Chapter 24
After Jiang Shuiyun and Shen Yunyi finished discussing the matter, Jiang Shuiyun left the rest to Shen Yunyi. Jiang Shuiyun returned to the villa, ready to depart for the competition.
As soon as Jiang Shuiyun returned to the villa, she saw everyone packing their luggage in a chaotic mess. Yi Jinbai also came out of the music room. As she stepped into the doorway, Yi Jinbai looked at her. His gaze made Jiang Shuiyun feel a little guilty, which was quite strange, since she hadn't done anything shameful.
"Teacher Jiang, have you finished your business?" Xi Rong stepped forward first, opened his phone and said to Jiang Shuiyun, "This is our schedule for the next few days. Teacher Jiang, please take a look and see if there are any problems?"
"No problem. Brother Xi definitely knows more about these things than I do. You can decide for yourself. You don't need to ask me."
Jiang Shuiyun didn't intend to take on everything herself. Xi Rong had been an agent for so many years, and his abilities were beyond doubt. He was much more experienced than her in handling these matters.
Xi Rong clapped his hands with a smile, "Alright, Teacher Jiang, go pack your luggage first, I'll take care of the rest."
Watching Jiang Shuiyun's retreating figure, Xi Rong added another impression to Jiang Shuiyun: someone who was poised and courteous, humble and polite. Most importantly, from the time they met until now, whether she was down on her luck at the beginning or now respected and admired by everyone, Jiang Shuiyun seemed to have not changed at all. It was as if none of these things mattered to her. Even as a newcomer to the industry, she was to become the captain and lead the team to participate in such a prestigious international competition within just one month, yet she remained calm and composed, neither arrogant nor impatient, and made people feel that this was how she should be. It was truly amazing.
Xi Rong looked at Yi Jinbai not far away. He was a little curious about what Jiang Shuiyun had done before, but after trying to find out for a while, he gave up the idea of going over to ask. It would be easy to offend people by prying into other people's privacy.
Suppressing his curiosity, Xi Rong began preparing for tomorrow's itinerary.
After returning to her room, Jiang Shuiyun took out her suitcase and packed only two pieces of clothing and some daily necessities. Looking around, she realized there was nothing else she needed to take; in fact, that was all she had.
Looking at the empty suitcases, Jiang Shuiyun took out the few things and put them directly into the large backpacks that Xi Rong had prepared for everyone. Well, there's no need to take the suitcases anymore.
After packing for ten minutes, Jiang Shuiyun glanced at Yi Jinbai's luggage and saw that it was still unpacked.
Since their conversation that day, it was as if nothing had happened. The two continued their previous way of getting along, except that Jiang Shuiyun had basically moved into the room next door and also moved in a computer, since she couldn't let others know about upgrading the game for the time being.
Carrying her backpack, Jiang Shuiyun went outside to take a look and saw that Jiaoyang was chatting with Yi Jinbai.
Jiaoyang is only a few years younger than Yi Jinbai, and when the two stand together, you can't tell the age difference at all.
Putting down her backpack, Jiang Shuiyun leaned on the railing on the third floor and looked down. Only now did she belatedly realize that in the past month or so, apart from her relationship remaining unchanged, Yi Jinbai's relationships with others had improved a lot. He was no longer like he used to be, hiding behind her and nervously clutching her clothes.
Seeing the smile on Yi Jinbai's face, Jiang Shuiyun fell silent. What had she missed during this time?
"Captain, have you finished packing?"
The Killing Apostle came out of the room and greeted Jiang Shuiyun. After spending so much time together, the group had become quite familiar with each other. Jiang Shuiyun also noticed that the most shy Killing Apostle was actually quite talkative in front of acquaintances.
"Yes, I've finished packing, but I haven't packed your sister Jinbai's yet."
Jiang Shuiyun thought it was just a casual greeting, and then looked at Yi Jinbai on the first floor.
The Killing Apostle also leaned on the railing and looked down. "Sister Jinbai might be a little tired after just finishing her work, but there's no rush to pack her luggage. We're not leaving until tomorrow."
"What's she busy with?" Jiang Shuiyun sensed something was wrong and asked.
"Sister Jinbai made flower cakes, they're so delicious! Captain, didn't you have any?" The Slaughter Apostle scratched his head. "Oh, the captain went out just now, so he probably didn't get to eat any. There should still be some in the kitchen."
