Chapter 11: I Also Want Cake (11)
Lin Shenyu stood by the roadside. A car stopped beside him. He tried to open the car door, but it wouldn’t budge. The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Wei Ting’s punchable face.
“Got beaten up? Didn’t you just leave? Came back with a slap mark? She didn’t even see you off?” Wei Ting’s tone was even more infuriating than his expression.
Lin Shenyu stared at Wei Ting and punched him in the face.
He was already feeling frustrated, and Wei Ting just happened to show up.
Liang Xi looked at Jiang Zhiyan and opened a bottle of milk for her: “Drink some, don’t choke.”
“Thank you.” Jiang Zhiyan took a small sip. “It’s very late. Where are you staying tonight?”
Liang Xi glanced at the time: “Are you planning to stay here all night?”
“I don’t know.” Jiang Zhiyan turned the milk bottle, her head lowered. “Maybe I should have the driver take you back now. We still have school tomorrow.”
“Do you want me to leave?” Liang Xi asked.
Jiang Zhiyan was silent for a few seconds: “But…”
Liang Xi hugged Jiang Zhiyan: “It’s okay to be a little selfish at a time like this. You can ask for leave tomorrow morning.”
Just as Jiang Zhiyan was about to lean on Liang Xi’s shoulder, she heard cursing from the other side. There weren’t many people in the hall, so their voices were very clear, echoing slightly.
“Lin Shenyu, is your brain filled with shit? I kindly came to pick you up.”
“Hah, who needs your kindness!”
“What, you want to fight again?”
Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes darkened. As expected, the vicious female supporting character was incompatible with every character.
She let go of Liang Xi, slightly annoyed, and turned around.
Lin Shenyu, who had disappeared for twenty minutes, reappeared with bruises on his face, black and blue. Wei Ting wasn’t in good shape either, his eye swollen, looking rather comical.
Jiang Zhiyan glanced at the two of them expressionlessly. Wei Ting, who had been yelling, shut his mouth, snorted heavily, and walked towards the emergency room.
“Aren’t you coming with me?” Lin Shenyu stared at Jiang Zhiyan. His entire face hurt when he spoke.
“No, it’s awkward.” Jiang Zhiyan refused flatly.
Lin Shenyu sneered. He shouldn’t have come. He got slapped and gained nothing.
He also stormed off. Reaching the corner, he saw Wei Ting still there, peeking around, looking particularly sneaky.
“Why is Liang Xi here?” Wei Ting frowned. “They were even hugging each other. Since when were they so close?”
“I don’t know!” Lin Shenyu was fuming.
“You want to fight again?” Wei Ting’s eyes widened.
“Get lost!” Lin Shenyu shoved Wei Ting, who gasped.
“Fuck, you pushed my wound!”
“Be quiet in the hospital! Don’t make a ruckus!” A nurse on duty poked her head out.
The two shut their mouths.
Wei Ting looked at the two again. They were leaning against each other again. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen girls being more affectionate. Many girls in their class leaned against each other every day, some even occasionally kissing. But these two were just strange.
He took out his phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to their small group chat.
[Wei Ting: Guess who these two are.]
[Fifth Brother: Your sister-in-law and…]
[Wei Ting: Fuck off.]
[Fifth Brother: Liang Xi??? I heard these two are close now, thought it was fake. Where are you guys? Why does it look like a hospital? Why are you at the hospital with these two?]
[Lin Shenyu: I’m here too.]
[Fifth Brother: ???]
[Fifth Brother: I don’t get it. What, after Jiang Zhiyan finished with you two, she likes girls now? Suddenly the logic makes sense. Liang Xi is indeed much cuter than you two, I like her too, it’s a pity she likes that guy.]
[Lin Shenyu: Wait until I beat you up tomorrow.]
…
Jiang Zhiyan finished the sandwich and drank all the milk.
“Do you want more?”
“I’ll eat later.” Jiang Zhiyan wiped her mouth. “Why don’t you come with me later and stay at my place? Then I’ll take you back to get your bag when it’s time for school. My house is closer to here. Where do you live?”
“My house is near East District City Plaza.”
“That’s so far… and you still came over.” Jiang Zhiyan looped her arm through Liang Xi’s, muttering, “You’re so nice. The person who doesn’t like you is truly blind.”
Liang Xi smiled shyly.
“Let’s go, let’s go see my mom.”
“Okay, stay behind me later, just in case your mom tries to hit you again.” Liang Xi frowned slightly.
“It’s fine, I’m agile.” Jiang Zhiyan pulled Liang Xi to the area outside the operating room.
“Hello, Auntie.” Seeing Jiang’s mother, Liang Xi bowed her head slightly, greeting her politely.
Jiang’s mother, seeing Jiang Zhiyan return, was about to speak when her gaze fell on Liang Xi. She looked her up and down, not responding, her attitude noticeably colder: “Where’s Young Master Lin? He…”
“He went back, I’ve already calmed him down.” Jiang Zhiyan pulled Liang Xi to sit down on the other side, blocking her mother’s view, and patted Liang Xi’s hand reassuringly.
