Jingxia Rose

Chapter 170 [Shi Yi 020] Now you're still pretending not to know me, huh?

"The best choice? To marry you?" Yi Xu pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket, flicked out a cigarette, lit it, exhaled a smoke ring, and sneered, "You really want to marry me? Or... does your Yuan family really want you to marry me?"

Yuan Chulin frowned and waved the smoke in front of her. "No, it's just that from a purely economic point of view, a marriage between our two families would be more suitable."

"My feelings, marriage, and who I'm compatible with are not up to my husband to decide, so who are you to judge me?"

Yi Xu's words were quite impolite, and Yuan Chulin's expression changed.

She took a breath. "I didn't come here today to talk about these things. It's mainly about business."

"Oh, then you can talk to my men at another time."

Yuan Chulin had thought about what kind of person Yi Xu was, but she never expected him to be like this.

She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and turned to leave.

He said to Mrs. Yi in the living room, "Auntie, I have something to do, so I won't be able to have dinner with you and Grandpa Yi today. I'll come another day." He then grabbed his bag from the sofa and left.

"Chu Lin, Chu Lin, what's wrong..."

Madam Yi chased after him for several steps but couldn't stop him.

She could only watch helplessly as Yuan Chulin got into the car and left. Furious, she went back and, seeing that Yi Xu hadn't returned yet, went directly to the backyard to look for him.

Yi Xu was sitting on the wooden railing smoking, his legs bent, his hand holding the cigarette casually resting on his knee.

"What happened? Didn't I ask you to accompany Chu Lin for a walk and to see the scenery? You've only been gone a few minutes, and you've already made her leave in a huff?"

Yi Xu stood up, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and extinguished it with the toe of his shoe. "Mom, I made it very clear at the dinner table last time that I have a girlfriend, and I don't want to break up with her for the time being, nor will I follow the same path as my older brother, which is an arranged marriage."

"You and Shi Shi haven't broken up yet?" Mrs. Yi was taken aback, and frowned. "She didn't mention breaking up with you?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Xu grasped the key point and narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean? Mom, you've talked to her?"

Madam Yi didn't intend to hide it. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

“On the afternoon of your birthday, I went to see her and told her to leave you. She seemed very calm and composed at the time, and she agreed.”

"I knew she was wondering why she suddenly didn't go that night, it turns out..."

"Mom, you really are my mom!" Yi Xu was so angry that she fell backward, grabbing a handful of her hair in frustration. "You know that day is my birthday? Aren't you just messing things up? You're deliberately trying to ruin my birthday."

He exclaimed "Oh dear!" and hurried outside, ignoring everything Madam Yi called to him from behind.

But once he got in the car, he suddenly calmed down. When he recalled Shi Wan's nonchalant talk about her "friends with benefits" that night, as well as all her tone and expressions, his passionate heart instantly cooled down.

It was precisely because she defined their relationship as casual sex that she was so calm and natural when his mother came to her.

Those two months together, and her confusion and shock about the definition of a relationship that night, were not fake.

In her mind, they were indeed just casual sex partners.

That's it.

What can he change by going to see her now?
He wanted to ask her to get back together with him and turn the page on the past.
He can't.

During those two months, Shi Wan remained true to herself, but he seemed to be paying more and more attention to her and caring about her more and more.

It seems that ever since they met, Shi Wan has taken the initiative, while he has always been on the defensive.

Even when he was hanging there, it seemed as if he was willingly being hung up by her.

Some people even enjoy the process despite their illness.

He is really quite ill!
Depend on!
Now that we've analyzed it this way, it's even more incredible.

That's so humiliating!

Damn it, Yi Xu, you're such a coward!

He never dared to imagine that the word "incompetent" could be associated with him.

Shi Wan is probably retribution, a punishment, for his years of playing the field.

In just over two months, he fell from grace.

They were completely ruined.

But... he didn't want to accept his fate. Why could this woman so easily control his heart?

She remained unmoved.

Not reconciled!
awkward!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Shi Wan's weekend was much simpler: sleeping in, taking the princess out for a stroll and shopping, taking a set of stunning photos of the princess, and having hot pot with Ji Xuan and Yin Qianran, who was still pregnant, in the evening.

We took two group photos.

Then that night I selected nine pictures and posted them on my WeChat Moments with the caption: "What makes me happy is the weekend."

Within half an hour of her posting, she had received fifty or sixty likes and numerous comments.

Shi Wan ignored it all; she was simply posting on her WeChat Moments to record the beautiful moments of the present.

