Chapter 51: Nuts
Dividing a pear symbolized separation. What a fascinating new piece of knowledge, but why did she feel so unhappy?
Jiang Lingling resignedly turned to the burly man, who was gnawing on his empty teacup. “Send them a set of snacks and fruit tea, as a customer appreciation gesture, charge it to my account.” She paused and glanced at her half-empty glass. “Remember, no pears in the fruit tea!”
Emotionally unstable clients were scary… The burly man quickly texted his colleague to send the tea and snacks. After a while, he said weakly, “It’s done, Miss Jiang.”
Silence. The burly man felt a chill and shrank back, not daring to speak.
The silence didn’t last long. Figures appeared on the monitor.
Lu Gaoshi arrived first.
After testing the remote and confirming she could use it proficiently, Jiang Lingling subtly suggested that the burly man and her assistant find another room. After all, while enjoying the show, they also had to consider Mi Hongdou’s feelings for Ji Junxin. Having too many unrelated people watching wasn’t very considerate.
The assistant, pockets filled with nuts from Jiang Lingling, happily left. The burly man stood up, hesitated, shuffled his feet, and didn’t move. Jiang Lingling, seeing his conflicted expression, guessed that he was afraid they would secretly record after he left. How troublesome…
They had already agreed on the terms. Jiang Lingling didn’t want to make things difficult for him and pointed to a seat with its back to the monitor. The man, relieved, happily sat down and even thoughtfully put on earplugs. Whether the soundproofing was effective or not, his attitude was impeccable.
Jiang Lingling glanced at Mi Hongdou, who was frowning intently at the screen.
Lu Gaoshi, although officially Ji Junxin’s manager, acted as her assistant, so she was frequently seen on set. However, her appearance on the screen now was quite different from her usual image on set. Her clothes were more youthful, her makeup more elaborate, and her hair seemed professionally styled. She looked much younger. But for someone her age, lacking the composure of an older woman and exuding a youthful vibe was… quite jarring.
Lu Gaoshi was alone in the room, checking her phone, then taking out a mirror and makeup kit to touch up her makeup. Jiang Lingling zoomed in on her. Wasn’t her makeup already good? Jiang Lingling took a sip of tea. It seemed Lu Gaoshi was really serious about Jiang Duo’s father.
Mi Hongdou let Jiang Lingling adjust the camera angles, watching Lu Gaoshi from every possible perspective. She wondered what was happening in Ji Junxin’s room. Qiao Rubai should also be there, right? … Mi Hongdou unconsciously rolled a macadamia nut on the table. She wasn’t sure if she wanted Qiao Rubai to be there with Ji Junxin or not. It was a strange feeling.
“Hey, are you treating that macadamia nut like an orange? Rolling it before eating?” Jiang Lingling, having seen enough of Lu Gaoshi, turned to Mi Hongdou and saw her spacing out again.
Jiang Lingling’s voice snapped Mi Hongdou out of her thoughts. She looked at the macadamia nut in her hand. When did she even pick it up?
On the screen, Lu Gaoshi was still checking herself in the mirror, fixing her hair and clothes. Honestly, this girlish, expectant demeanor didn’t suit a middle-aged woman. Perhaps because Mi Hongdou already disliked her, she found Lu Gaoshi unappealing no matter how she looked. Jiang Dingyi hadn’t arrived yet… Mi Hongdou squeezed the macadamia nut and picked up a nutcracker.
The metal nutcracker was shaped like the top half of a clock spring, oval and thumb-sized, with a pointed tip. Logically, she just needed to insert the tip into the opening of the nut and pry it open. But Mi Hongdou tried twice without success. On the third attempt, she almost stabbed her hand.
Jiang Lingling watched for a while, then couldn’t take it anymore.
Just as Mi Hongdou was about to try again, she heard a series of cracks. She turned and saw Jiang Lingling pick up a macadamia nut, pinch it between her thumb and index finger, and crack, the thick shell broke, revealing the white kernel.
