When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 45.1

When Qin Yishu saw Jiang Yan, she was pleasantly surprised, but when she saw the hand around Jiang Yan’s waist, the smile that hadn’t yet reached her face instantly froze.

She walked through the crowd and stood in front of Jiang Yan. Before she could speak, Jiang Yan said to Xiao Jin, “Didn’t Sister Jin have something to say to me? Let’s go. It’s too noisy here, and it’s giving me a headache.”

Xiao Jin glanced at Qin Yishu, who was standing in front of Jiang Yan with complex emotions in her eyes, and slightly turned sideways. “Do you know Qin Yishu?”

Jiang Yan smiled brightly, her voice neither loud nor soft, just loud enough for Qin Yishu, who was not far away, to hear.

“No, I don’t like entertainment stars.”

Xiao Jin withdrew her gaze and said flatly, “Then let’s go. The Five Flower Garden or my room?”

Jiang Yan’s smile became even more lovely, a mix of pure and enchanting. “Naturally, your room.”

Qin Yishu’s hand, gripping the red wine glass, turned slightly white. Her voice was dry and hoarse. “Yan Yan, don’t be like this. Listen to my explanation.”

Jiang Yan acted as if she hadn’t heard anything, completely oblivious to her words.

After walking a few steps, Jiang Yan wondered why Qin Yishu didn’t follow them and slowed her pace.

“Don’t wait. She’s chatting with the young Miss Nan right now.”

Xiao Jin’s voice was utterly calm, as if stating an unimportant fact, yet it made Jiang Yan feel inexplicably insulted.

She seemed to see through everything and was likely laughing at her internally.

“Suddenly, I don’t want to go to your room. I’ll take a walk by myself. Don’t follow me.”

As she finished speaking, she tried to shake off Xiao Jin’s hand, but the other woman held her tight, making it impossible to break free.

“???” Jiang Yan turned her head to look at her, a look of confusion on her face.

Xiao Jin looked straight ahead and said word by word, “Since you agreed to keep me company, you can’t go back on your word. Either stay with me or return to your parents. It’s one of the two.”

“I choose the third: go my own way,” Jiang Yan said resolutely.

Xiao Jin turned back, curled her lips at her, and said, “There is no third choice.”

Without another word, she pulled Jiang Yan to the garden. Before going out, she looked back at Qin Yishu, who was being缠led by Nan Yin.

Qin Yishu had originally wanted to take this opportunity to explain, but she hadn’t expected Nan Yin to arrive so quickly. She had no choice but to stabilize her first.

She had been planning this matter for over twenty years; there could be absolutely no mishap.

She had considered all aspects and thought she was perfectly prepared, but she hadn’t expected the variable of Jiang Yan.

Meeting again was unexpected, and being together was also beyond her predictions. She cherished those happy days more than anyone and had even called her to tell her not to believe the rumors outside.

The one thing she hadn’t anticipated was that Nan Yin would trick Jiang Yan into coming to the hotel and that she would happen to overhear her conversation.

That wasn’t her sincere thought; it was only to deceive Nan Yin and make her trust her.

The reason she didn’t explain immediately was that Nan Yin was right there. If she had explained, all her years of effort would have been wasted.

After Jiang Yan left, she was consumed with anxiety but couldn’t find any trace of her, as if everything about her had been wiped clean.

After several attempts, she learned that Jiang Yan was in Xicheng. So, when Nan Yin asked her to accompany her to Xicheng, she agreed without hesitation, simply wanting to find Jiang Yan and explain face-to-face.

But it seemed Jiang Yan was no longer willing to give her a polite reception. Standing beside her was an even more dazzling person. The two looked very compatible, making her insanely jealous.

“Shu Shu, what are you thinking about? I’ve called you several times.”

Qin Yishu snapped back to reality, turned to Nan Yin, and forced a very strained smile. “Nothing, I just think this place is a bit…”

Nan Yin smiled and placed the wine glass in her hand onto the waiter’s tray.

