Jiang Ruoning had people on both her left and right eating ice cream, while she tapped away on her phone: 【SOS! SOS!】
Qin Zheng had just finished her shower and lay on the bed, video chatting with Yun An. A new message from Jiang Ruoning popped up. She clicked it and sent a question mark.
Jiang Ruoning: 【It seems someone has fallen for me at first sight!】
This time, Qin Zheng didn’t send a question mark. She asked directly: 【Who?】
Jiang Ruoning froze.
She had chatted with this person for a while and even shared an ice cream cone, yet she still didn’t know her name.
Jiang Ruoning glanced at Shi Sui out of the corner of her eye.
Shi Sui wore a blue silk blouse, white high-waisted pants, and a pair of heels—not too high, just five or six centimeters, in a beige color that made her skin look especially fair and soft. It was dark outside, but the bright incandescent lights at the supermarket entrance made it no different from daytime.
Jiang Ruoning recalled how close they had been while talking earlier. She remembered that Shi Sui was quite tall too.
Her bare height had to be around one meter seventy-eight.
Perhaps because Jiang Ruoning was used to seeing bony frames at work, Shi Sui struck her as somewhat plump—in a good way. Of course, this figure would be considered slim on anyone else, but as a model, it was occupational habit to notice that slight fullness.
A bit of fullness was nice; it made her look vibrant and energetic.
And capable too.
The bench they sat on wasn’t very long—perfect for two people, a bit cramped for three. Probably because of that, Shi Sui crossed one leg and rested her elbow on her knee. Jiang Ruoning looked at her posture and couldn’t help thinking of a magazine cover she had shot using a similar pose. She thought Shi Sui pulled it off more elegantly.
Her aura was really nice.
She wondered what she did for work.
Her phone vibrated.
Jiang Ruoning glanced at the screen: Qin Zheng had sent 【Where is she?】
Jiang Ruoning quickly looked away.
Staring at someone like that for so long wasn’t polite.
She replied to Qin Zheng: 【She’s here.】
Qin Zheng: 【Who are you talking about?】
Jiang Ruoning: 【No idea.】
Qin Zheng: 【Huh?】
Even through the phone, Jiang Ruoning could picture Qin Zheng buried in question marks. She burst out laughing, and immediately, the big one and the little one both turned to look at her. Xiao Guai was licking her ice cream bite by bite, reluctant to finish it. Jiang Ruoning said, “Eat it faster; it’s going to melt.”
As she looked up after saying that, she met Shi Sui’s eyes.
This woman’s eye shape was quite nice—not the typical almond or phoenix eyes, but one that blended perfectly with her face: narrow and elongated at the outer corners, flowing with charm when she glanced over.
In their circle, looks weren’t the strictest requirement; they pursued figures more obsessively, especially freakishly perfect hip measurements. Jiang Ruoning was often called pretty and beautiful too, but she felt that attractiveness was a straightforward gut feeling.
Like the person in front of her.
Jiang Ruoning just thought she was attractive.
Very attractive.
She must have a ton of admirers.
The thought popped into Jiang Ruoning’s head unbidden. Then a hand waved in front of her face. She snapped back and smiled at Shi Sui. “Sorry about that.”
Shi Sui asked, “What were you thinking?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Ruoning brushed it off. “You just look like a friend of mine.”
The line was so cheesy it dropped to the floor.
Eight out of ten pickup lines started that way. Sure enough, the other woman was cheesed out and fell silent, just pursing her lips.
Jiang Ruoning turned her head and saw her tense profile. Then she remembered: “What’s your name?”
Shi Sui paused. “Shi Sui.”
She extended her hand. “The ‘shi’ from time, and the ‘sui’ from years.”
“Shi Sui, why are you named that?”
“Is the name bad?”
“It’s not great. Sounds like you’re ten years old, underage. Kissing you would feel like bullying a kid.”
“Then I’ll change it to Eighteen Sui.”
“Your mom would kill me, haha—”
Jiang Ruoning took her hand. Her slender fingers gave a light, polite shake without much pressure. Then she said, “Jiang Ruoning.”
Shi Sui teased her: “Which Jiang?”
Jiang Ruoning replied, “The ginger from ginger root.”
Shi Sui reached out and wrote a character in her palm: “This one?”
Jiang Ruoning leaned close, looked down at the writing in her own palm, and felt an itch in her heart.
It felt—
So flirtatious.
Who wrote someone else’s surname in their palm for no reason?
But her hand was really pretty.
The palm lines were clear too.
So clear… somewhat familiar.
Jiang Ruoning stared, entranced, until Shi Sui called her: “Jiang Ruoning?”
“Huh?” Jiang Ruoning said, “Yeah, that’s the Jiang.”
Shi Sui curled her fingers, as if trapping the character in her palm.
Jiang Ruoning felt a bit awkward and shifted her body.
One moment she thought Shi Sui had fallen for her at first sight.
The next, she felt like she was overthinking.
She couldn’t figure it out.
She sought help from Qin Zheng.
Qin Zheng analyzed for her: 【What did she do?】
Jiang Ruoning: 【She ate the ice cream I’ve eaten from.】
Qin Zheng: 【You’re still eating ice cream? Don’t you want to live? Forgot last time you ate something cold and had to have me take you to the hospital in the middle of the night with the pain?】
Jiang Ruoning: …
She quickly typed: 【That’s not the point!】
Qin Zheng: 【Oh.】
Qin Zheng: 【What else did she do?】
Jiang Ruoning: 【She wrote my name in her own palm.】
Qin Zheng: 【That’s pretty flirtatious.】
Jiang Ruoning: 【Right? It’s flirtatious, isn’t it?】
She was an adult, after all; she could spot these little flirty tricks.