Mi Hongdou silently squeezed the nut in her hand. It was incredibly hard! So, there was no need to hide her superhuman strength anymore?
The burly man, hearing the sound, peeked from behind the monitor, quickly covered his eyes, pretending to see nothing, and retreated. As for asking for another glass of fruit tea, he wouldn’t even dream of it!
Jiang Lingling, focused, continued cracking the macadamia nuts, quickly finishing the plate, a small pile of white kernels accumulating in front of her. She clapped her hands and swapped her full dish with Mi Hongdou’s empty one.
“Thanks, let’s share…” Mi Hongdou pushed the dish towards the middle of the table, embarrassed.
“Okay.” Jiang Lingling calmly started cracking walnuts.
Silence.
After cracking another walnut, Jiang Lingling suddenly missed Ji Junxin. If she were here, she would definitely praise her strength. Thinking about it made her a little proud. It was a pity they couldn’t watch together. She wondered if Ji Junxin had any snacks. A slight disappointment washed over her. Ji Junxin, the object of Jiang Lingling’s thoughts, was currently in a room on another floor of Nan Tian. Qiao Rubai hadn’t arrived yet, and only Ji Junxin and a crew-cut man were in the room. Ji Junxin watched the monitor, slowly rolling two walnuts in her hand, as if the repetitive motion could calm her down.
At 6:05 PM, the nuts on Jiang Lingling and Mi Hongdou’s table had been transformed into piles of kernels.
At 6:05 PM, only Ji Junxin and the crew-cut man were in her room.
At 6:05 PM, a man appeared on the monitors in both rooms.
Jiang Dingyi had arrived.
Previously, Jiang Lingling had been focused on cracking nuts, and the monitor had been showing a full-screen view of Lu Gaoshi. Seeing that it was past six, Jiang Lingling was about to switch the view when Lu Gaoshi, like a startled bird, froze slightly, her gaze shifting to the door, filled with affection. Jiang Lingling shuddered and quickly switched from the full-screen view to the four-square grid. This kind of natural awkwardness wasn’t something ordinary people could handle.
After switching the view, she saw that Jiang Dingyi had entered. Although Lu Gaoshi’s sudden change in demeanor was now explained, it was still quite awkward.
The information from the detective agency included photos and videos of Jiang Dingyi. He had delicate features and a scholarly air. Among middle-aged men, he wasn’t exactly handsome, but he did have a refined aura. Both Mi Hongdou and Jiang Lingling had seen the information and had an impression of him. But seeing him live now, Jiang Dingyi seemed even more gentle and refined, with an air of righteousness, not at all like a man who would cheat on his wife and daughter.
Indeed, Jiang Dingyi’s behavior didn’t suggest that either.
Compared to the lovestruck Lu Gaoshi, Jiang Dingyi was much more reserved. The room Lu Gaoshi was in had a square table, which, according to the burly man, was specifically requested by Lu Gaoshi when she made the reservation. As soon as Jiang Dingyi entered, Lu Gaoshi stood up and pulled out the chair next to her. But Jiang Dingyi, with a gentle smile, seemingly ignoring her gesture, walked to the table and pulled out the chair opposite Lu Gaoshi, sitting down. Lu Gaoshi paused, her smile unchanged, and then sat down in the chair she had originally pulled out for Jiang Dingyi. So, they were sitting next to each other again.
Someone should learn from these subtle yet persistent moves, Jiang Lingling glanced at Mi Hongdou. The people being filmed were so unpredictable in their movements that the multiple cameras proved their worth. Jiang Lingling adjusted the angles with the remote and continued watching.
Just as he hadn’t seemed to notice Lu Gaoshi pulling out the chair, Jiang Dingyi also didn’t seem to notice her deliberately changing to a seat closer to him. They exchanged a few polite greetings, and Lu Gaoshi pushed the menu towards Jiang Dingyi. He took it and started ordering without any hesitation. Lu Gaoshi took the fruit plate from the table, peeled a tangerine, and offered it to Jiang Dingyi.
