MY - 14

Tong Yun received Lu Nandu’s call in the early hours of the morning.

The man’s tone wasn’t serious; in fact, there was a hint of laughter in his voice.

Seemingly calm, a few light-hearted sentences were enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

After a few exchanges, even a shrewd person like Tong Yun couldn’t gain the upper hand. The initiative was firmly held by the person on the other end. Having navigated the workplace for many years, Tong Yun had encountered countless intelligent people, but this was the first time she felt so far from meeting her match.

“I suppose Manager Tong’s goal of luring the snake out of its hole has been achieved,” Lu Nandu said.

Tong Yun chuckled, her composure holding up in the conversation: “Mr. Lu, what are you saying? Luring a snake out of its hole? Where’s the snake?”

Lu Nandu on the other end gave a muffled laugh: “Didn’t I just come?”

Tong Yun’s intentions were exposed, and she no longer bothered to hide them: “Mr. Lu is a clever man.”

At its core, profit was paramount, and it was impossible to have only one wishful plan. The scandal between Jiang Xi and Cen Wanzhe was beneficial to Jiang Xi’s career. Beyond that, Tong Yun had a bigger scheme in mind: using this scandal to draw out Lu Nandu, which represented an even greater interest.

And Lu Nandu indeed came. However, he had already seen through her intentions and didn’t mistakenly identify the person in the scandalous photo as Jiang Xi.

A young man in his twenties, capable of turning things upside down with a flick of his wrist.

He willingly allowed himself to be led into the trap, yet he was also vindictive, stubbornly sabotaging others’ carefully laid plans before stepping into them.

Tong Yun couldn’t understand why such a person, who could handle anything else, only struggled with Jiang Xi. Even knowing he was being used, he was still willing to jump into the pit.

As for deep affection, someone in such a position of power must have seen all kinds of people; it couldn’t be that he absolutely needed only one person.

In the latter half of the conversation, Lu Nandu directly stated his demands to Tong Yun.

Suppress the news, and do not allow Jiang Xi to be linked with anyone else again.

Tong Yun asked, “Are you trying to clip her wings?”

Lu Nandu chuckled, as if he had heard a joke. He said that Manager Tong should know which method yielded greater benefits.

By the time the call ended, Tong Yun realized her palms were already covered in a thin layer of sweat. But having been in the social scene for many years, she remained exceptionally calm on the surface, unaffected by it.

Tong Yun placed her phone back on her desk, crossed her arms, and turned her chair.

Outside the blinds, the clouds were thick and unpredictable, with humanity’s ugly desires and calculations surging beneath.

________________________________________

Jiang Xi only had one scene scheduled today, and filming was still in the morning.

Ji Yuanzhou came to the set to see her.

Jiang Xi didn’t expect her to come. She glanced at Ji Yuanzhou, who was leaning against the makeup table watching her get ready: “You finally have a holiday; why aren’t you sleeping in at the hotel?”

Ji Yuanzhou stood with her arms crossed, watching her: “You can’t change your biological clock in a short time.”

Jiang Xi concluded for her: “Occupational hazard.”

Ji Yuanzhou laughed: “More or less.”

Jiang Xi said: “Your holiday is no different from not having one.”

“How is it no different?” Ji Yuanzhou casually pointed to her neck, “At least you don’t see anything here anymore, right?”

The meaning was elusive, yet self-evident.

The young girl doing Jiang Xi’s makeup glanced at Ji Yuanzhou, who paid no mind.

Jiang Xi glanced at Ji Yuanzhou’s neck and smiled: “Quite fair.”

Unlike before, with red marks appearing every few days, new ones arriving before old ones faded.

Ji Yuanzhou understood her meaning, only curving her lips without saying much.

The two chatted idly until Jiang Xi finished her makeup.

While Jiang Xi was filming, Ji Yuanzhou waited beside her. By the time one scene was finished, it was already noon.

The two returned to the hotel together. Jiang Xi was in the bathroom removing her makeup in front of the mirror, and Ji Yuanzhou leaned against the doorframe watching.

“Acting is quite tough; one scene takes so long.”

Jiang Xi spread makeup remover on her face: “Which industry isn’t tough?”

“True.”

After a while, Jiang Xi cupped water to wash her face: “Besides, this profession isn’t bad.”

Ji Yuanzhou looked at her, saying nothing.

