Chapter 4: Bad Woman, Bad Woman 

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

Ji Lianxing returned to her workstation, her mind filled with Jiang Shu's recent words, "Come to my office tonight."

What did going to the office mean? What was she going to give? Money? Or was it about yesterday's matter? Was it to settle accounts later? But last night, things did not get to that point, so what was going to happen?

"Xiao Ji, I sent you the information. When it's done, email it to me later, okay~" Her colleague, Lu Fan, interrupted her thoughts.

“Mm-mm."

She turned on the computer, and there was another pile of messages and emails. Every Monday was like this.

Her work was very complicated. Besides intelligence, it also requires carefulness. She and her colleagues needed to calculate various data. This was basically how the company made profits.

Usually, Monday was the busiest. Everyone was busy to the point of flying. Ji Lianxing drank two sips of coffee to refresh herself. She had no time to think about Jiang Shu's matter and quickly entered work mode.

She was known in the office as a workaholic. When she worked, she was very focused, even the team leader, who was an overtime maniac, had to give in.

Ji Lianxing was probably the most hardworking young person he had seen in recent years. When working, she had a lot of energy, worked efficiently, and had high accuracy. She was a very good partner and definitely a capable person. To sum it up in one sentence: she is indeed good-looking but it's also true that she is not just a vase.

Busy times always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was lunchtime. After three hours of high-intensity work, Ji Lianxing finally breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up her coffee and took a sip, only to find it was already cold.

"Hey, are you guys getting takeout or going to the cafeteria for lunch?"

"Takeout, I don't feel like moving," Lu Fan stretched and looked at Ji Lianxing, "Xiao Ji, what about you?"

She tidied up her desk, "I'll eat at the cafeteria."

The company provided an employee cafeteria, and the food was quite varied. With an employee card, meals were free. But these older guys disliked taking the long elevator ride to the cafeteria and preferred to eat takeout at their workstations.

Ji Lianxing felt it was unnecessary, and besides, she was a bit tight on money right now. Saving where she could was best.

"Brother Li came to see President Jiang again today," Lu Fan turned his chair and said to a few other colleagues.

President Jiang. At the mention of President Jiang, Ji Lianxing, who had already stood up, sat back down.

"Yeah, they have a great relationship. Brother Li has come seven or eight times this month, hasn't he?"

"Who is Brother Li?" Ji Lianxing couldn't help but ask.

"Huh? Aren't you going to the cafeteria?" It was strange. Usually, Ji Lianxing would be gone by this time. Why was she in the mood to join their chat today?

"Not very hungry," Ji Lianxing said without changing her expression, "So who is Brother Li?"

"Xiao Ji, you really are oblivious to everything outside your work. Brother Li is President Jiang's husband, Li Xiangyan!"

"Oh, Li Xiangyan." Ji Lianxing had never seen him, but she had heard of him. He seemed to be a shareholder of the company. They often mentioned him, and it turned out this person was Jiang Shu's husband?

Her colleagues did not dig deeper into the topic; they always touched on topics lightly.

Ji Lianxing took another sip of her cold coffee, feeling a bit strange.

If Brother Li knew his wife was dating sisters outside, how would he feel?

She unconsciously thought of Jiang Shu again. Jiang Shu this morning was different from Jiang Shu last night.

If she had to describe it, Ji Lianxing thought Jiang Shu in the morning was like calm water, while Jiang Shu at night was like a turbulent sea, giving people completely different feelings.

It turned out that a person could indeed have two faces. But thinking about it carefully, who wasn't living with a mask on?

"Xiao Ji, if you aren't going to the cafeteria, quickly order some takeout. You can't skip lunch," Lu Fan showed concern for her.

Ji Lianxing forced a smile and said, "Suddenly, I feel hungry again. I'll go down and eat."

****

Ji Lianxing liked being alone. She loved doing things by herself and mostly ate alone. She felt that being alone was much more comfortable than being with a group of people.

The cafeteria was crowded. Most employees still chose to eat there. Free lunch was a loss for anyone who did not take it.

Lunch was her favorite braised pork, cut into small pieces. It was stewed until soft and tender, glossy and springy, melting in the mouth.

In the morning, she only had two sips of coffee. She was really hungry. She picked up a small piece of braised pork and put it in her mouth, enjoying the double happiness of the meat's aroma and a hint of sweetness.

While Ji Lianxing was indulging in her meal, she unintentionally glanced at a woman.

She was sitting across from a man, having lunch. She had changed her clothes to a high-neck white sweater, and basic black dress pants, and her fluffy chestnut curls were tucked behind her ears, revealing clean white ears adorned with classic silver drop earrings. Her outfit had no more than three colors, starting with simplicity and classic style, yet she wore it with a sense of fashion and elegance.

Oh my mom, we met again…

****

"Where's your little canary?" Li Xiangyan scooped a spoonful of curry chicken rice into his mouth.

"Behind you, at the table behind the table behind you, nibbling on food like a little hamster," Jiang Shu propped her chin with one hand. Her speech and expression were normal, looking like an ordinary conversation from a distance, but when she mentioned the hamster, there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Upon hearing she was behind him, Li Xiangyan wanted to turn his head to look. Jiang Shu grasped his hand, giving it a squeeze to indicate he shouldn't startle the snake.

