Chapter 84
That’s right.
Let your possessiveness and control consume me.
Yes, just like that.
At this moment, Shen Shiwu’s deepest desires were satisfied.
Seeing the tears welling up in the girl’s eyes, she reached out and caught a falling tear on her fingertip.
Wet and warm.
Shen Shiwu rubbed her fingers together, then said, her gaze intense, “Come here.”
Jiang Siyi stood there, frozen. Her mind was racing, a sense of crisis and unease washing over her.
Her eyelashes felt cold against her skin, her heart pounding.
She whispered in defiance, “No.”
In the silent standoff, Shen Shiwu frowned. She pulled the chair beside her, Jiang Siyi’s usual spot, closer.
Then she asked, “Aren’t you tired?”
During her stay at Shen Shiwu’s house, Jiang Siyi had been lazier than a pig. Before, she at least had to go to school, but now, she barely moved.
Having not exercised in a while, and after suddenly cleaning an entire floor, her legs were sore. But she stubbornly turned her head away, two tears escaping her eyes.
Shen Shiwu’s gaze darkened.
She knew Jiang Siyi was testing her,
Gambling on her reaction.
Looking at the girl’s slightly defiant profile, Shen Shiwu played with her pen, a spark of amusement in her eyes.
Then her phone rang. It was her assistant.
“Boss, the meeting has already started, it’s been ten minutes.”
Jiang Siyi’s hair partially obscured her face. Hearing those words, she chuckled inwardly, a bitter laugh.
Time to leave again, huh?
Busy woman.
She didn’t want to stay here any longer, not even bothering to pick up her mop, wanting to find a quiet place to calm down.
Just as she turned to leave, she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. Shen Shiwu, phone in hand, caught up to her and, wrapping an arm around her waist, said, “I have something to do, I’ll join the meeting online.”
The assistant quickly agreed.
The call ended.
Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Jiang Siyi stumbled and fell against Shen Shiwu.
The familiar scent was comforting.
But she still tried to pull away, wanting to create some distance.
“Not now,” Shen Shiwu said, gently wiping away a tear with her thumb, then she scooped Jiang Siyi up into her arms.
Jiang Siyi struggled at first, then, giving up, she buried her face in Shen Shiwu’s neck.
Countless questions raced through Jiang Siyi’s mind—”How long had that girl, who looked so much like her, been pursuing Shen Shiwu?” “What was their relationship?”
“And why had she come to Shen Shiwu’s office just now?”
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
She was afraid of losing Shen Shiwu.
The small figure in her arms was still trembling, her hands clutching Shen Shiwu’s clothes, soft sobs escaping her lips.
Shen Shiwu’s heart melted.
Remembering her life motto of “never show weakness,” she held Jiang Siyi tighter, shaking her head inwardly.
She couldn’t help it.
“There’s no one else. In my twenty-something years of life, the only person I’ve ever had feelings for is you.”
Saying this, Shen Shiwu felt a surge of emotion.
When they had first met, she would never have imagined falling in love with the girl her mother had asked her to take care of.
Perhaps it was Jiang Siyi’s unique personality that had drawn her in, shattering her carefully constructed walls.
Perhaps it was her clumsy, yet sincere, love that had made her fall.
Whatever the reason, now,
Shen Shiwu was completely and utterly in love, and she didn’t want to wake up from this dream.
Jiang Siyi fidgeted with the buttons of her coat.
Hearing her words, she finally lifted her head, her hands still moving restlessly.
“Then why did she come to your office?”
“She’s a student I sponsored three years ago; she came to thank me.”
It wasn’t a lie. Shen Shiwu had indeed sponsored a girl from a poor, mountainous area during their breakup.
Of course, the girl also had another identity: an actress.
Jiang Siyi’s anxiety lessened slightly, but she still wanted to know. “Why does she look so much like me?”
“Where do we look alike?”
Shen Shiwu twirled a strand of Jiang Siyi’s hair between her fingers and leaned closer. “You’re one of a kind.”
When she had asked her assistant to find a suitable actress, the assistant had excitedly told her that among the students she had sponsored, there was one who looked very similar to Ms. Jiang.
Shen Shiwu had glanced at the picture and replied indifferently, “Not alike.”
Just like she had just said,
Jiang Siyi was unique, a precious treasure she had carefully nurtured.
No one could compare.
Jiang Siyi, tired of playing with the buttons, started tracing the faint, brown mole on Shen Shiwu’s collarbone.
In winter, Shen Shiwu’s coats were thick, often covering her neck.
Jiang Siyi, dissatisfied, pulled down her collar slightly. Then she reached out and touched the mole.
Her touch was light, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Shen Shiwu’s eyes darkened.
And the girl was still mumbling, “Sponsored…”
Jiang Siyi didn’t look down on the girl for being sponsored; she even admired her courage and self-respect, qualities she herself lacked.
After a moment, she took out the love letter from her pocket.
Fair competition was always better.
She admired any woman who bravely pursued love.
“Here,” she said, holding the letter out to Shen Shiwu, “she wrote it with her heart, don’t just leave it there, open it and read it.”
Shen Shiwu was silent for a moment.
She clicked her tongue, annoyed. “You want me to read a love letter from your rival?”
She felt a pang of jealousy.
Jiang Siyi looked away, struggled inwardly for a moment, then buried her face in Shen Shiwu’s chest.
