Ruan Jiu Jiu was still looking everywhere for where her phone went. She didn’t notice Cheng Jun’s reaction at all.
Now that she thought about it, these nights, Ruan Jiu Jiu, half-asleep, would occasionally hear some rustling noises. It couldn’t be that they had really gotten a mice infestation? At that thought, Ruan Jiu Jiu immediately turned the flashlight on the phone on, in order to avoid bumping into something one shouldn’t bump into in one of these dark corners.
As she busied herself frantically, Cheng Jun’s fingers rapidly typed on his screen.
[This is Cheng Jun. Jiu Jiu’s busy right not so it isn’t convenient for her to pick up. I’ll send you the address.]
After about a minute, the other side responded, saying that he’d send it over in a bit.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was half kneeling on the floor, her butt sticking in the air. Previously, after changing her phone, she’d left her old one at home. In case she couldn’t find her phone anywhere, she could only scrape by with the old one.
Holding her old phone, she used its flashlight to light up the floor under the sofa, checking if the phone had fallen through the crack in the middle of the sofa cushions. Cheng Jun, who was leaning at the door, had already thought up thousands of different interrogation methods. But before he could attempt one, Ruan Jiu Jiu suddenly stopped moving.
She slowly sat back up and suddenly turned back her head, looking extremely aggravated.
Cheng Jun: “?”
Expressionlessly, Ruan Jiu Jiu pulled out many different varieties of snacks from underneath the sofa. There were potato chips, ice cream, Bugles, and Want Want rice crackers. What they had in common was…they were all snacks that Ruan Jiu Jiu had banned from the house.
The two of them stared at each other.
“…” Cheng Jun’s righteousness suddenly dissipated.
“…” Ruan Jiu Jiu’s angry glare.
“No wonder every time I come home you’re always sitting on the sofa. What fasting? Is there anyone who fasts like you?” Ruan Jiu Jiu thought back to Cheng Jun’s daily look of lifelessly lying on the sofa. Did he even look hungry? Clearly it was a guilty expression.
The most important point was, he actually had the guts to carelessly throw the snack bags under the sofa???
Cheng Jun: “Actually, this is the work of mice.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “You’re still bullshitting?”
She glared at Cheng Jun. “Why did you hide them here?”
Cheng Jun slowly responded, “I forgot.”
His gaze drifted to the side, as if he was lying. Ruan Jiu Jiu paused for a moment in silence and then said, “It can’t be that you wait for me to go to sleep before continuing to snack?”
The rustling noises at night…
That sounded just like mice nibbling on wood…
It was absolutely this bastard Cheng Jun taking advantage of the fact that she slept with earplugs and an eye mask on to finish the rest of his snacks.
Ruan Jiu Jiu immediately felt complicated, and actually didn’t know what to say.
Cheng Jun glanced at his phone and with a lukewarm tone said, “I’ll go down to throw out the trash.”
“Ok, remember to wear a coat.”
Even though she didn’t know why Cheng Jun was suddenly going to take out the trash, Ruan Jiu Jiu encouraged any kind of exercise he did. When Cheng Jun went out, he had a chauffeur, so she was truly worried about Cheng Jun not stretching his legs and constantly staying at home.
Cheng Jun put on a puffer jacket over his clothes and went out the door.
Ruan Jiu Jiu continued to look for her phone. After searching for another long while she suddenly realized —
Cheng Jun hadn’t taken anything with him when he left?
What kind of trash was he throwing out, himself?
……
The weather was cold and dry, freezing people so cold that their joints creaked. Cheng Jun ambled down the stairs to an Audi car parked downstairs. Gu You, who he hadn’t seen for a while, was leaning against the car with his arms crossed. He was deep in thought and hadn’t noticed Cheng Jun approaching.
When Cheng Jun’s sneakers stepped on the ground, they made a pitter patter noise. Gu You lifted his head and froze in shock for a moment, then smiled at Cheng Jun.
“It’s you.”
