TSDT - 43

After two clear days, Zebian experienced another drop in temperature. The fine drizzle turned into sleet as night fell.

“It’s snowing!”

Jiang Ying received a WeChat message from Huang Yanfei. She immediately rushed out to the balcony, pulled open the window, and stretched out her hand. The instant cold stung her. She grimaced and brought back a handful of slush.

She sent the same photo of her snowy hand and three exclamation marks to Huang Yanfei and Meng Jingshu.

Huang Yanfei immediately replied with a similar photo.

Southerners, no matter how many times they saw snow, were still excited like children. Even if it quickly melted in their hands, they couldn’t help but want to share it with loved ones.

Meng Jingshu replied to her a while later, his message not matching her excitement.

“Go back inside, don’t catch a cold.”

His project was currently at a busy stage. It was common for him to leave early and return late, working overtime or socializing until deep into the night. Jiang Ying would entertain herself after work, sending him messages now and then. He’d reply a few times when he had a moment, but their conversations never lasted long, truly like a long-distance relationship. Except for appearing in her bed in the early hours of the morning.

Jiang Ying pouted, then secretly scooped up another handful of snow. It was icy cold and tingly.

Satisfied, she closed the balcony window. The cold wind no longer surged, but it was still outdoors, at a temperature similar to the refrigerator’s fresh produce section.

She checked on the piggy and panda, finding no changes. Even with the temperature dropping to freezing point, they remained the same, yellowing on one side while sprouting new growth. They didn’t seem to wither from the cold.

Quite resilient, actually.

After that bizarre space dream, Jiang Ying childishly resented the two little ones.

Since they were so strong, there was no need to cover them with hay; they could survive well even in the snow. The bag of “love hay” from Zeda University was casually placed in some bag.

________________________________________

That day, Jiang Ying felt sleepy at work and decided to get a cup of coffee from the pantry. Unexpectedly, she overheard gossip about herself at the door.

“I heard Jiang Ying’s boyfriend gave her a really expensive ring, I’m so jealous!”

“What’s there to be jealous of? If you were as good at seducing people as she is, something even more expensive would be no problem.” The speaker was Xiao Pan from accounting.

They had no grudges, so why were her words so unfriendly?

Jiang Ying leaned against the wall, intending to listen to what else they had to say.

“Not necessarily,” the other female colleague’s voice was lower. “Mainly, she’s quite pretty, and maybe she’s just lucky.”

Jiang Ying silently nodded.

Xiao Pan sneered, “I don’t know about luck, but being scheming is real. She clearly has a boyfriend, but she’s still leading others on, I don’t know what she’s up to.”

“Ah? Are you talking about... Zheng Yifeng? Is what Director Hu said true?”

Jiang Ying’s eyes widened.

“Otherwise, why would Zheng Yifeng always take care of her so much, constantly helping her out... Even though some cases are Jiang Ying’s own, Zheng Yifeng still goes along... If she wasn’t stringing him along, why would he be so proactive? Such an honest person, she’s tricked him...”

“What did I trick him into?”

It was lunchtime, so no one else was around. The timing was good. Whether it was a misunderstanding or malice, Jiang Ying believed in confronting issues directly.

“Jiang Ying?!” The female colleague reacted, quickly apologizing, “No, we were just talking casually, we didn’t mean anything else...”

Xiao Pan, instead of being ashamed after being caught, snorted coldly, staring at Jiang Ying without speaking, expressing her righteous indignation with her eyes.

“Really, we were just being talkative, no ill intentions...” The female colleague was still trying to mediate. “Xiao Pan, apologize.”

“Why should I apologize? What I said is the truth.” Xiao Pan didn’t back down at all.

Jiang Ying didn’t want to let it slide either. She confronted Xiao Pan with a cold voice: “How did I seduce anyone? Zheng Yifeng and I have had the same mentor since our internship and have been in the same group for over two years. Is it strange for us to help each other with work? The case you mentioned was the first one I handled in my own name, with over a dozen male clients, all of whom required socializing. My mentor was concerned about my safety and had Zheng Yifeng accompany me. How is that seduction?”

Xiao Pan’s face turned red and then dark: “Then, then not talking about work... You two came back from a business trip, late at night, what was Zheng Yifeng doing at your house? Don’t you have a boyfriend? Does your boyfriend know a male colleague went to your house at night?!”

Jiang Ying was so angry she saw stars. That Director Hu really was a blabbermouth!

Yet, she couldn’t say they were deceiving Director Hu, to help her escape his “kind attention.”

