Hearing Chi Yu's words, a flicker of struggle flashed across Jiang Zhirou's gentle eyes.
Among lovers, kissing is a perfectly normal thing. Not only kissing, but also intimate contact is almost inevitable.
Situations like what happened in the elevator today would only occur more frequently in the future.
Jiang Zhirou's mind went blank for a moment.
"Please forgive me just this once, okay?"
Chi Yu's voice suddenly rang in her ear.
Jiang Zhirou looked up in the direction of the voice.
Only to find that Chi Yu had somehow walked up to her.
The next second, he knelt down on one knee and squatted in front of Jiang Zhirou. He reached out and took her hand, carefully holding in his palm the hand that had been covering her ear.
He looked tenderly at the woman in front of him.
Meeting Chi Yu's gentle gaze, Jiang Zhirou unconsciously took a deep breath and struggled to pull her hand out of his palm.
Noticing her movement, Chi Yu was momentarily stunned. Then he softly coaxed the woman in front of him.
"I swear." Chi Yu raised three fingers in a solemn oath. "I will never kiss you without your permission again."
"I will surely strengthen self - discipline in the future and always keep the word 'restraint' in mind. I won't make my baby angry again."
"Just forgive me this once, okay?"
A look of grievance appeared on Chi Yu's face. He looked seriously at the woman in front of him and patiently waited for a response.
Jiang Zhirou pursed her lips and said nothing.
Her look towards Chi Yu was rather complicated.
Strictly speaking, she had only spent a few short days with Chi Yu since returning from Country A.
But she didn't know if it was because of Shen Qingmian that she always felt an inexplicable flutter in her heart whenever she was with Chi Yu.
This was not a good sign for her.
Love was the last thing she needed. Compared with Chi Yu, she was more eager to find out why she had been sent away back then, and why her mother had suddenly committed suicide when her illness had already improved so much.
She had too many mysteries to solve and too many things waiting for answers.
She couldn't be like Shen Qingmian, spending a great deal of time on Chi Yu. She couldn't, and she wouldn't.
She loved herself more than anyone else.
If Chi Yu were to become an obstacle on her path to finding the answers, she would clear him away without hesitation.
Chi Yu would eventually find out that she was not Shen Qingmian. Perhaps now was the best time for her to confess her identity.
Jiang Zhirou's hands tightened into fists. She stared at the man in front of her for a long time. Just as she was about to speak, Chi Yu's phone suddenly rang.
"It's Old Master Jiang."
Chi Yu took out his phone, showed the screen to Jiang Zhirou, and then pressed the answer button.
"Old Master Jiang."
Chi Yu respectfully greeted the person on the other end of the phone.
Soon, Jiang Yuezhong's voice came through the phone.
"I heard you've brought my granddaughter back to the imperial capital?"
Hearing that familiar voice from memory, Jiang Zhirou's eyes involuntarily flickered, and her nose suddenly felt sour.
It was her grandfather...
He just said... granddaughter?
Did he know she was back?
No...
It seemed that he had already recognized Shen Qingmian as his granddaughter, and as for her, he had already given her a death notice.
Jiang Zhirou felt as if something was stuck in her throat. She wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
She was a bit confused about the memories of Shen Qingmian and herself, and she couldn't remember when she had last seen her grandfather.
While she was in a daze, Chi Yu had already hung up the phone.
"Old Master Jiang said he has an academic conference in the imperial capital these days. He'll arrive in the imperial capital by plane tomorrow and wants to see you."
Hearing this, an unnatural look flashed across Jiang Zhirou's face.
The person he wanted to see was Shen Qingmian, not her, Jiang Zhirou.
If she went to the appointment tomorrow, would her grandfather recognize her?
Would he immediately know that she was Zhizhi?
Jiang Zhirou felt a bit of anticipation, but more of it was fear.
Whether it was due to nervousness or something else, Jiang Zhirou's hands tightened into fists, and her palms were covered in sweat.
Seeing her strange expression, Chi Yu reached out and felt her forehead. "Are you not feeling well?"
Like an electric shock, Jiang Zhirou suddenly slapped Chi Yu's hand away forcefully. "I'm f - fine."
Seeing her over - reactive action, Chi Yu instantly frowned, and his look towards her became more inquisitive.
After a long while, Chi Yu slowly said,
"Baby, you've been acting a bit strange since you came back to the imperial capital."
As soon as he said this, Jiang Zhirou's heart skipped a beat.
The next second, Chi Yu's voice rang in her ear again.
"Didn't we agree? We should never hide anything from each other in the future. We should be honest. Can you tell me what's wrong with you?"
Chi Yu's voice was soft and gentle. He didn't urge her or force her to answer. He just quietly accompanied her, as if telling her that as long as she was willing to talk, he would always be there.
Meeting Chi Yu's gaze, the courage that Jiang Zhirou had just mustered to tell everything vanished in an instant.
She looked at the man in front of her, lowered her head, and whispered, "It's nothing serious. I just suddenly feel that my life doesn't seem to be going smoothly."
Hearing this, Chi Yu instantly became nervous.
He subconsciously thought that "Qingmian" had remembered what had happened in Mexico. He quickly stood up, sat down beside Jiang Zhirou, and pulled her into his arms. "Baby, don't think too much. The past is over. The present is the most important thing. As long as you're happy now, your life is going smoothly."
Jiang Zhirou remained motionless, allowing Chi Yu to hold her in his arms.
Her head rested on Chi Yu's chest.
Her ear was tightly pressed against the position of his heart, and she could even clearly hear the frequency of Chi Yu's heartbeat.
The familiar fragrance filled her nostrils.
Surrounded by all this, Jiang Zhirou felt an inexplicable sense of security, a feeling she had never had before.
If Chi Yu... never recognized her, would this sense of security never disappear?
As she was thinking, Jiang Zhirou unconsciously raised her hands and wrapped them around Chi Yu's waist. She tightened her grip, holding the man in front of her tightly, afraid that he would disappear the next second.
Chi Yu also noticed her action. He lowered his head and glanced at the woman in his arms. He saw that she had buried her head in his chest and tightened her grip even more.
Chi Yu's heart tightened, and he didn't say anything more. He didn't know what the woman in his arms was thinking at this moment, but he could feel that she needed him very much.
He placed one hand on the back of Jiang Zhirou's head and the other on her waist, bringing her closer to him.
Jiang Zhirou didn't resist. She suddenly felt reluctant. She was reluctant to let go of this feeling. If it was something stolen, then she would rely on it for a short while. Just let her be willful this once.
Just this once.