Chapter 58

Jiang Jiusheng patted Jiang Bomei’s head. “Bomei, call me sister.”

Woof! Woof!

Mo Bing was speechless. What a suck-up!

“It calls Dr. Shi its father, but it calls you its sister?” Mo Bing teased. “Shengsheng, what kind of logic is that?”

Jiang Jiusheng laughed but didn’t speak. She took out her phone and dialed a number.

“Hello.” A woman’s voice greeted her on the other end of the line. She sounded very elegant.

Jiang Jiusheng pursed her lips and hung up without a word.

Mo Bing turned back. “What’s wrong?”

She shut her eyes to rest. “Nothing.”

Nothing? thought Mo Bing. Who are you lying to? Even Jiang Bomei isn’t barking anymore.

After Jiang Jiusheng hung up, her emotions seemed slightly off, and she was abnormally silent. Mo Bing glanced at her and saw that her countenance didn’t look so good. Yet Mo Bing couldn’t tell what exactly was wrong. There was so much tension between her eyebrows.

Lin City.

The decor of the restaurant in the five-star hotel was quite elegant, decorated with refreshing, warm colors that complemented the chandeliers. It was an atmosphere that motivated people to dine.

The black marble dining table was rather cold and reflected the light on its surface. Tan Guanxi pursed her lips and was silent for a moment. After some contemplation, she deleted the call log and placed the phone back in its original position. When she lifted her head, Shi Jin was coming out of the bathroom.

“Dr. Shi,” she called.

Shi Jin nodded and returned to the table. He wiped his hands but didn’t reply.

She sat beside him. She could see the light from the overhead colored glass being reflected in his eyes. They were overflowing with brilliant lights and vibrant colors, looking so beautiful that it was difficult for her to open her eyes.

She opened her mouth and spoke in a casual tone. “I sat down here because I didn’t see anyone. I hope you don’t mind.”

Shi Jin replied, “I don’t mind.”

She picked up the menu on the table.

He picked up his phone from the table, glanced at it, frowned, and then put it in the pocket of his outerwear.

“I’ve already eaten,” he said, rising from his chair. “You have a good meal.”

With that, he turned around and left.

Tan Guanxi lost her smile. She glanced at the plate of steak lying before his place at the table and observed that only a small portion of it had been eaten. She pursed her lips and ordered the exact same item as him.

Baby. Heh. So Shi Jin can address someone that way, too. It must be a woman… I must be crazy—I lost all the etiquette of my upbringing and rationality the instant I saw that word. I answered the phone like I was possessed and even deleted the call log. It was clumsy and desperate.

The woman’s craziness was quite troubling.

At 8:30 a.m. the following morning, there was an incoming call from Shi Jin.

Jiang Jiusheng was momentarily stunned before answering. She didn’t speak immediately, and only responded when she heard Shi Jin speak.

“Are you up?” he asked.

It sounded quite natural—like a conversation between two individuals who were intimate with each other.

Jiang Jiusheng’s knitted eyebrows eased. “Yes. I’m feeding Bomei.”

“Are your injuries severe?”

Jiang Jiusheng curled her lips. “Did you see the news online?”

“Yes. I visit your Weibo profile every day.”

Jiang Jiusheng was dumbfounded. She had always assumed that someone like Shi Jin would be consulting academic magazines at all times, fascinated only by medical-related things. She simply couldn’t picture him browsing through her Weibo profile every day. It would have been a cute and funny sight. Yes, he was a genuine fan who truly loved her.

She made some milk for Bomei and replied, “I faked it.” After a pause, she explained, “Usually, when such news circulates in the entertainment industry, it’s only partially true. The rest is made up.”

Shi Jin seemed to be very interested in this topic. He immediately asked, “Which part is real?”

Jiang Jiusheng knew the answer. “The filming accident was real,” she replied, “but I wasn’t the person who fell down.”

There was a moment of silence over the phone. Then Shi Jin asked abruptly, “What about Su Qing?”

Jiang Jiusheng was shocked. “Huh?”

“The rumors about you and Su Qing. How true are they?”

He had drastically lowered his voice. His tone didn’t sound natural. In fact, he sounded abnormally stubborn.

Jiang Jiusheng couldn’t restrain her smile. “Completely fake.”

Su Qing is a pampered woman, she thought.

Shi Jin laughed quietly and confirmed that he understood her meaning.

Strange, thought Jiang Jiusheng. How had a typical conversation with a fan suddenly taken such a turn?

She changed the subject, her tone growing severe.

“Shi Jin,” she said, “there’s something I have to tell you.”