"You got up so early just to go for a morning jog with that guy, Shu Yi?"
"Let me ask you, are you trying to piss me off?"
"What, is Shu Yi younger? Are you tired of me now and looking for a younger man?"
"I got up at dawn to cook chicken soup for you. I thought you've been working out lately and needed a good nourishment."
"But you, the moment I went back to my room for a nap, you sneaked out to go jogging with some random guy?"
Chi Yu's rapid-fire scolding left Jiang Zhirou utterly confused.
She stared blankly at the man in front of her. "Huh?"
"You're even saying 'huh'? I could say 'huh' too!"
Chi Yu was really angry. His handsome face was flushed.
Jiang Zhirou couldn't help but think that perhaps Chen Qingmian had never angered Chi Yu to this extent.
A sudden sense of competitiveness welled up inside her.
So it turned out he hadn't seen through her after all. Jiang Zhirou heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at Chi Yu.
"So that's what you're talking about. I thought—"
Jiang Zhirou stopped abruptly. After that sigh of relief, she felt completely at ease. "I just ran into him by chance. What you said was so harsh. What do you mean by 'sneaked out'? I thought you were still sleeping, so I didn't even dare to put on my shoes too loudly for fear of waking you up."
"Also, I firmly forbid you to say you're old. Although you are indeed a bit older than him." Jiang Zhirou held up her finger and made a gesture not allowed in South Korea. "But you're much handsomer than him! Look at this face that was meticulously crafted by Nuwa, and this strong physique. You're the number one on the must-try list of Hanlin University! With a celestial being like you right in front of me, how could I have eyes for anyone else?"
"Shu Yi is at least half your student. Is it appropriate for you to call your student a random guy? If this gets out, your reputation as Professor Chi will be ruined."
Jiang Zhirou didn't give Chi Yu a chance to speak. One sentence after another came out of her mouth, and it became increasingly difficult for Chi Yu to suppress the smile on his lips.
"If you want to laugh, just laugh. Don't hold it in. You might hurt yourself," Jiang Zhirou said with a beaming smile at Chi Yu.
The next second, her vision suddenly went dark, and a warm sensation spread between her lips and teeth.
This kiss was different from the previous ones. It came fast and urgent, as if he wanted to meld her into his body.
After what seemed like an eternity, just when Jiang Zhirou felt she was about to suffocate from lack of oxygen, she suddenly inhaled a breath of air.
Chi Yu licked his lower lip. The lust in his eyes was undisguised. He half-closed his eyes and reached out to caress the corner of Jiang Zhirou's lips. "You're quite sharp-tongued today."
"It seems I really need to check what my baby has been learning in Country A."
Chi Yu's voice lingered in Jiang Zhirou's ear.
Looking at Chi Yu's current state, Jiang Zhirou didn't even need to guess what was going to happen next. She felt nervous and her throat went dry. She quickly interrupted him.
"I have something important to tell you!"
Hearing this, Chi Yu paused his movements and looked at her.
Jiang Zhirou quickly began to relay the information she had just gathered from Shu Yi to Chi Yu one by one.
"Shu Yi must be working for Wen Yuxuan. It must have been Wen Yuxuan who arranged for him to move to Yuhaiwan. But I still can't figure out what he might do to me. And what Wen Yuxuan's purpose is. I don't have any clues about these for the time being."
Jiang Zhirou seriously voiced her thoughts.
Chi Yu's expression also turned serious.
Before he could say anything, Jiang Zhirou suddenly let out a sigh.
"Sigh, I don't know what I've done to offend these people. Why do they all seem so determined to make my life miserable?"
Jiang Zhirou just casually sighed.
She didn't expect that this sentence would have such a strong impact on Chi Yu.
"I'm sorry."
Chi Yu suddenly apologized to her.
Jiang Zhirou looked at him blankly, puzzled. "Sorry for what?"
"I'm sorry I wasn't brave enough back then. If I had been more determined and hadn't gone abroad, you might not have been sent to Mexico, and maybe none of these things would have happened later."
"It's all my fault."
Looking at Chi Yu's serious expression, Jiang Zhirou knew he wasn't joking. He really blamed himself for all of this.
She stared at the man in front of her for a long time before speaking.
"You weren't the one who sent me to Mexico, and you weren't the one who hurt me. What's your fault?"
"According to your logic, you should have gone to the orphanage to take me home back then. Then, none of these things would have happened later. I wouldn't have caught An Ya's attention, and I could have become the little princess of the Chi family in the capital circle. Am I right?"
Jiang Zhirou said to Chi Yu half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Hearing her words, a strange look flashed across Chi Yu's eyes.
After a while, he spoke.
"Qingmian, you're different from before."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zhirou's expression froze for a moment.
She reacted quickly. "People change. I've really changed a lot during this time with Xia Xia, especially when it comes to comforting others. I'm already very good at it."
Chen Yixia was really a girl who was good at comforting others. Chi Yu didn't think much about it. The look in his eyes when he looked at Jiang Zhirou became even softer.
"I'll go serve you the soup."
With that, Chi Yu got up and walked into the kitchen.
Jiang Zhirou watched his back, and a figure suddenly flashed through her mind.
She still remembered that not long after she arrived at the Chen family, Chen Qingmian's emotions started to become unstable, and her appearances became more frequent. Almost every time she appeared, it was because of Wei Jianguo.
Wei Jianguo hated her and hardly ever let her eat. She was different from Chen Qingmian. Chen Qingmian would hide in her room and cry, but she would run out to find food for herself.
She still remembered that there was a brother a few years older than her in the neighborhood at that time. He always looked dejected. She observed him for a long time. He was very rich, but he was unhappy.
Jiang Zhirou took the initiative to approach him and coaxed him to take her to the amusement park and eat a lot of delicious food.
But later, Chen Yu'an found out what Wei Jianguo had done to Chen Qingmian and took her away. After that, Chen Qingmian's emotions also started to stabilize. She hardly ever appeared again, and she never saw that good-looking but dejected brother again.
Jiang Zhirou stared in Chi Yu's direction for a long time. She didn't even notice when he had walked up to her.
Seeing that she was in a daze, Chi Yu waved his hand in front of her eyes. "What are you thinking about so intently?"
The sudden voice interrupted Jiang Zhirou's train of thought. She suddenly came back to her senses and looked at the man in front of her.
Then, she smiled at Chi Yu and shook her head. "It's nothing. I suddenly felt that you're a bit like a brother I knew when I was a kid."
Chi Yu let out a laugh and gently ruffled her hair. "Thinking of another man right in front of me so openly?"
Hearing this, Jiang Zhirou just gave a faint smile and picked up the spoon, taking a mouthful of the chicken soup.
He just resembled him.
He wasn't as cheerful as Chi Yu.
He wasn't Chi Yu.