Chapter 15: Reporting

“Then I’ll head out.”

Ji Pei sat on the sofa, chatting with Jiang Xihan for a while.

She glanced at her wristwatch. It was nearly eight o’clock. Jiang Xihan was injured and needed rest.

Ji Fan emerged from the bathroom, one hand on her stomach, the other clutching the doorframe, wobbling.

“What’s wrong? Need to go to the hospital?”

Ji Fan shook her head.

“No need, Sis. I ate too much spicy food and two ice creams.”

Seeing Ji Fan approach, Ji Pei almost patted her head but stopped herself in time.

“See if you’ll hog food again. Couldn’t even get one for me and Professor Jiang.”

Ji Fan drooped her head, like a scolded Samoyed.

“Sis, I was wrong.”

***

Before leaving, Ji Pei took out her phone, opened a delivery app, and ordered steamed egg for Jiang Xihan.

Most takeout these days was pre-made, even steamed eggs.

After placing the order, Ji Pei canceled it. She felt Jiang Xihan wouldn’t eat such things.

If the takeout was unclean and made her sick, it’d be adding insult to injury.

Ji Pei had tried takeout steamed egg once—salty, fishy, awful.

So what now? Ji Pei racked her brain, then had an idea.

In the garage, Ji Fan stubbornly tried to drive, only to be met with Ji Pei’s sharp glare.

“Aren’t you having stomach pain? I’ll take you to the hospital, get some medicine.”

“No, no!”

Ji Fan sat obediently in the back, shaking her head.

“Let’s go home. I hate hospitals.”

Ji Pei’s lips curved.

“You didn’t say a word when we took Professor Jiang to the hospital today.”

“That’s different, okay?”

Ji Fan muttered,

“If you hadn’t been careless, how would Professor Jiang have sprained her ankle? Can she still teach?”

Ji Pei didn’t know.

“Someone as resilient as Professor Jiang would probably teach from a wheelchair.”

“How do you know, Sis?”

Ji Pei floored the gas.

“I’m guessing.”

Actually, Ji Pei wanted Ji Fan to practice driving, but it was peak traffic hour.

Though the two addresses were just a few kilometers apart, Ji Pei was stuck in traffic for over twenty minutes.

***

Back home, opening the door, Ye Wenzhu was grinning on the sofa, playing with the dog.

Seeing the Ji sisters enter, her smile vanished, her face tightening as if ready to accuse.

“You two are finally back! Out dining with your new fling, forgetting me, your loyal Ye Baochuan, left in the cold!”

Ji Pei dashed to the kitchen. Ye Wenzhu stood to follow, but Ji Fan grabbed her arm.

“Sister Wenzhu, my sister’s cooking for Professor Jiang. Don’t disturb her.”

Ye Wenzhu looked stunned, her gaze lingering on Ji Fan’s empty back.

“Professor Jiang? Where is she? Weren’t you going out to eat?”

“We got to the restaurant, but my sister tripped, crashing into Professor Jiang, spraining her ankle. She can’t move.”

Ye Wenzhu rubbed her chin.

“That does call for an apology. A sprain takes months to heal. How’d a simple dinner turn into this?”

Ji Fan guessed,

“Maybe my sister and Professor Jiang’s zodiacs clash?”

Ye Wenzhu nodded firmly.

“I think so too. She took your class and got caught by Jiang Xihan. At dinner, Jiang Xihan sprained her ankle. Maybe they really clash.”

***

In the kitchen, Ji Pei quickly whisked eggs for steaming and made a fragrant bowl of chicken broth noodle soup.

Ji Fan, drawn by the aroma, hovered at the kitchen door, shocked.

“Sis, you’re really making food for Professor Jiang?”

Ye Wenzhu, standing aside, grumbled sulkily,

“Look at this, five years of friendship, less important than a woman she met two days ago.”

