“Ms. Lin? What are you doing here?” Jiang Mohan was shocked to see her here.
Zong Yanxi’s hands curled into fists, and she had to force herself to keep her threshing emotions in check in order to keep her calm façade.
“I…” Her voice came out dry. “I lost my way…”
“Get in the car. I’ll give you a ride.” He locked his gaze with hers.
Zong Yanxi relaxed her curled fists and smiled. “Thank you for the offer, President Jiang.”
Jiang Mohan remained silent.
She pulled open the door and slid into the car.
“President Jiang, I was wondering if you’ve settled your matters?” She went straight to the point. “I don’t wish for anything to happen during the period of our collaboration.”
Jiang Mohan kept up with his silence and steered the car onto the road.
Whatever happened yesterday was an accident. He was set up by someone with the intention to ruin his reputation, but he had already settled the matter.
He was also upset about the incident.
“I’m assuming you haven’t had lunch yet, have you, Ms. Lin? Let’s head for lunch. It’ll be my treat.” Jiang Mohan suddenly blurted out.
Zong Yanxi gave his suggestion some thought. “How could I ever reject such a sincere offer from you, President Jiang?”
Jiang Mohan cast a glance at her through the rear mirror. There had not been a single time where she had not surprised him every time they met.
It was the same this time.
It was as though she possessed some kind of charm that drew him close to her, making him want to fall at her feet and make her his.
He repulsed that feeling.
He loathed being controlled by women and being at a loss of power due to them.
The car slowed to a stop at the main entrance of a fancy restaurant.
Zong Yanxi took a closer look at the restaurant they were at and immediately felt her emotions churn. This was the restaurant that she used to love. It was where she used to drag Jiang Mohan to, and it had all her favorite dishes.
Why did he bring me here?
Did he know something?
Zong Yanxi felt slightly anxious.
Jiang Mohan had already slipped out of the car, but upon seeing that she hadn’t done so, he walked over and opened the door for her. “Ms. Lin.”
Zong Yanxi remained glued to her seat. “I’m not hungry. President Jiang, perhaps you should send me back to the hotel.”
“We’re already here, Ms. Lin. You might as well get out and have a meal.” Jiang Mohan had no intentions of sending her back and gave her a clear signal to vacate the car.
Zong Yanxi bit down on her lip and lowered her head as she exited the car. Jiang Mohan took the lead into the restaurant, with her closely in tow. He was a regular in this restaurant, so the manager came down personally to show them the way in. “President Jiang.”
Jiang Mohan nodded in acknowledgement.
“I’ve prepared a vacant table for your use. It’s secluded as well.” The manager brought them over to the VIP sector near the window.
Zong Yanxi cast her glance downwards as she followed him in.
“Here you go, miss.” The manager pulled out the chair for her.
She thanked him politely before taking a seat.
“The usual.” Jiang Mohan ordered as he sat down.
The manager was shocked. He visited here often with his wife, and he always ordered the same few dishes because they were the favorites of his wife. Now that he is here with another woman, why is he still ordering the usual dishes?
Jiang Mohan looked up at the manager. “Li?”
“Oh! Yes, sir. I’ll let the kitchen know. Please give us a moment.” The manager smiled sheepishly.
With that, the manager disappeared into the kitchen to prepare their meal. Zong Yanxi took a sip of her glass of water and asked, “President Jiang, are you fond of this restaurant?”
“Yes.” He didn’t even give a second thought to her question. It was only after he replied did he realize that it wasn’t he who was fond of the restaurant. This was her favorite restaurant.
He often visited this place and slowly got used to the routine of ordering the same few dishes. He wasn’t even sure if he came here often because he actually liked the food here or out of habit. He just liked coming here.
Zong Yanxi gently shut her eyes, her pretty eyelashes trembling in the slightest.
“Actually, it was my ex-wife who used to love this place.” Jiang Mohan leaned back and gazed at her. Sunlight shone in from the window next to them, and its beams bathed Zong Yanxi in a faint warm light. For a split second, he thought he saw her again.
He rubbed his fingers together. “You look like her.”
Zong Yanxi’s head shot up. She frowned. Did he realize something?
She thought she heard him wrongly. “I look like your ex-wife?”
She unconsciously reached up to touch her face. I look so different now. Even Mom and Dad won’t be able to recognize me if they saw me. How is it possible that he could tell?
She racked her brains for an answer to what went wrong but drew a blank.
