Princess Syndrome - Chapter 96
Chapter 96: Because
Ji Zhiyi rarely saw Jiang Ya smile so gently. In her memory, she didn't smile often. She usually had a serious face or a deep, somber expression. Jiang Yunlu’s collapse seemed to have taken all of her emotions, numbing her senses. And the more numb she became, the more she couldn’t control her emotions, becoming irritable, sensitive, and extreme.
To see her so cheerful was a first for Ji Zhiyi. In all her memories, it had never happened before. She instinctively asked, "Godmother, did Sister Yunlu wake up?"
That was the only possibility she could think of.
Jiang Ya was surprised. "Did Sisi tell you?"
So it was true.
Ji Zhiyi clutched the door handle, not knowing what to say. She didn’t have a strong bond with Jiang Yunlu. When they met, Jiang Yunlu was already in bed. It was only while accompanying Jiang Ya that she had watched the old video tapes repeatedly, looked at countless photos, and listened to Jiang Ya talk about Jiang Yunlu’s past habits. That was how she had become familiar with her.
Still, waking up was good news.
She relaxed a little. "When did it happen?"
Jiang Ya replied, "Yesterday. I told Sisi not to tell you because I wanted to give you a surprise."
Ji Zhiyi asked, "Should we go to the hospital now?"
"To the hospital." Jiang Ya was uncharacteristically happy. "Yunlu still needs to recover slowly."
She chatted on and on, as if she had found her anchor. Sometimes she was happy, and sometimes she would take Ji Zhiyi’s hand. "Should I make some more soup? Oh, the doctor said she can't drink it yet."
Ji Zhiyi asked, "Godmother, does Aunt Qi know about this?"
"Yes, she knows." Jiang Ya replied. "I told her yesterday."
But Qi An hadn't revealed any of this information to Ji Zhiyi.
Ji Zhiyi smiled.
She lowered her head and followed Jiang Ya to the car. Jiang Ya was exceptionally excited, her words and expressions unable to contain her joy. Ji Zhiyi turned her head to look out of the window. Unlike her home country, the weather was cool, the leaves falling as they were blown by the wind.
The car sped by. Ji Zhiyi watched quietly for a few minutes.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen, holding the phone. Jiang Ya turned to look at her phone, but Ji Zhiyi hung up.
Jiang Ya asked, "Who was it?"
Ji Zhiyi replied, "It was about work. I'll call her back later."
Jiang Ya said, "Don't worry about work for now. I can’t manage at the hospital on my own, you have to help me."
Ji Zhiyi turned her head to look at Jiang Ya. "Okay. What about Dingsheng..."
Jiang Ya raised her hand. "Qi An will take care of the Dingsheng matter."
Her tone was no longer urgent.
Ji Zhiyi frowned.
Su Lingyue, upon having her call hung up, looked at her phone. She had just returned the call, yet it was hung up?
Busy?
Or doing something else?
Unknown things always led to overthinking, but Su Lingyue couldn't overthink right now. In the afternoon, Qi An had assigned her another task, to visit various stores.
Her colleagues in the secretarial office were stunned. "Huh? Let Assistant Su go?"
Wasn’t that the marketing department's job?
Su Lingyue smiled and left the company.
The only good thing was that she didn't have to face Qi An. Although it was tiring, at least her mood was better than being in the office. So, as soon as she finished, she called Ji Zhiyi. Unexpectedly, the call was hung up.
Su Lingyue held her phone, staring at the screen, waiting to see how long it would take for Ji Zhiyi to call back. She waited for several minutes, but her phone didn’t react.
A "beep" sound.
Her phone vibrated.
She opened it. Weather notification.
She had waited in vain.
She hailed a taxi to go home. On the way, the driver tried to chat with her, but she was dispirited. She lowered the car window, looking outside. Every now and then, she glanced at her phone, but Ji Zhiyi still hadn't called back.
After getting out of the car, she didn't rush back home. She sat on a bench outside the apartment, thinking for a while before calling Chu Yi.
Chu Yi had just finished work and hearing her voice asked, "Are you moving back?"
Su Lingyue said, "No."
"Huh." Chu Yi sounded puzzled. "Didn't Ji Zhiyi go abroad? Are you living there alone?"
Su Lingyue replied, "Yeah."
Chu Yi asked, "Do you want to come back?"
Su Lingyue replied, "There's also the cat."
Chu Yi remembered. "Then you should stay there."
Su Lingyue was speechless.
