Chapter 29
Jiang Zhaolie turned Xu Chun down without a second thought. “No need.” She said through gritted teeth, “I’m doing great right now.”
She said that, but Jiang Zhaolie looked like she’d swallowed a bitter gourd. Anyone with working eyes could tell how miserable she felt at that moment. Xu Chun wasn’t discouraged by the rejection at all. She quickly sidled up to Jiang Zhaolie, her voice gentle and patient. “Zhaolie, don’t shut me out.”
“It’s not like we’re strangers.” Xu Chun coaxed her along. “If something’s bothering you, just tell me—let me be happy too—no, I mean, maybe I can help.”
Though Xu Chun rushed to cover it up, her slip of the tongue had completely exposed her true thoughts. Jiang Zhaolie’s expression turned even colder, like a sealed coffin lid. “What could you possibly help with?”
Jiang Zhaolie stared at her coldly. “Can you tell me what Suisui is thinking right now?”
“Of course.” Xu Chun immediately lifted her chin. “That’s easy.”
She knew every plot point in this story! If she couldn’t figure out what Yu Sui’an was thinking, then Jiang Zhaolie—workaholic straight arrow that she was—had no hope at all.
She patted her chest confidently. “Don’t worry, leave it to me.”
Jiang Zhaolie’s gaze followed the motion of Xu Chun patting her chest and lingered somewhere a beat too long before she quickly looked away, her heart speeding up before she could stop it. Perhaps out of guilt, every sense she had was cranked to the max in that instant, and the details she normally never noticed slowly forced their way into her mind.
For instance, Xu Chun carried a fragrance about her—sweet and clean like gardenia, yet also like pine and cypress, crisp with an undertone of something luminous and noble.
Or that Xu Chun’s skin was so fair it seemed translucent, almost glowing. You could spot her in a crowd from far away, as if she were born to be noticed. Or perhaps, if you set aside your resistance toward her for a moment, you’d realize that, infuriating frame and all, she actually had an unparalleled, peerless exterior.
With light makeup she was gentle and alluring; with heavy makeup, passionate and vivid. In a dress she was seductive and captivating; in a suit, crisp and decisive, commanding submission. The world held a thousand styles, and she wielded each one with ease—a myriad of charms, like a treasure trove.
At that moment, even Jiang Zhaolie had to admit that the woman before her was beautiful—vividly, vibrantly beautiful—utterly different from other women who were merely pretty shells. Something like pheromones radiated from her very bones—dangerous, capable of making people sink without resistance.
Jiang Zhaolie didn’t respond for a long time, her eyes fixed motionless on Xu Chun. Xu Chun’s brows shot up, then knitted, and she slapped her without ceremony. “You ungrateful child! What are you staring at?!”
Jiang Zhaolie snapped back to her senses. She was just starting to feel guilty, ashamed, and tongue-tied when she registered what Xu Chun had called her, and every one of those unspeakable thoughts vanished clean, not a single strand left behind. “……”
She raised her eyes with a complicated expression. “Stop trying to claim me as family.”
Want to be my stepmother? Did my mother agree to that?
Jiang Zhaolie’s lips curved into a cold arc. “My mother isn’t interested in women. You’ve got a long road ahead of you.” She’d better just be trying to get back at me on a whim, she thought. Otherwise, with my mother’s disposition, the one who ends up hurt will definitely be Xu Chun.
She’d meant it as a warning to the other woman, but to her surprise, Xu Chun’s eyes lit up at that. “Sister isn’t interested in women?!”
Jiang Zhaolie nodded. “So you…” should stop dreaming. The rest of her words were cut off by Xu Chun’s simultaneous exclamation. “Really?”
“I like her even more now!”
Jiang Zhaolie’s eyelid twitched violently, and that classic line involuntarily popped into her head—
You’re so shameless.
So shameless there were no bounds to it.