Jiang Ying endured, saying, “Of course my boyfriend knows, he was at my house. My colleague came to pick up a document, openly. Do you want to confront my boyfriend about it?”

“You!”

“Alright, alright,” the female colleague intervened, “Xiao Pan and I just heard a few words from Director Hu and Director Zhou, so we couldn’t help but gossip. We’re sorry, Jiang Ying, we won’t talk nonsense again, please don’t hold a grudge, okay?”

The female colleague pulled Xiao Pan, ready to leave.

“Xiao Pan,” Jiang Ying called out to her, “There’s nothing between Zheng Yifeng and me; we’re completely innocent.”

Xiao Pan bit her lip: “You’d better stick to your word.”

“But why are you so anxious?” Jiang Ying looked at her calmly, asking directly, “Did he get together with you?”

Xiao Pan’s face instantly turned livid: “What nonsense are you talking about!”

________________________________________

Jiang Ying was very displeased today. Being inexplicably slandered and then getting into an argument over it was one thing. The key was that her kind colleague and her dear best friend, who had connected because of her and seemed to be on the verge of developing a close and friendly relationship, suddenly had their colleague’s character called into question.

Jiang Ying felt a great sense of responsibility.

In the afternoon, she asked Xiao Pan a few questions, genuinely wanting to understand the situation, to know if Zheng Yifeng was hiding a philandering nature beneath his honest exterior, since testimony had to come from both sides.

Xiao Pan, having her secret exposed, was almost mortified with anger. Jiang Ying coaxed and persuaded, and only then did she stammer out a few evasive words. Jiang Ying gathered that Zheng Yifeng hadn’t made any advances, but hadn’t explicitly rejected her either, leading Xiao Pan to believe she still had a chance.

Hmm... indecisive men are not good.

Zheng Yifeng was out of the office during the day, so Jiang Ying couldn’t ask him about it in person. When he returned in the evening, she messaged him, directly stating that if he hadn’t sorted things out with Xiao Pan, he shouldn’t go looking for Huang Yanfei.

Zheng Yifeng was very nervous upon receiving the message, replying with many texts, trying hard to explain that he hadn’t intentionally misled Xiao Pan, and that he hadn’t known she still harbored such thoughts. He assured her he would clarify things with her as soon as possible.

He sounded quite sincere.

Later, he also asked Jiang Ying not to tell Huang Yanfei about it, wanting to explain it himself.

He was quite brave. Jiang Ying gradually felt relieved.

However, given her relationship with Huang Yanfei, not telling her was impossible.

Huang Yanfei’s reaction was: “Holy cow, really?! Is he not honest at all?!”

Jiang Ying tried to explain Zheng Yifeng’s side as objectively as possible.

Huang Yanfei quickly became a fence-sitter: “Hmm, I can understand. It’s not entirely his fault.”

Jiang Ying: “You understood that a bit too quickly...”

A few minutes later, Huang Yanfei sent: “Wow, he came and told me!”

After that, her attitude completely shifted—

“Oh, you really can’t blame him...”

“Some girls just won’t give up until they hit a brick wall. They insist that someone explain things so clearly, but adults always speak subtly.”

“Wow, he’s really afraid I’ll be mad. He said so much, more in these ten minutes than all these days combined.”

“Oh, how can there be such an honest and cute boy?”

“Wuwuwu, boys must protect themselves outside, because women are hungry wolves!”

Jiang Ying: ???

“What did he tell you that made you sound like you’re under a spell?”

Huang Yanfei sent a few chat screenshots.

Well... it was fine. Just simple, unadorned explanations, not very clear logically, and with much repetition. The urgent and earnest mood was evident. It truly matched Zheng Yifeng’s character. How did Huang Yanfei get so captivated?

But people were naturally different, and individual variations were illogical.

Just like in their student days, Huang Yanfei couldn’t understand why Jiang Ying was so infatuated with Meng Jingshu. She admitted he was outstanding and eye-catching, but only admired him; she simply didn’t like him. Even now, she always encouraged Jiang Ying to win over Young Master Meng, simply because she had once seen Jiang Ying unable to eat or sleep because of him.

Jiang Ying couldn’t understand why Huang Yanfei was so utterly infatuated now, but she also knew she was equally bewildered.

Sometimes, when she was bored, she would send Meng Jingshu emojis, and his reply would be: “In a meeting.”

Just those three words, without even punctuation, and she could still distinctly perceive tenderness.

So, when it came to matters of the heart, bystanders sometimes saw clearly, and sometimes didn’t; those involved were sometimes bewildered, and sometimes not.

