Princess Syndrome - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Drinking
Zhang Xian sat in the living room, Su Lingyue sat beside her, wearing a school uniform. In the kitchen, Ji Zhiyi was busy. She felt very awkward. She couldn't hold back for more than three seconds before asking Su Lingyue, "How did you get here?"
Su Lingyue said, "President Ji asked me to organize the study."
Zhang Xian was speechless.
After a long while.
She said, "That's tough."
Su Lingyue's expression was calm. Zhang Xian felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, restless. She still had many questions, so she asked again, "Why are you wearing these clothes?"
What kind of cosplay was this?
Was it because Su Lingyue had bullied Ji Zhiyi during their school days, and wearing this was a more satisfying way to retaliate?
She hadn't done anything like this before, so she didn't know what it was like.
Su Lingyue said, "Miss Yang asked me to change into them for rehearsing lines tonight."
Yang Zhizhi asked her to change?
She wasn't an easy person either.
Zhang Xian knew that she shouldn't meddle in Su Lingyue's affairs, especially since Ji Zhiyi disliked her, but looking at her beautiful face, she couldn't help but want to get closer. To suppress this thought, she quickly stood up. "I'll go check out the kitchen."
Ji Zhiyi was still busy with the soup, the last dish. The water in the pot was boiling. She was thinking about what her mother had said.
She heard rustling noises behind her. She turned around and met Zhang Xian, who had just entered.
Zhang Xian smiled. "Do you need any help?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "No need."
Zhang Xian didn't mind. Ji Zhiyi had always liked to cook for herself when she was overseas. She would have bread and milk every morning. Even if she didn't, she would go to a restaurant. Only Ji Zhiyi made her own three meals. Of course, she would also eat out, but those occasions were rare. So, she wasn't surprised to see Ji Zhiyi cooking at home.
What was surprising was that Su Lingyue was here, and she was cooking.
Cooking for the person who had bullied her.
Wasn't that awkward?
Or was this another form of torture?
Zhang Xian was increasingly confused. Her pretty face was all scrunched up. Ji Zhiyi put in the seasoning. "Why did you come?"
She snapped back to reality. "I was thinking of celebrating my arrival with you for my first dinner."
Ji Zhiyi lowered her head. "You came at a good time."
Zhang Xian forced a smile. "I didn't know you had a guest--" Calling Su Lingyue a guest didn't seem right. She asked Ji Zhiyi, "You're not really trying to retaliate against her, are you?"
Ji Zhiyi didn't look up. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No!" Zhang Xian said. "Of course not."
But...
She paused. "But you didn't drop out of school because of her, right?"
Ji Zhiyi's busy hands didn't stop. "I never said I dropped out because of her."
Zhang Xian said, "Then you..."
Then she remembered what she had heard this afternoon, the summer camp incident. At that time, Su Lingyue was still the Su family's beloved jewel, with a flamboyant personality. It wasn't surprising if she said that. Could that one sentence have been the final straw for her?
Is that why she acquired Su Qi ahead of schedule?
That reason was plausible. However, it was a bit tragic for Su Lingyue, being hated by someone for so many years for just a sentence. She even changed her plans upon her return just to acquire it as revenge!
Zhang Xian didn't have that kind of perseverance.
She was full of admiration.
At the same time, she said, "She doesn't seem to be doing so well now."
Ji Zhiyi's busy hands paused for a few seconds. Zhang Xian said, "How long do you plan on torturing her?"
Then, she turned her head to look outside. Su Lingyue was sitting on the sofa, staring calmly at the unlit TV screen, not knowing what she was thinking.
Ji Zhiyi followed her gaze. She didn't say anything.
Zhang Xian, feeling that she was getting nowhere, said, "Well, I'll say this first, although you two have a feud, I don't have a feud with her. So if I can't help but speak on her behalf, don't be angry."
Ji Zhiyi wasn't angry, although her expression was still indifferent, her tone was slightly relaxed. "Is it because you can't help it?"
Zhang Xian said, "What else? She's quite pitiful now."
Ji Zhiyi said, "Not because she's pretty?"
Zhang Xian's face flushed, having her true thoughts exposed. She straightened her neck. "Well, yeah, she's pretty..."
She gave up. "Aiya, I'll go check on her."
Ji Zhiyi looked up at Zhang Xian who walked into the living room and sat beside Su Lingyue, then she lowered her head and took a sip of the soup to test the saltiness, but didn't taste anything. Instead, she felt a lingering sourness.
Zhang Xian sat next to Su Lingyue. "Do you want some fruit?"
Su Lingyue shook her head.
Her gaze was puzzled.
Zhang Xian felt suffocated.
She glanced at the beer on the coffee table. "How about a beer later? President Ji has made a lot of her signature dishes. We can't waste such good food."
Before Su Lingyue could reply.
Zhang Xian said, "Have a drink with President Ji to apologize properly."
Fine then.
Su Lingyue smiled. "Thank you, Director Zhang."
"Don't be so polite at home," Zhang Xian said. "Just call me by my name."
She looked at Su Lingyue. "And I..."
"Assistant Su." A voice came from behind them. Ji Zhiyi said, "Bring the dishes out."
Her voice was cold. Su Lingyue got up and walked into the kitchen, bringing the soup out, with Zhang Xian following closely behind, carrying the beer in her hand.
She washed three glasses and placed them on the table. While Su Lingyue and Ji Zhiyi were busy getting the bowls and chopsticks, she poured the drinks. Ji Zhiyi came out with the bowls. She smiled. "Sit, sit, sit."
As if this was her house.
Ji Zhiyi pursed her lips and sat across from her. Su Lingyue was about to sit two chairs away, but Ji Zhiyi turned her head. "The table is big. You don't have to be so far."
