Princess Syndrome - Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Like That

The moment Ji Zhiyi saw the picture, all of her emotions suddenly subsided, and she felt a sense of absurdity, as if this was what she had been expecting all along.

How could people change so suddenly?

People didn't change suddenly.

They were just cunning.

They had learned to disguise themselves.

Ji Zhiyi looked at Su Lingyue in the picture, guessing that Qi An must have sent it to Jiang Ya. But a mere assistant wouldn't be enough for Jiang Ya to question her so aggressively, which meant that they already knew about Su Lingyue and her relationship.

Giving her the photo.

Was just to warn her.

This time she guessed half right. Qi An hadn't taken that photo just because of her. It was also because of Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan and Su Lingyue had returned from upstairs at the same time. They had changed their clothes. Originally, people weren't paying too much attention. It was just changing clothes after all. Everyone had times when they got their clothes dirty. But when combined with Shen Yuan’s past, this act of changing clothes became more interesting.

It was said that Shen Yuan used to have a girlfriend. She liked women.

When these two pieces of news were combined.

Those in attendance began to gossip. Although the discussions weren't out in the open, as long as there were people, there would be gossip, and as long as there was gossip, it would spread fast. By the time Ye Qiuyun heard the news, not even two hours had passed.

She was furious when she heard the news.

Her friend, oblivious to the situation, even asked, "Is it true that Yuan Yuan likes women?"

She clenched her phone. "That's ridiculous!"

Her anger was mixed with a hint of fear. That was impossible. She had personally suppressed those events. No one would know. She said, "Who spread this?"

Her friend replied, "Others sent it to me."

She looked at Ye Qiuyun. "It's all fake. Why are you so angry?"

After she said that, she understood. Who wouldn't be angry when their precious daughter was being slandered like this?

These people had no gossip to spread, so they had to say that Yuan Yuan liked women?

And she was in a relationship with Su Lingyue.

It was just - ridiculous.

Only Shen Yuan hadn’t reacted when she heard the news. When she heard that her relationship with Su Lingyue was abnormal, she turned her head to look at her assistant. Her assistant tensed up. “President Shen, I'll investigate who’s spreading the rumors."

Shen Yuan replied, "No need."

The assistant looked at her.

Shen Yuan said, "You know that they're rumors. Do you think that other people won't know that?"

Would she need to investigate and clarify such a small matter?

What would others think of Dingsheng?

She didn't care at all. She didn't even show any emotional reaction. Compared to her, Su Lingyue seemed much more confused.

Just because she talked business with Shen Yuan in her room, she was now said to be in a relationship with Shen Yuan? Was that a joke? Did these people have nothing better to do? Su Lingyue only learned about the news long after the reception. If she had known that people were talking about it like this, she would have found them and confronted them one by one.

She clutched her phone, and said to the other side of the line, "They're talking nonsense!"

Chu Yi was incredulous when she heard Su Lingyue cursing.

She was really riled up.

She said, "Calm down. Those people like to jump to conclusions. It's just that I don't know how they found out about you and Shen Yuan."

She was suspicious. "Does Shen Yuan really like women?"

Su Lingyue said, "How would I know?"

She and Shen Yuan weren't close enough to talk about their feelings. She couldn't just ask, "Did she used to have a girlfriend?"

She would probably be chased out with a broom.

Chu Yi said, "I think the news is very plausible. Why don't you try to stay a little further from Shen Yuan?"

Su Lingyue: …

The PV patent was finally making some progress, and now she should distance herself from Shen Yuan? And then go beg Zhou Shiyu for a collaboration?

That was more painful than killing her!

Su Lingyue gritted her teeth, "I'll see how it goes."

Chu Yi replied, "Alright, you take a look. Oh, by the way, does Ji Zhiyi know about this?"

Su Lingyue’s heart sank.

It was like something had hit her.

It was painful and numb.

She certainly wouldn’t tell Ji Zhiyi. She was afraid that she would worry about it. When she had been talking about a collaboration with Shen Yuan, Shen Yuan had asked, "Did President Ji know that you were going to talk about collaborating with me?"

Although she didn't know why Shen Yuan had mentioned Ji Zhiyi,

Ji Zhiyi certainly didn't know.

Shen Yuan had also said, "Ask President Ji for her opinion before coming to me."

Was she going to ask Ji Zhiyi?

She had been confused why Shen Yuan had said that, but in the current situation, if it wasn't because she was said to be in a relationship with Shen Yuan, she would even have suspected that Shen Yuan was the one who had spread the news.

Su Lingyue replied listlessly, "She doesn't know yet."

Chu Yi: "Are you going to tell her?"

In reality, it was so far away. If Ji Zhiyi didn't know, then it would be fine. They had just started dating and were already separated. If they had problems, they wouldn't be able to solve it in person, so Chu Yi was advising her to let things be. "It's better not to say anything."

Su Lingyue asked back, "Not say anything?"

Chu Yi said, "Yeah, think about it. Who wouldn't be angry after hearing that their girlfriend was being rumored to be in a relationship with someone else?"

Although she and Shen Yuan had nothing going on.

But people who were in love had zero IQ.

What if they started arguing about this?

What would she do if they started fighting?

Thinking about it, those who had spread the rumor were truly evil!

They had made up something out of thin air. Were they not afraid of being dragged away by the long-tongued ghost at night?!

Su Lingyue thought about it and nodded.

Sounds came from the other end of Chu Yi’s phone, as if someone was calling her name.

Su Lingyue said, "You go ahead and get busy."

Chu Yi replied before hanging up. She was currently rushing back home because her grandfather had passed away. She had taken three days of leave. She was now almost home, and was being called out by an acquaintance.

Su Lingyue hung up the phone.

Remembering what Chu Yi had said, she felt that it made sense.

