mtl008 Chapter 167 Two stripes, won!
Chapter 167 Two stripes, won!
Shen Xi became increasingly flustered as she calculated. She tried to count with her left hand and then her right hand, and then her left hand and her right hand, still unwilling to give up, she counted again.
No, that's not right.
It's only been a month, can it be that fast?
Without realizing it, she thought of the shy, blushing little boy who would follow her around like a little tail whenever he saw her, as if afraid of losing him.
Jiangdu...
Shen Xi lowered her head, covered her face with her hands, and silently repeated the same phrase over and over in her mind.
She wondered: Will autumn come so quickly this year too?
Jiang Ci put away the broken paintbrush and placed it in his suit trouser pocket. He rearranged his things and wiped the floor clean with a wet wipe.
He put the wet wipes in the trash can, then turned around and saw that the little girl's face was covered in tears.
She did her own makeup at home today, which was a rare occasion for her.
Jiang Ci strode over, half-squatted down in front of her, patted her back, and said gently, "If you're sad, cry for a while, but don't cry for too long, or your eyes will hurt."
"Look, the studio is all set up. Xiaoxi, look at the walls over there."
Jiang Ci slowly coaxed Shen Xi to lift his face. He pointed to the wall splattered with paint, all of it dark paint, which Jiang Ci did not wipe away.
Shen Xi looked up with teary eyes, wiped away her tears. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't control her emotions today; she was just angry and wanted to cry.
Her nose was red, and she looked at the wall following Jiang Ci's hand. For a moment, guilt and sadness mixed into bitter tears. Her lips trembled, and she wanted to cry even more.
Jiang Ci gently wiped her eyes with the tissue, speaking slowly: "That wall used to look empty and a bit awkward, but now you can draw whatever you want on it."
"Isn't a weakness also a strength?"
Shen Xi looked at the wall splattered with paint through her teary eyes.
She wasn't thinking about the wall at all.
She didn't want to talk, so she punched his chest in frustration; it was hard as a rock.
Jiang Ci cooperated, smiling nicely, and gave a soft, muffled groan, indicating that she seemed to have really been hurt.
Zhou Yu beat Huang Gai; one was willing to hit and the other was willing to be hit.
Shen Xi let him do as he pleased. After wiping away her tears, she changed the subject: "I heard from Aunt Hua that Grandma Jiang's legs aren't very good, and she's been living in England recently."
Jiang Ci stood up: "It's not about retirement. Her old friend recently passed away in England, and she went to mourn him and bring her friend home."
Shen Xi was stunned: "Go home?"
Seeing her interest, Jiang Ci explained, "Her old friend was never in good health. She had no children and lived a carefree and unrestrained life. Before she passed away, she went to the last stop of her journey and died peacefully in her sleep."
Shen Xi breathed a sigh of relief: "So it was a happy funeral. We should be happy for the old lady."
To live such a happy and unrestrained life is truly a life without regrets.
At this point, Jiang Ci casually mentioned, "Ms. Hua invited us to have dinner together tonight. She said it's been a long time since we ate together. Ms. Shen, would you do me the honor of joining us tonight?"
Shen Xi nervously bit her fingernails: "Does your...aunt know about us?"
Jiang Ci wrinkled his nose at her timid expression: "What do you know?"
You could probably guess how shrewd his mother was from childhood, right?
When he went back last time, Ms. Hua said that he must keep a close eye on his wife, otherwise he would have nowhere to cry if she ran away.
Shen Xi felt guilty. What was that thing?!
It's just a matter of you taking advantage of me and me taking advantage of you, but this kid insists on bringing it all up.
She glared at him with exasperation.
Shen Xi felt like she had snagged a beautiful, juicy cabbage, and now she had to report to the cabbage's mother how she had succeeded.
She murmured one last time, "We'll see, we'll see."
Jiang Ci pursed her lips and said nothing.
……
"Let's talk about it later" is a polite phrase used by Chinese people.
Shen Xi didn't go to the Jiang family's house. Instead, she took advantage of Jiang Ci's absence at the company in the afternoon to buy six pregnancy tests.
It's better to verify this to avoid any misunderstandings.
It happened on Shen Xi's way home.
A plotline has emerged: [Dear heroine, plot repairs in progress... *sizzle*]
Shen Xi ignored it. She knew what the plot line meant; everything might go back to the old ways.
She twitched her lips, but remained silent.
Shen Xi drank three large glasses of water before leaving, and went straight to the bathroom when she got back.
After a while,
Her heart was pounding as she slowly took out the pregnancy tests.
Different brands, same result.
Two lines, you've won.
Shen Xi thought blankly: She had never had such a high winning rate when buying lottery tickets before.
She couldn't help but touch her stomach.
Little Jiangdu, Mom welcomes you.
In fact, after arriving in this world, she deliberately avoided thinking about what happened in the previous world, the people she could not see, and the suffering she could not experience.
Unable to offer any help, unable to solve the puzzle, we temporarily give up.
Only then did Shen Xi dare to freely think about that well-behaved and adorable child.
On the very first day she entered this world, the child was not afraid of her. Even though he had been mistreated and abused in the past, he still wanted to stay by her side.
He was very young, well-behaved, and sensible.
But his inadequate mother doesn't seem to treat him very well.
