Marking My Arch-Rival [Rebirth] - Chapter 3

Ji Shihuan had a gut feeling that something was off.

But Jiang Boyan quickly reverted to her usual cool and reserved demeanor, giving her no opportunity to probe.

“You still have the time to be here placating a young girlfriend; it seems Miss Ji is already certain of her position as CEO of Huan Ji.”

The words were polite, but the tone implied sarcasm.

Ji Shihuan let out a soft “hiss.”

Jiang Boyan froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but secretly glance at her.

“It has to be CEO Jiang,” Ji Shihuan covered her chest dramatically. “You’ve misinterpreted me twice in one sentence.”

Jiang Boyan turned her head to look out the window.

Although the consecutive days of rain had stopped, the long street was still marked with dampness. Pedestrians, wrapped in coats, hurried by, their steps splashing fine drops of water. Jiang Boyan tightened her collar, her slender neck thin and delicate like an orchid branch.

“Before I left home, I consulted the calendar. It said today is auspicious for travel and that I would meet a noble person.”

“Mm.” Jiang Boyan replied casually. “Then Miss Ji shouldn’t be wasting any more time on me.”

“Is CEO Jiang being unduly modest?” Ji Shihuan raised an eyebrow.

She propped her chin on her hand, examining the other woman: “I actually feel that the noble person is right in front of me, and I must seize the opportunity.”

Jiang Boyan finally looked her in the eye.

Ji Shihuan took out paper and a pen from her small bag.

“I remember that you also went through a lot of turmoil when you first took power, CEO Jiang. Could you share some of your experience?”

The sound of the cocoa beans being ground by the server was pleasant.

“Our situations are different; my experience won’t have much value for you.” Jiang Boyan’s voice cut through the white noise. “Did your brother protect you too well? Are you so desperate that you’ve come to me for advice?”

She shook her head: “Ji Shihuan, frankly, I think it’s more suitable for you to step down and just be a comfortable, wealthy young lady.”

Ji Shihuan realized that this arch-rival was very different from her impression.

“You didn’t need to say the first sentence; it sounds like an explanation.” She adjusted her grip on the pen awkwardly. “It might lead people to misunderstand that you can’t teach, not that you don’t want to.”

Jiang Boyan: “…”

“If I step down from my position, who do you think would be a better candidate?” As she spoke, Ji Shihuan earnestly began to write things down on the paper.

Jiang Boyan could hear the sound of the pen scratching the paper but couldn’t see what she was writing.

“Dong Zheng is ambitious but lacks ability. Guo Hongqi is fine at maintaining the status quo but is unwilling to adapt. Neither is a good choice. If you look further down, you could check out the core team your brother left behind. Although they lack seniority, given time, they might be able to grow.”

Ji Shihuan let out a soft laugh.

Without looking up, she asked: “What about Shu Ni?”

Jiang Boyan: “No.”

The pen tip paused. Ji Shihuan looked up at her seriously.

She narrowed her eyes: “Why not?”

Jiang Boyan shook her head.

“You can pull up the projects she’s been responsible for over the past year and take a look.”

“I recall…” Ji Shihuan mused. “Shu Ni’s projects are all stable, profit-making cash cows within Huan Ji.”

“Stable profits?” Jiang Boyan scoffed lightly. “At the cost of overdrawing Huan Ji’s credit and lifespan?”

The server had finished packaging her hand-ground coffee and called out from behind the counter.

Jiang Boyan gave a silent nod of farewell, but she saw Ji Shihuan smiling slightly, touching her lips.

The second Miss Ji had benefited from her high-quality looks since childhood. Although she didn’t believe she could attract Jiang Boyan, who was on the same level, the other woman had indeed stopped for her.

“CEO Jiang…” Ji Shihuan looked up at her, her eyes hiding an emotion that Jiang Boyan couldn’t comprehend.

“You’re this kind to your business rivals?”

Jiang Boyan didn’t speak, turning away just as she had yesterday. She walked to the counter to pick up the coffee. Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang.

