Chapter 24

Once the laugh left Ruan Jiu Jiu’s mouth, she felt that she had acted with impropriety. As a woman, she was very sympathetic to An Rou.

Even on cloudy days, she’d put on sunscreen before going out. She didn’t even dare think of the consequences of being out in the sun for so long. She was afraid that An Rou would have to hole up for a whole year before recovering.

Seeing the girl’s red eyes and hearing her sniffles, Ruan Jiu Jiu felt a bit sorry for her and went up to offer some consolation.

Hearing her words of comfort, An Rou started sobbing even harder.

At dusk, An Rou emerged from her room slathered in recently purchased after-sun lotion. She wore long sleeves, full-length pants, wide-brim sun hat, dark sunglasses, a face mask, and carried a parasol. Her entire body was wrapped securely.

A barbeque had already been set up on the beach by the resort workers. Everyone could grill meat, drink beer, and relish in the breeze. It was as relaxing as can be. Only An Rou seemed to have a dark cloud hanging above her head. She stood apart from the happy crowd. Jiao Fan didn’t think a tan was that big of a deal and, completely forgetting about it, he ran off with the others to grab food.

A few chefs were preparing barbeque condiments and charcoal. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw a beautiful lady in a long dress with a jacket on her shoulders. She was happily playing with the rocks on the beach. She looked innocent and adorable and her black pupils twinkled like stars, brimming with a curiosity for everything.

So wonderful. They paused in the middle of their work and couldn’t help but take a few more looks.

Then, they saw the beautiful lady pick up a crab and burst into laughter. “Cheng Jun look! I caught it!”

Cheng Jun quietly retreated to safety. “…”

The crowd of onlookers. “…”

The crab was given a good scrub by the chefs and then marinated. Ruan Jiu Jiu had played to her heart’s content. She collected many round little pebbles that had been weathered smooth by the ocean waves, and planned to find someplace to string them into a bracelet. Maybe that could be considered a handmade charm bracelet?

When she turned, she nearly bumped into someone. Only when Ruan Jiu Jiu recovered her footing did she see that it was An Rou.

“I have something to say to you.” An Rou was expressionless and had lost the tender demeanor she wore during the day. She looked straight on at Ruan Jiu Jiu. “I don’t care if you’re playing the fool or if you have some underlying confidence. All I have to say is that I’m determined to win Cheng Jun over.”

Ruan Jiu Jiu said, “Sure.”

“I’m not joking!”

“I’m not joking either. Go do your own thing. We can still be friends, right?”

An Rou: “…”

Ruan Jiu Jiu smiled and said, “Let me just put it this way. We don’t have many special feelings for each other. If you want to be a homewrecker then wreck away. There’s no need to try to one-up me, since Cheng Jun even doesn’t like me.”

An Rou didn’t expect such an answer.

An Rou didn’t know if she would use the word “like”, but Cheng Jun definitely cared about Ruan Jiu Jiu. Upon seeing Ruan Jiu Jiu’s demeanor, she could immediately tell who cared more. An Rou was both jealous and couldn’t put her hurt into words. In her heart, Cheng Jun was like an unattainable flower on the high mountains. Yet here he was, single-sidedly protecting someone.

She originally thought that Cheng Jun was someone who would only ever be on the receiving end of affection, and his icy stone heart would never melt.

An Rou didn’t say anything. Ruan Jiu Jiu thought about it and didn’t feel like she had said anything wrong. For a while, she really didn’t know what the other was thinking.

An Rou bit her lips and said, “I don’t believe you’d be willing to let him go.”

How many men in the world could be like Cheng Jun?

Ruan Jiu Jiu was puzzled. A wonderful girl like An Rou didn’t bother finding a tall, handsome, capable, not to mention high EQ man like Gu You. Why was she so hung up on someone as anger-inducing as Cheng Jun?

With a heart full of good intentions, Ruan Jiu Jiu advised, “Why wouldn’t I be willing? When it comes to guys, if the old don’t go, the new don’t come.”

When Ruan Jiu Jiu said this, Cheng Jun, Tu Nan and the others just so happened to walk by and they overheard everything. After hearing Sister-in-law say that, the group silently looked towards their boss. The green hat on Cheng Jun’s head was looking especially lush.

Cheng Jun: “…”

Tu Nan coughed. “Um, lets eat!” He quickly prevented Ruan Jiu Jiu from saying anything else.

