Jiang Weifeng turned around and was completely stunned.
Gu Xiang walked past him, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "Brother, this is as far as I can help you."
That day, Lin Jiang was wearing a Dior little black dress with wide straps, paired with matching crystal-embellished heels. She looked every bit the elegant socialite, and Jiang Weifeng nearly lost himself in the sight of her.
Lin Jiang gave a shy, demure smile. "Don't recognize me?"
Jiang Weifeng’s eyes were as deep as an unfathomable sea. He stood there, dazed, not saying a word for a long time.
From the sidelines, someone shouted with a laugh, "Brother Feng’s wife is here!"
Immediately, the crowd began chiming in. "Brother Feng’s wife is here to check up on him!" and "Brother Feng, your wife is truly beautiful."
He still didn't move, standing just a meter away from her, his gaze fixed and profound.
Then, someone called out, "Lin Jiang?"
Jiang Weifeng followed Lin Jiang’s gaze as she turned her head. He met the smiling face of Zhao Siyi. He didn't know what expression Lin Jiang was making, but after Zhao Siyi called her name, she walked over to them.
Lin Jiang froze. Her original smile faltered and then stiffened at the corners of her mouth; for a moment, she was lost for words.
Zhao Siyi spoke again. "Your name is Lin Jiang, right? I remember you. You should remember me too—I’m Zhao Siyi."
Zhao Siyi’s smile felt like a gleaming blade, stabbing her ruthlessly. Lin Jiang felt her legs go weak and she took a half-step back, bumping into Jiang Weifeng’s shoulder.
Lin Jiang looked up at Jiang Weifeng.
The man narrowed his eyes at Zhao Siyi. His expression was blank, and his tone was flat. "It’s time for us to go back."
Zhao Siyi’s smile deepened. "True. No time for reminiscing. You’ve had a long day, go on back."
After saying this, Zhao Siyi stared directly at Lin Jiang for a moment. Seeing that she remained wooden and expressionless, Zhao Siyi smiled and went off to remove her makeup.
Lin Jiang pursed her lips. Jiang Weifeng looked down, trying to catch her eye, but she subtly avoided him. He let out a short laugh and, regardless of her resistance, pulled her into the car.
All the way back, Lin Jiang remained sullen and ignored him.
"Jealous?" Jiang Weifeng was clearly in a good mood.
"No." Lin Jiang stared at the headlights of the cars ahead.
Jiang Weifeng freed one hand to tilt her chin up, asking despite already knowing the answer, "Really not angry?"
Lin Jiang turned her face away. "Really not angry."
Jiang Weifeng suddenly let out a low chuckle. "They say women love to say the opposite of what they mean."
Lin Jiang said nothing, leaning her head against the car window. Jiang Weifeng’s eyes darkened slightly, and he stopped teasing her.
Once they entered the hotel, Lin Jiang followed obediently behind him. After he swiped the key card, she entered first. The door closed with a soft *click*, and simultaneously, someone wrapped their arms around her from behind.
The lights weren't on yet. The man’s scent overwhelmed her senses. She turned to look at him and found his eyes were brighter than any lamp. After a mere second's pause, he pressed a hand to the back of her head and kissed her.
Naturally, she tried to dodge, but as she turned away, he followed. The more she shrank back, the more fiercely he advanced, cornering her until she had nowhere to run.
Finally, she stopped struggling, letting his scent permeate her.
Jiang Weifeng seemed to sense her listlessness. His kiss shifted from deep to shallow, and finally, he just gave her two gentle, tender pecks. "Still angry?"
Lin Jiang turned her head away. "No."
"Then shall we continue?" He laughed, reaching for her hand. Upon contact, he found it was ice-cold.
"You're crying." Jiang Weifeng’s voice trembled slightly.
He reached out to touch her face, but she turned away, refusing to let him. He hurried to turn on the light, but she grabbed him, crying out, "Don't!"
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The lights flared to life, making her tears shimmer like two winding silver rivers.
Lin Jiang quickly crouched down to hide her face.
Jiang Weifeng’s heart melted. Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair, quickly switched the light back off, and crouched down to pull her into his arms. At this gesture, the girl’s sobs intensified, making her sound like a pitiful kitten.
