Chapter 26: That Girl

Back home, the two of them still kept to the rule of sleeping in separate rooms.

Xue Erbai had wanted to stay, but when she saw that Ji Wushan looked a little tired and that her phone kept ringing on the side, she hesitated.

When it rang the first time, she silenced it.

By the second and third rings, Ji Wushan lowered her voice and reminded her, “Go deal with your work.”

“I want to rest too.”

Xue Erbai opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the phone rang twice more. She picked it up and could only say softly, “...Okay, then rest.”

As for the matter of married couples sleeping separately, Xue Erbai had once looked it up on Xiaohongshu; she had even pretended it had nothing to do with her and discussed it with Zhong Dai.

Xiaohongshu said it was normal, with fifty-two percent in favor.

And the explanation was: sleeping separately improves sleep quality, gives each person their own space, and eases stress.

Zhong Dai was also one of that fifty-two percent.

As for Xue Erbai...

Looking at Qiao You and Tian Qiyue in the video conference, she found it hard not to agree.

By the time the meeting ended at one in the morning, if she went back to Ji Wushan at that hour, she would probably disturb her.

But they were newlyweds, and she was sleeping separately from her wife!

She really couldn’t accept that.

Even if it was only an agreement, she still couldn’t accept it.

In the battle between emotion and reason, reason won in the end. Xue Erbai left the study, turned left, and went to her own room.

She was actually very tired too; in a daze, she muttered that next time she had to work harder and finish early so she could go bother Ji Wushan. Then she fell asleep.

The alarm rang exactly at eight-thirty. Xue Erbai showered, then quietly slipped out of the room.

She had thought Ji Wushan might sleep in a little, but unexpectedly, Ji Wushan was already in the kitchen.

She wore an apron and, turning her head, brushed her hair back with her fingers as she said to the slightly dazed but neatly dressed Xue Erbai, “I made something simple. Eat a little before you go.”

Actually, Ji Wushan didn’t know much about Xue Erbai’s work.

She knew her position, had a rough idea of the structure of that strange company, and last night, when she went to the bathroom, she had learned...

that Xue Erbai had actually paid quite a price for going on this show; after coming back, she had rushed into a meeting late into the night.

She had also accidentally heard her say that she would continue this morning.

So as soon as she got up, she started making breakfast. It was simple, but it was a small token of her feelings.

Seeing that Xue Erbai still hadn’t moved, she even took the initiative to go over and pull her along. “Skipping breakfast isn’t good for your stomach.”

Xue Erbai let herself be led over. The dazed look on her face disappeared, and she seemed rather obedient instead.

She ate quietly.

But inside, she was secretly smiling.

Ji Wushan using that slightly reproachful tone on her was incredibly satisfying.

Even the breakfast tasted especially, especially good.

That good mood carried over into work as well.

After the meeting ended, Tian Qiyue left first. Qiao You looked at her boss, who had come back to work during her leave and was even smiling, and felt very unaccustomed to it.

“!”

“Why are you looking at me...!”

Xue Erbai felt a little embarrassed and annoyed, so she picked up a file and flipped through it, trying to cover up her awkwardness. Qiao You averted her gaze, but still couldn’t help asking, “President Xue, should I drive you and Miss Ji this afternoon?”

Since she had temporarily returned to her post, she naturally had to follow Xue Erbai’s schedule.

But thinking about Xue Erbai, who had gotten strange after going on that show, she still asked.

Sure enough, Xue Erbai waved it off. “No need. Go do your own thing.”

Only after Qiao You left did she spin in her chair.

Lowering her head, she lost track of how many times she had looked at the message in WeChat.

It was from Ji Wushan.

【What time will you be done? I’ll pick you up.】

Smiling, she sent a voice message: “I’m already done. Drive safely, Shengsheng-jie!”

Her voice came out a little syrupy. Only after sending it did she casually tidy herself up.

Twenty minutes later, she walked out of the office.

When Xue Erbai came out of the company carrying her suit jacket, she saw a white sedan parked by the roadside; it was both familiar and unfamiliar.

This car had always been kept in the garage. During their marriage, Xue Erbai had seen it a few times, but she had never seen Ji Wushan drive it.

After being discharged from the hospital, she had never driven it either.

She had thought only someone was coming to pick her up, but she hadn’t expected Ji Wushan to have driven here herself.

The window rolled down. Ji Wushan leaned out, a faint smile on her face. “I drove it around a bit just now. It should be fine.”

“Or should you drive?”

“You drive, you drive..."

Xue Erbai smiled sweetly; before Ji Wushan could even say anything, she was already in the passenger seat and had fastened her seatbelt. “Let’s go!”

Ji Wushan, however, didn’t move. She blinked at her.

“What is it?”

“You didn’t give me the address.”

“......”

After entering the address, Ji Wushan started off slowly. The two of them stayed quiet the whole way, but it wasn’t awkward.

Instead, there was an indescribable feeling.

Xue Erbai secretly watched Ji Wushan, who was driving with a serious expression. Today she was wearing a beige knitted cardigan with a dark long skirt; compared with her look on the show, she seemed a little less sharp and a little more gentle.

“Oh, right,” Ji Wushan suddenly said, turning to look at Xue Erbai.

Xue Erbai sat up straight guiltily. “W-what?”

Ji Wushan looked a little doubtful, but didn’t ask further; instead, she continued, “At the birthday banquet, what do you need me to do? I think I may not be very good at this kind of occasion.”

The elders of the Ji family and the Song family had never been especially close to her since she was young.

Only her little aunt... could talk with her for a few sentences, but they didn’t meet often either.

