After Divorcing the Beautiful Richest Woman, She Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 22

Although Jian Xiyan returned empty-handed from Tara Island, her mind was mostly occupied with President Bu and the identity of the person behind him. As for Lin Feiruo, she hadn’t had much time to seriously think about her over these past few days.

According to the plan, Lin Feiruo would no longer appear in her life. She had moved back to He Garden; once everyone gradually adjusted to Lin Feiruo’s absence, they would likely guess that their relationship had changed.

Jian Xiyan wanted to wait until those close to her were used to it before officially making a public announcement. As for the reason for the divorce, it would naturally be the “growing apart due to long separations” excuse. This reason was a “universal key”—the preferred choice for many celebrities during an amicable split. Jian Xiyan didn’t care about the emotional side of it; she just needed a legitimate way to shut the world up.

She hadn’t expected that as soon as she returned, someone would bring up Lin Feiruo. Why hadn’t she noticed before that this person had such a strong presence?

Aunt Shu quietly moved the original cup of tea to the edge of the table, clearly planning to take it away later. Jian Xiyan caught the movement but didn’t point it out. This inadvertent small action reminded her of a certain someone; that day, Lin Feiruo had swapped her tea in much the same way.

Jian Xiyan leaned back in her chair. She wasn’t in a rush to drink, wanting instead to ask about the tea’s origin.

“When did she say those things?”

“The day you both returned to the Main Residence. She gave them to me before you left, saying they might be useful in the future.”

That day, Lin Feiruo had specifically sought her out to say a few things, mostly repeatedly telling her to stay warm and not take on too much pressure, and then she had handed over several sticky notes. Besides the one for floral tea, the others were specifically for dampness-removal and sleep-aid.

Lin Feiruo had also mentioned that Jian Xiyan had tried the floral tea and thought it was okay. Aunt Shu was experienced and naturally heard the subtext: The Young Mistress likes this.

At the time, Shu Wanxia only felt Lin Feiruo was a bit different and was touched by her meticulous concern. Later, when the Young Mistress suddenly announced they were tidying up He Garden, Aunt Shu finally grasped Lin Feiruo’s true intent.

It turned out Lin Feiruo was saying goodbye that day.

Jian Xiyan remembered that Lin Feiruo had indeed been saying goodbye to everyone that day—Aunt Shu, Uncle Li, and even the floor lamp at the Main Residence. She just hadn’t expected Lin Feiruo to specifically leave this behind.

“Miss Feiruo must have been distressed seeing you so exhausted by work. She was worried we wouldn’t know how to care for you when she wasn’t around, so she emphasized anything you liked.”

Jian Xiyan raised an eyebrow, feeling caught between laughter and tears. Aunt Shu was clearly trying to boost Lin Feiruo’s presence. When it came to knowing how to take care of her, who could compare to Aunt Shu, who had been by her side since childhood?

Because of their years of affection, Jian Xiyan felt a close, dependent kinship with Shu Wanxia, beyond just respect. She didn’t want to use harsh words with Aunt Shu, but there was truly no need to boost Lin Feiruo’s presence.

They couldn’t go back; the partnership was over. The current Lin Feiruo was likely dreaming of a sweet future with Yan Shan, and Jian Xiyan had no interest in interfering with those plans.

“Aunt Shu, leave the tea.”

Shu Wanxia was overjoyed, thinking the Young Mistress’s heart had softened; it seemed this tactic was indeed effective.

“Miss Feiruo also said…”

She prepared to push harder to help Lin Feiruo, wanting only for the Young Mistress to relent and let her return. No matter how angry a couple was, as long as they met and talked, the problem could be solved. The scariest thing was this: no meeting, no communication, a cold war until it simply fizzled out.

But Jian Xiyan softly interrupted her: “I have a lot of documents to get through. Aunt Shu, you go ahead with your other tasks.”

Shu Wanxia naturally didn’t dare interfere with her work and immediately fell silent.

Jian Xiyan thought for a moment. “In the future, there is no need to specifically mention Lin Feiruo’s matters.”

Shu Wanxia’s heart sank. The Young Mistress was indeed angry, and quite deeply so. Jian Xiyan had been aloof since childhood, but she was usually just indifferent to things; she wasn’t a person who easily held a grudge. However, once someone was sent to the “cold palace” or put on her blacklist, it was different. She was the type who could smile while saying the words “never meet again,” which was worse than being ignored.

Since the Young Mistress had given a direct order, Shu Wanxia couldn’t say any more. As an outsider, she didn’t know the inner workings of their relationship. She had done all she could.

“Then Young Mistress, I’ll head out. Will dinner still start at the usual time?”

“Send it to the study; I likely won’t have time to go out to eat.”