So shameless that Jiang Zhaolie was left speechless, unable to think of how to argue with her for a long time. In the end, Jiang Zhaolie decisively gave up. She didn’t want to discuss ethics and morals with Xu Chun here anymore, and she started walking. “I’m leaving first.”
“Don’t be in such a hurry—didn’t we agree I’d help you?” Xu Chun grabbed her, then quickly let go before Jiang Zhaolie could react. “Are you really not going to consider it? I’ll help you chase Yu Sui’an, and you’ll be my eyes and assistant by Sister’s side, helping me make Sister happy.”
“If you agree, then even if Yu Sui’an wants to chop off my head and kick it around like a ball, I won’t even blink.”
She was spouting utter nonsense, and He Qingli, who’d been watching the show from the sidelines, could barely stand to listen. She had no intention of stirring up trouble, so with an outwardly excited tone but a completely deadpan expression, she egged her on from the side. “Say yes already, President Jiang. If you miss this chance, there won’t be another.”
“If you agree, sure, you’ll lose your mother’s undivided love, but you’ll gain a stepmother and a wife! It’s a sure-loss-no-gain kind of deal!”
The words “stepmother” and “wife” came out of He Qingli’s mouth at the same time, and Jiang Zhaolie’s heart trembled. Only then did she realize that “wife” referred to Yu Sui’an. A subtle emotion surged up in her chest, but Jiang Zhaolie quickly snuffed it out. She remained firm, rejecting their enthusiastic suggestions mercilessly and coldly. “No need.”
“The matters between Suisui and me—we’ll handle them ourselves.”
Having failed to persuade her, Xu Chun felt very disappointed. Seeing that Jiang Zhaolie was already preparing to move, Xu Chun turned her head and quickly asked He Qingli, “Want to go to the front row and watch the drama?”
He Qingli, left alone, would just spiral into anxious thoughts and depression. Hearing the suggestion, she didn’t even think about it and nodded without hesitation. “Let’s go.”
“If I don’t go, I’m not Chinese.”
Jiang Zhaolie hadn’t walked two steps before she noticed the two shamelessly pretending nothing was happening and following along. “……” Do you two have that much free time? If you’ve got nothing better to do, go tighten screws in a factory.
She couldn’t shake them off, couldn’t chase them away. In the end, she had to swallow her pent-up frustration and pretend Xu Chun and He Qingli didn’t exist, treating them like oversized cabbages that had gained sentience.
Yu Sui’an spotted Xu Chun from afar, trotting along behind Jiang Zhaolie. Her eyes brightened slightly, and she immediately put down what she was holding. She’d been too busy lately, her nerves stretched taut at all times, and several times she’d nearly been unable to breathe. In her spare moments, she’d wanted to visit Xu Chun to relax a bit, but Xu Chun’s assistant and bodyguards guarded against her like she was a bandit, an impenetrable wall.
After hitting that wall several times, Yu Sui’an had given up and temporarily set aside the idea of getting close to Xu Chun. Who would have thought that today the other would approach her on her own initiative and speak to her?
Before the three of them reached her, Yu Sui’an quickly turned and pulled out a cushion compact to touch up her makeup, then took a deep breath and raised the brightest smile on her face as she looked toward Xu Chun, her voice carrying a note of joy. “Sister.”
Jiang Zhaolie noticed her unusually warm attitude toward Xu Chun, and a sour taste spread over her tongue. So she still loves Xu Chun deeply, still can’t forget her?
If not, why would she suddenly be so cold to her, yet in front of Xu Chun act like a little dog that had seen its master—every word and gesture fawning?
Jiang Zhaolie stared blankly at Yu Sui’an’s pure, sweet face and suddenly felt that the person before her was a complete stranger.
She stopped where she was and waited for Yu Sui’an to approach on her own before speaking, a bitter taste in her mouth as she interrupted Yu Sui’an’s affectionate, deeply emotional gaze toward Xu Chun. “Suisui, let’s talk.” Her tone was wounded but unwavering. “I want to have a proper talk with you alone. That’s specifically why I came today.”
