Ji Heyuan quickly cast aside that subtle trace of unease. To her, mocking Jiang Jiang at this moment was far more important.
Looking at Jiang Jiang's thoroughly displeased expression, Ji Heyuan was only a step away from planting her hands on her hips and laughing arrogantly.
"What, could it be that I said something wrong?"
In front of Ji Heyuan, Jiang Jiang had no desire to act. She let her unhappiness show plainly on her face, shot Ji Heyuan a glance, ignored her completely, and simply reached out to poke the hamburger in front of her.
So soft.
If Jiang Jiang had flared up at her, Ji Heyuan could have retorted righteously. But Jiang Jiang did not speak at all, and Ji Heyuan suddenly felt the dullness of performing a one-woman show.
"Country bumpkin, not even wearing gloves," she muttered under her breath.
Jiang Jiang had sharp ears and heard her clearly. She pressed her lips together.
She pushed her tray toward Ji Heyuan. Without saying a word, she simply fixed those distinct black-and-white eyes on Ji Heyuan, staring until Ji Heyuan felt chills creeping down her back.
"W-what are you doing?" Ji Heyuan asked, full of vigilance.
Jiang Jiang looked completely justified. "You do it for me."
Ji Heyuan: ??
"Big sister, are you sick in the head?"
Ji Heyuan was nearly laughing from anger. Was Xie Xiao treating her like a servant?
Jiang Jiang's expression did not change. "Then I'll call Grandma."
Ji Heyuan froze for several seconds before realizing that Jiang Jiang was threatening her.
Xie Xiao?? Threatening her??
Ji Heyuan suspected she was still dreaming.
"Do you have no shame?"
Something this trivial, and she would complain to Grandma??
Jiang Jiang fell silent again. In her silence, Ji Heyuan recognized a fact—Xie Xiao was not joking.
She laughed in extreme anger, yet for a moment found herself too powerless to even mock her.
"Fine." Ji Heyuan ground out through clenched teeth. "I'll do it for you!"
She looked as though she wanted nothing more than to smash the hamburger into Jiang Jiang's face, yet in the end she stiffly tore open the packet of disposable gloves for her.
"Missy, do you want me to put them on for you too?" Ji Heyuan asked in a mocking tone.
Jiang Jiang suddenly understood—so that was what was inside!
"No need."
She pulled the tray back, carefully put on the disposable gloves herself, then picked up a French fry and placed it in her mouth, chewing slowly.
Ji Heyuan swore that at that instant she clearly saw Jiang Jiang's eyes light up. It was as though she had tasted some supreme delicacy of the mortal world, astonishment and admiration interwoven in her gaze.
Ji Heyuan rolled her eyes. Too exaggerated. The country bumpkin had such a strong desire to perform. If Grandma saw her like this, she would surely feel heartache again.
Unfortunately, the person sitting across from her now was herself.
Ji Heyuan had not ordered anything else, only a cup of cola. While Jiang Jiang ate fries, she held her cola and took occasional sips.
Jiang Jiang was still not accustomed to eating in big bites in public, so she did not touch the hamburger and only ate a few fries.
So delicious! But her mouth felt a little salty.
Looking up, she saw Ji Heyuan drinking a kind of black liquid. She licked her lips. "What are you drinking?"
At this, Ji Heyuan almost sprayed the cola from her mouth. She wiped her lips forcefully, her eyes nearly rolling to the heavens.
"Enough already. If you pretend to be stupid too much, you'll become truly stupid."
She did not believe anyone had never drunk cola.
Jiang Jiang thought for a moment and found herself a reason. "My grandmother didn't let me drink it before."
Ji Heyuan clicked her tongue. "What kind of antique is your grandmother?"
Jiang Jiang's face darkened. "You're not allowed to speak ill of Grandma."
Ji Heyuan scoffed. Seeing Jiang Jiang's serious expression, she quickly came up with another wicked idea.
"Your grandmother is right. Children shouldn't drink this."
