Princess Syndrome - Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Lingyue

Su Lingyue had been in a bad mood lately. Ever since the PV material incident, her interactions with Meng Jiu and Qi An had been strained, filled with mutual loathing. Since those two wouldn't let her have an easy time anyway, she couldn't be bothered to pretend. But to her surprise, Qi An and Meng Jiu hadn't troubled her since then. Work had been going too smoothly, bordering on the abnormal. Of course, Qi An was rarely seen in the office; it was mostly Meng Jiu. Meng Jiu treated her like any other colleague. The more they acted this way, the more cautious Su Lingyue became.

When she discussed this with Zhang Xian, Zhang Xian asked, "Did something happen to Ji Zhiyi?"

Their not troubling her must mean they were troubling Ji Zhiyi. She didn't believe Qi An and Meng Jiu were suddenly good people.

Zhang Xian shook her head. "Can't be? Aren't you in contact with her every day?"

Su Lingyue said, "We are, but you know how Ji Zhiyi is, so good at keeping things bottled up."

She would bottle things up, knowing she didn't want her to worry, but wouldn't she be both angry and heartbroken when she found out later? So, Su Lingyue couldn't understand why some people in relationships liked to keep things to themselves.

She certainly couldn't keep anything in.

Zhang Xian nodded. "That's true. Should I try to find out what's going on?"

Su Lingyue said, "Please."

Zhang Xian made a few calls to friends, but news didn't travel that fast, so she wasn't in a hurry. After showering, she dragged Su Lingyue to a nearby barbecue stall, and they called Chu Yi to join them.

Chu Yi was currently looking for a new place to live. Her previous lease was up, and the landlord wanted to renovate it for his daughter's wedding. So, Su Lingyue's plan to move back in had fallen through. Zhang Xian had considered asking Su Lingyue if she wanted to move back to Ji Zhiyi's apartment, but that sounded like she was trying to get rid of her. She actually liked having a roommate, so she didn't ask.

Chu Yi went to a milk tea shop before meeting them. Zhang Xian and Su Lingyue sat at the barbecue stall, a newly opened place. Su Lingyue watched the bustling crowd and said to Zhang Xian, "When Ji Zhiyi comes back, should we open a barbecue restaurant?"

Zhang Xian looked at her skeptically. "You know how?"

Su Lingyue nodded. "I know how to eat."

Zhang Xian was speechless.

She laughed. "I'm recording this to send to Ji Zhiyi."

Being around Su Lingyue, she had become comfortable calling Ji Zhiyi by her name. Su Lingyue didn't mind. "Isn't that good?"

Zhang Xian said, "It's not about whether it's good or not."

Su Lingyue muttered something under her breath.

Zhang Xian said, "Shouldn't she be coming back soon?"

Su Lingyue asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhang Xian said, "She told me before that she'd be back around the time the factory project started. Su Qi has already started fundraising. Hasn't she mentioned coming back?"

Just as Ji Zhiyi had predicted, Baoshun had chosen to launch in Jiangang City, with a large scale and extensive publicity. The launch day was even live-streamed on several platforms, featuring popular online influencers. The buzz was significant, with the main promotion focusing on Dingsheng and Su Qi. These two brands had seen a surge in popularity recently, especially Su Qi, which had released several best-selling products. While this was good news, the previous severe losses had depleted their funds. They had initially hoped to rely on Baoshun for a turnaround, and while things were improving, they weren't fully recovered. They had planned to lean on Dingsheng for support, but Dingsheng had too many projects recently and couldn't provide assistance. Reluctantly, Su Qi had to seek partnerships with other companies.

Given Su Qi's current momentum, raising funds for expansion shouldn't have been too difficult.

But having been suppressed by Yilin before, and with Yilin currently quiet, there was no telling what their next move might be. So, the collaborations with various companies weren't proceeding smoothly.

Su Lingyue was aware of these developments. She said, "I'll ask her later."

Just then, Chu Yi arrived, carrying milk tea. The day's heat had subsided, and a cool evening breeze was blowing. Chu Yi wore a light jacket and was panting slightly from running, with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. After arriving, she took off her jacket, revealing a sleeveless blouse with a lace collar that made her look like a fresh college graduate. Chu Yi took a sip of her milk tea, a satisfied look on her face. "Happiness," she declared.

