Chapter 31
When I become a little better.
Jiang Siyi had wanted to say that.
But that felt too far off. She leaned back in the car seat, watching as Shen Shiwu fastened her seatbelt, and suddenly said, “On the day my college entrance exam results are released.”
Shen Shiwu, still leaning over, looked into the girl’s eyes, guessing most of the reason.
She tapped Jiang Siyi’s forehead lightly. “You…”
“Always overthinking.”
Jiang Siyi looked away, not denying it.
The car slowly moved forward, the traffic heavy, the sound of car horns blaring.
The spot where the four of them had been standing was now empty. Jiang Siyi, looking at it, thought of Shen Yun’s attempt to set Shen Shiwu up with Yang Yu, and her heart ached.
—It’s all because I’m not good enough.
She rolled down the car window, letting in the noise from outside. She turned her face to the wind, and after a long while, as the car finally moved out of the congested area, she felt slightly better.
“What do you want to eat?”
Jiang Siyi had been under a lot of stress from studying lately, and her sleep quality was poor. She leaned her head back, almost falling asleep. Waking up groggily, she mumbled, “Anything but Western food.”
Shen Shiwu patted her head. “Mm, not Western food.”
“There’s a private kitchen nearby, want to try it?”
Jiang Siyi wasn’t picky and nodded, the drowsiness in her eyes fading slightly.
She was led out of the car and into the restaurant. The waiter, seeing Shen Shiwu, immediately called the owner over.
“Mr. Shen, it’s been a while,” the owner greeted enthusiastically. “Here with your younger sister today?”
Shen Shiwu smiled. “Not my younger sister.”
The owner paused, afraid of saying the wrong thing, and quickly changed the subject. “Okay, okay, please come in.”
The VIP room was very private. After they ordered, the waiter carefully closed the door. Shen Shiwu, watching Jiang Siyi engrossed in her phone, suddenly said, “I have a gift for you.”
The girl looked up, not hearing clearly. “A gift?”
Shen Shiwu placed a rectangular box on the table as if by magic. She rested her chin on one hand and pushed the box forward with the other. “A new phone.”
Phones held a special significance for Jiang Siyi. The one she was currently using was a second-hand phone she had bought with half her earnings from her part-time job.
There was nothing wrong with a second-hand phone. It was cheap and durable, and she was satisfied with it.
But people always had aspirations.
She had always thought that when she made a lot of money, the first thing she would do was buy a new phone.
Jiang Siyi hesitated, not reaching for the box.
Shen Shiwu suddenly stood up and sat beside her.
She looked at the girl’s side profile, her fingertip tracing a few strands of hair. “If you don’t take it, I’ll kiss you.”
Jiang Siyi finally realized—they hadn’t been intimate in a while.
She looked into Shen Shiwu’s eyes, blinked slightly, and then asked, “Did you buy this with my mother’s money?”
Afraid she wouldn’t accept it, Shen Shiwu nodded.
Jiang Siyi’s emotions were complex.
She chuckled, as if to mask a sigh, and said slowly, “Okay, but thank you for going through the trouble of buying it.”
Staring at the girl’s lips, Shen Shiwu was about to lean in when the door opened, and the owner came in to serve the dishes.
The atmosphere froze.
The owner, seeing their close proximity, wanted to chop off her own hands.
The dozen or so dishes were served in under half a minute. As the owner left, she considerately said, “Mr. Shen, I’ve stationed two waiters outside your door.”
Then she fled, the entire process smooth and seamless.
The two in the private room: “…”
Shen Shiwu clicked her tongue, her expression displeased.
Looking at the blushing girl beside her, the desire within her deepened.
So she said, “Now that we’re alone, can I kiss you?”
Jiang Siyi’s eyelashes fluttered, and she asked, “If I say no, will you not kiss me?”
Shen Shiwu chuckled softly.
She wrapped her arms around the girl’s slender waist, her voice echoing in her ear. “If Xiao Si says no, then I’ll just… have to do something else.”
But she only kissed Jiang Siyi.
Having not done this in a while, Shen Shiwu lost control again. Jiang Siyi’s body went limp, her eyes slightly red as she leaned against the leather sofa.
Her long hair cascaded down, her arms limply at her sides, like she was drowning in the sea.
The owner knocked on the door again, saying she was bringing more dishes. The sound startled Jiang Siyi, her eyes filled with panic.
Shen Shiwu admitted, she loved seeing the girl like this, so she teased, “It seems someone is coming in.”
Jiang Siyi was about to speak, but her lips were captured again. It wasn’t until tears welled up in her eyes that Shen Shiwu lifted her head and called out, “We don’t need anything.”
Seeing the girl’s distraught expression, Shen Shiwu inwardly berated herself. She gently kissed Jiang Siyi’s forehead. “Sorry, I scared you.”
Jiang Siyi sniffed, her lips swollen and red. She said sullenly, “Help me up.”
After the chaotic meal, Jiang Siyi couldn’t sleep in the car, so she started setting up her new phone.
The first thing she did after turning it on was download a cloud storage app.
She backed up all her photos, especially the ones from the Lunar New Year in London. After that, she downloaded WeChat and logged into her account.