Ruan Jiu Jiu didn’t seem to be the least bit embarrassed after having been caught. She cheerily went off to eat barbeque.

The fresh, marinated meat was brushed with a layer of oil and when grilled over the charcoal fire, crackled merrily. The strong scent made Ruan Jiu Jiu’s mouth water.

An Rou sat dignified in her chair, not moving. Ruan Jiu Jiu walked past and jumped in, “You aren’t eating?”

She furrowed her brows in disgust and said, “I’m vegetarian.”

“Sorry for bothering you.”

As a carnivore, Ruan Jiu Jiu really couldn’t communicate with someone like An Rou.

An Rou walked up to a red bucket and looked at the flailing fish inside. She tenderly said, “Let’s not eat these fish. See how lively they look? Why don’t we just release them?”

Her voice wasn’t loud, and but it was just loud enough for Cheng Jun, who was sitting nearby, to hear her clearly.

Ruan Jiu Jiu resolutely refused. “No, I want to eat it.”

“Aren’t you being too cruel? Fish are also living creatures.”

Ruan Jiu Jiu: “???”

“Every year, I participate in the Buddhist mercy release, and release many fish and turtles back into the wild.” An Rou flashed the photo on her phone in Ruan Jiu Jiu’s face. “See? Look how big this turtle is. Who knows how old it is?”

Ruan Jiu Jiu hesitated and asked, “Isn’t this… a pond slider turtle?”

Pond sliders were an invasive species. They were ferocious omnivores, and even dared to attack humans. Ruan Jiu Jiu already envisioned that the turtle she released had probably wiped out the entire population of fish in the pond.

What sort of Buddhist mercy release was this?

An Rou was aware of pond sliders but didn’t know what they looked like. Her face froze and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She could only cast a pleading glance at Cheng Jun.

Then, she helplessly saw Cheng Jun’s eyes glitter as he pointed at the bucket of fish and said, “Cook them all.”

An Rou: “…”

Weren’t guys supposed to like kindhearted girls who loved little animals?!

Tu Nan smiled awkwardly and dragged An Rou away, hoping that she would give up and leave the two alone.

Ruan Jiu Jiu returned to her seat. Seeing that the shrimp was done, she reached out with a greedy paw. But someone else beat her to it.

Cheng Jun looked in her direction.

Ruan Jiu Jiu was dumbfounded. Still thinking that maybe he was getting it for her, she stretched out her hand and said, “Thanks…

…You fatass!”

Under her eyes, she saw the grilled shrimp disappear into Cheng Jun’s mouth. Apparently having burnt his tongue, he took a few quick breaths. He gave an evaluation with food bulging in his cheeks. “Pretty good.”

Ruan Jiu Jiu ground her teeth down another millimeter.

She went to grab a grilled squid but Cheng Jun beat her to it again. His lanky arms easily reached past Ruan Jiu Jiu’s to nab the grilled squid. This time he remembered to give it a quick blow before taking a bite.

“Pretty good.”

Ruan Jiu Jiu said, “Excuse me sir, do you want to die?”

She lost all patience and reached out for a grilled oyster. This time Cheng Jun didn’t block her. Ruan Jiu Jiu happily scooped it up.

“Hot hot hot!”

“Heh.”

“…” I can hear you, thank you very much!

Ruan Jiu Jiu once again felt the urge to strap him to a rocket on a one-way-trip to the Sun.

She saw Cheng Jun’s handsome yet languid face. He continued chewing without a care in the world. The more she looked at him, the angrier she became. Before Cheng Jun could even react, she leaned over, grabbed Cheng Jun’s cheeks, and gave them a good squeeze.

The skin on Cheng Jun’s face was thin and it quickly reddened after a few squeezes.

Ruan Jiu Jiu took pleasure in his misfortune and said, “Steal again if you dare.”

Cheng Jun was suddenly shocked in place.

The lady in his arms had a unique, fragrant smell. Normally the smell was faint, but when she was in his embrace, he could distinctly smell it.

Her hands were warm and her fingertips were still a bit hot from being scalded. They squished tightly against his cheeks.

His heart seemed to have been scalded too.

At this time, Ruan Jiu Jiu saw her magnified face reflected in his eyes, and it took up over half his pupils. She was a little shocked. She suddenly realized that with her current position, she seemed as if she were cupping his face and going in for a kiss. The two stared at each other at a close distance.

