Chapter 82
So,
The caring messages, the holiday greetings, and the inquiries about her new book,
All of them had been from Shen Shiwu.
Thinking this, Jiang Siyi felt a lump forming in her throat, a sour taste in her mouth. She heard Shen Shiwu ask, “What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”
She quickly snapped back to reality and discreetly wiped away a tear.
“Just stuffed, spacing out for a bit,” Jiang Siyi said, handing her phone back to Shen Shiwu, holding the warm paper cup, and blinking rapidly.
“Shen Shiwu, during the four years I was in England, how… how was your life?”
Shen Shiwu rarely talked about those four years, so Jiang Siyi asked tentatively.
Shen Shiwu was silent for a moment, her expression neutral. “It was good.”
Jiang Siyi hugged the cup tighter, thinking, Just keep pretending.
“Did you miss me?”
“No.”
Then why did you keep sending me messages?
Jiang Siyi wanted to confront her with the evidence, but after thinking for a moment, she decided it wasn’t the right time and kept quiet.
It was past five, and they finally arrived home just before sunset. The housekeeper came out to greet them, and Jiang Siyi called out sweetly, “Auntie—”
Shen Shiwu’s lips curved into a smile as she followed behind her, reminding her, “Slow down, watch where you’re going.”
Jiang Siyi ignored her and rushed inside, hugging Eleven tightly. Only when they were at the dining table, and Shen Shiwu took the rabbit from her, did she finally sit down and start eating.
“Eleven seems to have gained weight, don’t you think so?” she asked.
Shen Shiwu looked her over. “No, you’ve lost weight, haven’t you?”
Jiang Siyi felt a pang of unease.
But Shen Shiwu’s expression was neutral, so she let it go.
After dinner, Jiang Siyi refused to leave the sofa, like a child who had been playing and didn’t want to go home.
“Auntie Wang is waiting.”
“Oh.”
“Let’s go.”
Jiang Siyi hugged the plushie and crawled in the opposite direction, whining, “I don’t want to go home.”
Seeing Shen Shiwu’s hesitation, she pressed her advantage. “We just did it last night, and you’re already chasing me away?”
“Even if we’re not back together, we’re at least friends with benefits, you can’t just kick me out like this.”
Shen Shiwu stood there, silent. Jiang Siyi covered her eyes with the plushie, her face flushed.
One moment talking dirty, the next moment shy.
Such a tease.
But also adorable.
After a while, Shen Shiwu went outside and told Auntie Wang to go home. When she returned, Jiang Siyi was still in the same position.
“Alright, get up.”
Jiang Siyi slowly opened one eye.
“Take your things upstairs.”
Yay.
She could stay at her ex-girlfriend’s house again.
She jumped up and grabbed her suitcase. But reaching the stairs, she pretended to struggle. “It’s so heavy, I can’t carry it.”
Shen Shiwu, still looking at her laptop, said, “You weren’t this weak when you were fighting.”
Jiang Siyi: “…”
She couldn’t argue with that.
She forced a smile and carried the suitcase upstairs.
Jiang Siyi was curious why the bed in this room was always made.
Could it be that someone else was staying here?
Her heart tightened, as if she had discovered a secret. She left the room and called out from the top of the stairs, “Shen Shiwu—”
Thinking it was better to ask in person, she hurried downstairs and stood beside Shen Shiwu. “Do you have a new girlfriend?”
Shen Shiwu looked at her sideways.
“Who upset you now?”
“…No one.”
Jiang Siyi said seriously, “I noticed that the bed in that room is always made.”
Shen Shiwu shook her head slightly. “So?”
“So, you’re not seeing anyone new, are you?”
“During our breakup, I spent most of my time with you,” Shen Shiwu tapped her head lightly, “do you think I had time for anyone else?”
Jiang Siyi leaned her head against her shoulder. “I guess so.”
“You should think about things from different perspectives,” Shen Shiwu said, glancing at her.
“Then it couldn’t have been prepared for me, could it?”
Saying this, Jiang Siyi’s eyes widened, as if she had just realized something. She looked at Shen Shiwu. “Was it really for me?”
Shen Shiwu, unable to stand her gaze, mumbled, “Mm-hmm.”
“Then can I stay here permanently?”
“No.”
“I’ll pay rent, I won’t stay for free.”
Jiang Siyi’s tone was sincere. “I can also help you take care of the rabbit, water the plants, mop the floor, cook, do laundry…”
She was practically offering to be her maid.
“Those are the housekeeper’s duties,” Shen Shiwu said ruthlessly, “besides, is your cooking even edible?”
“Or is your true intention to assassinate your ex-girlfriend?”
No.
Her true intention was to be near the rabbit, and also to pursue her ex-wife.
Of course, she couldn’t say that out loud, or she would be kicked out.
Jiang Siyi cleared her throat and said, omitting the first part, “Of course not, my intention is to get back together with you.”
Shen Shiwu’s expression remained neutral. “Mm-hmm, I know.”
Seeing her indifferent reaction, Jiang Siyi cried out, “Then when will you agree?”
“Where’s your sincerity?”
Sincerity?
She suddenly had an idea.
Jiang Siyi stayed at Shen Shiwu’s house for over a month.
