Chapter One: Jiao Jiao, You Wouldn’t Want the CEO to Return to China Either, Right? (1/2)
Summer always makes people feel restless. Waves of heat made the flowers in the garden at the foot of the mountain more vibrant and lush, while the sun, carrying the fragrance of the blossoms, baked a row of green trees. A gentle breeze blew through, causing the leaves to rustle in its wake, while the flowery scent it carries slowly became unpleasant from the scorching heat.
The wind swept along, creating layers of green waves on the mountain. At the waist of the mountain is the Jiang family’s estate, where the drunken light meets and becomes dim and hazy under the shade. Even the wind blowing in through the hollow brass gate couldn’t help but feel stale and dull as it enters through the property.
The building in the center of the estate obviously has the best lighting in the area; and yet despite that, it still somehow ironically gives off a sense of weight and oppression to anyone who happened to take a glance at it.
Sha la la1沙啦啦 (shālālā): an onomatopoeic expression in Chinese, often used to describe the soft, continuous sound of something scattering, like sand pouring, leaves rustling, or broken pieces falling.—
Another gust of wind blew through the oak tree in front of the building, rustling the leaves, as it suddenly prompted a shadow to fall over from the window and onto the enclosure of the powder room situated on the second floor.
Wen Zhijiao couldn’t help but frown slightly. The person doing her styling looked a little worried and immediately asked in concern, “Miss Wen, are you not satisfied?”
After the stylist spoke those words, Wen Zhijiao glanced at the vanity mirror, carefully inspecting her appearance.
The dappled light from the tree shadows fell on Wen Zhijiao’s cheeks like a complex veil. The stylist examined the reflection in the mirror, first noticing a pair of black eyes that held some sorrow in its gaze, before noticing her other delicate features, her thin eyebrows, her moist lips, and eventually her pearl butterfly hairpin that had one side of her dark hair pinned back, which effortlessly flaunted her slightly gaunt chin.
The stylist suddenly felt regret for asking this question, thinking it was unnecessary. She had been working at the Jiang residence for over six months, but she had almost never seen a smile graced Miss Wen’s face. Maybe, it was really normal for the mistress to always look so desolate.
“It’s nothing.” Wen Zhijiao turned to look at the stylist behind her and asked, “When will Jiang Yuancheng return to China?”
“Oh, are you longing for Mr. Jiang?” The stylist suddenly smiled, seeming to be enlightened by her words, as she then used a small comb to bring more volume to Wen Zhijiao’s soft bangs. This action naturally led to further emphasizing the slightly pointed chin of the lady while bringing more curve to her beautiful, bright eyes. The stylist continued speaking, “I heard from Butler Zhang that his meeting abroad got extended, and he might have to stay there a few more days.”
The melancholic feeling in Wen Zhijiao’s brows faded a bit as she asked for confirmation again, “Oh, okay. So he definitely won’t come back today, right?”
“How could that be? If Mr. Jiang were to come back, then the butler would surely inform us.”
The stylist gently reassured her.
At this moment, she finally chose to sit quietly like an obedient doll, allowing the stylist to complete her job with no interruption. The stylist picked up some cherry-shaped earrings and gently clipped them onto her ears as she gave her some more consolation, “Don’t worry, Miss Wen. I’m sure Mr. Jiang will be back soon.”
But it was precisely because he would be back soon that it made her worried, Wen Zhijiao sulkily thought.
With Jiang Yuancheng gone for quite some time, Wen Zhijiao was finally given a moment to breathe and have a few peaceful days to herself. However, the uncertainty of when his return date will be left her restless and anxious. It actually started to influence her subconsciousness, making her have some dreams—some strange dreams that vanished into oblivion the moment she woke up from her restless sleep.
Wen Zhijiao was completely convinced that what she was experiencing right now had something to do with Jiang Yuancheng, her powerful, mentally-disturbed, crippled fiancé.
“Miss Wen, what do you think of this necklace?”
The stylist’s voice suddenly interrupted Wen Zhijiao’s thoughts.
She didn’t bother to look up immediately, initially glancing at the engagement ring that was resting on her finger before shifting her gaze away and making a casual response. Then she picked up a salted plum from the snack box on the table and plopped it into her mouth. The perfect blend of sour and salty taste immediately flooded her senses, and her mood finally slightly eased. She took out her phone and started reading a novel, the sorrow in her eyes gradually dissipating, as she immersed herself in the text.
The stylist who was doing her makeup couldn’t help but quietly whisper, “Miss Wen, you’re really beautiful. Why don’t you smile more often?”
Well…
It was because she’s afraid of running out of smiles right at the time when she needs them most. She’s definitely saving it for the moment Jiang Yuancheng finally dies.
Wen Zhijiao thought to herself as she sucked onto the taste of the plum in her mouth. She didn’t bother to reply, choosing to keep her head down, while she focused on the contents in her phone.