At 11 p.m., Yi Xu came out after taking a shower and was scrolling through his phone when he saw a familiar profile picture. When he saw the text and photo on it, his face instantly darkened.

It seems that the short two-month "friends with benefits" relationship did not have much of an impact on her.

Ha, if you don't care, then I won't care either.

There are plenty of women.

Yi Xu snorted coldly, exited WeChat, and casually tossed his phone aside. After lying flat for two minutes, he got up in anger and punched the air.

On Monday morning, he arrived at the Guiya Jewelry Group with a sour face.

Guiya is also a subsidiary of Yi's, but it has been around for a longer time and also deals in high-end luxury goods.

The company is only headed by a vice president; he himself serves as president. Unlike Laijia, who is a hands-off manager, he still gets involved in some major international projects for this company.

He only comes to the company for important meetings; he rarely shows up for the regular Monday meetings.

When Vice President Ji Pingsheng saw him, he was stunned for a moment. When he saw his cold, sullen face that seemed to say, "Who owes me eight million?", his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but wonder if something terrible had happened in the company recently.

"Mr. Yi, what brings you here?"

Yi Xu's face was sour, and the gunpowder in his words seemed capable of blowing up the entire building: "Can't I come?"

Ji Pingsheng raised his hand to wipe his forehead. "I can...I can come, of course I can come."

Yi Xu looked away. "Has anything happened at the company lately?"

“Nothing else.” Ji Pingsheng paused for a moment and said truthfully, “I just received a call saying that Yue Qing’er canceled at the last minute. Tomorrow is the day for the advertising and promotional shoot for the ‘Thames River’ series. She said she couldn’t come at the last minute. We need to find someone else now because the location for the shoot is rented. It’s a daily fee. Going over budget is a minor issue. The main problem is that someone else has already rented the location after three days. We can’t extend the time even if we want to.”

"Solution".

Yi Xu frowned, disliking idle chatter.

Ji Pingsheng said, "I am now preparing to go to Suizhou. The publicity department is currently contacting two potential artists, but... there are not many suitable candidates to be our Guiya spokesperson, considering their popularity, traffic, and influence, as well as whether they match the 'Thames River' jewelry series."

Changing the spokesperson at the last minute isn't a big deal, but with the filming scheduled for tomorrow, finding another female celebrity so urgently, and finding one that meets the criteria, is indeed a bit difficult.

But Yi Xu suddenly remembered someone, lowered his gaze, and said, "Let's go, I'll go to Suizhou with you."

Ji Pingsheng was taken aback, "This is such a small matter, I can handle it myself, no need..."

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get together." Yi Xu was in a bad mood right now, had little patience, and didn't like repeating himself. "Have someone buy plane tickets."

He was too lazy to go home and pack his luggage, so he called the person in charge of a clothing brand in Suizhou and asked him to prepare two sets of clothes, which would be sent over after the hotel was booked.

On his way to the airport, he dialed a number. "Filming in Suizhou?" The person on the other end of the line paused for a moment, then laughed. "Oh, you know so much about my schedule? You didn't bribe one of my people, did you?"

"The 'Thunder River' advertising shoot for tomorrow was canceled. How do you save the day?" Yi Xu chuckled, not beating around the bush.

How many days will it take to film?

"The next two days."

The person on the other end of the phone thought for a moment, then said, "Sure. Have someone send the contract to my assistant's email."

"No need, I came today, how about we have dinner together tonight?"

"Oh, you're treating?"

"Ah."

"That would be my honor."

"See you tonight."

"OK, see you tonight."

After hanging up the phone, Yi Xu looked at Ji Pingsheng beside him and said, "Tell the publicity department that there's no need to look for anyone anymore. I've already found someone. Once we get to Suizhou, you can draft the contract, and I'll bring it to her tonight to sign it."

Ji Pingsheng hadn't expected him to be so quick. After a moment of hesitation, he still asked, "I wonder who that person is..."

"Wen Song."

Wen Song?

Oh, Wen Song, one of the four little actresses in the entertainment industry, starred in a fantasy film last year, which became a hit across the internet, propelling her from a third-tier actress to a first-tier one.

Wen Song has striking features; she's not immediately stunning, but her good looks make her more and more pleasing to the eye.

Speaking of which, three years ago, there were rumors circulating online about Yi Xu and Wen Song having an affair.

Photos of the two having dinner together and embracing have surfaced online.

Ji Pingsheng could only think about this in his heart; of course, he couldn't ask it out loud.

