CH 36

The corridor was quiet, and the small voice seemed abrupt, as if it was right next to her ear.

Cheng Suran held her breath.

The tension caused by eavesdropping stimulated her heart to beat faster...

"In private, I don't want her to give me any advice on my personal affairs. It's okay until today, and there shouldn't be any similar incidents happening again from now." Jiang Yu's voice was low and soft, but her tone was very powerful, like a majestic leader.

Lu Zhiqiao was neither humble nor overbearing, and nodded in agreement, "She told me about the relationship between the three of you when she went back after seeing the wedding dress. She said that she likes Xiao Cheng very much. So maybe she was just complaining yesterday. She was free to do whatever she wanted since she was a child. I'm used to it, and her personality is sometimes indifferent, which is understandable. I will talk to her when I go back, and I will pay attention, for her to know the boundaries.

After all, it's about helping her beloved speak.

Both her and Jiang Yu came from grassroots backgrounds, and they have struggled to where they are today after suffering a lot. Compared with Qi Yan, who was born with a golden spoon in her mouth, her temperament is naturally more mature.

Three months ago, they  jointly held a business event on the island, and they talked openly. They have changed from hostility to mutual appreciation and maintained a cooperative partnership.

It's good to get things off the table.

"Mm."

Jiang Yu wanted to say something else. For example, the reason why Qi Yan complained was because of their unpleasant breakup. She thought she was a scumbag, and she must have mentioned her "scumbag behavior" in front of Lu Zhiqiao. In the eyes of the younger couple, she is the out-and-out "scum".

But after thinking about it, it has been a long time since the matter has passed, after all, it is the relationship between the ex and the incumbent, so bringing up the old matter will inevitably make Lu Zhiqiao feel unhappy.

So she swallowed the words back.

In the eyes of her colleagues, Cheng Suran is her sister, and in the eyes of this couple, Cheng Suran is her girlfriend. Everyone just stood at different angles and saw different things, so they had different ideas.

But the truth is in her heart.

Only the person drinking water knows whether it's cold or hot.

"There is a phrase, not to be nosy, but I want to say..." Lu Zhiqiao paused, "There is a big gap between you and Xiao Cheng in all aspects, and it may be difficult emotionally, but no matter what happens in the future, enjoy the present, I hope you are happy."

There was a faint sarcasm in Jiang Yu's eyes, which disappeared in an instant, and she nodded with a smile, "Thank you."

….

The conversation reached Cheng Suran's ears word for word.

Break up with Qi Yan a long time ago?

Could it be...

A guess flashed through her mind, her heart beat violently, and she froze in place.

No, it's not a guess, it's a fact. Her sister and Qi Yan have been in a relationship before-- a relationship; a pure and beautiful romantic relationship. Contrary to a dirty and shady nurturing* relationship.

*sponsorship/sugar dating

Cheng Suran's heart suddenly felt sour, unspeakably uncomfortable, as if being grabbed by an invisible hand, falling and falling...

But why?

She was immersed in chaotic thoughts, and before she could figure out why she felt uncomfortable, footsteps came from the emergency exit. By the time she regained consciousness and wanted to run, it was already too late.

The three looked at each other.

Lu Zhiqiao looked at her in shock, and Jiang Yu's eyes flashed surprise, but frowned quickly, as if annoyance and reproach.

"Sister… Boss Lu..." Cheng Suran murmured, her mind went blank.

She's done for.

Lu Zhiqiao reacted quickly, glanced at Jiang Yu and said, "I'll go back first." She quickly walked past Cheng Suran towards their room and knocked.

The hallway turned quiet again.

The girl stood there dumbfounded, her slender body was wrapped in loose rabbit pajamas, her little face was flushed under the light, and she stared nervously at Jiang Yu with wide eyes.

Jiang Yu stared at her, took a step forward, slowly pulled her hand out of her trouser pocket, brushed her temple hair, and asked softly, "Why haven't you slept yet?"

"I..." Cheng Suran came back to her senses, and then she remembered her business. She raised the thing on her hand and handed it over, "Your watch, you left it with me."

The silver object lay quietly in the girl's palm.

Her hands are very white and clean, with clear and deep palm lines, and a few thin calluses. One can tell at a glance that she used to work a lot.

Jiang Yu glanced down and picked up her watch.

"Sister, I didn't eavesdrop on purpose, I don't know anything, I..." Cheng Suran hurriedly explained, but by accident, she became the owner of three hundred taels of silver*.