Cheng Jun hummed in acknowledgement, clearly not wanting to waste time elaborating anything to him.
Cheng Jun stretched out an arm, his palm out. Gu You immediately understood his meaning.
From his pocket, Gu You took out a phone. Cheng Jun lightly picked it up, and in front of him, deleted Gu You’s texts.
Gu You watched his movements, not putting up any resistance until Cheng Jun finished his series of actions and stuffed the phone into his own pocket.
Looking at Cheng Jun he said, “I saw the divorce agreement.”
Cheng Jun slowly responded, “It’s already torn up.”
Gu You pursed his lip and said, “Relax, I won’t do anything out of line.”
Cheng Jun took a glance at him and didn’t say anything.
“As a man, I want to say something. If you remain so passive, there’ll come a day when you get divorced.” Gu You paused for a few seconds after saying that. He blinked his sepia-colored eyes, apparently lost in recollection of something, and then laughed self-deprecatingly. “As a man, I also want to say, I’m very jealous of you.”
In the car, when Cheng Jun was mentioned, Ruan Jiu Jiu clearly had a trace of protectiveness that she didn’t even notice herself.
Even if it wasn’t out of love, there was indeed a bond tying the two of them together. Though it might be fragile, it wasn’t necessarily something easily shaken.
From beginning to end, Cheng Jun didn’t say anything. He looked completely indifferent. The moment Gu You finished speaking, he hummed again in a perfunctory response and then turned around and left with both hands in his pockets.
Gu You spoke. “I don’t mind waiting a bit longer.”
With his feet on the stairs, Cheng Jun didn’t turn his head back. From Gu You’s angle, he could only see him standing in place, motionless.
Cheng Jun’s measured voice echoed back. “At your age, you’re already going downhill. If you have the time, you might as well think about your plans for the future instead of wasting time you already don’t have on a hopeless desire.”
Gu You: “…”
Such a calm poison tongue, it was really enough to wound him.
Even though Cheng Jun was only a few years older than him, he had already made a name for himself at such a young age and then afterwards, transformed into a big boss. Now, he was just hiding his strength. Cheng Jun wasn’t like him, still struggling for his future. His words were indeed accurate.
If you compared the two of them, an ordinary person would easily decide who to pick.
Gu You’s expression was solemn. “I understand, I’ll do my best.”
Cheng Jun hummed in acknowledgement and slowly went up the stairs.
When he came home, Ruan Jiu Jiu cast a baffling look at his apparently good mood. Suspicious, she asked, “You didn’t eat something good, did you?”
Cheng Jun’s gaze seemed to have a trace of disdain in it. “I’m not like you.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…”
She was unexpectedly left speechless.
Cheng Jun changed his shoes. Only then did he take out a phone from the pocket of his puffer jacket and hand it over to Ruan Jiu Jiu. “This is yours.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu was startled, and then immediately she happily took her phone back and turned it on. As expected, everything was in proper working order. Both shocked and happy she asked, “Where did you find it?”
Cheng Jun calmly told a lie. “The hallway.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu had long forgotten to ask Cheng Jun what he was doing downstairs if not taking out the trash.
She let out a sigh and said, “Thank goodness it wasn’t lost. I left a lot of creative ideas in the notes that I didn’t have time to save on the cloud.” Saying this, Ruan Jiu Jiu hurriedly moved all the important materials onto the cloud, in case it was really lost again.
As Ruan Jiu Jiu was busying herself, Cheng Jun returned to his study. He closed the door and then sat solemnly on his computer chair.
He turned on his computer and stared at the screen in silence for a long time, before finally tapping out a few words.
Shockingly, the words read:
How to effectively and quickly woo a woman?
……
The next day, Ruan Jiu Jiu went to work as usual. She took advantage of Cheng Jun’s chauffer to hitch a ride and got off a few hundred meters away from the building. Unexpectedly, she was seen by a few people in her department.
