MY - 40

When she heard the man’s voice, Jiang Xi froze for a moment.

Seeing no response from her, the man on the other end calmly asked again, “Hello?”

Only then did Jiang Xi snap back to attention and introduce herself: “Hello, I’m Jiang Xi.”

She didn’t make the other party wait and directly stated her purpose.

To Jiang Xi’s surprise, the man seemed unfazed by her reaching out. After listening to what she said, he remained exceptionally calm.

Of all the people she had ever interacted with, this was the first time someone had surpassed her in composure.

This intensely calm demeanor made Jiang Xi inexplicably uneasy; she couldn’t gauge what the other person was thinking.

Su An seemed to dislike speaking, responding only with a few sparse words.

Jiang Xi gritted her teeth and finished explaining, then asked, “May I ask if it’s convenient for you to meet somewhere?”

She had expected to spend more effort persuading him, but Su An, to her surprise, agreed promptly and decisively.

Without any effort at all.

This outcome was so unexpected that Jiang Xi didn’t react for a moment.

Once her thoughts settled, she asked him, “Where are you now?”

“Beijing.”

Perhaps knowing what else she wanted to ask, he said, “I’m free tomorrow afternoon.”

Jiang Xi replied, “Okay, I’ll send you the meeting location tomorrow.”

“Mhm.”

Neither of them was particularly verbose, and they quickly hung up the phone.

Talking to Su An was somewhat oppressive. Jiang Xi let out a sigh of relief the moment the call ended.

The other party was currently in Beijing, so Jiang Xi used her phone to book an afternoon flight back.

With all this going on, Jiang Xi had completely lost her sleepiness. She simply got up and started packing.

There wasn’t much to pack, just the clean clothes she had changed out of last night. She tossed them into her suitcase.

________________________________________

When she went downstairs to the next room, Xia Xinyan saw her and was momentarily stunned: “You’re awake?”

Jiang Xi: “Didn’t sleep.”

Then she sat down on the sofa and told Xia Xinyan: “I’m going back to Beijing this afternoon.”

Xia Xinyan paused in her vegetable picking. She felt more for the child, asking, “More work already? You’re running around every day, can your body take it?”

Jiang Xi smiled: “I haven’t really been working much lately.”

Only then did Xia Xinyan realize that this period was a sensitive time for Jiang Xi’s career. She said, “It’s okay, get good rest, and go travel around when you’re free.”

Jiang Xi: “That’s a good idea.”

“Right? Auntie’s right, isn’t she?” Xia Xinyan smiled, then asked, “So why are you in a hurry to go back?”

Before the matter was resolved, Jiang Xi didn’t want Xia Xinyan to worry needlessly, so she didn’t say explicitly: “Something came up.”

Xia Xinyan was a little anxious, asking her: “Is everything alright?”

Jiang Xi looked at her anxious expression, smiled, and reassured her: “It’s fine.”

An elder’s heart is never easily comforted; worrying about their children is their instinct: “Work-related matters?”

Jiang Xi lazily rested a hand on the back of the sofa, hummed, and told her what was appropriate: “I might have work soon.”

Although she had just comforted Jiang Xi about not having work and being able to rest, Xia Xinyan knew that once work resumed, it meant the situation was improving. She was also happy: “Really?”

Jiang Xi didn’t promise her, only said: “It’s possible.”

This trick certainly worked. Xia Xinyan stopped asking her why she was going back and asked her what time her flight was this afternoon.

Jiang Xi: “1 PM.”

Xia Xinyan glanced at the wall clock: “Oh, then I need to get ready to cook quickly.”

Jiang Xi also glanced at it; it was ten o’clock.

She said, “It’s still early, no rush.”

“Why no rush?” Like any parent, Xia Xinyan listed, “Cooking takes an hour, eating takes time, and the airport isn’t close to home.”

Jiang Xi laughed: “Alright.”