*an obvious lie, check glossary for etymology.

Her heart hung up again.

Jiang Yu smiled lightly, rubbed her head, and messed up her hair whether intentionally or not, "I know, good girl, go to sleep and get up early tomorrow."

Why?

Sister is not angry?

She was still in a daze, her hands were held up by Jiang Yu, her body turned involuntarily, her legs moved mechanically, and she walked to the door of the room.

Jiang Yu let go of her hand and went straight back to the next room without saying anything.

Cheng Suran froze on the spot for a long time, then looked away, pushed the door in front of her, entered the room, locked it, and leaned against the door like a lost puppet.

The conversation she heard just now echoed repeatedly in her ears, like a thunderbolt, exploding in the world where she was both dreaming and waking up. At that moment, she didn't know what it was like, she just felt as if she was thrown into a huge whirlpool, the fierce current swallowed her, and the surroundings were icy cold.

Ever since she met Jiang Yu, there was only the word "lover" in her dictionary, and her understanding of intimacy was limited to "benefactor and lover".

The word "girlfriend" is very strange to her.

But she knows that there is a difference between a lover and a girlfriend. The former is just a plaything, while the latter is a true love, and they cannot be compared at all. The elder sister who has been very kind and gentle to her must be a hundred times gentler and a thousand times better when she treats her girlfriend...

She couldn't even imagine what it is like.

When she thinks of this difference, she can't stop the sour bubbles in her heart, more and more, thicker, with a burning sensation of corrosion.

She didn't know why she is like this, she just vaguely felt that something was swelling and fermenting.

"Miss Cheng—" Tian Lin's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Is there anything wrong?"

Cheng Suran regained consciousness, looked up, saw Tian Lin looking at her suspiciously, pretended to smile calmly, and said, "It's okay, it's time to sleep."

She walked to the bed, lifted the quilt, and suddenly had a thought, and looked at Tian Lin.

"Assistant Tian..."

"?" Tian Lin put down her phone and was about to fall asleep.

Cheng Suran tentatively asked, "How long have you been working with my sister?"

"Why do you ask this?" Tian Lin subconsciously wanted to answer, but her professional habits prompted her to ask one more question.

Cheng Suran's mind turned quickly, and she lied without blushing: "I'm a little curious. I think you and sister seem to have a tacit understanding, like best friends. It must've taken a long time to get to that state..."  As she spoke, her two small dimples appeared.

Tian Lin was sweetened by her smile, and couldn't help but smile too, and said, "More than eight years, almost nine."

"Oh..." Cheng Suran nodded, "It's been a long time."

In fact, she really wants to ask Tian Lin something about her sister, such as…dating history.  But she also understood that not only would she not be able to ask anything, but she might also be sued by her sister and make her angry.

She pressed down her disappointment, turned off the light, pulled the quilt to lie down, looked at the blurry ceiling in the darkness, and couldn't help muttering: "Then you must know her very well..."

The air was silent for a moment, and Tian Lin's faint voice came from the other side: "That's right."

Very nice.

Cheng Suran said in her heart and smiled at the ceiling. She still wanted to ask, but reason told her that she couldn't, so she could only swallow her curiosity and unspeakable thoughts back together.

As the night deepened, everything went silent.

With too many thoughts and confusion, her drowsiness was driven away, Cheng Suran tossed and turned on the bed until midnight, but still couldn't fall asleep, so she had no choice but to pick up the phone.

Her sister’s Weibo is still not updated, but the fans in Chaohua* are very active. Every day, some people share wallpapers, avatars, etc. made of her sister’s photos, and some people analyze her sister’s outfits, pick out the same style, and summarize her poses. It’s very lively.

*a feature in Weibo similar to Twitter Community

Seeing so many people checking in and saying "I miss you" in Chaohua every day, she inexplicably felt a sense of pride. Her sister, who was out of reach for others, was once intimate with her.

The cold light from the screen illuminated the smile on Cheng Suran's face.

She saved all the photos, then went to a certain degree*, searched for "Jiang Yu", and searched through the keywords one by one. Basically, all she could find were event news and personal information. There was no black material**, let alone love scandals.

*another term for Baidu - China's Google/Wikipedia.

**controversy/scandal

After all, she is not a traffic star*, and does not rely on packaging and marketing to make a living. She has worked diligently and down-to-earth for more than ten years, and has been keeping a low profile.

*celebrity with huge following on social media

After digging around for a while, finally, she saw a related post on a community forum.

