"Shut up!" Rong Nian thought of Jiang Xi's soft little hands fumbling around under his clothes and felt a lump in his throat, his ears reddening, "Drive!"
"I know you want to drive, but bro, we should be selective, Miss Jiang really isn't suitable, she's a married woman, we can't start off with something this thrilling..."
"Xie Jianan, if you don't want your tongue anymore, just say so." Rong Nian turned his head coldly, his face expressionless yet radiating an intimidating force.
Xie Jianan, knowing when to back down, immediately made a zipping gesture over his mouth, sealing it shut.
With tranquility at last at his side, Rong Nian turned his gaze out the car window.
When that woman was hooking his neck, he had detected a familiar scent on her. He was sure it wasn't the smell of artificial industrial fragrance, but her own natural body scent.
But...
Why did he find that scent familiar?
As Xie Jianan drove out of the parking lot, he cautiously observed Rong Nian. His brother seemed to have truly been smitten. What should he do now?
Jiang Xi had slept for a long stretch, dreaming she had teased a man. She woke from the dream with a start, her eyes meeting an unfamiliar ceiling.
Her breath halted for half a second before she swiftly pulled up the quilt to look underneath.
At that glance, her face abruptly changed color.
Where were her clothes? Who had changed her into a sexy nightgown? Could it be that she really did something reckless in her drunken stupor, grabbing any man to...?
"Aaaaah..."
Jiang Xi covered her face and wailed. She couldn't have actually slept with someone, could she?
"Seeing you this spirited, I'm relieved." Qin Jiu, wearing a spaghetti-strap nightie, leaned against the doorframe, yawning. "Today's a workday. If you're not in a hurry to get to work, sleep a bit more."
At the sound of Qin Jiu's voice, Jiang Xi abruptly threw off the quilt and sat up. For the first time, she found Qin Jiu's round little face endearing and cute.
"Qin Jiu, was it you who brought me home last night?"
Qin Jiu wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye, "If not me, who else? You have no idea how close it was last night. If I had arrived any later, you..."
"Me?" Jiang Xi looked at her, confused.
Qin Jiu hesitated, then swallowed the words that were about to escape her lips. Jiang Xi must have blacked out from the alcohol and probably forgot about last night. Best not tell her.
Rong Nian wasn't someone Jiang Xi could afford to provoke.
"Are you going to sleep or not? If not, I'll have Auntie make you some sobering soup. Eat and head to work quickly. You kept me up until three or four in the morning, and I'm still sleepy."
"No more sleep for me, I'll go freshen up."
Jiang Xi quickly got out of bed and stood under the shower, feeling as if she had forgotten something important, yet unable to recall it no matter how hard she tried.
After bathing and applying her makeup, she went downstairs. The housekeeper brought her a bowl of sobering soup. She sweetly thanked her and downed the warm bowl. Her stomach warmed up, and so did her mood.
*
Rong Family Old House.
In the bedroom on the third floor, Rong Nian lay on the bed with his eyes tightly shut, a fine sweat breaking out on his forehead. He mumbled unconsciously, "Who are you... don't go... don't go!"
His own voice woke him, and his eyes opened to the vintage fringed chandelier overhead. He remained motionless for a long moment, then raised a hand to cover his eyes.
It had been four years, and he had had the same dream over and over.
In the dream, there was a girl sitting in a halo of light, and every time he tried to see her face clearly, her figure would gradually fade away, eluding his sight and grasp.
"Bro, bro, are you awake?"
There came a soft call from Xie Jianan by the door. Annoyed by the disturbance, Rong Nian flung a pillow at him, surly from just waking up, "Get lost!"
Xie Jianan deftly caught the pillow thrown at him and tiptoed closer to the bed. "Bro, I went back last night and asked about Miss Jiang's situation with my bunch of no-good friends."
Rong Nian silently opened his eyes.
"Miss Jiang's parents both worked for the Gu Family—one as a driver and the other as a housekeeper. It is worth mentioning that five years ago, her father unexpectedly passed away at the border."
The word "border" struck a painful chord in Rong Nian's brain.
"Miss Jiang grew up in the Gu Family's home. She and Gu Bichen were genuine childhood sweethearts, and now she is Gu Bichen's wife. However, Gu Bichen has someone else on his mind who committed suicide by jumping off a building three years ago, and this has become an unresolved knot in the relationship between Jiang Xi and Gu Bichen. Brother, if you're interested in Jiang Xi, I can find a way to make them divorce... Ow, bro=, why are you hitting me?"
Xie Jianan rubbed the sore spot on his head, teary-eyed as he looked at Rong Nian.
Rong Nian was expressionless, "It's better to demolish ten temples than to destroy a single marriage; don't you understand that principle?"
"Brother, what era are we living in? Divorce is commonplace now; you're just a bit old-fashioned and can't keep up with the times," Xie Jianan complained.
Rong Nian made as if to hit him again, causing him to quickly duck and scurry away, "Bro, bro, I was wrong. You have to change and leave for the office or you'll be late on the first day of your new appointment."
Xie Jianan ran off, his early morning antics having made Rong Nian forget the moment of melancholy upon waking up. He got up, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Downstairs, Xie Jianan waited mischievously for Rong Nian to descend.
With his sharp eye honed from years of playing the field, he was certain his brother was interested in Jiang Xi—the first girl to ever stir his brother's mortal heart.
Even though she was Gu Bichen's wife, with hard work and perseverance, there was no corner he couldn't dig.
Footsteps soon sounded from the stairs.
Xie Jianan looked up and was actually taken aback by the sight of Rong Nian in formal attire—he hadn't expected his brother to look so handsome.
He was stunning!
"Is something wrong?" Rong Nian looked down at himself. The shirt and trousers were standard for the workplace, and there shouldn't be anything amiss.
"No, nothing's wrong, brother. Why do you have to be so good-looking when we're all just trying to get by?" Xie Jianan said jealously. If only he had half his brother's looks, he'd strut around everywhere he went.
Rong Nian: "..."
When Jiang Xi arrived at the company, the assistant came over and asked her to go to President Gu's office. Only then did she remember what she had forgotten—she had left Director Zhang in the cafe the day before.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and rose to head to Gu Bichen's office.
Knocking and entering, she saw not only Gu Bichen in the office but also the leader of her department. Both men's expressions were stern, and the atmosphere was charged with tension.
"President Gu, Director Chen."
Director Chen greeted her warmly, "Here you are, Miss Jiang, come over and have a seat. You see, Miss Jiang, Director Zhang called yesterday to say you stood him up and he waited for you all afternoon at the café. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"
Jiang Xi glanced silently at Gu Bichen, "It's no misunderstanding, Director Chen. This is my negligence; I will take responsibility."
Director Chen repeatedly said it was fine and praised Jiang Xi before President Gu for her reliability and ability to handle the matter seamlessly. Gu Bichen nodded, "Jiang Xi, stay behind; I have something to say to you."