They were silent all the way home, and after they got back, they went to their respective rooms. Xu Jingyi didn't bring up moving out again.
Lin Ruoyan considered the matter closed, and life went on as usual.
Things at the company went smoothly, even better than when Lin Ruofeng was around.
Xu Jingyi went to the Board of Directors a few times, each time acting like a mascot, listening without saying much. She supported all of Lin Ruoyan's decisions.
The surface of the water was calm, but under the surface, undercurrents surged. The investigation had been going on for quite a while without any progress.
Although they were still looking into it, the lack of progress was exactly what Xu Jingyi wanted.
After all, Lin Ruoyan had only just returned to the country, so it was normal that she didn't know many things and couldn't find anything.
After more than a month with no news, Lin Ruoyan was still anxious. After two months, her heart finally relaxed a little.
After three months with no news, her tense nerves finally relaxed, and even her attitude changed a lot when she faced Lin Ruoyan at social gatherings.
Although there was still a time bomb buried in her heart, Xu Jingyi felt that as long as they didn't interact too much, that barely-formed feeling would eventually fade away.
However, things don't always go as planned. Changes in the situation often happen when people are most relaxed.
On this day, Xu Jingyi found a secluded place to brew tea and relax, when an infrequently-used phone number called.
Xu Jingyi frowned. This number usually wouldn't call unless there was progress on that matter.
"What's wrong?" Her voice was different on the phone, much more serious than usual.
The person on the other end wasted no time, quickly explaining the situation in a few sentences. Xu Jingyi's heart sank with each word.
Finally, she gave a soft "Mm," and said, "Find more people to discreetly follow her. Deal with any issues immediately."
The call ended abruptly.
Her previously good mood vanished.
The weather had turned cold recently, and a trend of gathering around a fire to brew tea had taken over online. She had wanted to follow the trend and invite some girlfriends.
Who knew she wouldn't catch the trend but instead, catch trouble.
She had underestimated Lin Ruoyan. Xu Jingyi had thought she didn't have much of a foundation and that it would be difficult to find information. But after all this time, Lin Ruoyan still hadn't given up.
Impressive.
"What's wrong?" Her friend asked, noticing her gloomy expression when she returned.
Xu Jingyi poured a cup of tea and took a small sip. "Nothing, just a little… brat who isn't listening."
"Kid?" her friend asked, confused. She didn't have any kids, so where did the kid come from?
"Right, Ruofeng's younger sister, isn't she a kid?" Xu Jingyi's expression returned to normal.
"Huh?" This wasn't a kid at all! "That matchmaking thing? You were worried about it for a long time, but there's still no result?"
Xu Jingyi didn't want to say more, and sighed, "Ah, she doesn't want to, so it's useless no matter how much I try."
"That's true."
Her friend pursed her lips, silent for a moment, then asked again, "And you? Do you really treat her like family? Aren't you going to look for someone yourself?"
"How can I have the mood for that?"
"Speaking of which, your sister-in-law is quite good-looking, not worse than Lin Ruofeng. If she were a man, it wouldn't be bad for you to take her in."
She winked at the end, not sure if she was teasing her or if she really thought it was a good idea.
Xu Jingyi almost choked on her words, reaching out to pat her shoulder, "Don't talk nonsense. That's Ruofeng's sister, I treat her like family."
Her friend burst out laughing. "You're so easily scared. I was just saying… Besides, that person isn't a man.
Women and women… hmm…" As if remembering something, she lowered her voice, even though only the two of them were in the room.
"It's not impossible, is it?"
Xu Jingyi choked this time, for real. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
She glared at her friend.
"You're getting more and more ridiculous." Saying this, she casually grabbed a roasted peanut.
"So much food, and you still can't shut your mouth. Here, here, eat some peanuts and talk less."
The friend's mouth was blocked by the peanut, and she mumbled a few times, chewing. "Come on, in our circle, aren't there plenty of men and men, women and women? What's so strange about that?"
Xu Jingyi didn't speak, a nervous sweat breaking out on her neck. Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, she felt particularly guilty.
She leaned back, away from the charcoal fire, and asked with an air of nonchalance, "What gossip have you heard lately?"
"Oh, it's just that young master from the Li Family, who just came back from abroad. He's been having a lot of fun lately. I heard he called over a few men and women the other day."
She peeled another peanut and chewed while she spoke. "Do you think everyone who comes back from abroad likes to… you know?"
"Is it really that great? Or is it just for the thrill?"
Xu Jingyi didn't interrupt her friend's nonsense, instead pouring herself a cup of tea.
"But your family's is pretty good, I haven't heard anything messy about them. They seem to keep themselves clean, and the company's doing well too." Her friend didn't seem to mind whether she was listening or not, and continued rambling, as if talking to herself.
"It's just this marriage thing… that's troubling…"
Her friend was still chattering on, but Xu Jingyi's thoughts had drifted away.
Good? What's so good about it? If you knew what she was thinking, you wouldn't think she was so great.
She still remembered everything the other person had done to her last time when she pretended to be drunk.
Seemed innocent on the surface, but who knew what she was really like inside?
That person wasn't a good person at all.
The matter on the phone just now was a bit tricky; she needed to think about how to handle it.
----------------
Want to read 60+ advance chapters?
If you're enjoying this story and can't wait for the next chapters, you can read them early by joining my Patreon!
Patreon.com/Ramzoo