For the first time, Shen Xi experienced the pain of being a mother and felt the sadness of her child being bullied.
She was like an outsider, watching the story unfold towards its predetermined ending, yet unable to change it.
I just hope my child is safe and sound.
She sat on the sofa for a very long time.
The phone on the sofa suddenly rang urgently.
“Miss Shen, Bai Susu, whom you asked me to investigate, is doing well recently, but we can’t protect her all the time. Recently, it seems that she is dating the eldest son of the Sheng family. The bodyguards protecting the eldest son of the Sheng family are all from the military, so we are easily counter-tracked.”
Shen Xi listened to what the other person had said before speaking: "It's okay, as long as we can generally protect her safety. By the way, be careful that Bai Linlin doesn't get close to her."
The other side responded quickly.
Shen Xi hung up the phone and saw several photos sent by the bodyguard. One of them was of Bai Susu walking on the university campus with her backpack on, smiling gently and sweetly.
One photo shows her being embraced by Sheng Shen, her cheeks flushed and her head bowed.
Shen Xi stared at it quietly for a few seconds, then took out her phone and typed: "You don't need to send me photos anymore. Just protect her."
The other end quickly replied: 【Okay.】
After Jiang Ci found out where Su Su was living, Shen Xi found a way to contact the local school and designated it to sponsor Bai Su Su's schooling.
At the same time, she also learned about Su Su's family situation: her heartless parents and her runaway brother.
Shen Xi wanted to help her as much as she could.
At 7 p.m. sharp, the phone rang.
It was Ms. Hua calling. Her voice was as elegant as ever: "Xiaoxi, will it bother you if I call at this hour?"
Shen Xi said softly, "Not at all, Auntie, you're too kind."
It was quite lively at Hualan's place, and I could hear the auntie's voice saying, "I heard from Xiaoci that you have something to do today. It's getting late, and I'm worried that you haven't eaten dinner yet. Your stomach isn't very good, so I just wanted to remind you to eat on time tonight."
A motherly voice sounded on the other end of the phone, and Shen Xi felt a lump in her throat. She fanned her eyes with her hand before finally speaking, "Auntie, I will. I won't come over tonight; I'll visit you another day."
She wanted to say thank you, but she knew that Ms. Hua disliked it the most when she said thank you to them.
In the end, they simply didn't say it.
Ms. Hua smiled and then inquired whether they wanted to travel abroad together after graduation. She proudly said, "If other people's children have it, my family should have it too. You've just graduated, so relax a bit. Don't rush to find a job. Go abroad, travel, and see the world. It's not too late to start once you have your own ideas."
Shen Xi felt that Aunt Hua's thinking was always ahead of its time, she saw things clearly, and she treated people very well.
Sometimes she would envy Jiang Ci for having such a mother.
She smiled and replied, "I'll listen to Aunt Hua. I'll take a break after I finish my graduation thesis."
Aunt Hua said, "That's more like it."
Finally, they chatted like any other mother and daughter, about what they had eaten and done recently, before hanging up the phone.
The last thing Hua Lan said before hanging up was:
"Xiaoxi, call your aunt more often. Your aunt treats you and Jiang Li like her own daughters. She's afraid you'll be bullied by others and won't dare to speak up. When you're out, you should act like the children of the Jiang family. Your aunt isn't afraid you'll cause trouble."
She spoke with great earnestness, and Shen Xi listened with tears welling up in her eyes.
……
Jiang Ci returned home very late at night; he had a lot to do recently due to graduation.
In addition to working for Jiang's company, he also has his own plans outside.
Shen Xi was in a more relaxed situation than him; her graduation project was already completed, and she only needed to make final revisions.
In the darkness, Jiang Ci rubbed his temples, lazily changed his shoes, and strolled to the bar to drink a glass of iced water.
A glass of ice water cooled his stomach and spleen, and he became more alert.
He glanced at his phone in the dark; it was 1:30 a.m.
She should go to sleep.
Jiang Ci thought for a moment, then walked to Shen Xi's door, leaned against the door frame for a while, and quietly looked up, letting his mind wander.
Early the next morning,
After Shen Xi got up and washed up, she saw several plates of breakfast neatly arranged on the dining table in the living room.
She was still a little sleepy, and after tilting her head for a few seconds, she realized that Jiang Ci had come back last night.
"Didn't you sleep well last night? You're up so early today."
Jiang Ci walked over from the balcony into the sunlight. He had probably just taken a shower, as his dark, tousled hair was still wet. He was wearing a white hoodie and jeans, and no one would argue if he said he was a high school student.
Shen Xi glanced at the clock; it was nine o'clock.
"It's getting late, it's already nine o'clock. What time did you get back last night?"
She didn't hear a sound.
Jiang Ci led her to the kitchen to wash her hands; the sound of running water was loud.
"Around one o'clock in the morning."
The two sat back down at the table, and Shen Xi slowly chewed on a fried dough stick.
Jiang Ci rarely speaks while eating, and the two ate in silence.
In a peaceful atmosphere
Shen Xi suddenly glanced at him and said vaguely, "I have something to tell you after we finish eating."
Jiang Ci slowly wiped his mouth: "Well, I'm finished eating, you can talk now."
Shen Xi: "..."