So she was very bad at dealing with elders.

At the Xue family’s birthday banquet, there would surely be many people there; Ji Wushan was afraid she might make a mistake.

There was a trace of barely noticeable unease in her voice. Hearing it, Xue Erbai’s heart softened, and she said earnestly, “You don’t need to do anything; just stay by my side.”

“If you feel uncomfortable, we can just greet everyone and leave.”

Ji Wushan gave a slight nod, but her fingers unconsciously tightened around the seatbelt. She wasn’t not nervous; it was just that thinking about Xue Erbai staying up late for a meeting last night and still having to go to another one this morning made her want to share more of the burden for her.

The rest of the trip, the two of them were quiet again.

Ji Wushan had finished asking her question; Xue Erbai was afraid to speak.

Because once she stopped looking at Ji Wushan, she realized that Ji Wushan’s driving skills, how should she put it...

were really hard to describe.

But Xue Erbai was also a little touched. With driving skills like that, Ji Wushan had still come to pick her up.

The drive from her old company to her grandfather’s home usually took half an hour; Ji Wushan took nearly an hour.

Even parking was not very smooth.

Ji Wushan, who had maintained a serious expression for an hour, could no longer hold it in and frowned.

But she stubbornly refused to ask Xue Erbai for help.

After a great deal of effort, she finally parked the car, and the two of them got out one after the other.

Xue Erbai walked to her side and took her hand. Ji Wushan flinched slightly, but still let Xue Erbai hold it.

The two walked side by side into the manor, immediately drawing many gazes. The first person to come over was a young man in a suit with the buttons left undone, his eyes bright as he looked at their clasped hands. “Cousin, this must be Miss Ji, right? She really is beautiful!”

Xue Erbai tightened her grip on Ji Wushan’s hand and stepped in front of her. “Xue Zhe, you should call her sister-in-law.”

As soon as she said that, Xue Zhe curled his lips unwillingly. “...Sister-in-law.”

Xue Zhe was the son of Xue Erbai’s maternal uncle. He was very much like his father; despite being young, he had already caused a lot of romantic trouble outside. He also considered himself the eldest grandson of this generation, and whenever he faced Xue Erbai, he always wanted to pick a fight.

Even the legalization of same-sex marriage couldn’t shut him up.

Right after calling out sister-in-law, he started spouting nonsense again. “Sister-in-law, when are you going to give my sister a child?”

“Our Xue family has a lot of assets, and they need someone to inherit...”

Before he could finish, Xue Erbai grabbed him by the collar. “You’d better worry about your own mess first!”

Xue Zhe spent his days haunting entertainment and nightlife spots. Though still young, his complexion was already terrible. When Xue Erbai shoved him aside, he staggered and shouted, “Hey, cousin...”

He was saying that for anyone listening on purpose.

The two of them were four years apart and had never gotten along. Xue Erbai had beaten him plenty when she was little, but always in private; not many people believed it on the surface.

So when someone looked over, Xue Erbai put on a smile and interlaced her fingers with Ji Wushan’s, saying in a gentle voice with obvious disdain, “He’s being disgusting. Ignore him.”

The two continued toward the main hall. An old man with white hair but a vigorous spirit sat in the seat of honor. Seeing them come in, he immediately broke into a kindly smile and waved them over. “Xiaobai, granddaughter-in-law, come here!”

As the first child of the Xue family’s younger generation, Xue Erbai had always been dearly spoiled.

That doting naturally also bred the jealousy of Xue Zhe and his father.

But Xue Erbai’s achievements in the company were better than Xue Zhe’s, and Xue Yanhe was even stronger than her own younger brother by who knew how much. The two of them could only envy her behind her back; they wouldn’t dare in front of Old Master Xue.

“Grandpa, we’re here.” Xue Erbai led Ji Wushan over, softening her voice. “This is Ji Wushan.”

Ji Wushan also greeted him, “Hello, Grandpa.”

Old Master Xue studied her carefully, his gaze warm. “Good child, come sit!”

This birthday banquet was held for Old Master Xue, but it looked more like a business gathering.

Ji Wushan stayed by Xue Erbai’s side the whole time, watching a side of her that was completely different from usual.

Work and life were different, she understood that; what she hadn’t expected was that Xue Erbai could handle this so deftly, all while never once letting go of her hand.

She felt a bit bored, and most of the time she simply watched their clasped hands.

While she was lost in thought, Xue Erbai leaned close and whispered, “Shengsheng-jie, my mom’s coming over.”

As the organizer of the birthday banquet, Xue Yanhe was obviously busier.

Only now did she have time to come find them.

And with her was another unexpected person.

“Mom, teacher!” Xue Erbai called softly, while Ji Wushan froze.

The person standing beside Xue Yanhe also stopped, then smiled. “Shengsheng, I didn’t expect you to marry Xiaobai!”

What Ji Wushan didn’t expect even more was that she would see her little aunt, Ji Yun, in a place like this.

Her voice trembled as she called, “L-little aunt.”

Xue Erbai and Xue Yanhe, mother and daughter, didn’t react much at first, but when they saw Ji Wushan like that, they were both a little surprised.

Ji Yun, however, was very happy to see Ji Wushan; she walked over and gave her a light hug, then whispered, “Back then, when I said I’d introduce you to Xiaobai, you were still very shy.”

Introduce you to Xiaobai...

Very shy?

Ji Wushan suddenly thought of the flash of memory from a few days ago; panic surfaced in her eyes as she stared at Xue Erbai without blinking...

So that girl...

---

Author’s Note: