The atmosphere indoors was stagnant.
Cold wind poured into the room, but the air was oppressively stuffy beyond words.
Jiang Nanshu was so cold she could barely stand it, and couldn’t help but shiver.
Unable to hold back, she sneezed again.
Song Ye closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
He sat up with her in his arms, picked up the sweater beside him, and expressionlessly helped her put it on.
Jiang Nanshu, like a child, obediently raised her arms for the sleeves.
Though her whole body was still cold, her face suddenly grew hot.
Unconsciously, she began to feel ashamed, but still tilted her head up and continued to provoke him: “Should we keep going?”
Song Ye acted as if he didn’t hear her.
He helped her put on the sweater, said nothing, got up to close the windows, turned on the floor heating, then went into the kitchen and poured a glass of hot water.
He walked over to the sofa, handed her the glass: “Drink some hot water.”
Jiang Nanshu paused, then reached out to take it.
The glass felt warm through her hands, and gradually, her fingers began to thaw.
She lowered her head and took small sips, her emotions slowly settling.
The calmer she felt, the more it hurt disappointment washed over her.
She had inexplicably borne the rumors of two-timing for years.
The person she liked misunderstood her.
He rejected her harshly.
And she’d suffered all these years.
This, to her, was even harder to accept than Song Ye not liking her and rejecting her outright.
All these years, she had worked hard to forget him, not to expect anything anymore.
But now the truth told her they actually could have been together.
Song Ye liked her, maybe even less than she had liked him back then.
Then what was all this wasted time for?
Who should she blame?
Herself, for lying?
But back then, she was focused on the college entrance exam, never expecting Song Ye to run into Chen Qingyue.
If Song Ye had just asked a few more questions… like Cheng Jiajia did, maybe she would’ve told him those difficult truths too.
Or should she blame Song Ye for being too proud?
For never coming to question her?
Song Ye sat next to her.
He didn’t lean lazily against the back of the sofa like usual.
He was slightly hunched, hands resting on his knees, his whole figure tense.
She finished drinking, put the cup down on the coffee table, glanced sideways at him: “I’m heading back.”
Her wrist was grabbed by someone.
She looked down.
Song Ye was gripping her wrist, looking up at her: “What are you angry about?”
“…” Jiang Nanshu looked down at him, silent for a few seconds.
“You think if we don’t bring this up again, you can just accept that I two-timed you back then?”
Song Ye was silent for a few seconds, his tone a bit stiff: “What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?”
“…”
Fine.
You endured it.
You gave in.
You lowered yourself for love.
You…
Bastard.
And what did he say about her?
That she was young and foolish back then…
Now she should’ve changed her ways.
Changed, my ass!
From today on, she was a scumbag.
A damn octopus, clinging to everyone.
Just once, let her be the bad guy in front of Song Ye, to make up for the years she bore the blame.
Jiang Nanshu took a deep breath, bit her lip, told herself not to go soft, at least not now.
She looked down at him and threw his own words back at him: “Maybe I’m mad you didn’t fight for me back then.”
Not expecting her to be so bold and direct, Song Ye’s face darkened.
He gripped her hand tightly.
It hurt, and Jiang Nanshu couldn’t help but frown.
A few seconds later, Song Ye let go.
The air around them sank into cold tension.
He looked down, sneering at himself: “I believe you now.
You don’t love me that much anymore.
Jiang Nanshu, then why did you chase me in the first place?”
Jiang Nanshu froze for a moment.
After a long silence, she still didn’t explain.
“I’m going back.”
Click.
The door closed again.
Jiang Nanshu returned home and collapsed weakly on the bed, not even having the energy to vent to Cheng Jiajia.
It was destined to be a sleepless night.
She tossed and turned in bed, not knowing when she finally fell asleep.
When the alarm rang the next morning, she groggily turned it off and got up with a heavy head.
She felt generally unwell, and her nose was a bit stuffy.
It felt like the onset of a cold.
Did she catch it from stripping down and getting chilled last night?
With no choice, Jiang Nanshu opened the medicine cabinet.
