CH 86

During the meal, Jiang Yu couldn't taste the food.

It was obvious that the three of them were eating and chatting, and the atmosphere was very relaxed and lively, driven by Wen Ruoxian, but she just felt indescribably depressed.

She could feel Wen Ruoxian's meticulous care for Cheng Suran, and she could also feel that Cheng Suran was at ease in front of Wen Ruoxian, while she was like an outsider from the beginning to the end.

She has no position and is not qualified to care about Ranran.

To Cheng Suran, Wen Ruoxian is a close friend, and she is just a former benefactor, a vicious and ruthless benefactor, and now only a business partner.

Jiang Yu suddenly felt that she had lost something very important.

Something is leaving her, like flowing water, disappearing from the broken glass bottle, tearing her flesh, body, nerves, and heart, leaving waves of intense pain...

After dinner, the three chatted for a while, and set a date for the formal meeting and signing of the contract.

"Ruoxian, go back to the company first, and I'll see Miss Jiang off." When she was about to leave, Cheng Suran walked up to Jiang Yu.

Wen Ruoxian nodded: "Okay, remember to take a nap when you get back to the office."

"Uh-huh."

Cheng Suran pursed her lips and smiled, watching her leave.

The private room suddenly fell silent.

"Miss Jiang..." Cheng Suran turned around and looked at Jiang Yu with a smile on her face, "Thank you for sending me business."

Jiang Yu's heart was full of anticipation, thinking she had some private words to say to her. However, when she heard the last sentence, that anticipation fell heavily to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"It's not a gift." She shook her head with a forced smile on her face.

"You and your team won it with strength."

Cheng Suran's bright and clear eyes seemed to show disbelief that she would say such words. Wasn't she supposed to be strong and high-handed? What about the attitude of a powerful benefactor? Was the person in front of her not the Jiang Yu she knew, or was it her own mindset that never changed?

At this moment, she felt like she didn't recognize Jiang Yu anymore.

She seemed to have changed, but at the same time seemed not to have changed.

"Let's go." Jiang Yu stepped forward.

Cheng Suran followed her, walked beside her, and entered the elevator amidst the greetings of the attendants.

It happened that the elevator was empty, and there was only each other in the small and airtight space, which was dull and silent, and the air was filled with the clear and cold fragrance of iris.

The familiar scent is like a catalyst, the more you smell it, the faster your heart beats...

"Ranran."

Jiang Yu suddenly spoke, Cheng Suran was shocked, did not respond, and waited for her to finish. "Do you live with Miss Wen?"

"...Mm, we rent a flat together."  She hesitated to answer at firs, but for the sake of business relationship, it's okay to tell Jiang Yu, after all, it's not considered absolute privacy.

Jiang Yu took a slow, deep breath, trying to maintain her composure. "Where do you rent?"

Cheng Suran remained silent.

This was private information.

Jiang Yu understood and didn't pursue the matter further.

The elevator stopped on the first floor.

The two went out one after another, the driver was already waiting outside the gate, Jiang Yu came to the car, did not open the door immediately, but turned to look at Cheng Suran.

Her lips moved, she hesitated to speak, but she didn't say anything in the end.

"Miss Jiang..."

Just when Jiang Yu was about to get in the car, Cheng Suran called her, she paused, and saw the other party raised her chin and looked at her skirt.

"Your dress is beautiful."

....

Throughout the afternoon, Jiang Yu was in a daze, her mind was full of the scenes from the lunchtime, she forced herself to go to the company for a short meeting, and returned home before dark.

Bai Lu's assistant sent a message saying that she had left for Paris.

[Take care of her.]

Jiang Yu replied and exited. The list was full of the latest unread messages. Bai Lu's chat box had sunk somewhere, and it took a long time to find it after scrolling down.

The last time she sent a message was two days ago, Bai Lu posted a selfie, she praised how beautiful it was, and then asked how her wrist injury was recovering, she didn't respond, and then there was no further text.

It's been quiet until now.

