Chapter 58
Lin Feiruo didn’t expect Jiang Wanru to say that, and she froze for a moment.
“I wouldn’t call it ‘coaxing,’ I just hope the people around me can be a bit more relaxed and happy.”
She had seen firsthand how strong and hard-working Jian Xiyan had been these days; no normal person would have the heart to let her be more troubled. Besides, since she was so deeply involved in Jian Xiyan’s recovery process, she had developed a strange sense of “parental” investment, wanting to experience the joy of success alongside her.
As for Jian Xiaomin, Lin Feiruo simply felt that the girl cared too much about Jiang Wanru’s opinion, so she was just doing a small favor while the opportunity was there.
Seeing that Lin Feiruo’s expression remained normal—humble and calm regarding the comment—Jiang Wanru gathered that doing such things was second nature to her.
She could roughly imagine how Lin Feiruo managed to keep the one at home steady. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel that if Jian Xiyan—who was being coaxed and protected like this—ever found out about Yan Shan, she wondered if the woman would remain as poised and calm as she was during her speech on stage.
But that was someone else’s family business; Jiang Wanru wasn’t going to go looking for trouble by touching that topic. Regarding the matter between Lin Feiruo and Yan Shan, she would act as if she knew nothing; after all, they hadn’t known she was present at the time.
As they neared the banquet hall, Lin Feiruo intentionally slowed her pace, and soon a distance grew between them.
Jiang Wanru looked sideways. “Afraid of walking in with me?”
Lin Feiruo smiled and shook her head. “I’m going over there.”
Jiang Wanru looked in the direction she pointed; it was a side bar near the entrance. The lighting was dim, with only one bartender working, and occasionally a guest who had drunk too much would sit there to catch their breath. It was a corner no one paid attention to, more like a temporary rest station.
Jiang Wanru was curious. “Resting so soon?”
“I’m not good at socializing. It’s better for me to stay out of the way.”
She spoke so sincerely that Jiang Wanru couldn’t detect a hint of falsehood. Recalling Lin Feiruo’s performance in the venue earlier, she had indeed been very low-key, making no move to steal the spotlight even while standing next to Jian Xiyan.
Knowing when to advance or retreat, staying low-profile and humble, and keeping to her station.
It was no wonder Jian Xiyan kept her around. For someone like Jian Xiyan, wealth and power were no longer the scarcest resources; having someone attentive by her side who wouldn’t cause extra trouble was much more suitable.
Jiang Wanru sighed inwardly. Lin Feiruo had many virtues; it was just a pity she wasn’t faithful.
What a waste.
But she wouldn’t stop her own pace for such a pity. After entering the hall, the distance between her and Lin Feiruo grew wider. As they were about to officially go their separate ways, Jiang Wanru suddenly turned around. “Miss Lin, thank you for tonight.”
Lin Feiruo was watching the movement toward the lounge, wondering how Jian Xiyan’s talk with Director He was going. She didn’t expect Jiang Wanru to say that and hurriedly withdrew her gaze. “It was nothing, don’t mention it.”
Seeing her mind was elsewhere—though she didn’t know what Lin Feiruo was watching—Jiang Wanru tactfully stopped chatting. She moved through the crowd to find Jian Xiaomin.
She didn’t plan on delaying the favor she promised Lin Feiruo. Moreover, she had used Miss Jian’s name just now to get Xie Dicheng to back off, so she owed her a personal thank you.
Lin Feiruo walked to a corner of the bar. The bartender looked up and said helpfully, “Miss Lin, would you like something to drink?”
“Peppermint ice water.”
Two executives sitting at the other end of the bar noticed her and took the initiative to say hello. “Feiruo, why have you run off to this corner to slack off?”
Lin Feiruo took a sip of the ice water. “I’m thirsty.”
It was obviously an excuse, but since she put it that way, they couldn’t exactly pry. With Jian Xiyan not present, they didn’t have much interest in Lin Feiruo anyway, and they couldn’t get much information about the Jian Group from her. The two executives left shortly after.
Lin Feiruo leaned leisurely against the bar, one long leg stretched out to brace herself against the floor. Her nerves, which had been tense for a long time, could finally relax for a moment.
Except… she turned her head toward the lounge again. Still no movement.
Jian Xiyan was surely much more tired than she was and hadn’t had a chance to relax yet. She wondered if the talk was going smoothly. Remembering Jian Xiyan’s expression when she heard Director He was waiting in the lounge, Lin Feiruo’s heart sank inexplicably.
Jian Xiaomin had searched around and couldn’t find her idol. In addition to disappointment, she felt a bit sad. She finally had a chance to see Jiang Wanru at a Jian Group event, and before she could even host her properly, the woman had vanished.
After a period of being listless, Xiaomin looked up, only to find a pair of eyes looking right at her. She froze on the spot, her blinking frequency increasing rapidly.
Search for her a hundred times in the crowd, only to look up and see the idol standing right there?
Xiaomin shook her head, wanting to be sure it wasn’t an illusion. Not only was Jiang Wanru looking at her, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned as if she were smiling at her? This wasn’t even the craziest part, because she saw the idol walking toward her, step by step.
Xiaomin’s breath hitched, her heart feeling like it had been heavily pressed and then suddenly released; it was fluttering along with an increasingly erratic heartbeat. She couldn’t make a single move, only nervously licking her lips.
Jiang Wanru walked up to her, still smiling. This smile held more warmth and reality than the one she used when socializing with the crowd; it clearly signaled a desire for interaction.
Xiaomin’s ears were burning, the heat rising from her neck. “Teacher Jiang.”
“I’ve been looking for you for quite a while.”
Xiaomin’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe those words came out of her idol’s mouth. It had always been her chasing after Jiang Wanru, even just a moment ago. What? Teacher Jiang was looking for her?