While she answered the call, Ji Shihuan finished her own work.

She put her belongings away, walked over to Jiang Boyan, and, under the other woman’s confused gaze, folded the paper she had been writing on and tucked it into the pocket of her coat.

Then, she smiled lightly, waved at Jiang Boyan, pushed open the shop door, and disappeared first onto the post-rain street.

The glass door’s opening and closing brought in a rush of cool air, fluttering the stray hairs at Jiang Boyan’s temples. The dark strands made her unsmiling, emotionless face look even whiter and colder.

“I understand.” She said a few more words, then instructed the doctor on the other end of the line: “Thank you for taking care of her. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

After hanging up, she reached into her pocket.

The residual chill of spring had been infinitely magnified by the consecutive days of rain; any warmth was especially precious.

Jiang Boyan’s fingers lingered in the pocket for a moment, forcing herself to withdraw them, pulling out the white paper that had been tucked inside.

She unfolded the paper and saw clean, yet soft lines on the plain white surface—

The lines were neatly arranged, accurately outlining a woman’s facial features. The woman was turned to the side, looking into the distance with her eyes half-closed. Beneath her lazy expression was an unmistakable sophistication and dignity.

In the bottom right corner of the spontaneous sketch were two elegant small characters, which were not a signature, but the word “Payment.”

It took Jiang Boyan a second to recognize that it was a drawing of herself.

She recalled a moment ago when she’d had a sudden urge to drive out to the countryside to look at flowers. She’d been slightly disappointed by the scenery, thinking it wasn’t as beautiful as the paintings she owned.

Perhaps the world through some people’s eyes is a million times more beautiful than reality.

The server began grinding coffee again. Jiang Boyan snapped back to attention, carefully folded the paper, and returned it to the warm pocket.

The unique fresh air after the rain washed over her. She pushed the door open and got into the black sedan waiting at the end of the street.

Meanwhile.

Ji Shihuan had lunch with Lin Dan, then took her belongings and rushed home.

The paintings were handled by the servants. She took the cardboard box alone back to her room.

The afternoon sun made one feel sleepy, but Ji Shihuan had a lot on her mind and was fully alert. She found a small knife, cut the tape, and began sorting through her brother’s belongings one by one.

The year before last, Ji Shiqin moved out of the ancestral home after his engagement and moved into a large flat in the city center with Shu Ni. Since she had just been reborn, Ji Shihuan hadn’t yet visited the apartment. What she brought back were Ji Shiqin’s possessions left at the company.

Photo frames, watches, cufflinks…

Ji Shihuan’s emotions were stable; after being reborn, she quietly cherished the memories stirred by the old objects.

But suddenly, her hand paused over a small white pill bottle.

The bottle was labeled with the four characters for “Lamotrigine.” Ji Shihuan took out her phone, searched for the drug, and the introduction that popped up on the screen instantly stabbed her eyes.

“‘Lamotrigine Tablets’ are commonly used to treat bipolar disorder and manic episodes. Their main function is to stabilize the patient’s mood…”

Having lived two lives, this was the first time Ji Shihuan learned that her brother had seemingly suffered from a mental illness.

She gave a painful, self-mocking laugh. She felt something on her cheek and wiped it away, only to realize she was crying.

Taking a deep breath and forcing herself to adjust her emotions, she reached out again to take the pill bottle.

But picking up the small white container, she was startled again—

It was empty?

Ji Shihuan twisted the cap open, confirming the bottle contained nothing.

She called Nie Zheng immediately to confirm Ji Shiqin’s condition.

“…Chairman Ji specifically told me not to tell you. He didn’t want you to worry.”

Ji Shihuan gripped the bottle.

“This bottle of medicine in the office is empty.”

“Yes,” Nie Zheng replied. “I noticed that when I was tidying up.”

Ji Shihuan pressed further, but Nie Zheng stated he didn’t know. This was Ji Shiqin’s personal privacy, and the specific situation could now only be asked of Shu Ni, who had the closest relationship with Ji Shiqin.