“Then let’s find a quiet place to sit. To be honest, I also feel it’s too noisy. Earlier, I was obliged to follow my father to toast the uncles and seniors we know. Now that they’re finished with me, we can peacefully enjoy our time together.”

After she finished speaking, she leaned her head onto Qin Yishu’s shoulder, looking very content.

Qin Yishu’s face was calm, but her heart was icy cold, and her eyes were full of gloom.

Jiang Yan looked through the glass door and only saw the sight of the two leaning against each other. Her eyes instantly stung, and she quickly turned her head away.

Xiao Jin was leaning against the nearby flower trellis, her expression as calm as ever.

“I told you they were together. Why do you insist on tormenting yourself?”

Jiang Yan glared at her, sitting on the swing. Her tone was hostile. “Mind your own business. Don’t think you know me well!”

A hint of confusion appeared in Xiao Jin’s eyes. She walked to the other swing and sat down. “We slept in the same bed when we were little, so theoretically, we’re well acquainted.”

Jiang Yan: “???” When did they sleep together? She had no memory of it at all.

Xiao Jin pushed hard on the ground with her foot, and the swing began to rock. She said calmly, “It’s quite fun.”

Jiang Yan felt that Xiao Jin had studied too much, which made her a bit dull and out of sync with other people when speaking.

They didn’t speak anymore, both preoccupied with their own thoughts.

After only a few minutes of silence, the glass door was pushed open. Jiang Yan looked up and saw Nan Yin, arm in arm with Qin Yishu, walking toward them.

When Nan Yin saw Jiang Yan, she feigned surprise. “Oh, I didn’t expect Miss Jiang and Miss Xiao to be here too. I didn’t know. Are we disturbing you?”

Xiao Jin stretched her long leg onto the ground to stop the swing and said to Nan Yin, “Yes.”

Nan Yin’s expression faltered, and she coughed lightly. “Miss Xiao is quite the joker. I assume, as the hostess, you wouldn’t mind us taking shelter here for a bit.”

Xiao Jin looked at her and said nothing more, but her gaze was deep, merging with the darkness of the night.

From the moment Qin Yishu entered, her eyes were fixed on Jiang Yan, not blinking once.

She wished she could rush over to her right now and explain, but she couldn’t. This feeling of helplessness burned like fire, rendering her utterly powerless.

The Xiao family’s garden was very large, planted with many valuable flowers and trees. There were four swings woven from vines, enough for each of them to sit on one. But Nan Yin didn’t choose to sit on a swing; she sat on a stone stool with a quaint, ancient style and poured a glass of beverage.

“Shu Shu, come and sit.”

Qin Yishu walked over and sat down numbly across from Nan Yin. Nan Yin pushed the poured drink toward her, smiling very sweetly.

“Thank you.” Qin Yishu took the drink.

Xiao Jin glanced at Jiang Yan, who was looking down, seemingly lost in thought.

The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence. Nan Yin continued to talk to Qin Yishu about what happened after she returned home. Qin Yishu occasionally replied, her tone indifferent.

Xiao Jin maintained the same expression the whole time, as if automatically blocking out external interference.

Jiang Yan chose to deceive herself, believing that as long as she lowered her head and didn’t look at them, those two didn’t exist.

“I heard that Miss Xiao and Miss Jiang are dating. Is that true?”

As Nan Yin spoke, she turned the topic to the two people sitting on the swings.

Xiao Jin’s poker face remained. “Whether it’s true or not, that’s not a question you should be asking. Why are you prying into other people’s privacy? Is this how the Nan family taught you?”

Nan Yin’s face completely darkened after being stung by Xiao Jin twice. Crucially, she didn’t dare to easily offend Xiao Jin. She could only look at Qin Yishu, eyes brimming with grievance, and said pitifully, “Shu Shu, let’s go. We seem to be disturbing their romantic time. They don’t welcome us at all.”

Romantic time? Qin Yishu automatically filtered out Nan Yin’s other words, leaving only those four characters revolving in her mind.