________________________________________

When Meng Jingshu returned, Jiang Ying was chatting with both of them on WeChat. Huang Yanfei said they were talking about a date, and Zheng Yifeng was asking her about Huang Yanfei’s preferences. She was completely engrossed in playing the role of an undercover agent, not even glancing at Meng Jingshu, only tossing out a simple “Hi.”

Young Master Meng, who rarely returned early, didn’t expect such a perfunctory greeting.

He walked over: “Late at night, who are you chatting with?”

She didn’t even bother to look at the video playing on her computer.

Jiang Ying instinctively said, “Huang Yanfei.”

“...” Meng Jingshu placed his hand on the back of her chair and asked indifferently, “Who is Zheng Yifeng?”

He had walked over earlier and from his vantage point, easily saw the contact name.

“...A colleague,” she said with a smile.

Ah—

The rising tone at the end, feigning ease, was a sign of guilt.

“The one from the business trip?” he asked.

“Mm, we’re talking about a little work stuff, but mostly just messing around with Huang Yanfei,” she explained slightly. “Girl talk, can’t tell you.”

It wasn’t that she was deliberately hiding it, but Huang Yanfei had given her strict orders not to tell Meng Jingshu until everything was settled. They had once agreed that even with a man, they must prioritize each other’s privacy and never use each other’s private matters as conversational fodder with their boyfriends. Plus, there was still the matter of Xu Jiahong... anyway, Huang Yanfei just didn’t want Meng Jingshu to know.

Although Young Master Meng probably wouldn’t take other people’s affairs to heart, the friends’ agreement was unbreakable.

Meng Jingshu’s gaze swept over her phone, which was placed face down on the table. He said nothing more, moving his hand to the back of her neck and squeezing it with a little force.

Jiang Ying instantly recoiled, pressing the back of her head against his hand to stop him. “It tickles!”

He pulled at the corner of his mouth very slightly.

Jiang Ying met his indifferent gaze, a little bewildered.

She looked up, pouting. “Kiss me.”

Meng Jingshu ignored her, his hand sliding from the base of her neck up to her head, messing up her hair.

“Oh, stop it—”

Her interjections were his weakness. Over the years, they had permeated him, as if a sensor had been installed in his heart; at her slightest cry, his heart would always involuntarily soften.

Meng Jingshu stroked her cheek and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

________________________________________

When they went to sleep, Meng Jingshu, for the first time, didn’t cuddle up to her.

Jiang Ying thought he must be tired from work and needed a good rest, so she didn’t disturb him. She groped in the dark, leaned over, and planted a loud kiss on his face.

“Good night~”

“Mm,” he responded.

Jiang Ying burrowed back into her covers and went to sleep on her own. After a while, she vaguely heard a frustrated sigh. Then, a familiar warmth approached and enveloped her. She instinctively snuggled closer and fell asleep peacefully.

________________________________________

Perhaps because the year was drawing to a close, all the work seemed to pile up, rushing as if afraid of missing the last train of the year.

Jiang Ying was busy finalizing previous cases, and another criminal case came knocking. At the same time, her mentor, Wu Shuting, was working on a real estate case with 80 clients. Overwhelmed, she pulled Jiang Ying in to help with miscellaneous tasks.

Her daily to-do list was packed.

Meng Jingshu was also the same. He had been working overtime for several consecutive days and was now flying to another province for business. She wondered if she was being sensitive, but she always felt he had been in a bad mood lately. Although he wasn’t usually very cheerful, she just felt he had been a bit cold and quieter recently.

Aside from that, everything else was normal. WeChat messages and calls hadn’t decreased, but they rarely exchanged many words.

She guessed he hadn’t rested well; he was always taciturn when he wasn’t feeling well. Jiang Ying understood but was powerless. He was working day and night, and she herself was constantly busy.

Amidst the toil of life, Jiang Ying encountered another vexing problem—her water heater broke down.

It was only Tuesday, and she wouldn’t have time to contact customer service for repair until the weekend.

Earlier, Meng Jingshu had said he had a dinner engagement, so Jiang Ying didn’t tell him. She contacted Huang Yanfei, planning to stay at her place for a few days.

As she was packing, Meng Jingshu called.

“What are you doing?” This was his opening line every time.

“Packing.” Jiang Ying put her phone on speaker and was packing her cosmetics, multitasking.

“Packing what?”

“Luggage,” Jiang Ying tidied her bulging makeup bag and zipped it up. “My water heater broke, and I don’t have time to fix it, so I’m going to crash at someone else’s place for a few days.”

