Chapter 51
The current Shen Shiwu was a lioness who wouldn’t hesitate to devour her prey.
But it was too late now—Jiang Siyi had already fallen completely.
Fallen so deep that… she couldn’t escape.
Back at the hotel, Shen Shiwu filled the bathtub. Jiang Siyi lay limply on the bed, the sound of running water bringing back unwanted memories.
“I’ll carry you to the bathroom.” Shen Shiwu walked over and kissed her lips, her voice slightly apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t control myself earlier.”
Jiang Siyi’s face remained expressionless, and she closed her eyes at those words.
Then she said, “Get out.”
Shen Shiwu, of course, didn’t get out, but effortlessly lifted her into her arms. Jiang Siyi, startled by the sudden weightlessness, instinctively wrapped her arms around Shen Shiwu’s neck.
After so many rounds, she was too exhausted to speak.
She was placed in the bathtub, the steam clouding her vision. Jiang Siyi, holding onto Shen Shiwu’s arms, her face flushed, said, “I can wash myself, you can go now.”
“You don’t have the energy.”
“I do.”
They stared at each other, the atmosphere growing increasingly intimate.
Shen Shiwu looked at her for a while, seeing her own reflection in the girl’s eyes, her throat tightening, then she finally nodded. “Okay.”
“Be careful, don’t fall.”
The bathroom door closed behind her.
Jiang Siyi wiped the condensation from her face and slowly undressed, sinking into the bathtub.
She liked hot baths, and the temperature was perfect. Feeling the water flowing over her skin, she closed her eyes, feeling drowsy.
Just as she was relaxing, there was a knock on the door.
Shen Shiwu stood outside, asking, “Hello, mind if I join you?”
“…”
Jiang Siyi punched the water, creating ripples. She raised her voice, her tone exasperated. “Get out!”
Seeing that her wife was truly angry, Shen Shiwu finally obeyed.
She replied, “Okay, I’m leaving, take your time.”
It was an hour later when Jiang Siyi finally finished her bath.
Shen Shiwu was sitting on the edge of the bed, working on her laptop. Hearing a noise behind her, she quickly turned around. “All done?”
Jiang Siyi didn’t answer, but simply threw herself onto the bed.
She clutched her pajamas tightly, determined to cover every inch of her skin, and quickly wrapped herself in the blanket.
Shen Shiwu chuckled softly and walked over to tuck her in. But the girl in the bed, thinking she was up to no good again, scrambled to the other side.
“What are you doing?”
“Tucking you in.”
Jiang Siyi hummed softly, only her eyes peeking out from under the blanket. “Thank you, but I can do it myself.”
Shen Shiwu looked at her, bundled up like a burrito, then effortlessly grabbed her ankle and pulled her closer—
She tapped the burrito’s head lightly and said slowly, “So polite.”
Jiang Siyi pouted, looking at the face so close to hers. “Of course.”
Shen Shiwu chuckled softly, then sighed and changed the subject. “I have to go now.”
It was already dark outside, but the curtains in the room were tightly drawn, blocking out any light. Jiang Siyi thought for a moment and nodded. “Okay, you can go.”
Work was important.
If Jiang Siyi had shown even a hint of reluctance, Shen Shiwu would have postponed her meeting and stayed.
But the girl’s tone was firm and decisive.
Shen Shiwu took a deep breath and looked into Jiang Siyi’s eyes.
She stroked her hair. “Be good, I’ll come visit you when I have time.”
Actually, Jiang Siyi was only pretending to be calm.
She nodded, feigning composure. “I’ll be good. Focus on your work, come visit me when you’re free.”
“It’s okay if you’re not, it’s only two months anyway.”
Shen Shiwu’s eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words, but in the end, she simply smiled faintly. “Okay.”
Leaving the hotel, the evening sky was darkening. Shen Shiwu got into her car, but didn’t leave immediately, sitting quietly in the driver’s seat for a while.
Jiang Siyi had indeed matured, now with a career of her own, which wasn’t a bad thing.
But…
She wasn’t by her side.
The woman’s eyes darkened, and a few minutes later, her phone rang.
She answered, and her assistant’s voice came through. “Boss, I’ve arranged for someone to keep an eye on her, her name is Gu Ning.”
“She’s quite capable, don’t worry.”
Shen Shiwu stared at the passing cars, then a faint smile appeared on her lips.
As the night deepened, the car lights and streetlights intertwined, making her close her eyes for a moment.
She finally started the car, her voice calm amidst the sound of traffic. “Mm-hmm, report to me every hour, and I’ll increase her salary accordingly.”
***
Beicheng, like Qinan, was lined with camphor trees.
Jiang Siyi had uncharacteristically sent a message in the group chat last night: “Sorry, I’m not feeling well, I’m going back to the hotel.”
Ah Yun quickly replied, “It’s okay, Ms. Jiang, what’s wrong? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Jiang Siyi, lying in bed, wrapped in Shen Shiwu’s blanket, didn’t reply immediately.
