After the training ended, Yi Jinbai realized that she had missed so much. She just clicked on Jiang Shuiyun's homepage on the public platform out of habit, only to find that it was completely different from before. The number of fans had increased a lot, and many of the new nicknames looked unfamiliar to her.
Having read through all the news related to Jiang Shuiyun over the past month, everyone else thought Jiang Shuiyun was a winner in life, a chosen one, but Yi Jinbai could only see from it how much effort Jiang Shuiyun had put in.
In every match, Jiang Shuiyun made no mistakes. While other team members could make mistakes, Jiang Shuiyun's level remained consistently stable. In one match, she even turned the tide, winning two consecutive games and defeating the Zhulang team.
Everyone called it a miracle, and everyone was cheering and celebrating, but Yi Jinbai saw that only Jiang Shuiyun was still sitting in her seat, her eyes closed in exhaustion.
The situation regarding Jianghe Group and the Jiang family has now undergone a complete reversal. Everyone thinks that Jiang Shuiyun is lucky, and that her family was able to rise again after such a great fall. However, Yi Jinbai knows that it's not luck; Jiang Shuiyun must have done something behind the scenes.
This identity brought her no glory or benefit, only endless insults and all sorts of misunderstandings, but Jiang Shuiyun remained steadfast in her word, fulfilling her promise: she was now Jiang Shuiyun, a member of the Jiang family, and she would make the Jiang family rise again; she would shoulder her responsibilities.
Yi Jinbai looked at Jiang Shuiyun in front of her. She wanted to say that this responsibility should not be hers, but in the end she couldn't say anything.
"Go to sleep for a while."
Yi Jinbai sat down next to Jiang Shuiyun, put her arm around Jiang Shuiyun's shoulder so that Jiang Shuiyun could lean on her comfortably. She might not be able to do anything for Jiang Shuiyun, but she could give her a moment of relaxation and rest.
Jiang Shuiyun paused for a moment, then reached out and wrapped her arms around Yi Jinbai's waist, obediently closing her eyes. No need to say anything; this was enough.
Yi Jinbai looked at Jiang Shuiyun's peaceful sleeping face, his gaze tracing her eyebrows and eyes. She fell asleep so quickly; how tired she must be.
Just as Yi Jinbai was preparing to sit there for two hours, Jiang Shuiyun's phone rang. Before Yi Jinbai could turn it off for her, Jiang Shuiyun, who had been fast asleep, opened her eyes and answered the phone.
Yi Jinbai couldn't understand what Jiang Shuiyun was saying; it was mostly technical jargon, with the occasional mention of Jianghe Group.
After Jiang Shuiyun finished receiving Fu Xian's call, the lingering effects of her sudden movement seemed to be kicking in. She felt as if the blood in her brain was being pumped around wildly, and every vein was throbbing and throbbing painfully.
Holding her head, Jiang Shuiyun leaned back against Yi Jinbai, and it took her a long time to recover.
Are you feeling unwell again?
Yi Jinbai knew that Jiang Shuiyun seemed to be all-powerful, but in reality she was more fragile than anyone else. Last time, a glass of cold water could send her to the hospital, let alone this long period of overwork.
Jiang Shuiyun looked up and met Yi Jinbai's worried gaze. She smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's nothing serious. I'm just a little dizzy after waking up."
Jiang Shuiyun looked at Yi Jinbai holding her hand, and she could tell from her eyes that Yi Jinbai did not believe a single word she had just said.
A note from the author:
Good night. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 05:55:14 on June 3, 2022 and 23:59:44 on June 4, 2022!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: 朕慕林 (2); 佩尔 (1);
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Gongzaoqiji (5 bottles); Sanjiu (2 bottles); Shan'erbaobao, Baizhinian, and 20940959 (1 bottle each);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 60
"I will make sure to get some rest."
Jiang Shuiyun was simply making empty promises to ease Yi Jinbai's worries.
When will you be finished?
Yi Jinbai was also helpless against Jiang Shuiyun, and he didn't believe Jiang Shuiyun's promises at all.
"About a month..."
Jiang Shuiyun tried to give the shortest possible timeframe. SWC still had a month and a half left. The lawsuit against Jianghe Group was currently at a stalemate, with the other party dragging their feet. It would be good if there was a result in two months at the earliest. Perhaps only Jianghu Company could get back on track within a month, slightly reducing her workload.
"One more month?" Yi Jinbai asked with slight disapproval. "Do you know how bad you look right now? Otherwise, I'll go back and take care of you for a while."
“No,” Jiang Shuiyun rejected Yi Jinbai’s suggestion without even thinking. “Don’t give up your own path for anyone. This is the first step you’ve taken. How can you give it up so easily because of me? I will take good care of myself.”
