Chapter 23: Top-Tier p1
What was Yan Wei thinking?
From the day they met, this question had been churning in Jiang Mi’s mind.
In the spacious nanny van, the sound of a script being flipped occasionally came from beside her. The spring breeze was incredibly gentle, and Jiang Mi’s hair blew across her face. She finally couldn’t help but speak, “Teacher Yan—”
Yan Wei turned her head but didn’t say anything. Jiang Mi had a feeling that Yan Wei knew what she was going to ask. She didn’t like hide-and-seek; she never had since she was a child, which was why she was always the first one to be found.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
Yan Wei shook her head.
“…” Jiang Mi: “Then…”
“Didn’t you say you would do anything I asked?”
Jiang Mi slowly nodded. Although it didn’t seem to apply to this situation, it could be considered so.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.
“Sit.”
Jiang Mi thought she hadn’t heard clearly. “What?”
Yan Wei lowered her eyes and continued to read the script, her voice lighter than the wind. “Just sit like this.”
The cells in her body became incredibly active in an instant. Jiang Mi’s gaze fell very lightly on Yan Wei’s profile.
Like a treasure hunt, she felt that she had sensed something, something unreal and illusory. But the frequency of her heartbeat was gradually increasing, and then gradually calming down.
Until yesterday, Yan Wei had disliked her. Those words that kept people at a distance, that hot and cold attitude, were really hard to guard against. She found that she could no longer accept Yan Wei’s indifference with a clear mind. She had also started to, like everyone else, want to ask for something from Yan Wei in return for her efforts. She had even felt awkward and annoyed.
But all of the above was wrong, not normal.
She was willing to be good to Yan Wei, but why did Yan Wei have to reciprocate? She didn’t owe her anything.
Her self-reflection had been going very smoothly up to this point.
Even until just now in the elevator, she had thought that these ideas of hers were flawless.
The problem arose at this moment.
At the moment she had convinced herself, Yan Wei’s light words had shattered everything she had built.
All she had left was a malfunctioning damper.
She couldn’t help but wonder, should she feel joy at this moment? Could she feel joy? Would this joy be quickly taken back by Yan Wei like before?
This wasn’t the most important thing either.
The important thing was, what was Yan Wei thinking now?
The important thing was, she suddenly had a terrifying and inextinguishable thought: for the first time, she had felt a sense of specialness from Yan Wei with such certainty.
She was sure that at least at this moment, she was different from the other people on the crew.
She was different.
She should feel incredibly honored and excited.
But in reality, the joy and heat cooled down even faster than Jiang Mi had imagined. It stemmed from an unknown panic and bewilderment.
Jiang Mi withdrew her gaze completely. “Okay.”
The spring peach blossoms and dust swirled to the lowest point on the ground.
She said, “As long as you say so.”
Yan Wei’s eyelashes fluttered.
She detested this kind of uncontrolled behavior, but it seemed to make her feel better. She couldn’t think of a proper solution for the time being. At least for now, her mood was a little better.
She had returned to normal.
The page of the script under her fingertips, filled with lines, was like it had been deeply stimulated. The edges were already wrinkled and damaged, with several irreparable cracks. She raised her hand and slowly smoothed the curled edges, as if these were not her handiwork.
“Jiang Mi.”
“Hmm?”
Yan Wei seemed to want to say something, but after that one word, she said nothing. Jiang Mi was silent for a moment. She didn’t know why, but for the first time today, she didn’t have the endless energy to break the silence like she usually did.
She still liked and admired Yan Wei as before, but she had a feeling that she and Yan Wei needed some distance now.
**
The days on set passed, one after another.
In the last two days of the month, the weather suddenly warmed up. Thirty degrees in spring was milder than in summer, but it was still a test for the crew.
During a break, Shen Ruoxi and Jiang Mi were lying under a sun umbrella, holding drinks and a protein platter. The sun always made people drowsy. The two of them chatted idly. After their meal together last time, their relationship had grown closer, and their conversations were more casual.
“I don’t want to drink it anymore. It’s not as good as the juice you make.” Shen Ruoxi sighed. “Ever since you stopped making juice for me, my mom said I’ve been drinking less water.”
Jiang Mi: “…”
She was yawning non-stop. “I didn’t lay the eggs either, but you seem to be enjoying them.”
Shen Ruoxi burst out laughing. “After the red carpet tomorrow, let’s go eat together. It won’t be fun if you don’t go.”
Jiang Mi: “I really have plans.”
“With who?” Shen Ruoxi asked in a low voice. “Can you say?”
“apple.”
As they were talking, Zhao Jia came over and asked Jiang Mi to look at her phone and reply to a message from Jiang Youshu.
She then joined the conversation, “You two should be careful. Don’t get me another scandal this time.”
Shen Ruoxi: “Oh~ apple, huh? I quite like her looks. But I really thought you two were real back then. That photo, one Alpha, one Omega, in the middle of the night, it was quite beautiful.”
Jiang Mi shrugged, refuting the rumor, “Everyone says that, but we’re really just good friends.”
“That’s a pity.”
Jiang Mi took out her phone, and something seemed to flash in her eyes. She looked up and saw Yan Wei walking over from the direction of the monitors, with Bai Qiu and another assistant following behind, holding folding chairs.
Shen Ruoxi: “Teacher Yan, come sit for a while.”
