Chapter 34

Chapter 34 Rose x Kiss

After buying the car, some procedures definitely couldn’t be completed in one night—mostly things like license plate registration. Ji Mingzhu wasn’t in a hurry to drive it anyway, so she simply scheduled a time to pick up the car.

However, this junior was quite considerate, saying he could deliver it to her door and handle everything.

Ji Mingzhu left an address, then left the private car shop with Jiang Ji.

On the way back, Ji Mingzhu became curious. “Jiang Ji, when did you meet this junior?”

Earlier, from what Jiang Ji and that junior said, Ji Mingzhu had thought they were from the same school.

But later, after chatting with the junior, she found out he wasn’t a graduate of Columbia University.

Like Ji Mingzhu, he studied in Australia—just not in the same place.

Ji Mingzhu attended the University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, while that junior graduated from the University of Queensland, located in Brisbane.

In short, no matter how you matched it, neither place intersected with Jiang Ji.

Just then, Jiang Ji glanced sideways. “What’s wrong? It’s been several years.”

“No, I don’t mean how long you’ve known each other. I mean, he studied in Australia, and you were at Columbia in the U.S.—how did you two meet?”

Such a distance across oceans and skies couldn’t stop them from meeting. Was this the so-called fate?

Jiang Ji was silent for a moment before speaking slowly. “There was a one-week exchange program between schools back then.”

“I see.”

Ji Mingzhu lowered her eyes to look at her nails and thought for a moment. Universities did have exchange programs to promote communication.

So in that case… that junior probably met Jiang Ji in the U.S.

Ji Mingzhu didn’t ask further. All her attention was still on that Bugatti Veyron from earlier.

“But… you’re that confident?”

He hadn’t even said anything beforehand and directly prepaid.

Ji Mingzhu turned to look at him. “What if I picked another car just now? Wouldn’t you have bought it for nothing?”

“You definitely wouldn’t.”

Ji Mingzhu was somewhat surprised at Jiang Ji’s blind confidence.

What did he mean she definitely wouldn’t?

Just how thick was Jiang Ji’s skin—to say that so firmly?

As if seeing her doubt, Jiang Ji explained, “The cars beside it were all black or gray. You probably wouldn’t like them.”

Once he said that, it did seem true.

At the time, Ji Mingzhu could only see that one car. She hadn’t paid much attention to the others’ colors or models.

“But even if you chose another one, no need to worry. The prepayment would be charged directly to Jiang Corporation.”

Listen to that, listen!

The calmer Jiang Ji sounded, the stronger the aura of showing off.

Charged directly to Jiang Corporation—so blatant?

“So… President Jiang is using company funds to buy himself face?” Ji Mingzhu smiled as she blocked him.

“Jiang Corporation has the surname Jiang.” Jiang Ji reminded her flatly. “So the company funds belong to me personally.”

After saying that, his gaze shifted toward her, unexpectedly gentle.

So gentle that when he looked at her, it was like looking at a fool.

“............”

Oh—

Just him being awesome!

Just him being amazing!

Ji Corporation also has the surname Ji!

But before Ji Mingzhu could think further, Jiang Ji spoke again.

“I’m saying this just to tell you—”

As he spoke, he deliberately dragged the ending.

That half-spoken, half-withheld tone successfully caught Ji Mingzhu’s attention.

When she looked at him, Jiang Ji had already shifted his gaze away, both hands resting on the steering wheel, eyes forward.

“No need to save money for me,” he said.

……

When they returned to the Park Hyatt, Ji Mingzhu thought it over and felt she had suffered a loss…

A huge loss!

Why hadn’t she decisively bought all the cars in that shop?

Not to mention liking them—rotating them daily wouldn’t be unacceptable.

Little black and little gray could be occasional substitutes in rotation, but the true favorite of her heart would, of course, still be little white.

With all kinds of messy thoughts, Ji Mingzhu quickly fell asleep that night and slept extremely comfortably.

Because she slept well, she got up early the next day.

Rarely—earlier than Jiang Ji.

The door opposite was tightly shut; Jiang Ji was probably still sleeping.

Yesterday was Friday. After Jiang Ji came back, he directly took her to that private car shop at night.

These two days were the weekend; he probably wasn’t as busy as before.

Ji Mingzhu dazed for a while after waking early. With nothing to do, she went to the attic to get filming equipment, then took the city sightseeing bus along the North City main line.

Because it was early morning, she caught the first bus at the starting station; there weren’t many people.

Stopping along the way, she finished filming the scenery of the northern city.

Unfortunately, compared to some time ago, the branches and leaves here looked barer, lacking the transitional feel between late autumn and early winter, appearing desolate.

By the time the return sightseeing bus reached the final stop, it had only been a little over two hours since Ji Mingzhu set out in the morning; it was still early.

On her walk back to the Park Hyatt, she passed a café. Ji Mingzhu paused, thought for a moment, and quickly made a decision.

She would bring one for Jiang Ji too—just… considering that he worked so hard every day, exhausted, and still washed up, changed clothes, and cooked after coming home.

Reward him with one!

“Hello, what would you like?” the café staff politely asked.