As for why it was Shen Shiwu’s blanket…
Because when she was packing, Shen Shiwu had somehow managed to bring all her bedding over.
Jiang Siyi had only realized it after getting into the car.
She had been shocked and had complained about it being unnecessary and troublesome. But now, she couldn’t help but nuzzle against the blanket, muttering, “It’s actually quite useful…”
As for why she hadn’t replied immediately…
Because she felt a little guilty.
The group chat was flooded with messages, all expressing concern for her. She rolled around in bed a few times, then slowly typed, “Just a bit of a cold, my head feels dizzy.”
“It’s nothing serious, my girlfriend made me some medicine, I feel much better now.”
Jiang Siyi’s words were convincing, and the group chat was filled with messages of “Get some rest, Teacher!”
“Aw, suddenly being fed dog food.”
She turned off her phone screen, placed her hands on her stomach, and stared at the ceiling, thinking—Actually, she wasn’t completely lying.
That jerk Shen Shiwu, her cold not fully recovered, had eagerly ravaged her, and the result was…
She had also caught a slight cold.
Thinking this, she sneezed.
In short,
Shen Shiwu was an irresponsible jerk.
Jiang Siyi gritted her teeth, then punched the air a few times before picking up her phone again to check her messages.
The group chat was still lively, everyone discussing tomorrow’s work.
But Kong Yin had sent her a private message.
She asked, “Ms. Jiang, how are you feeling? Do you want me to bring you some medicine?”
Even Jiang Siyi, usually oblivious to romantic advances from anyone other than Shen Shiwu, could sense something was off.
She kept her distance, replying, “No, thank you.”
The other end was silent for a few minutes.
Kong Yin: “Ms. Jiang, you haven’t answered my first question yet.”
The constant use of the formal address “Teacher” reminded Jiang Siyi of Shen Shiwu.
Her mood improved slightly, but the smile faded as she looked at the phone screen.
She hadn’t wanted to reply, but they were friends, and they would have to work together. Jiang Siyi typed, her face expressionless, “I already said in the group chat.”
Even a fool could hear the coldness in her tone, but Kong Yin, seemingly oblivious, continued sending messages.
Jiang Siyi clicked her tongue, annoyed by the “typing…” indicator, and switched to Shen Shiwu’s chat.
Shen Shiwu hadn’t sent her any new messages. Thinking that she must be driving, Jiang Siyi suppressed her urge to message her and started scrolling through her boring Moments.
There was only one post, but Jiang Siyi read it over and over again.
Perhaps because she was thinking of what had happened in the stairwell a few hours ago, the more she read the words she had written herself, the more embarrassed she felt, and she finally flipped her phone over—
She buried her face in her hands, wondering why she had written so many lovey-dovey lines in her book.
Her phone rang.
Jiang Siyi saw the caller ID and answered, greeting the other person in English.
The woman replied with a smile, “Good afternoon. You sound like you’re in a good mood, is that right?”
Her Chinese sounded robotic.
Jiang Siyi glanced at the time. “Good evening.”
The other person slapped her forehead. “Oh, sorry.”
“My mood…” It was difficult to talk while lying down, so Jiang Siyi sat up slightly, propped up by the pillow Shen Shiwu had brought her.
She chuckled. “It’s not bad.”
Just a little tired.
She needed to rest early.
The therapist on the other end was surprised and asked her the reason in English.
Jiang Siyi, feeling sleepy, blurted out, “I got back together with my ex-girlfriend.”
“I forgot to tell you.”
“My goodness, why would you do that? Do you want your condition to worsen?” The woman in England was shocked and worried.
“Maybe she’s my cure.”
“Cure? I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
After hearing the explanation, the therapist sighed. “Okay. But I still have to remind you, someone who has hurt you before isn’t reliable. Perhaps leaving is the best solution.”
“As your doctor, this is all I can do for you.”
“I have another patient, I’ll talk to you later. Take care, Siyi.”
After hanging up, Jiang Siyi, still ignoring the messages from Kong Yin, stared blankly into space.
Her therapist’s words echoed in her ears. Her drowsiness vanished, and she stared at the ceiling, wide awake.
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
After agonizing over it for half an hour, Jiang Siyi couldn’t resist and sent Shen Shiwu a message.
I miss you a little.
This was what she wanted to say.
But Little Jiang’s pride was more important than anything, and she would rather die than send such a mushy message.
So, after typing for about ten minutes, she still hadn’t sent anything.
Meanwhile, Shen Shiwu, having just bought a bottle of water at a rest stop, looked at the chat, her eyebrows raised slightly.
She unscrewed the cap and drank half the bottle, then typed a question mark.
Jiang Siyi was startled by the notification.
Her thoughts exposed, she pretended nothing had happened and also sent a question mark.
The two question marks faced each other.
Shen Shiwu shook her head helplessly and sent another message: “What do you want to say, baby?”
In a quiet corner, unnoticed by anyone, Ms. Jiang, whose pride was more important than her life,
Seeing the word “baby” from her girlfriend,
Silently screamed and rolled around in bed eight times.
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