Shu Wanxia picked up the original tea cup to take away. “I understand.”

After Aunt Shu left, Jian Xiyan looked at the solitary cup on the desk. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the surface, as if considering whether to drink it. After a while, she finally picked it up, giving herself a perfectly reasonable excuse.

“Let’s see if the taste is the same.”

The fragrance was similar, but once it hit her throat, Jian Xiyan felt it was a bit different from the first time she’d had it. It seemed richer; as it swirled on her tongue, there was a noticeable depth to it. This was the sensation she liked, and the key element she felt had been missing last time.

Floral tea is usually very light, with a floating, sugary scent. But this cup combined the grounded sediment of strong tea with the light fragrance of flowers, complementing each other perfectly.

Jian Xiyan took several sips until her mouth was filled with the aroma, only setting the cup down when she was satisfied. There was an empty space at the corner of the desk; seeing it, she remembered a certain someone watching her closely for a reaction after drinking. If Lin Feiruo were present today, the feedback would be much better than last time.

Should I send a thank you to Lin Feiruo? It was, after all, a thoughtful gesture. The partnership was over; Lin Feiruo had no reason to flatter her by telling Aunt Shu about the tea. Perhaps this was Lin Feiruo’s way of saying goodbye.

From the moment she returned from Tara Island until now, Jian Xiyan finally relaxed. She picked up her phone and pulled up Lin Feiruo’s number, making a final deliberation.

Call her specifically to say thank you? That wasn’t her style and felt like making a mountain out of a molehill. Transfer some money? It was just a cup of tea; transferring too much could lead to misunderstandings, and too little would be tacky.

The call wasn’t made. Instead, Jian Xiyan casually scrolled through Lin Feiruo’s social feed, wanting to see what she had been up to lately.

There was absolutely nothing. Lin Feiruo had completely vanished from social media. However, there wasn’t zero trace—for instance, Jian Xiyan saw Lin Feiruo’s “like” under the report Jian Xiaomin had shared about Jiang Wanru.

Besides being surprised, Jian Xiyan felt curious. Did she actually read the content Xiaomin shared? Or was it just a polite “like” while passing by?

A call from Xu Liqing interrupted her thoughts, and she instantly returned to her work persona.

“Liqing, what is it?”

“Regarding tomorrow night’s gala, President Lu’s side needs to confirm the final guest list. It’s still Lin Feiruo, correct?”

Xu Liqing was just performing a routine procedure; in the past, Lin Feiruo always accompanied Jian Xiyan to these galas.

Jian Xiyan paused. “Change it to Xiaomin.”

“Xiaomin is going with you?”

“I’ll speak to Xiaomin personally later. You just need to submit the list.”

Though Xu Liqing was confused, since Jian Xiyan had said so, she naturally complied. After hanging up, she immediately corrected the email she was about to send, replacing Lin Feiruo’s name with Jian Xiaomin’s.

“Is she paving the way for Xiaomin to enter the company early?” That was the most reasonable explanation Xu Liqing could find. Jian Xiaomin was graduating next year, so it was normal to bring her along to get familiar with faces.

Recalling Lin Feiruo, who used to occasionally block drinks for Jian Xiyan at her side, Xu Liqing felt a rare moment of pity for her. In the end, romantic love was no match for family ties.

When Jian Xiaomin received her sister’s call notifying her to attend the gala, she had just given the forum tickets to Lin Feiruo. She had intended to take the chance while eating to ask how the “coaxing” plan was going and if she needed to help, but Lin Feiruo was even busier than her sister.

A meal was owed, and she had left in a hurry. Hearing that Lin Feiruo wouldn’t even accompany her sister to the gala, Xiaomin thought the forum must be truly important for her to go and prepare a day in advance.

On the day of the gala, the Jian sisters appeared on the scene and immediately became the center of attention. Jian Xiyan was never lacking for followers; if she stopped for even a moment, people would proactively surround her to strike up a conversation. Everyone knew she disliked talking about private matters, so they consciously used business topics as an icebreaker.

As they talked, someone eventually brought up President Bu’s sudden change of heart. The news of Jian Xiyan’s failure at Tara Island had finally spread, and many people today wanted to probe the situation.

“It seems President Bu was in a playful mood this time and wanted to play a joke on President Jian.”

The moment this was said, everyone looked at Jian Xiyan’s reaction. Some wanted to see if she had a backup plan, some wanted to enjoy the joke, and some wanted to use her to teach Bu Shenglong a lesson. The business world is a battlefield, full of enemies everywhere.

Jian Xiaomin couldn’t help her sister with business matters, and she didn’t even get a chance to block drinks. It wasn’t that she couldn’t drink, but Jian Xiyan wouldn’t let her drink much.

