Chapter 42
After changing her clothes, the doorbell rang incessantly.
She answered, and it was her therapist in London. “How are you feeling lately? Have you been taking your medication regularly?”
In all her years of practice, Jiang Siyi was the most disobedient patient she had ever encountered.
Jiang Siyi checked the door, making sure it was locked, before pulling over a chair and sitting down.
She lowered her eyes, unsure how to answer.
After a moment, she sighed. “More frequent episodes.”
“As for the medication, I’m taking it.”
The therapist, in broken Chinese, asked, “Did you run into your ex-friend again?”
“…Ex-girlfriend.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Jiang Siyi rubbed her temples. Seeing that she still had some time before the book signing, she relaxed and said, “Yes, and… something unexpected happened.”
Just before hanging up, the therapist asked, “Do you still love her?”
Jiang Siyi stood up and opened the curtains. The sky outside was a warm golden hue, a clear sign that the rain had stopped.
She gripped her phone, then sighed softly. “Maybe.”
The venue for the additional book signing sessions was different from the previous one, larger, with several guest speakers.
One of them, a voice actress, was an acquaintance of Jiang Siyi’s. They had met in England, walked in the snow together, and had dinner, so they could be considered friends.
Seeing her arrive, the voice actress waved. “Ms. Jiang, long time no see.”
She recognized Lin Yusheng, who was following behind Jiang Siyi, but the woman standing next to her was a stranger.
After greeting Lin Yusheng, she asked hesitantly, “This is…?”
No one answered her—Jiang Siyi didn’t bother, Lin Yusheng didn’t dare to speak, and as for Shen Shiwu…
She treated the voice actress like air, asking Jiang Siyi, “Are you thirsty? There’s a bubble tea shop nearby, I’ll go buy you a drink later.”
The voice actress fidgeted, feeling awkward.
Jiang Siyi shook her head, declining the offer, then said to the woman before her, “Long time no see, Ms. Kong.”
She ignored the earlier question and started a new conversation. “Why are you back in China?”
Kong Yin, relieved to receive a response, sighed. “It’s more comfortable back home. It’s always unfamiliar abroad, even going out feels lonely, and I don’t have any friends there.”
Jiang Siyi agreed and was about to reply when she felt a certain gaze on her. She paused, then simply nodded. “That’s true.”
She smiled. “Then I’ll go backstage now, the book signing is about to begin. Good luck to both of us.”
Kong Yin smiled back and waved. “Okay, see you later, Ms. Jiang.”
The backstage lounge was quiet, only the staff members bustling around. Closing the door behind them, they were completely isolated.
Lin Yusheng thoughtfully excused herself, saying she had to discuss something with the staff, but Jiang Siyi saw through her act and didn’t say anything.
“Ms. Jiang,”
Without even looking back, Jiang Siyi knew this person was up to no good. She continued applying her makeup, ignoring her.
“Not even giving me the title of ‘ex-girlfriend’?”
“We’re exes, what title do you need?”
Shen Shiwu nodded thoughtfully, moved her chair behind Jiang Siyi, and started watching her through the mirror.
Jiang Siyi’s hand, applying lipstick, paused: “…”
“That color looks good on you.”
“You think?”
“Mm-hmm, so why won’t you give me a title?”
Jiang Siyi almost snapped her lipstick in half.
She smiled. “Should I go around announcing that you’re my ex-girlfriend?”
“That’s a good idea,” Shen Shiwu said, as if praising a subordinate, “I’ll consider it.”
Seeing that she was about to be kicked out again, Shen Shiwu chuckled. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop. You should be heading to the stage soon after you’re done with your makeup. Do you want something to eat?”
No matter how much time had passed, Shen Shiwu’s way of showing affection was still like feeding a pig.
Seeing her magically produce a bag of pastries, Jiang Siyi really wanted to change her bank card password.
“You eat it yourself. If you can’t finish that whole bag in ten minutes, you’ll take my last name,” Jiang Siyi said casually, combing her hair.
“Okay,” Shen Shiwu tossed the bag aside, leaned closer, and twirled a strand of Jiang Siyi’s hair. “Mom.”
That single word, “Mom,” made Jiang Siyi’s mind go blank. It wasn’t until they were about to go on stage that she finally snapped back to reality, gulping down a glass of water and following Lin Yusheng.
Before leaving, she warned Shen Shiwu not to play any tricks and not to pretend to be a reader and wait in line.
The woman gently scratched her nose, her eyes smiling. “I know.”
The venue was divided into several sections. In one area, the voice actress was interacting with the audience, while in another, the authors were signing books.
It was a controlled chaos.
The line for Jiang Siyi’s book signing was especially long, but she was always patient with her readers, often chatting with them even after their allotted time was up.
Just like when she was seventeen or eighteen, using every opportunity to whisper to her friends in class.
During this time, she carefully scanned the end of the line for Shen Shiwu, but she couldn’t find her.
She finally relaxed.
By evening, the line had shortened, and the crowd had thinned. Jiang Siyi leaned back in her chair to rest, occasionally chatting with the readers who lingered nearby.
As she was drinking water and listening to someone talk, several messages popped up on WeChat. She glanced at them and saw that the person who had been missing all afternoon had sent her a message: “Want me to bring you something to eat?”
Jiang Siyi replied, “No, thank you.”
There was no response.
Until about ten minutes later, an announcement suddenly blared from the PA system.