Her voice was muffled. “Maybe… you should just give it back to her.”
“But don’t be too harsh when you reject her, learn from how I rejected someone before.”
Shen Shiwu was reminded of Jiang Siyi’s admirer from high school.
She scoffed inwardly.
Jiang Siyi, not understanding, touched her earlobe, which was burning from Shen Shiwu’s breath on her skin, and continued to hide her face.
“Mm-hmm, I know.”
I know.
Hearing those words, a strange feeling stirred in Jiang Siyi’s heart.
It sounded like… obedience, like being completely under her control.
She smiled faintly, feeling a sense of satisfaction. She twirled a strand of Shen Shiwu’s hair and gently rubbed against the mole on her collarbone.
“Shen Shiwu, you have to promise me one more thing.”
The woman didn’t speak, waiting for her to continue.
“While I’m pursuing you, you’re not allowed to see anyone else.”
Jiang Siyi’s tone was demanding. Shen Shiwu, hearing this, teased, “And what about after?”
“After?” A smile appeared on Jiang Siyi’s lips. “We’ll be back together by then.”
“Not allowed during, not allowed after, in short,” she said fiercely, just like when she used to pick fights, “you’re not allowed to see anyone else, ever.”
“You have to be with me forever.”
Seeing her serious expression, Shen Shiwu finally broke. A genuine smile spread across her face, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
Jiang Siyi was reminded of the night Shen Shiwu had taken her in.
She had smiled at her like this too.
“I know, I’ll be with you,” Shen Shiwu said, tapping Jiang Siyi’s cheek lightly with her pen, then added softly, “no matter what, we’ll never be apart.”
***
What do you mean, “no matter what”?
Jiang Siyi was happy with the second part, but the first part annoyed her.
Two days had passed since the love letter incident.
And she had also been gloriously “fired” from her job as a diligent cleaner.
Now, she was… a permanent fixture in Shen Shiwu’s office.
One day, Jiang Siyi, as usual, was curled up on the sofa, occasionally glancing at the woman working diligently at her desk. Her eyes almost rolling back in her head, she looked at the documents on Shen Shiwu’s computer and sighed, thinking this wasn’t working.
If they didn’t get back together soon,
She would run out of inspiration.
It was almost Christmas Eve.
A day for couples.
Remembering how Shen Shiwu had rejected her four years ago, calling her “sister,” Jiang Siyi shuddered.
No, it wasn’t auspicious.
She had to choose a better day to bring up getting back together.
Thinking this, she was about to ask Xu Yuan, “Do you know any fortune tellers?”
When it was dinner time. Shen Shiwu took off her glasses and said, “Put your phone away, let’s go eat.”
Seeing that Jiang Siyi didn’t react, Shen Shiwu stood up and walked over. Although she didn’t say anything, the familiar sense of oppression made Jiang Siyi instinctively turn off her phone screen.
Shen Shiwu stood behind her, waiting for an explanation.
Jiang Siyi felt uneasy under her gaze and thought, Ugh, my ex-girlfriend is jealous again.
“I was just chatting with Xu Yuan,” she said, standing up from the sofa.
“Mm-hmm.”
Shen Shiwu’s reply was brief, but Jiang Siyi could sense the unspoken question: What were you talking about?
It wasn’t anything she couldn’t share.
Jiang Siyi unlocked her phone and tossed it to Shen Shiwu. “See for yourself.”
Shen Shiwu only glanced at the screen, then handed it back. She turned to leave, saying casually, “I’m not one to pry.”
Jiang Siyi: “…”
After a moment of silence, seeing that Shen Shiwu had already left, she grabbed her bag and hurried after her. “Wait for me!”
Inside the car, Jiang Siyi browsed a food delivery app, then turned the screen towards Shen Shiwu. “How about this Japanese restaurant? I’m craving sweet shrimp.”
Shen Shiwu glanced at the address and started the car.
A few seconds later, she said casually, “Your friend messaged you again.”
Who was the one who said they didn’t pry?
Jiang Siyi scoffed, put down her phone, and replied to the message.
“I found one, but they seem like a fraud.” Xu Yuan sent her a contact. “Just pretend you’re gullible and give it a try.”
“…”
She knew Xu Yuan wasn’t reliable.
As she was replying, the car was silent. Jiang Siyi, feeling drowsy,
Suddenly remembered that she had woken up at eleven.
Damn it, she thought.
She really was turning into a pig.
It was all Shen Shiwu’s fault.
She glared at Shen Shiwu, who caught her gaze.
“Secretly cursing me again?” Shen Shiwu asked.
“No,” Little Jiang touched her nose.
The woman chuckled softly, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, during a traffic jam, amidst the cacophony of car horns, she said, “Actually, I can tell fortunes.”
As if.
Trying to trick a child.
Jiang Siyi replied dismissively, “Oh really?”
“I just did a reading, want to hear it?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Shen Shiwu tapped her head lightly.
Jiang Siyi was about to play along,
When Shen Shiwu’s voice, calm and steady, cut through the noise.
“I’ve done the reading.”
“On Christmas Eve, I’ll accept someone’s request to get back together.”
Shen Shiwu’s voice was laced with amusement, making Jiang Siyi’s ears tingle.
She glanced at Jiang Siyi, whose sleepiness had vanished.
Her words carried a hidden meaning. “I just don’t know who this ‘someone’ will be.”
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