Yu Sui’an immediately pulled her gaze back from Xu Chun and was silent for a moment. “Alright.”
After answering Jiang Zhaolie, Yu Sui’an nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, her clear eyes gazing pitifully at Xu Chun. “Sister, wait for me a bit. I’ll be right back.”
“Sure.” Xu Chun had come to watch the drama between the two female leads; she was dying to stay and eavesdrop, so how could she bear to leave? She’d been trying to come up with an excuse, but now that Yu Sui’an had warmly urged her to stay, it saved her the trouble. She nodded without hesitation. “I’ll wait for you two to come back.”
Unconcealable delight surfaced in Yu Sui’an’s eyes, though it made Jiang Zhaolie’s heart ache.
She’d thought that even if Yu Sui’an hadn’t fallen for her yet, she at least held some fondness for her, would care how she felt. But… watching Xu Chun, who was being favored and gazed at so deeply by Yu Sui’an, Jiang Zhaolie suddenly wasn’t so sure.
Compared to herself, Yu Sui’an seemed to like her more—just as before, still liking her, even though she’d been deeply hurt by the other.
The two had already walked off into the distance. He Qingli rubbed her nose and stared suspiciously at Xu Chun. “Why do I feel like that white lotus…” She tilted her head. “has rekindled old feelings for you?”
Xu Chun was instantly aghast. “What kind of ghost story are you telling?!”
“Even though it’s broad daylight, telling ghost stories is still immoral.” Thinking of the way Yu Sui’an looked at her with such deep devotion, Xu Chun shuddered on the spot. It was scarier than a ghost story.
Being liked by Yu Sui’an—you’d be lucky to escape with just a layer of skin peeled off.
He Qingli smiled at Xu Chun mysteriously and didn’t respond.
Jiang Zhaolie looked at Yu Sui’an with complicated feelings, at a loss for words. She’d thought she and Yu Sui’an were kindred spirits, mutually in love. Who knew the other still hadn’t completely let go of her previous relationship? Though she liked the other, she didn’t want to be the villain who broke up someone else’s relationship.
After a moment’s deliberation, she suppressed the feeling of her heart being carved out and forced a strained smile. “I just wanted to see how you’ve been lately.”
Though Jiang Zhaolie was invincible in the business world, in matters of the heart she was still in elementary school. All her emotions were easily seen through by Yu Sui’an. Being on good terms with Jiang Zhaolie was no disadvantage to Yu Sui’an. After her thoughts spun quickly, Yu Sui’an replied softly, “I’m fine.”
She smiled faintly. “These past few days haven’t been as busy as before. I have more time to breathe.”
Jiang Zhaolie naturally knew Yu Sui’an’s situation well. She’d had people watching Yu Sui’an constantly from early on—if she suffered even the slightest grievance, the informant would immediately report back to her, and then she would quietly use her connections to smooth over Yu Sui’an’s troubles, sparing the other from having to expend energy outside of filming.
In recent months, Yu Sui’an’s circumstances had been very bad. After her manager became unreliable, Yu Sui’an had to handle many things herself. If not for Jiang Zhaolie quietly providing money and people to help her in the background, her situation would likely be eight times worse.
But Jiang Zhaolie never told Yu Sui’an about these things, because she didn’t want the other to feel she was meddling in her private affairs without asking. So she only needed to quietly watch over her, protect her. That was enough.
“That’s good.” After a long silence, Jiang Zhaolie replied softly. She lowered her eyes to the ground, her tone unreadable. “I’m relieved as long as you’re doing well.”
Yu Sui’an’s eyes flickered, and she took the initiative to speak. “Zhaolie, during this time…” She deliberately paused. “I’ve missed you a lot.”
“Could you spend more time with me today?” She pretended to look hopeful, then deliberately acted nervous. “I want to have a proper talk with you, and I want to stay with you a while longer.”
Jiang Zhaolie raised her eyes in surprise, her face full of uncertainty.