Jiang Weifeng held her in silence.
After a long while, Lin Jiang stopped crying. In a calm voice, she asked him, "Back then, everyone said you transferred schools because of her."
Jiang Weifeng’s body stiffened for a second. In the darkness, he searched for her eyes and said flatly, "That's a lie."
After all these years, Lin Jiang realized there were some things she had never truly forgotten or let go of.
But because he said it, she instinctively nodded, choosing to believe him.
Jiang Weifeng leaned down and kissed her eyes. He added, "During the summer of my sophomore year, she asked my dad to tutor her in English. That’s how we met. But I only got together with her after I transferred."
Lin Jiang bit her lip and remained silent for a long time. Receiving no reaction, Jiang Weifeng continued to explain, "Don't look at me like I'm some reckless guy; I'm actually quite prone to being moved by my surroundings." He grinned and added, "My mom used to teach at the East Campus with my dad. Being there always made me think of her, so I transferred..."
Lin Jiang quickly covered his mouth.
"Hmm?" Jiang Weifeng asked softly.
"I believe you." Lin Jiang didn't want to force him to relive the past.
This earned her a satisfied, low chuckle from Jiang Weifeng. "Then get up now. The floor is cold. Why don't you go take a hot shower?"
Lin Jiang stood up quickly, saying sheepishly, "You go first. I've gotten tears and snot all over you."
Hearing this, Jiang Weifeng flicked the tip of her nose and laughed mischievously. "How about we go together?"
Lin Jiang hurriedly turned on the light and pushed him into the bathroom.
Jiang Weifeng didn't refuse. Soon, the sound of the shower echoed from inside. He called out to her, "What are you doing in Beijing anyway?"
Lin Jiang was removing her makeup and noticed her eyes were a bit swollen from crying. She was a beat slow in responding. "Work stuff... I'll tell you when there's a chance later."
The water stopped and then started again. "So you're keeping secrets from me?"
Lin Jiang’s hand paused as she wiped her face. "Not really. It's just the beginning, I wanted to wait until I had some success before talking about it."
She still wanted to be the kind of person who worked quietly but did everything well.
Jiang Weifeng gave a grunt of affirmation, and the bathroom went quiet for a while.
A moment later, he called out, "Lin Jiang, I forgot to grab a bath towel. Could you get one for me? It’s in the cabinet, you’ll see it right away."
Lin Jiang froze for half a second after he finished, feeling something was off. "But..." No matter how she thought about it, this felt like a trap straight out of the novels she read as a girl.
"Just stand at the door and hand it to me, what are you afraid of?" Jiang Weifeng laughed. "Besides, I'm the one who's naked. You're not the one losing out."
Lin Jiang sighed and went to get his towel. She walked slowly to the bathroom door. Through the frosted glass, she could see him standing barefoot just half a meter away. She stealthily pushed the door open a crack, turned her head away, and reached her hand inside. "Here..."
In the next second, Lin Jiang suddenly stumbled and fell into a warm, wet embrace.
The man gripped her waist from behind, turned her around, and leaned her against the vanity. In her panic, Lin Jiang scratched his back, her chin bumping into the crook of his neck.
His laugh was low and deep, and his kisses fell thick and fast upon her neck, like the steam filling the room, making it hard for her to breathe. Then Lin Jiang opened her eyes and looked past his shoulder—a row of hotel towels and bathrobes were neatly arranged right there.
She had been set up.
The moment she realized this, Jiang Weifeng’s breath was fanning against her earlobe. In an instant, both their heartbeats were impossible to hide. In her desperation, Lin Jiang bit his shoulder hard.
Jiang Weifeng hadn't expected her to be so bold. He hissed in pain, and his hold on her body loosened slightly.
Lin Jiang took the opportunity to try and duck under his arm to escape.
The floor was slippery. She had only taken a few steps when she nearly fell. Jiang Weifeng was quick to grab her clothes, while his other hand reached for support, accidentally hitting the shower switch.
In an instant, the drenching water washed over them, binding them together.
Lin Jiang felt like she couldn't catch her breath.