"Yeah?"
Jiang Shuiyun had never actually eaten any of Yi Jinbai's cooking.
"Yes, Sister Jinbai is really skillful. She can even make her own milk tea, which tastes much better than what you buy outside. She can also make all kinds of pastries and teach us how to make them. I'm almost there."
The Killing Apostle listed Yi Jinbai's merits one by one, his tone full of admiration, but he didn't see Jiang Shuiyun slowly shifting her gaze toward him. "So why didn't I know any of these things?"
"Huh? How could you not know, Captain?" The Slaughter Apostle looked at Jiang Shuiyun in disbelief, realizing he might have said something wrong. "Actually, it's not much, just... we'll definitely save some for you next time, but you always stay in your room and don't come out, so we don't dare disturb you..."
"It's nothing, I was just busy with my own things and didn't notice."
Jiang Shuiyun gave a weak smile, and the Killing Apostle, feeling like he'd gotten himself into trouble, scratched his head and made an excuse to slip away.
Jiang Shuiyun frowned slightly. She had been living and eating with everyone for so long, yet she had been kept in the dark about this. Although she had indeed been in her room except for training time because of the game upgrade, if Yi Jinbai hadn't done it on purpose, surely no one would have told her?
But why?
This made Jiang Shuiyun realize that there might have been something wrong with the content of her conversation that day. Yi Jinbai had indeed begun to change and was getting better and better, and he was getting along well with everyone. But why did he seem to have some opinions about her?
While Jiang Shuiyun was thinking, Yi Jinbai came upstairs, walked past Jiang Shuiyun without looking at her, and went back to his room.
Jiang Shuiyun: I've become transparent?
Completely bewildered, Jiang Shuiyun knocked on Yi Jinbai's door and opened it when she heard someone inside say "Come in."
Yi Jinbai took out his suitcase and was also packing his luggage. He glanced at Jiang Shuiyun who came in and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"Jinbai, did you make flower cakes today?"
Jiang Shuiyun truly couldn't fathom Yi Jinbai's thoughts, so she could only tentatively ask him.
"Well, you don't like to eat it, so I didn't prepare any for you."
Yi Jinbai continued packing his luggage and answered Jiang Shuiyun's questions.
"oh."
Jiang Shuiyun didn't know what to say. She did not really like very sweet things, but... she still felt that something was strange.
"You've made homemade milk tea before? I heard from others that it's delicious."
Jiang Shuiyun continued to probe indirectly.
"That's a cold drink, you don't like cold drinks."
This time, Yi Jinbai didn't even look up.
There was no need to test her anymore. Although Yi Jinbai was right, Jiang Shuiyun was now 100% certain that Yi Jinbai had some issues with her. "Jinbai, have I done something wrong lately?"
Why would you ask that?
Yi Jinbai countered with a question to Jiang Shuiyun.
When asked this question, Jiang Shuiyun felt a little unsure. "I feel like you're treating me a little differently than before."
Yi Jinbai zipped up his suitcase. For the first time, his eyes, though still gentle as water, now held a stubbornness as he stared directly into Jiang Shuiyun's eyes.
"Then who are you? What is our relationship? How should I treat you?"
At this moment, Jiang Shuiyun suddenly understood Yi Jinbai's true panic and unease. Her nominal lover was a complete stranger, but no one except her knew this. She was hiding it from her at every turn. What good would it do for her to say anything at this point? Who could tell what was true and what was false? What should she do? What could she possibly do?
Yi Jinbai dared not gamble with her luck, unsure whether she had finally escaped her misery or had fallen into a trap. She could only remain anxious and uncertain.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 07:00:13 and 11:46:13 on May 8, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the rocket: 朕慕林1;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: R小只 and 朕慕林10 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 25
"I'm not the Jiang Shuiyun you know, I'm sorry."
Jiang Shuiyun pursed her lips and lowered her head. At this point, it didn't really matter whether she hid it or not. In fact, it was better to be honest now and put Yi Jinbai's mind at ease than to continue hiding it.
After saying this, Jiang Shuiyun felt relieved, perhaps because she had never intended to play the role of the original owner, so subconsciously she knew this day would come.
Yi Jinbai also felt a sense of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "You finally admitted it..."