Yu Sui’an feigned disappointment and lowered her eyes. “You don’t want to?”
“Of course I do.” Before her brain could process it, her mouth had already agreed for her. Only after the words left her mouth did Jiang Zhaolie realize what she’d said.
Actually, she didn’t want to stay here anymore. The fact that the person she liked still couldn’t forget her ex was already festering in her heart, impossible to let go. But Yu Sui’an was being so humble and yielding now, and the refusal turned over on Jiang Zhaolie’s tongue several times without ever making it out.
Might as well take this chance to have a proper talk, Jiang Zhaolie thought silently.
Having finished eavesdropping, Xu Chun straightened up with a look of disappointment at her failure to measure up. “What a waste. Such a fine person, and she’s been played like a PowerPoint.”
He Qingli agreed wholeheartedly. “I think so too.” She clicked her tongue. “I never expected Jiang Zhaolie to be a lovesick fool. Can’t tell if her luck’s good or bad. First time she falls for someone, and it’s Yu Sui’an.”
Whether or not they ended up together, Jiang Zhaolie was in for a world of suffering, sure to be thoroughly taught a lesson by Yu Sui’an.
Xu Chun shook her head and said casually, “Angst-ridden romance—the more pain, the deeper the feelings. Who knows, after a few years of hurting each other, they might finally achieve a happy ending, everyone happy, all’s well with the world.”
“That’s terrifying.” Though He Qingli shipped angst-ridden romance, she preferred direct attacks. If two people had an unresolvable conflict, they should just screw it out in bed. If one round wasn’t enough, then two—until both sides had thoroughly untied their knots.
She genuinely couldn’t understand Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an’s relationship.
The thought reminded her again of someone who’d stood her up and vanished. After secretly grinding her teeth for a while, He Qingli pitifully clung to Xu Chun’s arm. “My dear sister, has President Qin replied to your message?”
Xu Chun glanced down at her phone. “…I haven’t asked yet.”
He Qingli’s eye twitched. “Then hurry up and ask for me…”
Xu Chun, a little embarrassed, sent Qin Yao a message. Qin Yao had just set her phone down when the screen lit up. She picked it up again and signaled for her secretary to leave and get back to work. After unlocking it and reading Xu Chun’s carefully worded, cautious message, Qin Yao called out to the secretary whose foot was already halfway out the office door. “Go look into one more thing for me.”
After hearing it, the secretary suppressed the surprise in her eyes, nodded slightly, and bowed her head. “Right away.”
The secretary had been busy lately. Because Qin Yao was going on a variety show, the company—from top to bottom, people and things alike—had been thoroughly scrubbed clean, determined to make the best impression on the national audience during the program.
The Qin Group had grown into a formidable enterprise at the height of its power, but for companies in their line of work—research—it often took years or even decades before a major breakthrough emerged. Though the Qin Group didn’t need to worry about research funding, fewer and fewer people were willing to devote themselves to research these days, and the company’s new researchers were dwindling.
There were only so many researchers on the market. Senior researchers were retiring one after another, and if fresh blood didn’t replenish the ranks in time, the long-term outlook would inevitably grow uncertain.
Though Qin Yao and Qiao Wan’s father’s company now occupied the vast majority of the domestic market, commercial competition came from every direction—especially the ever-present threat from abroad. So even though everything seemed calm on the surface now, with no disputes, they still couldn’t rest on their laurels or be satisfied with the status quo.
Only through constant challenge and constant breakthrough could they develop better, more competitive products.
Because she wanted to keep Xu Chun under her watchful eye, Qin Yao, after making her decision, also wanted to seize this opportunity to recruit talent—those who had already made achievements, or those with ideals. If students still in school were willing to join the Qin Group after graduation, the Qin Group could appropriately provide some subsidies, such as fully sponsoring tuition or living expenses.
This was something Qin Yao had been doing for years.
