One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 45

Xiao Shuangyu froze for a long while before finally reaching out to return Ji Zhuozhou’s hug.

The crumpled A4 paper wrapped around the shattered porcelain pieces almost occupied her entire hand, preventing her from wrapping both arms fully around Ji Zhuozhou’s body.

Ji Zhuozhou’s embrace was warm, permeated with the gentle scent of rain and mist.

Xiao Shuangyu pressed her face lightly against the side of Ji Zhuozhou’s neck and spoke in a muffled voice, “I’m not afraid. Are you okay, Sister?”

Ji Zhuozhou cherished Xiao Mingyi—Xiao Mingyi’s photos, Xiao Mingyi’s name, and Xiao Mingyi’s mint plant.

That loud-mouthed person had publicly declared in front of Ji Zhuozhou that Xiao Mingyi would never return, and it made Xiao Shuangyu very unhappy.

Ji Zhuozhou would be sad.

She didn’t want to see Ji Zhuozhou sad, nor did she want to see Ji Zhuozhou sad because of Xiao Mingyi; her own heart felt both bitter and swollen with emotion.

Ji Zhuozhou, leaning against her shoulder, shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s so good to have Lianlian here.”

Xiao Shuangyu was taken aback. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip, hugging Ji Zhuozhou very hard.

She asked, “Did I protect you, Sister?”

Ji Zhuozhou nodded. “Mm, Lianlian was wonderful.”

Warmth welled up in the depths of Xiao Shuangyu’s heart, baking against her swollen emotions; the bridge of her nose felt even more stung with tears.

A buzzing sound vibrated.

It wasn’t Xiao Shuangyu’s phone—hers had long been on silent. It came from Ji Zhuozhou.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Shuangyu spoke up, “Is it okay for you… not to be over there, Sister?”

After all, Manager Wei had said he wanted to speak privately with several people: Mingyi, the person named Tang, and Ji Zhuozhou.

The damaged property belonged to Ji Zhuozhou. Even if she wasn’t the one who started the quarrel, everything would ultimately need to be coordinated with her.

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t let go. “Wait a little longer.”

The air grew quiet. The two of them stood silently in the deserted stairwell, embracing each other’s body temperature.

A few minutes later, Ji Zhuozhou released her hold. She stepped back to look at Xiao Shuangyu’s face and said softly, “I’m going to go handle things.”

Those deep green eyes looked calm and composed. Xiao Shuangyu stared into them for a moment, then nodded.

She left the stairwell with Ji Zhuozhou, watching as she walked into the Perfumery Department office before turning back to the Data Analysis Group office.

The office still smelled of oranges. As soon as she walked in, several pairs of eyes snapped toward her.

Yang Shanhe was the first to speak, her tone softened, “Lianlian, how is Teacher Ji doing?”

The Data Analysis Group office was quite far from the Perfumery Department; the news had only reached them after Xiao Shuangyu had chased away the onlookers.

They already knew what they needed to know, and they were shocked both by the development of events and by Xiao Shuangyu’s ferocity.

However, they weren’t surprised by Xiao Shuangyu’s actions. No matter how they might gossip about Ji Zhuozhou behind her back, they wouldn’t say such things to her face.

Besides, Xiao Shuangyu was already close to Ji Zhuozhou. Anyone would find it unbearable to have someone say their deceased spouse wasn’t coming back right to their face.

The person who brought the news also lamented how ugly Tang’s behavior was and how bitter Ji Zhuozhou’s life had been; on the surface, everyone maintained a facade of decency.

Xiao Shuangyu looked over their faces, which were filled with curiosity and concern, but she lowered her gaze and simply said, “Manager Wei is handling it.”

She sat down at her desk, smelling the faint scent of orange in the air, feeling a sense of irritability.

In the end, she still hadn’t asked Ji Zhuozhou if that pot of mint had come from Xiao Mingyi.

Even though she already knew the answer in her heart.

At noon, Xiao Shuangyu and Ji Zhuozhou went to the employee cafeteria for lunch together.