She then asked Su Lingyue, "Have you ordered?"

Su Lingyue replied, "We've ordered some. Do you want to add anything?"

Zhang Xian glanced at Chu Yi. Influenced by Su Lingyue and Ji Zhiyi, she had been desperately wanting to be in a relationship recently. Upon learning that Chu Yi also liked girls, she was overjoyed, practically ready to introduce herself. Chu Yi's response had been, "Are you here for a blind date?"

Zhang Xian had laughed dryly. "No."

Chu Yi said, "Don't just want to be in a relationship because you see them in one. They're together because they like each other, it's mutual. You're not."

Zhang Xian wanted to argue.

Chu Yi said, "You're just love-starved."

Zhang Xian was speechless.

Fine, that made sense.

She was indeed momentarily blinded by Su Lingyue and Ji Zhiyi's sweet relationship, but it wasn't because she was love-starved, was it? It was a longing for beautiful emotions! Didn't she understand?

She felt she couldn't reason with Chu Yi.

Their viewpoints were different, so they were bound to disagree.

So, she gave up arguing. But because of that little interlude, there was still a bit of awkwardness between them. Usually, Chu Yi didn't initiate conversations with her, and she didn't take the initiative to greet Chu Yi either. Chu Yi, however, clearly hadn't taken those things to heart. She said to them, "Let's eat first, we can order more if it's not enough."

Then she added, "This milk tea is a new flavor, try it. I think it's pretty good."

She looked at Su Lingyue and Zhang Xian.

Zhang Xian took a sip. It was sweet and tangy.

"Not bad," she commented.

Chu Yi followed up warmly, "If you like it, I'll buy it for you next time."

Her enthusiasm made Zhang Xian feel petty for her own small-mindedness. She mentally chided herself and turned to ask Chu Yi, "Have you found a new place yet?"

Chu Yi said, "I found a pretty good one."

Then she pouted.

Su Lingyue asked, "What's wrong?"

Chu Yi said, "The landlord is a guy."

Zhang Xian frowned. "A guy?"

Chu Yi nodded.

She said, "But on the bright side, the landlord is going abroad next week and won't be back for two or three years."

That meant a lot of freedom, and the rent was reasonable. She had looked around quite a bit before settling on this location, which wasn't far from her company and had convenient transportation. Plus, the landlord was leaving the country soon. All in all, it wasn't a bad deal.

Turning to Su Lingyue, she said, "It's a two-bedroom apartment. You can come stay with me if you and Ji Zhiyi ever argue."

Su Lingyue laughed. "Okay, then I'll pay half the rent."

"You won't be staying every day, no need," Chu Yi said, taking a sip of her milk tea. The barbecue arrived, and passersby couldn't help but glance at their table. Several men had already approached with their WeChat contact information, but Su Lingyue politely declined. Her phone rang. She hesitated for a few seconds before answering, seeing the caller ID. Zhang Xian asked, "Who is it?"

Su Lingyue looked at her. "Assistant Meng."

Zhang Xian choked. "What does she want?"

Su Lingyue didn't know either. She answered the call. Meng Jiu said a file was missing and asked Su Lingyue where it was. Su Lingyue remembered putting it in the third drawer of the cabinet under her desk, but Meng Jiu said it wasn't there and asked her to come back to look for it.

Su Lingyue took a deep breath. "Okay, Assistant Meng, I'll be there right away."

The barbecue stall wasn't far from the company, but she didn't know what tricks might be waiting for her there. So, Zhang Xian asked if she should wait for her to come back. Su Lingyue said, "No need, it'll be cold by the time I get back. You can pack it up and take it home. I'll eat when I get there."

Zhang Xian nodded. "Take my car."

Su Lingyue asked, "How will you get home?"

Chu Yi raised her hand. "I'll take her."

Su Lingyue said, "Okay."

She grabbed Zhang Xian's car keys and left. The company was deserted when she arrived, pitch black. She looked around as she rode the elevator. Soon, she reached her floor. The entrance lights weren't on. Holding her breath, she went straight to the president's office and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the bright fluorescent lights.

Su Lingyue saw Meng Jiu sitting at the desk, talking on the phone. "I'll be there right away."

She looked up at Su Lingyue.

