Chapter 17
Valid for a lifetime.
Shen Shiwu probably didn’t understand what such a promise meant to Jiang Siyi.
The sweet aroma of the cake filled the air.
Jiang Siyi looked down, realizing this was the first time in years someone had bought her a birthday cake.
A smile finally appeared on her face, and she softly said, “Thank you.”
Her head was patted again, and the woman’s voice sounded above her. “What are you thanking me for?”
Shen Shiwu bent down to meet her gaze. “You must be hungry, right? Let’s eat the cake now, okay?”
She always asked for Jiang Siyi’s opinion, even on small matters.
The girl nodded and hummed in agreement.
The clock on the wall ticked, still a long way from midnight. Jiang Siyi was stuffed and went to lie down on the sofa.
Shen Shiwu didn’t usually have a sweet tooth, but tonight she made an exception and had two slices of cake. She watched the girl rubbing her stomach and tilted her head. “There’s another cake.”
Jiang Siyi immediately sat up straight.
She quickly waved her hands. “I really can’t eat anymore!”
She realized Shen Shiwu was really treating her like a pig.
A pig that ate eight meals a day.
Just as she was about to speak, a phone rang. The familiar ringtone reminded Jiang Siyi of the previous incident.
She was slightly traumatized.
She watched Shen Shiwu answer the phone, her first words being, “Teacher Fu, what’s wrong?”
Oh my god, Sister Bao.
Alarm bells went off in Jiang Siyi’s head.
“Is that so?” Shen Shiwu’s expression remained unchanged, even with a hint of a smile.
“Xiao Si is very well-behaved. Maybe she’s just tired recently.” She glanced at the girl, who was eavesdropping.
Jiang Siyi, caught red-handed, stopped pretending and walked over to Shen Shiwu, mouthing, “Is the teacher complaining about me?”
The woman, seeing her anxious expression, gently scratched her nose.
A gesture of comfort.
Jiang Siyi’s face burned.
Feeling embarrassed, she quickly turned and ran off.
Shen Shiwu stared at her retreating figure, not paying attention to Fu Jing’s words, only saying at the end, “Okay, I understand. Thank you, teacher.”
After the call ended, Jiang Siyi lifted her head from her backpack. She composed herself and asked, “Did the teacher say I wasn’t paying attention in class?”
Shen Shiwu didn’t answer, but asked, “And?”
“And… not handing in my homework.”
After answering, Jiang Siyi realized something was wrong.
How did she end up confessing everything?
Shen Shiwu crossed her arms. “Is that all?”
There’s more!?
Jiang Siyi racked her brain, trying to remember. After thinking for a long time, she firmly replied, “Yes, that’s all.”
Shen Shiwu stood up and walked towards her. The next moment, Jiang Siyi’s arms felt empty; her backpack had been taken away.
The woman put the backpack aside and leaned down to look at her. “The teacher said you kicked someone’s desk.”
“…”
Jiang Siyi felt angry at the mention of this.
She pouted and explained the whole story.
After listening, Shen Shiwu asked, “Which boy? What’s his name?”
Her expression had turned cold, a stark contrast to her usual gentleness.
Jiang Siyi thought for a moment and reached for her phone. “I forgot. I’ll ask Xu Yuan.”
The screen lit up, displaying the time prominently.
Eleven minutes until she turned eighteen.
The girl, suppressing her excitement, quickly typed a message. By the time she received a reply, there were only five minutes left.
Just as she was about to say the boy’s name out loud, a warm hand covered the lower half of her face.
As for why only half her face…
Because Shen Shiwu’s hand was large, several times bigger than Jiang Siyi’s.
“We’ll talk about it later. Our Xiao Si will be an adult in three minutes.” Her eyes were gentle, but her tone was firm. “At this moment, let’s not mention anyone else’s name.”
Jiang Siyi blinked, stunned for a moment, then nodded.
This was the first time Shen Shiwu had shown this side of herself.
The long three minutes finally passed.
Shen Shiwu said she was going to get another cake, but when she returned, her hands were empty.
Jiang Siyi looked at her, puzzled.
Tick-tock—
Twenty seconds left.
When Shen Shiwu stood in front of Jiang Siyi again, the girl felt her hair being lifted, a coolness around her neck, as if something was being placed on her.
Three, two…
One.
The clock hands overlapped, and Jiang Siyi’s long-awaited eighteenth birthday finally arrived. She closed her eyes and touched the pendant.
Shen Shiwu gently caressed her face. “Xiao Si, happy birthday.”
Her tone was ambiguous. “You can date now that you’re an adult.”
Date.
She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if a stone was pressing down on a soft spot.
“You said before that you liked someone,” Shen Shiwu squatted down, meeting her gaze. “Can you tell me who it is now?”
It’s you.
It has always been you.
But how could she say it out loud?
Jiang Siyi suddenly felt that becoming an adult wasn’t so great after all.