No one would take it seriously. Even Shen Ruoxi herself didn’t take it seriously. After all, Yan Wei rarely participated in this kind of “activity.” She was just asking casually, as usual.
—Until a chair was placed next to Jiang Mi, and Yan Wei sat down beside her.
Shen Ruoxi: “…”
Shen Ruoxi and Jiang Mi exchanged a look, and then she sent a private message: [What’s going on?]
Jiang Mi: [You have a lot of face.]
Shen Ruoxi: [That’s a possibility.]
Jiang Mi silently thought: You’re also very bold.
Zhao Jia opened a folding chair, glanced at Yan Wei, then at Jiang Mi, and finally at Shen Ruoxi. She sneered twice in her heart. Grandma, can you please stop attracting people?
Yan Wei opened her phone and didn’t say anything.
It was Bai Qiu who, knowing that Jiang Mi and Shen Ruoxi were easy-going, saw the atmosphere turn cold and asked with a smile, “What are the teachers talking about?”
Shen Ruoxi: “Gossip. Little kids can’t listen.”
Bai Qiu: “Teacher Jiang is the little one. She’s only 23. I’m two years older than her.”
Shen Ruoxi said casually, “Your Teacher Jiang is not little at all.”
Bai Qiu instantly understood what she meant and didn’t dare to actually glance at Jiang Mi. She blushed in embarrassment. Jiang Mi was used to Shen Ruoxi’s unfiltered words, but for some reason, she shifted her gaze to Yan Wei. “Teacher Shen, can you be a little more respectful?”
Shen Ruoxi didn’t care. “You don’t know what I’m like?”
At first, she would pay attention to her image, but recently, in front of Jiang Mi, she didn’t even bother to pretend. She knew Jiang Mi didn’t mind, so she was more herself.
But after she spoke, she remembered that Yan Wei was also there. She said, “I mean, 23 is not that young.”
Jiang Mi thought to herself, To be precise, I’m 24 this year, okay?
Bai Qiu was originally saying something, but for some reason, she glanced at Yan Wei. In this hot weather, that face was as cold as an ice cellar. She was too embarrassed to be too active.
It was Shen Ruoxi who thought Bai Qiu was embarrassed and took the initiative to chat. “We weren’t talking about anything. You’ve definitely heard the rumors about your Teacher Jiang and Teacher apple.”
“I’ve heard, but they’re not true, right?”
“How do you know they’re not true?”
“Just from that photo and video, you can tell it’s just a friend comforting another.”
“You can even tell that?” Shen Ruoxi laughed.
Bai Qiu: “When you like someone, it’s different.”
Jiang Mi wasn’t really listening. She looked at Yan Wei. Although she hadn’t said a word, her presence was too strong. It was hard for her to ignore Yan Wei’s existence.
And she could see that Yan Wei’s expression wasn’t very good.
“Teacher Yan, are you tired?”
Yan Wei glanced at her and said, “I’m alright.”
Jiang Mi nodded. Shen Ruoxi next to her started talking to her again, and she naturally turned her head to answer.
When she heard a sound and looked again, Yan Wei had already stood up.
Shen Ruoxi took the initiative to wave “bye-bye.”
Jiang Mi followed suit and said, “Talk to you later, Teacher Yan.”
“…”
Yan Wei’s footsteps paused. She suddenly felt that the sunlight was glaring, even more glaring than the face behind her.
She was taking a deep breath. This kind of blood-qi rising from within, a situation that could only be soothed by feeling physical pain, the last time had been the day she had told Jiang Mi to get in the car.
That face, as if nothing had happened, still bright and beautiful, would still smile in front of her, but would no longer appear in private.
Jiang Mi was distancing herself from her, that was certain.
Of course, there was a problem.
As for where the problem was, she needed some time to sort it out. Before that, let it be.
As soon as Yan Wei left, Bai Qiu quickly followed.
Shen Ruoxi patted her chest. “Sigh, what level is she? Top-tier? I’m at least an S-class, but every time I’m in front of her, I feel like my spiritual power is being suppressed. It makes me feel flustered.”
Jiang Mi’s gaze left Yan Wei’s back. She said with empathy, “Me too.”
“You’re flustered too?”
“Mmm.”
A cunning look appeared at the corner of Shen Ruoxi’s lips. She joked, “Then you should be careful. I feel like Yan Wei is a top-tier Omega, at least S+. You’re a little Alpha. Whether it’s pheromones or spiritual power, you’ll easily be overwhelmed.”
Jiang Mi rubbed her eyes, which were dizzy from the sun, and said, “You know everything…”
In reality, because of their compatibility, every time they were close, Yan Wei’s pheromones were a trap for her. She could control her mind, but she couldn’t control her body’s conditioned response.
If it were her heat, a top-tier Omega’s scent would turn all Alphas into thirsty slaves.
Jiang Mi pursed her dry lips. The next second, her mouth was filled with lemon water.
Shen Ruoxi continued to talk beside her, “By the way, don’t say I’m not a loyal sister. DK’s atmosphere has been bad these past two years. At the event tomorrow, don’t be too nice. It’s easy for people to take advantage of you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Mi said a serious thank you.
“Am I too nice?”
“Do you know there are five words written on your face?”
“Which five?”
“Come and bully me.”
_
