Chapter 11: Jealousy

Fu Yingcheng didn’t take long to finish half a cigarette. The underground parking lot was quiet and dim. Ji Fanling sat in the passenger seat, her expression unchanged, scrolling through her phone while she waited.

Her fingers swiped quickly, but her mind was elsewhere.

How could Fu Yingcheng smoke her remaining cigarette?

Even Ji Guoliang wouldn’t pick up someone else’s cigarette to smoke.

Could it be…

That he actually…

Really likes this type of cigarette? So much that he wouldn’t waste even a bit of it?

In that case, he’s actually more down-to-earth than she had imagined.

A message from a fake document seller popped up on her phone, pulling her thoughts back.

AA Qualification Certificate, Graduation Certificate, Business License: 【Your ID and student card are ready. You can pick them up anytime.】

None of My Business: 【I’ll come by later.】

Ji Fanling first went upstairs with Fu Yingcheng, carrying the things they had bought and the rabbit. Then she mentioned that she needed to go out to look for a job. Fu Yingcheng never stopped her from going out; he only asked if she would be back for dinner.

He asked very casually, but Ji Fanling was taken aback for a moment.

She couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked her this.

Maybe it was back in the first or second grade of primary school.

Back then, Jiang Wan hadn’t yet been diagnosed with stomach cancer. She was working as a classical dance teacher at a training center, always dressed in beautiful white long dresses.

Sometimes, when she had just gotten home from work, she would see her daughter rushing out, shouting, “Mom, I’m going to my classmate’s house to play.” Jiang Wan would smile and ask, “Will you be back for dinner?”

“…I’ll be back.” Ji Fanling held the doorknob, saying softly.

*

The fake ID made by the forger looked authentic. 

Ji Fanling was very satisfied, feeling that it could easily pass for the real thing.

She settled the payment and even used the seller’s computer to print out a few copies of her resume. Then, she applied to all the convenience stores, restaurants, bookstores, fast-food restaurants, and bubble tea shops that had job postings within a few kilometers.

Her top priority right now was to find a job.

As for going back to continue her senior year of high school…

What a joke, she wasn’t considering it at all.

Not to mention where she would get the money for tuition, meals, and accommodation. Going back to school? She would never willingly go back to school in this lifetime.

Initially, she had hoped that Cheng Jiali would let her stay for a while, but now it seemed unsuitable. If she went to Cheng Jiali for money, in what capacity would she ask? As a resurrected ex-girlfriend?

She would rather owe Fu Yingcheng.

Cheng Jiali considered her dead, so she might as well consider him dead too.

With that thought, she actually felt a sense of relief.

By the time Ji Fanling returned home, it was already completely dark.

The braised beef brisket with potatoes and the bamboo shoot chicken soup that Aunt Tong made yesterday were in the fridge, so the two of them had a simple meal at home.

Because she had made some progress with her job search, Ji Fanling was in a pretty good mood and couldn’t help but chat a bit more with Fu Yingcheng.

“I should be able to find a job soon. The 7-Eleven on Hui’an Road and Yongle Supermarket both seem eager to hire.”

“Is that so?”

“Just tomorrow morning, I have two interviews.” She owed it to having the A university student ID.

“Good luck.”

“It seems that making money isn’t that difficult after all.”

Ji Fanling curled her lips into a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll soon be able to pay you back for…” the accommodation and meals you’ve covered for me during this time.

She stopped herself halfway through the sentence.

Having seen Ji Guoliang being chased for debts for many years, she had picked up quite a few lessons from those experiences.

For example, never set a specific time for repayment.

For example, if the creditor doesn’t mention money, you shouldn’t bring it up either.

For example, unless absolutely necessary, never promise that you’ll repay the money.

Ji Fanling swallowed back her words about the money and quickly changed her statement: “…Being kept.”

…

“I’ll soon be able to keep you.”

Keep. You.

Keep! You!

The air instantly fell silent.