“Whose place?” he immediately asked.

“Huang Yanfei’s, who else?” Jiang Ying couldn’t help but feel a little amused.

“Where is her place?”

“Futing District.” That was the furthest part of the city, two hours away from the city center by car, and about an hour and a half by subway. Jiang Ying’s law firm was located in a bustling old district, so it naturally wasn’t close either.

“That far, how are you planning to get to work?”

“I’ll just get up early and cram onto the subway,” Jiang Ying wondered why he was so chatty today. She put her items into bags one by one, preparing to end the call. “Gotta go, I’m done packing and need to head out.”

“Don’t rush. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“What? You’re coming back?” Jiang Ying was stunned.

“Mm, gotta hang up, another call’s coming in.”

________________________________________

About twenty minutes later, Jiang Ying, in the midst of a fierce gaming battle, heard the familiar sound of the door opening. It had been many days, and the click of that key was no longer as harsh; it had probably been somewhat worn smooth by the lock’s mechanism.

Meng Jingshu entered and scanned the room. Teacher Jiang, busy with her game, had a half-eaten pear beside her, and a bulging luggage bag lay sprawled on the floor beside her crooked legs.

“Finished packing?”

“Mm, just waiting for President Meng to grace us with his presence and guidance.”

Meng Jingshu leaned against the table, picked up the pear, and ate it. He stared at the person who was playing without looking up, and slowly said,

“It’s getting late. How are you going to get there, by taxi?”

Jiang Ying cleared the minion wave. Her teammates signaled her to join them in a bush to ambush someone. Her voice involuntarily lowered, “I’m driving.”

Meng Jingshu hadn’t expected that answer and was a little surprised. “Driving?”

“Don’t underestimate me. I just can’t afford a house, but I do have a car... Okay, actually my parents gave it to me... It’s parked downstairs, in a corner,” she mumbled softly, “But traffic is bad, and parking is a hassle. I haven’t driven it since I moved here, it’s probably very dusty...”

He waited for her to finish before slowly saying, “You used to get carsick. I thought you wouldn’t get a driver’s license.”

“I gradually stopped getting carsick after college, don’t know why... I got my license the year I graduated, passed everything on the first try! Oh, someone’s coming!”

Jiang Ying opened fire on the enemy marksman, and her teammates swarmed.

“You’ve changed a lot these past few years.”

Jiang Ying was about to retreat with low health after finishing the team fight, when she was suddenly distracted by his words. She failed to use her flash, resulting in a one-for-five trade, heroically sacrificing herself.

Victory was already assured.

When she looked at Meng Jingshu again, the fleeting melancholy in his words earlier had vanished without a trace. He finished the pear, throwing the core into the trash can. Only then did Jiang Ying react,

“My pear!”

“What, I can’t eat your pear?”

“No... but, I ate it very messily.”

And there was a lot of saliva.

“Delicious,” he said unhurriedly, wiping his hands with a wet wipe.

Jiang Ying rested her head on his leg, saying nothing.

It was these unintentional revelations of not disliking, and even liking, in small details that truly captivated people’s hearts.

Meng Jingshu chuckled, rubbing her slightly red ear, and asked, “Are you really going to Huang Yanfei’s?”

Still asking?

Jiang Ying deliberately said, “Yes, I should go now, it’ll be too late and disturb her rest.”

“Indeed,” he agreed.

Jiang Ying pulled his hand away.

He smiled, “Don’t disturb others, come to my place.”

“No,” Jiang Ying straightened her back. “I’ve already told her I would.”

“You have no say in the matter.”

Meng Jingshu bent down, scooped her onto his lap, his arms securing her shoulders and back. Then he lowered his head and rubbed her neck with his stubble, making her yelp and laugh.

“Are you coming or not? Hmm?”

Jiang Ying bit her lip, suppressing her words.

He increased the intensity, rubbing her with his stubble while reaching to pinch her neck. Jiang Ying instantly started gibbering, her hands and feet trembling, her shoes flying off.

“Ow, ow, ow, I’m coming, I’m coming! Hahaha, stop, stop it!!”

Meng Jingshu’s stern eyebrows softened with a smile as he held her and kissed her earnestly for a while. The pear they had shared finally reunited between their lips and tongues.

He smoothed her messy hair before letting her down. “Put on your clothes.”

“Oh.”

While she was getting dressed, Meng Jingshu checked around.

“Didn’t pack the mint? Bring it too.”

“! Almost forgot!!”