Which 'Me' Is the One You Love? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The appearance of Bai Xiaorou made Jiang Zhou a bit uneasy. Aside from anything else, her sheer frequency of appearance was enough to make Jiang Zhou feel that something was off.

Technically, Bai Xiaorou and Jiang Zhou were in two completely unrelated departments, yet they ran into each other almost every day. If they didn’t cross paths during work hours, they would experience frantic “chance encounters” after clocking out.

“System, is this Bai Xiaorou a virus? Why is she flickering in front of my eyes all day long?” Jiang Zhou asked.

[Host, please rest assured. I am a professional system; viruses definitely do not exist,] the unique electronic voice replied. [Would the Host like to perform a scan?]

Jiang Zhou arched an eyebrow. The system had a function like that? “Yes. Scan Bai Xiaorou for me.”

[Ding! Upon detection, Bai Xiaorou indeed possesses abnormal energy fluctuations, but she is a local soul, make no mistake.] The system gave a quick reply.

“A local soul?” Jiang Zhou caught the keyword. “Are you saying this is a real world?”

[Please rest assured, Host. You have only undergone a consciousness projection. Anything that happens in this world will not harm the health of your original body.]

“…” Does this world actually exist? Jiang Zhou instinctively looked at a certain someone sitting in the office chair. “Is Xia Shang real, too?”

[This world is not fictional. As for anything else, please explore on your own, Host.] The system didn’t give a direct answer and quickly vanished.

Perhaps Jiang Zhou’s gaze was too intense, for Xia Shang stopped her work and looked back at her.

“Xia Shang, you look really beautiful today,” Jiang Zhou complimented, following her heart.

“Hmm?” Xia Shang instinctively checked her outfit. It was ordinary business wear—nothing special.

“Let’s go to the supermarket tonight,” Jiang Zhou said.

“What do we need to buy?” Xia Shang completely set aside her work. “If you need anything, just tell the housekeeper and I’ll have her deliver it.”

“No, I want you to go grocery shopping with me.” Knowing that Xia Shang was a real person, Jiang Zhou’s mindset had undergone a subtle shift.

“You’re going to cook?” Xia Shang’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Jiang Zhou nodded. “I know a little bit. I want to try.”

“Okay.”

…

Today at the office, Jiang Zhou perfectly avoided Bai Xiaorou. Just when she thought she could have some peace, reality stepped in to teach her a lesson.

“Assistant Jiang, what a coincidence!” Bai Xiaorou looked at Jiang Zhou with a face full of pleasant surprise. “You’re shopping at the supermarket, too?”

“Yeah.” Since one shouldn’t hit a person who is smiling, Jiang Zhou wore a polite, hollow smile, praying that Bai Xiaorou would be tactful enough to leave on her own.

“Me too! Shall we go together?” Bai Xiaorou issued a friendly invitation.

“No need. She’s with me.” Xia Shang walked in from the entrance, pocketing her car keys. She gave Bai Xiaorou a cold look. “Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Jiang Zhou didn’t look back once. She immediately walked to Xia Shang’s side and proactively took her hand.

Seeing Xia Shang appear, Bai Xiaorou didn’t dare utter another word. She stood there dazed, watching the two of them leave.

“Are you on good terms with her?” Xia Shang’s voice sounded in her ear. Because she had leaned her head in, Jiang Zhou could clearly feel the warm breath fanning against her ear.

It was Xia Shang’s warmth.

“Not really. She almost sent me to the afterlife,” Jiang Zhou said, resisting the urge to rub her ear. “I just don’t know why I run into her every single day. Because it happened so often, she automatically categorized me as a friend.”

Xia Shang’s brow furrowed slightly. “Wait ten more days.”

In ten days, the one-month deadline would be up. If Marketing’s performance didn’t hit the target, Bai Xiaorou would be fired along with the manager.

“Okay.” Jiang Zhou nodded and began browsing the shelves. “Xia Shang, are there seasonings at home?”

“There should be, but I don’t know if they’re still usable.” Before Jiang Zhou moved in, the kitchen was rarely used; Xia Shang solved her meals outside. The only time she had used the stove was to cook porridge for Jiang Zhou.

“Then let’s buy new ones.” Jiang Zhou looked at the ingredient labels, tossing items into the cart one by one.

Xia Shang knew nothing about this. She silently organized the items in the cart, lining them up neatly.

“What do you like to eat?” When they reached the meat section, Jiang Zhou asked for Xia Shang’s opinion.

“I’m not a picky eater.” Xia Shang’s gaze drifted flatly over the meat.

Jiang Zhou smirked. “Then how about roast duck with green onions… and maybe some extra garlic?”

“Green onions?” Xia Shang frowned. “I don’t eat green onions.”

“Not picky?” Jiang Zhou laughed. That “face-slap” came quite fast.

“…” Xia Shang pursed her lips. “Ribs. I like eating ribs.”

“Should have just said so from the start.” Jiang Zhou was satisfied with the answer. Since she was a real person, she naturally had likes and dislikes. “Not a picky eater” didn’t exist in her book.

