Chapter 46

Yu Tian was incredibly outgoing—so outgoing that, for the first time in her life, Jiang Lai felt someone could actually talk too much.

All the way there, Yu Tian circled the woman, chattering nonstop. Jiang Lai could barely get a word in; she could only trail after them, angrily plucking at the leaves in her hand.

“Oh? Let me see—whose beauty is hiding tears here, looking so pitiful? Hmm?”

Jiang Lai looked up abruptly. The leaf in her hand had already been crushed beyond recognition. She didn’t know when Xu Zhiyi had moved up behind her; Xu Zhiyi stood there with her arms folded, a teasing smile in her eyes as she looked straight at Jiang Lai.

“I’m not.”

Jiang Lai tossed the leaf to the ground, her tone a little low.

Xu Zhiyi gave a soft laugh and took two steps closer. “Jiang Lai, don’t forget what I do. You were tearing that leaf apart like it was your enemy just now. You really expect me to believe that?”

“Then you came to see me laugh, right?”

“Who said that?”

She pointed to the side. “If Xi Zhou hadn’t felt sorry for you and asked me to come talk you through it, I wouldn’t have come.”

“Thank you, Senior, but I don’t need it.”

“Oh, young people are always so stubborn.”

Xu Zhiyi tapped her shoulder. “What you want, you have to fight for yourself. If you don’t fight, then of course someone else will come along and pick the fruit.”

The woman’s words landed in Jiang Lai’s heart like a pebble dropped into still water.

Fight? It sounded simple enough, but she didn’t even have the courage to fight. What was she supposed to fight with?

Her gaze drifted, beyond her control, toward the woman not far away. Yu Tian was smiling brightly as she said something to Cheng Shuyang; the woman had turned slightly to listen, the corners of her mouth lifting.

It was an expression Jiang Lai rarely ever saw.

Xu Zhiyi tipped Jiang Lai’s chin up. “Jiang Lai, really not going to consider me?”

“I told you already. You don’t like me.”

Jiang Lai lowered her eyes.

“But do you understand Cheng Shuyang? Do you know her past? Do you know her connections?”

Xu Zhiyi’s voice was like a siren’s, coaxing and faintly damp-cold, seeping straight into her heart.

“Are those things… important?”

“Not important?”

Xu Zhiyi shot back, “Have you really seen through her?”

“I…”

Jiang Lai was left speechless by the questions. Her fingertips dug into her palm, bringing a faint sting with them.

Xu Zhiyi curved her lips and leaned close to her ear. “Jiang Lai, I’m not the same as her. I can tell you everything about my past.”

Their intimate behavior naturally drew the attention of the people around them. From where they stood, it looked as if the woman had already kissed the girl’s earlobe.

“aunt Cheng, are those two together?”

Yu Tian cried out in surprise, asking the woman beside her.

The woman’s gaze paused before settling on the two of them.

In the overlapping light and shadow, she did indeed see Xu Zhiyi’s kiss land on Jiang Lai’s nape.

But the panic on the girl’s face also made it clear it hadn’t been voluntary; it looked more like an accident.

She looked away, her tone unreadable. “Do you still not know what kind of person Teacher Xu is?”

“But Aunt Cheng, don’t you think Jiang Lai looks a little like Sister? Especially around the eyes…”

“Shut up.”

The woman, who had seemed gentle only moments ago, turned cold in an instant and looked at her with icy eyes.

Yu Tian didn’t mind at all; she still affectionately looped an arm around her shoulder. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up Sister.”

The woman pulled her arm free and glanced at her. “Tian Tian, watch your mouth. Don’t bring trouble on yourself.”

“Got it.”

She no longer looked at Yu Tian and headed off in another direction.

“Teacher Xu.”

Jiang Lai was still talking to Xu Zhiyi when Yu Tian skipped over to them.

Jiang Lai nodded at her. The smile on Xu Zhiyi’s lips faded a little; she didn’t even look at Yu Tian, only gave a cold, indifferent hum.

“It’s been so long, and Teacher Xu is still so beautiful.”

“Tsk.”

The woman gave a light snort. “And yet I’ve never seen you come visit me. What’s the point of saying something so polite here? Don’t you think that’s a little contradictory?”

The smile on the girl’s face stiffened. “You’re still so sharp-tongued.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Xu Zhiyi rolled her eyes at her, then took a cup of milk tea from her assistant and handed it to Jiang Lai. “The assistant bought too much. This is for you.”

Assistant: “Ah, Sister Xu, mine…”

Under Xu Zhiyi’s sharp gaze, the assistant awkwardly fell silent.

“No need—”

“Drink it. It’d be wasteful to throw it away.”

Xu Zhiyi put on her sunglasses and straightened her clothes. “The weather’s too hot; it’s already made me darker. Alai, you should find somewhere to hide from the sun too. Don’t hang around certain people.”

After saying that, she walked off in her high heels. The heavy scent of perfume made Jiang Lai sneeze several times in a row.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

At Yu Tian’s question, she rubbed her nose. “No.”

“Are you close with Aunt Cheng?”

“What do you want to ask?”

Yu Tian smiled. “Nothing much. I just feel like there’s something special between you and Aunt Cheng.”

Jiang Lai tightened her grip on the milk tea cup. “I’m Wanwan’s friend. Aunt Cheng is only being so nice to me because of Wanwan.”