Around 2:30 pm, the plane landed at Suizhou Airport. By the time he checked into the hotel, it was already 2 pm. The brand's staff had delivered the clothes he requested to his room an hour earlier.

The hotel also provided him with his daily necessities.

Around 6 p.m., inside a private upscale restaurant.

Yi Xu arrived early and was leaning back in his chair, leisurely playing with his phone. The door to the private room opened, and a short-haired woman in a white dress walked in.

"Long time no see, Young Master Yi," Wen Song joked.

"Oh, long time no see, Miss Wen." Yi Xu replied, mimicking her tone. "I invited you to my birthday party last week, but you didn't come."

"I'm busy filming, how could I have time?" Wen Song glanced at him. "Didn't I already make up for your birthday present? Being so petty is damaging to your image as the Second Young Master Yi."

"That sounds nice, but isn't it all because Old Jiang is around?"

Wen Song paused, looked up, and said, "If you're going to keep talking about this nonsense, I'm leaving."

"Okay, okay, I won't say, I won't say, you order." With that, he pushed the menu over to him.

Halfway through the meal, Wen Song casually glanced at the contract he had brought and remarked, "Wow, that's a high price. Young Master Yi is really generous."

"There's no other way; this is the proper decorum that Miss Wen should have."

"You're getting more and more talkative."

"Excellent."

Wen Song rolled her eyes. "You've gotten shameless too."

Yi Xu smiled slightly, took a picture of the table with his phone, and Wen Song was also in the picture. He sent it to the group of five: Having dinner with a top-tier celebrity, are you envious?

The first to reply was Chu Feng: Where did you go? Why are you with Wen Song?
Yi Xu: Suizhou. I happened to be here on business and needed her to fill in for me.

Later, Lu Xuming joined the chat, and even Wen Qi, who rarely spoke up, chimed in a couple of times.

Jiang Huaichuan was the only one who didn't show up.

Wen Song and he were childhood sweethearts. Wherever there was Jianghuaichuan, there was Wen Song. The two were often together.

Over time, he became acquainted with Yi Xuwen, Qi and the others.

They dated for six years, starting in high school, but broke up suddenly after graduating from university. Wen Song went abroad for three years and then entered the entertainment industry after returning to China.

Yi Xu and the others didn't know the reason for the breakup, and no one asked. But after the breakup, the two were never seen together again.

After the meal, Wen Song put on a hat and mask and left, while Yi Xu stayed inside for more than ten minutes before leaving.

It was already past nine o'clock when we got back to the hotel.

He was scrolling through his phone as he strolled leisurely when he suddenly heard a familiar voice laughing and talking. He stopped in his tracks, his gaze lingered, and he looked up at the source of the sound.

A few seconds later, two figures walked out from around the corner.

The man was very tall, with a sunny and handsome face. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt over a white T-shirt and light-colored jeans.

The woman beside her had long, flowing hair, bright eyes and white teeth, and clear, charming phoenix eyes that shimmered with a delightful smile.

Quite good looking.

It's quite eye-catching.

Yi Xu narrowed his eyes, slowly putting his phone into his pocket, staring intently at the woman wearing a blue short-sleeved T-shirt and high-waisted jeans.

Oh, so you're even wearing matching outfits?

His anger, which he had finally managed to calm down earlier, suddenly flared up again in an instant.

As Shi Wan was laughing, she noticed the tall figure standing in front of her, and her smile froze.

It's only been about a week since Yi Xu's birthday.

But for some reason, it gave her a feeling of being in another world.

what happened?

Before we knew each other, we never bumped into each other.

The relationship is awkward now; we can run into each other even in Suizhou, which is more than 700 kilometers away from Beijing.

Is this some kind of ghost?

"So that day's styling took a full eight hours, and then we only filmed for less than ten minutes before we had to change the makeup and styling again. I didn't break down, but the makeup artist did."

Shi Wan snapped out of her daze, her gaze already shifting from Yi Xu. She continued laughing with the male actor beside her, "Did you spend the entire day on makeup?"

"Yes, we filmed four or five more scenes that night, and didn't finish until after 3 a.m.

"That must be tough."

As they talked, the two walked past Yi Xu without glancing at him again.

As the two people's laughter faded into the distance, Yi Xu clenched his fists.

That's great!
Shi Wan, you've already played him for a fool, and now you're pretending not to know him?
Who was that man next to her? He looked vaguely familiar.

Young Master Yi's mentality has exploded; two chapters have been combined into one today!