Chapter 24 : Unspoken Question

The dizziness from lack of oxygen slowly faded. Jiang Yanlin tilted her head back, gradually regaining control of her body.

She propped herself up, picked up the cardigan from the floor, wrapped it around herself, and then looked at Péi Wanyi.

“Your phone is still vibrating. Aren’t you going to answer it?”

After speaking, she didn’t wait for an answer, getting up and walking towards the bathroom.

Until she opened and then closed the bathroom door, the person outside hadn’t reacted at all.

Jiang Yanlin let out a breath and leaned over to fill the bathtub with hot water.

During the long wait, she sat on the edge of the tub, her bare legs dangling, and stared blankly at the splashing water.

Péi Wanyi heard the bathroom door close before she picked up the phone from the floor and glanced at the string of missed calls.

She unlocked the screen and emotionlessly added the new number to her blacklist.

Her unread messages were almost full of texts from a dozen minutes ago—long, rambling paragraphs. Péi Wanyi couldn’t be bothered to read them in detail and just skimmed through them.

It was the same old, unoriginal tactics: one moment attacking, the next begging, interspersed with some incomprehensible muttering.

Péi Wanyi was tired of it. She locked her phone screen and tossed it aside.

Not long after, the phone started vibrating again.

Péi Wanyi picked it up with some impatience, ready to turn on “Do Not Disturb,” but then she saw the caller ID: “A Qiu.”

She paused, suppressed her emotions, and answered the call.

“What’s wrong?” Péi Wanyi held the phone with one hand and opened a cigarette case with the other, about to take one out, but then she remembered something, and her fingers paused. She put the case back down.

A Qiu’s voice sounded even more tired.
– “She’s at it again, bombarding me. She almost blew up my phone.”

– “Block her. Don’t bother.”
Péi Wanyi’s tone was flat.

– “That’s not the problem. I feel like something must have set her off again.”
A Qiu lit a cigarette on the other end of the line, took a drag, and then asked,
– “Did you do something recently?”

Péi Wanyi looked up towards the bathroom and then replied casually,
– “I slept with the person El is pursuing. Does that count?”

Before she could finish, the person on the other end choked on his smoke and started coughing violently.

Péi Wanyi held the phone away from her ear until he wasn’t so loud, then brought it back.

A Qiu was speechless for a moment.
– “You even go after your friend’s crush. You’ve really got guts.”

This accusation didn’t bother Péi Wanyi in the slightest. She had no reaction, but A Qiu suddenly realized something.
– “Wait, how did Xiao Qing know you had a new development?”

Péi Wanyi didn’t have the time to think about such things and said directly, “I don’t know.”

A Qiu hesitated, then after a few seconds, he advised her,
– “You should be careful. With Xiao Qing’s mental state, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything she does.”

The call lasted for nearly half an hour. Péi Wanyi had little reaction throughout, with only A Qiu nagging her tirelessly.

– “If it happens again, just call the police. Don’t show any mercy.”

After that, they chatted for a bit longer and then hung up.

Péi Wanyi rubbed her temples, finally feeling the cold.

Sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window for too long had made her blood circulation sluggish, her body stiff and numb.

She simply got up and walked straight to the bathroom.

“Jiang Yanlin, did you fall asleep in there?”

She knocked on the bathroom door and, without waiting for a reply, pulled it open and walked in grandly.

The person in the bathtub looked at her, her small face devoid of any expression.

Péi Wanyi’s expression didn’t change. “So you’re okay. Then why didn’t you answer me?”

She very naturally stepped under the shower, turned on the hot water, and started to rinse off.

It took Jiang Yanlin quite a while to suppress the urge to lose her temper.

It was the middle of the night, and she was really tired.

But this young miss had no self-awareness as a guest. After finishing her shower, she leaned over to test the water temperature in the tub, then swung her long leg over and sat in.

“It’s cold. Come over here.”

Péi Wanyi rubbed her leg against her, only to be dodged.

“Angry?”

Since she wouldn’t come over, Péi Wanyi good-naturedly sat up straight and moved through the water bit by bit, creating ripples.

