My Childhood Friend, Who Is An Omega, Has Become My Personal Secretary - Chapter 53

A black-and-white appraisal report comes into view.

During those few seconds of silence, Ji Zeyuan thought through every possible reaction Zhang Linen might have—flat-out rejection, or perhaps changing the subject with a deflection. This proposal was too sudden, a whim of the moment and thus very crude; Ji Zeyuan hadn’t expected Zhang Linen to agree immediately.

“I’m willing.”

Two simple words, yet Ji Zeyuan nearly dropped the ring box on the floor. Zhang Linen took the initiative to take the ring out of the box and slide it onto the ring finger of her left hand, asking, “Is this what you came here to say today?”

Ji Zeyuan didn’t know how to answer for a moment. After all, she hadn’t thought at all about what to do next; she had simply come here on a sudden impulse.

“…Can I stay here with you tonight?” After a long while, Ji Zeyuan finally stammered out this sentence.

Zhang Linen narrowed her eyes slightly and said, “No.”

Ji Zeyuan lowered her head in disappointment. Just as she was feeling dejected, Zhang Linen leaned in, her hand pinching Ji Zeyuan’s chin to kiss her. Caught off guard, Ji Zeyuan staggered backward, and Zhang Linen took the opportunity to press her against the wall, her hand moving to Ji Zeyuan’s neck… or rather, it felt a bit more like she was strangling her.

“Release some pheromones.” Zhang Linen’s fingers applied slight pressure. Ji Zeyuan felt a strange sensation of suffocation in her throat. She propped her hands against the wall, her legs slightly bent to accommodate Zhang Linen’s height, and stammered, “He… here?”

Zhang Linen licked her lips. She didn’t answer, but silently released her own pheromones.

Is this really okay?

Because they were outdoors, there was no privacy to speak of. Ji Zeyuan felt the terror of being stripped naked in public. She quickly covered Zhang Linen’s lips as the other woman leaned in again, saying, “Let’s go inside. Into your room.”

Zhang Linen’s eyes curved into a smile, and she nodded obediently. Ji Zeyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but the moment she let go, Zhang Linen kissed her again. Her tongue probed into the mouth through the unclosed gap, then drove straight in with a burst of energy, swirling twice before Ji Zeyuan could react. By instinct, Ji Zeyuan became entangled with her, and they didn’t separate until about a minute later.

“You should go, I know everything now.” After saying this, Zhang Linen didn’t linger; she turned and went inside the house, closing the door with a “thud.”

Ji Zeyuan stood dazed for a long while. It wasn’t until a gust of cold wind blew into her collar that she suddenly snapped out of it. Zhang Linen’s actions just now lingered in her mind. She looked at the empty ring box in her hand, but her heart felt incredibly strange.

She had clearly succeeded in her proposal, so why did it feel like she had been devoured clean and then abandoned?

After closing the door, the smile on Zhang Linen’s face vanished. On the living room floor, pills were scattered here and there. She sighed softly, leaning over exhaustedly to pick up the small pills one by one and put them back into their respective bottles.

It wasn’t until she returned to her own residence that Ji Zeyuan slowly began to recover from her dreamlike state.

Everything had happened so naturally, so logically. Ji Zeyuan was in a trance; she kept thinking about Zhang Linen’s appearance just now—while brushing her teeth, while showering, and even while lying in bed with wet hair.

The more she thought, the more Ji Zeyuan felt she wanted to do something. Unconsciously, she picked up her phone and dialed Zhang Linen’s number.

The call hung up automatically; no one answered. But a few seconds after it disconnected, Zhang Linen called back on her own initiative.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Linen’s voice was soft.

Ji Zeyuan’s heart instantly melted halfway. She couldn’t help but knead the pillow in her arms and asked, “Why did you agree so easily? Actually, I even prepared another ring, planning to come back next time if you didn’t agree this time.”

“You sound like you’re actually a bit disappointed,” Zhang Linen said.

Ji Zeyuan said, “I said it so suddenly, I thought you would at least consider it for a few days.”

Zhang Linen said, “We were bound to reach this step sooner or later anyway.”

Ji Zeyuan said, “Let’s pick a day to go to a designer for custom gowns, and the venue—where do you want to hold the wedding? I think…”

Zhang Linen interrupted her: “We won’t hold a wedding for the time being. You’re currently at the center of a storm; getting married to me in such a hurry will be exploited by people with ulterior motives.”

Ji Zeyuan laughed: “Are you talking about the things online saying I’m marrying you to swallow your property and then marginalize you? Don’t worry about those; as long as you believe in me, that’s all that matters.”