[The history of the four major national models]

At present, there are seven highly renowned Chinese supermodels in the international community, three of whom are senior figures who have retired in the past few years. At that time, it was precisely when Jiang Yu and a group of models went abroad. Over the past decade, Jiang Yu and the other three each made remarkable achievements in their professional fields, and were known as the "Four Great Models" of the Mesozoic era.

——Jiang Yu, Sister A, Sister B, Sister C.

Sister A was at the pinnacle when she debuted, she is the darling of the blue blood, but she played a good hand of cards. A few years ago, she left her modeling career to enter the entertainment industry, and she was lukewarm.

Ms. B is enjoying the meal with God*, and the journey is going smoothly. After getting married to her boyfriend who has been in love with for many years, she gradually loses her interest in the modeling career and stays at home with her husband and children.

*gifted/talented

Miss C's qualifications are mediocre, but she is steady. She has been active in the fashion stage. This year, she won a single title of the four major covers. Her future is promising.

Compared with these three, Jiang Yu's starting point can be said to be low in the dust. Others first entered the industry and went to catwalks for big names, while she was still promoting herself from house to house and worked as a free model for more than half a year. However, after more than ten years, her achievements and status have far surpassed the other three, ranking first among the "Four National Models", so it is natural for someone to study the relationship between them.

A few years ago, Sister A and Jiang Yu were torn apart for the endorsement. Sister A connoted Jiang Yu as a "village chicken" on the Internet, but Jiang Yu ignored her. The group of people crowding out Jiang Yu gave Jiang Yu a public impression of being "unpopular". Later, Sister B and Sister C were torn apart because of the endorsement, and Sister A joined the melee and dragged Jiang Yu into the water by the way...

The post was not long, and it took a few minutes to finish reading it. Cheng Suran was dumbfounded, and went to search the Internet for traces of these things back then.

At first, many people scolded Jiang Yu, but as Sister A entered the entertainment circle, she continued to hype her marketing and lost her favor. Jiang Yu has been working quietly, keeping a low profile and staying down-to-earth, and the trend has gradually reversed.

Looking at those insulting words from a long time ago, Cheng Suran felt as uncomfortable as a needle prick in her heart. She didn't want to read it, but couldn't help searching.

She searched and searched like this, before she knew it, it was already two o'clock in the morning.

….

The next morning, after washing up, Cheng Suran couldn't wait to knock on the door next door. This time, it was Jiang Yu who opened the door.

She has loose hair, wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt, her face is plain and light, without any makeup, only slightly raised eyebrows, she looks more gentle, friendly and approachable.

"Sister——" Cheng Suran called softly, and rushed to hug her, "I'm ready, when will Boss Lu and the others come?"

Taking advantage of the situation, Jiang Yu wrapped the girl into her arms and said, "Hurry up."

As if nothing happened last night.

"Little sister, good morning." Bai Lu came out of the toilet and saw the two hugging each other. She frowned slightly and showed an unnatural smile.

She had already packed up her clothes and put on light makeup. She went to the table to get her bag while talking, and her walking posture was a bit crooked.

Cheng Suran was stunned for a moment, and responded politely: "Morning."

It seems that this one is going too.

Thinking about it, she hugged Jiang Yu's waist tightly, buried her face and rubbed against her neck, like a kitten, protecting her food.

Jiang Yu noticed her little expression, felt her little movements, and understood her little thoughts, so she couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled, but thinking of the subsequent activities in the secret room, the smile froze in her eyes again.

"Ranran, do you really want to play in the secret room?" She gently ran her fingertips through the girl's hair, her voice hoarse.

Cheng Suran's heart trembled again and again at the call "Ranran", and she closed her eyes and snickered: "Yeah, I haven't experienced it yet, I want to try it." After she finished speaking, she realized something, raised her head, "Sister, you don't want to go?"

"Not very interested," Jiang Yu shook her head with a smile, hiding her emotions calmly, "Um, you go in with them, and I'll wait outside."

Before Cheng Suran could speak, Bai Lu said first, "How can that be? It's so boring if you don't go in and play." She squeezed to Jiang Yu's side and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sister, are you afraid of ghosts?" Cheng Suran ignored the hand.

Bai Lu put another hand on her and teased with a smile: "Oh, so sister Yu is afraid of ghosts? I really can't tell...

"No." Jiang Yu frowned.

