Chapter 64: Chapter 64

Shen Jianian managed to send emails to everyone on the list before noon, her neck aching with pain.

She picked up her phone to check the time. It was 11:30; she had to rush to the airport.

Informing Zhu Yilan, Shen Jianian picked up her bag from the chair and left a bit earlier, taking a cab to the airport.

Missing the lunch break rush hour, the taxi ride was smooth and unimpeded. However, since the airport was quite far from the East Ke Office Building, she still arrived about ten minutes late.

Shen Jianian got out of the taxi and dashed towards the terminal exit.

Passengers from this flight were leaving one by one, enlarging the shadow of Bai Changxia waiting alone, standing next to a silver-white suitcase, gripping the handle as she looked around.

The moment their gazes met, Shen Jianian stopped running, placing a hand on her chest while catching her breath.

Bai Changxia dropped her suitcase and walked towards her. As she got closer and could clearly see Shen Jianian’s petite face, her steps suddenly paused. She stood a few steps away from her, just staring fixedly at her.

There was surprise, and reproach, but mostly relief.

Relief that Shen Jianian stood before her unscathed.

During the days of not receiving Shen Jianian’s letters, she had had countless bad speculations. She feared Shen Jianian couldn’t handle the family crisis and the shock of losing her parents, hiding away to end her life.

It was so good that she was still alive.

Bai Changxia took a deep breath, stepped forward, and hugged her tightly, controlling the force to give her a pat on the back: "How could you not contact me for so long!"

While saying words of accusation, her voice carried a slight sob, mingled with anger and sadness.

Shen Jianian sniffed, burying her face in her shoulder to hold back tears. Seeing her brought countless words to her heart, but only three came out: "I’m sorry."

"Who wants your apology!" Bai Changxia released her, stepped back, examined her carefully, and rolled her eyes, "Have you not been eating well? You’re so thin a gust of wind could blow you away."

Shen Jianian broke into a smile through her tears: "Not at all."

Bai Changxia went back to pick up her suitcase and followed Shen Jianian out of the airport.

This was her first time in Yicheng, a strange city where every sight and object brought a sense of freshness, but she didn’t have the leisure to appreciate it.

Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Shen Jianian gave the driver an address. Turning her head, she found Bai Changxia looking at her.

"Why did you come to Yicheng?" Bai Changxia took off her down jacket and held it in her arms, with too many questions to ask her, she started with the simplest one.

"I have relatives in Yicheng. After the trouble at home, I came over."

"Are they treating you well?"

There are many people who just follow the crowd in the world. After the Shen Family’s downfall, some relatives are just in name. Bai Changxia worried that those so-called relatives were treating Shen Jianian harshly.

Shen Jianian looked down, fiddling with her nails, tugged at the corners of her lips, revealing a hard-to-describe bitter smile: "Let’s not talk about it. I don’t see them anymore."

Bai Changxia understood; it was indeed as she suspected.

"You still have me." Bai Changxia wrapped an arm around her shoulder, patted twice, comforting her, "In the future, I’ll have your back, making sure no one dares to bully you."

Shen Jianian smiled, occasionally checking the time on her phone, as she had work at two in the afternoon. She had already left early and couldn’t be late again.

The taxi stopped in front of the Mandiri Hotel’s main entrance, the car doors on both sides opened, and Shen Jianian and Bai Changxia got out from both ends.

Bai Changxia walked to the back, pulled out her suitcase from the car trunk, holding her down jacket in the crook of her arm, dressed in a tight-fitting dark coffee-colored knit top, black jeans wrapping her slender legs, paired with chunky Chelsea boots, combining both competence and allure.

Bai Changxia looked up at the hotel’s sign.

Mandiri, a five-star hotel under the Junshan Group’s chain.

"Where do you usually live?" Since Shen Jianian arranged it this way, she didn’t object, though she inwardly preferred to take a look at where she lived.

Shen Jianian stepped onto the stairs, her pace slightly hesitating, not wanting to deceive her: "Living at... someone else’s place."

Bai Changxia could easily tell she had a heavy mind, so she considerately didn’t press her, waiting for when she’d be ready to speak. She brought plenty of clothes this time, having all the time in the world.

Quickly, a hotel lobby attendant walked over to help Bai Changxia with her luggage.

After a smooth check-in, Shen Jianian accompanied Bai Changxia to the room upstairs to settle her things, then took her to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

While ordering, Shen Jianian said, "I have to go back to work later, so I might only be able to see you after work. I’m really sorry, you came all this way, and I can’t keep you company..."

Bai Changxia raised her hand to interrupt her: "Shen Jianian, wow, are we strangers now? What kind of relationship do we have? Saying sorry to me means you don’t consider me a friend anymore?"

Shen Jianian smiled with her lips tightly curled: "I’ll come find you after work." She paused in her tone, "I’ll try my best."

Currently living at the Rose Manor, someone else’s place, where going out for the night requires the host’s consent, she could only say she’d try her best to Bai Changxia.

Bai Changxia didn’t notice anything unusual, burying herself in the meal, occasionally picking food for Shen Jianian, advising her to eat more, claiming she was too thin to be healthy.

She always looked after her, like an elder sister.

Shen Jianian ate the food in her bowl, sometimes lifting her lips to laugh, at times feeling a lump in her throat wanting to cry, her mood roller-coasting up and down.

Before two in the afternoon, Shen Jianian rushed back to the company.

Having woken up early, with no lunch break, Shen Jianian was so tired her eyelids fought to stay open. She brewed a strong cup of black coffee to stay alert until the end of the workday.

Fu Jichen had some matters to deal with tonight, still staying at the company.

Having quietly organized in her mind what she wanted to say, Shen Jianian holding her bag, knocked on the door to his office, and hearing "come in", she opened the door and entered.

Fu Jichen rested his hands, fingers interlocked, casually on the table’s edge, his eyes fixated on the computer screen. Only when she approached did he look up, slightly surprised to see it was Shen Jianian, raising an eyebrow.

Outside of working hours, she never came to his office, being more strict about keeping business and personal matters separate than he, the boss.

Shen Jianian pressed her lips together, saying: "A friend of mine came from Beicheng to see me. I want to spend tonight with her, and may not come back."

Fu Jichen looked at her silently. Shen Jianian added a questioning line: "Is that okay?"

Fu Jichen beckoned her with a finger.

Shen Jianian stood still.

Fu Jichen said: "Come here."

After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Shen Jianian walked around to the front of the desk and stood by his side, holding her bag in front of her, with her hands almost touching the chair armrest.

But Fu Jichen thought it wasn’t close enough. He grasped her wrists, pulling her into his embrace, forcing her to sit on his lap.

It wasn’t the first time.

But being in an office setting, Shen Jianian was filled with discomfort in every pore.

Fu Jichen seemed unaffected, circling her waist with his arm; one arm was enough, two were more than ample.

"Make me happy and I’ll agree," he said slowly in her ear.

Shen Jianian thought of the foolish emperors of old, who must be like Fu Jichen.

If he were emperor, what was she... a favored concubine perhaps?

"What are you thinking?" Fu Jichen, dissatisfied, pinched her chin, making her focus on him.

What tricks did Shen Jianian have to please him? None but to cup his face, close her eyes, lean forward, and press her lips to his in an uncertain deep kiss.

Such inexperience, ironically, was the most alluring.

Fu Jichen’s breath rhythm broke before hers, his hand on her waist clutching tighter, pressing her securely into his chest. Shen Jianian’s back was against the table edge but didn’t feel too uncomfortable due to her thick winter clothing.

At that moment, someone knocked on the office door from outside.