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The cigarette pack was right there, but his gaze remained fixed on the glass of water Lin Wangshu was offering him.
Her nails were neatly trimmed, with a faint hint of pink.
Seeing that he didn’t respond, she called out again, “Jiang Congxian.”
She rarely called him by his name.
As if she considered him to be dirty.
The huge office was terribly quiet. Even the sound of the air conditioner was too soft to be noticeable.
Jiang Congxian liked peace and quiet. Even the walls of his house were renovated with the best soundproof materials.
Lin Wangshu was not in a hurry to pull her hand back. The water was hot on her hand, but she acted as if she didn’t notice.
To please him, to obey him.
She could do it all, as long as she could protect Lin Yue.
She seemed to have never been able to put herself in her proper place.
She was dependent on Jiang Congxian, not him providing for her.
He could abandon her at any time, regardless of whether she lived or died.
Jiang Congxian sneered, picked up the cigarette pack, shook one out, and put it in his mouth. “Are you starting now?”
His voice was filled with contempt and mockery.
Lin Wangshu didn’t mind. After a moment of hesitation, she still kindly reminded him, “Smoke less if your pharyngitis is acting up.”
He lowered his eyebrows, his voice cold. “Are you really taking yourself as my girlfriend now?”
Lin Wangshu lowered her head and didn’t speak.
But her shoulders were still straight.
Proud like a plum blossom in the snow.
Even when trying to please someone, she still had a hint of arrogance.
How ridiculous. She was already in a quagmire herself, yet she was still trying to lecture others.
“The stuff has been delivered. You can get lost.”
He tightened his tie and didn’t look at her.
Lin Wangshu breathed a sigh of relief. She placed the glass of water on the table. “Then I’ll be going now.”
She opened the door and left. The assistant was standing outside, waiting to take her downstairs.
The door closed, and the room became even quieter.
He stared at the blank document for more than ten minutes.
After a while, he finally let go of the mouse and looked at the glass of water on the table that had already gone cold and didn’t have any warmth left.
After the assistant sent her off, he came back with the contract that had been processed by the legal department, waiting for Jiang Congxian to review it.
He didn’t look at him. He just told him to put it on the table.
Before the assistant left, he wanted to take the empty water glass from the desk with him.
It was right next to him. He wasn’t afraid of it getting knocked over.
He muttered to himself that the girl was really brave. CEO Jiang was a person who paid attention to details.
Before, a woman who came to see him under the pretense of a business deal simply picked up a book from his bookshelf, looked through it for a while, and didn’t put it back in its original place. Jiang Congxian had her thrown out with a cold expression.
He didn’t even bother to continue the business deal, which was worth billions.
The assistant prayed for the girl in his heart, hoping she would be okay.
He was about to take the glass.
Jiang Congxian’s voice was low. “Just leave it there.”
The assistant was stunned. “Huh?”
He looked up, his eyes indifferent. “The company doesn’t employ useless people who can’t hear.”
The assistant broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly nodded and said, “I... I won’t bother you anymore. I just remembered that the notes from the morning meeting haven’t been organized yet.”
He then quickly ran out of the CEO’s office as if his life depended on it.
________________________________________
When Lin Wangshu got home, it was already past 3 p.m. The concert was at 5 p.m.
Worried that Lin Yue would be scared, she had asked for his opinion beforehand. “If you’re scared, we can stay home and not go, okay?”
But Lin Yue shook his head. “I want to go.”
He said, “Sister likes it.”
Lin Wangshu smiled and ruffled his hair. “It’s okay. We can always go to a concert. We don’t have to go this time.”
But he insisted on going.
Unable to dissuade him, Lin Wangshu finally said “okay” obediently.
They arrived at the concert hall, and there weren’t many people there yet.
People were already starting to go in. Lin Wangshu was afraid that Lin Yue would be thirsty, so she went to a cafe across the street to buy him a hot drink.
There were two servers at the counter. The person next to her finished their order and asked with a blushing face, “Do you want sugar with your Americano?”
A clear, gentle voice, like jade hitting stone, said, “No, thank you.”
It sounded familiar.
Lin Wangshu looked over out of curiosity.
She happened to see the man’s distinct profile.
He lowered his head, pulled a bill from his wallet, and handed it to the cashier.
“Senior Sheng?”
Hearing the voice, he looked up and his eyes met Lin Wangshu’s.
The man was quiet for a moment, then smiled faintly and called her name. “Lin Wangshu?”
Lin Wangshu’s face turned red. She was a little flattered. “You still remember me?”
“I do.” He asked her, “Are you here for the concert?”