Jiang Dingyi glanced at the tangerine, didn’t take it, and said calmly, “Tangerines are heaty, not suitable for eating with hot pot.” He lowered his head and continued looking at the menu.
On the screen, they could clearly see that it took Lu Gaoshi two or three seconds to retract her hand after Jiang Dingyi spoke. Jiang Lingling thought she might be annoyed, but she wasn’t. Lu Gaoshi’s smile remained unchanged. “You’re right, I wasn’t thinking.”
Tsk tsk, it seemed that Lu Gaoshi was completely smitten with Jiang Dingyi. Jiang Lingling looked at Jiang Dingyi’s calm and aloof face on the small screen and sighed. Judging by their interaction, one was cold and distant, while the other couldn’t get close no matter how hard she tried. It seemed that this “catching them in the act” mission would be fruitless.
After Jiang Dingyi finished ordering, without even asking Lu Gaoshi what she wanted, and put the menu back on the table, then took out his phone and started typing, Jiang Lingling felt even more bored and her attention wandered. She glanced at Mi Hongdou, who was frowning intently at the screen.
Ji Junxin was also watching intently. She hadn’t missed a single second of their interaction. But the more she watched, the stranger it seemed.
Over the years, as Ji Junxin’s career flourished, Lu Gaoshi’s status as her manager also rose. Not only did the mid-level management at Qiong Yu have to give her face, but those outside who didn’t know that she was just a manager in name also flattered her. Year after year, the initially humble Lu Gaoshi had become increasingly arrogant. Not to mention her attitude towards others, even towards Ji Junxin, although her words were still polite, her actions were becoming more and more self-serving. Only Qiao Rubai could keep her in check. Ji Junxin was aware of this, but she sometimes… didn’t want to think about it too much.
Watching now, based on her understanding of Lu Gaoshi over the years, being repeatedly ignored and disregarded without showing any anger wasn’t like her at all. Could it be that love really changed everything? This could be a possible explanation, but Ji Junxin still couldn’t quite believe that Lu Gaoshi would put herself in such a subservient position.
On the screen, after Jiang Dingyi finished ordering and pushed the menu back to the center of the table, Lu Gaoshi paused for a few seconds before taking it, glancing through it, adding a few more dishes, and then calling for the waiter.
The waiter left with the menu, and the room fell silent again. Jiang Dingyi was busy with his phone, while Lu Gaoshi just sat quietly, her fingers gently tracing the spoon in her bowl, a constant smile on her face.
Jiang Lingling glanced at the screen a few times, feeling that the atmosphere wasn’t at all like a secret rendezvous, and her interest waned. She felt bored. Looking at the plates of nut kernels in front of her, she reached for the sunflower seeds.
Nan Tian’s service was always fast. Just as Jiang Lingling picked up a handful of sunflower seeds, she heard the waiter announcing the arrival of the dishes on the screen. How boring, Jiang Lingling didn’t look up and continued cracking seeds.
After a few seeds, she heard Jiang Dingyi’s voice: “Didn’t I order the small pot? Why did you bring the large one?”
“I’m sorry, the small pot option on the menu was checked, then crossed out. The final choice was the large pot. Here’s the order slip, please take a look.”
That should be the waiter’s voice, Jiang Lingling thought as she cracked seeds.
After a brief silence on the screen, Jiang Dingyi spoke again: “We want individual pots, bring two small pots.”
Such mundane chatter, how boring, the pile of sunflower seed kernels in front of Jiang Lingling grew.
This time, there was no pause. As soon as Jiang Dingyi finished speaking, there was a loud crash, as if something had shattered.
Jiang Lingling, who had been multitasking, mostly focused on cracking seeds, was startled and accidentally crushed the sunflower seed shells and kernels in her hand.
“What’s wrong? Did something break?” Jiang Lingling looked at the screen and saw all three people standing up. Lu Gaoshi’s lovestruck expression was gone.
Leave a Reply