Su Lingyue moved two seats over.
Zhang Xian handed each of them a glass. "Let's drink to this!"
Ji Zhiyi held up her glass. "What's the occasion?"
Zhang Xian said, "Acquiring Su Qi isn't a reason? Isn't that a good thing?"
She held up her glass. Then she suddenly remembered that Su Qi was Su Lingyue's family's, so her hand froze. Su Lingyue raised her glass and clinked it with hers. "It's worth celebrating."
What a magnanimous person!
Zhang Xian's favorability towards her shot up. Seeing them like this, Ji Zhiyi also picked up her glass. Zhang Xian smiled and clinked her glass with theirs.
After finishing the drink, she poured another for both of them. "This one is to welcome me!"
She had many reasons.
Seeing that Su Lingyue looked relaxed, and after hearing Zhang Xian's words, she raised her glass. Ji Zhiyi had no choice but to raise her glass again.
After three glasses of wine, they started eating.
Zhang Xian said, "I didn't expect to be able to eat the food you made on my first day back. I'm so lucky."
What she said was a little suggestive. Ji Zhiyi said, "If I knew you were coming, I wouldn't have made anything."
So cold.
Zhang Xian said, "Don't! I was hoping to have more meals here in the future."
She looked at Su Lingyue while eating. "Lingyue, is this food especially delicious?"
She had scolded her before, so if she praised her more, she might soften, right?
Zhang Xian didn't notice that Ji Zhiyi was staring at her after she said that. Su Lingyue seemed to have guessed Zhang Xian's intention and nodded. "Yes, it's very delicious."
Ji Zhiyi's expression softened a bit.
She said, "Eat quickly."
Zhang Xian asked, "Why? Do you have other things to do?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "Finish eating, and then get out."
Zhang Xian: ...
Why hadn't she noticed before that this person was so cold and heartless?
When she was abroad, Ji Zhiyi would at least add a few dishes when she went to eat.
Now that she was back in the country, her treatment had changed.
Zhang Xian was afraid that she was blinded by revenge, so her personality had changed slightly. She comforted, "President Ji, you have to look at things more optimistically, right?"
Ji Zhiyi looked at her, saying indifferently, "What if I can't?"
Her gaze wasn't imposing, but her aura suddenly turned oppressive.
Zhang Xian picked up her glass. "Then drink more."
She gave up.
Ji Zhiyi also picked up her glass. The three of them drank, neither cold nor warm. Zhang Xian told stories about her time abroad. She was talkative and a bit of a social butterfly. As she talked, she started getting tipsy. Ji Zhiyi's cold face had no effect. Suddenly, her phone rang. She lowered her head. It was her sister calling.
Zhang Xian asked, "Who is it?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "I'll take a call."
Saying that, she walked to the window to answer the call.
Seeing that she wasn't there, Zhang Xian taught Su Lingyue, "Why aren't you talking?"
Su Lingyue was a bit confused. "What should I say?"
Zhang Xian said, "Say something nice!" After saying that, she remembered that Su Lingyue used to be a young lady. She probably hadn't said nice things in her life. She asked, "Have you ever praised anyone?"
Su Lingyue thought back.
In her shallow world, it seemed like she really hadn't praised anyone much.
Seeing her like this, Zhang Xian knew that she hadn't. She said, "That won't do. She has a grudge against you now. You have to make her let go of that grudge, otherwise you'll be working so hard. You have to stay on the job during the day and come here after work."
Su Lingyue also thought that it made sense.
It seemed that Chu Yi had also said that.
But Ji Zhiyi had said that she wouldn't respond to either softness or harshness.
But if there was still a grudge, of course, she wouldn't respond. Su Lingyue nodded in understanding. Seeing her like that, Zhang Xian felt relieved, giving a thumbs up. "Go for it!"
Su Lingyue drank a glass.
Zhang Xian opened another can for her. "Don't look at her being so cold. She's actually a good person. Don't be afraid of her."
Su Lingyue glanced at the window.
A good person, who would transfer her to be her assistant as the first thing after acquiring Su Qi, and make her work even after she got off work?
Why wasn't that very believable?
But she really hadn't lost her manners while seeking revenge.
She hadn't made her look bad in public, hadn't scolded her or given her a cold shoulder, let alone been sarcastic.
Aside from having to work more and tiring her body, there was no difference from an ordinary assistant.
She believed it.
Ji Zhiyi was really a good person.
It was just that she had been hurt too badly, and even mud dolls had some temper. She had probably stepped on Ji Zhiyi's bottom line, which was why she was acting like this.
It was her fault for wronging Ji Zhiyi.
Su Lingyue took a sip of beer, nodding firmly.
Zhang Xian smiled. "That's the spirit."
When Ji Zhiyi came back, there were only two cans of beer left on the table, the whole case was gone, leaving empty cans. She walked over. Zhang Xian said, "Come quickly. The food is getting cold."
She walked over and sat next to Su Lingyue.
Zhang Xian gestured towards Ji Zhiyi's glass. Su Lingyue saw it and poured a glass for Ji Zhiyi. Ji Zhiyi looked at her, puzzled. Su Lingyue held her glass up. Zhang Xian said, "President Ji, she's offering you a toast."
She hadn't offered one toast during the entire meal.
Now she was?
What were they talking about just now?
Ji Zhiyi pursed her lips. After a few seconds, she raised her glass. Su Lingyue clinked her glass with hers, tilted her head back, and finished the drink in one gulp. Ji Zhiyi clenched her glass, paused, then tilted her head back, finishing the drink in one go.
Su Lingyue still looked at her and praised, "Wow, President Ji, you can really hold your liquor."
Ji Zhiyi hadn't even swallowed the wine, and she choked, coughing uncontrollably!
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