Regarding Ji Xu'an's question, Jiang Jiang did not give a particularly detailed answer.
She lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her clothes. "I just feel that she gives me a very familiar feeling."
Jiang Jiang was not lying when she said that. But Ji Xu'an always felt that Jiang Jiang was still hiding something from her, as if she might once have had a fiancé.
Jiang Jiang had not told her the truth.
Ji Xu'an did not ask further either. She would always find a way to uncover the truth.
They arrived at the restaurant in silence. Only after the dishes were served did the faintly oppressive atmosphere between them finally break.
Ji Xu'an herself did not eat much. Instead, she kept placing food into Jiang Jiang's bowl. Watching Jiang Jiang eat seriously, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction in her heart.
After dinner, Ji Xu'an and Jiang Jiang took a walk along the lakeside.
Ji Xu'an seemed to have become addicted to holding hands. As they walked, their fingers remained tightly interlocked.
The gentle breeze made people feel languid. Both Jiang Jiang and Ji Xu'an had things on their minds. They did not talk much, only walked quietly side by side.
After an unknown amount of time, the phone in Ji Xu'an's pocket suddenly vibrated. She took it out with her free hand and glanced at it.
Jiang Jiang did not know what Ji Xu'an saw. She only knew that afterward, Ji Xu'an suddenly stopped walking. She put her phone away, then turned to look at Jiang Jiang and asked in a low voice, "It's getting late. Should we head back first?"
Jiang Jiang lowered her lashes slightly and nodded. "Okay."
As they turned and walked toward where the car was parked, Jiang Jiang raised her hand and glanced at the time on her watch. It was not even eight o'clock yet.
Ji Xu'an was in a hurry to go back. There must be something very important she needed to handle.
But Ji Xu'an clearly did not want her to know. Because until the car stopped in the underground garage of Xingyue Bay, Ji Xu'an still had not told Jiang Jiang what she intended to do.
Tonight, Ji Heyuan did not come over, and Sister Zhou was not there either. At home, there were only Jiang Jiang and Ji Xu'an.
This rare time alone made both of them feel somewhat unaccustomed.
Fortunately, as soon as they opened the door, Little Bread ran straight toward Jiang Jiang, rubbing its head repeatedly against her calf.
"It's quite close to you," Ji Xu'an could not help saying when she saw this.
A smile curved on Jiang Jiang's face. "Little Bread is really well-behaved."
She picked up the cat and walked toward the sofa in the living room, clearly planning to play with it for a while.
Ji Xu'an went to the kitchen first and poured a glass of water for herself and for Jiang Jiang. When she handed the water to Jiang Jiang, she said casually, "Then you play with the cat first. I still have some work matters to handle. It might take a while."
Hearing this, the smile on Jiang Jiang's face did not change at all. "Go ahead, Sister. I don't have anything urgent anyway."
In fact, Ji Xu'an did not need to tell her at all. Jiang Jiang guessed that Ji Xu'an's deliberate notice was actually a reminder not to disturb her.
Jiang Jiang did not say anything more. She lowered her head and scratched under Little Bread's chin. The cat purred, its eyes narrowing. Seeing this, Jiang Jiang could not help laughing softly.
Ji Xu'an stood there for a moment. After Jiang Jiang said that sentence, she did not look at her again. Ji Xu'an's fingertips curled slightly. "Then I'll go to the study first?"
"Mm," Jiang Jiang responded casually.
Yet Ji Xu'an did not leave immediately. She stood there quietly, not knowing what she was thinking.
When Jiang Jiang noticed that she had not left yet and was about to raise her head to see what she was doing, Ji Xu'an turned around first and walked toward the study.
Jiang Jiang's hand, which had been teasing the cat, gradually stopped. The smile on her face faded. In her usually smiling eyes, there was only calmness and indifference.
Little Bread jumped down from her lap and began clawing at a small bird plush toy. Jiang Jiang stood up, casually picked up a plate of fruit from the table, and also walked toward the study.
Her footsteps were very light, almost making no sound. When she reached the study door, she stopped.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she stared fixedly at the door before her. Whether intentional or not, Ji Xu'an had not completely closed the study door, leaving a gap less than a finger's width, just enough for Jiang Jiang to clearly hear the sounds inside.
She was on the phone.
Jiang Jiang could even guess who was on the other end. Apart from Secretary Zhao, there was probably no one else.
She focused and listened carefully for a while. From Ji Xu'an's mouth, she heard a familiar name: Jiang Zhenyun.
Ji Xu'an was investigating Jiang Zhenyun?
Jiang Jiang was not surprised. This fit Ji Xu'an's personality very well. She liked to strangle all uncontrollable factors in the cradle. Moreover, Jiang Zhenyun herself was very strange. How could Ji Xu'an possibly feel at ease letting her appear by her side?
She did not hear what the person on the other end of the phone said. She only roughly understood that Jiang Zhenyun's identity seemed extremely mysterious, and the people Ji Xu'an had sent had not uncovered much useful information.
Jiang Jiang listened for a few more minutes, still gaining nothing. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly heard Ji Xu'an mention her.
"If possible, arrange for me to meet her. I have some things I want to ask her."
"…No."
"It's related to Jiang Jiang."
Jiang Jiang's footsteps stopped abruptly. She thought that she truly should not have told Ji Xu'an that Jiang Zhenyun might have come from the same place as she did.
What if her speculation was true…
—
Something seemed to flash past outside the door. Ji Xu'an listened attentively to Secretary Zhao's voice on the other end of the phone, yet her gaze was fixed tightly on that narrow crack in the door.
But until she hung up, the doorway remained quiet, as if no one had ever appeared there from beginning to end.
Ji Xu'an looked at the doorway with an unreadable expression. She was certain that Jiang Jiang had come just now, which was why she had deliberately said that last sentence.
However, Ji Xu'an had not intended for Secretary Zhao to know, so when she said that sentence, the call had actually already been disconnected.
She had been waiting for Jiang Jiang to push the door open and question her. Yet Jiang Jiang's figure never appeared at the study door.
Ji Xu'an slowly stood up. Step by step, she walked toward the door. Finally, she stopped and pulled the narrow gap completely open.
Outside, it was silent. There was no sound at all.
Ji Xu'an walked out of the study into the living room. Jiang Jiang was already gone. Only Little Bread remained, lying on the sofa, holding the small bird plush in its paws.
Ji Xu'an turned her head to look at the door of Jiang Jiang's bedroom. The light fell from above her head, casting small shadows beneath her eyes. All the emotions in Ji Xu'an's gaze were tightly concealed by her long lashes, impossible to glimpse even a trace.
__
Jiang Jiang was hiding in the bathroom, talking to Xie Xiao.
Looking at the familiar face on the other side of the screen, Jiang Jiang did not know what to say for a moment.
Too many things had happened these past two days. Jiang Jiang did not know where to begin. After hesitating for a long while, it was Xie Xiao who spoke first.
"Are you in a bad mood?"
Jiang Jiang subconsciously raised her hand to touch the corner of her lips. There was clearly still a smile there. Why would Xie Xiao think she was in a bad mood?
She did not voice this question, but Xie Xiao seemed to have guessed her doubt.
"Your eyes look very unhappy."
Xie Xiao thought for a moment. "Did Ji Xu'an make you upset?"
Jiang Jiang subconsciously shook her head, yet her verbal answer was completely opposite to her movement.
"Yes."
—
Author's Note:
The two of them will probably have an argument in the next chapter and then talk through some things. Their personalities are just this awkward. They need certain events to push them forward. It is destined by their growth experiences. There is no way around it.
Jiang Zhenyun: So in the end it still has to rely on me!!
—
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