Her breathing was fast and shallow, her chest heaving. But she paused; memories of awkwardness and stinging pain flashed through her mind.
Those memories were like someone calmly pricking her with long, thin needles.
So, she shook her head. "Not now."
Jiang Weifeng pulled away from her inch by inch. He used one hand to turn off the shower and the other to brush the wet hair from her face. "As you wish."
Lin Jiang hugged her shoulders, looking down in silence.
Jiang Weifeng looked at her deeply for a few moments and sighed. "Why aren't you going out?" Seeing Lin Jiang look up at him in confusion, her eyes still holding a trace of lingering, chaotic desire, his smile deepened. "If you don't leave, how am I supposed to put out this fire?"
Hearing this, Lin Jiang fled the room with a flushed face.
A short while later, Jiang Weifeng emerged from the bathroom and urged her to go in and wash up so she wouldn't catch a cold.
The night was both long and short. She rested her head on his arm as usual, chatting about trivial, everyday things.
Before long, both of them, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Jiang Weifeng got up early for work. She huddled under the covers, showing only her eyes. Seeing that he clearly wasn't fully awake, he ruffled his hair with one hand while pulling open the curtains with the other. The midsummer morning light instantly flooded the room—the kind of natural light that required no supplement during filming.
It looked beautiful hitting his body.
He was wearing only boxers, his torso bare. Seeing her awake, he gave a wicked grin. "Do I look good?"
Lin Jiang quickly ducked back under the covers, not daring to show her face.
There was a rustling sound for a while, and the sound of water rose and fell. When he came out again, his hair was dripping wet; he had clearly given it a rough wash under the faucet.
Lin Jiang stayed hidden under the quilt, watching him work with just her eyes visible. Soon, someone called to urge him downstairs. He wasn't in a hurry at all, packing his things with a cigarette between his lips, then unhurriedly coming over to give her a kiss before leaving.
Lin Jiang immediately fell into a state of quiet reflection.
She eventually got up to pack, intending to fly back to Qingcheng and wait for him to come home.
But unexpectedly, just as she reached the hotel lobby, she received a WeChat friend request.
She tapped it open. The person’s username made her eyes sting, and when she tapped the profile picture, her fingertips went numb, a sensation that instantly spread through her entire body.
It was Zhao Siyi.
Her username was brief, only two characters, but it carried the weight of a thousand pounds:
*Xiangxiang.* (Imagination)
These two characters represented the countless times during Lin Jiang’s youth that she had opened a page only to close it, the words left unsaid. They were also the hidden layer of meaning behind the name "Jiang Weifeng."
And yet, she actually used this name.
As if that weren't enough, Lin Jiang tapped on the profile picture. Zhao Siyi was smiling brightly, flashing a peace sign. The pink background, the decorations, and the film shimmering under the colorful lights were exactly the same as the photo Jiang Weifeng had sent her a few days ago.
Zhao Siyi’s friend request message read:
*Meet me tonight at 9 PM at No. 8, Jiaodaokou North 2nd Alley, at the 'Dui Zhao Ji' cafe.*
She didn't even introduce herself, approaching so brazenly, as if she were a legitimate wife summoning a hidden mistress for a talk.
Lin Jiang hesitated on the spot for a moment. Then, she sat on the lobby sofa, staring blankly at her phone.
It was only after a long while that she took a deep breath and made a decision: she unlocked her screen, took a screenshot, and sent it to Jiang Weifeng.
Having done this, she suddenly felt a sense of relief.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
查岗 | Checking up on someone | Literally "checking the post," often used when a partner checks on the other's whereabouts.
混不吝 | Reckless / Don't-give-a-damn | A Beijing dialect term for someone who is bold, fearless, or a bit of a rogue.
贤者时间 | Sage time | Refers to a period of calm, clear-headedness after a moment of high emotion or physical intimacy.
想象 | Xiangxiang / Imagination | The username of Zhao Siyi; also a wordplay/pun related to Jiang Weifeng's name.
交道口北二条 | Jiaodaokou North 2nd Alley | A specific location/hutong in Beijing.
对照记 | Dui Zhao Ji | The name of a cafe/location (literally "Record of Reflections").
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