Princess Syndrome - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Rain

Su Lingyue looked at the message that Ji Zhiyi sent and took a deep breath. Her face was calm, and she lowered her head and left the company.

Business was important, business was important, business was important.

Su Lingyue repeated this three times in her mind. When she got into the car, she said to the driver, "Master, go to the West Lake District."

She wanted to slap herself.

The driver said, "Okay."

Su Lingyue looked at her phone. The picture that Ji Zhiyi had sent included half of the stray cat. It looked like it liked to sit on the ground, with its head raised. She tapped on the picture, enlarging it, and then saved it.

Soon, they arrived home. She used her spare key to open the door. She saw Ji Zhiyi sitting on the sofa. The stray cat was lying on the armrest of the sofa, watching TV. Ji Zhiyi, breaking from her usual habit of watching news, was actually watching "Tom and Jerry" with the cat.

This style, which was completely mismatched with Ji Zhiyi, made Su Lingyue stop.

From behind, it looked like a warm scene, but somehow, it felt very abrupt.

Ji Zhiyi, watching cartoons?

Was the company going bankrupt?

She also couldn't explain what the faint hint of a smile that rose in her heart meant. She only felt that it was comical.

Comically funny.

Su Lingyue took a deep breath, put on a serious expression, and walked inside while wearing slippers. Ji Zhiyi, hearing the sound, turned her head, her profile lined with a beautiful curve. The light softened her deep features, and she looked very gentle.

She walked inside, nodding at Ji Zhiyi, "President Ji."

Ji Zhiyi also nodded slightly.

The stray cat, seeing her return, jumped down to her, meowing, as if Ji Zhiyi had been mistreating it at home, trying to complain. Su Lingyue looked at Ji Zhiyi's slender figure, and rubbed the stray cat's head.

She went to the balcony to add cat food for the stray cat and changed its water. When she saw those cat toys, she assumed they were bought by Ji Zhiyi. Looking from the balcony, Ji Zhiyi was looking at her phone.

Su Lingyue thought of Xie Lan. Her hand paused when she was petting the cat, and in the end, she didn't say anything, and went to the living room.

"President Ji," she said, "I need to go to the film set."

Ji Zhiyi said, "Let's go together."

Su Lingyue was surprised. "Are you also going?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Your cat needs a checkup today."

Last night, Ji Zhiyi had asked her to take it for a checkup, but she had forgotten. Su Lingyue said, "I'll take it after I come back..."

"By the time you come back, the shops will be closed." Ji Zhiyi said, "I'll just drop you off on the way."

Su Lingyue said, "Oh," and held the cat as she followed Ji Zhiyi outside. They hadn't bought a cat carrier, so the cat was nestled in Su Lingyue's arms. When they were about to get into the car, she looked at Ji Zhiyi. She would be driving, so either Ji Zhiyi would have to hold the cat, or Ji Zhiyi would be driving.

Ji Zhiyi glanced at the cat in her arms and said, "Get in the car."

Su Lingyue quickly sat in the passenger seat. The cat was riding in a car for the first time, so it was too scared to move, shivering in Su Lingyue's arms. Ji Zhiyi put on her seatbelt and asked Su Lingyue, "Did you give it a name?"

She hadn't before.

But she did now.

Su Lingyue said, "I did."

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What is it?"

Su Lingyue said, "Xiao Mafan (Little Trouble)."

Ji Zhiyi: ...

It was truly simple and direct.

The stray cat seemed to understand, and meowed at Su Lingyue. Su Lingyue called out, "Xiao Mafan."

The cat meowed again.

Su Lingyue meowed back.

The cat meowed twice back at her.

Su Lingyue smiled.

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What are you smiling at?"

Su Lingyue said, "She says she likes the name."

Ji Zhiyi: ...

She couldn't help but ask, "Can you understand it?"

Su Lingyue said, "No."

Ji Zhiyi: ...

What kind of stupid question was she asking?

Ji Zhiyi was irritated and didn't speak anymore, focusing on driving. While Su Lingyue was playing with the cat, her peripheral vision caught Ji Zhiyi's profile. Her makeup had been rubbed off during her nap, and being close, she could see the faint fingerprints on Ji Zhiyi's face.

Though faint, she could still see the outline.

She had been slapped.

Remembering the woman from the afternoon, with her angry face, she was suddenly curious about what Ji Zhiyi had done wrong.

That woman had hit her so hard.

Ji Zhiyi was looking at the front. Noticing the gaze from her side, she turned her head and their eyes met. Su Lingyue quickly looked away. What did she do wrong? It had nothing to do with her. Once Ji Zhiyi had vented, she would be able to leave the secretary's office.

Why would she ask about things that had nothing to do with her?

But Ji Zhiyi.

She could have used more humiliating ways to torture her, to make her suffer. Why was she like this?

Her revenge felt like she was treating her with courtesy.

Su Lingyue said, "President Ji."

Ji Zhiyi: "Mm?"

Her voice was soft. Su Lingyue said, "When we apply for the Arno company's Autumn Exhibition, is it for the autumn collection?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "If nothing goes wrong, yes."

