Chapter 25: Ahhhh! She Holds A Grudge
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Weekends always go by so fast, and before you know it, it's Monday.
In the morning, Ji Lianxing got up, stood in the small room, and stretched lazily.
She finally didn't have insomnia last night. She had gradually gotten used to Jiang Shu's octopus behavior. After all, the weather was cold, and having a clingy person around seemed pretty warm.
She opened the curtains and looked outside. Today was a soft cloudy day.
When she went downstairs, Jiang Shu was jogging on the treadmill.
In these past two days, she probably got used to Jiang Shu's habits. She usually jogs in the morning for about half an hour, four or five times a week.
On the table were two delicate plates, each with avocado-stuffed toast and two small cups of coffee. It's low in oil, healthy, and filling, so it seems she loves this kind of food.
The treadmill beeped twice, and Jiang Shu slowed down. Her morning workout was over. She picked up a towel to wipe her sweat and stepped off the treadmill. Her gaze fell on Ji Lianxing.
"Good morning, little hedgehog."
"Good morning, Oc—" Ji Lianxing quickly swallowed that word, "President Jiang."
The kiss from last night flashed in her mind. She had been kissed all of a sudden, and the key thing was that she was so domineering. What’s wrong with being an octopus? It clearly suited her.
"What 'Oc'?" Jiang Shu's ears were sharp as she walked toward Ji Lianxing, wearing a sports tank top with sweat on her collarbone.
"It's almost 8 o'clock," Ji Lianxing exhaled. She felt like if her brain worked any slower, she might get kissed again.
"It's still fifteen minutes to 8," Jiang Shu smiled, as if laughing at Ji Lianxing's answer about "Oc". "Let's have breakfast first."
Ji Lianxing looked at the small porcelain coffee cups on the table. The coffee inside was still steaming. It must have been freshly ground from that red-labeled Guixia.
This kind of coffee had a strong layered taste. The first flavor hit her mouth, then another flavor slid down her throat, and when swallowed, it had a light passion fruit taste. Compared to her 8-yuan Paike Americano, it was a completely different taste.
Ji Lianxing thought that Jiang Shu cared about the taste of coffee, savoring it, drinking it slowly. But her 8-yuan Paike was just for waking her up. Maybe this was their economic gap.
Sigh.
Ji Lianxing lowered her head and quietly drank her coffee, forcing herself to stop overthinking. After all, thinking too much didn’t help.
After breakfast, they changed clothes. At 8:10, they both left the house, one in white, the other in black.
There were no strict dress codes for work, but it was common for everyone to wear formal clothes to work, both men and women in suits. It was convenient and not too much trouble.
For work, Ji Lianxing usually just wore a black suit. Surprisingly, Jiang Shu also wore a suit today, but hers was white.
Both of them were tall, and both were wearing classic suits. Before leaving, Ji Lianxing glanced at the full-length mirror near the entrance, and she suddenly felt like they were wearing couple outfits.
What’s it like to go to work with your boss?
It was so subtle, Ji Lianxing had never imagined this would happen to her.
Originally, Jiang Shu’s home wasn’t far from the company, so Ji Lianxing suggested she take the subway while Jiang Shu drove, but Jiang Shu directly pulled her into the car, giving her no chance to choose.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Ji Lianxing was quite nervous, uneasy, and kept glancing outside the car window. The pedestrians on the street were rushing by, many of them rushing to work like office workers.
"President Jiang, can I get off at the intersection over there?" Ji Lianxing asked.
Jiang Shu glanced at her sideways and noticed she seemed a bit overly nervous. "Are you afraid of being seen by your colleagues?"
"Mm." Ji Lianxing lowered her head, not looking into Jiang Shu's eyes. "Because we don’t know what others see."
Jiang Shu didn’t say anything and thought carefully.
It was true, Ji Lianxing wasn’t wrong. In the workplace, everyone’s eyes were sharp. Even though people in this line of work didn’t dare to gossip openly, sometimes they would whisper, and it was very possible for unpleasant things to be said.
Especially Ji Lianxing, who had just started her internship. It was better not to give anyone the chance to talk behind her back.
So Jiang Shu didn’t insist and stopped the car at a traffic light not far from the company.
Ji Lianxing quickly opened the door. Before getting out, she turned to Jiang Shu and said, "I’m leaving~"
"Okay~" Jiang Shu smiled with the corners of her lips, seeming to be in a good mood.
Ji Lianxing opened her mouth but didn’t speak. She hesitated for a moment and looked at Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu: "?"
"Bye-bye, octopus!" Ji Lianxing opened the door and got out of the car, closing it quickly, like a nimble rabbit. The red light turned green, and she blended into the crowd, quickly crossing the zebra crossing. The whole action was smooth and fast.
Jiang Shu was left alone in the car. When Ji Lianxing said "octopus," she froze for a moment. By the time she came back to her senses, Ji Lianxing had already slipped away, so she obviously didn’t give her a chance for "revenge."
Jiang Shu gripped the steering wheel and watched Ji Lianxing’s figure grow farther away. Good, very good, octopus, very good.
It seemed like last night wasn’t enough to teach her a lesson!
****
Ji Lianxing found that her mood today was different from usual. On a typical Monday, she would feel like there were still five days of work ahead, which seemed long.
But today, she was unusually excited, and the drive to work was stronger than before by several times.
Why was she so happy? Maybe it was because of Jiang Shu, maybe.
She walked into the CBD lobby, and there were still many people waiting for the elevator. Ji Lianxing blended into the high floor queue, waiting as usual.
By chance, she ran into Lu Fan, who was behind her. It had been two days since they last met. Lu Fan had done his hair, and he looked a bit more energetic.