She nodded and sent a message to Ji Zhiyi. Now she knew that Ji Zhiyi was at the hospital, so before calling, she would always message her first to see if it was convenient.

Ji Zhiyi clenched her phone, looking at the name on the screen. She heard Ji Zhis say, "Sis, I heard from Godmother that she wants to invite Mom and Dad over?"

Ji Zhiyi replied, "It hasn't been confirmed yet."

"It'll be good if they come over for a few days," Ji Zhis said, "Mom and Dad haven't been overseas before. They've been home their entire lives, they should come out and explore."

Ji Zhiyi lowered her head. "Don't they not want to go overseas? A few years ago when I asked them to come over, they said they weren't used to it."

"That was because they didn't want to cause you any trouble, right?" Ji Zhis replied, "You're working so hard, how could they have the heart to come over?"

Ji Zhiyi asked, "Then how are they coming over now?"

"Because Godmother is the one who invited them, it's definitely different," Ji Zhis replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "You also know how grateful they are to Godmother."

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What about you?"

Ji Zhis was stunned. "Huh?"

Ji Zhiyi asked, "What do you think?"

Ji Zhis blurted out, "Of course I'm grateful!"

Ji Zhiyi replied, "Then, if there was a conflict between me and Godmother one day, who would you help?"

Ji Zhis looked at Ji Zhiyi. Seeing that her expression was serious, her face was impassive, and her eyes were calm, she looked like she wasn’t joking. For no reason, Ji Zhis' heart tightened. She chuckled dryly, changing the topic. "Sis, what are you saying?"

Ji Zhiyi lowered her gaze. "It's nothing, I was just teasing you."

Ji Zhis patted her chest. "You scared me!"

Ji Zhiyi: "So who would you help?"

This time, her tone was playful.

But Ji Zhis didn't immediately react. She opened her mouth. "I..."

Ji Zhiyi laughed.

She already knew the answer.

It was understandable. She had been busy with work for so many years and hadn't been that close to her family. So it was understandable that her family would make this choice.

But even thinking this, she still felt an unspeakable sadness and frustration.

It was like an unresolved feeling of depression.

It was stuck in her chest.

It was very sore. She blinked, and said to Ji Zhis, "I'm going back to my room to rest. You can go to school now."

Ji Zhis hummed, carefully glancing at her.

Ji Zhiyi returned to her room, lying on the bed. She didn't even want to change her clothes. She was simply staring at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was shaking slightly. She knew every part of this room even with her eyes closed, but right now it seemed a little foreign.

She closed her eyes, and thought that she should call Su Lingyue.

Su Lingyue, hearing her phone ring, sat up from the sofa. She tousled her hair, and then thought that Ji Zhiyi wouldn’t be able to see, so she messed with her hair a little bit more. It was messy on top. Ji Zhiyi's voice then came through, "Lingyue."

Her voice was calm and soothing. It traveled through the phone and extinguished Su Lingyue’s irritation and displeasure. At this moment, she didn’t even think that her voice was sexy anymore, she only thought that it was very magnetic, and very pleasing. It was the sort of voice that could calm a person.

Su Lingyue asked, "What are you doing?"

Ji Zhiyi: "Sleeping."

Su Lingyue chuckled. "Me too."

She picked up Xiao Mafan. Xiao Mafan purred. The sound traveled through the phone into Ji Zhiyi’s ears. She could imagine Su Lingyue lying on the sofa holding her cat. Perhaps she was sitting with her legs crossed, or leaning back casually. Her posture would be languid and comfortable.

Su Lingyue was indeed leaning back on the sofa, but she wasn't comfortable. Earlier, because she was too angry, she had been sitting with her legs crossed. Now she was holding the cat in her arms, pressing her legs tightly. Xiao Mafan struggled to get out. In her distraction, it ran out. Su Lingyue wanted to chase after it, but her legs had been in that position for too long, and were numb. She stood up, but tripped and fell back into the sofa.

Ji Zhiyi heard the noise. "What happened?"

Su Lingyue: "My legs are numb."

Ji Zhiyi asked, "Why did your legs go numb?"

Su Lingyue: "My posture wasn't correct."

Ji Zhiyi: …

Su Lingyue, afraid that she wouldn’t understand, drew a picture and sent it to Ji Zhiyi. "I was sitting like this."

Ji Zhiyi: …

She was amused by Su Lingyue.

She couldn't help but ask, "Are you drawing a monkey?"

Su Lingyue: …

She said angrily, "You have no taste!"

With her teasing, Ji Zhiyi's frustration lessened by a lot. She leaned back on the bed, clutching her phone, listening to the breathing sounds on the other end. Neither of them spoke. There was an odd sort of understanding between them. Su Lingyue finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Are you asleep?"

Ji Zhiyi: "Not yet."

Su Lingyue: "Oh."

After a while, Ji Zhiyi asked, "How was work today?"

After asking the question, she clenched her phone without realizing it. The hard edges dug into her fingertips. The veins on her hand became more pronounced because of the tension, and her knuckles were gripping it even harder.

What was she so worried about?

Ji Zhiyi consoled herself.

Su Lingyue didn’t like to lie anyway.

But when she heard Su Lingyue's voice, her heart was still suspended. "Work was just so-so, what about you?"

Ji Zhiyi fell silent for two seconds. A sharp pain erupted like a needle. It was a mixture of complex flavors that blocked her throat. She laughed, her voice hoarse. "I'm so-so as well."

Su Lingyue bit her lip when she heard her speak.

She was just about to say something.

When Ji Zhiyi spoke. "Lingyue."

Su Lingyue: "Hmm?"

Ji Zhiyi said, "Focus on your work."

It was a strange, random sentence, but it made Su Lingyue’s eyes sting.

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