“…”

“…”

“You have something in your ey-”

Ruan Jiu Jiu’s face darkened. “Shut it.”

The people sitting opposite them saw everything clear as day. Tu Nan chugged some beer and asked, “An Rou, have you given up yet? Do you think Boss would let you make such a move on him?” They weren’t dumb. Though Cheng Jun looked a bit lackadaisical, as if he didn’t care about anything, he still teased Ruan Jiu Jiu on purpose because of what she said, and for no other reason.

An Rou pursed her lips tightly and didn’t say a word.

“It’d be better for you to admit your wrongs earlier. He may be holding himself back now, but that doesn’t mean the boss permits you to do this.”

An Rou suddenly felt a bit heartsick. “I really don’t understand where I’m worse than her. Why are all of you on her side? Are you all clinging to the belief that we have to protect the sanctity of marriage? What decade are we in, don’t we have the freedom to love who we want?”

“How can you compare relationships between people that easily? An Rou, things aren’t that simple.”

Jiao Fan, who had been sitting there quietly the entire time, suddenly said with a solemn look on his face, “There isn’t any reason that can excuse interfering in someone’s marriage. Don’t ruin my impression of you.”

“…”

Ruan Jiu Jiu was already fast asleep, but Cheng Jun remained standing outside, feeling the sea breeze on his face.

His loose clothes rustled in the wind. A solitary figure stood on the soft, shifting sands. What was on his mind was a mystery. From behind, another figure gradually walked towards him. Unexpectedly, it was An Rou.

An Rou spoke quietly.

“You don’t have anything you want to say to me?”

Cheng Jun had a hand in his pocket, his back facing her. His tone was serene.

“Don’t use your position to gamble on things outside of work.”

“You mean…”

Her face instantly paled.

“Turn in your resignation letter.”

An Rou couldn’t believe that Cheng Jun would actually take the initiative to bring up resignation. She clenched her fist and said through gritted teeth, “There’s no one who can replace my role if I leave. Make sure you’ve thought this through!”

Cheng Jun finally turned around.

In the darkness of the night, his pupils were pitch-black. The degree of cold alienation in his eyes was something that Ruan Jiu Jiu had never seen herself. He was calm, without a ripple in his voice. Regardless of how many tears An Rou shed, he remained unmoved.

“No one is truly irreplaceable at their job.”

Therefore, assuming that the strength of your job title and work history gave you special privileges elsewhere, was a big mistake.

An Rou trembled all over.

She thought back to what Tu Nan had said.

“An Rou, you still don’t truly understand Cheng Jun.”

As it turns out, she truly didn’t understand, why he was able to act so lightly towards everything.

An Rou wiped away her tears. Unresigned, she asked, “I only have one last question…In your world, will there ever be someone who is irreplaceable?”

Under the darkness of the night sky, the man stood straight upright. His long and slender eyes glanced indifferently at the vast ocean. His voice seemed to disappear with the wind, submerging beneath the roar of the waves as they washed upon the shore.

“I don’t know.”

……

The next day, An Rou’s room was totally vacant. The only thing that remained was a letter of resignation.

The people who had received the news were stunned. Jiao Fan quickly dialed her number but was stopped by Cheng Jun. They didn’t even know when he had come in. “No need.”

“Boss, the work is half finished and you’re just letting her go like that?”

“Mhm.”

When Cheng Jun’s words came out, no one had any room to retort. Tu Nan sighed and scratched his head, saying, “Then what should we do?”

Cheng Jun was very calm.

“Aren’t we already recruiting artists? Train them well.” They’d quickly master their work.

Recruiting computer graphics illustrators…

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Wasn’t Ruan Jiu Jiu in first place?!

“Achoo!”

Ruan Jiu Jiu sneezed and rubbed her nose.

Only

Yesterday, she didn’t sleep that well. Her hair was a bird’s nest. While brushing her hair with one hand, she picked up her phone in the other. She saw that there was a text from an unknown sender. The other party was piping mad and their text was filled with exclamation marks.

“We can never be friends!!!!!!!!!!”

Ruan Jiu Jiu: “???”

Very quickly, she realized who that person is.

Ruan Jiu Jiu had an innocent look on her face. This An Rou sure was an interesting person.

Author’s Note:

Ruan Jiu Jiu: What happened to being bosom friends?

An Rou: I feel like I’ve been deeply humiliated.