"Xiao Ji, you're not getting coffee today?" Lu Fan asked, looking at Ji Lianxing's empty hands.
"Ah, I already had some."
"Eh?" Lu Fan seemed a bit confused. He remembered that Ji Lianxing always brought breakfast to the office since her internship began, without fail.
When did she start having breakfast at home? He didn’t ask further because he thought Xiao Ji might be the type who didn’t like others asking too many questions. How should he put it? Ji Lianxing gave him the feeling of being gentle on the surface but actually quite distant.
The queue in front moved slowly, and Ji Lianxing spaced out while waiting, occasionally chatting with Lu Fan.
"By the way, Xiao Ji, there's something I want to tell you." Lu Fan lowered his voice, "Ai, I probably shouldn’t say this, but I couldn’t stand it. Last week, after you left, Mia was messing with the things on your desk."
Lu Fan said this and then felt that his choice of words might have been inappropriate, so he added, "It's not like she was messing things up, maybe she’s just interested in your desk? You should be careful, like with your computer password and stuff."
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Ji Lianxing felt a bit uncomfortable after hearing this, pressing her lips together without saying anything.
She had always hated people rummaging through her things. Such behavior was really impolite, especially when they were just colleagues who weren’t familiar with each other.
After a moment of silence, she finally replied, "Mm, I’ll be careful."
The queue in front moved a little, and Ji Lianxing and Lu Fan continued talking about work. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman in a white suit walking in through the main door.
!!! Ji Lianxing quickly turned around, cutting off the conversation with Lu Fan.
Jiang Shu probably wouldn't be in the queue, right? She must be taking the VIP elevator, no need to squeeze into the regular one.
But what if? After all, I just called her "octopus" this morning. What if she...
Ji Lianxing suddenly regretted her impulsive words. However, Lu Fan didn't notice anything unusual and continued with the previous topic.
Two minutes later, Ji Lianxing was the first to enter the elevator after the queue moved forward.
She stood in the cramped space, feeling a bit uneasy.
Did Jiang Shu leave? Please don't come in.
Second, third... seventh, eighth...
Oh God!! She came in!!!!
Ji Lianxing pressed herself against the corner, her expression seemingly calm, but in reality, she was trembling. She had already imagined a hundred different ways she could die.
When Jiang Shu entered the elevator and saw Ji Lianxing’s expression, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
Their eyes met for just a second, and neither of them said a word.
The elevator became more crowded, and people pressed closer together. Despite their efforts to avoid physical contact, Jiang Shu and Ji Lianxing’s elbows brushed against each other.
More people squeezed in from outside, and Jiang Shu continued to move closer to Ji Lianxing, too close.
In the final second, a burly man entered, causing the elevator to shake. Everyone was pressed together, and Jiang Shu’s body tilted toward Ji Lianxing. Without thinking, Ji Lianxing reached out and wrapped her arm around Jiang Shu’s waist.
!!!!
How could this happen?
Ji Lianxing’s cheeks flushed with a light pink color. She didn’t know whether to move her hand away from Jiang Shu’s waist or leave it there.
It wasn’t until the elevator emitted a series of beeps that she snapped out of it.
Someone in the crowd said, “Sir, it’s overloaded. Wait for the next one.”
The burly man reluctantly stepped back and left. The space became slightly less cramped, and Ji Lianxing released her hand from Jiang Shu’s waist.
The elevator slowly ascended...
Ji Lianxing stood behind Jiang Shu. The fragrance from Jiang Shu overwhelmed all the other scents, drifting into Ji Lianxing’s nose and adding another mentos-like sensation to her already fluttering heart.
Ji Lianxing’s heart raced. Jiang Shu was right in front of her, with her back turned toward her.
Her gaze became bolder, falling on Jiang Shu’s slender figure. Her posture was straight, and the outline of her shoulder from her suit’s shoulder pads accentuated her angular shoulders. The white, long neck revealed her elegance.
Thankfully, she couldn’t see Jiang Shu’s face. If she did, her heart would beat even faster.
As Ji Lianxing observed her, she couldn’t help but wonder why she was so fascinated by every detail of Jiang Shu’s body. She had seen beautiful women before, but other women never sparked her curiosity to explore them like this.
Her gaze fell again on Jiang Shu's ears, which were white and smooth, tinged with a faint pink.
Ah, her ears are so cute~
Ugh, stop thinking about it!
The elevator reached the 20th floor, and employees gradually got off. By the time it reached the 22nd floor, only four people remained.
Ji Lianxing took a glance and saw that the other two were her colleagues, so they would all get off on the 25th floor.
Except for Ji Lianxing, the other two colleagues naturally distanced themselves from Jiang Shu.
Lu Fan sneaked a glance at Jiang Shu, and when their eyes accidentally met, he could only brace himself and greet her.
"President Jiang, good morning~"
Jiang Shu smiled and nodded, "Good morning."
Ding.
The elevator stopped on the 25th floor. Ji Lianxing walked around Jiang Shu and left the elevator with the other two.
As they stepped out, she turned her head and looked back.
Only Jiang Shu was left in the elevator. She stood there, her gaze boldly meeting Ji Lianxing's, her eyes filled with a smile.
"Bye bye~" Ji Lianxing waved, speaking softly to her.
Jiang Shu opened her mouth and silently said something.
Ji Lianxing watched her lips move but couldn't understand the meaning, showing a puzzled expression.
Then Jiang Shu opened her mouth again and mimicked the lip movement. This time, Ji Lianxing understood.
At that moment, the elevator doors closed, leaving Ji Lianxing alone, her mind in a chaotic mess.
Ahhh!!! She holds a grudge!!!
The word she said was, "octopus"!!!!