Ji Zhuozhou didn’t mention the aftermath of the incident or the pot of mint; she looked as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Shuangyu noticed a flurry of sticky gazes constantly stealing glances at Ji Zhuozhou—from before they ate until after they finished. Even as they left the cafeteria, those looks remained glued to the side of Ji Zhuozhou’s face.

Suddenly, Ji Zhuozhou stopped her pace and turned back to look at her, whispering, “It seems Lianlian is always looking at me from behind.”

Xiao Shuangyu was stunned for a second and lowered her eyes in a panic. “I’m sorr—”

Ji Zhuozhou took her wrist, pulled her to her side, and then let go. “In the future, you don’t have to stay behind. Come forward, so that I can look at Lianlian, too.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s heart rate accelerated instantly.

She cautiously lifted her eyes to peek over. Seeing that there was no blame in Ji Zhuozhou’s expression, she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Ji Zhuozhou curved her eyelashes at her in a smile, then turned toward a nearby vending machine and pointed. “Does Lianlian want something to drink? My treat.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s gaze didn’t move toward the vending machine; she instinctively kept staring at Ji Zhuozhou’s profile. Her mind was buzzing with noise, still unable to process the sound of Ji Zhuozhou’s voice.

At that moment, Ji Zhuozhou turned around again. “Lianlian, why aren’t you coming over?”

Xiao Shuangyu’s eyes shifted slightly, meeting those deep green eyes. She stammered, “I’m sorry.”

The apology was very quick, but she didn’t change her behavior.

Ji Zhuozhou looked at her face, which was full of stubbornness yet also looked dazed as if she didn’t know what she had done, and couldn’t help but laugh. “No need to apologize. What are you drinking?”

Habits are truly hard to change; I should probably say it a few more times in the future, Ji Zhuozhou thought.

But for now, Ji Zhuozhou’s smile made Xiao Shuangyu feel awkward again, and she helplessly averted her gaze.

Xiao Shuangyu reached out and pointed randomly at a spot on the vending machine. “This one.”

Just as she said it, she remembered something and hurriedly pulled out her phone, about to say she would pay, when she saw the lit screen. It displayed the last message from her mother, Su Yuran, telling her she must be obedient.

Xiao Shuangyu turned off her phone again.

She really didn’t want to look at her phone today. Even when she asked Ji Zhuozhou out for lunch, she had spent a long time searching for her on the enterprise chat, only to be asked why she was suddenly using the app.

She said it just happened to be convenient.

As she pulled her phone back and prepared to see if she could use facial recognition to pay, Ji Zhuozhou had already completed the transaction.

After two thumping sounds, the drink Ji Zhuozhou took out of the machine and handed to her was orange juice.

Xiao Shuangyu froze. She looked up and saw the coffee in Ji Zhuozhou’s hand.

So… she had chosen the orange juice herself?

How did she end up picking orange juice?

Xiao Shuangyu blinked, remembering that she had just pointed blindly. She still took it and muttered, “Thank you, Sis—Teacher Ji.”

Someone was passing by them.

Ji Zhuozhou’s deep green eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re welcome.”

The two did not linger and continued forward, entering the same elevator as the person who had just passed.

The scrutinizing stares were very clear. Xiao Shuangyu still helped Ji Zhuozhou open the coffee, and the aroma immediately drifted throughout the elevator.

But that bottle of orange juice—she held it in her hand and did not open it.

When the elevator reached the sixth floor, she walked Ji Zhuozhou to the edge of the Perfumery Department office. Under Ji Zhuozhou’s insistent gaze, she turned to walk back to her own office.

Once she turned the corner and left Ji Zhuozhou’s line of sight, she stuffed the orange juice into her pocket.

She didn’t plan on opening it.

She also didn’t notice that as she turned to leave, a pair of deep green eyes followed the orange juice in her hand from behind.

In the afternoon, Xiao Shuangyu was called to HR by Manager Wei to confirm the situation again.

He spoke to her for quite a while, mixing praise with criticism, saying she was kind-hearted but also reminding her to be mindful of her influence. He also asked if she was adjusting well to Huarui and how she felt after her transfer.

Xiao Shuangyu had been at Huarui for over four months and in her new position for over two. These weren’t new questions, and her answers were quite standard.