The class group chat was incredibly active, with new messages popping up every second.
She scrolled through the messages, seeing that some classmates had already dyed their hair, and many were planning graduation trips.
Everyone was letting loose.
Jiang Siyi smiled faintly.
She usually didn’t participate in the group chat. After reading the messages, she exited the chat and was about to reply to Xu Yuan.
Then she saw a notification for a new friend request.
—Hello, I’m an editor from Yunyu Publishing. Please accept my request.
Jiang Siyi’s eyes widened, and she quickly accepted.
The other person replied quickly: “Hello, my name is Lin Yusheng, I’m an editor at Yunyu Publishing.”
“We really liked the manuscript you submitted and would like to publish it in our magazine. There are a few places that need revising, would you be available?”
Jiang Siyi remembered Wu Ying mentioning this a long time ago, but she hadn’t received any emails, so she had assumed her manuscript had been rejected.
She replied without hesitation, “Yes, please let me know what needs to be changed.”
That night, Jiang Siyi revised her manuscript and earned 500 yuan. She stretched, feeling sore, and collapsed onto her bed, exhausted but happy—Finally, she had a marketable skill.
She tossed and turned in bed, hugging her pillow, until she almost suffocated, then she poked her nose and mouth out.
She wanted to secretly improve herself, hoping to one day publish a book and impress Shen Shiwu, and also to make everyone think—
They were a perfect match.
***
Over the next few days, Jiang Siyi sent all her old essays and short stories to Lin Yusheng. The editor appreciated her writing style, praising her generously, and even asked, “Have you considered developing your career abroad?”
Jiang Siyi was having breakfast when she received the message, and Shen Shiwu was about to leave for work, laptop in hand.
The woman kissed her cheek before leaving.
“If you’re bored, you can come to the office. I’ll have Auntie Wang pick you up.”
Jiang Siyi’s face burned.
“I’m not bored. Auntie Shen is here with me.”
Shen Yun rarely came back to China, so now that she was here, she wanted to stay longer. Therefore, Jiang Siyi and Shen Shiwu had to be more discreet with their affection.
The door opened and closed, Shen Shiwu’s figure disappearing. Jiang Siyi stared at the door for a long time, lost in thought, before finally snapping back to reality.
She opened her phone and replied, “Sorry, I haven’t considered that yet.”
After breakfast, Shen Yun finally woke up. She came downstairs slowly, a face mask on, looking relaxed.
Seeing Jiang Siyi, she smiled. “Xiao Si, why are you up so early, even though the college entrance exam is over?”
Jiang Siyi replied obediently, “My biological clock, I woke up at this time.”
Shen Yun nodded, sat down for breakfast, and chatted with her. Noticing the girl’s bare wrist, she feigned anger. “Where’s the bangle I gave you? Why aren’t you wearing it?”
“It’s too precious, so I put it away.”
“Why put it away? I gave it to you to wear.”
Only after Jiang Siyi went back to her room and put on the jade bangle was Shen Yun satisfied. She patted the girl’s hand. “It’s okay, don’t worry about breaking it. If it breaks, I’ll buy you a new one.”
Shen Shiwu came home early today. Opening the door, she saw the two of them curled up on the sofa, watching a drama, having used up a whole box of tissues from crying.
She said helplessly, “Mom, don’t be a bad influence on Xiao Si.”
“Heh, I should be saying that to you.” Shen Yun waved her away. “Move, move, don’t block our view.”
It was an ordinary day. After dinner, Jiang Siyi, as usual, lay on the sofa, playing on her phone. She seemed to be killing time, but she was actually keeping Shen Shiwu company while she worked.
Shen Yun, unable to stay awake any longer, went upstairs to bed, leaving the two lovebirds alone in the living room.
Jiang Siyi yawned, also wanting to go back to her room to rest. But just as she moved, she was pulled back.
Shen Shiwu held her wrist. “Not keeping me company anymore?”
Jiang Siyi was afraid of Shen Yun suddenly coming out of her room; the mere thought made her want to faint.
So she whispered, “Stay… stay away.”
But Shen Shiwu didn’t listen. She tilted Jiang Siyi’s chin up, her voice husky. “I want to kiss you.”
“We can’t do it here, what if someone sees us…?”
The only response was the sound of running water.
Having lost all her strength, Jiang Siyi could only give up struggling, a strange sense of excitement amidst the tension.
Like they were having a secret affair.
Her chin was numb, her lips and tongue still tingling from the kiss. In a daze, Jiang Siyi responded, deepening the kiss.
A long time later, they finally separated. Shen Shiwu kissed the tip of her nose and whispered, “Come to the office with me tomorrow. I miss you.”
Jiang Siyi’s body tingled.
She nodded dreamily and was pulled into a tight embrace, their bodies pressed close together in the quiet living room.
The lights were off at the stairwell, shrouded in darkness, but a figure stood there.
Shen Yun, feeling thirsty, had come downstairs for some water, never expecting to see this.
She was stunned.
Only when the two stirred did she snap back to reality and quietly retreated to her room.
Closing the door, she leaned against the wall, replaying the scene in disbelief.
—This can’t be happening.
—Xiao Si was the daughter of her deceased friend… this, this was wrong!
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