In front of her idol, Lin Wangshu was a little timid, like a hesitant elementary school student. “Yes... I brought my brother with me.”
He still just smiled gently. “Am I that scary?”
Lin Wangshu was stunned and quickly waved her hands. “No, it’s just that I...”
Now she was not only flustered but also a little panicked.
The little girl was not used to being teased. He had only wanted her to relax a little, but he ended up making things worse.
As a polite apology, Sheng Lin took out the tickets for the inner section that he had prepared in advance.
There were exactly two of them. He handed them to her. “The view from these seats should be better.”
Tickets for the Western Lan Symphony Orchestra were hard to come by, let alone seats in the inner section.
This was too generous of a gift. She couldn’t accept it.
Sheng Lin smiled. “I prepared them for you. Take them.”
“Then...”
She couldn’t refuse, so she reached out and took them. “Thank you, Senior.”
The hot Americano was ready. The server handed him the coffee.
Sheng Lin glanced at his watch. “Then I’ll be going now.”
“Okay, goodbye, Senior.”
Lin Wangshu didn’t dare to look at the inner section tickets until he had left the cafe.
The server saw her expression and said with a smile, “Your crush?”
She shook her head to deny it. “No.”
“There’s nothing to be afraid of admitting. The gentleman just now was handsome, gentle, and a true gentleman. It’s normal to like him.”
She still just said, “No.”
She only admired him.
As a senior in the industry, he had always been the goal of her efforts.
It seemed that only by getting closer to him could she be considered successful.
________________________________________
The view from the inner section was indeed excellent. Lin Wangshu watched as the lights shone on the stage. The man was in a dark suit, his skin was pale, his back was straight, his head was slightly lowered, and his bow touched the strings.
He was a gentleman and elegant. He seemed to have a greater aura than everyone else around him.
Lin Yue was quiet the entire time.
It wasn’t until the lights in the audience section came on and the concert was over that he finally couldn’t hold it in and ran to the bathroom to throw up.
He had a stress response.
Suddenly being in a place that was too lively would make him feel nauseous and want to vomit.
She couldn’t go into the men’s bathroom, so she could only stand outside and wait anxiously.
She felt incredibly guilty. She had been careless.
Thinking about how Lin Yue had endured it for so long so as not to ruin the performance, she felt even more ashamed.
Her heart ached for him.
When Sheng Lin arrived, he happened to see Lin Wangshu standing at the bathroom door with red eyes. He thought something had happened to her.
He asked with a look of concern, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Wangshu looked as if she had found a lifeline. She grabbed his sleeve and pleaded, “Could you please help me check on my brother? He’s not well. He has a stress response, and he wants to throw up when he feels uncomfortable. I can’t go in. I don’t know...”
She was speaking incoherently because of her panic.
After calming her down, Sheng Lin said softly, “Don’t worry too much. I’ll go in and check on him for you.”
He went into the bathroom and immediately saw the young boy in the second stall, painfully vomiting.
He didn’t look very old, but he was already quite tall. His eyebrows and eyes were similar to Lin Wangshu’s. They both had a cold, reserved appearance.
He walked over, handed him a tissue, and put his hand on his back, gently patting him to help him breathe. “Are you feeling better?”
Lin Yue took the tissue and looked back at him.
His face, which had lost its color from vomiting, was now even paler. His body also trembled subconsciously.
Sheng Lin noticed his unusual behavior and probably guessed that he was different from others.
He just said, “Your sister is very worried about you. She asked me to come in and check on you.”
Lin Yue lowered his head, walked past him, and left.
He put his hand under the sensor faucet, cupped some water, and rinsed his mouth.
He didn’t push the door open until he was perfectly fine.
When Lin Wangshu saw that he was okay, the weight on her heart was finally lifted.
“Was it very uncomfortable? It’s all my fault.”
Her words were full of self-blame.
Lin Yue slowly shook his head. “I’m okay.”
He said, “Don’t cry.”
Lin Wangshu held back her tears. “Okay, sister won’t cry.”
Sheng Lin handed her a tissue and said with a light laugh, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were the younger sibling.”
Being seen by an outsider in such a embarrassing state, Lin Wangshu was a little mortified.
Her eyelashes were lowered, and her neck was slightly red.
Sheng Lin saw that she was easily shy, so he didn’t tease her anymore.
He took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down a number for her. “This is my private number. You can ask me if you have any questions about music.”
Lin Wangshu took the slip of paper and looked at the number on it.
“Thank you, Senior.”
His smile was gentle. “I hope you can persevere on this path.”