She looked down at the necklace around her neck. The jade pendant was pure and flawless, the chain shimmering like moonlight on water.
It looked expensive.
She finally spoke. “I lied.”
“I don’t like anyone.”
Because she was too afraid of losing Shen Shiwu, she was willing to be a coward.
“This necklace is expensive, isn’t it? I…”
“It’s not expensive.”
Shen Shiwu patted her head. “It’s good that you don’t like anyone.”
“Our Xiao Si is so outstanding, not just anyone is worthy of you.”
The other woman seemed relieved. Jiang Siyi watched, her throat feeling dry. She rubbed her eyes, pretending to be sleepy. “Then I’ll go upstairs and sleep. I still have school tomorrow.”
“Okay, good night.”
***
For Jiang Siyi, life after turning eighteen didn’t change much.
The earth still rotated, and Shen Shiwu still treated her like a younger sister.
It was utterly pointless.
Xu Yuan, however, was excited, presenting her gift like a treasure. “Look! A signed copy from the famous writer, Chang Qian!”
“It’s authentic. I spent a fortune asking my mom’s friend to get it for me.”
Jiang Siyi’s eyes sparkled; she clearly loved it.
“Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for? It’s your eighteenth birthday!”
She leaned closer and whispered, “So, did you confess last night?”
“No.”
“…You’re such a disappointment!”
Jiang Siyi sighed. “If I scare her away, who’s going to take care of me?”
“It’s not that easy to scare someone away. What if she likes you too? Besides, she’s using your mother’s inheritance. Wouldn’t she be struck by lightning if she ran away?”
“…”
The girl propped her chin up and said sullenly, “We’ll see.”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll teach you a trick.” Xu Yuan lowered her voice. “It can test if she’s interested in you.”
“She’s definitely not.” Despite saying this, Jiang Siyi leaned closer to listen.
After hearing it, the girl remained silent for a long time.
Only after the lunch break ended did she finally make up her mind, patting Xu Yuan’s shoulder. “Okay, I’ll try it.”
Three minutes later, Jiang Siyi stood alone by the phone. After making sure no one was around, she dialed Shen Shiwu’s number.
The other woman always answered quickly, and this time was no exception.
“Hello, Xiao Si, what’s up?”
Jiang Siyi fidgeted with the corner of her clothes, took a few deep breaths, and then lowered her voice. “Someone gave me another love letter.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a low voice asked, “Who?”
“Xu Yuan.”
Saying the name, Jiang Siyi almost laughed, but she quickly suppressed it and continued adding details. “I didn’t expect her to have a crush on me for so many years.”
“Just now, after class, she just stuffed a love letter into my hand. I didn’t even react.”
Shen Shiwu was currently inspecting the marketing department. Hearing this, she stopped in her tracks, standing by the back door.
An employee, mistakenly thinking she had left, started slacking off, only to be met with a sharp reprimand, “Do you think I’m blind?”
The voice was cold, laced with anger.
The employee quickly switched back to her work screen. “I’m sorry, Boss, I’m sorry…”
Jiang Siyi heard the whole exchange. Although she knew Shen Shiwu was a completely different person at home and at work, her palms still started to sweat.
She suddenly didn’t dare to continue.
Shen Shiwu held the phone, her emotions unreadable. After a while, she finally asked, “What do you think?”
“You’re an adult now. You can make your own decisions.”
Jiang Siyi’s heart sank.
As expected, she doesn’t have any feelings for me.
The girl’s mood plummeted, and she gritted her teeth. “What if I actually agree to date her?”
Shen Shiwu stared at the wall for a long time, then suddenly let out a humorless laugh.
She didn’t understand why she was angry.
“You can try.”
Her tone was still devoid of any threat, her voice as soft as usual, as if she was simply offering a suggestion.
But Jiang Siyi felt a chill run down her spine.
What do you mean?
Shen Shiwu, what do you mean!
The enraged Jiang Siyi abruptly hung up the phone and grumbled all the way back to the classroom, even the students passing by giving her a wide berth, afraid of incurring her wrath.
Xu Yuan saw her muttering to herself as she returned to the classroom and quickly rushed over. “What did she say?”
“You can try.”
“Is she crazy? What am I supposed to try?”
“…She said I can try.”
Xu Yuan hadn’t heard the tone of Shen Shiwu’s voice.
So, her jaw dropped, and she looked at Jiang Siyi in shock, then patted her shoulder sympathetically. “Well, good luck.”
“…”
The gloomy mood lingered.
During the last class, Jiang Siyi was sleeping soundly when she suddenly heard a commotion in the classroom—
“Is that Jiang Siyi’s older sister?”
“I think so. She’s so beautiful.”
The girl frowned, sensing something was amiss. Looking up, she saw Shen Shiwu standing in the hallway, talking to Fu Jing.
Noticing that she was awake, Shen Shiwu’s gaze met hers through the glass.
That single glance almost made the drowsy Jiang Siyi fall out of her chair.
Did she…
…come straight to the school?
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