Chapter 44

The weather was not good, and it started to drizzle in the evening. Jiang Ci and Lu Xingxue went to attend the FOREST annual meeting together.

Outside the window, the sky was getting darker, and the streets were filled with colorful umbrellas. Jiang Ci sat in the car, absent-mindedly looking outside. After the initial confused and muddled days, her current mood had gradually become calm.

She didn’t answer Wen Nian’s phone call that day, and Wen Nian didn’t contact her again. As for her and Lu Xingxue, the two of them had hardly seen each other since Grandpa Lu returned home, and Jiang Ci’s deliberate distancing was noted by Lu Xingxue, who silently went along with it.

The car pulled up to the entrance of the venue, and someone opened the door from outside. Lu Xingxue stepped out first, holding her skirt, then turned back around.

Her pure white hand reached out to Jiang Ci.

This was the FOREST annual meeting, and since they had promised Grandpa Lu to come…Jiang Ci lightly placed her hand into Lu Xingxue’s palm.

From that moment on, the sound of camera shutters never ceased.

“President Lu and Mrs. Lu arrived together!”

“Their dresses are from the same collection! I’m so jealous.”

“The way they walk together is so in sync!!”

“…”

Lu Xingxue led Jiang Ci, slowly walking into the venue. The bright searchlights turned the sparse rain into silver, making the way ahead sparkle like a galaxy.

Raindrops clung to her eyelashes, and Jiang Ci blinked. Before Luo Mingliang and Wei Ning, who were holding umbrellas on either side, could offer help, Lu Xingxue raised her hand to cover Jiang Ci’s forehead.

For a moment, flashes of memory rushed through Jiang Ci’s mind, as if Lu Xingxue had done this before.

When the umbrella shielded them from the rain, Lu Xingxue withdrew her hand, and someone came up to talk to her. She politely responded while holding Jiang Ci’s hand, and they gradually walked into the venue.

The cold wind blew through her fingertips as Jiang Ci suddenly remembered.

She remembered getting drunk, half-leaning on the seat, and Lu Xingxue opening her hand to block the light from the car window for her.

…So Lu Xingxue didn’t lie to her. That night she really stuck to her and called her her wife. But the atmosphere between them was ambiguous, and with the appearance of Wen Nian, it abruptly stopped that night.

Jiang Ci bit her lip and lowered her head.

This wasn’t the time to think about these things. Today she should stand beside Lu Xingxue and play the role of a competent Mrs. Lu, smiling at every person who came to greet them. But…

“I want to go to the bathroom,” Jiang Ci said to Lu Xingxue.

“Okay. Grandpa is over there. I’ll go first, and you can go find him later,” Lu Xingxue said, pointing in the direction of Mr. Lu, who was surrounded by people.

Jiang Ci nodded and hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She walked to the mirror and turned on the faucet. In the sound of running water, Jiang Ci leaned on the sink and took deep breaths, easing her suffocating feeling.

Tears floated in her reddened eyes. Jiang Ci took a tissue, afraid of ruining her makeup, and lifted her head to carefully wipe away the tears.

The door to the bathroom behind her was pushed open, and high heels clicked on the ground. Jiang Ci saw in the mirror the figure of Wang Yuanyuan.

She put away the tissue and carefully examined her eyes in the mirror. Fortunately, it wasn’t too obvious.

“Sister Ah-Ci.” Wang Yuanyuan was washing her hands in the sink next to her. Her small hands looked like green onions as she turned on the faucet. “I didn’t expect to see you here today. What a surprise!”

She spoke with a strange tone. Jiang Ci turned off the faucet on her side and said plainly, “Is it? There’s nothing surprising about it.”

Wang Yuanyuan pretended to be surprised. “Don’t you realize your own problem?”

“What problem?” Jiang Ci asked.

