Xu Bi Ying was full of regret.
She shouldn’t have been so reckless just because Gu You was a top player in that game. She also shouldn’t have been so suspicious of everyone just because Gu You had met his wife from her past life in the game. Now Gu You’s IGN was a huge joke in Dreamy Chant. Everyone mocked him saying he overestimated himself. He might have been put on the highest of pedestals before, but now he was buried six feet under.
She was remorseful because in the last life, Gu You had demonstrated excellence in Dreamy Chant and then had been roped over to Jiacheng Corporation. Xu Bi Ying knew that because of her, he might have lost his chance to rocket to stardom.
She thought of the possibility that he might have no path forward in the industry and started to panic.
No.
Memories of her past life were her greatest weapon. She definitely wouldn’t let things get to the point where she couldn’t control it!
Knock knock knock.
Gu You’s magnetic voice sounded from outside the door. “Bi Ying, I have something so say to you.”
That night, Xu Bi Ying awoke and discovered that she had been reborn to before the engagement. She was emotional and called Gu You and said she wanted to meet him. Gu You couldn’t stand her tears and immediately hurried back from out of town. But on the way back, he got into a car accident. Thankfully, he only twisted an ankle.
Because of this incident, the engagement was temporarily on hold.
Though she said she’d wait a week, Xu Bi Ying was already growing impatient.
She tidied her clothes and opened the door gracefully. Gu You was tall and slender as he stood by the door. He had delicate features but a weary look on his face. His tone was warm and calm. No matter if it was breaking the engagement or getting engaged, Gu You always had the light airiness to him. Xu Bi Ying couldn’t see through him.
“Bi Ying, let’s think the engagement over.”
“What?” Her face changed colors in an instant.
……
Ever since her 15 minutes of fame, every time Ruan Jiu Jiu logged in she’d be bombarded by her friends. She quit the guild and occasionally went around the game to sightsee, but pretty much overnight a bunch of people imitating her with similar names had popped up everywhere.
I.e. “Juu Juu Juu” “Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu”, “Jiu Jiu Qiu”……the majority of them played the fairy immortal class, and all of them were blinding to the eye. Even if someone came across Ruan Jiu Jiu’s actual IGN, they had to stop and scratch their head over whether it was the real one.
Humming a tune, Ruan Jiu Jiu labored over the piece on her drawing pad, occasionally clicking her mouse, and before long the sketch was pretty much complete.
The sketch featured the jianghu’s springtime scenery. The clouds of cherry blossoms scattered like snow through the land and air, depicting the beauty of the middle of spring. Red walls and green glazed roof tiles, a sprawl of pavilions and towers, each painted with a layer of gold on top. A fairy immortal clothed in a white robe with red sleeves was sitting on the slanted eaves. Crossing her legs, she raised a jade-like arm, bringing a bluish-green jade flute to her lips to play. Her long, ebony hair scattered in the wind, fluttering along her sleeves, leaving only a graceful silhouette that lost the viewer in reverie.
Ruan Jiu Jiu felt that her skills weren’t quite satisfactory and she had made many alterations to the drawing.
Seeing that the piece was close to completion, she stretched, noticing that her back was a little stiff.
Before she had transmigrated over, she had studied fine arts, and she had some talent at drawing. Before even starting college she had gained some fame, and after graduating she decided to work as a freelance illustrator. She wasn’t that motivated. If a commission came in she’d accept but if not she wouldn’t make an effort to rustle up business. She passed her days in what could be called a comfortable manner.
After transmigrating into the novel, she was preoccupied with cooking and almost forgot the skills of her profession.
Ruan Jiu Jiu thought about it and decided to use this period of time to rest and recuperate. She’d hang around until she divorced Cheng Jun, then afterwards go back to her work, drawing only if she felt like it since she didn’t need to worry about money, and living her days in the way she dreamed of doing in her past existence.
With this lifting her mood, Ruan Jiu Jiu happily posted her work anonymously on the game’s forum.
Dreamy Chant was currently taking submissions of CG illustrations featuring the game’s various classes. Selected artists would be given the opportunity to join the beta of a new game. Ruan Jiu Jiu had a pretty good impression of them—A big company like Jiacheng encouraged competition and wanted to have people’s talent do the talking.
Ruan Jiu Jiu turned off her computer.
She hadn’t decided what to have for dinner yet, and planned to go out for some window shopping.
The temperature had dropped in the past few days, and the wind chilled you to the bone. The weather forecast said that it would snow next week, so when Ruan Jiu Jiu recalled that she didn’t have any thick outerwear, she got herself ready to go out, planning to visit the large, nearby shopping mall.
The color of the sky at dusk was a dark blue, and a thick soup of gray clouds covered the sky. The winter wind took advantage of a moment of distraction to whip past, blowing a pile of decaying golden leaves all over the ground. It made you feel as if the cold air was seeping into your bones.
Ruan Jiu Jiu put on a face mask and shrunk her neck into her shoulders, so cold she was slightly shivering.
She continued on in this manner until she reached the shopping mall, whereupon the warm air circulating inside the heated building puffed over her skin. Once her frozen limbs were finally able to regain some movement, Ruan Jiu Jiu used all her strength to rub warmth into her cheeks like she was kneading dough, completely ignoring appearances. Still, she heard a faint laugh come from the side, before it was quickly suppressed.
She turned her head back in amazement, and immediately saw a man standing there with a tall and lean figure. He was wearing a knitted vest over a collared shirt, black trousers, with a coat tucked into the crook of his arm. His face had a clean and gentle feeling, which gave him the impression of having an excellent personality.
The two looked at each other. The man first had a shocked and frightened expression. Then he laughed apologetically and gave a slight nod. It was just a short laugh, but he quickly pursed his lips in a downtrodden manner. His brows were tightly furrowed as if something lay heavy on his heart.
