When Jiang Fan returned to the planning department, he was carrying a box of dumplings he had snagged from Qin Xue's hand as he passed by the sales department. Qin Xue had asked Jiang Fan if he wanted to eat together, only to have his dumplings taken away by Jiang Fan.
Jiang Fan had even eaten one on the way—a pork and celery one. "Ah! It's been so long since I last tasted this filling," he thought. "Too bad some silly woman doesn't eat celery."
When he entered the office, Ji Jing was working, typing something on the computer. Jiang Fan grinned at her, and when Ji Jing saw him, she felt like crying. It was the first time she had felt powerless against a man. She sighed, "Jiang, the great general, please leave me alone, will you?"
Jiang Fan sat opposite Ji Jing, opened the lunch box, and the smell of dumplings filled the air between them. He took out some vinegar and, with a dumpling in his mouth, mumbled, "I have no place to eat. Yang Jin has gone home, and everyone in the departments sees me like a ghost. Auntie Ji, just keep working, and I'll eat. Pretend I'm not here."
Ji Jing thought the same way. She had tried scolding, hitting, and mocking Jiang Fan, but none of it worked. She felt like crying, wondering why everyone was bullying her.
Jiang Fan was full after eating two dumplings. He rested his chin in his hand and stared at Ji Jing. Auntie Ji was a beauty, albeit slightly less so than Tang Wan and Su Qing, but that didn't detract from her goddess-like status. Glory was known for producing handsome men and beautiful women, and Ji Jing could easily rank among the top ten or even the top five.
What made Ji Jing attractive was not her appearance or her temperament, but her personality. From the time they met to now, Jiang Fan had figured out her personality clearly—long-suffering!
She didn't have many opinions of her own. Whether it was changing into a purple dress for work, suggesting eating at a street stall, or accepting clothes intimately, she had an attribute of being a scapegoat. Don't be fooled by her seemingly unforgiving demeanor; it was all an act.
Of course, Jiang Fan didn't like Ji Jing. He didn't have the mind to like or pay attention to a woman now. He had his own goals.
Ji Jing felt a little nervous under Jiang Fan's gaze. Just then, her stomach started protesting, and she blushed, shouting at Jiang Fan, "Haven't you seen a beautiful woman before?"
Jiang Fan smiled, pushed the dumplings towards Ji Jing, and said, "I have, but I've never seen one as silly as you, so I'm more interested in you. Auntie Ji, why aren't you wearing that sportswear? We could be a couple that everyone in the company envies. Just thinking about it makes me feel it's fantastic."
"I'm afraid Su will eat me up," Ji Jing replied.
This time, Ji Jing didn't hesitate. They had hugged each other yesterday, so why should she feel embarrassed about eating these dumplings?
At the same time, she didn't take Jiang Fan's words seriously. Over the years, too many men had pursued her, and she had seen all kinds of men. She didn't see any lust in Jiang Fan's eyes. He was just saying it, and she was just listening.
Jiang Fan didn't say anything while Ji Jing was eating. Instead, he took his laptop, placed it on his lap, and looked at what Ji Jing had written. Immediately, Jiang Fan frowned and spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction, "If you're not in the mood to work, don't do it. What's this messy report?"
Two hours of hard work were ruthlessly deleted by Jiang Fan. Ji Jing glared at him, wanting to grab the computer back, but she didn't have the courage. Instead, she put all her grievances and humiliation into the dumplings as Jiang Fan typed rapidly.
When Ji Jing finished eating the dumplings, Jiang Fan spoke up, "I heard you met a jerk? Tell me how he turned you into this."
"Did Su tell you?" Ji Jing asked.
"Yeah, what can't we talk about? Tell me. Oh, right! When I was downloading games from Su, I was bored, so I finished your report as well," Jiang Fan replied.
"What are you writing now?" Ji Jing asked.
Jiang Fan put the computer on the desk. Looking at the screen filled with "big idiot" and "big fool," Ji Jing looked at Jiang Fan in disbelief, neither angry nor laughing. She just said that Jiang Fan was too childish and then briefly told Jiang Fan about the jerk.
There was nothing she couldn't say. Nothing had happened between them. When Ji Jing was in college, she met a man. At that time, she was in financial difficulty, and this man's appearance had given her help. He was mature, steady, gentlemanly, and very respectful of Ji Jing. There had been no physical contact between them in half a year. On the night after graduation when Ji Jing was ready to give herself to this man, he forgot to lock his phone screen and left it on the bed before going to take a shower.
Curious about the phone that kept making noises, Ji Jing picked it up and felt like a fool after seeing its content.
There were many women in the same situation as her in the man's phone, along with a group chat where only five people were sharing their conquests, including girls' profiles, photos, and even videos.
She also saw a message from the man she had fallen in love with, "Wait till I get this delicate flower. I'll give you her contact information."
Ji Jing put on her clothes and left. On the stormy street, she met Su Qing, who had received investment from Liu Shengge and needed to strive to stand out among all the trainees; otherwise, she would have to repay Liu Shengge for his support over the years.
That's how the two of them met.
Of course, Ji Jing only told Jiang Fan a rough outline, but with Jiang Fan's intelligence, he had already guessed most of it.
Men might all want to show off their conquests. Even if they didn't show off, they would boast to others if they met a beautiful woman. It was all about vanity.
Jiang Fan just smiled after hearing this and didn't dwell on the topic. Ji Jing's past had little relevance to him. Looking at the empty plate of dumplings, Jiang Fan slapped his leg and exclaimed loudly,
"Ah! You ate so much, and I haven't eaten yet."
This remark almost made Ji Jing want to find a hole to hide in. She lowered her head, stood up, and said she would go buy another serving for Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan didn't stop her and let her go. This time, Jiang Fan waited for an hour, and it was already 3 o'clock when Ji Jing returned.
Seeing Ji Jing out of breath, Jiang Fan suddenly smiled.
"Actually, I ate lunch. I just wanted to bully you."
Ji Jing was stunned, standing there dumbfounded. Slowly, tears slid down her eyes. Her parents bullied her at home, Gao Luxing bullied her during the morning meeting, and now Jiang Fan was also bullying her. Why?
Jiang Fan stood up, walked forward, snatched the dumplings from Ji Jing's hand, and threw them into the trash can. Ji Jing looked at Jiang Fan with disbelief. She didn't expect him to do this. She had driven without rest to buy these dumplings.
Jiang Fan didn't comfort her or apologize. He said calmly,
"Buy a bottle of drink instead."
Ji Jing wiped her tears and turned to leave. At this moment, Jiang Fan's face changed. He had never been so angry. He shouted at Ji Jing's back,
"Don't you know what resistance is? Are you a puppet, just being led around by others?"
The outburst made Ji Jing's body stiffen in place. She slowly turned her head to look at Jiang Fan, her eyes filled with tears.
"I... I dare not. She will come to the company to make a scene. She will force me to marry someone. She will..."
Ji Jing understood everything at this moment.
Since Jiang Fan came back here, he had been giving her a hard time, deleting her reports, saying she was a waste, forcing her to reveal her past, making her buy dumplings, making her buy drinks.
She understood everything.
If... if she had shown any intention to refuse just now, Jiang Fan wouldn't have used vulgar language or continued to give her a hard time.
But Ji Jing didn't dare... and she didn't want to.
She wanted to bear all the grievances and difficulties alone, not to fall in love, not to meet new friends, and she didn't want to implicate anyone.
Jiang Fan looked at Ji Jing angrily and took a deep breath.
"Go and buy two bottles of water instead."
This time, Ji Jing still didn't refuse.