Xia Xinyan hurriedly finished picking the last few vegetables and carried them into the kitchen: “You watch TV for a bit. Auntie will hurry and cook. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

“Mhm.” Jiang Xi really had nothing to do, so she actually got up and turned on the TV.

It was ten in the morning, and there were no variety shows or popular dramas on TV.

Jiang Xi eventually got bored and stopped on a channel that was showing something she couldn’t understand.

Perhaps the sound from the TV was too hypnotic; her sleepiness returned. She simply leaned her neck against the back of the sofa, closed her eyes, and dozed off for a bit.

In her daze, a blanket seemed to have been draped over her, accompanied by Xia Xinyan’s murmurs.

“How did you fall asleep here? It’s cold; you’ll catch a cold later.”

At home, Jiang Xi was always more relaxed. This slight noise didn’t disturb her, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Xia Xinyan only woke her up when lunch was ready.

Even though this nap was on the sofa, it was probably the best sleep Jiang Xi had had in recent days. She didn’t dream and wasn’t startled awake.

The insomnia and early waking of the past month seemed to have vanished.

Perhaps it was because of that morning call; the huge stone in her heart had also lightened.

________________________________________

After eating with Xia Xinyan, Jiang Xi set off.

The sky was high and the clouds were distant; the sky was very blue, with only a few wisps of white clouds.

Where the sun didn’t reach, the chill was bone-deep. The airport was cool and spacious, bustling with people.

At 4 PM, Jiang Xi successfully arrived in Beijing. After getting off the plane and turning on her phone, she realized Tong Yun had sent her a message an hour ago.

Jiang Xi pulled her suitcase out of the airport and called her directly.

Tong Yun was probably not in a meeting; she answered quickly: “Sleeping?”

Jiang Xi: “No.”

Tong Yun didn’t ask further, just straightforwardly instructed: “There’s an event the day after tomorrow morning. I’ll send you the relevant details on your phone later. Pay attention to the time tomorrow night, and don’t forget to book your flight.”

Tong Yun had told her last time that the company wouldn’t suspend her activities during this period.

The meeting with Su An was tomorrow afternoon, so leaving tomorrow night wouldn’t affect anything. Jiang Xi had no objections: “Mhm.”

“Alright,” Tong Yun didn’t say much more to her, quickly hanging up the phone.

Jiang Xi put away her phone and took a taxi home.

After returning home, she remembered she hadn’t asked for Su An’s exact location, so Jiang Xi sent a text message to inquire.

The address was sent back. Surprisingly, their residences weren’t far apart; they were in the same district.

Jiang Xi found a nearby coffee shop and sent the time and location.

The person on the other end might not have had their phone with them; they replied half an hour later with a simple word: “Okay.”

________________________________________

Before going to bed that night, Jiang Xi received a text message from Lu Nandu, wishing her goodnight in the message box.

Jiang Xi looked at the screen and only then remembered that she hadn’t added Lu Nandu’s other social media accounts all this time, usually just calling or texting.

Just as she thought that, another text message came through.

• Are you asleep?

As expected, he wasn’t genuinely wishing her goodnight.

There were no lights on in the room. Outside the French window, the night sky was like faint ink. Jiang Xi lay on the bed, her phone screen glowing. She casually replied to the message.

• No.

Lu Nandu was probably glued to his phone; he quickly replied with a message.

• Then... call?

Although he asked this, he didn’t actually ask for her opinion. Two seconds later, the call came in.

Jiang Xi: “...”

She answered the phone, held it to her ear, and didn’t speak.

Lu Nandu’s tone was somewhat lazy: “What are you doing?”

Jiang Xi: “Sleeping.”

For some reason, Lu Nandu suddenly chuckled.

As soon as Jiang Xi heard him laugh, she knew nothing good was coming. Sure enough, the next second he said flippantly: “Then you’re calling me in your dream, dreaming of me?”

Jiang Xi was too lazy to bother with him; this person was still as childish as ever.