She pondered a while. "Has Zhou Shiyu been at the company lately?"
Chu Yi answered, "She's been busy with the Baoshun collaboration recently. She hasn't been to the company much. Why?"
Su Lingyue said, "I want to talk business with her."
Chu Yi was taken aback. "Huh?"
She wondered if she had misheard. "Talk to her?"
Su Lingyue replied, "Yeah."
Chu Yi said, "But this collaboration with Baoshun has been good for the company. Many people are seeking her out for collaboration now."
She just hadn't expected Su Lingyue to be one of them.
She asked, "Then are you going to look for her at the company?"
Su Lingyue replied, "I'll try contacting her secretary first."
It wasn't as if Zhou Shiyu would agree to collaborate just because she wanted to. Besides, during the show, she had rejected Zhou Shiyu without holding back. It was anyone's guess what kind of trouble might arise if she tried to collaborate with her now.
Maybe Qi An wasn't even waiting for her to collaborate with Zhou Shiyu.
But rather, watching her get tormented by Zhou Shiyu.
It was a long-absent feeling.
Su Lingyue found it meaningless.
That feeling of boredom washed over her. She leaned back against the bench, hearing footsteps approaching. Someone in a tracksuit with their hair in a ponytail, paused slightly, then slowed their pace and stood next to her. "Assistant Su?"
Su Lingyue was surprised.
"President Shen," she replied.
But not entirely surprised.
The residents in this complex were probably all like Shen Yuan and Ji Zhiyi. She used to live here herself, but she hardly ever went out, so she hadn't met Shen Yuan. Now that she had, she blurted out, "President Shen also lives here?"
Shen Yuan replied, "I moved in last week. Does Assistant Su live here as well?"
Su Lingyue said, "President Ji is away. I'm just helping her look after the apartment, and her cat."
Shen Yuan nodded.
She asked, "Did you just get off work?"
Su Lingyue said, "Yeah." A thought struck her. She looked at Shen Yuan. "President Shen, have you had dinner? There's a good restaurant by the entrance. Want to try it?"
Shen Yuan hadn’t had dinner yet, but that was because her appetite was poor, and she had been eating very little recently. According to her personality, she would have politely declined. But considering what had happened at the hotel, the convenience she had provided Su Lingyue, which Su Lingyue hadn't used, she figured that a meal with her was in order.
So she said, "Let me treat you."
Su Lingyue replied, "How can I allow that?"
Shen Yuan said, "It's fine."
Seeing that she had said as much, Su Lingyue nodded. She asked Shen Yuan, "Are you going to change?"
Shen Yuan replied, "No need. Do you mind?"
Su Lingyue shook her head.
Shen Yuan asked, "Did President Ji leave today?"
Su Lingyue replied, "Yes, this afternoon."
Shen Yuan smiled. Neither of them said much about company business, as it would be inappropriate. When they arrived at the restaurant, there weren't many people. It was a noodle shop with a rich, fragrant broth. Even though Shen Yuan had little appetite, the aroma was enticing. She sat down with Su Lingyue, and she heard Su Lingyue ask, "What does President Shen want to eat?"
Shen Yuan looked at the menu. "Do you have any recommendations?"
Su Lingyue asked, "Does President Shen prefer light or strong flavors?"
Shen Yuan had no appetite. She couldn't eat anything light either. "What do you mean by strong?"
Su Lingyue pointed at a few dishes. "These. You can ask the owner to add more spice." Then she looked at Shen Yuan. "Can President Shen handle spice?"
Shen Yuan said, "I can."
Su Lingyue wasn't in a good mood today either, so she ordered a bowl with lots of spice. The two sat across from each other, eating. After drinking a mouthful of the noodle soup, their faces turned red from the spice. Su Lingyue took a tissue to wipe her face and blinked, her eyes sparkling. Because of the hot weather, the noodles were both hot and spicy. Soon, she broke out in a sweat. The two looked at each other. Although they weren't exactly disheveled, they certainly weren't as refined as they were in the company.
The invisible barrier between them seemed to lessen a little.
After all, they had been childhood playmates. Not to mention unrefined appearances, they had seen each other at their most embarrassing. So Su Lingyue felt comfortable with the situation. She was sweating profusely as she ate. On the other hand, Shen Yuan was eating her noodles slowly, one small bite at a time, as if she was eating a gourmet French meal.
Ji Zhiyi would also eat like that, but she thought that Ji Zhiyi’s eating habits were more pleasing, more elegant.