Wang Yuanyuan didn’t answer immediately. She looked around the bathroom and confirmed that there were only the two of them before returning to the mirror. “Sister Ah-Ci, I call you ‘Sister’ because you still use the name ‘Mrs. Lu’. Since you are still Mrs. Lu, at least show some effort, will you?”

Wang Yuanyuan snorted and continued, “Elder Sister has been allergic to beef and lamb since she was a child. You have been with her for almost four years and yet you know nothing about her. I’m curious, where did your mind go?”

Jiang Ci was stunned and turned around. “What do you mean?”

Wang Yuanyuan raised her chin. “Don’t understand? Let me be clear. Even though your marriage is a marriage of convenience, you should at least have some sense of obligation, right?”

Her words were like ice needles that pierced Jiang Ci’s skin. She was caught off guard and her hands and feet went cold. Faced with Wang Yuanyuan’s accusatory expression, she clenched her fists and said calmly, “I don’t need you to teach me how to be Mrs. Lu. What right do you have to speak for her when even Lu Xingxue herself wouldn’t say a harsh word to me? Why are you the one standing up for her?”

Wang Yuanyuan was furious at her response. “Elder Sister has such a good temperament and yet you still neglect her. Why can’t I stand up for her?!”

Jiang Ci replied, “You’re speaking to me with that attitude now, but later you’ll be relying on Lu Xingxue to foot the bill for your arrogance. What means will she have to use to make me happy? Have you thought about that?”

Wang Yuanyuan’s face stiffened as she thought of the trouble she had caused herself. Jiang Ci settled all her scores at once: “Even if you’re her own sister, you shouldn’t meddle in your sister’s marriage. Besides, you’re not even her sister-in-law. You’re straightforward, and I’m even more straightforward. I don’t like you, so please stay away from my wife in the future!”

“You! You!… You’re just like your mother! You’re all so shameless!! You don’t deserve her at all!” Wang Yuanyuan retorted.

Jiang Ci didn’t change his expression and said, “Lu Xingxue has a good personality, so you want to provoke her and see if you can make her angry, right?”

Wang Yuanyuan’s shoulders trembled, and tears kept rolling in her eyes. “Why are you so arrogant?! It’s just a contractual marriage. Lu Xingxue doesn’t love you at all. Who gives you the right to use her to provoke me over and over again?!”

Jiang Ci smoothed his hair in the mirror and said, “If she doesn’t love me, does she love you?”

“I love her! I look up to her, and step by step, I want to get closer to her!” Wang Yuanyuan cried out. “How dare you think you can have her just because of a marriage contract?! With such a lowly background, standing next to her is nothing but a disgrace to her, don’t you know that!?”

Jiang Ci lifted her skirt and turned around to leave.

The bathroom door opened and closed, blocking out Wang Yuanyuan’s hysterical screams from inside.

Jiang Ci barely took a few steps before she leaned against the wall.

She was so angry that she felt dizzy. How could Wang Yuanyuan know that Lu Xingxue was allergic to beef and that they had an agreement to get married!?

If the parties involved didn’t voluntarily reveal this information, who else would know?

Wang Yuanyuan admitting her feelings for Lu Xingxue didn’t surprise Jiang Ci, but the thought of Lu Xingxue possibly confiding in someone else made Jiang Ci explode with anger. She couldn’t remain calm, and her anger had consumed all rationality!

The atmosphere in the venue was lively and joyful, with Lu Xingxue as the center of attention. She was modest and elegant, with a graceful smile.

Jiang Ci didn’t go up to her. Instead, she forced herself to turn her head and look out the floor-to-ceiling window at the rain becoming denser.

Her phone vibrated in her handbag, and Jiang Ci took it out to see that it was Wen Nian.

She didn’t answer, but soon enough, Wen Nian called again.

Jiang Ci looked over at Lu Xingxue.

At some point, Wang Yuanyuan had gone over to Lu Xingxue. Lu Xingxue looked at her strangely, perhaps noticing that she had been crying, and lowered her head to comfort her.