Are they really together? Has Jiang Yan fallen for Xiao Jin?

She wouldn’t move on that quickly!

But their actions were intimate earlier, and she personally heard them say they were going to Xiao Jin’s room. Perhaps it was true?

Qin Yishu fell into blind confusion. She also started to resent Xiao Jin, who was sitting next to Jiang Yan.

“Miss Xiao, why be so aggressive? We came specifically to congratulate Grandpa Xiao on his 70th birthday. No matter what, we are guests of the Xiao family. Is this the Xiao family’s way of hospitality?”

Xiao Jin glanced at Qin Yishu. Before she could speak, she heard Jiang Yan say, “Miss Qin is truly hilarious. Who was the shameless one in the first place? Xiao Jin already said this place doesn’t welcome you, but your little lover insisted on coming in. Fine, she came in, but then she starts prying into other people’s private affairs. Is that the awareness of a guest? Since Miss Nan is so gossipy, she should just become a paparazzi.”

Nan Yin’s face turned white and then red from the reprimand. Angrily, she stood up. “Shu Shu, let’s go back. The Xiao family’s social status is too high. We don’t deserve to be here!”

Xiao Jin’s eyes were cold. She swept a look over the two of them. “Mmm, that’s indeed the case. Your self-assessment is very accurate.”

Nan Yin was so angry she couldn’t speak for a long time. She grabbed Qin Yishu’s hand and cried tearfully. Qin Yishu showed no reaction to this, only staring at Jiang Yan, a surge of pain in her heart.

“Yan Yan, does it have to be this way?”

Jiang Yan glanced at her, her tone cold. “Miss Qin, we are not close enough to call each other by our nicknames.”

Qin Yishu’s eyes instantly darkened. She wanted to say something more, but Nan Yin sobbed, “Let’s go. They’ve made it clear they despise us. Are you going to stay here and humiliate yourself further?”

Jiang Yan watched Nan Yin’s fragile and pitiful appearance, a cold smile curling on her lips.

Truly, the little green tea has endless tricks. It was clearly her fault, but doing this completely shifted the blame. In Qin Yishu’s eyes, Xiao Jin had become the aggressive one?

She was quite the act.

She had never encountered someone like this before; today was a real eye-opener.

She had just acquired a new, useless skill.

Next time she makes a mistake, she should also do this: cry a couple of times without a word. Who would still think about pursuing her fault?

Qin Yishu’s expression was very bad. She passively followed Nan Yin out.

After leaving the garden, Nan Yin’s face instantly became extremely gloomy. She had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered such humiliation today.

Xiao Jin and Jiang Yan, those two scheming women, connived together. She must get back the humiliation she suffered today!

In the garden, Xiao Jin walked up to Jiang Yan and held out her hand to her.

Jiang Yan: “What is it?”

“To take you out for some fresh air. It’s too stuffy here.”

Jiang Yan intuitively sensed something sneaky. She leaned back. “Say what you need to say. Your being this gentle scares me a little.”

Xiao Jin sighed, still wearing a poker face. “Was I not gentle to you before?”

Jiang Yan thought back. It seemed she was the same before. That face of hers never changed expression; she was a poker face to everyone.

However, when she reached out her hand, her eyes seemed to soften, giving the false impression that she had become gentle. In reality, she was still as boring as ever.

Jiang Yan felt very hollow and pained in her heart.

The mere thought of Qin Yishu defending Nan Yin made her unbearably sad.

The air here was suffocating, but going elsewhere might not make things any better.

She looked up at the sky. In the pitch-black night, there were only a few scattered stars, emitting a faint, pale light.

Just like her mood, not bright at all.

“Xiao Jin, I want to swing.”

“Hmm?” Xiao Jin looked confused. She poked the swing wrapped in vines and small flowers. “Aren’t you sitting on a swing? Just push your feet against the ground, and you can swing.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Sigh. Indeed, she studied herself silly. Such a romantic thing was ruined by this inflexible mind.

“Forget it. I’ll do it myself. It’s too exhausting talking to you.”