Sheng Lin loved and cherished talent. He could tell that Lin Wangshu genuinely loved the cello.
In fact, not many people could persevere on this path.
If she truly loved it, he hoped she would stick with it.
“I will.”
After leaving the concert hall, they passed a bubble tea shop. Lin Wangshu asked Lin Yue to wait for her in the car.
She got out of the car and bought a few cups of bubble tea.
Lin Yue didn’t like sweets, so she didn’t get him one.
Faced with her father’s sudden death, an inexplicable amount of debt, and her brother’s worsening condition.
During that time, Lin Wangshu became paranoid and suspicious. Her nerves were constantly on edge.
But since yesterday, the moment she saw Lin Yue, she suddenly had an epiphany.
Even if it was just for him, she had to live her life well.
If she lived, she would always find hope.
It was true, as Jiang Congxian said, that her pride was worthless.
________________________________________
When she got home, Xiao Lian saw the bubble tea she brought back and happily reached out to take it. “Thank you, Sister Shushu.”
She smoothed out Lin Yue’s jacket and hung it on the coat rack. She glanced at the pair of men’s leather shoes that were newly added to the entryway.
“Did we have a guest?”
Xiao Lian held the bubble tea and cautiously looked upstairs.
Then she leaned close to Lin Wangshu’s ear and whispered, “He looks fierce. I don’t know how Mr. Jiang knows someone like that.”
Lin Wangshu thought to herself that people like this were actually in the same category as Jiang Congxian.
The door to the study on the second floor opened, and two men came out, one after the other.
Jiang Congxian had a cigarette in his mouth, but it wasn’t lit.
One hand was in the pocket of his slacks, his suit jacket was unbuttoned, and his tie was loose.
He looked uninhibited and casual.
The man walking in front of him, though muscular, was a head shorter than him, and his presence was clearly weaker.
The man laughed. “That girl, Lailai, talks about you all day. We must get together for a good time next time you’re free.”
He nodded with a smile. “Of course.”
After a simple exchange of pleasantries, the man left.
As he passed Lin Wangshu, he gave her another look.
Lin Wangshu didn’t like the way he was looking at her, so she looked away and focused on something else.
Her eyes briefly met Jiang Congxian’s.
He was standing by the railing on the second floor, his gaze naturally looking down. It was as if he was looking at her, but also as if he was just casually glancing over.
Lin Wangshu didn’t dwell on it for long.
It didn’t matter to her who he was looking at.
Jiang Congxian went out to the patio for a cigarette and then came downstairs. The food had already been served.
Lin Yue was sitting next to Lin Wangshu, across from Jiang Congxian.
He had just finished smoking, and he still had a faint smell of tobacco on him, which was a little pungent.
The dining table was quiet. Almost no one was talking.
Occasionally, Lin Wangshu would say a few words as she picked up food for Lin Yue.
Her voice was so gentle it was like it could wring water from a stone. “Sister just tasted it. This isn’t spicy.”
Jiang Congxian glanced at her, put down his chopsticks, and said, “I’m full.”
He then stood up and went upstairs.
His personality was naturally unpredictable, and everyone in the house was used to it.
Xiao Lian saw that he had barely touched his food.
She felt a little guilty. “It must be that my cooking didn’t suit Mr. Jiang’s taste.”
She had cooked today’s meal to treat Lin Yue well.
Who knew it would be such a failure?
Seeing her lower her head sadly, Lin Wangshu also put down her chopsticks and comforted her softly, “It’s very delicious.”
Xiao Lian didn’t seem to feel much better after being comforted by her.
She went into the kitchen with a gloomy face.
The girl was still too young and a little sensitive.
After dinner, Lin Yue went back to his room.
He had a lot of homework for the holiday, and he couldn’t do it during the day when he was out, so he had to do it at night.
After her shower, Lin Wangshu came out of the bathroom, thinking she would go to the patio for some fresh air.
She felt suffocated after staying in the bedroom for so long.
She regretted it as soon as she got there.
The patio was dimly lit. Only one wall sconce was on.
The man was leaning against the railing. A cigarette that was almost burned out was clenched between his long, pale fingers.
Lin Wangshu had been with him for so long that she understood him in some ways.
He would smoke when he was troubled or upset.
After a moment of hesitation, she turned to leave. Her hand was just on the doorknob.
The man exhaled a puff of grayish-white smoke, his voice hoarse from corrosion. “Come here.”
It wasn’t a forceful tone, but it was impossible to resist.
The terrifying thing about him was that he could destroy your sanity with just a few words.
He made people have no choice but to obey him.