Cheng Suran didn't know where the courage came from, she turned sideways, squeezed one of Bai Lu's hands down, and then hugged Jiang Yu and swayed around coquettishly, "Sister, please go, I want to play with you."

"Ranran……"

"Okay, right?

Once again she resorted to the killer move!

She bit her lower lip, pouted slightly, her cheeks showing her sweet dimples, and her clear doe eyes blinked, full of anticipation.

Jiang Yu's breath stopped for a moment, and her heart softened again, but she still didn't speak.

She is hesitating.

"Sister..." Seeing her loosen, Cheng Suran continued to act coquettishly, "Everyone else has someone to accompany. If you don't go, I will be alone. I'm very pitiful. And it's my first time playing, so I'm a little scared, I'll feel much more at ease by my side."

The kid needs her.

Jiang Yu looked at the girl, her eyes became softer. She raised her hand to scratch her nose, and said in a coquettish tone, "Okay, I'll go with you."

"Sister is the best!" Cheng Suran smiled and showed a row of small white teeth, and was about to kiss her, but suddenly realized that there was someone beside her, tilted her head, and leaned dangerously next to her ear.

Bai Lu watched from the side, her eyes getting colder.

At 8:50, Qi Yan knocked on the doors of each room to count the number of people. Those who are willing to form a team to go to the secret room gather in the corridor, and those who are not willing are free to move around.

There were four colleagues who were too timid to go, including Tian Lin—she didn't know Qi Yan's plan for today, and when she heard that Jiang Yu was going, her face changed slightly, and she pulled the woman into the room under the pretext of having something to do.

"Sister Yu, do you really want to go with them?"

"Mm, what's the matter?"

"You forgot last time..."

"It's okay," Jiang Yu interrupted with a smile, "It's been several years, and there are many people this time. And... the kid is playing for the first time, and she is not familiar with other colleagues, I'm not at ease."

Tian Lin stared at her with a serious expression, and the suspicion in her heart deepened.

"I'll go for you."

"No need."

"But you..."

"I can't go on like this forever, I have to push myself."

There was a knock on the door outside. Qi Yan was shouting: "Jiang Yu, are you alright?"

Jiang Yu patted Tian Lin on the shoulder, expressing her reassurance, turned around and opened the door, "Let's go."

….

After nine o'clock, the group arrived at the small town at the foot of the mountain.

The holiday is coming to an end, the traffic in the town is less than the previous two days, but it is still very lively, and there are still long queues in front of some shops.

The secret room is at the end of the town. It is an independent three-storey villa. The iron door is full of rust, and the wall is half peeled off. It looks a bit old.

There is a big sign at the door, which introduces that there was a suicide incident in this villa, and another person died. It is a veritable "haunted house".  Many tourists are afraid to go in when they see the sign, but there are still bold ones who feel excited and want to try it.

The lobby on the first floor is dimly lit, and the environment is dark and depressing, just like being in a horror movie scene.

There are many tourists who have made reservations and are waiting.

"Do you feel cold after coming in? For example, the back of the neck is chilly." The colleague next to her lowered her voice.

After saying this, the rest of the people touched their arms unconsciously, and silently tightened their grip.

Jiang Yu frowned, squeezed the hands of the person beside her, and comforted softly: "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid." Cheng Suran said with a smile.

"..."

"Don't scare yourself," Bai Lu said suddenly, holding Jiang Yu's arm and pulling it towards her, "Hey, have you seen that big central air conditioner? The ribbon at the air outlet is moving, just deliberately blowing some cool air to create an atmosphere."

Everyone: "..."

Cheng Suran glanced at Bai Lu, her eyes fell on Jiang Yu's arm, feeling a little uncomfortable, she grabbed Jiang Yu's hand sullenly and pulled it towards her.

Qi Yan went to the front desk to place an order, and brought back several mini lamps the size of eggs, and distributed them to everyone, "Two people share one, and it can illuminate a small area when we go in, which is convenient for us to do tasks."

"Sister, here you go." Cheng Suran gave one to Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu shook her head, "No, you take it."

"Aren't you afraid?"

Bai Lu grabbed it with her hands, "Give it to me."

Cheng Suran was about to say something, when she heard a few girls whispering:

"Hey, look, is that person Jiang Yu?"

"Which one?"

"The tall one in the gray suit by the window."

"Seems to be…"

"Who is Jiang Yu?"

"You don't even know Jiang Yu? It's that supermodel..."

Following the sound, Cheng Suran turned her head, and saw a few young girls quietly raising their mobile phones, with their cameras facing Jiang Yu, taking pictures.

