warming her icy palm.

 

Jiang Zhi stared blankly at their clasped hands, then slowly raised her head to look at the person standing before her.

 

Lin Anran stood amidst the snowscape, beautiful, clean, and pure.

 

Jiang Zhi gazed at her, speechless for a long time. She didn’t understand why Lin Anran was holding her hand at a time like this, yet she seemed to understand, too.

 

Lin Anran had never initiated holding hands before. The awkward girl always waited for Jiang Zhi to take her hand first. Even when she wanted to hold hands badly, she would only sulk and definitely wouldn’t take the initiative.

 

But now, she had initiated it.

 

“Do you want to continue building the snowman?” Lin Anran asked a question completely unrelated to the preceding conversation.

 

Jiang Zhi just looked at her, remaining silent.

 

Lin Anran added: “It doesn’t matter if it’s ugly. I won’t mind if your snowman is ugly, and I won’t kick it down again.”

 

The clasped hands transmitted warmth, the only warmth in the icy world, causing her cold heart to suddenly thaw for a moment.

 

“If you don’t want to build a snowman, you can continue the snowball fight. I won’t use large snowballs to hit you anymore,” Lin Anran’s eyes showed a hint of caution.

 

Jiang Zhi pursed her lips: “Did you not understand what I just said?”

 

Lin Anran raised her voice: “I don’t care! Why should I stop liking you? I like you!”

 

“But I’m not good.”

 

“Jiang Zhi is good.”

 

Jiang Zhi’s nose felt slightly sore: “Good in what way? I’m so ordinary. Being ordinary is one thing, but my heart is bad. I spoke cruelly to my only living relative. I was ignorant and foolish…”

 

Lin Anran hugged her, holding her tightly: “I don’t care. Jiang Zhi is the best Jiang Zhi. You are my Jiang Yi, the Jiang Yi I like the most.”

 

Jiang Zhi was silent for a long moment, finally sighing and hugging her back, rubbing her cheek against Lin Anran’s hair.

 

She wanted to let her go, but she was too foolish, jumping in headfirst, unstoppable.

 

“It’s too cold outside. Let’s go back inside,” Jiang Zhi let go of the embrace and took her hand.

 

“Okay.”

 

The two walked side-by-side. The sun after the snow shone on the snow and on them, casting a glow.

 

Along the way, parallel footprints marked the snow behind them.

 

Back in the hotel room, the heat quickly drove away the cold, and their stiff hands and feet gradually warmed up.

 

Jiang Zhi helped Lin Anran take off her thick, fuzzy hat.

 

Lin Anran, mimicking her, also helped Jiang Zhi take off her fuzzy hat.

 

Jiang Zhi chuckled: “Are you learning to take care of me now?”

 

Lin Anran: “Shouldn’t I take care of my girlfriend?”

 

Jiang Zhi raised an eyebrow: “You didn’t look like that when you were snowball fighting with such ferocity just now.”

 

Lin Anran fell silent.

 

“Alright, I’m okay now. I was just a little emotional, but I’ve recovered,” Jiang Zhi rubbed her head: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so emotionally unstable. Did I scare you?”

 

Lin Anran shook her head, then nodded.

 

For the rest of the time, Lin Anran followed her every step, even clingier than usual.

 

Jiang Zhi vaguely understood that Lin Anran was comforting her. Although she couldn’t articulate comforting words, her every action was a solace to Jiang Zhi.

 

“You can tell me,” Lin Anran suddenly said.

 

“Huh?” Jiang Zhi didn’t understand.

 

Lin Anran looked into her eyes, her expression serious: “I’m your girlfriend. You can tell me your sadness.”

 

Jiang Zhi was stunned.

 

After half a minute of silence, Jiang Zhi let out a soft breath: “I don’t know how to say it. I loved my grandmother very much. When I was very little…”

 

When she was very little, Jiang Zhi followed her grandmother everywhere, crying if she couldn’t see her for just a moment—a total little shadow.

 

Her grandmother was busy every day, tending to the vegetables, watching over the rice paddies, and going to the market to sell produce.

 

The stooped old woman worked diligently, but even with all her effort, she could only barely support herself and her granddaughter.

 

At that time, her grandmother was her mother, her father, the person little Jiang Zhi loved and adored the most.

 

She loved the rice balls her grandmother made, the sweaters she knitted, and she loved when her grandmother touched her little head and called her “little Zhi Zhi.”

 

Her grandmother wore ragged clothes, her face was lined with wrinkles, and her back was too hunched to stand straight. But that didn’t stop little Jiang Zhi from thinking her grandmother was the best grandmother.

 

Her dream was to grow up and take her grandmother out of the small mountain village, buy her beautiful clothes, buy her delicious food, and buy her a big house…

 

But a child’s dreams are very easy to change. Jiang Zhi didn’t know when, but they did.

 

She started to dislike her grandmother, to blame their family’s poverty.

 

Slowly, she forgot the path she came from.

 

Jiang Zhi couldn’t understand her high school self, yet that self was undeniably her past.

 

The vanity and rivalry of youthful ignorance.

 

“You didn’t mean it. You just made a mistake. Grandmother will forgive you. She loves you very much and dotes on you,” Lin Anran said.