In the past, Bai Lu would tell her wherever she went, and until she was so annoyed by the series of messages that she didn't want to reply, she also sent her a message when she went to Paris last month, but now she left quietly and asked her assistant to convey it.

September and October are the spring and summer fashion season, the industry is extremely busy, and the models are the busiest. It is normal to go back to work at this time.

Never mind.

Not bothering her is just right, getting some peace and quiet.

After dinner and taking a shower, Jiang Yu locked herself in the bedroom.

Back in her own safe area, she could finally let go of all her defenses. She slumped on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. The light above her head was too bright, which was even more blinding than the scenes on the lunch table.

Ranran appeared so relaxed and at ease in front of Wen Ruoxian, as if she were a different girl from the one she used to know.

But has she really known and understood the real Cheng Suran?

In the past, she was bound by the nurturing relationship, she was under the absolute authority of the benefactor. Ranran appeared weak and humble in front of her, and a paper contract concealed her true self, making it impossible for her to be seen.

Now, the nurturing relationship has been terminated long ago, and she started to know and understand the real Cheng Suran, but it seemed a bit late.

Jiang Yu sighed.

In the past three years, she thought about taking the initiative to find Cheng Suran, but her stubborn self-esteem repeatedly made troubles, and it was difficult to accept the fact that she fell in love with her former lover. And thinking that she drove away the other party in the most ruthless way, she lost her confidence.

The last relationship was a lesson from the past. How could a person like her fall in love?

Originally, she had decided to remain single for the rest of her life, but her reappearance made this decision shaken.

Then collapsed...

Thinking about it, sleepiness gradually struck, Jiang Yu's upper and lower eyelids were battling, and she stretched out her hand to turn off the headlight, leaving only the wall lamp, and the room suddenly fell into darkness.

In the past two years, her sleep quality has gradually recovered, and she does not need to take melatonin to regulate it, and she will no longer have nightmares. As long as she does not go to dark and confined spaces, her situation will remain stable.

As the night deepened, everything was silent.

"Sister, do I look pretty?" The girl stood on the lawn in a floral skirt, twirling lightly, her sweet dimples were charming and lovely.

Jiang Yu nodded with a smile, stepped forward to hug her, and kissed her soft lips: "Ranran is the prettiest."

Her arms were warm and soft, and the girl's body was scorching hot. She wrapped her arms around her neck, tiptoed slightly, and kissed her on the lips: "I like sister."

Jiang Yu's heart fluttered, and she was about to speak when the girl suddenly pushed her away again.

"But sister doesn't like me..."

"?"

"Sister, I'm not a canary anymore, I don't have to listen to you anymore. You used to be afraid that I love you, but now I'll do the same to you."

"Ranran?"

Jiang Yu stood there in a daze, the girl was getting further and further away from her, she stretched out her hand, but couldn't touch her, she wanted to chase after her, but her legs seemed to be rooted, watching the girl disappear in front of her eyes...

"Ranran!!"

Jiang Yu opened her eyes suddenly, and the dim light shone into her eyes.

It turned out to be a dream.

Panting, she pushed away the soft rabbit doll in her arms, crawled to the head of the bed, and her breathing gradually calmed down.

The night outside the window is boundless, and the tall buildings are faintly lit with lights, connecting together like a bright galaxy, covering up the bleak light of the moon.

The dream is still clearly in front of her eyes, the girl seems to have just walked not far away, she can still see the sweet and gentle smile on her face, see the beautiful floral dress on her body, and hear her low and choked voice.

It was as if a piece of her heart had been hollowed out, gusts of cool wind poured in, it was very sour and painful, and like a rising tide in the sea, a strong sadness surged up to fill her up...

Tears fell without warning.

She propped herself up to get out of bed, opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet, took out a transparent box from it, put it on the table, and turned on the light.

The room lit up, and the incomplete model stands still in the box, the runway, the swing, and her are lifelike, and the colors are still bright——this is Ranran’s birthday gift to her.

But it can no longer be restored to its original appearance.

In the past few years, from trying to restore it to repeated trials and failures, to finally giving up completely, she resigned to her fate and sealed it in a place where she can't see it, so as not to think about others when she sees it.

