MY - 38

Jiang Xi didn’t speak.

In that moment of silence, Lu Nandu suddenly realized a problem.

He had always been the one approaching. Jiang Xi didn’t resist, but that didn’t mean she was approaching him too. Jiang Xi was more like someone who didn’t cross boundaries; she wouldn’t ignore him, but she wouldn’t respond either.

Lu Nandu, on the other hand, frequently crossed lines. Each time, Jiang Xi seemed unsure how to handle it, either changing the subject or responding with silence.

But at least she wasn’t pushing him away like before.

Jiang Xi seemed to be bothered by something.

There was no need to guess what it was; Lu Nandu knew.

Their breakup back then was a scar. To put it dramatically, if you don’t treat the cause, the illness won’t heal.

No matter how eager Lu Nandu was to get close, it was useless. Jiang Xi was bothered by what happened back then. Thinking about it now, it was rare that Jiang Xi was still so kind to him.

And the problem was with him. He knew that if he just spoke, Jiang Xi would listen. The only uncertainty was whether Jiang Xi still wanted him.

Both sides were silent. After a while, Lu Nandu spoke first: “I was lying to you. I’m at the company.”

Jiang Xi wasn’t sitting on the window-side sofa. She glanced out the window, seeing nothing, and hummed in acknowledgment.

They fell silent again.

Lu Nandu suddenly called Jiang Xi’s name: “Jiejie.”

Jiang Xi was still listening.

Some things weren’t that easy to say, but Lu Nandu still said: “Give me some time.”

“Later,” he licked his lip, seemingly a bit nervous, “I’ll tell you everything.”

This was the first time Lu Nandu had proactively brought up what happened back then. Jiang Xi didn’t remain silent this time; she quickly replied, “Then it’s a promise.”

The situation was favorable.

Hearing Jiang Xi say this, Lu Nandu smiled, his previously tense emotions relaxing.

Jiang Xi didn’t know why Lu Nandu got nervous whenever the past was brought up. The only thing she understood was that Lu Nandu had gone through a difficult period before.

She understood that feeling of being unable to express anything, so she could empathize and wouldn’t force him.

“Then let’s leave it at that for now,” Lu Nandu said.

After saying that, he didn’t hang up the phone. Two seconds later, he added, “You said it, remember to wait for me.”

Jiang Xi was amused by him, saying helplessly, “Got it.”

________________________________________

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xi didn’t move. After a while, she looked out the window, perhaps thinking of something.

She got up from the sofa and walked to the bay window.

On the road, there were only a few cars. One car left the residential area, merged into the traffic, and its taillights quickly disappeared around the corner.

Jiang Xi withdrew her gaze. Lu Nandu said he hadn’t come over simply because he didn’t want to make things difficult for her.

But how could Jiang Xi not know?

As she returned from the window, she met Xia Xinyan coming out of the kitchen. Xia Xinyan saw her returning from the window and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xi sat on the sofa: “Enjoying the view.”

“Pure nonsense,” Xia Xinyan said, then placed the cut fruit on the table. “Come, have some fruit.”

Jiang Xi put a slice of apple into her mouth: “What have you been doing at home lately?”

Xia Xinyan said, “What else can I do? Just cooking and tending to flowers.”

Jiang Xi chuckled: “Not worried about Uncle being home alone without anyone to take care of him?”

“Worried about him? He has food at the company cafeteria; he can just eat there.”

Jiang Xi smiled.

________________________________________

A while ago, Jiang Xi gained some popularity, and some resources sought her out. However, due to recent negative publicity, the one or two resources Tong Yun was helping Jiang Xi to connect with all went silent.

These past few days, Jiang Xi hadn’t gone to the company. After lunch today, she received a call from Tong Yun.

Jiang Xi answered.

Tong Yun got straight to the point: “Do you remember the two collaborations I mentioned to you before?”

One was an endorsement for a not-very-famous brand of facial masks, and the other was a supporting role in a small web drama.

Tong Yun said, “They were all snatched away today.”

Jiang Xi wasn’t very surprised; she hadn’t put much thought into it initially, saying, “As expected.”