 

“But I don’t want Grandmother to forgive me.” Or rather, it wasn’t about whether her grandmother forgave her, but that she couldn’t forgive herself.

 

Lin Anran reached out and tugged at her clothes: “Jiang Yi, don’t be sad anymore. I don’t like it.”

 

Jiang Zhi looked down at the hem of her clothes being tugged, her eyes softening into a gentle curve.

 

“What is it that you like about me?” Jiang Zhi truly couldn’t find her own merits.

 

Even if she had any, they were insignificant and didn’t seem to warrant being loved.

 

Lin Anran smiled and said: “I like that you are Jiang Yi.”

 

Jiang Zhi pinched her cheek: “That doesn’t count as a reason.”

 

Lin Anran: “It is the reason.”

 

Love and affection never have a specific reason; the heart is simply captured in an instant.

 

As they chatted, Lin Anran bit her lip, looking troubled, her brow furrowed.

 

Jiang Zhi noticed her abnormality and asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

Lin Anran bit her lip harder, until it turned slightly white, accompanied by small foot stomps.

 

“What exactly is wrong with you?” Jiang Zhi watched her strange behavior.

 

“I need to use the restroom,” Lin Anran said.

 

Jiang Zhi was stunned: “Then hurry up and go!”

 

Lin Anran glanced at her: “You’re sad, I need to stay with you.”

 

Jiang Zhi paused, looking at her with a mix of amusement and emotion: “You… sigh. Hurry up and go to the bathroom. I’m not sad now. Go quickly.”

 

Lin Anran was in a rush, but still worriedly checked on Jiang Zhi’s emotions.

 

Jiang Zhi, helpless, led her to the restroom door, pushing her inside: “Go quickly. Don’t hold it in and hurt yourself.”

 

Lin Anran’s ears flushed slightly, looking a little shy. Only after making sure Jiang Zhi was okay did she quickly dart into the restroom.

 

Jiang Zhi waited outside the door, letting out a quiet sigh, her mood a mix of complex emotions.

 

How could there be a person like Lin Anran in this world?

 

So utterly foolish.

 

Tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, fanning her eyes with her hand, not wanting Lin Anran to see that she had been crying.

 

If the foolish girl found out, she would worry again. When Lin Anran worried, she would follow her every step, not even daring to go to the restroom, just like before.

 

Although being worried about and cherished by someone felt wonderful, Jiang Zhi couldn’t bear to let the little kitten worry about her anymore.

 

Creak, the sliding restroom door opened.

 

Lin Anran stepped out and immediately looked for Jiang Zhi.

 

Jiang Zhi saw this and felt another surge of emotion.

 

When Lin Anran saw the person waiting by the door, she immediately rushed over, her eyes instantly scrutinizing Jiang Zhi’s expression.

 

“Did you cry secretly?” Lin Anran noticed her slightly red eye corners.

 

“How could I?” Jiang Zhi denied.

 

Lin Anran frowned and warned: “Don’t you dare cry. I don’t like comforting people, and I don’t like weepy people. Don’t be someone I dislike.”

 

Jiang Zhi was amused: “I understand. I’ll be good.”

 

Lin Anran proudly lifted her chin, giving a barely satisfied hum.

 

Lin Anran turned to grab the handbag placed on the sofa, rummaging through it.

 

After a long search, she couldn’t find what she was looking for and grew impatient, her movements becoming rougher.

 

Crash!

 

Lin Anran flipped the bag over, dumping all the contents onto the sofa in a mess.

 

Jiang Zhi walked over: “What are you looking for?”

 

Lin Anran ignored her, scattering the contents everywhere. Her eyes lit up, and she picked up one item.

 

“Found it.” It was a bank card.

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t understand what she was doing until Lin Anran held the card out to her.

 

Jiang Zhi: “For me?”

 

Lin Anran nodded, shoving the bank card directly into her arms: “It’s for you.”

 

Jiang Zhi looked at the bank card in her hand, a little bewildered, unable to process what was happening.

 

“I forgot exactly how much money is on this card, probably tens of millions. It’s my older sister’s allowance for me. She puts money in every month, but I can’t spend it all. I’m giving it to you now,” Lin Anran said.

 

Tens of millions??

 

Her casual tone made it sound like she was talking about a few thousand kuai…

 

Lin Anran said: “Don’t be sad anymore. Didn’t you say you like money? There’s a lot of money here. It should make you happy for a long time. Take the money and cheer up. Stop crying.”

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Lin Anran’s way of comforting people was truly unique.

 

“I call you a foolish sugar daddy, and you really are one. You’re giving me so much money, feeding me full all at once. What if I run away?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Jiang Zhi tucked the bank card back into Lin Anran’s possession: “Since you know I like money, you should only give me a little bit each time. Keep me in a state where I’m not full but not starving, dangling me along. That way, I won’t run away. Get it?”

 

Lin Anran tilted her head in thought. After considering it, she clearly found Jiang Zhi’s words logical and immediately tucked the card back into her pocket.

 

Jiang Zhi smiled: “Are you that afraid I’ll run away?”

 

Lin Anran pouted: “Who cares? Run if you want. Don’t say such sick things. I don’t like it.”