Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 74

Chapter 74: “Cry, Cry Your Eyes Out For Me. I Want To See You Cry.”

Inside a spacious and bright walk-in closet, Lin Anran was picking out her evening gown for tomorrow’s banquet, one piece at a time.

She pulled dresses from the racks, holding them up in front of her body and posing before the full-length mirror. Clothes that were “barely satisfactory” were set aside for a later fitting, while those she disliked were tossed carelessly to the side.

After this frantic search, the originally neat and organized closet had become a chaotic mess. Expensive gowns, designer shoes, and luxury bags were strewn across the floor.

She finally settled on a black gown. Turning around, she asked, “What do you think of this one?”

Lin Yishu, who had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to help choose an outfit, leaned against the doorframe and yawned. “Fine, fine. Anything works.”

Lin Anran threw the black gown onto the pile and glared, her eyebrows shooting up in anger. “Can you take this seriously? Don’t be so perfunctory. I don’t like it.”

Lin Yishu laughed. “Oh, you ‘don’t like it’ now? You hauled me up at midnight to help you, and you’ve been at it for an hour already. If you keep going, the sun will be up. Give it a rest and go to sleep.”

Lin Anran pouted. Refusing to listen, she stubbornly pulled out another gown and continued posing in the mirror.

For tomorrow’s banquet, she had to be stunning. More accurately, she needed to stun one specific person in that room.

“How does a perfectly normal person turn into such a ‘love-brain’ after falling in love? I don’t understand it,” Lin Yishu shook her head.

“If you aren’t going to help, then leave. Don’t chatter in my ear, it’s noisy,” Lin Anran shot her a sideways glance.

Lin Yishu stayed put, still leaning lazily against the door. “ZAR… just look at the name you gave your company. You might as well have tattooed ‘love-brain’ on your forehead.”

Lin Anran’s eyes widened in warning.

Lin Yishu shrugged, knowing when to quit, and walked away. Before she left, she tossed out a reminder: “Stop picking. If you don’t sleep all night, you’ll have dark circles tomorrow. Instead of stunning the room, everyone will think a giant panda has arrived for an exhibition.”

The person who had been so energetic about the clothes froze. She immediately rushed to the mirror, checking her under-eyes. It seemed there really were faint shadows.

No, I can’t stay up late. Sleep.

She applied a face mask before bed, determined to maintain her peak condition. She was like a general preparing for battle—high-spirited and full of fight.

Having grown used to the wooden plank beds in the countryside, Jiang Zhi found the sudden change to a soft, luxury mattress impossible to adjust to. She didn’t sleep a wink all night.

Perhaps the bed wasn’t the real reason.

Jiang Zhi shook her head, unwilling to think further. She walked to the bathroom mirror and saw that her eyes were swollen; she looked utterly haggard. She scooped up cold water and splashed it on her face, trying to wake herself up.

I can go home after the banquet. Just hold on a little longer. Just a little longer.

Jiang Zhi regulated her breathing and forced a smile, pushing herself to be stronger, to stop being so fragile, to look forward.

She was the one who gave up first. She couldn’t blame anyone else; she had to bear the consequences. Since the day she chose to leave Lin Anran, she had imagined her marrying someone else countless times—she had even dreamed of it.

But a hypothesis was just a hypothesis, and a dream was just a dream. It wasn’t until she saw it with her own eyes yesterday that the reality of the loss truly set in. It was the feeling of a piece of her heart being violently carved out.

She felt like she might never be okay again… she wondered if this feeling would truly last a lifetime.

Life was too long. Meeting Lin Anran and then giving her up felt like she had spent all the happiness of her entire life in advance. Would she ever be happy again? She didn’t know.

She washed her face simply and squeezed out some toothpaste. After tasting it, her movements stopped. She stared blankly at the toothpaste in her hand.

Why is it this flavor? It was peach-flavored toothpaste—the exact brand and flavor Lin Anran loved most.

When they used to kiss, it often tasted like this. it was a deep, unforgettable memory. Jiang Zhi frantically spat out the foam and rinsed her mouth repeatedly, trying to banish the familiar taste. But the flavor felt etched into her bones, impossible to ever truly forget.