Lu Nandu said: “They say what you think about during the day, you dream about at night—”

“Jiejie, are you missing me?”

When Lu Nandu finished speaking, Jiang Xi paused.

After a while, she lowered her gaze, as if infected by his childishness, and said, “Missing your head.”

Lu Nandu was clearly delighted by Jiang Xi’s retort, laughing a few times.

At least there was a response, right?

The boy from back then had finally grown up; even his laughter was a few shades deeper than before.

Jiang Xi didn’t speak.

Lu Nandu stopped teasing her and returned to the main topic: “Did you contact them today?”

“Mhm,” Jiang Xi paused, then said, “I thought it would be his parents.”

Lu Nandu, of course, knew who she was talking about.

He said, “Finding Su An is much more effective than his parents. Finding his mom is useless; she’d refuse with one call.”

Lu Nandu clearly thought more deeply than Jiang Xi.

“Su An is the apple of his parents’ eye. If he speaks, it’ll be hundreds of times more effective than any of us.”

Jiang Xi asked, “How do you know he’d agree?”

Lu Nandu chuckled: “Don’t worry, he’s a good person.”

Jiang Xi keenly caught the key point. She asked, “You know him?”

Lu Nandu didn’t intend to hide it from her, hissing: “Friend.”

Then he chuckled: “Talented people, how can you not make friends with them?”

Jiang Xi knew Lu Nandu was teasing. After a moment of silence, she asked, “How did you know I had a fire when I was a child?”

They used to be together, but Jiang Xi had never told Lu Nandu about the fire in her childhood. Or perhaps, she hadn’t recalled that oppressive past during that time.

Lu Nandu didn’t answer her directly, smiling, “Can’t you just believe that I’m omnipotent?”

Jiang Xi told him, “Stop fooling around.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you,” Lu Nandu said. “Su An recognized you.”

Then he rubbed his nose: “Because I... always check your news.”

Jiang Xi: “...”

Lu Nandu said, “Don’t scold me for not working hard.”

He also said smugly, “If I wasn’t going through your news, someone like Su An, who’s completely cut off from the internet, wouldn’t have known you were falsely accused of plagiarism.”

Jiang Xi: “Oh, are you proud of that?”

“No, it’s thanks to Su An.”

Otherwise, without Ren Shenghai found and no other evidence, even with all his connections, he probably wouldn’t have been able to prove Jiang Xi’s innocence.

“What did he tell you?” Jiang Xi asked.

“Nothing much.”

Su An wasn’t a talkative person.

Lu Nandu said, “He just told me that the person in the painting was you.”

He still remembered the situation at the time. Lu Nandu was at Su An’s place, frowning at a message on the screen. The message was full of attacks on Jiang Xi, but the accompanying picture was her artwork.

All the media outlets were being sarcastic.

Lu Nandu was silent for a long time.

Su An was working at the time, and walked past him from behind while getting some documents.

Normally, Su An wouldn’t even glance, but he might have noticed the fiery red in his peripheral vision.

He instinctively looked over and naturally saw the words of slander.

Su An had witnessed that widespread fire back then, observing the entire rescue operation.

Lu Nandu still remembered how Su An, who usually wouldn’t even say a word, stopped behind him that day.

His fair fingertips pointed at the screen: “The person you often look at.”

Su An was referring to the little girl in the painting, covered in soot, crying uncontrollably.

Lu Nandu was very surprised at the time, and only later understood the whole story.

Lu Nandu told Jiang Xi: “So I told you not to worry about his character.”

Jiang Xi: “I won’t.”

Lu Nandu chuckled, seemingly thinking of something: “Did he scare you?”

Jiang Xi had to admit that Su An’s aura was indeed very strong; even she was somewhat intimidated at first.

She admitted: “Mhm, his personality is completely different from yours.”

Lu Nandu, who couldn’t stay quiet for long, said: “Jiejie, do you know how good I am now?”