Li Xiangyan shrugged, "Alright, alright, I won't look. Honestly, this employee cafeteria food is pretty good. The taste is authentic, much better than those so-called exquisite meals upstairs."

Jiang Shu withdrew her hand, not answering him. She scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth. The taste was okay, just a bit salty; she preferred it lighter.

"So, did you bring me here just to see her?"

Jiang Shu shook her head, "No." Then she nodded, "Kind of."

"Well, is it or isn't it?" Li Xiangyan thought to himself that women were like a needles in the sea. Luckily, he liked men and didn't have to dive for this needle.

"I want to be completely sure she is the one from last night." Jiang Shu glanced at Ji Lianxing again, noticing Ji Lianxing was looking at her. She smiled at her, causing Ji Lianxing to hurriedly lower her head and eat.

No doubt, that evasive look, it was definitely her.

"What is there to be sure about?"

"You mind too much," Jiang Shu sipped two spoonfuls of soup and then put down the spoon, waiting for Li Xiangyan to finish his meal.

Li Xiangyan's curry chicken rice was almost gone, and it was clear he was still enjoying it. He ate and said, "You and your small appetite, always eating so little. No wonder you're so skinny."

Faced with Li Xiangyan's imprecise wording, Jiang Shu countered accurately, "I have abs and muscles. I'm not skinny, I have a good figure." As she spoke, she didn't forget to observe her little canary, her gaze passing over Li Xiangyan's shoulder and landing on Ji Lianxing, seeing her quickly finish her meal and pick up her tray to leave.

"Li Xiangyan, do I look scary?" Jiang Shu pursed her lips, looking somewhat displeased.

"Um..." Li Xiangyan swallowed the chicken piece in his mouth. Although he and Jiang Shu were familiar to the point of being inseparable, it was still difficult to go against his conscience and say that Jiang Shu looked scary, even though she was a beauty in her prime.

"You're not. Except me, those guys should all like you, right?"

"What about the women?"

"The women should also... also like... damn it, I'm not a woman! How would I know??" Li Xiangyan choked a bit and took out a tissue to wipe his mouth. He felt something was off with Jiang Shu today. "Are you out of your mind? You have so many guys and girls chasing after you, and you're asking me such questions. Isn't this bragging?"

"I'm not scary, then why does she run away every time she sees me?"

Li Xiangyan instantly understood. The "she" Jiang Shu referred to was the hamster-like canary she just mentioned.

"Haha, maybe she's the tapeworm in your belly, knowing that the more you can't get, the more you want, she's playing a cat-and-mouse game with you~"

Jiang Shu glanced at Li Xiangyan, "Tapeworm? You're quite like one."

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

Li Xiangyan remained unconvinced and continued, "Seriously, nowadays everyone doesn't worry about food or clothing. How many do those things for money are clean and innocent? It's all about vanity and love for money. Some young girls have desires that material things can't satisfy, so they resort to such things. I think you should know better than me, right?"

Li Xiangyan's implication was not to be deceived by Ji Lianxing's appearance.

Jiang Shu still didn't speak, instead, she picked up the spoon and stirred the soup a few times, as if contemplating something.

"So, with canaries, they look good, so you just look, right? If you really like her, you can afford to spend money on her. It's not worth going through all this trouble," Li Xiangyan exaggerated.

Jiang Shu shook her head, "You're overthinking it. I don't like her. And, to be precise, she's not my canary because she didn't ask me for my money."

Li Xiangyan nodded, understanding her meaning.

He understood Jiang Shu very well—she was a woman completely devoid of emotions. Asking for her money was feasible, but dreaming of her love was out of the question.

"Are you the type with a fleeting unattainable desire? She doesn't want to be your canary, but you insist on making her one?"

Jiang Shu smirked and nodded.

"Tsk, bad woman, bad woman~" Li Xiangyan clicked his tongue twice, shaking his head as he did.

Jiang Shu set down her spoon, stood up, and softly remarked, "I am a bad woman, then what does that make you?"

Li Xiangyan was momentarily choked up.

The two exited the cafeteria and stopped at the elevator. Li Xiangyan headed home while Jiang Shu returned to work, each going their separate ways.

Just before parting, Jiang Shu handed Li Xiangyan Ji Lianxing's phone number.

"Help me make a call with this number, see if it goes through?"

The call went through quickly, and after a couple of rings, a female voice answered, "Hello?"

Li Xiangyan held the phone to Jiang Shu's ear.

"Hello, hello, who is this?" Ji Lianxing repeated.

Jiang Shu pushed the phone back.

Li Xiangyan hung up, looking puzzled. "Who was that? So mysterious. Why didn't you call and let me call?"

"I couldn't get through," Jiang Shu replied.

"You couldn't get through? Were you blocked?"

The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Shu stepped inside alone. Her cold aura instantly filled the space, and she stared at Li Xiangyan with an icy expression.

Li Xiangyan stood at the doorway, feeling a chill down his spine. Did he say something wrong? No, he didn't say anything wrong. Then what's with Jiang Shu's resentful gaze?

"What's wrong with you? Who is that person? Hey hey hey, why are you staring at me like that? You're really scaring me."

As the elevator doors closed, Jiang Shu uttered just a word:

"Goodbye."