Seeing Ji Zhiyi eat, she wanted to eat another bowl.
Seeing Shen Yuan eat.
She was full.
The difference between liking someone and not liking someone was so huge.
Su Lingyue realized this for the first time. She put down her chopsticks. Shen Yuan looked up and asked, "Are you done?"
"I'm full." Just as Su Lingyue finished, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen and said, "President Shen, please eat slowly. I'm going to take a call."
Shen Yuan watched as her figure disappeared outside, then continued eating.
Su Lingyue heard a familiar voice at the other end. "Lingyue."
The familiar voice washed away the displeasure and anxiety of having her call hung up. Her heart settled down, as she didn't know why, but hearing Ji Zhiyi's voice always made her feel strangely at ease.
Even if they were thousands of miles apart.
She purred, "Hmm? What are you doing?"
Ji Zhiyi explained, "I was in the car. It wasn't convenient to answer the phone."
Su Lingyue said, "Oh..." Suddenly she asked, "Did you see your godmother? Is she..."
Ji Zhiyi interrupted, "No."
Su Lingyue didn't believe her. "Really?"
She had met Jiang Ya before. She was fierce and terrifying.
Ji Zhiyi said, "Really. Her daughter woke up, so she's in a good mood."
Su Lingyue blurted out, "Huh? She!"
She corrected herself, "I mean, the daughter you said was in bed for many years?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "Yes."
She said optimistically, "I'll be at the hospital to help out these days. I'll be back when her situation is stable."
When that time came, she would confront Jiang Ya.
She could sense that Jiang Ya was extremely excited right now, and it wasn't a good time to talk. Besides, Jiang Yunlu had just woken up. Helping out would be a way to repay them. Su Lingyue said, "I know."
Ji Zhiyi laughed.
Her voice traveled through the phone and into Su Lingyue’s ear, making the tips of her ears turn red.
Su Lingyue, thinking of Shen Yuan inside, said, "Then I'll hang up first."
Ji Zhiyi said, "Okay."
Su Lingyue hung up the phone. Shen Yuan also came out. Su Lingyue asked, "Did President Shen enjoy the meal?"
Shen Yuan replied, "It was good, thank you."
She had just paid, but the owner said that Su Lingyue had already taken care of it. Hearing this, Su Lingyue said, "Thank you doesn't show much sincerity. How about President Shen treat me next time?"
Shen Yuan had long sensed that Su Lingyue had something on her mind, but she didn’t mention it, so she would just pretend that she didn't know.
She nodded in agreement. "Alright."
They walked back together. Ji Zhiyi’s apartment was in the first row, the last unit. Shen Yuan’s apartment was in the second unit of the first row. The reason she knew this so clearly was because there was someone standing at the entrance.
A familiar face.
Shen Yuan's mother.
Dressed impeccably, wearing a business suit, she stood at the entrance, tossing her hair away from her face. Her expression was severe. There was not a hint of a smile on her face. Su Lingyue looked at Shen Yuan and her mother.
Looking closely. They were quite similar.
However, she wasn't sure if Shen Yuan's personality had changed or what, but she didn’t seem as rigid as her mother. She seemed more approachable now.
They saw Ye Qiuyun, and obviously, Ye Qiuyun saw them too.
When she saw Su Lingyue walking beside Shen Yuan, she frowned instinctively, her displeasure visible. She visibly turned her face cold, and even from a distance, she could feel the low pressure. It was overwhelming.
Most people would be intimidated by that.
But Su Lingyue had seen it all. When she and Zhou Shiyu had fought at their worst, they had given each other the “I wish you would disappear” looks. So, this small amount of pressure.
She didn't care at all.
She continued walking towards the entrance with Shen Yuan. She even wanted to greet her.
Seeing them approach, Ye Qiuyun’s expression darkened. Her gaze was sharp, piercing the air. She brushed past Su Lingyue and Shen Yuan without saying a word.
Without saying a word to Shen Yuan either.
Su Lingyue was speechless.
She remembered that during the fashion show, Ye Qiuyun had acted similarly. She had clearly wanted to talk to Shen Yuan, but upon seeing Su Lingyue standing next to Shen Yuan, she had simply turned around and left.
Out of curiosity.
She asked Shen Yuan, "Why does your mother walk away whenever she sees me?"
Shen Yuan turned her head to look at her.
Her tone was uncharacteristically expressive, even bordering on friendly. "Because she doesn't like you."
Su Lingyue was speechless.
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