Ji Yu had never expected to catch Shen Jin Huan kissing another man out on the street.
Instantly, her expression soured. No matter how much she'd liked Shen Jin Huan before, it was all premised on the fact that she was her younger brother's girlfriend.
Although she'd previously thought that her brother might have a hard time holding onto this girl, but still, they hadn't even broken up yet, and here she was, behaving like this with another man. Wasn't that going a bit too far!
Her hands clenched into fists, her chest heaving with anger. It was evident that she was seething.
She snatched up her phone and snapped several pictures in quick succession, sending them straight to Ji Yan.
"Are you going over there?" Wan Yinyin also felt rather awkward. What an uncanny coincidence this was!
Nevertheless, she could well understand her friend's state of mind. Wan Yinyin had an older brother herself, and if her sister-in-law were to carry on in such a wanton manner outside, she'd surely be itching to give that woman a piece of her mind.
"Forget it," Ji Yu said dejectedly as she sat back down. In fact, she even had half a mind to retract the impulsive photos she'd just sent, but it showed that two minutes had already elapsed, and it was too late to take them back.
"This isn't like you. Given your temperament, shouldn't you have stormed over there and slapped that girl across the face?" Wan Yinyin couldn't help but chuckle, but then quickly clamped her mouth shut, realizing it wasn't appropriate to laugh at such a moment.
"Ugh, this is so frustrating. I don't know how to explain it to you," Ji Yu lamented. She'd truly been smitten with Shen Jin Huan before. She was a die-hard sucker for good looks, and Shen Jin Huan was just so breathtakingly beautiful and alluring.
That day, when she'd locked eyes with Shen Jin Huan, she'd been tongue-tied.
And now, what was the point of getting angry? It was all in vain.
After the two outside had walked away, Ji Yu spent the entire afternoon moping in the coffee shop, even losing her enthusiasm for shopping for clothes.
Wan Yinyin really couldn't fathom why Ji Yu was acting this way, despite 承认 that the girl was indeed exquisitely beautiful.
"Hey, don't be like this. It's not that big of a deal," Wan Yinyin tried to console her.
"It is a big deal. Because you've never been in close proximity to her. Her gaze has never fallen upon you. You've never interacted with her. Believe me, once you get close to her, you'll surely be captivated," Ji Yu said with a hint of despondency.
"Is it really that exaggerated? I don't believe it," Wan Yinyin thought Ji Yu was being rather outlandish. How could that be possible?
Ji Yu was in no mood to argue about it with her at the moment. All in all, she was feeling rather downcast and dispirited.
...
After Yun Qingjue blew the sand out of her eye, the two of them took their leave.
She heard a little speaker blaring out, "I love you, you love me, Mixue Ice Cream is so sweet!"
Her eyes lit up, and her pace quickened a notch.
Shen Jin Huan was fond of their matcha-flavored ice cream. At just three yuan apiece, it was delicious and affordable. A real bargain that one couldn't pass up!
Coincidentally this time, she was so quick on her feet that Yun Qingjue was left trailing behind.
When it came time to pay, she realized she'd run out of loose change. Cards couldn't be used here, and although she had WeChat, there was no money in her linked bank card. After all, she'd been using Ji Yan's bank card.
Shen Jin Huan hadn't thought to ask Ji Yan for money before, and after Ji Yan had given her the card, he'd also forgotten to transfer funds into her own account. It was all rather embarrassing.
Yun Qingjue saw that she'd clearly been eager to have some just a moment ago but then suddenly turned away. Wondering what was wrong with the girl, he could only follow after her.
"What's the matter, Huane'er?"
"I'm out of money and can't afford it," she said with an air of nonchalance. Shen Jin Huan didn't feel the least bit mortified about being short on cash. She had her own confidence, though. After all, she had a whole chest full of jewelry, each piece worth a fortune. She could easily pawn a few items and live a carefree life for quite some time. And if push came to shove, she had several tombs at her disposal. In a bind, she could always retrieve a few burial artifacts from those tombs and sell them.
Yun Qingjue had never expected this to be the reason. He let out a soft chuckle. "I've got money. I'll buy it for you. How many would you like?"
Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Ten!"