Ji Zeyuan’s intention in saying this was only to show she didn’t care about such rumors. Unexpectedly, Zhang Linen fell silent after she finished speaking.

“…It doesn’t matter what you think in your heart. What matters is that we cannot provide the media with more material to exploit,” Zhang Linen said a few seconds later. Her tone was so steady it made the previous silence seem like Ji Zeyuan’s hallucination.

Ji Zeyuan remained silent; she didn’t know what to say anymore.

Zhang Linen seemed to realize her suspicion and avoidance were too obvious, so she added, “Of course I believe you.”

This sentence instead made her look like she was trying to cover something up. But Ji Zeyuan didn’t expose her directly, only saying in a half-joking tone, “Maybe the media just stumbled onto the truth. You’d better keep your guard up against me.”

The joke wasn’t funny to the one telling it, and the one listening couldn’t laugh either.

After a long time, Zhang Linen said in a slightly low, husky voice, “Even if it were really like that, it wouldn’t matter.”

This reaction made Ji Zeyuan very sad. She gave a helpless, soft sigh: “It’s not like that.”

“…Alright, I’m a bit tired. I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight.”

After saying this, Zhang Linen took the initiative to hang up the phone. Ji Zeyuan stared at the phone screen as it gradually dimmed, her heart seemingly sinking to the bottom of a twenty-thousand-league deep sea in an instant.

The next day, Ji Zeyuan did not go to the notary office, but Ji Cheng did not urge her. However, news was reported that day: “The Chairman of Jixia Group went to handle adoption notarization to protect his adopted daughter’s right of inheritance. The notary’s spokesperson: The public’s witness is the best notarization of your father-daughter relationship; no procedures are needed!”

Ji Zeyuan wasn’t that repelled by these arrangements. She had already grown accustomed to titles like “Jixia Heiress,” “Jixia CEO,” and “President Ji.” It would be difficult to change her overnight.

But Ji Zeyuan truly wanted to return everything that originally belonged to Zhang Linen. It wasn’t because she was so noble; it was just that in front of Zhang Linen, these things weren’t that important anymore.

If it were anyone else, Ji Zeyuan might have secretly rejoiced and accepted all these arrangements. But it just so happened that everything she took away belonged to the person she loved most and least wanted to hurt.

And Ji Zeyuan didn’t even have the right to complain, because she was the ultimate beneficiary of all the arrangements. Any dissatisfaction coming from her mouth would be seen as empty whining and posturing.

After that night, Ji Zeyuan didn’t see Zhang Linen for a whole month. Zhang Linen suddenly disappeared.

Ji Zeyuan had gone to her home to find her, but Zhang Linen’s house had been emptied out. It was so clean that not even a single piece of clothing remained.

However, Zhang Linen had not cut off contact. They would still frequently send messages and video call. Zhang Linen’s explanation for all this was: Ji Cheng had made her move to a new residence, which was much better than the original place.

But Zhang Linen was unwilling to give the address of the new residence. Ji Zeyuan asked several times but could not get it out of her.

“You must come today, or I’ll go ask Dad where you are.” Ji Zeyuan’s tone was gentle but firm, as if she could fly over right now if Zhang Linen didn’t show up.

“Mm, I’ll go. But what exactly are you doing?” Zhang Linen asked, her tone as calm as ever.

“You’ll know when you get here… Alright, I’m going to get busy now. Hurry up.”

After saying that, Ji Zeyuan hung up the phone. At that moment, the designer in front of her opened the curtain.

“President Ji, what do you think?” The designer smiled, tilting her chin slightly, waiting for Ji Zeyuan’s reaction.

Under the spotlight, the gorgeous, pure white wedding dress shimmered with a brilliant glow. Ji Zeyuan’s eyes were full of expectation as she said, “We won’t know until she wears it.”

The designer smiled and said, “This is the main gown. Would you like to take a look at the other dresses?”

Ji Zeyuan said, “I’ll wait for my fiancée to arrive and look at the rest together.”

About half an hour later, Zhang Linen arrived late. But Ji Zeyuan didn’t scold her; she just happily welcomed her into the shop.

“I feel like you’ve lost so much weight.” Ji Zeyuan stroked Zhang Linen’s face and kissed her forehead.

This sentence wasn’t an illusion caused by longing after a long separation. Ji Zeyuan truly felt that Zhang Linen had lost a lot of weight. If Zhang Linen before was as thin as a paper doll, then now she could be described as thin as a cicada’s wing.