Jiang Xi rested both hands on the sink, looking at her reflection in the mirror, and smiled: “At least it’s helped me fix most of my bad habits from back then.”

It was daytime now, but the room was like night, with the curtains tightly drawn.

Jiang Xi finished washing her face and came out of the bathroom. Ji Yuanzhou followed her, then stepped past Jiang Xi and walked over to pull open the curtains.

The room instantly brightened.

Ji Yuanzhou turned to look at her: “Is this what you mean by ‘mostly fixed’?”

Jiang Xi hadn’t been able to shake this habit, but she didn’t care. She raised her hands and took off her clothes: “This doesn’t affect my life, it’s fine.”

They had been friends for over a decade, and they had long seen each other’s bodies.

Ji Yuanzhou watched her change clothes, her face devoid of expression: “Nothing else affected, right?”

Jiang Xi’s long legs were pale and bare. She walked over to open the closet, took out an outfit, and smiled: “Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”

Ji Yuanzhou: “Alright, just pay more attention to yourself.”

Then she glanced at the time: “It’s perfect to go out for lunch now.”

Jiang Xi asked her: “Have you decided where you want to go?”

Ji Yuanzhou: “Just wander around, there’s no specific place I must go.”

Jiang Xi slipped on nude stockings and smiled: “A tour guide would probably be very happy with a customer like you.”

“Easy to deal with, right?”

Jiang Xi said: “You’re not an easy person to deal with.”

Ji Yuanzhou laughed: “Don’t you know whether I’m human or a ghost?”

Jiang Xi curled her lips: “Alright, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

________________________________________

The two wandered around all afternoon.

When girls hang out, it’s usually those few things: shopping for clothes, watching movies, eating.

But Ji Yuanzhou found carrying clothes bothersome, so they didn’t go shopping. The two, like ordinary tourists, symbolically visited nearby attractions.

In the evening, they walked to a lake, where the setting sun shimmered on the water.

Walking side by side, Ji Yuanzhou said: “You seem quite familiar with this place.”

Jiang Xi, dressed in a grey and white woolen coat, with her hands in her pockets, asked: “Where?”

“This area we toured this afternoon,” Ji Yuanzhou said, then chuckled, turning her head to ask, “Been here before?”

Jiang Xi was silent for a moment, then after a while, she chuckled softly: “Nothing ever escapes you, huh.”

Ji Yuanzhou: “Then is it not so good for me to bring you back to an old haunt?”

Jiang Xi said: “I brought you, you didn’t bring me.”

“Quite precise.”

“Besides, so much time has passed, I barely remember it anymore.”

Ji Yuanzhou just chuckled after hearing that: “It’s quite unromantic for a young couple to visit this place.”

Jiang Xi didn’t know what she thought of, but she also smiled: “It really is quite unromantic.”

“How did you end up coming here back then?”

Jiang Xi thought for a moment: “Sketching, I guess. The professor assigned it as homework, so I flew over from Beijing.”

Ji Yuanzhou was surprised, a smile touching her lips: “That kid actually sat still for something as boring as sketching.”

Jiang Xi knew who she was talking about. She just smiled and didn’t speak.

That year was summer, the sky filled with twilight glow, and the faint sound of temple bells.

Jiang Xi had been sketching under the eaves all afternoon. Lu Nandu, uninterested in such things, had fallen asleep two hours earlier.

He leaned against her shoulder, his long eyelashes obediently closed.

It was rare for him to be so well-behaved.

Jiang Xi turned her head to look at him and chuckled.

Not long after, the person beside her stretched.

Jiang Xi noticed it out of the corner of her eye, but she was focused on her drawing and didn’t speak to him.

Lu Nandu was incredibly clingy. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rubbed against her neck: “Jiejie, I’m awake.” His voice was hoarse from just waking up.

Jiang Xi felt a tickle where he rubbed and pushed his head: “Stop messing around. I’m almost done drawing. If I make it ugly later, I’ll hit you!”

Lu Nandu didn’t listen to her. He continued to lean on her shoulder, deliberately rubbing his lips against her neck, and clicked his tongue: “You wouldn’t dare.”

He was lawless, taking advantage of being loved.

“Who said I wouldn’t dare?” Jiang Xi pushed his head again, “Go on, go play. I’ll play with you after I’m done drawing.”

Lu Nandu hissed: “It hurts.”

Jiang Xi immediately stopped drawing and looked back at him: “Where did I get you?”

