Chapter 26: A Tough Guy’s Tender Heart

Jiang Cheng casually grabbed a dry towel from the sofa and absently rubbed his close-cropped hair, his thoughts heavy.

His loss of control today must have frightened her. Just now, her voice had been filled with the anger of being violated.

But when he kissed her, he only meant for it to be a light touch.

Yet her lips were so soft, so alluring, making the blood rush to his head until he couldn’t control himself…

Lost in thought for a moment, he ultimately couldn’t shake his unease and got up, throwing on a jacket before heading out.

It was already past one in the morning, and the streets were nearly deserted.

Under the cloak of night, a jet-black Bugatti sped past.

Jiang Cheng had been drinking, so the driver dropped him off in front of a Nordic-style villa and left.

A knock sounded on the third-floor bedroom door.

Ji Shuyi, who was wide awake and trying to piece together her scattered thoughts, immediately got out of bed. Opening the door, she saw Duo Xi.

Duo Xi said gently, “Miss, there’s a young man downstairs named Jiang Cheng who says he’s looking for you. He’s below your window right now.”

Duo Xi was a new maid, from a mountainous area, and didn’t recognize Jiang Cheng.

Hearing the name Jiang Cheng, Ji Shuyi instantly blurted out, filled with resentment, “Tell him I don’t want to see him. Don’t pay him any attention, and no one else should either. Everyone, go back to rest.”

Duo Xi replied, “Very well, Miss. I’ll go and tell him.”

Being refused an audience was exactly what Jiang Cheng had expected, yet he didn’t turn around and leave.

In the darkness, he lit a cigarette, casually leaning against a decorative rock. He gazed up at her bedroom window, his eyelids slightly lowered.

He didn’t actually know what he was doing standing guard here, or even why he was here. Perhaps he wanted her to know that he wouldn’t disappear, that he would take responsibility for his actions.

His heart was in turmoil, so chaotic that he couldn’t make sense of his own behavior.

He just kept inhaling deeply, the smoke enveloping him and concealing all his emotions.

Meanwhile, in her room, Ji Shuyi tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She couldn’t understand why Jiang Cheng would kiss her. Weren’t they supposed to hate each other?

After who knows how long, Ji Shuyi, feeling utterly frustrated, recalled Duo Xi’s words: “…he’s below your window right now.” Immediately, she angrily got out of bed and stomped over to the window. Roughly, she yanked open the curtains and looked down, only to find that hateful figure really was there,

And he even met her gaze.

Their eyes locked, and her cheeks puffed up with anger, her breathing heavy, on the verge of yelling at him.

Without wanting to look at him for even a second longer, she quickly pulled the curtains shut again. Furious, she returned to bed and once more buried herself under the covers, starting to count sheep to hypnotize herself to sleep.

Downstairs, Jiang Cheng watched Ji Shuyi pull open the curtains and then quickly close them. In that brief eye contact, even from that distance, he could see her resentful expression. During his time waiting, he’d observed the layout of the villa. He could actually climb to the window and climb into her bedroom.

But for some reason, he didn’t dare to do it. It was the first time he’d discovered that he felt fear.

Early in the morning, Ji Jinghang, returning from a business trip, saw Jiang Cheng by the decorative rock. The butler promptly came forward and explained the situation, informing him that he’d been waiting there all night.

As her older brother, Ji Jinghang seemed to have guessed something. He walked towards Jiang Cheng, stopping in front of him, his attitude calm.

“Waiting for my sister? Then I advise you to go back for now. She’ll sleep for a long time. It’s the weekend today; when she wakes up, I’ll take her back to the old house for dinner.”

Jiang Cheng knew that the man in front of him was Ji Shuyi’s older brother, and he replied with equal composure, “When she wakes up, I’ll leave with you all.”

He thought that if she woke up and saw he was still there, she would better understand that he truly would take responsibility.

Seeing this, Ji Jinghang didn’t say much. He only smiled faintly and said, “Then please, make yourself comfortable, Young Master Jiang.” (Note: “Jiang Shao” is a respectful way of addressing a young master of the Jiang family.)

Ji Shuyi didn’t wake up until noon. After washing up and getting dressed, she went downstairs and saw her brother eating.

“Brother, when did you get back?” Having had a good sleep, Ji Shuyi felt much better, and she walked lightly to her brother and sat down beside him.

“I got back this morning.” Ji Jinghang handed her chopsticks and casually said, “When I got back, I saw Jiang Cheng by the decorative rock.”

He raised his eyes to look at his sister. “Was he waiting for you? What’s going on between you two?”

Ji Jinghang put it bluntly: “Are you dating?”

“No!” Ji Shuyi denied it hurriedly. “I don’t like him at all.”

Ji Jinghang stared intently into his sister’s eyes, trying to gauge the credibility of her words. Suddenly, he sighed softly and said,

“You’re grown up now. Dating is normal. Your brother doesn’t object, but…”

Ji Jinghang paused for a moment before continuing, “Don’t date Jiang Cheng. It won’t work out. You know Dad’s personality. He looks down on the Jiang family…”

“Uncle Jiang is very good, very open-minded. Why be prejudiced against them?” Even though Ji Shuyi didn’t like Jiang Cheng, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with his entire family. In fact, in her heart, Uncle Jiang was a very magnanimous and straightforward person without the airs of an elder.

Ji Jinghang frowned slightly and explained to her, “I know the Jiang family has power and influence, even wealth that could rival a country, but in Dad’s eyes, the Jiang family is just a bandit chieftain who reformed. The Jiang family used to have a purely dark background; they only cleared up all their connections in the last few years. Do you think someone as self-righteous as Dad would be willing to be related to them through marriage?

And you, you don’t want to make Dad angry…”

“Okay, Brother, don’t say anymore. I get it.”

Deep down, Ji Shuyi didn’t quite agree with some of her father’s behavior, but after all, he was her father, and she didn’t want to directly oppose him and make him angry. Fortunately, she didn’t like Jiang Cheng, so she didn’t want to discuss completely unnecessary things that would ruin her mood so soon after waking up. She only muttered softly,

“Besides, we’re not that noble either. Maybe they look down on us, calling us sanctimonious hypocrites pretending to be a reputable family.”

Ji Jinghang saw his sister’s little outburst of emotion. Feeling helpless, he reached out and touched his sister’s head in consolation.

“You can still hang out like before. After all, Dad also has a lot of business dealings with the Jiang family.”

As long as there’s no marriage, everything else is fine.

When Ji Shuyi went out with her brother, she saw Jiang Cheng was still there. She glanced at him from afar, without speaking. Her anger hadn’t dissipated, and her delicate, palm-sized face was puffed up with a cute, fierce expression as she silently shot him a glare.

Then, she arrogantly looped her arm through her brother’s, walking away as if she didn’t care whether he lived or died.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Cheng seemed to be able to read her inner thoughts: “Hmph! Waiting all night, hope you didn’t freeze to death!”

Watching this made Jiang Cheng shake his head with a helpless chuckle.

However, seeing her leave with her brother put his mind at ease.

His original intention was to prevent her from being bullied, to keep her from impulsively doing something extreme and foolish.