Chapter 22: Dependence and Yearning

When Wang Ziyue woke up, she found herself asleep on the sofa, an empty wine bottle at her feet.

She rubbed her tangled mess of hair, fumbling around on the sofa until she finally found her phone.

Out of battery.

Wang Ziyue stared at the black screen, got up to look for the charger.

But after taking just two steps, she nearly tripped over something.

She looked down: it was a glass vase with a few roses still caked in soil.

Her pant legs and bare feet were also speckled with dirt.

She stared at the mud on the back of her foot for a moment, then resignedly headed upstairs.

As she walked, she stripped off her reeking clothes, stepping unbound into the shower; soon, white steam filled the bathroom.

Wang Ziyue enjoyed a refreshing shower, draped a bathrobe over herself, and sat on the edge of the bed while towel-drying her hair.

She turned on her now-charging phone—several unread messages and calls.

But Wang Ziyue didn’t immediately respond to the work matters; instead, she opened her chat with Jiang Cheng.

Their voice call had ended twelve hours ago.

She had accidentally hung up last night, but Jiang Cheng hadn’t called back or sent a message asking about her condition.

Wang Ziyue pursed her lips and buried her head in the blanket.

What on earth did I do…

The scenes from last night flashed through her mind like a carousel: a grown woman who had been in society for years, getting drunk and harassing an underage high school girl at night?

“Ah!! Oh god!” 

Wang Ziyue pounded the pillow frantically, viciously throwing the towel in her hand to the floor.

What poised and graceful urban elite intellectual gentle big sister—she had probably left the impression of a drunken maniac in Jiang Cheng’s eyes.

The more Wang Ziyue thought about it, the dizzier she felt; she decided she needed to adjust herself today.

She dialed Secretary Fang’s number.

“I’m not coming to the company today; push back all scheduled meetings.”

“Understood.”

Secretary Fang let out a sigh of relief after hanging up; she still remembered yesterday’s meeting that had left everyone trembling in fear.

Every reporting department head and project leader had presented—

And every single one had been picked apart by President Wang from the most nitpicky angles.

Yet the issues President Wang pointed out were undeniably valid…

The end result was mandatory overtime for all.

And President Wang hadn’t responded to any company messages after leaving work, until now when the call finally went through.

Secretary Fang couldn’t help but wonder—what had happened last night?

Regardless, at least there were no meetings today. After notifying the company group, a string of celebratory emojis appeared below.

“Hey, Secretary Fang? Is my sister not coming to work today?”

Mo Nono popped up from who-knows-where, bouncing in front of Secretary Fang and asking curiously.

“President Wang is not coming in today.”

Secretary Fang’s face wore a perfectly steady smile.

“Is that so?” 

Mo Nono raised an eyebrow, about to call Wang Ziyue, when she suddenly remembered something.

“Right! Didn’t Sis go to the school yesterday?” 

Mo Nono grabbed Secretary Fang’s arm, her face full of gossip.

“Uh… Principal Zhou invited President Wang for a visit.”

“Oh?” 

Mo Nono stared into Secretary Fang’s eyes, but the president’s top confidante showed not the slightest change in expression.

“Ahem, sorry, Secretary Mo… I have some matters to attend to.” 

Secretary Fang waved the folder in her hand.

Mo Nono nodded knowingly and stepped aside. 

Watching Secretary Fang’s retreating figure, Mo Nono unconsciously rubbed her chin.

Her intuition told her something was off.

After arranging work, Wang Ziyue dove straight into her home gym.

Let’s start with a simple ten kilometers, she thought, pressing the panel to adjust the incline.

But just as she started running, her phone rang; Wang Ziyue walked irritably to the cabinet, then hurriedly answered upon seeing the flashing name.

“Hello?”

Wang Ziyue feared the other would hang up, her tone cautious.

“President Wang.”

The girl’s voice was soft, but Wang Ziyue pressed the phone tightly to her ear.

President Wang it is… she thought.

“About that day, um, you actually don’t need to apologize to me.”

Jiang Cheng stood in a small pavilion along the school’s tree-lined path, her free hand resting on a pillar.

Last night’s apology call from Wang Ziyue had shocked her quite a bit, even leaving her at a loss.

She had originally planned to call Wang Ziyue in the morning, but with the formal transfer procedures, she got busy and forgot.

By the time she remembered, it was already this hour.

“I… did something wrong to you, after all.”

“Then do you know where you wronged me?” 

Jiang Cheng chuckled lightly, the girl’s laughter carrying a sense of ease.

Wang Ziyue was stumped; she only knew Jiang Cheng had been deeply upset at that moment—

She was rarely one to lower her head, but facing Jiang Cheng… seeing her cry, she had felt out of control.

No one is allowed to make her cry, Wang Ziyue thought of her somewhat overbearing notion.

Perhaps because the other’s tone gradually softened, Wang Ziyue relaxed considerably.

“I want to know where I hurt you; I want to make it up to you.”

“No… it’s just a personal matter of mine.” 

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. 

“You’ve actually helped me a lot; I’m really grateful.”

Jiang Cheng was genuinely grateful; she felt fortunate that the person she met while doing the task was Wang Ziyue.

Whether as Jiang Cheng or Jiang Cheng, Wang Ziyue had helped her immensely.

“Actually… I’m still very thankful; you’re a good person.”

Wang Ziyue’s breath hitched; something felt oddly off.

She had inexplicably been issued a good person card.

“But how should I put it, I feel that between us, um… there might be some things we can never clarify, maybe… perhaps maintaining the status quo would be better.”

Jiang Cheng’s later words were hesitant and vague, but Wang Ziyue heard every single one clearly.

“You want to keep distance from me?” she summarized.

“I… don’t know either.”

The script she had prepared in her mind was completely scrambled; after actually speaking to Wang Ziyue on the phone, some words were so hard to say.

“Then at least let me know the reason.” 

Wang Ziyue’s voice was calm and clear; she seemed to have returned to her initial demeanor.

Composed and powerfully steering the conversation.

“My mind is a mess right now; sorry.” 

Jiang Cheng chose to hang up actively.

In the moment the call ended, she suddenly understood her conflicting emotions.

Wang Ziyue was the first person to enter her life after her transformation; she had unintentionally placed a portion of her dependence on the other.

A drowning person desperately clings to anything nearby, and Wang Ziyue became her driftwood?

Whether it was resentment or wanting to distance herself, it was all her unilaterally venting emotions.

Everything she had suppressed seemed to be poured onto Wang Ziyue.

Jiang Cheng closed her eyes.

The image that appeared was the blonde woman standing beside the black Mercedes G-Class, watching her approach and opening the door for her to get in.

What was I thinking then? 

It seemed she only wanted to leave quickly, not letting her mom notice anything unusual.

Wang Ziyue had become the person waiting under the streetlight for her.

Taking her briefly away from the vortex she was in—but what was Wang Ziyue thinking?

Jiang Cheng realized she couldn’t read the other’s thoughts.

Staring at the screen that had gone dark again, Wang Ziyue placed the phone back.

She glugged down large gulps of mineral water; the icy liquid flowed down her throat, easing her tense nerves.

Their first meeting, the second, then shopping together… the conflict after going to school.

Every one of Jiang Cheng’s actions left Wang Ziyue puzzled.

She carried layer upon layer of mysteries; every casual contact only sparked greater curiosity in Wang Ziyue.

Like a princess from another kingdom, making one want to touch that mystery more and more.