In the villa, Lin Anran checked her watch, calculating the time. At this hour, Jiang Zhi should be awake and brushing her teeth.

She had specially arranged for that toothpaste to be placed in the room. She wondered what the effect was. Lin Anran arched her eyebrows, her mood light and cheerful.

In the hotel bathroom, Jiang Zhi sat huddled on the floor by the sink, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were vacant. She was thinking—she had been thinking all night.

To what stage have Lin Anran and that woman developed?

The woman brought her food and they held hands; they must be in a confirmed relationship. If they held hands, did that mean they kissed? Or even…

Jiang Zhi thudded her fist against her chest, trying to soothe the dull ache, but it did little to help. An invisible pain was spreading through her heart.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang. Jiang Zhi struggled to stand, patted her cheeks, and practiced a smile in the mirror. She took a deep breath before turning to open the door.

Hotel staff had delivered breakfast: two slices of toast, a soft-boiled egg, and a glass of milk.

Jiang Zhi stared at the meal, her mind drifting. When she used to prepare breakfast for Lin Anran, it was usually this exact combination because that was how Anran liked it.

However, Anran liked cold milk, but Jiang Zhi would always warm it up. Anran would complain and nag, but she would always finish the warm milk anyway. Memories of Lin Anran swirled in her head, impossible to shake off.

In the villa, a professional makeup artist was working on Lin Anran.

Lin Anran checked her watch again. She calculated that at this time, Jiang Zhi should be eating breakfast. She wondered how the effect of that meal was going.

Jiang Zhi liked her eggs fully cooked and her milk warm. Therefore, Lin Anran had intentionally ordered a soft-boiled egg and cold milk.

The goal was to make it uncomfortable for her to eat. She didn’t want Jiang Zhi to have a peaceful breakfast. Lin Anran let out a wicked, vengeful snicker.

The makeup artist was startled by the sudden cold laugh; her hand slipped, and the eyeliner went crooked.

Lin Anran’s brow furrowed. “What is wrong with you? I paid a fortune to hire you, and you have such sloppy skills? You’re a useless—”

The word “failure” didn’t make it out. She cut herself off mid-sentence.

The makeup artist was mortified, bowing repeatedly in apology. “I’m so sorry, I’ll redo it for you immediately.”

Lin Anran glanced at her. “Forget it. Mistakes happen. Don’t be so nervous, I won’t make things hard for you.”

Jiang Zhi said… that workers have it hard. Don’t lose your temper at them, don’t make things difficult, be considerate and polite.

Wait, Jiang Zhi wasn’t a good person anyway, why should she listen to her?

Lin Anran swatted the makeup artist’s hand away and said fiercely, “I won’t be considerate! If you mess up again, I’ll dock your pay!”

The makeup artist looked at her “fierce” act and didn’t feel afraid; instead, she almost wanted to laugh. This was her first time working for Lin Anran. She had been nervous for a long time, doing mental preparation and telling herself she had to take any insults or even blows silently.

After all, rumors said the third Miss of the Lin family was overbearing, arrogant, and difficult to serve. To earn this money, one had to put their dignity in the dirt.

However, the reality seemed different from the rumors. Lin Anran was indeed arrogant, but she was also inexplicably… kind of cute. Of course, the artist kept these thoughts to herself.

When the makeup was finished, Lin Anran looked into a small hand-mirror. Her eyes were bright, clearly satisfied, but what she said was: “Your skills are mediocre, but it’s barely passable. I’ll give you a little extra on your paycheck.”

If it’s mediocre, why a bonus instead of a firing? The artist suppressed a smile. It was her first time meeting a “Tsundere” in real life, and a particularly beautiful one at that.

Lin Anran didn’t notice. She put down the mirror and checked the time again.

What is Jiang Zhi doing right now? Is she eating breakfast and crying secretly?

Lin Anran imagined the scene, and a wide grin spread across her face.

Cry! You’d better cry your eyes out!

Lin Anran narrowed her eyes wickedly.

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