Her expression was getting more annoyed by the minute.
“It’s not your looks. It’s just the vibe you give off.” Jiang Mohan stared at her as he continued, “Actually, it’s not really the same.”
Zong Yanxi was perplexed. What is he talking about? Is this a test? Or was it just out of instinct?
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“Ms. Lin, you are really pretty, but you don’t have the kind of warmth that she used to radiate. You could almost never catch her without a smile. When she smiled at me, her eyes would crinkle into crescents, and it would always warm my heart.” His eyes softened when he spoke of her, but the moment those eyes landed on Lin Ruixi, they lost their tenderness. “You’re too depressing. You’re the total opposite of her. Although you know how to plaster a smile on your face, it’s often too fake and insincere.”
Zong Yanxi tugged at the corner of her shirt below the table. Too fake? Insincere?
She used to pour her heart and soul, and had given him her everything. I was sincere to you once, but you only thought of how to scheme against me.
“I used to be like your ex-wife. I left nothing in the dark to the person that I loved. I was sincere to my ex-boyfriend. I gave him everything. But the only thing that I got in return was his lies. He deceived me. He hurt me so much that my heart was bruised all over. I never dared to smile with sincerity after that. I was too afraid of meeting another scum of a man. Even though the human eye has a resolution of 576 megapixels, it’s not nearly enough to see through the heart of a man.” She downcast her eyes and forced out a bitter laugh.
“Do you hate your ex-boyfriend?”
Jiang Mohan asked suddenly. If she were still alive, what would she have thought?
Would she hate me?
Hate?
That word was too much of an understatement to what Zong Yanxi was feeling.
“If it were possible, I would wish for the opportunity to kill him myself.” She locked her gaze with his as she spoke.
Jiang Mohan was suddenly met with her cold hard gaze and didn’t know how to react to her words. “You…”
At that moment, the manager walked toward them with the waiter, so he shut his mouth.
The manager and waiter laid out the food on their table. “President Jiang, all the dishes are ready.”
Jiang Mohan acknowledged him briefly.
“Please enjoy your meal.” The manager and the waiter left.
They were presented with a whole table of good food, but Jiang Mohan barely had any appetite. He continued with their conversation from before. “Do you think you’ll be able to do it? To kill someone that you used to love?”
“This is someone who had lied to me and hurt me. Why wouldn’t I be able to do it? Love? From the moment he decided to hurt me, those pitiful remaining wisps of love were all lost to the wind. All that’s left is hatred.” Zong Yanxi leaned in to close up some distance between them. “If it were possible, I would want to dig out his heart to take a closer look. How could he have the heart to lie and hurt me like that?”
Jiang Mohan nervously swallowed his saliva. Lin Ruixi’s words reminded him of himself.
She had such a strong personality. This would be something that she’ll do as well, wouldn’t it?
If only she were still alive… Even if she hated me, even if it was as much as Lin Ruixi hated her ex-boyfriend, but at least she was still alive.
Unlike now, she had left me completely alone in this world.
“President Jiang, you called her your ex-wife. What’s the reason behind your divorce?” Zong Yanxi raised a brow as she asked.
Jiang Mohan was a secretive man. He hid all his emotions and thoughts deep inside him, which was why he was able to look calm and collected on the outside. “I suddenly recalled that I have some matters to attend to. Enjoy your meal, Ms. Lin.”
He promptly stood up to leave after that.
Zong Yanxi sat upright and unmoving at the table.
Is he feeling guilty?
So guilty that he couldn’t even answer the question?
Jiang Mohan!
She shut her eyes and hid all her emotions back inside of her before she opened her eyes again. She picked up the chopsticks calmly and took a bite of her favorite dish.
Perhaps it was because her heart was in a different state, or it was because a different chef had prepared the dish, she found that she was not as fond of the dish as she used to be.
Everything has changed. I am not who I used to be anymore.
She picked another chopstick full of food and chewed on it. “Jiang Mohan, you murdered my child. An eye for an eye. I’ll be sure to make you pay for it.”
She put down her chopsticks and lifted her head to look at the sky. What a bright and sunny day.
She picked up a napkin and dabbed her mouth with it, leaving after she was done cleaning up.
It was very easy to flag down a taxi around this region, but she had no plans to head back to the hotel just yet. She walked on the path along the road. One year was not a very long time. There weren’t many changes to the surroundings.
The only thing that had changed was her heart.