Thanks to the results of a dinner banquet, many employees knew that Ruan Jiu Jiu, this paratrooper recruited outside, might look wealthy but in reality couldn’t even afford a car. She could only take a taxi to work every day, which was probably very difficult.
After getting off work, Ruan Jiu Jiu received a few notifications from the group chat that she had been tagged. They were all messages saying that they could drop her off at home on the way back.
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “???”
She quickly responded in the group chat. “Thank you everyone for your thoughtfulness, I have a car that I can catch a ride in.”
Miss Fang, in the group chat, was one of those who had ridiculed Ruan Jiu Jiu that night at the dinner. Feigning good intentions, she said, “Aiyo, it isn’t safe to call a taxi this late. You’re so pretty, after all.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “Uh…It’s a private car.”
Everyone thought that she was forcibly trying to put on appearances.
The company’s private fleet only had a few cars. The fancy cars parked downstairs in the underground parking lot had already been clearly counted, so if there really was someone with a private reserved car, the company’s employees would have long heard about it.
Ruan Jiu Jiu’s method of refusal looked exactly like she was trying to restore some face for herself. Unexpectedly, it made some of the men feel a bit protective of her.
Such a beautiful women wasn’t properly cared for, so she was actually forced to catch a lift to go to work? This was practically a waste of natural resources.
At night, after getting off work, Ruan Jiu Jiu had just messaged Cheng Jun that she was on her way back when suddenly a few women with smiles beaming on their faces came over. They said that since they bumped into each other, why not just go to the parking lot as a group?
From the bottom of her heart, Ruan Jiu Jiu genuinely did not want to walk with them.
Cheng Jun was classified as a confidential figure. On the few occasions that he went to the company, he always used the VIP passageways, and furthermore it was always when the employees were at work. There weren’t many who knew Cheng Jun’s identity, and they were all upper-level senior executives. Everything was tightly kept under wraps. The reason why he was unwilling to reveal his identity was simple. Social niceties were too much trouble, he only wanted to do the things he enjoyed, and dealing with other people didn’t count as one of them.
When the employees were around, Cheng Jun definitely wouldn’t show up.
The group of women kept dragging their feet, finding excuses not to leave. Ruan Jiu Jiu was under too much pressure and could only go with them in the direction of the parking lot.
With her head lowered, Ruan Jiu Jiu rapidly fired off a few messages to Cheng Jun.
“For the time being I won’t go look for you, lets meet up later.”
“Oh, who are you messaging?” Without any tact, Miss Fang slid over. Ruan Jiu Jiu immediately covered her screen.
Calmly, Ruan Jiu Jiu responded, “It’s nothing.”
“Oh yeah, what does your husband do?”
At the mention of Ruan Jiu Jiu’s husband, the women immediately surrounded her with interest. That day, Cheng Jun had truly taken their breath away. The sight of him made them so dumbstruck that they even forgot to take a few photos. They only knew that he was Ruan Jiu Jiu’s husband, and didn’t have any other information about him.
Ruan Jiu Jiu slightly furrowed her brows. “Nothing much, he’s only an ordinary office worker.”
When she said it that way, none of the women believed her. In their hearts, they were all certain that Ruan Jiu Jiu was trying to hide away a treasure and wasn’t willing to tell them.
Miss Fang winked. “How is it in that aspect?”
Ruan Jiu Jiu suddenly stopped walking.
They had just gotten excited, so suddenly seeing Ruan Jiu Jiu stop, they momentarily felt a bit embarrassed and thought that she had gotten angry. For the sake of keeping her work steady, Ruan Jiu Jiu didn’t want to cause any conflicts with other employees to avoid causing trouble for Tu Nan and the others.
She endured a bit and said, “I need to wait a bit for someone, you guys go ahead.”
Next to Ruan Jiu Jiu, a Land Rover that cost a few million yuan stopped. The women were very clear about it, considering that Boss Tu had ridden it before.