While the two were talking, Jiang Shuiyun's phone rang again. She pressed her temples and answered the phone. This was the time she had agreed not to call her during training, so she could only deal with these issues during her lunch break. She had forgotten to mention that she also had something to do at noon today.
After hanging up the phone again, Jiang Shuiyun breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. Looking at Yi Jinbai, who had been waiting by her side, she said, "Jinbai, let me take you home first. We have another event after the competition tomorrow, and we'll be flying directly to City C. I'll come see you again next time."
"You left so soon?"
Yi Jinbai was somewhat surprised.
Jiang Shuiyun didn't want to either, but time was really tight. She reached out and ruffled Yi Jinbai's hair. "You won't have to do closed training anymore, right? You can call or message me anytime."
Although Yi Jinbai felt a little disappointed, he didn't want to make things difficult for Jiang Shuiyun, so he picked up the bouquet of flowers and nodded, "Then be careful on your way."
"good."
Jiang Shuiyun escorted Yi Jinbai back to the company entrance. Yi Jinbai, holding the flowers, watched Jiang Shuiyun get into a taxi, glanced down at the flowers in his arms, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Carrying the flowers back to the company, Yi Jinbai had just stepped off the elevator when she ran into Gao Zhouzhou, who was walking towards her. During her time here, Gao Zhouzhou had taken good care of her. Although they hadn't met many times, Gao Zhouzhou had helped her with many things.
"Jinbai, have you eaten?"
Gao Zhouzhou greeted Yi Jinbai first.
"I'm just about to go eat, what about you?"
To avoid keeping Jiang Shuiyun waiting, Yi Jinbai went downstairs as soon as he finished here, without having had lunch yet.
"I just finished eating. These flowers are so beautiful. Did a fan give them to you?"
Gao Zhouzhou glanced at the bouquet of flowers Yi Jinbai was holding and casually asked a question.
"Jiang Shuiyun happened to be in City B for a competition, so I stopped by to take a look."
When Jiang Shuiyun's name was mentioned, Yi Jinbai blushed slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Gao Zhouzhou paused in her hand as she touched the flower. "I didn't know about this. By the way, Jinbai, I have something to discuss with you. How about this, I'll have my assistant bring your food, and we can talk while we eat?"
"It's okay, I can eat later."
Yi Jinbai assumed Gao Zhouzhou had something important to say and immediately agreed.
"No need, I can't let you miss your meal."
Gao Zhouzhou took Yi Jinbai's arm and walked towards Yi Jinbai's private lounge, instructing her assistant to bring Yi Jinbai's meals over.
The two sat down, and Yi Jinbai placed the flowers beside him, waiting for Gao Zhouzhou to speak.
Gao Zhouzhou looked at the flower, feeling extremely conflicted. She didn't know whether she should ask or not. Judging from Yi Jinbai's expression, he clearly had feelings for Jiang Shuiyun. But what about Lao Jiang? What was going on between Yi Jinbai and Lao Jiang? Did Yi Jinbai know that the person beside her had changed?
She couldn't say it directly, and she had promised Jiang Shuiyun that she wouldn't ask. Gao Zhouzhou looked at Yi Jinbai sitting next to her and was so anxious that she was scratching her head. What was going on?
"Jinbai, I was just asking casually, don't take it to heart, it's just..." Gao Zhouzhou thought for a moment to choose her words, lest she get a headache like last time, "It's just that, what's your relationship with Lao Jiang now? What do you think of her?"
"ah?"
Yi Jinbai was a little taken aback by Gao Zhouzhou's sudden question. Shouldn't Gao Zhouzhou know about her relationship with Jiang Shuiyun?
"I was just asking casually, it's okay if you don't want to answer."
Gao Zhouzhou, who was already struggling with the question, quickly added more details.
"Our relationship..." Yi Jinbai didn't know how to say it. He hesitated for a moment, his face turning red, but still didn't say it. He jumped to the second question.
When asked about Jiang Shuiyun's evaluation, Yi Jinbai barely hesitated before answering decisively and firmly, "Jiang Shuiyun is the best person I know."
"Such high praise?"
Gao Zhouzhou was somewhat surprised, her eyes darting around. "By the way, Old Jiang's personality has changed quite a bit since the Jiang family's incident, right? I feel like she's changed a lot. So, do you think she was better before, or is she better now?"
"The present, and the past..." Mentioning the past, Yi Jinbai's face involuntarily darkened.
Gao Zhouzhou didn't need to ask any more questions; all the answers were already laid out before her. She swallowed back the words she originally wanted to say. Yi Jinbai's attitude spoke volumes. Old Jiang and Yi Jinbai certainly didn't have any good memories of each other in the past, and the one who truly won Yi Jinbai's favor was the current Jiang Shuiyun.