Liang Xi smiled: “I’m fine.”
The corridor was suffocatingly quiet.
After calming down, Jiang’s mother thought over Jiang Zhiyan’s words again and again, her heart growing colder with each repetition. She could only wait until he woke up to find out what exactly happened. She should have fixed the surveillance cameras at home, but if he never woke up…
Jiang’s mother clutched her bag, realizing that she was actually somewhat hopeful.
“Assistant Wang, you can go back first. The company needs you during the day.” Jiang’s mother looked up at the assistant sitting opposite her.
“Okay.” Assistant Wang nodded. He didn’t want to stay here either, especially since Jiang’s mother implied that he should still go to work on time.
Jiang Zhiyan looked at Assistant Wang and smiled: “It’s okay to go to the company a little later tomorrow. Rest well. Thank you for coming over so late.”
Jiang’s mother frowned and glanced at Jiang Zhiyan.
Assistant Wang nodded at Jiang Zhiyan without saying anything, but his expression visibly relaxed: “I’ll take care of the company matters tomorrow, you two don’t have to worry.”
“Hah, you’re quite capable now.” Jiang’s mother sneered after Assistant Wang left.
Jiang Zhiyan didn’t retort. Liang Xi frowned and grabbed Jiang Zhiyan’s hand; Jiang Zhiyan gently squeezed back.
While waiting for the surgery, Jiang Zhiyan and Liang Xi leaned against each other, dozing off for a while.
Jiang Zhiyan’s mind was very clear. She wasn’t sleepy. Her arm was a little sore, but she didn’t move.
When the doctor came out, Jiang Zhiyan subconsciously wanted to cover Liang Xi’s ears, but with the slightest movement, Liang Xi opened her eyes. She looked at Jiang Zhiyan sleepily, glancing at Jiang Zhiyan’s hand with some confusion. After a few seconds, she seemed to understand, and rubbed her eyes: “Thank you.”
Chapter 12: I Also Want Cake (12)
Jiang Zhiyan’s father’s condition stabilized, but it was unclear when he would wake up.
Because it was late, they went home, and Jiang’s mother contacted a caregiver.
After arriving home, Jiang Zhiyan found some fresh clothes for Liang Xi and prepared to go find her mother.
Liang Xi looked at her with worry.
“It’s okay, you wash up and go to bed first. I’ll have someone call in sick for us.”
Jiang Zhiyan went to her mother’s room. The lights were off, and her mother was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“What are you doing here?”
“Don’t tell anyone about his coma for now. If Uncle and the others find out, it’ll be troublesome. Hide it for as long as possible. You go to the company tomorrow and understand the current situation.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her mother.
“I need you to teach me how to do things?” Jiang’s mother stared at Jiang Zhiyan. “You pushed him down the stairs.”
“I didn’t push him, he really slipped. And, how he fell isn’t important at all.” Jiang Zhiyan grabbed her mother’s swinging arm, her expression blank. “I hope you can take control of the company during this time, take stock of the assets. He’s been obsessed with having an illegitimate child outside. We don’t know if there really is one, and he might have already secretly transferred some assets.”
“Money is what matters. Without money, how can we maintain our current lifestyle? Mom, wake up.” Jiang Zhiyan stared into her mother’s eyes.
Jiang’s mother gritted her teeth but didn’t retort. Jiang Zhiyan released her hand, and her mother’s arm fell limply.
“If you don’t understand the company’s affairs, then win over Assistant Wang.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at her. “If you don’t hold onto things tightly, they will be divided up by others. You know better than I do what those people are like.”
“Our interests are aligned. Your husband has already started a new family outside.”
Jiang Zhiyan closed the door and left. Jiang’s mother covered her face irritably.
“Are you sure she can handle it?” The system was a bit worried. “This move is still risky. It would have been better to wait until you graduate from university. If you were in university now, you could handle it yourself.”
“That would be a large-scale persona collapse.”
“Oh, you still care about that? I thought you weren’t even planning on getting any points.”
Jiang Zhiyan ignored its sarcasm, returned to her room, saw the person on the bed, and quietly closed the door, going to the bathroom outside to take a shower.
“Didn’t you say she should sleep in the guest room?”
“I can’t wake her up now that she’s asleep.” Jiang Zhiyan changed into her pajamas and quietly returned to the room.
Liang Xi woke up for a moment, the quilt rustling slightly, mumbling something that seemed like a greeting before falling silent again.
It was past four o’clock. Jiang Zhiyan sent a message to Lin Shenyu, asking him to call in sick for her, then set an alarm for eleven o’clock. Class started at 1:30 pm, so waking up at eleven was about right. She could eat lunch, accompany Liang Xi to get her schoolbag, and then go to school. Perfect.