“I’m your sister; I’m not going to let you be plied with alcohol under my nose.”

Some social obligations can’t be pushed away, and some drinks can’t be avoided. Jian Xiyan controlled her intake with great discretion, but there were so many people trying to get close tonight that she inevitably ended up tipsy. Fortunately, it was only a slight intoxication; Jian Xiyan didn’t feel too bad.

But Jian Xiaomin didn’t see it that way. Her face was full of worry as she accompanied her sister all the way back to He Garden. She hadn’t expected her sister to stay here since returning from the trip, and she was too busy calling for Aunt Shu to prepare sobering tea to ask for details.

It wasn’t until the hot towels and sobering tea were brought in that Jian Xiaomin caught her breath. “Sis, you rest first. Have a late-night snack in a bit.”

Jian Xiyan hadn’t had a moment of peace all night, let alone a proper meal. An empty stomach plus too much alcohol—it was a recipe for misery.

Jian Xiaomin waited with a frown until 11:00 PM, only to discover that Lin Feiruo still hadn’t returned! She remembered the forum was supposed to end by 9:30 PM. He Garden wasn’t far from the venue; even an ant walking should have arrived by now!

“Aunt Shu, did Miss Feiruo say what time she’d be home today?”

Shu Wanxia looked troubled and hesitant. Jian Xiaomin realized something was wrong and pressed: “She didn’t say?”

Shu Wanxia nodded, still looking like she was holding something back. Jian Xiaomin, putting together all the recent signs, finally had an epiphany: There’s a problem between her sister and Lin Feiruo!

She signaled Shu Wanxia to come closer and whispered, “Are they having a fallout?”

Shu Wanxia didn’t dare speak recklessly and just shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

Jian Xiaomin knew she was in a difficult spot, so she changed her question. “Then Miss Feiruo… is she living here?”

This was a known and obvious objective fact, so Shu Wanxia answered clearly: “Miss Feiruo hasn’t been here for several days.”

A problem indeed. Jian Xiaomin was annoyed at her own delayed realization and regretted giving the tickets away; otherwise, Lin Feiruo would have been here tonight. She called Lin Feiruo, suppressing her anger before the call connected.

The call was answered quickly. Lin Feiruo on the other end sounded faintly excited; she was clearly very satisfied with tonight’s forum.

“Sister Feiruo, is the forum over?”

“It is! I really have to thank you for the tickets, otherwise I would have missed a wonderful speech.”

Jian Xiaomin’s fist thudded silently into the sofa, but her voice remained steady. “Then why aren’t you back yet? My sister really needs you.”

Lin Feiruo was baffled, thinking Jian Xiaomin was playing a prank. “Your sister is so busy with work; when would she have time to worry about me?”

Jian Xiaomin’s temper could no longer be contained. “Stop talking about that. Now, immediately, come back!”

Lin Feiruo was startled and felt her own temper rising. “Can’t you talk properly? What right do you have to order me around?”

Lin Feiruo heard the breathing on the other end getting heavier and felt that Jian Xiaomin didn’t seem to be joking. Jian Xiyan hadn’t contacted her since returning from the trip, but she could imagine how busy she was. Did something actually go wrong from the stress?

Lin Feiruo softened her tone and probed, “Xiaomin, what’s wrong with your sister?”

Jian Xiaomin took a deep breath; the priority was to get Lin Feiruo back. Her sister was currently at her most vulnerable, needing someone to care for her. If Lin Feiruo performed well now, it would definitely earn her points.

She briefly explained the gala, emphasizing how many people had plied Jian Xiyan with drinks, how many she had blocked for Xiaomin, and how she eventually had to be helped back.

“It’s that serious?” In the original owner’s memory, Jian Xiyan wasn’t a person with so little self-control. Would she really get this drunk? But Jian Xiaomin sounded so sincere; it didn’t seem like a lie.

But if I return abruptly, will Jian Xiyan think I’ve broken the agreement?

Seeing her still hesitating, Jian Xiaomin decided not to give her the chance. She acted decisively: “Where are you? I’m coming to get you!”

Lin Feiruo was naturally in her hotel. She had just showered and dried her hair, preparing to review the notes she’d taken at the forum. Hearing that Jian Xiaomin was coming to pick her up personally, she knew it was impossible not to go tonight.

“I’ll wait for you near Entry 3 of the Jinghe Subway Station.”

Half an hour later, Lin Feiruo got into Jian Xiaomin’s car. The driver was Uncle Li. A faint scent of alcohol wafted from Jian Xiaomin, which Lin Feiruo smelled the moment she opened the door. By extension, Jian Xiyan had indeed drunk quite a lot.