Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Qi Shi was, in truth, a bit of a coward. The moment he saw himself trending, he went straight to his director, Rong Yu, to save his own skin.

Rong Yu responded to the trending topic very quickly. He posted on Weibo and stated outright that his wife had brought her brother and sister-in-law to visit him on set.

As for Qi Shi…

Rong Yu, who was known in the industry for roasting heaven and earth alike, deliberately picked out a comment about Qi Shi from his own comment section and replied: “My wife recently climbed the wall and became a fan of a fresh-faced young idol. Is that a problem?”

That hard-core reply had the comment section laughing themselves sick, and the melon-eating masses immediately started shipping the couple on the spot.

As for the outside world’s speculation about who exactly Jiang Baichuan’s girlfriend was, Jiang Baichuan gave no response.

Neither Yun Li nor he were public figures. He did not want to bring Yun Li any unnecessary trouble, nor was there any need to take up public resources.

“What does ‘climb the wall’ mean?” It was already the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, and Xia Wanzhi and Yun Li were still hanging around with Jiang Yourong.

It was half past nine at night, and Xia Wanzhi was still at Jiang Yourong’s place, freeloading food and drinks. When she swiped to a short video of netizens teasing Rong Yu over that comment, she asked casually.

Jiang Yourong took a sip of fruit wine, smacked her lips twice, and said nothing.

Yun Li was laughing so hard she was practically crooked. “It means climbing from one wall to another. It’s fandom slang. Take Rongrong, for example. The male celebrity she liked before was apparently the lead singer of some group, but now she’s climbed the wall over to Qi Shi.”

Xia Wanzhi nodded, enlightened, and hit the nail on the head. “Seeing how calm Brother-in-law Rong is, I guess this isn’t the first time Rongrong has climbed the wall.”

Jiang Yourong cleared her throat and defended herself. “You don’t understand the joy of chasing celebrities. There are thousands upon thousands of men in the entertainment industry-why not stan them if you can? But! Till death, my one true love is my Rong Yu. Everyone else is just passing clouds.”

There seemed to be movement at the door. Xia Wanzhi turned her head. “Brother-in-law is back.”

Rong Yu, who had just so happened to hear Jiang Yourong’s grand declaration, glanced over lightly. “Mm. If I’d come back one step later, I might have missed that declaration of loyalty.”

Jiang Yourong coughed, guiltily getting up to take the coat he had taken off. But the moment she stood still, she saw the front door wide open, and two grown men standing straight outside.

“Xiao Wanzi, your husband is here to take you home.” Jiang Yourong held back her laughter and called toward the living room.

Xia Wanzhi jolted violently. She instinctively set down her wineglass and got up with remarkable speed.

At the sight, Yun Li laughed so hard she could barely straighten her back.

“Laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh. Come on, we’re leaving. I’ll drop you off on the way.” Xia Wanzhi had already imagined exactly how she was going to die tonight.

Jiang Yourong added unhurriedly, “My sister-in-law has my brother to take her home. Don’t get in the way of this young couple’s romance.”

Yun Li’s smile froze. “…”

No sooner had Jiang Yourong finished speaking than the two stern-faced men walked in, one after the other.

Xia Wanzhi glanced at the time.

Mm. It wasn’t past ten yet. Sentence waived.

“President Xie, you’re not working overtime today?” She walked over, slipped her hand familiarly into the crook of Xie Qiyan’s arm, said a quick goodbye, and dragged Xie Qiyan out.

The wind was strong at night. Xie Qiyan took off his scarf and wrapped it around Xia Wanzhi’s neck. His warm fingertips brushed her skin, making her shiver.

“That tickles.” Xia Wanzhi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

“I’m done with overtime.” Only after answering her question did Xie Qiyan sigh helplessly. He curled his finger and tapped her on the forehead. “You drank?”

Xia Wanzhi nodded. As she walked with her arm linked through his, she leaned her head against his arm. Perhaps because she was a little tipsy, everything she said sounded sweet. “Mm. It was fruit wine. It was delicious. Too bad you didn’t get to taste it.”

“Do you want to know what it tasted like?”

“If you want to know, you can kiss me. You should be able to taste it then.”

Xie Qiyan’s steps paused. He turned his head and looked at Xia Wanzhi meaningfully, as if trying to see through something.

After a while, Xie Qiyan gave a low laugh. Once they got in the car, he leaned down under the pretense of helping Xia Wanzhi fasten her seat belt and caught those two cherry-red lips between his.

“Thank you for the invitation.” His smile was unrestrained.

A hook, a tangle-the fruity flavor was rich, the wine fragrance mellow.

“It does taste good.” After Xie Qiyan finished his appraisal, he even seemed satisfied.

When the kiss ended, Xia Wanzhi’s expression was a little dazed from being kissed. Half-lidding her eyes, she pushed Xie Qiyan’s face away. “You… What if someone saw? I didn’t tell you to taste it now.”