But in the past, Qin Yao had kept a low profile and hadn’t publicized the company’s internal special subsidy program. Now, because of Xu Chun, Qin Yao decided to use this opportunity to expand the program to society at large, cultivating and selecting better talent for the company.
Because it concerned the company’s brand and reputation, even the bathroom floor tiles at the Qin Group were now scrubbed spotless and gleaming.
Qin Yao replied in the affirmative, and Xu Chun immediately held her phone out to He Qingli, consoling her. “Don’t worry, with Sister on the case, there’ll be news before long.”
He Qingli didn’t know what expression she should be making. “Thank you.”
She was both afraid and hopeful—hopeful she’d receive good news related to that certain someone, afraid that even Qin Yao wouldn’t be able to find any trace of the other, and even more afraid that the two of them would just part ways like this and never meet again in this lifetime.
He Qingli’s thoughts were in turmoil. After a moment, she ground her teeth. “She’d better not let me catch her.” She was like a cat unsheathing its sharp claws. “Otherwise I’ll make sure she regrets it!”
Xu Chun couldn’t help but shiver on the spot, then silently picked up her script. You can provoke anyone, but not a woman who’s just been cheated on and is still furious.
Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an walked side by side, chatting about this and that. Amid the other’s soft words, Jiang Zhaolie’s emotions gradually settled and her reason began to return.
The other still hadn’t mentioned their future. Even when Jiang Zhaolie asked directly, the other, after a brief silence, deftly changed the subject without answering her directly. An uncontrollable anxiety rose in her heart once more. Jiang Zhaolie didn’t understand why Yu Sui’an was treating her this way.
Weren’t her feelings obvious enough? Or was it that she herself wasn’t pure enough? Aside from a childhood engagement with Xu Chun, had there ever been any other woman by her side? And even that engagement with Xu Chun was now void, null and void. All that was left was for the elders on both sides to find a time to have a meal together, and then she and Xu Chun would have nothing to do with each other anymore.
Jiang Zhaolie truly didn’t understand, but she desperately wanted to figure out what Yu Sui’an was thinking.
She stopped in her tracks and stood rooted to the spot. Yu Sui’an walked two steps before noticing something wrong and stopped as well, turning back in confusion. “Zhaolie, why aren’t you coming?”
Jiang Zhaolie took a deep breath and, throwing caution to the wind, spoke. “Suisui, we’ve known each other for so long now. Do you…” She nervously swallowed. “like me?”
Yu Sui’an looked at her quietly, her brow furrowing imperceptibly. Jiang Zhaolie pressed on relentlessly. “Or have you ever had feelings for me?”
“Zhaolie, don’t let your imagination run wild.” Yu Sui’an’s voice was soft and gentle. “If I didn’t like you, why would I be friends with you for so long?”
“Are we just friends?” Jiang Zhaolie’s eyes clouded with confusion. “You know how I feel about you. What I want with you isn’t just friendship…”
Before Jiang Zhaolie could finish, Yu Sui’an cut her off. “Zhaolie.” Her voice seemed to carry an edge of anger. “What are you imagining? I’m already right here by your side.”
But Jiang Zhaolie, for some reason, was determined to get to the bottom of it. After pressing her lips tightly together and facing Yu Sui’an for a long while, she said, “I want you to be my girlfriend, Suisui.” She stepped closer to Yu Sui’an, her tone carrying a hint of humility and pleading. “I want you to say yes to me right now.”
“Say yes, won’t you?”
What answered her was Yu Sui’an’s evasive gaze. “Zhaolie, I think we need to calm down for a bit.”
Though Jiang Zhaolie had been single all her life, Yu Sui’an’s evasive attitude was so obvious. How could she not understand what the other meant? Her eyelids slowly lowered, and Jiang Zhaolie took two steps back, putting distance between them. “I understand.”
She stood still. After a brief silence, when she raised her head again, the expression on her face was so unfamiliar that Yu Sui’an felt as if she’d never known her. “Let me take you back.”