“Is that so?”

The girl’s smile deepened. She sniffed the air. “You didn’t know Aunt Cheng doesn’t like the smell of oranges, did you?”

Jiang Lai looked up and hurriedly explained, “I didn’t eat—”

The words cut off abruptly. She suddenly remembered the citrus-scented perfume she had sprayed that morning; fresh and clean, it was Jiang Lai’s favorite scent.

“I…”

She opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn’t get anything out. Seeing this, Yu Tian patted her shoulder. “It’s fine. Just remember next time.”

Cheng Shuyang, under the corridor, seemed to notice something and turned to look at the two of them. Yu Tian smiled and waved at her, while Jiang Lai kept her head down, refusing to meet her eyes.

The woman’s brows furrowed unconsciously. Just as she took two steps toward them, Jiang Lai turned and fled the spot as if she were running for her life.

“Al…”

The name that never got called was carried off by the wind, dissolving into the air.

In the later activities, Jiang Lai was obviously somewhat distracted. Even the tasks she usually liked best went wrong again and again, and she was quickly eliminated.

She sat on a bench, looking at Yu Tian surrounded by the others, and felt the sourness in her chest grow stronger.

What Xu Zhiyi had said to her today had to be admitted: it had stirred a small ripple in her heart.

Just as she was lost in thought, a shadow fell over her.

“Alai? What’s wrong with you today? In a bad mood?”

Xia Wanwan, who had rushed over after hearing the news, stood in front of her holding an umbrella, her face full of concern.

Jiang Lai looked up. “I’m fine. Why did you come over?”

“Ah, you scared me.”

The girl sat down beside her and handed her an ice cream.

“Thanks.”

“Earlier I heard them say you were in a bad mood and kept messing up the tasks; I thought something was wrong.”

“It’s too hot. I’m just a little irritated.”

Jiang Lai ate the ice cream in small bites, then asked cautiously, “Wanwan, do you know Aunt Cheng doesn’t like the smell of oranges?”

“Of course I know!”

The woman tore at the wrapper. “But that was a long time ago. My mom can get used to it now. I’d almost forgotten about it—how did you know?”

“Nothing. Just eat less ice cream later; it’ll give you a stomachache.”

Xia Wanwan only felt that Jiang Lai was acting a little strange, but she couldn’t quite figure out what was odd.

At dinner, Jiang Lai still didn’t come down to eat.

“Xiao Tian, eat.”

Just as the woman set the served soup in front of Yu Tian, she saw Xia Wanwan come down from the stairwell and shake her head at her. “Alai said she’s not hungry and told us to eat first.”

“What do you mean she’s not hungry? She barely ate at lunch.”

The woman frowned and sighed. “What kind of temper is she throwing now…”

Xia Wanwan pulled out a chair and sat down, poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. “I don’t know either. I thought she seemed off in the afternoon, but she wouldn’t say anything. After we got back, it got worse—she just hid in her room.”

The woman’s hand, which was holding the spoon, paused. Her gaze moved toward the second floor; it was quiet up there, not a sound coming from it.

Without the slightest hesitation, she picked up the bowl of soup and stood.

“Mom, where are you going?”

“I’m taking her dinner. The soup won’t taste good once it’s cold.”

The woman’s voice softened. “She really is… forget it.”

The reproach never made it out.

“Aunt Cheng, then I’ll take it?”

Yu Tian tried to take the bowl from her, but she sidestepped away. “No need. Eat your meal properly. I’ll go.”

The entire second floor was quiet. The woman’s footsteps were light as she walked to Jiang Lai’s door and knocked softly. No one answered.

She knocked again, her tone gentle. “Alai, open the door. If you want to rest, rest after you finish eating.”

After a moment of silence inside, Jiang Lai’s muffled voice finally came through. “Aunt Cheng, I really’m not hungry. Please take it away.”

“…Even if you’re not hungry, can you open the door and let me see you?”

The soup bowl in her hands was still faintly steaming; standing there at the door, the woman felt a dull ache in her chest.

“The door isn’t locked.”

Her right hand closed around the handle and turned it; sure enough, it wasn’t locked.

The room was dark, with only a small nightlight struggling to shine. Jiang Lai sat at the desk with her back to her. Even after hearing the sound, she didn’t turn around.

The woman pressed her lips together, set the soup bowl aside, and silently watched Jiang Lai’s hand holding the paintbrush.

The lines she drew on the paper were crooked and uneven, nothing like her usual smooth strokes; it was as if something had clenched around her and she couldn’t let go at all.

The woman said nothing, only watched her quietly.

Click.

Jiang Lai carelessly tossed the pencil to one corner of the desk and tore off the rough draft she had finally managed to finish, throwing it to the floor.

The space under the desk was full of crumpled white paper.

The girl’s shoulders, tense just a moment ago, slowly sank bit by bit under the weight of the woman’s gaze.

“Why didn’t you turn on the light?”

At last, she spoke first, her warm palm resting lightly on the girl’s shoulder.

The moment that warmth landed, Jiang Lai gave a barely perceptible shiver; in the dim room, only the two blurred silhouettes of them remained.

“I forgot.”

The girl’s voice was hoarse from crying.

“…Were you crying?”

Jiang Lai didn’t answer directly. “Aunt Cheng, I’ll eat dinner. If you have nothing else to do, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Still saying you’re not upset? Alai, I know you best.”