Jingxia Rose

Chapter 184 [Shi Yi 034] Go wherever fate takes you
Inside the restaurant.

"Have you been waiting long?" Shi Wan walked over, looking apologetic. "Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way."

"It's alright, I just arrived not long ago myself," Ji Xian said with a slight smile.

The two hadn't seen each other for half a month. After ordering, they chatted about everyday things, but Ji Xian stared at her leisurely, raising an eyebrow, "Don't you have anything else to say to me?"

Shi Wan looked blank for a moment, then suddenly realized and asked with amusement, "How did you know?"

"Yi Xu even posted it on his WeChat Moments, what do you think?" Ji Xuan took a sip of water, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes as she looked at her shocked expression. "You didn't know?"

"Moments?"

She really didn't know that she wouldn't have time to browse her WeChat Moments all afternoon.

Upon hearing Ji Xian's words, Shi Wan immediately opened Yi Xu's Moments and, sure enough, saw the post he had made that afternoon. In the photo, the princess was lying obediently on his lap, her four pink paws cutely sticking up.

The tagline is very simple: "It's called Princess." But after clicking through, you'll find another line below: "My girlfriend's cat."

The corners of her lips raised slightly.

"What's going on with you guys?" Ji Xuan knew something was amiss when he saw the curve of her lips.

"As you can see." Shi Wan put down her phone.

Ji Xian found it unbelievable; he could never have imagined that the two of them would be together.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but confirm, "This time... there shouldn't be any misunderstanding, right?"

She phrased it euphemistically, and Shi Wan smiled, "No, this time it's for real. We just confirmed our relationship yesterday."

"He chased you all the way to Suizhou?"

“You’re really overthinking it.” Shi Wan shrugged. “He was really there on business. He was supposed to be shooting a jewelry line, but they suddenly changed the actor right before filming, so he asked Wen Song to fill in.”

"Wen Song? That name sounds familiar."

"She had a rumored affair with him."

"No, I heard them mention this name at a gathering once before. I think she was Jiang Huaichuan's first love."

"Wow, that's explosive! What's going on?" Shi Wan's eyes sparkled. "Yi Xu also explained to me that he and Wen Song are just friends. In the photos from that scandal, he wasn't the only one there; Chu Feng, Lu Xuming, and your CEO Wen were also in them."

"All I know is that she talked to Jiang Huaichuan, but I don't know the specifics."

Ji Xuan said, "But... it's quite amazing that you two could run into each other in Suizhou."

"Who says otherwise? I also think it's pretty ridiculous. Look, before I knew him, I never ran into him even once. We were completely unrelated. And look, how long has it been since we broke up? And now we've run into each other."

"Perhaps... this is what they call fate?"

Shi Wan paused, "Speaking of fate, there's something even more outrageous and explosive. You'd never guess who I met?"

"Who? Your ex?"

"It's an ex. Guess which ex?"

"Dr. Chi? Lawyer Wei? Or Director Fu? Or that game streamer brother?"

These are the boyfriends she dated after graduation.

The longest relationship she had was with the lawyer, which lasted seven months. The shortest was with the variety show director, which lasted less than a month. She dated the doctor for four months, and her younger brother for only two months. Shi Wan thought he was too clingy and wouldn't allow her to drink or socialize.

Shi Wan thought about it seriously, "What you said makes me feel like I'm a pretty jerk."

“I didn’t mean that,” Ji Xuan quickly said.

None of these relationships were truly committed; the ones that almost became serious lasted more than six months, but they all ended in breakups. Attorney Wei said she was too rational, too strong-willed, and a bit cold-blooded. Shi Wan had heard this kind of talk too many times, so she wasn't particularly moved and immediately broke up with him.

It had been almost three months since they broke up. Lawyer Wei came to her to try to get back together, but Shi Wan smiled and said, "I'm a rather cold-blooded person, I never go back to an old flame."

She dates based entirely on her mood and first impressions. If she thinks it's okay, she'll give it a try; if not, she'll break up.

"This is a discussion."

Ji Xuan suddenly looked up, "Tan Wei?"

Shi Wan nodded calmly.

"When...did he return to the country?"

"It was about two months ago. We were discussing business in Suizhou."

"You two..." Ji Xuan didn't know what to say for a moment.

She witnessed the entire process of Shi Wanhe and Tan's relationship, from their first meeting to their third year of college.

She once thought that Shi Wan and Tan Wei would stay together forever, but later, as their arguments increased, they also had issues with their internships and future plans after graduation.

In particular, his family also hoped that he would go to Yale University, as he was recommended by the architecture school to be an exchange student in the United States.

Shi Wan initially thought that there was nothing wrong with a long-distance relationship and that seeing each other once every six months was no big deal.

However, Tan later decided not to go to Yale University and instead accompanied Shi Wan to graduate and take the postgraduate entrance examination in China.

But Shi Wan didn't want him to stay because of her. If they argued or something happened in the future, and he regretted not going abroad, he could say, "I didn't go to Yale because of you."

Just thinking about the destructive power of those words is enough to completely shatter her mentality.

So she advised Tan Wei to go, but in Tan Wei's eyes, her rational and calm attitude meant that she didn't care whether the two of them could meet again or continue their relationship.

Because they disagreed on this matter, the two started arguing again.

In this relationship, she was always the one who was in control. Tan Wei asked her with tears in his eyes, "Do you love me?"

Shi Wan found this problem a bit of a headache. "It has nothing to do with whether I love you or not. I just don't want you to regret it later and then blame me for stopping you from moving forward."

Tan Wei felt that while his future was important, he could also do well if he stayed in China, and most importantly, he could always be by her side.

She didn't want to be all alone on Valentine's Day, her birthday, or when she had menstrual cramps.

The two people have different perspectives on things; one is rational, and the other is emotional.

The argument naturally ended without resolution.

During those two days of the Cold War, she happened to be interning at a state-owned enterprise through a professor's introduction. She suffered unfair treatment, had a falling out with her boss, and was in a bad mood when Tan Wei's mother came to see her.

He didn't ask her to break up with him, but just said that he didn't want her to hold him back and that letting him go abroad was the best option. He added that if they stayed together for the next two or three years, she wouldn't object.

That day, Shi Wan approached Tan Wei again to ask for his final thoughts.

The two argued again. Shi Wan was in a bad mood, and Tan Wei also felt hurt by her. When the argument reached the point where they both lost their tempers, they said many hurtful things to each other. In the end, they broke up with red eyes.

“He hasn’t changed much over the years.”

Shi Wan smiled gently, "However... I don't regret my decision back then. No one could have predicted what would have happened if we had continued on that path."

"So you and Yi Xu are serious now?"

Shi Wan pondered for a moment and shook her head. "I guess so. As for the outcome... we'll only know once we get there. We'll see how things go and see what fate brings."