Fu Yingcheng’s chopsticks paused in mid-air. His long eyelashes lifted, revealing deep, dark eyes that gazed at her with an indescribable expression.

Then, very slowly and casually, he raised his eyebrow.

Ji Fanling: “…”

The girl met his gaze, bracing herself, and slowly said, “However, I don’t like to force others.”

“—If you’re not willing, then just forget it.”

After saying this, Ji Fanling buried her head and started eating furiously, stuffing her cheeks with food like a hamster.

With this, she was practically signaling that she was done talking and hoped they could both just focus on eating in silence.

Perhaps her tactic worked, as there was no response for a while.

Just when she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the matter had passed.

A soft, breathy laugh sounded above her head.

It was like a feather brushing against her eardrum, sending a tingling sensation through her.

“I didn’t realize this was your plan.”

Ji Fanling looked up and saw the man leaning back against his chair. His lips were pressed into a straight line, his tone cold and arrogant, with his dark eyes fixed on her, holding a faint hint of a smile.

“…Quite an ambitious goal.”

*

After dinner, Fu Yingcheng washed the newly purchased tableware one by one. Although a cleaning lady came regularly to tidy up the house, he couldn’t stand leaving dirty dishes overnight.

Once he finished, he went back to handling the work he hadn’t completed during the day.

When Fu Yingcheng told Yang Mingzhe that he was busy with work, he wasn’t exaggerating.

The products from Jiuzhou had gained widespread recognition overseas, and a single appearance at the MEDICA International Medical Equipment Exhibition had booked Jiuzhou’s orders for the next two years.

On the other hand, their production factories were all based domestically, and transporting large equipment as whole units was inconvenient. The components needed to be individually packaged, shipped by sea, and then assembled on-site. Invitations from upstream suppliers interested in partnering with Jiuzhou Medical flooded his inbox like snowflakes.

Fu Yingcheng was in the process of organizing the potential partners he wanted to learn more about, sending them to the International Business Director for further investigation and screening, when a message from Su Lingqing popped up on WeChat:

【Ji Fanling’s ID card and household registration book have been taken care of.】

【I just landed this afternoon and rushed to pick them up. Tell me, aren’t you touched?】

c: 【Thanks.】

Su Lingqing: 【Since you’re online, why didn’t you like my Moments?】

c: 【How old are you?】

Since Su Lingqing had indeed helped him, Fu Yingcheng put his work aside, clicked into Moments, and liked the tourist photos of Su Lingqing posing with a German beauty by King’s Avenue and the Rhine River.

Normally, Fu Yingcheng didn’t have the habit of browsing Moments. After liking the post, he was about to exit when he accidentally caught a glimpse of a post from an old classmate above.

The post shared a link to a wedding anniversary album. Clicking into it revealed a meticulously crafted slideshow, unfolding like a scroll amidst a sea of flowers.

Anyone who shared this wedding album link on Moments could participate in a raffle, truly a high-profile declaration of love.

—The wedding of Cheng Jiali and Fang Jingyun.

Fu Yingcheng’s expression darkened, and images of the girl’s unusual behavior yesterday flashed through his mind uncontrollably.

Suddenly saying she wanted to go out to eat, returning distracted, her mood low, and her eyes red late at night.

That morning, he had postponed his meeting with a business partner to take her to see Jiang Baixing, hoping she would understand the significance of what she was doing.

Initially, he had no intention of meeting Jiang Baixing, nor of taking Ji Fanling to meet him, because he couldn’t stand seeing him grow older each year to the same age as the girl, looking so lively and full of life.

The healthier he lived, the more it reminded people that someone had died in his place.

Supporting him was merely because he felt that the person whose life she had exchanged for his shouldn’t live poorly.

That was all.

…

And yet, her emotions throughout the entire night weren’t for herself, but they were all for someone else?

Fu Yingcheng deleted the classmate who had shared the wedding album without a second thought, and his gaze grew even darker.

What’s so great about Cheng Jiali, anyway?