Zhang Linen’s face was a bit pale, and there was a lingering sorrow between her brows. But she still tugged at the corners of her mouth and said, “Maybe there’s been a lot going on lately.”

Ji Zeyuan led Zhang Linen into the inner room, where that exquisite and beautiful wedding dress was being worn by a mannequin in the center.

Zhang Linen frowned, about to object. Ji Zeyuan forestalled her: “You only said we won’t hold a wedding for now, but you didn’t say we couldn’t secretly take the wedding photos first.”

This statement was a bit forceful. Zhang Linen looked at the wedding dress, and her heart, which had been weary for many days, trembled again.

Ji Zeyuan grabbed Zhang Linen’s hand, carefully observing her reaction. After a long time, Zhang Linen nodded imperceptibly. Ji Zeyuan immediately picked her up by the waist with joy and spun around in place.

The designer standing by was stunned, thinking: This person was so arrogant when talking to me, turns out she has two faces.

“Would you two like to try on the wedding dress now?” the designer asked with a smile.

Ji Zeyuan held Zhang Linen’s shoulder and said, “Mm, let my baby try first.”

Zhang Linen frowned, feeling a chill of disgust in her heart, and said, “Don’t say such greasy things.”

Ji Zeyuan herself felt a bit awkward saying it; she wasn’t someone who was naturally mushy, but she couldn’t help wanting to say it.

She smiled and kissed Zhang Linen again. Although Zhang Linen’s expression was slightly embarrassed, the smile at the corners of her mouth couldn’t be hidden.

The shop assistants pulled the curtain shut. A moment later, the curtain opened. Ji Zeyuan’s eyes glazed over, and she almost couldn’t keep her footing.

The flowing long train spilled across the floor like light. The fine gauze was light and airy. Sparkling diamonds were embedded at the slender waist. A diamond necklace circled the long, fair neck, accentuating the deep collarbones. Even the thin veil covering her face couldn’t hide the exquisite features beneath.

“…Linen.” Ji Zeyuan stepped forward and slowly knelt on one knee.

Zhang Linen was astonished, so embarrassed she wanted to disappear: “What are you doing? Get up quickly!”

Ji Zeyuan took out the diamond ring with the water-ripple band and crown setting from her coat and held it out in front of Zhang Linen. Her face was flushed red with shyness and nervousness. The designer on the side watched with arms crossed, enjoying the drama.

Many emotional words echoed in her mind, but in the end, Ji Zeyuan only squeezed out dryly: “This ring is also finished. I’ll put it on for you.”

The observing designer’s eyes widened. Zhang Linen was already so embarrassed she was getting a little angry: “If you don’t get up, I’m leaving.”

This threat worked immediately. Ji Zeyuan rose at once, her amber eyes staring brightly at Zhang Linen. Zhang Linen pursed her lips and reached out her hand that didn’t have a ring. Ji Zeyuan’s hands were shaking so much it took two or three tries before she successfully put the ring on Zhang Linen.

“Congratulations, congratulations! Let me take a few photos for you two,” the designer laughed. Zhang Linen lowered her head in silence, while Ji Zeyuan smilingly handed her phone to the designer.

The sound of the phone shutter fell. The designer said, “I took many photos; you can pick the ones you like and keep them.”

The designer gave the phone to Zhang Linen and said to Ji Zeyuan, “Aren’t you going to try on your wedding gown?”

Zhang Linen said, “Go ahead. We’ll take a few more after you change.”

Ji Zeyuan leaned down to kiss Zhang Linen’s lips, then rubbed her face with her forehead, saying, “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Two shop assistants led Ji Zeyuan to another fitting room. Zhang Linen watched her back with a light smile until she disappeared, then pulled her gaze back to the photos on the phone.

Perhaps it was the effect of the lighting, or the phone’s built-in filter, but in the photos, Zhang Linen’s complexion didn’t look so deathly pale.

The treatment during this period had been extremely grueling, but Zhang Linen was cooperating with the treatment more actively than ever before. She wanted to get better so that she wouldn’t have to hide from Ji Zeyuan anymore.

She swiped through the photos one by one, reluctant to delete any of them.

Without realizing it, she swiped too far. A black-and-white appraisal report came into view.

The date at the bottom of the document was very old—eight years ago, to be exact.

“Miss, would you like to try on your other dresses?”

The shop assistant brought out the Xiuhe suit and the toasting dress, but the person who had been sitting there just now was nowhere to be found.

The originally luxurious and exquisite wedding dress had been torn to shreds and thrown on the ground. The mannequin lay toppled on the floor, its head separated from its body, its hollow eyes staring at the shop assistant with a cold, glassy luster.