“I really know I was wrong.”
“I won’t dare do it again.”
One sincere confession after another made the man’s expression stiffen, his entire body pausing in surprise.
He had been expecting Ji Yuenián’s excuses and explanations, already prepared to expose Ji Yuenián, unmask Ji Yuenián, and punish Ji Yuenián, in order to quell that blazing green fury and unexplainable irritation in his heart.
But he never imagined that Ji Yuenián, always so tough and self-proclaimed as a real man, would just admit guilt directly—confessing, even.
Seeing the man stunned and his pent-up, agitated mood interrupted, Ji Yuenián sensed her chance and switched from defense to offense. She threw her arms around him, burying her little head deep into his chest, and began to cry softly, “Ying, ying, ying.”
“Wuwuwu~ Chibao, please forgive me~~”
“I really didn’t mean to look for other men, I just wanted to give myself a backup plan, that’s all.”
“And Lan Yi and I are really just ordinary friends.”
Choking with sobs, tears glittering in the corners of her eyes, the elegant lady shot a glance at the cat-eared maid beside her, who immediately understood, abandoned the little cart, and rushed away in a panic.
And next, of course, was the actress’s moment.
Her high, delicate nose twitched as she sobbed and explained through her tears. Crystalline drops, like a string of broken pearls, rolled down her fair, delicate cheeks.
Each one seemed to land heavily on the man’s heart, which was already seething with anger and jealousy.
At last, she slowly lifted her head, her eyes misty and wet as if veiled by a layer of dew, pitifully gazing at the man in front of her. She looked just like a little kitten, wronged by its owner, full of grievance and sorrow.
Jiang Chi gazed at Ji Yuenián in this state and his heart immediately softened. Coupled with her earlier explanation, most of his anger had already subsided, and his tone unconsciously grew gentle. “Sorry, I misunderstood you.”
“You actually don’t trust me, after all the trust I’ve given you.” The elegant lady, full of grievance, pouted and furrowed her brows like a little wife who’d been bullied, her sorrow bottled up with nowhere to spill.
Seeing this, Jiang Chi was left at a loss. It was the first time he’d seen Ji Yuenián like this. Despite her tall, supermodel figure, she looked just like a big crybaby who had just been fiercely bullied, that contrast leaving him momentarily uncertain what to do.
He wanted to reach out for a head-pat to comfort her, but remembered Ji Yuenián never liked people touching her head. He wanted to open his arms and hug her, but then remembered that Ji Yuenián had always refused any close contact from men.
In the end, he could only awkwardly touch his own nose, standing there not knowing what to do.
From the corner of her eye, the “little wife” Ji Yuenián caught his awkward gesture and cursed inwardly.
Got him!
So Jiang Chi was into this kind of thing.
As expected, a woman’s three magic weapons: crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself.
Reputation rarely deceives; all that theory on Little Sweet Potato did come in handy.
But Ji Yuenián hadn’t planned to act the bullied, pitiful “little wife” for too long. Seeing that the time was right and Jiang Chi had already apologized, she sniffed, crossed her arms, and, with a proud face, declared, “I’ll forgive you this time, but if you still don’t trust me next time, I’ll…”
“Hmph!”
The “little wife” snorted coldly, turned away with a toss of her head, and left, leaving only a stubborn figure behind.
Jiang Chi, watching the awkwardly stubborn back of his “little wife,” shook his head in helpless amusement and subconsciously quickened his pace, hurrying to catch up.
Before leaving, he even thoughtfully noticed the small cart filled with the women’s clothes tailored to Ji Yuenián’s special interests and brought it along.
Not until they left the supermarket did the strange “bad husband and wronged little wife” atmosphere between them finally dissipate somewhat. The two, as if by prior agreement, chose a shortcut through a small alley, walking side by side.
Jiang Chi, carrying bags both big and small, mulled over his words and turned to start a conversation, but the elbow at his side suddenly jabbed him hard: “Jiang Chi, is your plan ready? My mom wants me to bring someone home tomorrow.”
“It’s been several days already. Isn’t it about time you let me in on it?”
The “big boy” carelessly rested both hands behind his head, tilted his head to look at him, and couldn’t stop moving his legs. As they walked, he gave a rock a flying kick, sending it clattering crisply against the alley wall.
At this moment, he no longer had any trace of that pitiful, bullied “little wife” from before.
Jiang Chi’s mouth twitched.
“The face-swap mini program is 98% done. Only the ending and a bit of polish left.”
“How much longer specifically?” Ji Yuenián pressed, a bit anxious.
“No more than half an hour.”
“You’ll finish it before tonight?”
“I will.”
“That’s good.”
Her anxious heart finally at ease, Ji Yuenián let out a long sigh. Suddenly, she noticed a book in Jiang Chi’s bag and reached out curiously to take it. “What’s this? Let me have a look.”
Jiang, the aloof school hunk, scowled and tried to snatch it back, but it was already too late.
“‘White Moonlight and Cinnabar Mole?'”
“You actually like to read novels?”
“Do you read Secretive? Do you like Peerless Immortal Lord? How about the Three Evil Sects of Web Novels?”
Ji Yuenián glanced over the still-shrink-wrapped book, scanning the very suggestive synopsis, and immediately teased, “Never thought our school hunk had such tastes. ‘White Moonlight and Cinnabar Mole,’ and it’s a double female lead novel.”
“Well, well!”
“Sister combo meal, you’ve got taste, Jiang Chi!”
Before she could finish, a blur swept past her hand, the book snatched back by the now-sullen youth, who quickened his pace, leaving behind only a cool, flat “Sooner or later, I’ll combo meal you.”
“You want a combo meal with me? Unless you can split me in half.” The elegant lady just found it funny and, stretching her long legs—at least 1.3 meters—waved as she chased after the man ahead.
“Hey, Jiang Chi, wait up!”
“I’ll walk you back to the rental flat. Let’s get our stories straight—how’s your mini program model supposed to solve my problem?”
“Hey, slow down!”
In the sunset, the long-legged lady jogged after the annoyed youth ahead. Her hair fluttered gently in the breeze, the afterglow stretching two shadows ever closer together.
*****
As everyone knows, this era is the age of information. Big data, artificial intelligence, cloud services, and more emerge one after another, but none more eye-catching than artificial intelligence, or “AI,” which updates and evolves faster than anything else.
A few years ago, AI-generated art wiped out ninety percent of illustrators. In recent years, AI writing has come for authors, sharpening its blade. It’s even said that in some places, “AI” has been combined with cars, and driverless taxis have already started to compete with cab drivers for work.
Jiang Chi would never reject the tide of the times, just as he preferred to use his brain to solve problems.
Regarding Huang Qingchuan’s wish for her second son to bring home a girlfriend, Jiang Chi imported facial big data bought from the gray market into an existing online model and edited it into a mini program.