But after experiencing what happened that morning, she suddenly didn’t want to say that everything was “fine” or “okay.”

So many people here harbored an unspeakable malice toward Ji Zhuozhou; she had witnessed it more than once.

Even though she heard Huarui had tried to manage it, the darkness still swirled beneath the surface, never ceasing to spread.

However, even if she spoke up, there probably wouldn’t be any improvement.

Not everyone was like that person named Tang. Most people’s malice was hidden deep within, tucked away in small cliques and idle gossip when no outsiders were present.

Even that Tang person had used the excuse of “not seeing it” or “it wasn’t intentional” when she broke the mint plant while Ji Zhuozhou wasn’t there.

Xiao Shuangyu only nodded and asked Manager Wei about the follow-up and the outcome.

The duty of HR is to resolve conflicts, so naturally, he wouldn’t give her too many details. He only said that the three people involved had made peace.

Xiao Shuangyu asked for the reason.

Manager Wei said vaguely that it was because Ji Zhuozhou was excellent.

Yes, Ji Zhuozhou was excellent.

Excellent, young, gentle, and beautiful—all of which invited jealousy.

Her deceased wife was her only weakness; her wife’s infidelity was her only blemish.

Xiao Shuangyu returned to the sixth floor with a heavy gaze and bumped into Wang Ran and Mingyi talking together by the elevator.

This was the first time she had seen these two together. Because of the name, she didn’t have much of an impression of Mingyi and didn’t really want to go over and say hello.

But Wang Ran was different; she always made sure to greet her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Shuangyu slowed her pace, intending to wait for them to finish their conversation.

But before that happened, Wang Ran saw her and immediately smiled, pointing toward Mingyi.

Mingyi turned around suspiciously. Her eyes, which were barely swollen anymore, lit up. “Lianlian, you—you’re back.”

Her voice was clear but had a slight stutter.

Xiao Shuangyu nodded somewhat strangely and looked at Wang Ran. “Sister Ran.”

After speaking, she prepared to keep walking. “I’ll head back first. You guys chat.”

Wang Ran had just acknowledged her greeting but immediately reached out to stop her. “Don’t go yet. Someone’s been waiting for you for a long time.”

Following the gesture to see the smile on Mingyi’s face, Xiao Shuangyu felt even more confused.

She didn’t have any work to coordinate with Mingyi. Even if she did, Mingyi wouldn’t need to wait for her; she could just send a message on the enterprise chat.

She couldn’t think of any reason why Mingyi would specifically come looking for her, completely forgetting why she had just gone to HR.

Xiao Shuangyu asked bluntly, “What is it?”

Mingyi lowered her head somewhat shyly and handed a small box to her. “I asked Teacher Ji, and she said you like sweets. This is for you. Thank you for this morning.”

A sweet scent of cream drifted from the box.

Xiao Shuangyu realized what was happening and immediately shook her head. “No need. Keep it for yourself. I didn’t do anything.”

As she spoke, she tried to move past Ming Yi.

Mingyi was startled and hurried to grab her, stuffing the box into her hands. After doing so, she ran off, saying as she went, “It’s necessary, it’s necessary! Thank you, Lianlian!”

Xiao Shuangyu was about to chase after her when Wang Ran patted her shoulder. “As expected of someone from our security team.”

Xiao Shuangyu was dazed by the pat. She turned to look at Wang Ran and instinctively tried to hand the box to her.

Wang Ran refused to take it. “Hey, don’t give it to me. I don’t want it.”

She added, “If someone gives it to you, just eat it. I just heard her say she bought some for Teacher Ji, too. You both have them.”

Xiao Shuangyu froze.

She returned to her office and messaged Ji Zhuozhou on the enterprise chat about it, asking if she had one as well.

Ji Zhuozhou’s replies came quickly.

Ji Zhuozhou: Yes. The cakes from this shop are very hard to get. Lianlian, try it and see if you like it.

So… was this not the first time Ji Zhuozhou had eaten cake from this shop?

Looking at the message, Xiao Shuangyu inexplicably felt a sour sensation in her heart.