Su Lingyue went to the cabinet, opened the third drawer, and rummaged through it. She found the file at the bottom. She wanted to throw it at Meng Jiu but turned around with a forced smile. "Assistant Meng, here it is."

Meng Jiu took it. "Thank you."

Her tone was serious and formal, showing no sign of having deliberately made things difficult for Su Lingyue.

Su Lingyue forced a smile.

Meng Jiu said, "Oh, right, President Qi and I have a business trip tonight. I've already handed over the work arrangements to Secretary Zhang." Not Zhang Ting, but the new chief secretary, whose surname was also Zhang. Su Lingyue nodded. Meng Jiu said, "You'll assist her with her work."

Su Lingyue said, "Okay."

Meng Jiu smiled at her.

Su Lingyue said, "Assistant Meng, if there's nothing else, I'll get going."

Meng Jiu nodded.

As Su Lingyue reached the door, Meng Jiu called out, "Assistant Su."

Su Lingyue turned back.

Meng Jiu asked, "Have you been in contact with President Ji recently?"

Hearing her mention Ji Zhiyi, Su Lingyue's expression turned sharp. She looked at Meng Jiu. "Has something happened to President Ji?"

"Not really," Meng Jiu said casually. "But considering President Ji's good relationship with Assistant Su, I was wondering if she had told you she's getting married soon?"

Su Lingyue froze. "M-married?"

Meng Jiu smiled.

Panic and anger instantly overwhelmed Su Lingyue. Then she thought, that's impossible. But she was also afraid. "To whom?"

Meng Jiu said, "Miss Jiang Yunlu."

Su Lingyue clenched her fists.

Meng Jiu said, "Well, I should get going."

By the time Su Lingyue registered what had happened, the office was empty, leaving only her. The sound of her heels echoed as she walked, pounding in her chest. Ji Zhiyi was marrying Jiang Yunlu?

Was Meng Jiu lying?

How could this be happening?

Tears streamed down Su Lingyue's face. Without thinking, she called Ji Zhiyi, but the call was immediately rejected. So, this period of peace was Ji Zhiyi's way of buying time with marriage?

She quickly wiped away her tears and ran out of the office!

After getting in the car, she drove straight to Zhang Xian's place, her mind a complete mess. She remembered Ji Zhiyi sending her a message that morning, telling her to rest early. And now, there was no news. Panic seized her. She grabbed her suitcase and started shoving clothes into it haphazardly. Fear reached its peak. She didn't know what she was afraid of.

She just felt—

If she called Ji Zhiyi and heard Jiang Yunlu's voice.

Su Lingyue wiped away her tears, grabbed her hastily packed suitcase, and turned to leave, bumping right into Zhang Xian at the door. Zhang Xian was stunned. "Lingyue?"

The person in front of her was tear-streaked, with red marks on her face from roughly wiping away tears. Her lips were bloodless, and her whole face was pale. "Move!" she said.

Zhang Xian was confused. "Where are you going?"

Su Lingyue gritted her teeth. "I'm going to find Ji Zhiyi!"

Zhang Xian asked, "Why are you going to find Ji Zhiyi?"

Su Lingyue said, "She's marrying Jiang Yunlu!"

She stared at Zhang Xian after saying those words.

Zhang Xian said, "How do you know..."

She bit her lip.

Su Lingyue said, "You know?"

Zhang Xian quickly shook her head. "I don't know!"

Su Lingyue insisted, "You do!"

Zhang Xian sighed. "Hey!"

Su Lingyue tried to push past her, but Zhang Xian grabbed her. "Calm down! Lingyue, calm down!"

"Calm down about what!" Su Lingyue hissed. "Let go of me! I'm going to find Ji Zhiyi! Ji Zhiyi is dead to me! I'm going to kill Ji Zhiyi!"

She shouted in a fit of rage!

Zhang Xian held her tightly.

The door was open.

A soft voice drifted in. "You don't need to go."

Su Lingyue froze instantly.

Seeing this, Zhang Xian released her.

Ji Zhiyi stood at the door, wearing a light-colored coat. The light from the hallway behind her cast a glow around her. Before Su Lingyue could react, Ji Zhiyi called out, "Lingyue."

Just one word.

And Su Lingyue burst into tears.

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