Tong Yun was somewhat displeased with her attitude, frowning slightly: “This is your own business, not someone else’s. Pay a little more attention.”

Jiang Xi was taking clothes out of her closet and throwing them into a suitcase: “Is paying attention useful?”

She threw her phone onto the bed nearby and turned on the speakerphone.

She crouched down, neatly folding her clothes, and said indifferently, “Isn’t paying attention just asking for trouble?”

Tong Yun told her: “Don’t make excuses for your laziness. Do you know which company snatched these resources this time?”

Jiang Xi pretended to cooperate and asked, “Which one?”

Tong Yun: “The company where Cen Wanzhe is. The resources went to that little actor they’ve been promoting recently.”

Jiang Xi hummed.

“Any thoughts?” Tong Yun asked.

Jiang Xi didn’t know what to say: “No.”

Tong Yun’s tone was slightly dissatisfied: “None? I think you should know who released your negative publicity this time.”

Jiang Xi: “My work isn’t negative publicity.”

Tong Yun said: “Do you think saying that is useful? Even if you didn’t plagiarize, netizens won’t believe it. Who listens to clarifications?”

Jiang Xi didn’t speak.

“This time they snatched endorsements and roles, next time who knows what methods they’ll use to snatch resources.”

Jiang Xi asked directly, “What do you want to tell me?”

Tong Yun: “When people are popular, they have buzz, and similarly when they’re slandered. Recently, the company’s senior management discussed it and decided not to suspend your activities. Instead, they want to use this wave of buzz to improve yourself, until the resources you possess are beyond what the other party can obtain.”

In this industry, one’s career path is often not something one can decide oneself. As long as it doesn’t involve matters of principle, Jiang Xi generally wouldn’t disagree: “Mhm.”

“I’m giving you a few days off recently. You don’t need to worry about external matters. The company will not admit that you plagiarized.”

Jiang Xi quietly threw two packs of cigarettes into her suitcase: “Mhm.”

“Alright, that’s it for now.” Tong Yun didn’t say much more to her, quickly hanging up the phone. Only the dial tone remained in the bedroom.

Jiang Xi got up and turned off her phone.

________________________________________

Later, when her luggage was almost packed, she pushed the door open and unexpectedly saw Xia Xinyan also packing.

Jiang Xi leaned against the door, asking, “Going back?”

Xia Xinyan was putting things away: “I’ve been here for a few days. Your uncle, that rough man, said he doesn’t know how to take care of the dozen or so pots of flowers in the yard. He told me to hurry back and check on them. If I don’t go back soon, your uncle will kill all my flowers.”

Jiang Xi chuckled. As expected, she was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, even though she had just said a few days ago that she wouldn’t bother with her husband.

Xia Xinyan had originally planned to stay here for ten days to half a month, worried about Jiang Xi’s condition and wanting to take care of her for a few more days. But it was clear she had worried too much; Jiang Xi had grown a lot now, and was impervious to the curses and accusations, not shutting out all sounds, but letting them go in one ear and out the other, too lazy to take them to heart.

Seeing Jiang Xi like this, Xia Xinyan felt much relieved and decided not to disturb her anymore, letting her have some peace and quiet alone.

She began to instruct Jiang Xi: “There’s fruit in the fridge. Remember to eat some every day; it’s good for your health. There’s quite a lot of stuff, eat it in time so it doesn’t spoil.”

Right after saying that, she remembered something else: “Also, remember to eat your three meals on time. Your stomach already has old problems; pay more attention.”

Jiang Xi was still leaning against the door. Seeing that she still wanted to talk, she chuckled: “No need to say anymore.”

Xia Xinyan smiled: “Tired of hearing it, huh? But Auntie still has to say it, you need to take better care of your health.”

“Not tired of hearing it,” she said, “I’m going back with you.”

Xia Xinyan’s packing movements paused. She turned to look at her: “You want to come too?”

Jiang Xi nodded: “Mhm.”

Xia Xinyan asked: “Is something wrong?”

Jiang Xi said: “Nothing, just going back for a change of scenery.”

She turned back into the room to get her phone and booked two afternoon plane tickets.