“Two mocha lattes.” Ji Mingzhu thought. “Both full sugar, no ice, and… extra cheese milk foam.”

She liked sweets; when drinking coffee she didn’t want even a bit of bitterness, not to mention desserts.

Actually, she was better now. Back in high school, she was practically addicted to sugar.

Ji Mingzhu dragged Lian Tang to eat all kinds of pastries, and her favorite was still the tea snacks from An Garden Villa.

The last time she ate them was in Jiang Ji’s office.

But speaking of Jiang Ji, she probably didn’t buy wrong.

Jiang Ji’s taste should be like this… after all, his cooking tended to be sweet.

—“One iced Americano.”

From Ji Mingzhu’s left rear came a clear, cold voice, very familiar.

Just like Jiang Ji’s voice.

Because she was waiting for takeout, Ji Mingzhu had been standing by the counter. Hearing that voice, she immediately turned her head.

Familiar outline, cold face, and sharp eyes.

Ji Mingzhu froze for a moment and quickly realized—it wasn’t Jiang Ji.

When Jiang Ji looked at her, his gaze was cold, but it was habitual; more often, it was like an iceberg melting at one corner, still carrying warmth.

But the man before her had eyes sharp like blades, pupils like icy rocks of the Tianshan Mountains—exactly like Jiang Ji in high school.

“…Brother Jiang Mo?” she stared at the man and spoke first.

The man turned his head toward her, clearly surprised too.

“When did you return to Yin City?”

If Ji Mingzhu remembered correctly, Jiang Mo had been busy with his photography career in Z City.

Like Cheng Chi, he was one of the few people in their circle involved in the entertainment industry.

Jiang Mo was now a fairly well-known photographer.

“Came back a few days ago. Also scouting locations here. You?” Jiang Mo said, pointing at the filming equipment on her back.

“Oh, this is for filming.” Ji Mingzhu held it. “Coincidentally, I’ve also been busy with photography these past two years. I record videos when I have time.”

Jiang Mo nodded and didn’t ask further.

While waiting for the coffee, Ji Mingzhu chatted briefly with him. After receiving the takeaway bag, she quickly said goodbye.

Honestly, they weren’t familiar—just acquaintances—so there wasn’t much to talk about.

Jiang Mo was alright, quiet, and liked to keep to himself. They hadn’t been close before.

Of course, there were other reasons. After Jiang Mo appeared, the matters of the Jiang family were no longer secrets.

Actually, Ji Mingzhu was somewhat wary of Jiang Mo, probably because he was older than the group around her.

Even Xiao Yi would become well-behaved when seeing him.

……

Carrying the coffee bag into the Park Hyatt, Ji Mingzhu had just stepped into the entrance and hadn’t changed shoes yet when she saw Jiang Ji standing at the corner of the stairs like a door guardian.

“Jiang Ji, just say it—are you trying to scare me to death!” Ji Mingzhu kicked off her shoes irritably and shuffled toward him in slippers.

Seeing he didn’t speak, she didn’t mind much. “Here, mocha latte I brought you~”

However, Jiang Ji didn’t respond, only asked on his own.

“Where did you go? You didn’t come back for so long.”

“…Huh? Was it that long?”

It had only been two hours.

“I woke up in the morning and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I went out to film.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jiang Ji stared at her, inexplicably like a child demanding candy, unwilling to stop until he got an answer.

“How could I tell you… you were sleeping at that time, okay.”

Ji Mingzhu’s hand holding the paper takeaway bag hung in the air. After a moment, the weight pulled her wrist downward, and numb soreness spread.

“My hand is so sore, Jiang Ji, hurry and take it!” she urged him.

Jiang Ji looked at her, then slowly took it.

The two walked together to the kitchen counter. Once there, Jiang Ji took out a cup of mocha latte from the bag.

“Mine?”

Ji Mingzhu snorted, “I brought it for you on the way. Full sugar, no ice.”

“I specially added cheese milk foam, sweet.” As she spoke, she opened her own cup and tilted her head back for a gulp.

“What did you go shoot today?” Jiang Ji held the latte in his hand but didn’t open it.

“I went around the north of the city and filmed the scenery along the way.” Ji Mingzhu took another gulp, deciding she would stock up not only on red wine later, but also this shop’s mocha lattes.

“But when I came back, I ran into Brother Jiang Mo in the café, and we chatted for a bit.”

Jiang Ji’s fingers holding the latte paused, tightening around the bottle. His long eyelashes lowered, making his expression hard to read.

Ji Mingzhu didn’t notice and looked at him directly. “Did you know he came back to Yin City?”

Yet it was this sentence that seemed to touch Jiang Ji’s reverse scale—

“Why should I know?”

As he spoke, he heavily threw the latte in his hand onto the kitchen counter, turned around, and walked straight to his room.

Soon, Ji Mingzhu was the only one left in the living room.

She froze for a moment and looked at the mocha latte on the marble table.

It sat there alone, unopened.

Now, no one would drink it.

……

Because of the unpleasant parting in the morning, Ji Mingzhu and Jiang Ji didn’t speak again.

Living under the same roof, clearly within a distance where they’d see each other just by lowering or raising their heads, yet it felt as if a Milky Way separated them, like there was a barrier.