Jiang Ci put her phone away and made her way to the exit, avoiding the crowd.

Lu Xingxue caught a glimpse of the familiar figure and looked up, only to see Jiang Ci’s back as she left.

It was very cold outside the venue, and Jiang Ci shuddered as soon as she stepped out. Just as she was about to take a step, someone grabbed her hand from behind.

“Jiang Ci?” Lu Xingxue followed her out. “Where are you going?”

Jiang Ci pulled her hand away.

“…It’s too cold outside, and it’s raining. You’ll catch a cold,” Lu Xingxue tried to take her hand again. “Come inside with me.”

Jiang Ci didn’t say a word as she pried Lu Xingxue’s hand off of hers.

Lu Xingxue didn’t insist, letting go and turning to Wei Ning, who had followed them out. “Bring the car over.”

Wei Ning ran to get the car, and Lu Xingxue looked at Jiang Ci. “If you don’t want to stay here, I can take you home or anywhere you want to go.”

Jiang Ci finally spoke up. “No need.”

But Lu Xingxue’s attitude was unusually firm. “Let me take you.”

Wei Ning quickly brought the car over, sensing the tense atmosphere between the two, he walked away on his own initiative without Lu Xingxue having to order him to do so.

Jiang Ci stood still, and Lu Xingxue half-pulled her as she shoved Jiang Ci into the car. Then she went around the car and didn’t go to the driver’s seat, but directly to the back seat.

As soon as the car door closed, the world between the two of them became small and quiet again. The sound of rain faded away, and the voices of people became distant.

“Why did you suddenly get angry with me?” Lu Xingxue calmly asked Jiang Ci, “You wouldn’t act like this for no reason. So, where did I go wrong? What did I do to make you angry? Tell me. If I can explain it, I will, and if I did something wrong, I’ll correct it.”

Jiang Ci reached over to open the car door.

The sound of the door lock sensor was heard, and Lu Xingxue immediately locked the car!

“I want to get out!” Jiang Ci tried to restrain the terrible emotions in her voice.

Lu Xingxue looked at her deeply, disappointment evident in her eyes. “Jiang Ci, are you really not going to give me a reason?”

Jiang Ci glared at the back of the front seat, hugging her arms in frustration. After a while, she turned to Lu Xingxue and said, “Fine, I’ll tell you. Let me ask you first, did I make you suffer from allergies? Are you particularly aggrieved?”

She was so angry that her face turned red. Lu Xingxue quickly replied, “No, I’ve been apologizing to you all along. How could I feel aggrieved?”

Jiang Ci didn’t argue with her and continued to ask, “How many people have you told that I’m just your wife on paper and not worthy of the title?”

Lu Xingxue’s expression changed, and she replied seriously, “None!”

“Since you deny it, then give me a reason why Wang Yuanyuan knows everything? She just stopped me and lectured me, saying I’m neglecting you, saying I’m not good enough for you, and she even admitted that she…” Jiang Ci felt her face itching and absentmindedly wiped it, only to realize that she was crying from anger.

After all that time spent doing her makeup, she had no idea what she looked like now.

“So pathetic!”

Jiang Ci closed her eyes, then opened them again and asked Lu Xingxue, “Do you have any reasonable explanation?”

Lu Xingxue remained silent.

Jiang Ci tried to keep calm, but couldn’t help herself, “No explanation? Is Wang Yuanyuan so special in your heart? Taking her on business trips, helping her revise her drafts, confiding in her…”

“She’s not special.” Lu Xingxue didn’t let Jiang Ci finish her sentence, “I have not confided in anyone, nor have I told anyone about the agreement to get married.”

“I hope more than anyone that our relationship is not just based on a piece of paper.”

Before Jiang Ci could react, Lu Xingxue turned her head and kissed her.

Prev / ToC / Next

---

I have created a Discord Server for all you beautiful people to join. Come chat, play around, and most importantly – help me decide which novel to translate next.

---