Jiang Siyi thought there was an emergency. Just as she sat up straight, she heard the organizer’s enthusiastic voice, “Please don’t leave yet! Ms. Jiang Siyi would like to treat everyone to afternoon tea…”
The crowd erupted in excitement.
Only Jiang Siyi sat there, stunned.
The announcement continued, mixing with the chatter of the crowd, even livelier than when everyone was rushing to bring in their laundry before a rainstorm.
Jiang Siyi forced a smile, then took out her phone and started bombarding a certain someone with messages.
“Shen Shiwu, did you do this?”
“Do you know how many people are here? This isn’t how you spend money.”
This time, Shen Shiwu played dead, not responding for a long time.
Jiang Siyi gritted her teeth, then, looking up, she forced a smile and said to the crowd, pretending to be generous, “It’s okay, as long as everyone is happy.”
Several cars arrived, loaded with boxes of pastries, and the crowd, lining up, chattered excitedly.
Jiang Siyi, involuntarily cast as the generous benefactor, felt slightly awkward, but she continued sending messages. “I’m not paying for this, you deal with it yourself.”
Everyone rushed to get their afternoon tea, even Lin Yusheng.
She wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, she just wanted to join the excitement. She had wanted to drag Jiang Siyi along, but seeing her expressionless face, she gave up.
Someone tapped the table.
Jiang Siyi, busy typing, thought it was Lin Yusheng returning with her loot and was about to wave her hand dismissively when she felt a cold, damp touch on her cheek.
She looked up, startled, and saw Shen Shiwu holding a cup of bubble tea, a smile playing on her lips. “Ms. Jiang, your fingers must be tired from typing, take a break.”
Jiang Siyi hadn’t had bubble tea in a long time. She hesitated for a few seconds, then took the cup—she couldn’t deprive her stomach of this treat.
Condensation on the cup dampened her hand. Just as she was about to wipe it, Shen Shiwu held her wrist and carefully wiped it with a tissue.
The touch tickled, and Jiang Siyi, suppressing her discomfort, asked, “Why did you suddenly do this?”
“Because I wanted to.” She tossed the tissue into the trash can and started massaging Jiang Siyi’s arm. “Is it sore?”
Jiang Siyi, ticklish and sensitive, swatted her hand away, pulled her arm back, and turned her head. “I’m not paying for this.”
Shen Shiwu chuckled. “Of course, I’m paying.”
Hearing her cough, Jiang Siyi turned back. “Have you caught a cold?”
“Maybe, the weather has been unpredictable lately, it’s normal.”
Seeing Jiang Siyi’s hesitant expression, Shen Shiwu leaned closer. “What do you want to say?”
“…Then don’t forget to buy medicine.”
Still so awkward, just like when she was younger.
The woman pinched her chin. “I know, thank you for your concern, Xiao Si.”
Jiang Siyi immediately retorted, “Who’s concerned about you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself, I’m just being polite.”
Her mouth dry from talking, she took a few large gulps of bubble tea, then, remembering that Shen Shiwu had bought it for her, she sniffed and added, “I say this to everyone.”
“Don’t… don’t overthink it.”
The person beside her fell silent, and Jiang Siyi peeked over, seeing Shen Shiwu staring at her intently.
She felt a little uneasy under her gaze.
Just as she was about to speak, someone approached them, calling out, “Ms. Jiang, thank you for the afternoon tea.”
It was Kong Yin, holding a box of cake.
Jiang Siyi smiled politely. “You’re welcome.”
Kong Yin glanced at Shen Shiwu, who was sitting beside her, seemingly curious about their relationship, and asked persistently, “Ms. Jiang, is this… your older sister?”
Jiang Siyi choked slightly, then, after a few seconds, she replied calmly, “No.”
“Ah, then a friend?”
Kong Yin sat down beside them and took a bite of her cake.
She hadn’t been this nosy when they were abroad. Now, she seemed determined to get to the bottom of it.
Jiang Siyi shook her cup of bubble tea, sucking up a few tapioca pearls, before replying vaguely, “Not a friend either.”
Kong Yin’s eyes widened, even more puzzled.
She thought, Could it be…?
Just then, someone chuckled softly.
A certain great author’s heart sank, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
As expected, the next second, Shen Shiwu looked at her sideways and said casually, “Ms. Jiang, doesn’t she know I’m your ex-girlfriend?”
“…”
“Oh, sorry, I slipped up.” She playfully patted her lips, then added, unhurriedly, “Actually, not just ex-girlfriend, but first love as well.”
After saying this, Shen Shiwu feigned distress.
She sighed softly, her voice full of mock apology. “Sorry, I slipped up again.”
Jiang Siyi almost gritted her teeth to dust.
She gripped her bubble tea, wanting to throw it in Shen Shiwu’s face.
But Shen Shiwu wasn’t done yet.
She leaned closer to Jiang Siyi. “Ms. Jiang, you’re not mad at me, are you?”
Kong Yin’s expression was a mix of emotions.
She admitted, she did have feelings for Jiang Siyi, but now, she wouldn’t dare to pursue her—it seemed these two had unfinished business.
She gave an awkward laugh and quickly excused herself.
Seeing her leave, Shen Shiwu finally calmed down slightly. She sensed the coldness radiating from the person beside her and was about to say something soothing, “Jiang…”
“Get out.”
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