Jiang Ruoning smugly raised her brow.
And met Shi Sui’s gaze from the side.
Suddenly feeling a bit guilty.
What if she didn’t mean it that way?
That would be awkward.
Very awkward.
So she covered her phone screen, leaving only the last line visible.
Qin Zheng: 【What do you think?】
Jiang Ruoning: 【Think about what?】
Qin Zheng: 【Not interested in her?】
Jiang Ruoning: 【I just met her today. As if I’d be interested.】
Qin Zheng: 【Where’d you meet?】
Jiang Ruoning: 【At Sister Xiao Man’s. She’s her junior.】
Qin Zheng remembered Jiang Ruoning mentioning delivering materials to Sister Xiao Man after dinner; they must have met there. Qin Zheng lowered her eyes, silent for a moment before typing: 【If you’re interested, give it a try.】
Jiang Ruoning: 【No way. Don’t even think it. My mom’s finally calmed down these past two years. I don’t want extra trouble.】
Qin Zheng’s fingers froze over the keyboard as she read the message.
Two years ago, Jiang Ruoning had been hit with rumors claiming her job success came from sleeping with the boss, even with fake ‘bed photos’ circulating. Though it was later cleared up as deepfakes and she sued a bunch of people, her mother Jiang Qin still relapsed from the shock.
Jiang Ruoning dropped all her work to stay by her side in the hospital for over two months until her condition improved before resuming work.
Thinking back to that time…
Qin Zheng felt a lingering fear.
Yun An watched as the person in the video stopped mid-sentence, staring at her phone without a word. She called out, “Zhengzheng?”
Qin Zheng looked up.
Yun An asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qin Zheng said, “Chatting with Ruoning.”
Yun An propped her chin, watching her. “About what?”
Qin Zheng replied, “She met someone she’s interested in.”
If she wasn’t interested, why would she message first? Over the years, countless people had chased her or fallen at first sight, but this was the first time she’d proactively messaged for ‘help.’
She didn’t call out Jiang Ruoning’s interest, partly because of her mom.
Yun An took a moment to respond: “She likes someone new?”
Qin Zheng wasn’t pleased: “What do you mean ‘likes someone new’?”
Yun An said, “She and Shi Sui…”
Qin Zheng cut her off, frowning: “Don’t mention her to me.”
Yun An sulked a bit.
And dropped it.
Qin Zheng’s mood soured from the interruption, her brows drooping.
Yun An pulled back the curtains on her end and said to the phone, “Zhengzheng, look outside.”
Qin Zheng looked up and saw fine raindrops on the window. She spaced out: “It’s raining?”
Yun An said, “Yeah, it’s raining.”
Qin Zheng: “Since when?”
Yun An: “Around five or six in the afternoon.”
As she spoke, she walked to the window, opened it, and held out her hand. Rain fell into her palm. Qin Zheng’s low mood lifted a bit. Seeing her stare out the window entranced, Yun An couldn’t help asking, “What are you thinking?”
Qin Zheng said, “Thinking about you.”
A faint blush rose on Yun An’s fair face. She coughed softly and lowered her eyes.
Through the phone, Qin Zheng heard the rain.
She was thinking of Yun An—and of Jiang Ruoning.
She wondered when her mom would finally relent.
Jiang Ruoning didn’t care much; dating or not didn’t affect her much. These years, friends had secretly tried setting her up, even suggesting her and Ye Yu. She’d pinched Ye Yu’s cheek and laughed wildly: “With Ye Yu? I’d climb into her bed today and her fans would drag me off tomorrow. No thanks!”
Ye Yu had asked her too: “Never thought of finding someone else?”
Finding someone else.
As if she’d found someone before.
—She kind of had.
Jiang Ruoning toyed with her phone when Xiao Guai called from her side: “Jiejie.”
She turned her head. Xiao Guai’s face was a mess like a little tabby cat. Jiang Ruoning laughed out loud. She was about to grab a tissue to wipe her face but remembered she hadn’t brought her bag. As she started to stand, a hand offered her tissues.
Jiang Ruoning looked up into Shi Sui’s beautiful eyes and smiled. “Thanks.”
Shi Sui said, “You’re welcome.”
So familiar.
Her voice sounded familiar too.
But Jiang Ruoning couldn’t place where she’d heard it. While wiping Xiao Guai’s mouth, the child pointed at some pedestrians ahead and giggled: “Kissing!”
Jiang Ruoning nearly stuffed the tissue in her mouth.
When she whipped her head around, the young couple at the crosswalk was still going at it, locked in an inseparable kiss.
She quietly raised a hand to block Xiao Guai’s view.
Xiao Guai tugged her hand, her big innocent eyes curious: “Jiejie, can I kiss you like that?”
Laughter came from beside her.
Jiang Ruoning turned to see Shi Sui’s fingers pressed to her thin lips, as if holding back a laugh. Up close, she could see the tension in Shi Sui’s profile from suppressing it.
Shi Sui lowered her eyes.
Jiang Ruoning told Xiao Guai, “No, you can only kiss jiejie’s cheek. Mouth kisses are for couples only.”
Xiao Guai didn’t get it: “What’s a couple?”
“Like your mom and dad.” Jiang Ruoning explained.
Xiao Guai asked, “Does jiejie have a couple?”
“Jiejie…” It stung right in the heart. Jiang Ruoning smiled and said, “Jiejie used to.”
Xiao Guai nodded: “Where’s jiejie’s couple then?”
Jiang Ruoning hesitated, then answered seriously: “No idea.” She added, “Maybe dead.”
Shi Sui: …