"It's nothing, I was just asking. I have a shoot this afternoon, so I'll go now. I'll come find you later!"
Gao Zhouzhou interrupted Yi Jinbai's hesitant words, stood up, waved, and left.
Yi Jinbai couldn't help but wonder about Gao Zhouzhou's questions. Jiang Shuiyun's behavior before and after was indeed quite different. Could it be that Gao Zhouzhou had discovered something unusual?
This question weighed on Yi Jinbai's mind all afternoon, and by dinner time, he couldn't help but call Jiang Shuiyun.
After Jiang Shuiyun returned and finished her business, she didn't even eat and went straight to sleep at the hotel. Sufficient rest was more important to her than a meal, as she always had a hard time falling asleep on the plane.
After a comfortable afternoon nap, Jiang Shuiyun didn't want to get up when she woke up. She lay on a recliner in front of the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, watching the sunset. It was a rare moment of relaxation and tranquility until Jian Mang and the others came to call her down for dinner.
Still wearing her pajamas, Jiang Shuiyun yawned and got up. Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang. She glanced at it and saw that it was Yi Jinbai calling.
While answering the phone, Jiang Shuiyun looked for her clothes to change into; she couldn't very well go down to eat in this state.
"Ms. Gao came to the company at noon today. She asked me about you, saying that there was a big difference between your past and present appearance. I wonder if she's starting to have some suspicions?"
Yi Jinbai was still uneasy. Jiang Shuiyun's identity was no small matter, so he had to be extra careful.
“She already knows that we have different numbers of ear piercings; Gao Zhouzhou noticed.”
Jiang Shuiyun didn't tell Yi Jinbai about this. Firstly, Yi Jinbai was in isolation and couldn't be contacted before, and secondly, she was so busy that she didn't really take it to heart.
Yi Jinbai was clearly surprised and somewhat flustered. "What should we do?"
"It's okay. She can't bring herself to talk about it because she'll get a headache just like me if she tries to tell someone. You don't need to worry."
Jiang Shuiyun unbuttoned her clothes with one hand, her tone languid, carrying a faint weariness from a good night's sleep, making one feel relaxed as well.
"I see. Okay then, have you had dinner?"
Yi Jinbai felt that Jiang Shuiyun had a natural charm that made people believe her. No matter how big or unbelievable the story was, when she said it, people would inexplicably believe it and feel at ease.
"Not yet, I'm about to go eat with Brother Xi and the others, what about you?"
Jiang Shuiyun looked at the clothes beside her, turned on the speakerphone on her phone, put it aside, took off her shirt, and prepared to put on a pullover short-sleeved shirt.
"Why did you turn on the video? I..."
Yi Jinbai's voice stopped abruptly, instantly bringing Jiang Shuiyun, whose head was still covered by her clothes, to her senses. She frantically tried to pull her clothes back up and turn off her phone.
"No, it's a misunderstanding," Jiang Shuiyun pulled down her clothes, turned off the video, and her face turned bright red in an instant. She tried to explain to Yi Jinbai, "I was about to put on some clothes, so I wanted to put the phone on speakerphone and put it aside, but I didn't expect my hand might have accidentally touched it."
"Mmm, I know, it's okay," Yi Jinbai's voice was also a bit intermittent, clearly she was in a similar situation to Jiang Shuiyun, and could only quickly make an excuse to hang up the phone, "You guys go eat first, bye!"
Seeing Yi Jinbai hang up the phone, Jiang Shuiyun slapped her forehead in frustration. How could she have made such a mistake? What would Jinbai think of her in the future? Would she think she did it on purpose?
I'm too ashamed to face Yi Jinbai.
Lost in thought, Jiang Shuiyun couldn't help but pat her stomach, which had been lacking exercise lately. It seemed that starting tomorrow, she needed to plan her time properly and make time for exercise; she couldn't continue to be so lazy.
In fact, Jiang Shuiyun was overthinking things. Yi Jinbai really believed what she said. Moreover, the moment the video started, she only glanced at it and didn't see anything clearly before looking away. She didn't see anything, let alone her unfit waistline.
Because of this misunderstanding, Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai didn't contact each other for several days. It wasn't until Jiang Shuiyun finished her competition and participated in the activities in City C that Yi Jinbai sent her another message, a short audio clip.
Jiang Shuiyun indeed had little musical talent or appreciation, but when Yi Jinbai's gentle voice came out, she seemed to suddenly understand those descriptions and feelings about music. In an instant, she felt as if she had been transported to another world, and her tense nerves slowly relaxed.