Finally, she hugged Jiang Yanlin in the water and leaned over to kiss the corner of her lips.

“It was my fault for speaking out of turn. My bad, okay?”

Péi Wanyi finally paid the price for her actions half an hour ago, but her tone was like coaxing a child.

Jiang Yanlin didn’t like to hear that kind of talk; it made her seem unreasonable.

“I just wanted to give you some space to answer the phone, in case it was inconvenient.”

She smiled faintly, her tone calm.

Péi Wanyi stared at her for a moment, then leaned back slightly, relaxing.

The bathtub wasn’t large, and the two of them took up all the space. Their arms and legs were inevitably pressed together. The hot, steamy water lapped at the curve of their chests.

Péi Wanyi scooped up some water, letting it run through her fingers, leaving nothing behind.

“When did I ever say it was inconvenient?”

She looked at Jiang Yanlin.

But Jiang Yanlin didn’t want to answer that.

She looked away, about to change the subject.

“Didn’t El tell you how Han Xu found out I broke up?”

Hearing this, she looked at her again.
Péi Wanyi said:
“At Xiao Nuo’s birthday party, my ex showed up uninvited, smashing things and attacking everyone there who knew me, saying they were all my lovers.”

As she said this, Péi Wanyi couldn’t help but laugh.

Jiang Yanlin imagined the scene and got goosebumps.

Péi Wanyi looked at the expression on her face and said softly,
“I block one of her numbers, and she just uses another to keep calling. She finally quieted down for a few days, but it started again today.”

As she spoke, she remembered something else.
“Han Xu was at the party too. He got a drink thrown all over him.”

Jiang Yanlin paused and only commented,
“He saw you at your worst, which is why he chose that time to show you concern.”

Péi Wanyi didn’t care about that and asked curiously,
“Why do you know him so well? As far as I know, everyone who knows Han Xu has a good opinion of him, at least, everyone except Mia.”

Jiang Yanlin knew that at this point, they could no longer avoid these topics.

No matter whose desired outcome this was.

She shifted into a more comfortable position, soaking in the water, letting her black hair spread out.

Péi Wanyi played with the black hair in the water, waiting patiently.
—Waiting for that door to open for her.

Jiang Yanlin looked at the steam and finally spoke,
“Before I cut ties with Han Xu, we were friends on the surface.”

Péi Wanyi looked at her and asked, “And in reality?”

Jiang Yanlin thought for a moment, not sure what word would be best to describe it. After a while, she finally asked, “Have you ever had a dog?”

Péi Wanyi stared at her, and after a few seconds, she replied,
“Not that kind.”

‘After all, it would be hard to find a bigger dog than you.’

The thought flashed through her mind, but Jiang Yanlin’s face remained impassive as she continued,
“About a year and a half ago, I had just broken up. He was the only mutual friend who knew about my breakup and took the initiative to show me concern.”

As she spoke, Jiang Yanlin glanced at Péi Wanyi. “Just like with you.”

But Péi Wanyi deliberately picked on a different point. “So you just turned around and kept him as a dog?”

Jiang Yanlin admitted it nonchalantly.
“He was obedient, didn’t interfere with my life, and with a dozen-hour time difference, there was no difference from a digital pet.”

Thinking back, it was probably just a wide net he was casting.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yanlin had never been merciful to men. She used the value he offered without any guilt.
—Especially during that time, when she needed a large amount of literature from American universities that was only accessible to students on campus.

Sometimes Jiang Yanlin would wonder what he was after, to have endured for so long. But no matter what he was after, she wouldn’t give it to him.

Péi Wanyi really hadn’t seen that Han Xu had that kind of fetish.

He looked so refined.

Thinking of this, Péi Wanyi played with her hair and asked,
“Did he love you?”

Jiang Yanlin felt this was a very unnecessary question, but she still answered,
“No one cared what he was thinking.”

He had spent all his spare time, energy, and money on pleasing her, yet he could still turn his back on her for his own interests.

She was already used to seeing the true colors of human nature.

Péi Wanyi listened to her emotionless voice, but her gaze fell on the steamy mist on her chest. The red marks seemed even more vivid under the steam.