During this time, she sent countless bouquets and designer bags, but Shen Shiwu still showed no sign of relenting.
So hard to pursue.
Jiang Siyi looked at the mountain of deliveries and sighed.
She had to spend money, but she also had to earn it.
One day, as she was working on her manuscript, she glanced at the date and realized it was already December.
Christmas was coming soon.
She remembered the Christmas Eve four years ago, when she had cried herself to sleep after being called “sister.” And now, she was almost turning gray from trying to win Shen Shiwu back.
She pondered for a while, then concluded,
Shen Shiwu was her kryptonite.
Just then, she heard a noise downstairs.
Her kryptonite had returned.
She opened her door and peeked downstairs. “Why are you back so early today?”
“I finished all my work,” Shen Shiwu said, picking up the rabbit and petting its head. Seeing that the dining table was empty, she asked, “You haven’t had lunch?”
Wu Ying had finally come home for a visit, so the housekeeper had taken the day off. Jiang Siyi, hearing this, lied as she walked towards her room, “I ordered takeout.”
“Come downstairs and sit with me,” Shen Shiwu said, patting the sofa.
“I haven’t finished my manuscript yet.”
Seeing Shen Shiwu look up at her, Jiang Siyi changed direction and slowly went downstairs.
“It’s three in the afternoon,” Shen Shiwu said, her tone neutral, “starving yourself to become immortal?”
“I was too focused on writing, I forgot to eat.” It wasn’t a lie; she had often done this when she was abroad.
“Why the sudden urgency?”
“To make money,” Jiang Siyi said, pointing her finger at the air.
“No need.”
“Why not?” Jiang Siyi put the rabbit down and wrapped her arms around Shen Shiwu’s arm, shaking it. “I need money to pursue you.”
“I’ve returned everything,” Shen Shiwu looked at her, “I don’t need these things.”
“Then what do you need?” Jiang Siyi pouted, truly puzzled.
What do I need…?
I want to see longing and possessiveness in your eyes.
I want you to never talk about leaving or breaking up again.
Looking at Jiang Siyi’s confused expression, Shen Shiwu gritted her teeth slightly, thinking that some things required a push.
So, that night, she asked her assistant to find an actress.
The actress was similar to Jiang Siyi in many ways, her appearance, her age, even her way of speaking.
And the role she was going to play was Shen Shiwu’s admirer.
***
It was December, the depths of winter, the air biting cold, although there was no snow.
In this kind of weather, it was hard to leave the warmth of one’s bed. So, the next day, Jiang Siyi slept until noon as usual, then continued working on her manuscript after lunch.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
It was Shen Shiwu’s assistant. “Ms. Jiang, are you free now?”
Jiang Siyi was puzzled. “Yes, what’s wrong?”
“Our copywriter in the marketing department is on leave for two days, and the boss asked me to ask if you could help us with some advertising copy.”
So she was being used as free labor.
But remembering that she had been freeloading at Shen Shiwu’s house for over a month, Jiang Siyi agreed. “Sure, can we discuss it online?”
“No, we need you to come to the office.”
After hanging up, Auntie Wang came to pick her up.
As soon as she entered the company building, the receptionist greeted her with a smile and gestured politely.
Jiang Siyi followed her, suddenly remembering four years ago, when she had walked through these halls in her school uniform.
Lost in thought, she had already reached the elevator.
As she waited, just like years ago, countless gazes fell upon her.
But things were different now.
Jiang Siyi was no longer afraid of these unfamiliar stares.
She calmly met their gazes, her expression indifferent.
After silently intimidating everyone, Jiang Siyi entered the elevator and went to the marketing department.
Writing advertising copy was a piece of cake for her.
She finished it in half an hour, even coming up with a marketing plan.
Going upstairs, Jiang Siyi hummed a tune as she walked towards Shen Shiwu’s office.
The top floor was quiet, the window half-open, the cold wind rustling the leaves of the plants.
She knocked on the door, and before Shen Shiwu could even finish her “come in,” she pushed the door open and entered.
“Come in.”
Shen Shiwu looked up and saw Jiang Siyi already sitting in a chair, her movements swift and decisive.
“I sent you the finished copy on WeChat, and here’s the marketing plan,” she said, pulling her chair closer to Shen Shiwu, her expression smug, “I made it just now.”
Shen Shiwu took the documents and started reading.
Jiang Siyi, restless, looked around the office. Suddenly, her gaze fell on something on the desk. “What’s this?” she asked.
Shen Shiwu didn’t look up, just glanced at it from the corner of her eye.
Then she said casually, “Nothing.”
Seeing her reaction, Jiang Siyi’s curiosity was piqued.
It was rectangular and white.
Like… a letter.
Similar to the love letters she used to receive.
“Don’t tell me it’s a love letter?” Jiang Siyi tilted her head, her tone casual.
Shen Shiwu closed the marketing plan and said ruthlessly, “The information is too disorganized, it’s not good enough.”
Jiang Siyi: “…”
Just as she was about to retort, Shen Shiwu finally answered her earlier question.
“Mm-hmm, it’s a love letter.”
Jiang Siyi’s eyes widened.
She slammed the table and jumped up. “Who gave it to you!?”
Shen Shiwu, in contrast, remained incredibly calm.
She enunciated clearly, “An admirer.”
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