Calculating it, the two had lived together for nearly a month. While no “line-crossing” behavior had occurred since the incident, they had entered a period where emotional boundaries were blurred—the “ambiguous phase.”

Xia Shang wasn’t the type to take the initiative. If Jiang Zhou didn’t speak, she wouldn’t mention it. But in her heart, Jiang Zhou—with whom she had shared intimacy—was different. She was someone who deserved special treatment.

“Assistant Jiang, I lost my phone. Could I borrow yours to make a call?” After reaching the checkout counter, Jiang Zhou met Bai Xiaorou for the n-th time.

“Are you looking for Lu Shen?” Xia Shang cast a glance over, making Bai Xiaorou freeze instantly.

“Yes… I didn’t bring my wallet, only my phone.” Bai Xiaorou seemed terrified of Xia Shang; her voice dropped three levels in volume.

Xia Shang didn’t bother talking much. She pulled out her own phone, found Lu Shen’s number, and dialed.

Xia Shang: “Hello, it’s me.”

“It’s off-work hours. It’s rare for President Xia to have the time to call me.” Lu Shen’s voice on the other end was somewhat cynical. “I wonder what the busy President Xia…”

“Bai Xiaorou is at the Hongda Supermarket on ** Street. She lost her phone. Come pick her up.” Xia Shang had no patience for Lu Shen’s nonsense. After stating the facts clearly, she simply hung up.

On the other end, Lu Shen didn’t even have time to respond before he heard the beep-beep of the disconnected call. His expression was quite a sight.

“Ahem, President… Xia has notified the VP. Just wait for him here.” Jiang Zhou was very close to Xia Shang and could hear most of the conversation. Resisting the urge to laugh, she relayed Xia Shang’s message.

“Okay… thank you.” Bai Xiaorou seemed to want to say something, but after glancing at Xia Shang, she silently swallowed her words.

…

Jiang Zhou lived alone most of the time and would often tinker with recipes when bored. Her cooking skills were actually quite respectable.

Their dinner didn’t need to be extravagant; a simple meal of three dishes and a soup was enough. Since Xia Shang said she liked ribs, Jiang Zhou made a corn and rib soup as the main dish.

The kitchen facilities were top-notch. After eating, they simply tossed the dishes into the dishwasher.

“Xia Shang, is the mattress in your room better than the one in mine?” After staying together in the study until 9:00 PM, Jiang Zhou decided to take the initiative.

She swore, she definitely wasn’t “greedy” for Xia Shang’s body! Definitely not!

“The mattress?” Xia Shang paused, seemingly thinking very seriously about the question. “They should be the same. They’re from the same supplier; there shouldn’t be much difference.”

“…” How is this person so dense? Was she asking about the mattress? She was asking if they should sleep together!

“You’re sleeping uncomfortably?” Xia Shang seemed to realize something. “If there’s a problem, you can switch rooms.”

Jiang Zhou pouted. “Switch to your room?”

“Sure.” Xia Shang agreed very readily. If it weren’t for the fact that her expression remained unchanged, Jiang Zhou would have suspected she had a hidden agenda. “My room has a two-meter king bed. It won’t be crowded with two people.”

Jiang Zhou felt conflicted. She didn’t know if Xia Shang was being quick on the uptake or slow, but either way, they were going to sleep together.

Speaking of which, the last time they shared a bed was under the influence of the drug. Tonight would be the first time they slept together while fully conscious.

“Should I turn off the light?” Xia Shang was closer to the door, and the switches were on her side.

“Okay.” Jiang Zhou pulled up the quilt, covering everything below her head.

Click. The lights went out. No one spoke, and the room became so quiet that only the sound of their breathing could be heard.

Jiang Zhou’s initiative ended the moment they lay down. If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move. Waiting and waiting, Jiang Zhou eventually couldn’t help but fall asleep first.

Once asleep, her tense body slowly relaxed.

Jiang Zhou’s sleeping posture wasn’t great. Not long after falling asleep, she started kicking the quilt.

Sensing the movement, Xia Shang reached out, pulled the kicked-down quilt back up, and tucked it around Jiang Zhou’s neck.

“Mmh~” Jiang Zhou rolled over. Feeling an unknown object in front of her, she reached out and grabbed it…

And then, she remained motionless, holding onto Xia Shang’s wrist.

Xia Shang tried to pull her hand away. But the moment she pulled, Jiang Zhou reacted—she directly hugged Xia Shang’s arm, rolled over, and pinned it under her body.

Xia Shang was forced into close proximity, practically half-embracing her.

In this situation, the rational thing for Xia Shang to do was wake Jiang Zhou up, retrieve her hand, and keep her distance.

But…

Having adjusted to the darkness, Xia Shang could vaguely see the silhouette of Jiang Zhou’s body. Through the arm pinned under her, she could feel the other person’s steady, rhythmic heartbeat.

Why didn’t she want to wake Jiang Zhou up?