So she couldn’t help but lean forward and kiss the water marks, leaving new ones.

Jiang Yanlin wanted to avoid her restless hands, but the narrowness of the bathtub made it impossible.

The water splashed, swaying slowly and rhythmically. Jiang Yanlin was pulled into her embrace, her long legs forced apart, then forced together again.

Péi Wanyi’s breath was on her lips, silencing her dissatisfaction.

After feeling her soft warmth, Péi Wanyi let out a low laugh.
“He would never have imagined that I’d be doing this to you.”

Jiang Yanlin’s mind went blank for a long time. She wasn’t even sure how she had left the bathroom in the end.

All night, Miss Péi’s mood had been up and down, which in turn had tormented Jiang Yanlin, both mentally and physically.

Fortunately, in the latter half of the night, she finally calmed down and held Jiang Yanlin in her arms, sleeping in a relatively good mood.

But Jiang Yanlin lay with her eyes open for a long time, unable to find sleep.
—The price of eating something poisonous was indeed quite high.

Jiang Yanlin was of course clear about what it meant for Péi Wanyi to ask about these topics.

It was a very clear boundary, and now, someone had taken the initiative to cross it.

Thinking too much was useless. Jiang Yanlin stopped troubling herself and closed her eyes to relax.

She went over the work and chores she still had to do, one by one, and quickly diverted her attention.
—But the review for those few dresses seemed to have to be postponed again.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yanlin closed her eyes and kicked the person beside her.

She was fast asleep and didn’t wake up at all.

The next morning, Jiang Yanlin was woken up by a phone call.

She glanced at the caller ID. It was El. She thought for a moment and still answered.

– “Hey, Jiang, I got the seafood you sent yesterday. It was delicious, thank you.”

He was in a good mood. He had been too busy to check his phone yesterday. The seafood had been shared with the staff.

Jiang Yanlin had just woken up, and her voice was a bit hoarse. She replied,
“You’re always treating me to meals. It’s my turn to treat you.”

One had to be polite.

The bathroom door was pulled open, and someone came out, drying their hair.

Jiang Yanlin was a bit surprised that she hadn’t left yet and glanced at the time on her phone.

El was still saying something on the other end of the line. She wasn’t really listening and just replied with a “hmm.”

The phone showed it was already past noon. Jiang Yanlin curled her lip, having a strong feeling that this house was about to not be her own anymore.

– “Okay, it’s a deal then. See you tonight,” El said happily.

Jiang Yanlin paused and asked,
“What time tonight?”

El repeated himself. “Just come when we close. I’ll let you try the new menu.”

Jiang Yanlin didn’t really want to go out, but she had indeed just agreed.

This was the consequence of being distracted.

Just as she was thinking, the culprit had already walked up to her and leaned down to kiss her face.

Jiang Yanlin turned her head to dodge and said to El on the other end of the line,
“Okay, I know…” Before she could finish, she let out a hiss of pain.

El quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yanlin grabbed the instigator’s collar, pushed her back onto the bed, and held back her voice as she retaliated.

Péi Wanyi laughed silently and even raised her arm, provocatively asking for more.

“Nothing, I just accidentally stepped on a dog,” Jiang Yanlin said with a straight face, pinching the person under her, full of warning.

“You have a dog?”
El loved small animals and asked,
“A big one or a small one? What breed?”

Jiang Yanlin glanced at Péi Wanyi, who was already laughing uncontrollably, and said coldly,
“A beagle. The most annoying kind.”

El laughed a few times. “That kind of dog is not easy to raise. You must have a hard time.”

Indeed, very, very hard.

Jiang Yanlin felt like sighing. She sat on Péi Wanyi, firmly pinning down the restless person, trying to prevent her from causing trouble while dealing with El on the phone.

Péi Wanyi looked at her, the smile slowly fading, leaving only a glimmer of light in her eyes.

Jiang Yanlin was looking for a suitable moment to hang up. With just a moment of distraction, she was pulled down by a force without any warning.