They thought that Ruan Jiu Jiu wanted to use the boss’s car to bluster a bit and couldn’t help but look at each other and smile with a tacit understanding. Sure enough, what was the use of looking pretty? She didn’t even have money. Just look at the way her husband treated her that day. It was likely that one day, the feelings between the two would fall apart.
Having reached a satisfying conjecture, the women felt extremely pleased and left to their own cars.
Driving their cars, they even especially drove in a circle past Ruan Jiu Jiu to show off their Audi and BMVs. Successfully obtaining Ruan Jiu Jiu’s look of disappointment at not having a car, they finally drove off in a swagger.
Ruan Jiu Jiu stood standing in her original spot and faintly let out a sigh.
Just look, other people have their driver’s licenses. Only she didn’t.
She couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was falling behind.
At night, sitting in the car with Cheng Jun on the way home, Ruan Jiu Jiu brought up the matter of obtaining a driver’s license again.
Cheng Jun fell into silence. “Using GKART?”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “How is that possible, it really isn’t a good reference for reality. No matter what anyone says, it’s definitely better to use GTA or Crazyracing
Kartrider.”
“…”
In shoddy Standard Mandarin with an attempt at a Cantonese accent, Ruan Jiu Jiu pledged, “One day, I will also drift around the parking lot, becoming the most beautiful car owner of them all.”
“…”
That night, Ruan Jiu Jiu slept very soundly.
She dreamed that she became an expert driver, on the level of those from “Fast and Furious”. She excitedly spun her wheel to the side and slammed her foot on the gas, drifting beautifully.
In the quiet and peaceful room, the sound of a sudden banging was suddenly transmitted. It was the muffled sound of a foot repeatedly banging on the bed.
Sitting in the living room, Cheng Jun was just quietly tearing open a bag of Maltesers chocolate candies. Hearing a thud, he shook, and an entire bag of Maltesers poured out onto the floor, signaling their demise.
“…” Sitting on the sofa, he sunk into silence.
This matter illustrated that wanting to snack secretly wasn’t easy to accomplish.
※
Gossip at the company covered all manner of dirty things. Ruan Jiu Jiu didn’t pay any attention to it.
She had already decided to sign up for a driving school after passing the end of the year. After obtaining her driver’s license, she could start to drive. Ruan Jiu Jiu made some calculations, and figured that buying a cheap scooter was doable.
After getting her pay for the month, she could treat Cheng Jun out to a huge feast.
Ruan Jiu Jiu also had another secret.
When chatting with Tu Nan and the others, she unintentionally found out that Cheng Jun’s birthday was the first day of the new year. It just happened that she had been saving her pay this month so she could give Cheng Jun a memorable birthday.
Ruan Jiu Jiu had always had a kind of mysterious ceremonial solemnity towards holidays and special days.
This had because of her own birthday—She was born on February 29th, and could only celebrate once every 4 years. She loved the atmosphere of birthday celebrations, but it was a pity she couldn’t experience it too often for herself. No one had really ever remembered the pitifully few birthdays she had.
Ruan Jiu Jiu decided to think of it as celebrating her and Cheng Jun’s new life in this world, so she had to properly make plans.
Today she got off work early. Cheng Jun wasn’t at the company, so Ruan Jiu Jiu planned to go out by herself for some shopping.
She bundled herself up in a long windbreaker, put on a face mask and scarf, and walked briskly amidst the cold winds.
Perhaps because her time of the month was about to start, Ruan Jiu Jiu really wanted to eat something sweet. Especially soft, fluffy souffle cheesecake. Remembering that the was a shop with pretty good desserts in the area, she immediately headed over in high spirits.
Ruan Jiu Jiu’s steps were quick. That cake shop was only a few hundred meters away, only a ten minute or so walk. She had already decided what to get for herself, but since she was stopping by, she also needed to bring some for Cheng Jun.
Just at this time, someone called her name from behind.
“Ruan Jiu Jiu.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu blankly looked back.
Behind her stood a middle-aged man, bundled up tightly like her. He wore a down jacket and had a short, dumpy stature, a bit obese. The look on his eyes appeared very good-natured.
