I can't quite describe the feeling. It was expected, unbelievable, or perhaps it's all settled.
The belief she had held dear all along crumbled to the ground, leaving her limbs weak and cold. Chi Lan stared blankly, speechless, and it took her a long while to recover.
"Really? That's great." She unconsciously smiled, her palm tightening around her phone.
The two didn't rest for long before Su Mo was called away by the director to film her solo scenes. Chi Lan swiped open the screen, looked at the edited Weibo post, smiled, and still clicked send.
Her phone immediately started vibrating, incessantly, with hundreds and even thousands of comments and likes flooding in. She flipped through a few pages, put her phone away, went to where Su Mo was filming, and sat down to watch him suppress his impatience as he followed the director's instructions to find the right angles for the camera.
That familiar, handsome face was just as it had been back then. Chi Lan gazed at it quietly, never looking away.
-
After Jiang Jianhuan returned, she learned that Su Mo had suddenly been unable to pick her up because she was with Chi Lan.
She has a habit of casually browsing Weibo's trending topics, and today the one pushed to her homepage was Chi Lan's post, which was pinned to the top because of its high number of likes, comments, and reposts.
[#Did you encounter romance today?# @SuMo]
It's a very simple sentence, but the accompanying picture is anything but.
This is probably an early leaked image from an advertisement. Chi Lan and Su Mo stood up together, very close, and smiled at each other.
The outfits were all coordinated sets: a knee-length evening gown and a suit, surrounded by countless flowers. The photos appeared to have been heavily edited, with a beautiful and romantic color palette.
Jiang Jianhuan could already imagine how eye-catching the enlarged photos would be, hanging on the streets of shopping malls and inside stores.
She had heard of this perfume brand, and the widely circulated advertising slogan was—
Did you encounter romance today?
No one would think much of this Weibo post, because it was obvious that Chi Lan's actions were for publicity. However, only Jiang Jianhuan knew that this statement was so ambiguous and revealed his true feelings.
She turned off her phone, feeling as if a huge rock was pressing down on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Perhaps it was just bad luck, as all sorts of unpleasant things happened one after another. The next day at noon, when Jiang Jianhuan went to the cafeteria for lunch, he happened to run into Xie Shuang, Zhou Ran, and a few others. Fang Xiaoli was also sitting at the same table.
Jiang Jianhuan was alone and looked a bit lonely. She carried her plate to the farthest corner, away from them.
Because they arrived late, by the time Jiang Jianhuan started eating, everyone else had almost finished. Xie Shuang and the others were already preparing to leave, chatting and laughing, making it a lively scene. When they passed Jiang Jianhuan's seat, they gave her a meaningful glance.
"Some people even copy their own friends' stuff; they deserve to be friendless!"
Jiang Jianhuan kept her head down as if she hadn't heard. Fang Xiaoli quickly glanced at her. After Xie Shuang finished speaking, she gave a cold snort with no response and the group left.
Jiang Jianhuan paused for a moment while picking up food, but continued eating as usual.
An exceptionally long week.
When I clocked out of get off work, I felt a sudden sense of relief. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I can finally have two days of rest.
The weather has been getting warmer lately, and Jiang Jianhuan had arranged to take Lili shopping for clothes. Afraid of being stood up, she gave her a series of instructions before hanging up, like a concerned old parent.
Not long after, Jiang Jianhuan received another call from Su Mo, asking if she was free.
"I'm going shopping with Lili tomorrow."
“...Oh.” He was silent for a moment on the other end, then asked tentatively.
"Then, would you mind having one more person?"
"I mind." Jiang Jianhuan hung up the phone without hesitation.
Su Mo was stunned for a moment when she heard the dial tone from the other end of the line, and her heart sank completely.
Jiang Jianhuan met up with Lili at noon. The two went to eat at the time-honored hot pot restaurant on the sixth floor of the mall. They came out blushing and breathing heavily, feeling very satisfied, and then started shopping for clothes.
The little girl has grown quite a bit in the past few years. She kept clinging to her arm and complaining that only Zhou You ever accompanied her to buy clothes, and that her taste was so bad that she couldn't bear to look at her and was extremely disgusted with her.
As she spoke, Lili showed her photos on her phone. Looking at the pile of pink princess dresses and bubble socks in the closet, Jiang Jianhuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Zhou Li really enjoys shopping with Jiang Jianhuan. She's a great advisor; she has excellent taste, is patient, and understands her perfectly! That's the key point.
The two shopped from the fifth floor to the first floor, without taking a break all afternoon. They carried several large bags of clothes, shoes, and bags, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Just before leaving, I happened to pass by the restrooms. It was crowded on the weekend, with quite a few people queuing outside, but there were also seats available. The mall's ambiance and decor were very nice.
Zhou Li, being a child at heart, immediately went over and took a seat, rubbing her feet and saying she was tired. Jiang Jianhuan smiled, took all her things, and went in to queue up first.
The little girl was bored and could only play with her phone. The little bear pendant hanging on it was very eye-catching, and she cherished it even more because it was a gift from her.
She touched the bear's smooth, shiny body, and couldn't help but press its ears. Suddenly, a voice popped out from inside.
Chapter 34
The recording begins with a commotion, like something hitting a table, followed by a conversation between two people.
Intermittent, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, Zhou Li leaned closer and recognized one of the lines as Jiang Jianhuan's.
"The eggplant is so awful today..." The female voice was unfamiliar, and Zhou Li guessed it might be her colleague.
"By the way, how's your competition entry coming along?" The sound of chopsticks poking at a plate filled the air, and it was probably in the cafeteria, where the background was rather messy.
"Jian Huan? Jian Huan?!"
"Ah..." The voice that came back to its senses was Jiang Jianhuan's.
"I'm asking you how your entry is going. The deadline is fast approaching."