Chapter 22: Jealousy’s Sting

“Hey! I hadn’t even struck my pose yet, and you already took the picture.”

Ji Shuyi, amidst the flowers, grumbled at Jiang Cheng, who was holding the camera, snapping away with an indifferent air. “Are you even any good at this? If not, let’s switch people.”

Saying this, she quickly walked over and snatched the camera from his hands, checking the photos he’d taken. She flipped through several, the complaining expression on her face gradually smoothing out into a look of calm. The photos were actually… not bad.

“Alright, they’re passable,” Ji Shuyi said, tilting her chin up slightly as she sheepishly returned the camera to Jiang Cheng.

“It’s called efficiency, you know,” Jiang Cheng said, glancing at her lazily. “Thought everyone was as slow as you.”

Ji Shuyi retorted, unconvinced, “It’s mainly because this young lady is as beautiful as a flower, with no bad angles from any direction! That’s why…”

Suddenly, the ringtone of her phone interrupted her. Judging by the ringtone, it was Tang Yu.

“Yanyan, I’m going to answer this,” Ji Shuyi said, walking towards the place where she had put her phone as she explained to Shen Yan, “It’s Tang Yu-ge calling.”

Shen Yan replied, “Okay.”

The call connected, and Ji Shuyi greeted him politely, “Tang Yu-ge.”

It was clearly a very normal voice and tone.

But in Jiang Cheng’s ears, it sounded almost like a flirtatious murmur, making him feel inexplicably irritated.

Ji Shuyi continued, asking, “What’s up?”

Tang Yu said, “I was just wondering if you’re free this afternoon? I have two tickets for a musical.”

“Not today, unfortunately,” Ji Shuyi replied truthfully. “I’m here with Yanyan right now and won’t be heading back until after dinner.”

“You’re at Ninth Brother and Sister-in-Law’s place,” Tang Yu said, politely and gently. “In that case, we can go together another time.”

“Okay, I’m really sorry,” Ji Shuyi said apologetically. “I’m free tomorrow; we can hang out then…”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng suddenly frowned in annoyance and blurted out, interrupting, “Ji Shuyi, are you going to take photos or not? My sister is still waiting for you.”

Shen Yan quickly said, hearing this, “I’m not in a hurry.”

On the other end of the phone, Tang Yu vaguely heard the voices on this side and politely said, “Then you go ahead and get busy. We’ll talk when you’re free.”

Hanging up the phone, Ji Shuyi glanced at the strange person with a puzzled look and muttered, “Why are you rushing me? It’s not like you’re paying my phone bill!”

Watching Ji Shuyi turn around and walk back to the garden, Jiang Cheng also felt that he was gradually becoming strange. It seemed that he just couldn’t stand Tang Yu looking for her.

Even during the subsequent photo shoot, he couldn’t help but focus the lens on her alone.

In the lens, she smiled brightly, as if competing in beauty with the entire flower garden.

Excessively dazzling.

That was the first time Jiang Cheng discovered a feeling budding in his heart, an odd notion of not wanting anyone to get close to her.

After the photoshoot, Ji Shuyi sat on the sofa, flipping through the photos in the camera. The further she scrolled, the tighter her brows furrowed, her cheeks puffed out as she mumbled, “The ones you took later aren’t good at all.”

She didn’t realize that it was after Tang Yu’s call that the shots gradually became half-hearted.

“That must be because your beauty is too fleeting,” Jiang Cheng said casually, sitting on the sofa with his legs spread open, one arm draped over the backrest. “Short shelf life, so it wasn’t good later.”

“You!” Ji Shuyi was speechless with exasperation. “That mouth of yours is utterly superfluous!”

She really wanted to poison him and make him mute.

What a jerk!

Night began to fall.

The dining table was already laden with various exquisite delicacies.

Still immersed in thinking of ways to poison Jiang Cheng into silence, Ji Shuyi saw the red and white wine placed on the table and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She took the initiative to help the servants prepare the tableware and glasses.

“Miss Shuyi, you can just go and wait,” the servant hurriedly stopped her, saying, “We can do these things.”

“It’s alright,” Ji Shuyi said, carrying over the plate holding the chopsticks and cutlery. “I’m just idle anyway.”

Having convinced the servant, Ji Shuyi secretly prepared a special set of tableware and wine glasses. As she placed them on the table, she plotted in her heart, thinking,

Uncle Jiang should sit in the main seat, with Eldest Sister and Brother-in-Law on either side, and then Jiang Cheng as the younger brother.