【 Years later, when they got reunited once more, his eyes still couldn’t help but turn red once he saw her. 】
Wen Zhijiao skimmed through the novel at lightning speed, only feeling completely satisfied right after she witnessed the reconciliation of the male and female leads, and their return to campus. The leads eventually had a wedding after going through a highschool sweetheart trope. She was about to leave a comment when several WeChat messages popped up.
『 AAA Li Family Harmony Appliance Repair: Hahaha, we’ve arrived! Is this the place? 【Image】』
『 Haipu Yourun Overseas Study Liu Jiaxin: @Wen Zhijiao, have you arrived? 』
『 Save the Moon: She didn’t even come to the graduation party last time. She had probably forgotten all about us, her old classmates, by now【funny emoji】』
Why do these people have so much to say?
Wen Zhijiao spat out the salted plum and slowly typed her response.
『 Wen Zhijiao: On the way. Stuck in traffic. Just two more intersections. 』
It was only after she had sent the message that she contacted the driver.
Ugh, if only she had known about that earlier, then she wouldn’t have agreed. But…
Wen Zhijiao opened the class’s group chat list and stared at a particular avatar for a moment. She then raised her hand, carefully gazing at it for a moment.
The wind stirred the curtains, a beam of sunlight inevitably breaking through. The light streamed through her fingers, casting shadows on her face, with flecks of gold sprinkling like dense seaweed swaying in the ocean. The ring on her knuckle then suddenly reflected a cold gleam that fell just below her eyes, like a frozen tear.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. A servant happened to knock on it from the outside, indicating that it was time for her to leave.
Clang—
It was the sound of something falling.
Immediately after, the wardrobe door was slammed shut.
Lifting her skirt, Wen Zhijiao hastily made her exit. The curved ends of her hair gently swayed in every step she takes.
The organizers had some money to spare, so the venue for the Shengcheng No. 1 High School reunion was supposed to be held at a somewhat well-known hotel in City A. Unfortunately for them though, all the available private rooms had long been booked, so the event could only be held at a table in the third-floor lobby. It was even worse that their table could only be separated from the public eye with only a few screen panels. A clear evidence that this group of old classmates hadn’t done enough supervision in order for their organizers to spend more effort.
Not many old classmates had come anyways, given that Shengcheng No.1 High School was located in City C while the reunion was held in City A. Those who showed up were mostly people who studied or worked in City A or in its surrounding areas. Since it had been five years, there were only a few guests who came; and for a while, the party felt a little bit lackluster. However, once the conversation shifted to Wen Zhijiao, who had not arrived yet, the atmosphere surrounding the guests immediately became more lively.
After listening to everyone’s complaints toward Wen Zhijiao and her grand entrance delay, Yu Xiangya, who was known the gossip queen of the class back in their high school days, couldn’t help but chime in her opinion, “Well, considering that right after she had transferred to that international Shengliu high school, she completely lost her touch with us. Who knows if she didn’t really plan to attend this year’s reunion.”
After she spoke, she sneaked a glance at Zhang Xiaoyu, who had been the main reason why the reunion was still able to push through.
Back in high school, Zhang Xiaoyu was known to be a rich second-generation kid whose family had a little bit of extra wealth in their accounts. Aside from that, it was also quite well-known that he too had been pursuing Wen Zhijiao for a very long time. This time, he specially organized a class reunion in City A, making others suspect that he did this with an ulterior motive. Sure enough, after Yu Xiangya’s comment, Zhang Xiaoyu’s face immediately darkened. “No way! We’re old classmates after all. There’s no way Jiao Jiao would go back on her word.”
“Oh, calling her ‘Jiao Jiao’ now, huh… Brother Yu?” A man who was as thin as a monkey started to make fun of him, trying to stir things up. “Back then, you and Wen Zhijiao must have definitely become a thing, but you just decided to keep it from us, huh?”
His teasing worked, and the atmosphere became even more heated as everyone joined in the conversation, chattering away and talking all their opinions at once.
“Don’t talk nonsense! Wen Zhijiao’s grades were great! To get into an international high school, her boyfriend must have been pretty capable. You better watch out, or he might come after you!”
“They say she transferred, but she never posts anything. Who knows if it’s just a rumor?”
“Yeah, it has been years. All we know is that she’s currently staying in City A, but we have no idea of what university she’s currently studying at or if she’s even working.”
There were several men who had engaged themselves in a lively conversation. Each of them carried a knowing look, but none of them said anything outright. They were deep in the discussion, animated and full of gestures, when a soft voice suddenly interrupted them.
“Sorry. I’m late.”
For a moment, everyone stopped talking as they turned to look at the newly-arrived guest.
Wen Zhijiao stood a few steps away, dressed in a light-colored off-shoulder long dress, with a plaid blazer draped over her shoulders. Her voluminous curls were pinned to one side, revealing a delicate face with a smile. The ruby earrings by her ears reflected the indoor lights, radiating an air of elegance. Her gaze didn’t settle on them directly, but instead lingered above their heads for a moment before resting on the floor, giving off a faint sense of wistfulness.
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