Chapter 14: We Meet Again

Ever since she dropped a bombshell on the campus forum that day, Wen Jiu hadn’t really paid attention to any news from Jing City.

During her days in Gangcheng, she either slept in or wandered the streets. Bathed in the morning sun and wrapped in the evening glow, her whole state of mind had completely relaxed.

That day, she took advantage of the rain to nap in the afternoon. Just after waking up and lying in bed zoning out, she received a message from Qi Qin.

Wen Jiu was a little surprised to see a message from him—after all, they had only met once.

She tapped open the chat box.

Qi Qin: [Wen Jiu, want to come out and have some fun? I’m throwing a little party at the estate—the scenery’s really nice. Interested?]

As Wen Jiu just opened the chat, Qi Qin saw the “typing…” indicator and quickly sent another message.

[Come on, come on. Everyone here has a pretty good personality—no one’s gonna kill the vibe, I promise.]

Wen Jiu had originally been about to type out a rejection, but after seeing Qi Qin’s follow-up message, she quietly deleted it and replied: [Okay.]

She had already considered it this far, and since she didn’t have anything urgent to do, going out for a bit didn’t seem like a bad idea either.

Turning over in bed, she replied:

[“Time and place?”]

Seeing that Wen Jiu agreed, Qi Qin grinned from ear to ear.

[“We’ll head out in an hour. The place is private property, so outside vehicles can’t get in. Should I come pick you up? Of course, if you’d rather not, I can wait for you at the entrance.”]

But if they did it that way, it might be a bit of a hassle for Wen Jiu to find a car.

Since she had already agreed to hang out, it didn’t really matter if her address got revealed.

Given the Qi family’s status in Hong Kong, if they really wanted to investigate, there was no way they couldn’t find out.

She sent over her location, then replied:

[I’ll pack up now. Call me when you arrive.]

Qi Qin: [okok.]

An hour passed quickly. Just as Wen Jiu finished blow-drying her hair, she received a photo from Qi Qin, with a caption:

[I’m downstairs.]

Wen Jiu glanced at it — it was indeed the hotel she was staying at.

After informing Wen Xingyu of her plans, she took the elevator downstairs.

Bored after waiting in the car for a while, Qi Qin quickly rolled down the window and waved when he saw Wen Jiu coming out.

“Wen Jiu, over here!” he called.

Wen Jiu waved back at him as well.

Actually, even without him calling out, Wen Jiu could have easily spotted him—

That flashy red modified off-road vehicle was anything but low-profile.

She walked quickly over to the car, debating whether to sit in the front or the back,

But before she could decide, Qi Qin got out and opened the back door for her.

“The front seat’s already reserved by a certain ‘ancestor,’ so I’m afraid you’ll have to sit in the back. Sorry about that,” he said apologetically.

Wen Jiu nodded. “It’s okay.”

She softly said thank you and was just about to get in the car when a pair of large, well-defined hands appeared in her line of sight — cold, fair skin with veins clearly visible.

Her gaze moved upward and met the eyes of the person in the car.

There was no trace of surprise in his expression — he clearly knew she would be coming.

Wen Jiu smiled. “We meet again.”

Even now, she still found herself amazed by Jiang Yanci’s looks.

He was simply too perfect.

Jiang Yanci gave a slight nod, and his gaze unconsciously softened. He spoke,

“Need a hand?”

As he said that, he reached out, offering his arm for her to hold onto.

Wen Jiu didn’t refuse either. It was just that Qi Qin’s off-road vehicle was a bit tall. Even with a footstep, she still needed to hold onto something to get in comfortably.

She placed her hand on Jiang Yanci’s forearm and used the support to swiftly climb into the car.

“Thanks~” she said, then looked down to fasten her seatbelt.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yanci’s gaze was fixed on the spot where her hand had just rested.

Wen Jiu’s hand was soft, with a dry, comforting warmth.

The moment it landed on him, it felt like tiny electric bugs were crawling up his arm and spreading all over his body.

Jiang Yanci thought something was off with him—he felt like he was about to burst into flames.

He pressed his lips together, feeling the heat rising in his ears. He quickly turned his head to look out the window, trying to hide it.

Qi Qin caught the scene in the rearview mirror, raised an eyebrow with a smile, and began humming a tune as he cheerfully started the car.

The deep rumble of the engine along the way sounded pretty cool, but Wen Jiu’s hand clenched a little too tightly around her seatbelt.

Noticing her movement now that he had calmed down, Jiang Yanci frowned slightly in thought, then gently tapped the front seat with his foot.

“Drive slower.”

Qi Qin: “…”

“I’m not even going that fast,” he muttered. “Isn’t this the usual speed?”

Although he said that, when he saw Wen Jiu’s nervous expression in the rearview mirror, Qi Qin still eased off the gas.

“Wen Jiu, are you scared?”

Usually, even when he drove like he was flying, Jiang Yanci wouldn’t so much as frown. But today, he was acting completely out of character and told him to slow down. Combined with Wen Jiu’s expression, Qi Qin instantly guessed who the request was really for.

“Huh?” Wen Jiu looked up at him, replying a bit helplessly, “No, it’s motion sickness.”

Wen Jiu didn’t usually throw up from it, but she’d get dizzy, nauseated, and have that sour, unsettled feeling in her stomach.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t eaten lunch, but today felt even worse than usual.

“You get motion sick?” Qi Qin asked, and immediately slowed the car down even more.

Wen Jiu quickly stopped him: “Just drive like you usually do. Better a short pain than a long one—I can handle it.”

“Are you sure?” Qi Qin asked in return.

Wen Jiu nodded, giving him a firm look.

Qi Qin gave her an “OK” gesture, then sped up toward their destination. Although the speed didn’t drop, it was noticeably steadier than before.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yanci suddenly told him to stop the car.

“Pull over up ahead.”

Qi Qin asked, “Something wrong?”

“Just need to grab something,” Jiang Yanci replied.

Qi Qin didn’t think much of it and pulled over at the spot Jiang Yanci had indicated.

Soon, someone who had been waiting by the roadside stepped forward and handed over a paper bag.

Jiang Yanci took the bag, opened it to confirm it was what he had asked for, then pulled something out and handed it to Wen Jiu.

“Honey grapefruit lemon tea. It should help ease the discomfort.”

“For me?” Wen Jiu was momentarily stunned.

Jiang Yanci raised an eyebrow. “Who else?”

She was the only one in the car who needed it.

“Thank you.” Wen Jiu beamed at him with a huge, grateful smile, then took the cup and started drinking without hesitation.

She seemed to really enjoy the flavor of the lemon tea—her whole demeanor instantly brightened. Her sparkling eyes curved into pretty crescents.

The breeze after the rain gently lifted the hair draped over her shoulders, and the light breaking through the clouds fell softly, casting a gentle glow on her windswept hair.

Jiang Yanci stared at her, momentarily lost in thought.

When Wen Jiu finally pulled the straw away from her lips, Jiang Yanci took out a box of medicine from the bag and handed it to her.

“Motion sickness pills.  Unopened.”

“Jiang… Yanci?” Wen Jiu repeated his name, glancing sideways at him. “Are you always this thoughtful and considerate?”

From the front seat, Qi Qin couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

Jiang Yanci? Thoughtful?

That was probably the funniest thing he’d heard in his life.

But Jiang Yanci in the back didn’t look the least bit guilty or embarrassed. Instead, he simply smiled and replied:

“Still about an hour to go. If you take it now, the second half won’t be so uncomfortable.”