After the tableware was arranged, Jiang Yuhuai and his son-in-law, Tang Shiqing, came down from the study upstairs and sat at the dining table.

Ji Shuyi was secretly delighted. The seating arrangement was indeed as she had predicted. Seeing Jiang Cheng sit in the spot she had envisioned eased her anxious heart considerably.

“Uncle Jiang, let me pour you some wine,” Ji Shuyi offered, asking, “Would you like white or red?”

“Oh, no need, no need,” Jiang Yuhuai hurriedly waved his hand to stop her, saying, “How can I let you pour the wine? We have servants for that.”

“It’s okay,” Ji Shuyi reasoned, plotting her little plan and trying hard to persuade him. “I didn’t know you would be here, so I didn’t bring you a gift, Uncle. I just want to personally pour you a glass of wine.”

She had changed back into the white dress she had arrived in. Naturally well-behaved and gentle-looking, with a bright smile, she was especially pleasing to elders. Especially since Jiang Yuhuai knew that Ji Shuyi was one of his precious daughter’s few and best friends, he no longer refused and complied with her wishes.

Ji Shuyi smiled and went over to pour Jiang Yuhuai a glass, then casually said to Tang Shiqing, “Ninth Brother, I’ll pour you a glass too.”

Having poured for those two, it wouldn’t be appropriate not to pour for the rest, so Ji Shuyi seized the opportunity and said, “Let me pour for everyone.”

Jiang Cheng watched Ji Shuyi pouring him wine, sensing that something mischievous was hidden behind that well-behaved smile, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

With the wine poured, Jiang Yuhuai took the lead and chatted casually for a few moments.

Although Jiang Yuhuai was an elder, his personality didn’t have that pretentious, seniority-flaunting seriousness. Instead, he had a straightforward, chivalrous air of a Jianghu hero, and he spoke without restraint, creating a relaxed atmosphere at the dining table.

“Uncle Jiang, I’d like to offer you a toast,” Ji Shuyi, as the youngest, took the initiative to stand up, holding her wine glass towards Jiang Yuhuai, smiling brightly. “I wish you happiness always and a long life.”

“Good, good, good,” Jiang Yuhuai happily raised his glass. “Thank you, our little Shuyi.”

After toasting Jiang Yuhuai, Ji Shuyi looked at Jiang Cheng with a sweet smile, feigning the innocent appearance of a ‘white lotus’, and said obediently, “Jiang Cheng-gege, I’d also like to offer you a toast. We’re at the same school, so thank you for taking care of me at school these past few days…”

She smiled ingratiatingly. “…taking such good care of me.”

Jiang Cheng-gege?

So ingratiating and artificial. What is this girl plotting?

Jiang Cheng didn’t immediately raise his glass, only stared at her intently with deep eyes, then tilted his head slightly.

Ji Shuyi understood that look. It was a silent coercion.

“Jiang Cheng-gege, don’t you want to drink with me?” Ji Shuyi asked, completely unafraid, her smile obedient but with the hint of a child who had done something wrong. “Or don’t you want to drink the wine I poured?”

Saying this, she pursed her lips innocently and looked towards Jiang Yuhuai in the main seat, feigning grievance. “Uncle Jiang, why don’t you have a servant pour him a new glass? Jiang Cheng-gege probably doesn’t like the wine I poured.”

“That’s nonsense,” Jiang Yuhuai quickly said. “My son, Jiang Cheng, isn’t that picky.”

He immediately looked at Jiang Cheng and said, “A’Cheng, quickly drink with your Shuyi-meimei. A real man doesn’t make a girl wait with her glass raised.”

“Alright, I’ll drink.”

Only then did Jiang Cheng raise his glass to drink. However, just as the glass touched his lips, with his sharp alertness, he smelled something off about the wine. So that’s what she was planning.

Ji Shuyi noticed Jiang Cheng’s reaction and hurriedly said, “Jiang Cheng-gege, drink up!”

She smiled with a harmless expression. “You don’t think I’m trying to poison you, do you?”

The way she said that was very skillful. It was as if, if he didn’t drink, he would be suspecting her.

A smile was hidden in Jiang Cheng’s eyes, cunning and dark.

You want to play, huh? I’ll play along with you.