Jiang Yan kicked the ground, and the swing started to move, but the arc was not big. She didn’t believe it and kicked hard again. The arc was nearly the same as before.

It’s over. She actually didn’t know how to swing!

Realizing this, Jiang Yan felt a little embarrassed. She wanted to stand up casually, pretending nothing happened, but Xiao Jin pressed her down with one hand.

“You want me to push you, right?”

Jiang Yan was speechless again. Does it take this long to process a simple request?

Xiao Jin placed both hands on the vine ropes and said, “Get ready. Hold tight.”

Before Jiang Yan could react, she was pushed out. Startled, she closed her eyes, feeling the wind whistling past her ears and the scent of flowers filling her nostrils. Her irritable heart gradually calmed down.

It’s just a breakup. What’s the big deal?

If Qin Yishu can find a young and beautiful lover, so can she!

Aren’t 18-year-old young men attractive? She’ll go looking tomorrow.

Xiao Jin dutifully pushed Jiang Yan until she said she could stop. Jiang Yan felt a little weak in the legs. When she got off the swing, she nearly stumbled, but Xiao Jin quickly caught her, pulling her into her arms.

Jiang Yan was instantly flipped around. She was slightly shocked. Xiao Jin looked so thin, yet her arm strength was so good that she could pull her over with one hand.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to carry you back?” Xiao Jin released Jiang Yan and asked with a calm expression.

Jiang Yan quickly refused, stepping back two paces.

There were so many people in the hall. If someone saw them, then she and Xiao Jin would really be locked in a relationship.

She wanted freedom in love, not a commercial marriage, spending her life with someone she didn’t like.

It was clear that Xiao Jin wasn’t interested in her either, so why force two different kinds of melons together?

After a while, most of the guests had left. The banquet hall was half-empty. The majority of the people who stayed were those with good relations with the Xiao family, whom the Old Man or the Xiao couple specifically asked to stay to have a drink together.

Jiang Yan and Xiao Jin walked in one after the other. When Old Man Xiao saw them, he immediately waved them over.

“Two little girls, come here.”

Jiang Yan had a good memory of Old Man Xiao. When the original owner was young, she was forced to learn many things. Every time Old Man Xiao went to the Jiang family, he would tell the Jiang couple not to push the child too hard, and the original owner would get a short holiday. Even though it was spent playing with the dog in her own courtyard, it was a rare moment of happiness.

The two walked up to Old Man Xiao. Jiang Yan sweetly called out, “Grandpa Xiao.” A slight smile finally appeared on Xiao Jin’s face, and she asked gently, “Grandpa, why did you come downstairs?”

Old Man Xiao glared. “Isn’t this my birthday party? Can’t I come down?”

“Grandpa, you know I don’t mean that. Your health…”

“My health is robust. I’ll definitely live until you and Yan girl get married.”

Jiang Yan: “??!!!”

What does that have to do with her?

Did her parents arrange her marriage without her knowledge?

Xiao Jin glanced at Jiang Yan, then subtly looked away and said to Old Man Xiao, “Grandpa, nothing’s even certain yet. Don’t joke about your health.”

“What do you mean, nothing’s certain? Grandpa has already drawn a line for you. Now it’s up to you and Yan girl. Don’t make this old man wait too long.”

Jiang Yan felt a burning gaze on her head and didn’t dare to look up.

She knew Old Man Xiao was waiting for her answer, and it would be too awkward if their eyes met.

“Alright, Grandpa, let’s not talk about this for now. Since you came down, you should catch up with your good friends. Yan Yan is hungry. I’ll take her to eat something.”

Old Man Xiao nodded and patted Jiang Yan on the shoulder. “Yan girl, don’t be shy. Treat this place like your own home. If you want to eat anything, just ask the kitchen to make it for you. Don’t go back tonight. You and Xiao Jin haven’t seen each other for so long. Have a good chat.”

Jiang Yan gave a polite smile. “Okay, Grandpa. Please go and mingle. Everyone is waiting for you.”