Since moving here, Ji Mingzhu had never seen Jiang Ji like this.

But it was obvious—she had stirred his emotions.

Yet she couldn’t figure out where she had gone wrong.

If it was because of Jiang Mo?

That definitely wasn’t it.

When the sensational Jiang family matter came out, Jiang Ji’s cold face had always been directed at his father, Jiang Yucheng.

Toward Jiang Mo, he had always been indifferent, neither caring nor interfering.

In other words,

no matter what, Jiang Mo wouldn’t affect him.

But besides Jiang Mo… what else could it be?

Could it be that Jiang Ji felt Jiang Mo came back without telling him?

Judging from his reaction just now, that seemed correct.

After thinking it over and over, Ji Mingzhu still couldn’t figure it out.

Her mind was now filled with that cup of mocha latte Jiang Ji had set down without drinking.

She had kindly bought it for him.

Ignoring her feelings was one thing… but he was even so fierce!

Did he think she was fun to bully? Easy to bully?

Ji Mingzhu beat up Sally Chicken for a while and still couldn’t vent her anger.

She gulped down her own latte in one go and then planned to go back to the living room to drink the one Jiang Ji didn’t want.

But when Ji Mingzhu returned there again, she found that there was nothing on the table.

Empty—there wasn’t even a shell left.

What… he threw it away too?!

Countless thoughts surged in Ji Mingzhu’s chest, all of them about chopping Jiang Ji into pieces.

She only felt an inexplicable anger flare up, burning fiercely, the flames licking at the tip of her heart, scorching.

This mood lasted until evening.

Not only was she angry, her stomach also started hurting.

Maybe she had gulped down the iced coffee too fast, maybe for other reasons.

Ji Mingzhu only felt waves of twisting pain in her abdomen, nonstop, like someone was wringing it with a rope, with no end in sight.

She leaned against the headboard, her delicate brows tightly furrowed.

Tomi, which had been in quiet mode, seemed to detect something from the change in her breathing. It slid from the wall through the gap under the door, then ran straight over and rubbed against her.

“Go away…”

This cute little clever machine spirit that usually looked smart—at this moment, like its owner, became annoying.

As soon as she spoke, the rubbing at her side really disappeared.

Not long after, her door opened.

Someone walked in and directly reached for her forehead.

In Ji Mingzhu’s senses, the air instantly filled with a crisp cypress scent, spreading everywhere.

She turned her head to avoid him, rejection obvious.

But that hand didn’t stop and directly moved downward.

“Stomach hurts?”

This voice, clearly carrying concern, was completely different from the morning’s coldness.

Then, as if a floodgate opened, Ji Mingzhu felt all her grievances spill out at this moment. “Jiang Ji… I hate you so much…”

Jiang Ji acted as if he hadn’t heard, his hand still resting there, warmth from his palm passing through her clothes.

Hearing her say that, he didn’t show any intention of leaving.

“If hating me can make you not hurt, I don’t mind.” Jiang Ji used his other hand to tuck the loose hair beside her cheek, his touch unusually gentle.

Though he said this, his expression remained faint, impossible to read his attitude or what he was thinking.

Then he made as if to stand up.

Jiang Ji’s face was still as sour as in the morning, cold, but Ji Mingzhu seemed to grasp something. Seeing him like this, she didn’t know where she found the strength, but she grabbed his arm. “I don’t care… Jiang Ji… I want you to stay with me!”

Even if she died of pain today, she would drag someone down with her.

Especially when that someone was Jiang Ji.

“I’m not leaving.” Jiang Ji lowered his eyes, then his tone carried a bit of awkward coaxing. “I’m just going to get you some medicine.”

Author’s note: 【Valentine’s Day Special Mini Theater】:

Piggy: President Jiang, happy Valentine’s Day.

Ji Ji: Same to you. To celebrate, wear that black stockings tonight.

Two hours later—

Piggy: Are you done yet~ [proud face of being cooperative enough]

Ji Ji: No. [hooks her sweat-damp chin]

Piggy: ?

Ji Ji: The yoga mat should be tried too.

Everyone—happy Valentine’s Day! Still twenty-five characters for a red packet! Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution between 2020-02-13 02:59:42 and 2020-02-14 07:09:24~

Thanks to the little angels who threw mines: Qiang 2; Qing Jin 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Meng Hui Yan Xing_ 25 bottles; Xun Huan 10 bottles; Chicken Feet Younger Sister 6 bottles; m1ajoo, Li Yangyang mio, 36412013, Qi., nancy Yu 5 bottles; Sweet Pot Ye Qian, ★w★, A Yan Is A Little Meow 3 bottles; Old Zhang’s Tiny Star, La La La 2 bottles; Rui’er Who Loves Peaches, Xiao Lue Said He Wants To Be World Number One, Never Encountered One Not Occupied, Interstellar Fragments?, Shen Shang, Great Sage Big Head Qi Tian, Mango-Flavored Yuan’er, Wulala Little Fairy, Thousand Years, Little Sun?, Potato Girl, Jiaying Baby 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for everyone’s support, I will continue to work hard!