Jiang Yu had helped her organize it before, so it was well-stocked.
She pulled out some cold granules.
After taking the medicine, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out the white dress she’d worn to last year’s year-end party in Shenzhen.
Today was the last working day before the holiday, and also the annual party of Jifan Technology.
In the afternoon, all the executives returning from vacation would be back for the celebration.
Jiang Nanshu wasn’t particularly interested in the party.
Even the only thing worth looking forward to, the lucky draw, didn’t excite her, because she had such bad luck.
The best prize she’d ever won in recent years was a pair of headphones.
There was only a half-day of work in the morning.
In the afternoon, they would head to the hotel for the party, and the next day would mark the beginning of the New Year holiday.
So today’s shift felt almost meaningless.
She sat on the edge of her bed, hesitated for a moment, then picked up her phone and applied for sick leave through the OA system.
Song Ye was just about to leave when he saw her sick leave request.
He paused at the door and messaged her.
Jiang Nanshu had just crawled back under her blanket when she heard the notification sound and picked up her phone to check.
S: Caught a cold?
It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but his message made her feel even more annoyed.
Trying to act like a heartless girl to provoke him ended up making her sick.
Frustrated, Jiang Nanshu didn’t want to respond, but afraid he might come over and check, she replied anyway.
Shu: I’ve taken medicine. You don’t need to worry about me.
Song Ye paused for a moment, then replied: I’ll come pick you up this afternoon.
Now that he said that, she didn’t feel like going any further.
She curled up in her blanket and typed: No need.
Then paused, deleted what she’d written, and sent: [Okay.]
Jiang Nanshu slept the entire morning at home, but still felt foggy and unwell.
She couldn’t really fall asleep either.
By a little after 3 p.m., she changed clothes, packed some things, and took Xiao Bei with her when she left.
She had promised Jiang Yu earlier that she’d stay over there during the New Year.
When she arrived, Jiang Yu and Lu Mingkun were both there.
They were preparing dinner and looked surprised to see her back.
Jiang Yu asked, “Wasn’t today your company’s year-end party?”
Hugging Xiao Bei and pushing her suitcase, Jiang Nanshu said listlessly, “Didn’t feel like going.”
Hearing her hoarse voice, Jiang Yu walked over to take her suitcase and asked with concern, “Did you catch a cold?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have a fever?”
Jiang Yu raised a hand to feel her forehead, then breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good thing you don’t.
The flu’s been bad lately.
A fever would’ve been real trouble.”
Lu Mingkun also asked with concern, “Did you take medicine?”
Jiang Nanshu replied, “I did.”
Looking at her, Jiang Yu sighed, “Didn’t I tell you your job’s too tough?
You’re so busy you don’t even have time to be sick, now you’re spending the New Year under the weather.”
Jiang Nanshu had been well-cared for since childhood and had a decent constitution, so she didn’t get sick often.
But when she did, recovery was slow.
With things like colds or fevers, some people recovered in two or three days.
She usually needed a week or two to fully get better.
Jiang Nanshu had been well cared for since childhood and had a decent constitution, so she didn’t get sick often.
But when she did fall ill, it was hard for her to recover.
With common colds or fevers, some people could get better in two or three days.
She usually needed a week or two to fully recover.
“Alright then, eat less during the New Year, time to lose weight.”
Jiang Nanshu chuckled.
Jiang Yu rolled her eyes at her.
“You’re already so skinny, still thinking about losing weight.”
Jiang Nanshu pouted, hugged Xiao Bei, and walked into the room.
“I’ll go unpack first.”
Jiang Yu was allergic to animal fur, so Xiao Bei had to stay in the room a few days, only coming out occasionally for a bit of air.
Luckily, the room was fairly large, and Xiao Bei was adaptable.
As soon as it entered the room, it started inspecting the place.
Jiang Nanshu hung her clothes in the closet.
Her phone vibrated on the bed.
Zhou Jiale: Nanshu, are you not coming to the year-end party?
Jiang Nanshu replied on her phone.
Shu: I’m not going.