Ruan Jiu Jiu stared blankly in surprise. “You are?”
The other smiled slightly and had a mysterious expression on his face. “I wanted to just have a little chat with you about things related to Jiacheng.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “What? If you want to talk business, you shouldn’t come looking for me.”
“No, no.” The man waved his hand. “I’m from one of Jiacheng’s competitors.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “???”
“Let’s find somewhere to sit so we can talk. Are you interested in, say, a payout of ten million?”
At that, Ruan Jiu Jiu was startled.
On one hand, she was shocked that the other had that much money and could just casually throw out ten million when he opened his mouth. On the other hand, there was actually someone stupid enough to run out and find the boss’s wife to talk business? It looked like he was instigating something. This was practically stirring up trouble out of sheer boredom.
Ruan Jiu Jiu took a glance at the time and confirmed it was still early, so she lightly responded, “Let’s go, there’s a dessert shop up ahead. The two of us can sit and chat.”
The man was called Lin Li. Right at the start, he clearly introduced his own identity.
Ruan Jiu Jiu asked, “Are you from Ruifang Corp?”
“As expected, you know what’s up!” Lin Li gave a thumbs up in approval, thinking somewhat proudly that their company was truly on the rise. At the mention of Ruifang, anyone would instantly think of their company.
In reality, it was only because Ruan Jiu Jiu heard Tu Nan mention it before.
This company often made games with gimmicks and the quality was inconsistent. They had an infamous history of plagiarism, and had even scammed other companies by making themselves out as victims. Their methods had earned them a terrible reputation.
If you wanted to compare them to Jiacheng, there was still a large gap between them.
Ruan Jiu Jiu calmly took a sip of her cappuccino. “Go ahead.”
“I’ll just lay things out honestly. Ten million for a few sketches, you know which ones I want. Jiacheng hasn’t published any concept art yet, right? We just need some core character and environment designs, nothing that’s been published yet.”
A lightbulb suddenly went off in Ruan Jiu Jiu’s head. “You guys want to manufacture a plagiarism scandal for Jiacheng?”
“Smart!”
If only they obtained the primary designs, they could publish things ahead of Jiacheng. Jiacheng had invested quite a lot of money into their new game, so if any issues cropped up, they would have a huge mess on their hands.
“In order to show our sincerity, we’ll first pay you 3 million. The remainder we’ll exchange for the goods, what do you think?” The other didn’t wait for Ruan Jiu Jiu to consider things and added, “Don’t worry, if you’re scared of facing pressure from your company, we’ll get you a green card so you can comfortably live outside the country for a few years.”
A few years later, whether Jiacheng would still dominate, that wasn’t certain.
Ruan Jiu Jiu blinked and said, “Let me think about it a little more.”
“I believe you are an intelligent person.” Lin Li made an attempt at flattery.
Ruan Jiu Jiu smiled mysteriously. “I think so too.”
Therefore, she’d go back to discuss things. Who knows, maybe she could earn an extra few million.
“Oh yeah, why did you guys look for me? You aren’t afraid I’ll sell you out?”
“Relax, we naturally have our own abilities.” Lin Li put on an act that everything was securely in their hands.
In reality, a few days prior, the vice president’s mistress had mentioned that her close friend knew someone that worked at Jiacheng. That insider was a paratrooper, so she probably had some kind of unclear relationship with someone high up in the company.
Hearing what his little sweetheart had to say, the vice president even forgot to take Viagra and immediately made her reach out to her friend.
In private, they had a long discussion. The other went into a lot of detail, practically letting them match each feature up to the right person. The female informant, last name Xu, made one critical comment—the paratrooper named Ruan Jiu Jiu was extremely greedy, even marrying a husband she didn’t love for money. But before she could obtain a divorce, her husband’s family’s company went bankrupt, so for the sake of obtaining a house, she could only endure.
If you offered ten million to a woman who had such a love for money, how could she not be tempted?