________________________________________

Jiang Xi and Xia Xinyan arrived in Yucheng in the evening.

Xia Xingming drove to pick them up. With Xia Xinyan not at home, no one had cooked, and Xia Xingming didn’t want her to be tired the moment she returned, so he took both of them to a restaurant.

After eating, they went home. Jiang Xi felt a bit sleepy and went to bed early.

The next day, she woke up before dawn.

In winter, dawn breaks late. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Jiang Xi tidied herself up a bit, put on her coat, and went out. The air in Yucheng was much heavier and more humid than in Beijing, and the wind had a biting chill.

There were few cars on the road; occasionally, a car would pass by. Jiang Xi stood by the roadside, waiting for a taxi.

Soon, a car rounded the street corner, its headlights casting two beams of light, illuminating faintly dancing dust.

The car quickly stopped in front of her. The driver poked his head out the window and asked, “Miss Jiang?”

Jiang Xi nodded, pulled open the back passenger door, and got in.

The driver drove her to a certain street in the city. The journey was neither far nor close. Half an hour later, the car stopped in a bustling area.

The sun had already risen, a thin layer of sunlight, and the chill in the air had not yet dissipated.

Jiang Xi got out of the car. It was a bustling and convenient transportation hub, with expensive residential buildings behind tall skyscrapers.

There was an area of villas and Western-style houses, meticulously decorated.

Jiang Xi walked according to her memory. These buildings had some age, and while their exteriors didn’t show signs of wear, their house numbers were already rusty.

About twenty minutes later, Jiang Xi stopped at No. 20 Yulin Street.

It was a white duplex villa with a rusty iron gate and overgrown weeds in the yard, clearly uninhabited for a long time.

The wind swept through the alley; only the sound of the wind could be heard.

It was like the scene back then, only without the crying, and the house wasn’t so desolate then.

Jiang Xi and Jiang Chi’s lives during the fire that year were saved by a firefighter.

That firefighter’s surname was Su. He was only a teenager, almost twenty, at the prime of his life.

But later, to save Jiang’s mother, he tragically perished in that fire, his young life extinguished in the flames.

That year, Jiang’s father still had feelings for Jiang’s mother. After handling Jiang’s mother’s funeral, he took the two children to the Su family’s home. Unexpectedly, the firefighter’s mother did not welcome them, driving them out of the Su family’s house.

The pain of losing her son made her completely unable to forgive these innocent people, blaming them, saying that if it weren’t for them, if it weren’t for that fire, her son would not have died.

Later, Jiang Xi learned that the parents had originally disapproved of their son becoming a firefighter, but their son hadn’t listened to them.

That year, crying echoed through the alley. Mrs. Su, whose figure had grown increasingly thin, drove them out from inside the door.

At that time, Jiang Xi and Jiang Chi, who were only a few years old, didn’t understand what it meant. They only saw a small boy, about their age, standing behind Mrs. Su.

The little boy was very beautiful, very fair, almost transparently pale.

He was very quiet, with an inherent coldness in his brows and eyes, yet he had red lips and white teeth.

Because he was so beautiful, Jiang Xi and Jiang Chi always remembered him. Later, Jiang Chi and he were even classmates, but they weren’t particularly close.

She looked at the desolate, rusty iron gate, feeling a momentary sense of powerlessness.

The people who knew about that fire years ago were long gone, Jiang Xi only remembered them, but she had no way to find them.

Three years ago, when Ren Shenghai falsely accused her of plagiarism, she had considered coming to find this family.

But at the same time, she remembered this mother’s hatred for them and knew she would never agree to clarify. Even when she mentally prepared herself and came looking later, she found that the Su family had already moved, and also learned another piece of devastating news.

The Su family’s eldest son was a firefighter, and their youngest son was an anti-drug police officer.

That year, the Su family lost their youngest son, that beautiful, quiet little boy, who grew up and died in an anti-drug mission.

Jiang Xi had inquired among the neighbors, but no one knew where the parents had moved after their two sons successively passed away.

Just as Jiang Xi was lost in thought, her phone vibrated in her coat pocket.

Jiang Xi pulled out her phone. The caller on the screen was Lu Nandu.