Zhou Jiale: But there’s a raffle! Big prizes tonight!
Shu: I’ve got terrible luck.
Zhou Jiale: Alright… I’ll keep an eye out for you.
If you win, I’ll let you know.
Jiang Nanshu wasn’t holding out any hope.
All evening, Zhou Jiale kept live-reporting the progress of the party to her.
First, the bosses and executives gave speeches one by one, summarizing the year and laying out next year’s plans.
Not long after, Zhou Jiale sent a video.
Zhou Jiale: [Brother Ye in a suit! Super handsome!]
Zhou Jiale: [A lot of people are trying to hit on him.]
Jiang Nanshu leaned against the headboard, looked at the video for a moment, and eventually couldn’t resist tapping it open.
The man in the video was wearing a sharp black suit, tall and poised, exuding a noble aura.
He walked to the front of the stage, his expression indifferent as he addressed the crowd about Project A’s plans.
It was the first time Jiang Nanshu had seen Song Ye in a formal suit.
Just as she had imagined, he had a cool, seductive vibe.
Very… alluring.
Zhou Jiale: His legs are better than my entire life.
That body is insane.
I don’t even know which lucky girl gets to date him!
He’s too fine!
Zhou Jiale: Nanshu, you’re in the same department as him!
Gods like him are meant to be pulled off their pedestals!
How did you not manage to land him back in the day?!
shu: […]
Well, it wasn’t like she didn’t try.
Just got rejected like a scumbag.
Shu: Why are you so hyped? I see him every day.
Zhou Jiale: A man in a suit is different. Brother Ye in real life is even more attractive than in the video.
Like a 2D character walking into reality.
Jiang Nanshu watched the video again and felt just a tiny bit of regret for not attending the year-end party.
There was a knock at the door.
Jiang Yu called out to her, “Nanshu, come out and take your medicine.”
Jiang Yu had put together a new set of meds for her, hoping she’d get better in time for the New Year.
Jiang Nanshu put down her phone, lifted the blanket, and got out of bed to take her medicine.
After taking it, she sat in the living room with them for a while.
Soon, her head started to feel foggy.
Probably the meds are kicking in.
It wasn’t even 9 p.m. yet, and she was already drowsy.
Jiang Yu urged her, “Go to bed, get a good sleep, and you’ll feel better tomorrow.”
Lu Mingkun added, “You’ll need the energy for New Year’s Day.”
Jiang Nanshu mumbled a response.
“You guys sleep early, too.”
Back in her room, she picked up her phone and saw that her Feishu app had blown up.
She blinked at the 99+ messages.
Opening it up, she saw tons of private messages.
This forever unlucky girl had actually won the Supreme Lucky Draw Prize.
The prize included the latest model computer, phone, game console, sound system…
Altogether worth tens of thousands.
Most of the private messages were asking if she was going to sell any of it.
Jiang Nanshu was stunned—she never imagined she could win something this big.
Grinning, she sat back against the headboard, petting Xiao Bei, who had wandered over.
She replied in the group chat, saying she wasn’t selling anything.
The game console and speakers could go in the new house.
She’d keep the computer; she had been wanting a new one anyway.
The phone, she’d also keep, and gift it to Cheng Jiajia for her birthday next month.
She opened WeChat. Zhou Jiale had sent her several messages congratulating her on winning the big prize:
Zhou Jiale: What kind of unlucky streak is that?
You’re super lucky! I’m the real unlucky one tonight.
All I got was the “Thanks for Participating” prize.
Jiang Nanshu smiled, still in disbelief, and replied:
Shu: Once in a lifetime luck.
A new message popped up at the top of the screen.
S: Feeling better?
S: You won the top prize, you know that, right?
Jiang Nanshu remembered that the raffle system was developed by the programming team.
And maybe she’d watched too many idol dramas and read too many romance novels when she was younger, because she asked Song Ye a brainless question:
Shu: You didn’t rig it for me, did you?
A moment later, Song Ye replied.
S: If I wanted to give you a gift, I could just buy it for you. No need to cheat.
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