"Sister, someone secretly took pictures of you!" She immediately stood in front of Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu raised her eyes and looked in the direction where she was blocking her. She saw a few young girls holding their mobile phones in a daze, and waved at her excitedly.

She nodded, smiled generously, and turned slightly to expose her whole body.

"Sister?" Cheng Suran was puzzled.

Jiang Yu didn't seem to care, she posed a simple pose, and after a few seconds, she turned her face back, "Let them take pictures if they like."

She is a person who lives under the lens of the camera.

"What if they use your photos to do bad things?" Cheng Suran worried, and it was a little hard to understand. If it was her, she would have rushed to argue with the other party and asked to delete the photos.

"Like when some people steal other people's photos and pretend to be them, then scam money online, and use it for face unlocking..."

Before Jiang Yu could speak, Bai Lu burst out laughing, looking at her as if looking at a fool, "Little sister, Sister Yu is not an amateur, there are photos of her all over the Internet, who dares to use them to do bad things? You're so funny."

Cheng Suran was stunned before realizing it, blushing and lowering her head.

Of course she knows.

But at that moment just now, she just regarded her sister as an ordinary person... She doesn't care what other people think, only what her sister thinks.

"It's a good thing to be vigilant." Jiang Yu gave Bai Lu a light look, and hugged the kid into her arms.

Bai Lu: "..."

After waiting for a while, the staff stood in front of the locker with a loudspeaker and shouted that it was their turn for group A3. Everyone first filled out the electronic disclaimer, then put their belongings into the locker, lined up at the entrance on the second floor, put on blindfolds, and slowly moved in, holding the shoulders of the one in front.

Qi Yan was in the lead, Bai Lu was behind, Jiang Yu was in front of Bai Lu, and the kid is in front of her, and the rest were in the middle.

The eye mask blocked her view and it was so dark that she couldn't see anything. After entering the door, the surrounding area was obviously darkened, and she couldn't feel the existence of light.

Jiang Yu held her breath, and unconsciously grasped Cheng Suran's shoulder with her fingers, and at the same time, she could feel a tightness on her own shoulder.

"Sister, don't be afraid." The girl suddenly turned her head and whispered to her.

Jiang Yu froze for a moment, then smiled lowly and said, "I'm not afraid."

Perhaps it was because she hadn't officially entered the game yet, but this not-so-long-not-short road didn't stimulate her memory. She slowly adjusted her breathing, mentally implying that everything was fake, and there was a wide and free space under her feet.

The staff led the way.

After a while, it seemed that they entered a small room, and heard the staff say that they can take off the blindfolds, everyone stopped and took off the blindfolds one after another.

The moment Jiang Yu opened her eyes, her whole body stiffened, and her heart contracted violently.

It was a small, dark, narrow room.

A square table stands in the center, with white candle lights burning at the four corners. The dim light of the fire flickers and jumps in the darkness, illuminating everyone's faces vaguely, like a ghost.

"Mom, it's so dark..." Lu Wei, a real underage child, hugged Lu Zhiqiao in fear.

Lu Zhiqiao comforted softly: "Don't be afraid."

Jiang Yu followed the voice and looked over, her eyes lingering on the mother and daughter for a while.

"Okay, everyone, give me the blindfold."

The staff took back the blindfold, briefly explained the theme background and the rules of the game, and handed Qi Yan a walkie-talkie, "If you need help, press and hold to talk, and then release, you can hear the voice of our staff."

"I wish you a happy game." After speaking, he retreated and closed the door.

The entire small room was completely sealed.

The air condenses.

Jiang Yu took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and fixed her eyes on the candlelight.

Don't look around, don't look, the room is bright and open, she is free, everything is known, everything is under control, nothing is hiding in the dark.

She keeps hypnotizing herself, and that faint candlelight is her whole world.

The lights suddenly went out.

Everyone was startled.

Jiang Yu stared blankly at the darkness, but before she could react, a red light flashed suddenly, and a long-haired female ghost with a blue face and fangs appeared in front of her, making a strange and sharp laugh.

"ah--"

There were screams one after another, and everyone huddled together in panic.

Jiang Yu stared blankly, her voice was stuck in her throat, she couldn't yell out, she just wanted to grab something, at this moment, the girl's warm body rushed into her arms, as if seeking protection. She immediately hugged her desperately.

Clinging to her weak candle, clinging to her life-saving straw.