Her hair fell on Péi Wanyi’s body. Her chin was held, and a not-so-gentle kiss pressed down, drowning her breath and throwing it into chaos.

A hand held her waist tightly, making it impossible for her to break free.

Gradually, her body stopped struggling.

By the time Péi Wanyi let her go, the call had already been hung up at some point.

How could Jiang Yanlin not see her cruel humor?

But the bad thing was, Jiang Yanlin herself was no better.

So she got angry, and then she laughed at herself.

“What are you laughing at?”

Péi Wanyi’s collar was open. She leaned against the bed, propping up her chin to look at her.

Jiang Yanlin put on her underwear and brushed her hair aside.

Hearing her question, she turned her head, unable to contain her smile.

“I’m laughing at the two of us. We’re really two peas in a pod.”

Péi Wanyi had for once encountered a Chinese word she didn’t quite understand and asked,
“What does that mean?”

Jiang Yanlin leaned over and patted her cheek, her eyes full of mischief.

“It means we’re the same kind of person.”

Péi Wanyi said “oh,” and after a moment, she asked with a smile,
“Did Miss Jiang only just realize that?”

But Jiang Yanlin had already put away those emotions and was for once serious.

“But I hope we’re not too much alike.”

Péi Wanyi didn’t ask what that meant, and Jiang Yanlin didn’t explain.

After they got up, they made breakfast together—or rather, lunch. After eating, Péi Wanyi consciously washed the dishes, and Jiang Yanlin made some afternoon lemon water and brought it to her computer to start working.

She didn’t pay any attention to Péi Wanyi, not planning to interfere with when she left or if she left at all.

And Miss Péi was also very leisurely. She found the sunniest spot, sat on the beanbag chair, and started checking work messages, replying to emails, and occasionally taking a call, which she would deliberately take on the balcony outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

The noise was still within an acceptable range, so Jiang Yanlin just buried her head in her work and let her be.

After dealing with the trivial work of her side gig, Jiang Yanlin started on the next project for her main job for the first time in over a week.

When she worked, she was completely focused. For a while, the only sound in the room was her typing.

It wasn’t until she had finished an opening that the sky had already darkened. She relaxed her neck.

Someone was standing beside her at some point, holding a water glass and asking boredly,
“What are you writing?”

Jiang Yanlin didn’t think it was something she couldn’t reveal and replied casually,
“A script.”

Péi Wanyi had also pretty much guessed it.

“Both your main job and your side gig are quite free.”

“There were times when I wasn’t free before. For money, I endured it all.”

Jiang Yanlin got up to get some water. As she passed through the kitchen, she saw a pile of things on the dining table and asked,
“What’s that?”

Péi Wanyi turned around and glanced at it.

“Takeout I ordered. This place’s salmon is very good.”

Hearing that word, Jiang Yanlin couldn’t help but glance at her.
—So kind, treating her to Japanese food?

For some reason, Jiang Yanlin still felt that she was being subtly mocked.

But she didn’t show anything on her face and only said,
“You’re too generous.”

Péi Wanyi looked puzzled. “I bought it for myself. How is that generous?”

Jiang Yanlin was speechless.
“…”

I, just, knew, it.

Seeing that this was not going to pass, Jiang Yanlin had no choice but to put down her water glass and briefly summarize the dramatic events of yesterday, finally asking in a dry tone,
“This Japanese food, if I give it to you, will you eat it?”

Péi Wanyi couldn’t help but look her up and down.

“Jiang Yanlin, you’re really a person who causes trouble wherever you go.”

Jiang Yanlin glanced at her. “Don’t you dare blame the victim.”

She was serious about this. Péi Wanyi tactfully raised her hands in surrender, opened the exquisite packaging boxes on the table one by one, and placed them in front of her.

“It’s okay. No one treated me, but someone treated you.”

Miss Péi apologized with a smile.

An exquisite meal was of course not enough to win Miss Jiang’s favor.

But the two of them were even now, so she ate with a clear conscience.

When she was almost done eating, Jiang Yanlin was drinking lemon water and suddenly heard her ask,
“What did El invite you to do tonight?”

Jiang Yanlin didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids. “Don’t pretend. You heard it.”