That also meant that Xie Lan's two works would be participating.

Su Lingyue opened her mouth.

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What is it?"

Su Lingyue said, "It's nothing."

She turned her head to look out the window. The streetlights were lighting up the shops, the warm color reflected onto the glass, reflecting Ji Zhiyi's profile at the same time, like a faint shadow. Su Lingyue felt the wind from the air conditioner, and closed her eyes.

The cat turned in her arms, and started purring, feeling very comfortable.

It was truly carefree.

Su Lingyue poked the cat's head, and her lips curved up.

Ji Zhiyi was dropping her off at the entrance to the film set. Su Lingyue grabbed her bag and quickly walked inside. The people at the set recognized her. This time, without waiting for Yang Zhizhi's assistant to come and receive her, they let her in.

Her figure disappeared around the corner.

Ji Zhiyi sat in the car quietly and watched. The cat was getting impatient, climbing onto her, like last night, burrowing into her arms. This cat was unusually friendly, not like the wild cats from her childhood. Ji Zhiyi rubbed its head, looking at herself in the rearview mirror.

Su Lingyue had been looking at her face.

Her finger touched her cheek.

It still felt a bit hot.

Ji Zhiyi closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. The cat started purring, and it was quite soothing. She put the cat in the passenger seat and drove directly to the pet shop.

Su Lingyue wanted to be quick, but she knew that Yang Zhizhi would not miss any opportunity to pick on her. She was holding her bag, and saw that Yang Zhizhi was filming. In front of the camera, the director was clearing the set. Su Lingyue stood amongst the work crew to watch. Yang Zhizhi, wearing a school uniform, was following behind a boy, looking shy and reserved.

Her acting was quite good now. She was completely different on camera and when she was with her.

Yang Zhizhi quickly took a few steps and then turned around, looking at the boy. She reached out her hand, giving the boy an envelope, and then ran away with her head lowered.

It was a scene that had been repeated countless times in TV series and movies, but it still felt different seeing it in person. When Su Lingyue was in school, she had received love letters almost every other day. Those people would either look shy, or embarrassed, or pretend not to care.

She had never opened those letters.

Not that she had never opened them.

One time, when she wasn't feeling well, she had asked for a day off, and her dismissal time was half an hour earlier than the others. While she was waiting for the car at the school gate, a tall figure walked to her. They were wearing a cap and a mask, only their eyes were exposed, wearing a grey long coat. They gave the impression that they were very tall and wore a ponytail.

It wasn't the first time a girl had given her a love letter. There were many girls who had confessed to her on the forums.

But she remembered that person because they were so persistent.

They asked her, "Will you read it?"

Their voice was soft, and they coughed as they finished the sentence, not knowing if they had a cold.

She was impatient, and she had given a casual reply, but the girl was still persistent, asking, "Will you read it?"

She wasn't feeling well, and immediately said, "No." with a cold expression.

The girl looked disappointed, lowering her head. She couldn't see their expression. It was almost time for school to end, and she walked under the trees to avoid people. The girl stayed where she was and didn't move.

Later.

Later, it started to rain.

She frowned, and just as she was about to reach her hand out to block the rain, a cap was placed on her head. She looked up, and the girl had put it on her head before turning around and leaving. She looked at the figure of the person from behind and used her finger to push up the cap.

When she got back, she was lying on the sofa. The housekeeper was making soup for her. Her body felt better after drinking it. When she saw the cap on the tea table, she picked up the envelope.

It was unfortunate that it had been rained on, and all of the writing was blurry and unreadable.

She didn't care and put the letter back, and threw the cap in the gift room.

The fragments of her memory came back, but they couldn't form a complete scene. She could only recall small parts of it. Su Lingyue's face felt cold, and she looked up.

It was raining.

What terrible weather.

The weather forecast had said that there would be no rain today!

The director was clearly not expecting it either. The crew started to pack up, and the set was a mess. Su Lingyue was pushed back a few steps, so she went to the rest area behind the set.

Yang Zhizhi was being hurried into the rest area by her assistant, using her clothes to shield her from the rain.

The assistant said, "Zhizhi, Miss Su is here."

Upon hearing Su Lingyue's name, Yang Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat, thinking about those calm eyes.

Calm, to the point that it was annoying.

She frowned. "Where is she?"

The assistant said, "I just saw her in the film set. I'll go and find her after I bring you to the rest area."

Yang Zhizhi said, "Mm."

The assistant glanced at her. Sister Lin had said that the conditions Yilin offered were really good, compared to the other companies. Yilin also had great prospects, so working with them would be a win-win situation.

But she didn't dare to push Yang Zhizhi.

Yang Zhizhi said, "It's Miss Su."

She looked up. Su Lingyue was standing in the rest area. Seeing her approach, Su Lingyue raised a polite, but fake smile. "Miss Yang, good evening."

That smile looked really ugly.

She rolled her eyes.

Su Lingyue ignored her attitude and said, "Miss Yang, this performance was very exciting."

She had learned how to flatter others.

It was clearly something that she had just learned.

It was so fake.

Yang Zhizhi wiped off the water on her body. "Did you bring the letter of intent?"