Lin Shenyu lay in bed, unable to sleep because of the pain in his face. Hearing the sound of his phone, he picked it up and glanced at it, then threw it back, closing his eyes with a dark expression.
He picked up his phone again.
[Lin Shenyu: You call in sick yourself, I need to call in sick too!]
[Lin Shenyu: You actually took Liang Xi home?]
[Jiang Zhiyan: What else could I do? It was so late.]
Lin Shenyu stared at the message from Jiang Zhiyan. When they were talking yesterday, she was still very polite, but now she wasn’t even pretending.
Thinking of what Fifth Brother said in the group chat, Lin Shenyu felt uncomfortable all over. He wanted to ask something but didn’t in the end.
[Jiang Zhiyan: Please don’t tell anyone about what happened at my house, thank you.]
Lin Shenyu rolled his eyes. She was being polite again now.
[Lin Shenyu: I’m not interested in gossiping.]
[Jiang Zhiyan: Bye, going to sleep.]
Lin Shenyu threw his phone aside again. This time, he didn’t throw it properly, and it landed on the floor.
“Fuck.”
Jiang Zhiyan placed her phone securely on the nightstand to charge, lay down on the bed, turned to look at Liang Xi beside her, and moved a little closer.
“Host, what are you doing?” The system asked sharply.
“Cold, unconsciously moving closer to a heat source.” Jiang Zhiyan said, moving closer still, and then closed her eyes.
“Host, your ability to lie through your teeth is truly impressive.”
“Shut up, I’m sleeping. Wake me up tomorrow morning and use my phone to message my and Liang Xi’s teachers to call in sick for us. If you ask me for points, I’ll collapse the world during the day and we’ll all die together.”
The system, which was just about to ask for points: “You’re ruthless.”
“You’re too cunning. Such small favors that don’t affect the plot shouldn’t require points. You’re an AI, it takes you a second.” Jiang Zhiyan’s voice was calm.
The system observed the two of them all night. Nothing interesting happened.
Both of their sleeping postures were very proper, not crossing any boundaries, and they didn’t make any noise while sleeping. If it weren’t for seeing them lying in bed, it would have thought the room was empty. The system was slightly disappointed.
When the eleven o’clock alarm rang, Liang Xi shot up from the bed. Jiang Zhiyan opened her eyes and looked at her, saying nothing.
Liang Xi sat on the bed, motionless. After a minute, it seemed like she had fully booted up and started moving. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and then stretched.
The alarm was still ringing. Liang Xi, half-closing her eyes, slowly lay back down, trying to burrow back into the quilt. In her sleepy haze, she saw Jiang Zhiyan, eyes open and clear, and froze for two seconds, then her eyes widened, and she smiled sheepishly: “Morning.”
“Do you still want to sleep? You can sleep until 12:30. I’ll have the driver go to your house to get your bag first.” Jiang Zhiyan turned off the alarm.
“N-no… no need.” Liang Xi shook her head with a dry laugh.
Liang Xi: Aaaah! So embarrassing! Why did she just lie back down? Why?
“Aren’t you tired holding yourself up like that?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Liang Xi’s posture, propped up on the bed.
Liang Xi immediately lowered her arms, which then landed heavily on the bed. She didn’t want to speak anymore. Closing her eyes, in a moment of brainlessness, she burrowed back under the quilt, her toes curling up.
Jiang Zhiyan couldn’t help but chuckle, but to save the other person’s face, she didn’t laugh out loud.
“Sleep a little longer, I’ll call you later.” Jiang Zhiyan reached out and gently patted the quilt twice.
“Okay.” Liang Xi mumbled in reply.
“Come out and get some air.”
“Okay.” Liang Xi closed her eyes and poked her head out from under the quilt. As long as she couldn’t see anyone, she could pretend that no one could see her.
Liang Xi was easily embarrassed. When Jiang Zhiyan called her to wake up half an hour later, her ears were still red. She followed behind Jiang Zhiyan awkwardly.
She was wearing Jiang Zhiyan’s school uniform. The uniform had been washed, but she could still smell the usual fragrance on Jiang Zhiyan, wafting into her nose. The quilt last night had the same scent.
“Auntie, where’s my mom?” Jiang Zhiyan led Liang Xi to the dining table.
“She went to the company early this morning.”
“Thank you for last night, Auntie.” Jiang Zhiyan sat down with Liang Xi.
“No problem, it’s what I should do. Eat, the food was just made, it won’t taste good cold.”
“Okay.” Jiang Zhiyan replied, opening her phone and glancing at the unread messages. The top one was from Assistant Wang.
[Assistant Wang: Someone came to ask about Mr. Jiang, I brushed them off. There are no problems with the company at the moment. I’ve informed Madam about the basic situation of the company.]
Jiang Zhiyan curled her lip, relieved. The world finally went her way for once. Although Assistant Wang didn’t explicitly say it, this gave her a hint. No matter what happened later, he was willing to side with them now. However, it was a bit strange that he took sides so easily.
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