Péi Wanyi leaned back, crossed her arms, and asked with a light laugh,
“You two were whispering. How could I have heard?”

So Jiang Yanlin asked directly,
“Didn’t he invite you?”

Péi Wanyi let out a light humph. “He’s just like that.”

Jiang Yanlin nodded. The two of them had for once reached a consensus on the same thing.

El was not a bad person. His mind was simple, and he was a pure person.

But he was still a man.

And the kind of man who constantly pursues women and calls it “love.”

To be friends with such a person, you have to be prepared for him to ignore his friends at any time for some woman.

Fortunately, Péi Wanyi also seemed to be aware of this.

Miss Péi sighed pretentiously.

“Looks like I’ll have to be alone tonight.”

Jiang Yanlin got up to put things away. As she passed by her, she lightly patted her shoulder and said with a smile,
“Don’t even think about it. When does a shield ever get a day off?”

Péi Wanyi retorted, “He didn’t even invite me. On what grounds would I go?”

Jiang Yanlin was used to handling this kind of flirting, but she didn’t want to go along with her.

“It’s not the first or second time you’ve come uninvited. It’s okay. He must be used to it by now.”

Even she was used to it.

Péi Wanyi acted as if she didn’t understand what she was implying, got up to help clear the table, put everything into a trash bag, and placed it by the entrance to take out when she left.

Jiang Yanlin glanced at her inadvertently and found that this person was quite domestic.

To be able to do what is appropriate in any situation, it’s hard to see such a person in today’s society.

Jiang Yanlin couldn’t help but be curious about how Miss Péi had grown up to be like this.

Her life skills were maxed out, she had done hard labor, but her background was also very prominent. That inner pride was not something that could be faked.

Someone as well-off as Han Xu, or at the top of the pyramid like Qining—both of them inevitably had a bit of a young master/miss temper that was out of touch with reality.

But Péi Wanyi had lived her life in an adaptive mode, switching freely.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yanlin casually asked another question,
“Where did you go on your business trip yesterday?”

Since some boundaries had already been crossed, Jiang Yanlin no longer restrained her curiosity.

After a night, Miss Péi had calmed down and cooperatively answered the question.
– “I went to Hong Kong for a meeting, checked out the warehouses and factories there, and came back at night.”

One morning, one evening, two flights. She wasn’t afraid of the trouble.

Perhaps seeing the unspoken thought in Jiang Yanlin’s mind, Péi Wanyi walked to the sink, turned on the tap to wash her hands, and said,
“I was gone for just one day, and my slippers were gone. If I had come back a day later, Miss Jiang probably wouldn’t even know my name.”

Bullshit.

Jiang Yanlin knew she was talking nonsense, but she couldn’t really be too much of a buzzkill.

So she also replied hypocritically,
“The disposable ones weren’t good. I was afraid you would slip.”

Her tone was gentle, as if she really cared.

Péi Wanyi acted as if she had a sudden realization and asked with a smile,
“So you bought me new ones? When will they arrive? I feel very inconvenienced right now.”

Pushing her luck, wasn’t she?

Jiang Yanlin forcefully shook the water droplets from her hands and took a paper towel to dry them.

Seeing that she wasn’t speaking, the very adaptive Miss Péi took the initiative to soften her tone, wrapped her arm around her shoulder, and said softly,
“It’s okay. I’ll wait for them to arrive.”

Jiang Yanlin paused and looked up at her.

Péi Wanyi met her gaze, and in just a breath, she felt a sudden thirst.

It had only been a short time, yet she was already missing it, whether it was the touch or the taste.

That little bit of taste feedback did not satisfy her hunger, but rather stimulated her appetite even more.

Her blood wouldn’t boil easily, but her pulse was constantly betraying her.

Péi Wanyi had never liked to look like an animal.

But in front of Jiang Yanlin, she felt herself losing control again and again.

And what was even more fascinating was to watch the loss of control happen, second by second.

As their gazes met, Péi Wanyi caressed her jaw.

In a tone that was hard to read, she said in a low voice,
“Don’t go. Stay here with me.”