Jiang Yu took off the transparent box, carefully stretched out her finger, and gently touched the broken part.

[Sister, do you still like it?]

[I like it very much.]

The girl's face appeared in front of her, with clear and pure eyes and a bright and charming smile.

She remembered bits and pieces of the past.

Ranran would feel satisfied because she got her smile, would be happy for a long time because she stole a kiss from her, would blush with shyness when she said she liked her the most, would argue with others on Weibo to defend her, would prepare unique birthday gifts to make her happy, and would venture into the deep mountains at midnight to save her...

In order to stay with her longer, she will bury her love in her heart.

This is what she realized last year.

Jiang Yu looked at the broken model, her eyes were hot, and there was a little bit of water vapor permeating up.

In fact, she was the one who violated the agreement, she was the one who was tempted, and she was the one who couldn't do without, but she pushed everything away with her own hands.

She lost her...

Jiang Yu fell down on the bed, hugged a rabbit doll casually, buried her face in the fur, and wept silently.

Her body trembled uncontrollably and slowly curled up. Suddenly, like drowning again, her hands scratched and fumbled randomly on the quilt, and found the mobile phone next to the pillow, and tremblingly dialed Tian Lin's number.

The other end answered after ringing for a long time, the voice seemed to just have woken up: "Sister Yu? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night..."

Jiang Yu couldn't make a sound, but took a very light and restrained breath.

Hearing the voice of a familiar person feels safe.

"Sister Yu? Tian Lin felt something was wrong, and her voice immediately raised a level, "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"..."

Jiang Yu gritted her teeth, hung up the phone, and fell back on the bed with tears streaming down her face.

Her oppressive breath echoed in the vacuum-like room.

After some time passed, tears dried up, and a rapid sound of footsteps came from outside. The next second, the door was pushed open, and Tian Lin rushed in.

"Sister Yu—"

Followed by the sleepy Xiao Zhou.

Jiang Yu shuddered and sat up, looking at Tian Lin with red and swollen eyes.

"Go to bed first, leave it to me." Tian Lin said softly to Xiao Zhou, who nodded in a daze and went out.

She was startled by Jiang Yu's dull gaze, "Sister Yu..." stepped forward and hugged Jiang Yu, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Tian Lin was so frightened when she hung up the phone and rushed over. She was still wearing a sexy lace halter nightgown and went out in a hurry. She only wore a thin coat and her hair was messy.

"It's okay..." Jiang Yu looked at her apologetically, "Sorry for waking you up."

"Why are you still talking to me like that?"

"..."

"Did you have a nightmare? Crying so much that your eyes are swollen."

Jiang Yu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

"Wait for me."

Tian Lin got up, opened the door and went out. Not long after, she came in again with a wet towel and a water glass, wiped her eyes and face, and handed her the water glass: "Drink some water."

Jiang Yu slowly picked up the cup, drank a little of it, put it aside, and leaned against her arms as if he was limp and boneless, as if seeking comfort.

"Tian Lin..."

"Mm, yes."

"I dreamt of Ranran."

Tian Lin immediately hugged her tightly and patted her on the back comfortingly.

Jiang Yu parted her lips, took a deep breath, held Tian Lin's clothes tightly with her fingers, and said to herself: "I dreamed that she was wearing a beautiful floral dress and smiling at me. She asked me if she looks pretty...I said she's the prettiest..."

Sweet smiles, lost eyes, every frame seems to happen right in front of her eyes.

Tian Lin listened quietly, feeling helpless and distressed.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jiang Yu asked hoarsely.

"Where did you go wrong?"

"Too many…"

Tian Lin's heart twitched, and her eyes suddenly became wet like fog. She closed her eyes hastily: "You were not wrong in any way... At that time, you were the benefactor, and your situation is different from that of normal people. It is fruitless to pursue the past now, Sister Yu, stop torturing yourself."

Jiang Yu buried her face in her hair in pain.

The air conditioner blows out the cold wind slowly, and the warm yellow lights cast a soft halo. Time seems to stand still, leaving only silence.