Ji Shihuan gritted her teeth, her heart aching faintly.

She composed herself, attempting to clear her thoughts.

“So… in the days leading up to the car accident, was his state extremely unstable?”

Nie Zheng recalled for a moment and gave an affirmative answer: “Yes.”

Ji Shihuan’s breathing suddenly became heavier.

Nie Zheng: “At that time, Chairman Ji had just discovered Zhang Bosh’s leak, had a huge argument with him, and drove him out of the company. In the following days, Chairman Ji was extremely irritable. He lost his temper several times in a row, making several executives who came to report unable to lift their heads.”

Ji Shihuan felt weak in her limbs: “Did no one notice anything unusual?”

Nie Zheng’s silence lengthened.

After a while, he finally spoke: “Miss Shu stepped in to calm things down and treated the entire company to afternoon tea. She also told us not to worry, saying she would handle everything.”

As Ji Shiqin’s fiancée, even though they hadn’t registered their marriage yet, everyone inside and outside Huan Ji already viewed Shu Ni as the boss’s wife. When the boss’s wife spoke, naturally no one suspected anything further.

Hanging up the phone, Ji Shihuan stared blankly at the pill bottle in her hand for a long time.

It was too late…

The moment she had returned was simply too late.

While her current self was still breaking down from the grief of her brother’s death, Shu Ni had probably already handled everything methodically.

She took a deep breath, telling herself not to rush, then raised her hand and slowly, slowly placed the white plastic bottle back.

The next day.

Shu Ni visited and found Ji Shihuan mixing paints in the studio.

After a simple greeting, her attention was drawn to the brightly smiling girl on the canvas.

“Who is this?”

Ji Shihuan: “An ex-girlfriend.”

The two had dated in winter. The Gu Xiyue in the painting wore a cashmere scarf, her bright eyes the only vivid presence in the surrounding desolation.

Shu Ni’s gaze fell on the top of Ji Shihuan’s head.

Her voice was very soft, floating in the air: “Speaking of which, it feels like you haven’t painted me in ages?”

The paintbrush dipped in white paint, meticulously retouching the details of the cashmere scarf.

“When was the last time? When you just started high school?” Shu Ni broke the normal social distance and squeezed in front of her.

Ji Shihuan’s expression was indifferent.

“I forgot.”

“How could you forget?” Shu Ni put her hand on her shoulder. “You were so cute then, blushing after just a few words. In the blink of an eye, you’ve graduated from university and are an adult who has dated.”

She looked back at the painting: “Such a beautiful girl. Why did you break up?”

Ji Shihuan put down her brush.

Her voice was low: “Liking someone and getting along are two different things. You can have mutual feelings, but that doesn’t guarantee a long relationship.” As she spoke, she looked at Shu Ni: “You and my brother were together for many years. Did you still love each other?”

The other woman’s hand was still resting on her shoulder. Ji Shihuan felt Shu Ni briefly tense up.

But she concealed it quickly, lowering her eyes sadly: “Of course… Shiqin and I were already the most important people in each other’s lives…”

Compared to Shu Ni’s supposed genuine emotion, Ji Shihuan appeared much colder. She lowered her head to clean the brush, the stirring water making a gurgling noise.

“Ah Huan! We can’t let Shiqin’s death go without a proper explanation!” Shu Ni’s voice grew sharper. “I came here today to discuss this with you. You must take over Shiqin’s position and avenge him!”

Ji Shihuan: “Against whom?”

Shu Ni spoke each word distinctly: “Jiang Boyan!”

Her eyes were red: “The Jiang family is the mastermind!”

Ji Shihuan lowered her head, avoiding her scrutinizing gaze.

“I might not be able to get the board’s approval…”

Shu Ni curled her lips and grasped the hand holding the brush.

“Don’t be afraid.” She comforted softly. “I will help you. I will help you, no matter the cost.”