Fearing that eating too many might be bad for her health, Yun Qingjue coaxed her gently, "Let's start with two for now, okay? If you still want some later, I'll bring you back to buy more."
"Okay."
The matcha-flavored ice cream was delicious. Shen Jin Huan thought these little treats were wonderful.
She didn't know many shopping malls. The ones she was familiar with were all the ones Ji Yan had taken her to.
So when she walked alongside Yun Qingjue, the sales assistants in several stores wore strange expressions on their faces.
Wasn't Miss Shen dating Mr. Ji?
What was this? Had she switched partners?
Her new beau was really handsome, even more refined than General Manager Ji, and, to be honest, seemed even wealthier than him...
She didn't really care about brand names. As long as something looked nice, that was good enough for her.
She'd step into stores with items priced in the hundreds of thousands or even millions, and she'd also wander into little shops with goods costing just a few dozen yuan.
Before long, Yun Qingjue's hands were laden with parcels.
But he was rather content. Doing anything with her made him happy.
Shen Jin Huan glanced at the time. "Oh my, it's half past six. I should head home."
"Alright, I'll give you a ride," Yun Qingjue offered.
"Yeah!"
How could a taxi possibly be as comfortable as Yun Qingjue's car?
She was a born hedonist, so there was no reason for her to decline. Cheerfully, she followed Yun Qingjue to his vehicle.
"Let's go."
After a rumble of the car engine, the vehicle pulled up at the entrance of her apartment building.
Since Shen Jin Huan had bought so many things, Yun Qingjue carried the parcels and accompanied her upstairs.
He didn't leave until he'd placed all those little trinkets inside her home.
Just as he stepped out the door, Shen Jin Huan called out to him, "Yun Qingjue, wait a moment."
"Okay."
She went to her bedroom, retrieved a luminous pearl from her jewelry box. It was one that had been presented to her as an offering from who-knows-where in the past. She had plenty of these, so she took one out and gave it to Yun Qingjue, considering it compensation for the money he'd spent on her today.
When Yun Qingjue laid eyes on this luminous pearl, he was truly taken aback. It took him all of two seconds to switch from holding it with one hand to cradling it reverently in both.
"It's for today's meal expenses," she said, seemingly not attaching any great importance to the item.
"This is a luminous pearl."
"Yes, I know."
"It's extremely precious. A conservative estimate would put its value at over a hundred million yuan."
"I know," she replied with the same casual smile as before.
"You..."
Before he could say anything more, Shen Jin Huan had already closed the door.
Once she gave something away, she never took it back. So, she simply shut the door.
It was eight o'clock.
Ji Yan was sitting alone in his office.
Most of the employees in the company had already left work. Ever since he'd seen the two pictures his sister had sent him, he'd felt as if he'd plunged into an icy abyss, and he still hadn't recovered.
How long had they been together? Had they been intimate? Was she about to leave him? Did she no longer want him?
Ji Yan felt drained of all strength, his whole being consumed by a mix of anxiety and desolation.
Was she in that man's bed right now?
He didn't even dare to go home.
What a coward he was!
Meanwhile, a searing jealousy and a sense of madness were surging within him.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."
His phone rang.
It was his father calling.
There was a gathering arranged for tonight. His father had specifically invited the client from yesterday.
The purpose, of course, was to offer an apology, smooth things over, and revive the business deal.
Originally, because of what had happened with those two pictures in the afternoon, he hadn't been in the mood to go. But now that his father had called again, he had no choice but to go.
He picked up his coat and made his way downstairs, driving towards the Caesar Palace.
Shen Jin Huan had been waiting at home for quite a while, but no one had shown up. And oddly enough, not a single text message had come through on her phone. Ji Yan had always been so considerate. It was impossible for him not to come home without letting her know, right?
Fortunately, she didn't need to eat and was having a great time playing with her phone, even losing track of time. By the time Ji Yan got home, it was already past two in the morning.
She was in the middle of a ranked match, with Mi Du helping her climb the ranks.
Ji Yan hadn't expected to find her at home. He'd thought that with her impulsive nature, she might have left already.
He had to admit, he was overjoyed to see her, but then a wave of panic washed over him.
Because of what had happened tonight...