“They already saw.” Xie Qiyan chuckled, scratched the tip of Xia Wanzhi’s nose, then sat back in his seat and started the car.

Xia Wanzhi lifted her eyes blankly.

Directly in front of their car was Jiang Baichuan’s car.

Yun Li grinned and even raised a hand to wave at her.
Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Just let the world burn.

As soon as Xie Qiyan drove away, Yun Li wiped the smile from her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Jiang Baichuan, who was clearly up to no good, and stressed expressionlessly, “No kissing tonight.”

Jiang Baichuan didn’t answer. He focused on driving.

Only after he had dropped her off at her residential complex, just as Yun Li was about to get out, there came a click-the car doors locked. His imposing chest leaned over her, and he smiled teasingly. “You don’t get to decide that.”

It was fifteen minutes later before Yun Li finally managed to escape.

When she got home, Yun Meilan was still sitting on the sofa, waiting.

Yun Li stood by the door for a moment. She called out to Yun Meilan and was about to head back to her room when Yun Meilan poured a glass of water and walked over to hand it to her. “It’s cold outside. Drink some water and warm yourself up.”

Yun Li lowered her eyes, took the glass, and went to sit on the sofa.

“If you have something to say, just say it.” Yun Li had no desire to drink. She set the glass down and faced Yun Meilan.

Yun Meilan looked at her for a while before slowly saying, “You were trending. I saw it online.”

Yun Li wasn’t surprised. She stayed silent, waiting for what came next.

“People online are saying you and him are a good match, but whether you’re a good match or not, don’t you know that better than anyone?” Yun Meilan took a deep breath. She knew she could no longer control Yun Li, but she was still determined to say these words.

“What is your status, and what is his?” Red veins crept into Yun Meilan’s eyes as she tried to persuade her. “The waters run deep in wealthy families. What if you marry into one and get bullied? He loves you now, but what about later? There are thousands upon thousands of temptations placed in front of him. Have you ever thought about what you’ll do if he stops loving you one day?”

“A man’s love can change in an instant. You need to find someone honest and reliable before Mom can feel at ease. Yun Li, Mom would never hurt you.” Yun Meilan wiped her tears, her tone almost pleading.

Yun Li said nothing. Only after Yun Meilan finished did she let out a soft laugh. “What kind of honest man are you talking about, Mom? Someone like Liang Jing?”

Yun Meilan’s face went white in an instant.

When persuasion failed, Yun Meilan dropped the act. She slammed the table and shouted, “What on earth will it take for you to listen? You weren’t like this before…”

“Is it because of that Xia Wanzhi? Did you meet Jiang Baichuan through her?” Yun Meilan seemed to have found a new angle and said urgently, “Have you ever thought that without Xia Wanzhi, you would never have met a man on Jiang Baichuan’s level? How many people in wealthy families are sincere? Maybe they’re using you, Yun Li…”

“You’ve never even met them, and you’re already putting that kind of label on them?” Yun Li shook off her hand and stood up, taking a deep breath. “Mom, Jiang Baichuan and I were classmates at No. 1 High.”

Yun Meilan froze.

“Last summer, I ran into him again in Nancheng, and that’s how we reconnected.” Yun Li’s tone was calm. Her heart ached from the way Yun Meilan had slandered her, her friends, and the person she loved, but she still forced a smile. “My meeting Jiang Baichuan and getting to know him had nothing to do with Wanzi. You’re the one who thinks too badly of me and of the people around me.”

“You’re not doing this for my own good. You just don’t trust me. Or maybe this so-called love you have for me isn’t love at all. It’s imprisonment. It’s a cage.” Yun Li was tired of talking. Her arms hanging at her sides, she walked around Yun Meilan, wanting to return to her room.

“Oh, right.” After only two steps, she remembered something and said flatly, “Back when I transferred high schools, you asked me how something as good as transferring to the affiliated high school with tuition waived could have fallen into my lap. I said I didn’t know.”

“Now I can tell you.” Yun Li curled her fingers and took a breath. “I transferred because the homeroom teacher’s nephew locked me in the equipment room and almost assaulted me.”

“I wanted to tell you. But that day, when I came home after school, you didn’t see my red, swollen eyes from crying. You didn’t see that something was wrong with my face. All you knew was to question whether I’d gone out fooling around with a male classmate, and you even scolded me for dressing too prettily, asking if I was trying to seduce someone.”

Yun Meilan turned back in shock. Her reddened eyes were filled with disbelief, and it felt as if thousands upon thousands of blades were stabbing into her heart. Her lips trembled. “You… what did you say?”

Tears welled in Yun Li’s eyes. She smiled through them. “Mom, do you know? Because of that, I was left with trauma. In the middle of the night, I’d often wake up terrified from nightmares. I hated any man having physical contact with me. But Jiang Baichuan is the exception.”

“Because I love him.”

“And because he loves me.”

At last, her tears fell. Yun Li lifted her head and looked at Yun Meilan. “He is the only person in this world who truly loves me.”