Jiang Jiang corrected her earnestly, "I'm an adult."
Ji Heyuan pursed her lips. "You're eating a children's set meal, and you still have the nerve to say that?"
Only then did Jiang Jiang understand why there had been a picture book on her tray. She had ordered a children's set meal; that had originally been prepared for children.
Ji Heyuan tried to find embarrassment or anger on Jiang Jiang's face, but after learning the truth, Jiang Jiang's expression remained calm.
She did not get angry. She merely stubbornly repeated, "I want to drink what you're drinking too."
Ji Heyuan was extremely disappointed. "Drink, drink, all you know is drinking."
Despite her words, she still ordered a cup of cola for Jiang Jiang.
After receiving it, Jiang Jiang first cautiously sniffed it. There was no strange odor. Then she took a small sip.
The instant it entered her mouth, Jiang Jiang's face nearly scrunched up like a bun.
So strange!
Ji Heyuan immediately burst into laughter. "Drink it then! Why did you stop?"
Jiang Jiang set the cola down and pondered what sort of lesson she should give Ji Heyuan.
That feeling of being stared at by a venomous snake returned. Ji Heyuan gradually restrained her arrogant laughter. "Look at yourself, Xie Xiao."
Her expression turned serious. "My sister is the head of the Ji family, the chairwoman of Linghai Group. What she wears is haute couture; what she eats is French cuisine paired with red wine. The friends she makes are leaders in various industries. She frequently travels to different countries on business. The people she has met and the roads she has walked are more than the rice you have eaten."
"And you—a young woman who still needs to be supported by others, who has only graduated from high school, who spent the first dozen years of her life in a small town, who has never even eaten fried chicken and drunk cola."
"Do you really think that being with my sister is appropriate?"
It did sound quite mismatched. Jiang Jiang slowly lifted her eyelids. "No matter how inappropriate, we are already fiancées. That is a fact no one can change."
Ji Heyuan let out a cold laugh. "A fact? If you and your grandmother hadn't lied to my grandmother, saying that my sister could only be with you or else she was destined to grow old alone, do you think Grandma would truly have allowed you to marry into the Ji family?"
The calmness on Jiang Jiang's face was finally shattered, replaced with astonishment and confusion.
Xie Xiao's grandmother… had said such things?
Ji Heyuan thought she was still acting; her tone became sharper and colder. "And what was that about having to wait two more months before letting you come to S City? You were counting on my grandmother being soft-hearted and easy to deceive, weren't you?"
Jiang Jiang's fingers resting on her legs trembled heavily twice. She stared fixedly at Ji Heyuan across from her and asked with difficulty, "What do you mean by that?"
Had Grandma Xie truly foreseen long ago that Xie Xiao would exchange identities with her?
—
Ji Xu'an did not have time to concern herself with Ji Heyuan and Jiang Jiang until after finishing a meeting that had lasted more than two hours.
"They've returned to the old residence?" she asked Secretary Zhao while flipping through the documents in her hand.
Zhao Zitang cleared her throat. "Not exactly. The second Miss took Miss Xie to eat… KFC."
Ji Xu'an's movements paused. She lifted her head to look at Secretary Zhao. "To eat what?"
Zhao Zitang repeated it.
Ji Xu'an fell silent. She had known that Ji Heyuan was unreliable—returning and immediately taking Xie Xiao to eat junk food.
Seeing a hint of displeasure on her face, Zhao Zitang quickly changed the subject. "By the way, President Ji, the minor celebrity you asked me to investigate—I've finished looking into her."
Ji Xu'an closed the file. "Speak."
Zhao Zitang nodded, her tone steady without the slightest fluctuation.
"That person is called Zheng Zhouzhou…"
—
Author's Note:
Curious Baby Jiang: (takes a sip of cola) (frowns) (Ew! So strange!) (smacks lips) (Wait) (It actually seems a bit tasty?) (Not sure, takes another sip)
—
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