For the sake of Ruan Jiu Jiu’s greed, they made many preparations. Their goal was to obtain Jiacheng’s design drafts.
When a woman’s hate was aroused, it was terrifying enough to scare people to death. If for the sake of money, she could betray herself, then it was a given that she could betray her financial backer.
Thinking of this, Lin Li cleared his throat. His chubby face looked like a roll of steamed bun dough. Seeing him, Ruan Jiu Jiu felt a bit amused.
“Uhh…Let me be a bit bold and ask something presumptuous. Is your financial backer Jiacheng’s boss?”
His question left Ruan Jiu Jiu slightly stunned.
Wheels turned in Ruan Jiu Jiu’s head as she thought. Things apparently indeed were as he said. Her current financial backer was Cheng Jun, and wasn’t Cheng Jun Jiacheng’s top boss?
Ruan Jiu Jiu solemnly nodded. “That’s correct. But you can’t let this get out, he doesn’t like others to know.”
“Of course, I understand.” Lin Li made an OK sign with his hand.
“I hope you can give it proper thought. With this much money you could buy a house, and after a few years I’m sure the price will rise quite a bit. Just look at how young you are, you can do anything you want. But with art, you’ll easily injure your hands.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu nodded.
“Relax, I’ll definitely, definitely, definitely give it proper thought.” It, meaning how to earn this money.
Ruan Jiu Jiu’s tone was firm and convincing. Her eyes were resolute. Lin Li assumed that she was already trying to probe out things on his side, and facing Ruan Jiu Jiu, lifted his cup of coffee to give a toast to their relationship as comrades…Ah no, to their mutual benefits!
With a gulp, Lin Li drained the cup to its last drop. His doughy steamed bun face immediately pinched into a knot.
Damn it was really bitter.
He forgot to add sugar!
……
Once the two of them had agreed to a friendly collaboration, Ruan Jiu Jiu made all kinds of guarantees as they walked off. She followed him with her gaze as he departed. This big bro had already arranged the time of their next meeting.
After all, they were a bit tight on time. They had to make use of every second to drag Jiacheng down.
Ruan Jiu Jiu hummed a tune in a pleasant mood. When she got home, she started to call Cheng Jun’s name immediately once she entered the door. “Jun, Jun Jun, where are you? Quickly come out, I have something to discuss with you!”
As she said that, the door to the bathroom opened.
In his pajamas, Cheng Jun was still a bit damp from his bath. Water droplets glistened on his skin and his wet hair dripped water everywhere. He only gave it a perfunctory wipe with the towel. His pale skin was a bit flushed from the warmth of the hot steam, and his whole appearance carried a lazy air with it. His collar was slightly unbuttoned, revealing slender and seductive collarbones.
The beautiful sight in front of her made Ruan Jiu Jiu swallow in a bit of a daze, her throat suddenly dry.
Her face flushed red all over.
Even though she was already used to Cheng Jun, this guy was still good-looking to death.
Cheng Jun walked up and carefully examined Ruan Jiu Jiu. His black eyes looked very profound. When he lowered his head, the distance between the two of them suddenly shortened considerably until she could practically feel the steam coming off of him.
Ruan Jiu Jiu stammered, “What are you doing?”
He earnestly asked, “Did you catch a cold?”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…Can you please refrain from cursing me!”
Only
She had almost been distracted by Cheng Jun and forgot what she was going to say. Ruan Jiu Jiu regained her attention and gave him a glare, continuing, “What happened is, today someone came to find me. They said they wanted me to steal a few design drafts from Jiacheng.”
Slowly, Cheng Jun paused in the middle of rubbing his hair dry. “Hmm?”
“Do you think we can successfully execute this business opportunity?” Ruan Jiu Jiu blinked with a crafty look in her eyes.
Husband and wife quickly exchanged a telepathic look.
It looked like…
…it was possible!
Author’s Note:
Ruan Jiu Jiu: If there’s money to be had, we can make it together, no problem
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