Lin Wangshu finally went over and stood beside him.
She didn’t like the smell of smoke. She found it pungent.
He noticed her slightly furrowed eyebrows, as if she was disgusted by him.
With a faint smile on his lips, he held the cigarette up to her lips. “Try it?”
Lin Wangshu took a step back and shook her head in refusal. “I don’t smoke.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
He was still smiling.
No matter when, he always seemed to have a calm and indifferent expression.
As if the world falling apart had nothing to do with him.
He had nothing to be afraid of, and he had no weaknesses.
People like this were even more terrifying, because they didn’t need to leave themselves an escape route.
When they did things, they were even more ruthless.
Lin Wangshu gritted her teeth and didn’t move.
He wasn’t in a hurry. He propped his head up with one hand, looked down at her, and waited quietly.
He was smiling, but there was no warmth in his deep eyes.
They were like the darkest night, without any light.
Lin Wangshu was silent for a long time. In the end, she took a step forward and silently took the cigarette he offered her.
He had just smoked it, and it still carried his scent.
It was a bitter smell of tobacco.
Seeing her hesitate, he straightened up, and his voice was ambiguous. “Don’t be disgusted. It’s not like you haven’t tasted my saliva before.”
Her body instantly stiffened.
She finally mustered the courage to take a puff.
The smoke choked her lungs. It was like someone was choking her, and she couldn’t breathe.
She leaned against the wall, coughing, her whole face pale.
Jiang Congxian put his arm around her, patting her back to help her breathe. “You’re trying to inhale it the first time you smoke. You’re quite bold.”
She was still coughing. Her hand subconsciously clenched his cuff, as if she wanted to grab onto a sense of security.
Jiang Congxian’s movements paused slightly. He looked down at her hand.
When he looked up again, his face showed no change.
“Weren’t you trying to please me? Is that all?”
She was too exhausted from coughing to stand straight.
She seemed to be about to take a second puff.
Jiang Congxian’s eyes darkened. He put out the cigarette. “That’s enough.”
Lin Wangshu stopped and didn’t say anything.
Jiang Congxian glanced at her silently. Ever since she moved in, her eyes had been changing every day.
The first day she came, there was light in her eyes.
Even though she was in the midst of overwhelming grief over her father’s death, she was still proud at that time.
Now, she was like a soulless doll.
He sneered, “Weren’t you so high and mighty?”
She took a deep breath. Her hands hidden in her sleeves were trembling.
He was the one who had personally shattered her bones and rebuilt them, yet now he was asking her, “Weren’t you so high and mighty?”
Yes.
What right did she have to live with her head held high now?
What did she have? She had nothing.
The moonlight was desolate, and the breeze was chilling.
She looked at the stars above, feeling the coldness entering her body.
She didn’t answer his question. Instead, she asked, “Have we met before?”
________________________________________
When did she start feeling that he looked so familiar?
It was probably at Uncle Sun’s birthday party. It was because of this inexplicable familiarity that she had a good impression of him.
So she happily agreed to his request and helped him to the front hall.
Her sudden period made their first meeting a little awkward.
Lin Wangshu didn’t notice anything unusual. It was Jiang Congxian who took off his jacket and wrapped it around her waist.
She was stunned for a moment, not understanding his actions. She was about to ask him.
He put his index finger on his lips, making a shushing gesture.
Then he leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice. “Does Miss Lin want to go to the bathroom?”
He didn’t state it directly but gently reminded her.
He even went to a nearby convenience store himself to buy a sanitary napkin and asked a cleaner to bring it in for her.
Lin Wangshu’s first impression of him was not bad.
She even had a little bit of a crush on him.
A young girl’s heart is easily stirred, especially one with no dating experience.
It was just a shame that the budding feelings were strangled by him himself before they could grow.
“Have we met before?”
His smoking addiction seemed to have gotten worse in recent years. It had even become a kind of pathological dependency.
The night was hazy. Looking out, it was like a black-infused white.
He could feel his emotions running high and his thoughts starting to jump around.
He didn’t pay attention to her anymore and turned around to go inside.
The burned-out cigarette butt was just lying on the ground. It must have been dropped accidentally when he was in a hurry to leave earlier.
Lin Wangshu bent down, picked it up, and threw it in the trash can.
Maybe because she had been out all day, she slept very soundly at night.
She was suddenly woken up in the middle of the night by a loud noise coming from the study next door.
She heard the sound of something being smashed, like porcelain.
Jiang Congxian’s study had several expensive antique vases.
Then came the chair, and then the bookshelf. The books kept falling, making a harsh sound.
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