Facing Jiang Wanru, Xiaomin’s brain lost its ability to think, leaving only primal functions. “Why were you looking for me?”
Jiang Wanru was amused by her dazed, cute expression. Combined with the already adorable dress, it was a “moe” side she hadn’t seen in their previous interactions. The curve of her lips became more pronounced. “I wanted to finish what I didn’t have time to say earlier.”
Xiaomin was stunned and confused again. Why did Teacher Jiang seem a bit different tonight? She usually spoke very little, and she wouldn’t smile so… Xiaomin found it hard to find the right adjective, but she really, really liked the Jiang Wanru who was proactively smiling!
Her heart beat faster and faster. She tried her best to control it, though she had no idea what Jiang Wanru was going to say.
“Your dress today suits you very well. It brings out your cute side; I really like this dress.”
Although the statement had a bit of “artistic flair” added to it, Jiang Wanru wasn’t exactly lying. When she first saw the dress tonight, she had indeed been startled for a moment. It had been a long time since she’d seen someone wear this style at an adult function; through clever modification, it removed the childishness while retaining youthful vitality, giving her a long-lost feeling of youthful cheer. Her first point of interest had been the dress, then the person’s face.
Jian Xiaomin was frozen to the spot. Now her face was flushed deep red in addition to her hot ears. Being praised so directly by Jiang Wanru was beyond her wildest dreams. But she was so happy—so happy she wanted to cover her face and scream at the top of her lungs. She pursed her lips tightly, but couldn’t control the spreading smile.
“Thank you for the compliment, Teacher Jiang.”
Jiang Wanru was infected by her smile, and the light in her eyes brightened. “There were many people just now, so it wasn’t convenient to say these things; I was afraid you’d mind. Since it’s just the two of us now, you shouldn’t mind, right?”
“I don’t mind, I don’t mind!” Xiaomin lowered her head shyly. “You can say whatever you want, I love hearing it.”
Just then, Lian Qinghe found the two of them standing in the corner and squeezed her way over. “Wanru, I was pulled away by President Qi and the others to talk business. When did you get back?”
Xiaomin’s smile slowly faded. she was reluctant, but felt she had to leave.
Jiang Wanru looked at her. “It’s fine.”
Xiaomin was flattered, looking between her and Lian Qinghe uncertainly. Xiaomin used to buy plenty of milk tea to coax Lian Qinghe when visiting the set; though her other identity was revealed tonight and she felt a bit awkward at first, the three of them standing together felt like being back at the film studio.
Lian Qinghe also invited her with a smile: “If you aren’t busy, chat with us.”
Xiaomin lightly brushed her dress, staying put with a mix of happiness and shyness.
As they continued to chat about the movie, Jiang Wanru occasionally glanced toward the bar in the shadows. People were coming and going from that temporary rest stop, but one person had been leaning there for quite a while.
She saw Lin Feiruo change her sitting posture a few times and ask the bartender for a pack of gum, popping a few pieces into her mouth, looking very relaxed. This person was indeed smart; she knew when to work hard and when she could rest.
However, after looking a few times, she noticed Lin Feiruo’s attention seemed concentrated in a certain direction. She would peek that way from time to time, as if waiting for something.
Jian Xiaomin noticed Jiang Wanru had spotted something and followed her gaze, only to see Lin Feiruo. “Oh, Teacher Jiang, are you looking at Sister Feiruo?”
Jiang Wanru turned her face back calmly. “I just happened to see her looking for something and was curious.”
Xiaomin acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “She’s definitely watching for my sister.”
Jiang Wanru raised an eyebrow imperceptibly.
Xiaomin’s confidence had fully returned. After chatting so much, she was now in a stage of excitement and casual familiarity. “My sister is talking business in the lounge; Sister Feiruo naturally wants to be there for her. Besides, from that spot, you can see the lounge exit at a glance. That way she can go pick my sister up immediately.”
She spoke so smoothly that it was impossible to question the logic.
Lian Qinghe couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Is she exceptionally good to your sister?”
“Of course! Otherwise, how could my sister have married her?” Xiaomin thought of Lin Feiruo’s performance at He Garden recently; even though she didn’t see everything, she had heard a lot from Aunt Shu and Xiao Xuan. Lin Feiruo was even better than before! This must be what they call “true love appearing in times of trouble.”
Lian Qinghe’s gossip-loving heart was ignited. “Then what does your sister like most about her?”
“Everything, I guess.” Xiaomin thought about the reason her sister had given back then. “There’s no logic to loving someone.”
Lian Qinghe rubbed her shoulders at the sappiness. “I didn’t expect President Jian to be such a romantic.”
“But Sister Feiruo really is great. To make sure my sister’s legs don’t hurt, she’s been carrying her everywhere.”
Lian Qinghe was shocked. “She carries her?”
“Yes, she does it every day. She even planted a whole garden of flowers for my sister.” Xiaomin suddenly laughed. “By extension, she’s also very concerned about me.”
Lian Qinghe didn’t expect Jian Xiyan and Lin Feiruo to have such an “idol drama” plot in their lives, but Xiaomin spoke with such sincerity it didn’t seem fake.
Jiang Wanru wasn’t as gossip-hungry as Lian Qinghe, but what Xiaomin said did surprise her. She originally thought Lin Feiruo was just good at coaxing people, but it turned out her actual actions weren’t lacking either. No wonder Jian Xiyan had fallen for her. Thinking of Yan Shan, she couldn’t help but sigh—how could Lin Feiruo be so blind? If she really wanted a thrill, why find someone like that?
Just then, there was movement over at the bar. The figure that had been lounging for a long time suddenly stood up and vanished around the corner.
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