"Actually, I don't know what happened either. I inexplicably ended up here, and then... ouch!"
Just as Jiang Shuiyun was about to reveal the truth, she felt a sharp pain in her temples, as if she were being pricked by needles. She painfully gripped the table and pressed one hand forcefully against her head.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Yi Jinbai was startled and quickly came over to help Jiang Shuiyun sit down.
It took Jiang Shuiyun a long time to feel the stinging sensation disappear, and her forehead was covered with a layer of dense sweat.
Meeting Yi Jinbai's worried gaze, Jiang Shuiyun waved her hand to indicate that she was alright, while also falling into thought. Perhaps because she was an outsider in this world, she couldn't reveal her identity or disclose this matter here?
The excruciating pain she had just experienced said it all. Jiang Shuiyun rubbed her temples with lingering fear, lowering her head to avoid Yi Jinbai's gaze. "I'm sorry, that's all I can tell you."
Are you alright?
Yi Jinbai took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from Jiang Shuiyun's forehead. Her brows furrowed slightly. Even without Jiang Shuiyun saying anything, she knew that something she couldn't understand must have happened just now.
"It's okay, I'll be fine after a while."
Jiang Shuiyun took the paper from Yi Jinbai's hand and wiped her sweat. "Whether you believe it or not is up to you. I can only assure you that I will never be like before, and everything I told you before was the truth."
Jiang Shuiyun felt that she was being quite unreasonable. She hadn't explained anything clearly before making such a casual remark, and expecting others to believe her was asking too much of them.
But now I really can't tell the truth. Should I make up another lie? Forget it, the lies I tell seem to be full of holes.
Silence fell between the two again. Just as Jiang Shuiyun was about to get up and leave, Yi Jinbai finally spoke.
"I believe you, I'm sorry." Yi Jinbai reached out and grabbed Jiang Shuiyun's sleeve again, just like when he first came here.
“You don’t need to apologize. You haven’t done anything to wrong me. This is my fault too…” Jiang Shuiyun turned around and looked at Yi Jinbai. It was already a pleasant surprise that Yi Jinbai chose to believe her.
Yi Jinbai shook his head. "I made a mistake. I was always wary of you and suspected you. The flower cakes, milk tea, and those pastries were all intentional. I avoided you and my good relationship with Viper because I was worried that if I repeated the same mistake, they might be willing to help me. I'm sorry, I... also took advantage of them."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuiyun felt a pang of sorrow. Looking at Yi Jinbai, whose eyes were red and swollen, she hesitated for a moment before finally pulling him into her arms. "It won't happen again. I'm here. It will never happen again."
For Yi Jinbai, leaving the utopia of the academy, what awaited her was not the diverse society, but a living hell: forced marriage, oppression, violence. Having experienced so much, what's wrong with just wanting to protect herself?
Jiang Shuiyun felt that under these circumstances, Yi Jinbai's willingness to believe in her was even more precious, and this trust weighed heavily on her shoulders.
While reading the book, Jiang Shuiyun felt sorry for Yi Jinbai's plight. Now, holding him in her arms, she was even more determined to change everything. Yi Jinbai deserved a better life.
"There are still some flower cakes in the kitchen, I'll go get you some to try."
Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Yi Jinbai smiled and tilted her head back, her face slightly flushed.
"No need, you should rest for a while. You have to catch a flight tomorrow. I can go downstairs to eat by myself," Jiang Shuiyun withdrew her hand and took a step back, somewhat unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. "Then you should rest. I'll go out first."
Jiang Shuiyun opened the door and walked into the corridor. She still felt that her heart was beating a little too fast. She patted her chest and took a deep breath, which finally calmed her down a bit.
After this reconciliation, the awkward feeling that had been bothering Jiang Shuiyun finally disappeared. After finishing training early that evening, Jiang Shuiyun took the initiative to knock on Yi Jinbai's music room door for the first time.
"Get some rest, your flight is tomorrow morning."
Yi Jinbai stopped playing the piano and turned to look at Jiang Shuiyun. "It'll be ready soon. I've composed a new piece. Would you like to hear it?"
"OK."
Jiang Shuiyun readily agreed.
As the music room door closed again, the group of people standing in front of the computers looked at each other in bewilderment. Yao Yao Ling touched her chin first, "Sister Jin Bai and the captain have made up?"