Ji Pei packed the steamed egg and noodle soup into lunchboxes, walked to Ye Wenzhu, and pinched her ear.

“Are your eyes for venting? See those two bowls of noodles? They’re for you and Ji Fan.”

Ye Wenzhu instantly grinned obsequiously.

“Oh, you know my sharp tongue but soft heart. Be safe on the road.”

Ji Pei picked up her phone, checked the time, and messaged Jiang Xihan.

Ji Pei: [Professor Jiang, are you asleep?]

Ji Pei: [Don’t sleep yet.]

Jiang Xihan, fresh from a shower, was wiping her dripping hair. Seeing her phone flash, she checked—it was Ji Pei.

Ignoring her wet hair, she grabbed the phone and typed.

Demon Jiang: [Not yet.]

Seeing Jiang Xihan’s instant reply, Ji Pei sighed in relief, packed the steamed egg and noodle soup into lunchboxes, grabbed her keys, and headed out with her bag.

***

The drive was smooth, and Ji Pei reached the villa in ten minutes.

She opened the door. Jiang Xihan was on the sofa, fiddling with a vase. Their eyes met.

“Professor Jiang.”

Ji Pei softened her voice unconsciously, placing the bag on the table before her.

Unzipping it revealed an insulated bag with two cute Mickey Mouse ceramic lunchboxes, one large, one small, round and plump.

Ji Pei set the lunchboxes on the table, pulling out new chopsticks and a spoon.

“Professor Jiang, I made these—steamed egg and chicken noodle soup.”

Ji Pei’s pale pink lips pursed slightly.

“No chili, you should be fine with it.”

Jiang Xihan sat, staring at the lunchboxes for a long moment, then looked into Ji Pei’s eyes, her lips curving.

“Thank you.”

“It’s my fault anyway. You were fine when you arrived.”

Ji Pei shook her keyring.

“Professor Jiang, eat up. I’ll head out. Message me if you need anything—I’m always here.”

She left but didn’t go far, sitting on a swing in the back garden, opening her phone to Fenbei.

What a day—bad luck all around, even dragging Jiang Xihan into this mess for no reason.

Ji Pei felt she should consult a fortune-teller to check if she and Jiang Xihan’s zodiacs clashed.

The app’s icon had changed. It used to be a pink heart; now it was a red lip print, looking more mature.

But when Ji Pei opened it, a maintenance notice popped up.

The notice said the system had a bug and was under repair, with some basic functions temporarily unavailable.

Ji Pei clicked Dongri’s avatar, noticing the real-time distance between them was gone—likely one of the affected features.

She swung on the swing, her shoes scraping against fallen maple leaves, making a rustling sound.

Jifeng: [Wife, I messed up.]

Jifeng: [I wasn’t watching and caused my friend to fall, spraining her ankle.]

Jifeng: [I took her to the hospital. The doctor said it’ll take one or two months to heal.]

Jifeng: [Her home’s too far, so I let her stay at my old family house.]

She typed word by word, feeling it was too slow. She wanted to call Dongri, but the voice chat function was also down.

[Dongri is typing…]

Dongri: [Are you okay? Did you get hurt?]

Jifeng: [I’m fine. She cushioned my fall, or I’d be the one with a bloody head.]

Ji Pei looked at the warm light spilling from the villa’s windows, continuing to type.

Jifeng: [I made her food. Takeout’s too dirty these days.]

Dongri: [What did you make?]

Jifeng: [Steamed egg and chicken noodle soup.]

Ji Pei stared at Dongri’s avatar, a smile creeping into her eyes.

She bent to pick up a maple leaf, examining its veins under the streetlight, loneliness seeping through her.

Jifeng: [I really want to meet you. When we do, I’ll cook for you too, okay? I can make tons of good food—nothing I can’t make if you can imagine it.]

Dongri took a long time to reply. Ji Pei stared at the “typing” indicator for nearly a minute.

Dongri: [Okay.]