"Tian Lin..."

"Mm."

"I'm no longer the benefactor."

"I know."

"I want to be sure."

"Go and find her."

Jiang Yu closed her eyes, and a tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

....

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=4738582

This translation is originally posted on

love4baihe.blogspot.com

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Soon came the day when the high-level executives of the two parties met to sign the contract. Cheng Suran had been preparing for a long time. This was the largest order the company had received since its establishment. There could be no mistakes, and she personally supervised and checked all the processes.

She and Wen Ruoxian got up early in the morning, changed into more formal clothes, and took care of them meticulously from head to toe. They arrived at the company at nine o'clock to check all kinds of documents, conference room layout, etc.

At ten o'clock sharp, five people from the other company arrived on time.

Headed by Jiang Yu, three women and two men, four people from Cheng Suran's side, besides her and Wen Ruoxian, there are also people from the translation department and the marketing department.

Jiang Yu was completely black again today.

A silky black half-sleeved shirt with a beautiful long knot in front of the collar, and loose black trousers, the whole person looks very serious, only the pair of emerald earrings neutralize the coldness a little.

Cheng Suran couldn't help but glance at her.

After both parties took their seats, they began to discuss the cooperation. The meeting lasted for about half an hour. It's unclear whether it was because the deal was significant or because of Jiang Yu's presence, but Cheng Suran felt somewhat nervous and excited without any specific reason.

Her gaze and Jiang Yu's gaze collided with each other from time to time.

This is a scene that Cheng Suran has never imagined before---

She and Jiang Yu, sitting at the same table, facing each other, looking at each other at the same level.

It was already noon after signing the contract, and the two parties went to the reserved restaurant for lunch.

Completely business-like, without any private communication.

At 1:30 in the afternoon, Cheng Suran and Wen Ruoxian sent Jiang Yu and the others away, and went back to the company, when they heard from the front desk that the Cleaning Aunt had picked up a watch in the meeting room.

"What kind of watch?"

"This."

The young lady at the front desk handed it over.

The silver dial has a simple design. Except for a circle of small diamonds inlaid inside, there is no extra decoration. It is a bit old and looks like it should have been used for a long time. Cheng Suran held it in her hand, looked at it carefully, and a familiar memory suddenly flashed in her mind.

This is…

"Patek Philippe, ladies' watch, it should be one of theirs that was left behind. Let's call and inform them," Wen Ruoxian said beside her.

"I'll contact them." Cheng Suran held onto the watch and quickly headed to the office without looking back.

It was Jiang Yu's watch.

She had seen it back then...

Back in the office, Cheng Suran quickly closed the door, took out her mobile phone, clicked into the address book, and scrolled down to the recently saved number, but she had already memorized it by heart. It's not a "Flower in the mirror…" anymore.

She stared at the string of numbers, hesitated for a while, and pressed down gently with her fingertips.

"Hello? Ranran?" A familiar voice soon came from the other end.

Low and soft, a little charming.

Cheng Suran's heart trembled, and she tried her best to keep her voice calm: "Miss Jiang, your watch has been left in the conference room."

"Ah?" Jiang Yu seemed puzzled, "How do you know it's mine?"

Cheng Suran lowered her eyes and said in silence for a moment: "I remember you wearing it."

The other end stopped talking.

The air seemed to freeze over a long distance.

After a while, Jiang Yu's soft voice came again: "Yes, the strap of the watch is a little tight, so I took it off in the meeting room just now, and I probably forgot it when I left...Can you bring it home for me later?"

"You shouldn't be far away now, I'll ask my assistant to drive there." Cheng Suran declined.

"I'm in a hurry, and I have a meeting in the afternoon, so I don't want to turn around, and I cherish that watch very much, so I don't feel relieved to let others give it to me."

"... "

"Can I ask you to help, Ranran?"

"It's because we are partners." Jiang Yu threw out his trump card.

Cheng Suran clenched the watch in her palm, with helplessness and struggle in her eyes. After a long time, she said softly, "Send me the address."