Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 34

The girl’s sincere gaze made Jiang Qi wonder if her own thoughts were too impure.

Jiang Qi lowered her eyes, her raven-like lashes casting a heavy shadow, but her voice was lifeless: “Ah, we’re still good friends. Anyway… I kissed you back, right?”

Hearing her words, Chi Shuang breathed a sigh of relief and released Jiang Qi’s arm. “I’m so glad you think that way. I’ll make something delicious for you tonight! What would you like to eat?”

If Chi Shuang, as attentive as she was, had truly been as calm as she appeared on the surface, she would have noticed that Jiang Qi’s voice wasn’t its usual indifferent tone.

“Anything is fine,” Jiang Qi said, lowering her gaze again and speaking with difficulty.

“Ah, okay.”

Watching Jiang Qi turn silently and return to her room, the smile on Chi Shuang’s face gradually faded, leaving her heart feeling as empty as a receding tide.

We’re still friends.

We can only be friends.

That evening, Chi Shuang was no different from before, still wearing her gentle demeanor.

Jiang Qi lowered her eyes. “I’m full.”

After thinking it over all afternoon, she had emerged from her initial inexplicable anger and even vaguely felt that she was the one at fault.

She could have avoided this situation altogether, yet she had stubbornly insisted on bringing medicine to Chi Shuang.

How could she turn around and blame Chi Shuang after something like this had happened?

“Sis Chi, what happened to your lip? It’s broken,” Jiang Ran asked between mouthfuls of food, her eyes scanning the cut with curiosity.

Jiang Qi’s breath hitched, and Chi Shuang started coughing.

After nervously straining her ears for a moment, Jiang Qi only heard Chi Shuang say with a laugh, “Just a bit of internal heat.”

As expected.

Jiang Qi’s heart was tangled. Although she was at fault, she was the one who had been forcibly kissed. So, they were even.

But then again… she had kissed her back! She still needed to apologize.

With that thought, Jiang Qi collapsed onto the sofa. My life is so hard!!!

She buried her face in a pillow, then reconsidered, this place was full of monitors and cameras, completely at odds with her aloof CEO persona.

Should she apologize? Then she’d do it tonight.

Lost in her own world, Jiang Qi didn’t hear what the others were discussing until someone suddenly called her name.

“The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. Xiao Qi, what kind of zongzi do you usually eat where you’re from?”

“Sweet zongzi,” Jiang Qi answered casually.

It was customary to eat zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, but she hadn’t eaten them many times, only when she was very young and couldn’t remember much. The only zongzi-related memory she had was from adulthood, when she bought some crystal zongzi from a Starbucks while passing by. They weren’t particularly tasty.

“What? Sweet zongzi? Savory zongzi is so much better, so fresh and fragrant,” Jiang Ran pouted in dissatisfaction.

“What’s wrong with sweet zongzi? What’s the difference between savory zongzi and regular rice with dishes?” Shang Chumu retorted.

“Let the battle begin!”

The two kids happily started bickering, kicking off the great sweet vs. savory zongzi debate.

Setting aside her tangled thoughts, Jiang Qi listened for a while, a faint smile finally appearing at the corners of her lips.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

The caller’s name made her frown imperceptibly. She headed upstairs and only then pressed the answer button.

Chi Shuang glanced up toward the second floor, where Jiang Qi’s figure quickly disappeared around the corner.

She had just seen that the caller ID read “Mom.”

That gentle woman from her memories.

In her first life, when Chi Shuang and Jiang Qi got married, she had met most of Jiang Qi’s elders, including her father and mother.

However, Jiang Qi’s attitude toward them remained consistently aloof, while she seemed much closer to her uncle.

Later, she learned that Jiang Qi’s parents were artists who spent most of their time traveling for inspiration and photography. Perhaps that was why they weren’t very close.

But just now, Chi Shuang had noticed Jiang Qi’s reaction to the phone call: cold, indifferent, and even… slightly disgusted?

Chi Shuang wondered if she had misread the situation.

While Chi Shuang was lost in thought, Jiang Ran pulled her into the two youngsters’ debate: “Let Sister Chi decide! I’m sure she loves savory zongzi just like I do!”

“No way, Sister Chi must prefer sweet zongzi. After all, Sister Chi is so sweet herself, right?” Shang Chumu added, flashing Chi Shuang a sugary smile.

Jiang Ran immediately positioned herself protectively in front of Chi Shuang. “Stop with that fake smile! Don’t try to charm my Sister Chi! Two Omegas could never be happy together!”

Chi Shuang: “…Thanks a lot.”

Shang Chumu flared up. “What’s wrong with two Omegas? Is that not allowed?”

Jiang Ran’s mind suddenly went blank as she started imagining scenarios. “Well, it’s possible, but… there’d be a struggle over who’s the top and who’s the bottom… Mmm!!!”

Tears welled up in Jiang Ran’s eyes as she pitifully stared at Yan Xu, who had clamped a hand over her mouth.

Yan Xu, the embodiment of impartiality, scolded, “Can you say something appropriate for once?”

Watching this comedic trio, Chi Shuang sighed. “Alright, alright, tomorrow I’ll make both sweet and savory zongzi, okay?”

“Yay!!!”

The cheers were so loud that Chi Shuang felt like she’d been tricked.

“Then who’s coming with me to the market tomorrow evening?” Chi Shuang asked, looking around.

“Me, me, me!” Jiang Ran raised her hand, happily clinging to Chi Shuang’s arm and nuzzling against it.

Just then, Jiang Qi descended the last step, paused briefly, and then walked straight toward the sofa without stopping.

“Sister Jiang! Sister Jiang! We’re having zongzi tomorrow!” Jiang Ran fluttered over like a butterfly, sitting beside Jiang Qi and shaking her arm excitedly.

“Mm, anything is fine,” Jiang Qi replied, clearly distracted.

Noticing that Jiang Qi seemed preoccupied, Jiang Ran surprisingly acted more considerately and didn’t bother her further. Instead, she went to make a shopping list for their market trip the next day.

“What flavors are usually in sweet zongzi? I’ll write them down,” Jiang Ran said earnestly, pen and paper in hand, listening to Shang Chumu’s suggestions.

Chi Shuang: “…Now I have a strong suspicion that you two set me up.”

Though surrounded by the lively atmosphere, Chi Shuang couldn’t help but notice that solitary figure. Despite being a top-tier Alpha, Jiang Qi’s shoulders were surprisingly slender, almost like those of a teenager, yet she possessed remarkable strength.

Jiang Qi sat alone on the sofa, seemingly excluded from all the commotion. Chi Shuang found herself questioning all her previous assumptions.

The truth was, she had fallen for Jiang Qi and it wasn’t because of that book’s influence. After all, Jiang Qi hadn’t fallen for her the way the book described.

Jiang Qi thought about the butterfly effect.

A butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon rainforest of South America could cause a tornado in Texas two weeks later.

So perhaps she hadn’t just peeked into a book about the future, maybe she had been reborn, and her memories of her past life had simply manifested in the form of a book.

It made logical sense.

Her lowered lashes concealed the sorrow in her eyes. So, is that why? In this life, you’re unwilling to like me again.

“Alright, I accept.”

“Hmm, what flavor of sweet zongzi does Xiao Qi like?”

Jiang Ran was noting down everyone’s preferences one by one. When it came to Jiang Qi’s turn, she tossed the pen and paper aside, handing them over to Chi Shuang instead.