Yu Sui’an panicked for a moment and instinctively explained, “Zhaolie, I didn’t mean it that way…”
“Let me take you back first.” Jiang Zhaolie interrupted her politely. “You still have filming to do, and I’ve already delayed you this long.” She offered a very faint smile. “Work comes first.”
Yu Sui’an was flustered, wanting to speak several times, but each time Jiang Zhaolie cut her off. Just as she herself had dodged Jiang Zhaolie’s questions moments ago, the other now coldly and ruthlessly dodged hers in the same way.
The two female leads walked over giving off a low-pressure front, the chill around them cold enough to freeze a person solid. Xu Chun paused mid-crack of a sunflower seed and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at He Qingli. “Looks like the talk fell apart.” She tossed the seed shells into a nearby trash can and held up a finger. “I bet they’ll make up within a month.”
She knew this novel’s tropes all too well. Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an were exactly the type to separate, make up, separate again, make up again amid occasional conflicts, their feelings deepening step by step until they finally walked down the aisle and joyfully had two adorable, delicate children.
She just didn’t know what stage they were at now.
But… Xu Chun blinked. The two of them seemed to still be at the first stage of their romance arc, because Jiang Zhaolie’s expressionless face was unreadable. There was no telling whether she still harbored any attachment to Yu Sui’an.
So she hasn’t gotten hooked yet, Xu Chun thought silently.
After this little conflict, Jiang Zhaolie should slowly start to care about Yu Sui’an, becoming unable to leave her, right? In the original text, around this time Jiang Zhaolie first conceived the idea of drawing a clean line between herself and Yu Sui’an and put it into practice, but when she truly had no contact with Yu Sui’an, she started feeling uncomfortable all over, as if only seeing Yu Sui’an could soothe the irritability inside her.
So after suffering severe physical and mental torment, Jiang Zhaolie shamelessly sought out Yu Sui’an and began the first step of the “chasing-wife crematorium.”
Xu Chun was reminiscing about the original plot with relish, and so didn’t notice the step beneath her. She accidentally stepped into empty air. He Qingli, behind her, had just reached out to grab her, but two people in front of her moved faster.
Xu Chun had just felt the weightless jolt of missing a step, and just as she thought she was about to land on her backside, she suddenly felt hands—behind her, on her left arm, on her right—all at once, pulling or bracing her with force. She instinctively opened her mouth to say “thank you,” but when she raised her eyes and saw the two enthusiastic citizens who’d kindly lent a hand, she was instantly aghast. “Why is it you two?”
Jiang Zhaolie was steadying her left arm and Yu Sui’an her right. The two who’d been fighting and giving each other the cold shoulder were now both looking at her, their faces faintly showing concern.
At Xu Chun’s words, the two realized they had both, in the same split second and without thinking, helped steady Xu Chun. Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an turned their heads. In the instant their eyes met, a faint crackle of lightning seemed to flash in the air.
“You’ve got fast reflexes,” Yu Sui’an said expressionlessly.
“You’re not bad yourself,” Jiang Zhaolie replied just as expressionlessly.
Xu Chun wanted to pull her hands back but was held tightly by both, unable to pull free. For a moment her face was full of question marks. “???” If you two want to fight, then fight—why drag me into it?
I’m not the one who caused your conflict and cold war.
He Qingli was still holding Xu Chun’s clothes, forming a three-way standoff with Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an. Hearing this, she stood behind Xu Chun and looked down at the two of them. “You two didn’t break up and fall out, so now you’re planning to come back for old flames together?”
“What? You two want to go from lovers to rivals?”
TL Note:
black lotus (黑莲花) = internet slang for someone who seems innocent but is secretly scheming; translated here as “white lotus.”
被PPT了 (bèi PPT le) = internet slang, likely a playful variant of 被PUA了, meaning manipulated or strung along; translated literally as “played like a PowerPoint.”
chasing-wife crematorium (追妻火葬场) = romance trope where one partner realizes too late and must grovel to win the other back.
eating melon (吃瓜) = internet slang for spectating gossip or drama.