Su Lingyue said, "I did."

Yang Zhizhi sat in the chair and took a tissue from her assistant to wipe her hands. "Read it to me."

Su Lingyue held the thick letter of intent. "All of it?"

Yang Zhizhi said, "Or else?"

Su Lingyue calmly accepted it. "Okay, Miss Yang."

Boring!

Why was she so obedient?

Yang Zhizhi didn't know what she wanted. It was definitely not for her to be this obedient. With the sting removed, it felt like she had no soul. However, she still leaned back in her chair, listening to Su Lingyue, who sat next to her and read the letter of intent.

Her voice was very beautiful.

Her enunciation was very clear.

Had she studied broadcasting before?

Yang Zhizhi was lost in thought and didn't know what she had just read.

The assistant whispered, "Zhizhi."

She snapped back to reality.

The assistant said, "I'll pour you two glasses of water."

Yang Zhizhi glanced at Su Lingyue, who had a calm expression, and her unhurried attitude. The annoyance in her heart lessened slightly. She said, "Okay, let's talk about the terms, what's your price?"

Su Lingyue said, "Seven million."

Yang Zhizhi said, "Isn't it eight million in the letter of intent?"

So, she had read the letter of intent.

Su Lingyue didn't panic. She said calmly, "Ah, I remembered it wrong."

Yang Zhizhi looked at her and laughed.

She didn't know if she was laughing out of anger.

She was also very sarcastic, "If I say it's not enough?"

The assistant, upon hearing this, almost dropped the cup on the floor.

Usually six million was the highest price.

Eight million wasn't enough?

Su Lingyue said, "We can discuss it again."

The assistant: ...

She gave each of them a cup of water. When she heard Su Lingyue say, "If Miss Yang has any opinions, you can make some changes to the letter of intent and send it to me," she realized she needed to hand over the letter of intent.

Yang Zhizhi didn't say anything.

For once, she accepted the letter of intent.

Su Lingyue sighed in relief.

She finished her water and said, "Miss Yang, President Ji has requested you have dinner sometime soon."

The assistant was just about to say something on Yang Zhizhi's behalf when Yang Zhizhi asked, "When?"

It was a done deal.

Su Lingyue, thinking about Ji Zhiyi's schedule, realized that she had no dinner plans for tomorrow. In her mind, it was best to be as fast as possible, and she said, "It is preliminarily set for tomorrow night."

She also gave Yang Zhizhi some time to think. "Or whenever you are free..."

"Let's do it tomorrow," Yang Zhizhi said.

Su Lingyue said, "Okay."

She didn't have anything else to do, and stood up. "Then, I won't disturb you any further, Miss Yang."

She was leaving already.

Yang Zhizhi felt that it was very boring.

But she also couldn't find a reason to keep Su Lingyue. She waved her hand as if she was annoyed, and Su Lingyue turned to leave the rest area. The assistant went to her side and said, "Zhizhi, do you think that President Ji's offer was a little too high?"

It was good that the price was high, but if it was higher than usual, then it wouldn't be a good thing.

Yang Zhizhi laughed. "Do you think it was for me?"

The assistant didn't understand. "Huh?"

Yang Zhizhi didn't say anything else. She looked at the window and listened to the sound of the rain. She heard the assistant say something about Su Lingyue. "The rain is quite heavy. I wonder if Miss Su brought an umbrella."

Yang Zhizhi glared at her. "Do you care if she brought an umbrella or not?"

The assistant was speechless.

She had thought that Yang Zhizhi had calmed down.

Yang Zhizhi did say that, but she turned her head to look out the window. Su Lingyue was standing under a tree, using her bag as an umbrella.

This person.

Didn't she even know to borrow an umbrella from the crew?

Yang Zhizhi looked at the umbrella she was holding, and then looked at her assistant. The assistant was wearing a cap and glasses. She had gotten used to wearing the cap every time it rained, to prevent the rain from getting on her glasses.

She could not lend Su Lingyue her umbrella.

Would she get wet if she lent Su Lingyue her umbrella?

But seeing her so dishevelled, Yang Zhizhi felt her heart twist in an odd way. She snatched the cap off the assistant's head and walked toward Su Lingyue. The assistant was too stunned to say anything. Her glasses were crooked, and she quickly grabbed the umbrella and tilted it, causing the rain to get on her face, making her vision blurry. She was too slow to catch up to Yang Zhizhi.

Su Lingyue saw Yang Zhizhi storming towards her and thought that she was going to hit her.

A cap suddenly fell on her head. Yang Zhizhi grabbed her hand with her bag, and put the cap on her head. Su Lingyue looked up, recognizing that action.

She froze.

Yang Zhizhi said, "You..."

Su Lingyue's voice was clear, "Were you from Second High before?"

Yang Zhizhi was stunned for a moment.

Su Lingyue asked, confused, "Did you write me a love letter before?"

Behind her, Ji Zhiyi was holding an umbrella, standing there, with her body ramrod straight.

The fine rain was landing on the umbrella.

Pitter-patter.

Ji Zhiyi tightly gripped the umbrella handle, her knuckles turning white.

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