Ruan Jiu Jiu averted her gaze but had a pensive expression.
Weird. Why did that laugh sound so familiar? Where had she heard it before?
The elevator doors opened. The man motioned for her to enter first. Ruan Jiu Jiu had originally wanted to find a secluded place to warm her hands and feet. But with the man’s gesture, she was a little embarrassed to turn him down, so she courteously entered.
“What floor?” He asked.
Ruan Jiu Jiu looked at his tall, straight backside and confidently said, “Second floor.”
“…” The man was taken aback.
The man pressed the “2” and then pressed the “5.” There were mostly restaurants on the fifth floor. The restaurants in this shopping mall were all high grade and expensive. There was a Western restaurant Ruan Jiu Jiu had wanted to try but never had the heart to.
“Sorry, I’ve inconvenienced you.” He seemed to sigh and laugh in amusement all at the same time.
Ruan Jiu Jiu waved her hand. “Not at all. It just so happens that my foot hurts. I don’t want to take the stairs.”
Just as she said that, the elevator arrived at the second floor. He politely held open the elevator door. Ruan Jiu Jiu walked out and turned back. The man gave a slight smile as the elevator doors slowly closed.
Ruan Jiu Jiu furrowed her brows. The sense of deja vu lingered in her heart. The hippocampus part of her brain wasn’t working hard enough, and for the life of her she could not remember where she had heard that clear voice before.
Her doubts were quickly cast to one side. A sales assistant still remembered Ruan Jiu Jiu. She hurried over, enthusiastically showing off the cheapest items on sale. Ruan Jiu Jiu put a hand on her hip and hiked her Chanel bag up her shoulder. With great bravado, she said, “Get me the latest! I’m trying on everything!”
When it came to clothes, one really had to know how to shop. One could cheap out on the summer clothes, but one definitely couldn’t cheap out on winter coats. This store wasn’t that high end. The new items were all within her budget. Since her last life, she had liked this store’s designs but couldn’t afford them. Now, she was finally free to shop to her heart’s content.
Ruan Jiu Jiu tried on outfit after outfit. She had a delicate figure and was exceedingly beautiful. She looked good in everything.
A few gentlemen who had been dragged along on shopping sprees were seated on the sofa behind her. Their hearts itched and they snuck a few peeks in her direction. What they didn’t see were their wives and girlfriends who stood behind them with gloomy expressions. When the gentlemen turned around, they were pinched on the side.
“Ouch it hurts!”
For a moment, yelps of pain sounded from the shop and the sales assistants all silently laughed.
When she came out of the store, Ruan Jiu Jiu had changed into a camel trench coat, a creamy wool sweater, and long pants. She turned heads wherever she went. Some people tried to strike up a conversation but were coldly rejected.
Ruan Jiu Jiu, having also changed into a pair of ankle boots, looked at her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window. Her heart was calm.
The glass reflected a woman’s beautiful, fine features and hazy almond eyes. But when those eyes sharpened, there was an edge to them. They were like weapons that warned one to retreat. Even though her backside was beautiful, no one dared approach.
“… Damn.”
She looked at the sudden torrent of rain with a blank expression. If she left now, she’d look like a drowned rat. The clothes would also get dirty.
Ruan Jiu Jiu thought that this was a sign from God. Why not go to that Western restaurant instead!
At this time, Cheng Jun was probably back home. Ruan Jiu Jiu fished out her phone and sent him a text.
“I’m still out of the house. Scrounge something together. You figure it out.” If Cheng Jun knew that she ran off by herself to eat good food, he might raise a fuss. It was best not to mention it.
After sending the text, Ruan Jiu Jiu hummed a tune. She toted her shopping bags as she headed to the restaurant.
……
Cheng Jun was planning to head home when he received the text. He fell into silence.
Tu Nan and the others next to him asked, “Boss are you really not going to go with us to see Gu You? I feel like he’s got pretty good potential.”
Cheng Jun calmly asked, “Which restaurant?”
With that, Jiao Fan’s spirits were lifted. “It’s close by. It’s a really good Western restaurant. You definitely won’t regret it!”
Cheng Jun said, “Mm, let’s go.”
“I’ll come too.” An Rou cut in. She was wearing a suit today and she had done her makeup. She was really pretty when she smiled, and Jiao Fan’s face turned red every time.
Tu Nan didn’t give her face. “This has nothing to do with the design department. Us dudes are talking business. It’s best that you don’t come.”
Jiao Fan chimed in. “It’s raining outside. It’s not convenient for her to go back by herself now. I’ll send her back after dinner.”
An Rou pursed her lips and gave a slight smile. She politely said, “Thanks.”
The only thing was that the entire time, her gaze had never left Cheng Jun.
Cheng Jun wore a simple black sweatshirt. His slender eyes were lowered, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. From this angle, she could see his prominent nose and his handsome lips, which were pursed into a line. His lips were pale and his gaze was indifferent. She didn’t know what he’d look like when passion actually stirred in his heart.
An Rou suddenly blushed.
Tu Nan laughed and said, “Let’s go. The other party is waiting.”
Only
At this time.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was seated next to the large window. Just as she was about to take her seat, she saw a familiar figure out of the corner of her eyes. What a coincidence. It was the stranger she had run into while entering the mall.
Ruan Jiu Jiu waved at him. “Hey, are you waiting for someone?”
The man was a bit shocked and gave a light smile. “Yes, I’m waiting for a friend.”
Author’s Note:
Ruan Jiu Jiu: I’m just eating whatever, just scraping by
*awkward encounter in the restaurant*
Cheng Jun: Scraping by?
Comments