But there was nothing wrong with the kid. He grinned at her: “See? I told you you wouldn’t dare.”

“Tsk,” Jiang Xi pinched him, “Are you annoying or what?”

Lu Nandu laughed unrestrainedly.

When Jiang Xi finished sketching, it wasn’t dark yet. The two were not in a hurry to go back to the hotel. Passing by a park, Jiang Xi was dragged in by Lu Nandu.

The sky was orange-red, and the park was filled with lush greenery and dense foliage, with many public stone benches.

Lu Nandu carried Jiang Xi’s bag, and Jiang Xi sat on a long bench.

Lu Nandu tossed the bag onto another empty bench nearby, then plopped down on the bench, lying with his head on Jiang Xi’s lap.

One of his long legs was bent, the other ankle resting on the bent knee, and he casually shook it a few times.

Lu Nandu had gotten a haircut a few days ago; it was already a buzz cut, and now it was even shorter. Jiang Xi reached out and stroked his slightly prickly hair stubble.

Lu Nandu plucked a blade of grass sticking out nearby and put it in his mouth. He squinted slightly as Jiang Xi stroked him, then looked up at her.

“Do I look good?”

“You know, I actually really like how guys look right after a haircut, clean and fresh,” she said, chuckling, “Every time Jiang Chi gets a haircut, I look at him and I just can’t bring myself to tease him anymore.”

Lu Nandu grumbled: “Why are you looking at other people’s haircuts? You can only look at me.”

Jiang Xi clicked her tongue and pinched his face: “What’s wrong with you? You’re even jealous of my brother.”

“I get jealous of anyone you talk to,” Lu Nandu turned his head and kissed Jiang Xi’s finger, “You can only be mine.”

He wanted to possess her alone, to devour her.

Lu Nandu was never a good person, but Jiang Xi made him live a different kind of life.

Jiang Xi ruffled his head: “Are you sick?”

“Yeah, I’m sick. The moment I see you, all my illnesses come rushing back.”

Lu Nandu said, then suddenly pulled the grass from his mouth, raised his arm, hooked it around Jiang Xi’s neck, pulled her down, and kissed her.

He smiled at Jiang Xi.

“Jiejie, I get sick all over the moment I see you. I don’t want to get better. You have to stay with me, okay?”

________________________________________

Ji Yuanzhou couldn’t do without alcohol. That evening, after dinner, they walked past a bar, and Ji Yuanzhou suggested going in.

Jiang Xi had nothing else to do, so she went in with her.

Tonight, Ji Yuanzhou was well-behaved. Several men came over to chat, but she politely turned them all down.

She also helped Jiang Xi fend off a few admirers; Jiang Xi was never keen on such things.

The two drank at the bar until almost midnight. Afterwards, Ji Yuanzhou saw Jiang Xi into a car.

Jiang Xi arrived at the hotel around the same time as last night.

She got out of the car outside the hotel. Having had a bit to drink, she wanted to take a walk to clear her head, so she strolled slowly along the street.

Along the street, a few shops were still open, their lights spilling out, casting a thin glow on the ground.

As she approached the hotel, a car blocked her path.

Jiang Xi didn’t pay it any mind, intending to walk around the car. Before she could take a step, the back car door opened.

She looked up.

The streetlights were a bit far, making it hard to see the person’s face, but Jiang Xi recognized who it was at a glance.

Lu Nandu walked towards her.

Jiang Xi averted her gaze, intending to walk around him, but Lu Nandu reached out and grabbed her arm: “Jiejie.”

Jiang Xi’s temper was worse when she had been drinking than when she was sober. She frowned and tried to shake off Lu Nandu’s hand.

Lu Nandu gripped her tightly, not letting her break free. Smelling the alcohol on her, his tone turned colder: “Been drinking?”

Jiang Xi met his gaze and said coldly: “None of your business.”

Perhaps because Jiang Xi had been drinking, or perhaps because of the scandals, Lu Nandu didn’t soften as usual. He frowned slightly and pulled Jiang Xi towards him.

Jiang Xi lost her balance for a moment and fell into his arms.

After realizing what happened, she was slightly annoyed and tried to get away from him.

Lu Nandu’s grip didn’t loosen, and Jiang Xi couldn’t move.

The man’s low voice came from above her head.

“Why isn’t it my business?” His voice carried a chill, “Don’t get too close to other men from now on.”