I Want to Be Your Mrs. Jiang - Chapter 10

Ruan Tian’s foot injury had not yet healed, so she couldn’t go out on assignments for the time being. However, she could still help out in the social news department by answering the public hotline. With her assistance, Su Xiaomi could focus more on conducting interviews outside.

The incident of the girl who jumped off a building had been reported by the media and was gaining more and more attention online. The article Su Xiaomi had rushed to finish last night, about the firefighter who broke down in tears twice and the onlookers who mocked the victim, had been spontaneously pushed to the top of the trending list by netizens. It sparked nationwide praise for the firefighter and condemnation of the indifferent crowd.

However, the girl’s family still refused to be interviewed by any media outlet.

Every morning, Su Xiaomi would clock in at the social news department, grab her interview bag, and head out with high spirits, only to return in the evening, wilted like a frostbitten eggplant. Despite her repeated failures, her relentless spirit in pursuing the story earned her admiration, even from PuTao.

Every day, Pu Tao thought Su Xiaomi would surely give up the next day. But no matter how dejected Su Xiaomi was at the end of the day, she would always return the next morning with renewed determination.

On this particular day, Su Xiaomi sat on the flower bed near the girl’s house, working on her laptop while keeping watch. To avoid disturbing the family’s daily life, she only knocked on their door once a day. If they didn’t answer, she wouldn’t bother them again and would simply sit quietly by the flower bed, minding her own business. She was so unobtrusive that the girl’s father often thought she had left, only to look out the window and see her small figure sitting under a cherry blossom tree.

After observing her for several days, the father noticed that she arrived at 9 a.m. sharp and left at 6 p.m., as if she were clocking in for work. At first, a few others had waited with her, but over time, she was the only one left by the flower bed.

As usual, Su Xiaomi waited until 6 p.m. that day. It seemed like another fruitless day. She sighed inwardly, packed up her things, and prepared to return the next day. Deep down, she knew she might not be able to keep this up for much longer. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to persist, but news stories were all about timeliness. Netizens were the most forgetful people in the world, and within a few days, they would be captivated by other, more sensational news. Soon, no one except the girl’s family and closest friends would remember her.

Tap, tap.

The sound of slippers hitting the ground suddenly reached Su Xiaomi’s ears. She slowly looked up and saw the girl’s father, who had previously turned her and Pu Tao away, standing in front of her with a half-smoked cigarette in hand.

Even from a distance and outdoors, the pungent smell of smoke made Su Xiaomi cough twice. The father looked down at her for a long moment before saying, “Come with me.”

By the time Su Xiaomi left the girl’s house, it was already dark outside. Only the dim light from the lotus-shaped street lamps in the neighborhood illuminated the area. Her phone rang in her bag. It was Pu Tao, who was working overtime at the social news department. Worried that Su Xiaomi hadn’t returned yet, Pu Tao called to check on her. Su Xiaomi gripped her phone tightly and heard herself say slowly, “Pu Tao, I’ve interviewed the girl’s family…”

From her tone, Pu Tao could tell there was likely a bigger story behind this.

After a moment of silence, Pu Tao said, “I’ll wait for you at the department. We’ll talk when you get back.”

That night, Su Xiaomi and Pu Tao worked through the night at the social affairs department. Early the next morning, Yihang Media published a full-page report revealing the truth behind the girl’s suicide: she had been a victim of severe bullying in high school and had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ever since.

In recent years, school bullying had been frequently discussed, but few had paid attention to its long-term effects. Some victims, even as adults, remained trapped in the trauma of their past, leading to self-harm or suicide.

The story of the girl who jumped off a building was still fresh in people’s minds, and Yihang Media’s report added fuel to the fire. The editor-in-chief was very pleased and praised Su Xiaomi during the meeting. However, Su Xiaomi had fallen asleep at the conference table and missed the praise. Perhaps out of appreciation for her hard work, the editor-in-chief not only didn’t scold her for sleeping during the meeting but also granted her half a day off.

Su Xiaomi was deeply grateful and quickly packed up her things to head back to her dorm for some much-needed sleep.

Since she left early, she didn’t know that her colleagues at the social news department had gone out to celebrate again at noon. Coincidentally, the Western restaurant they chose was near the table where Jiang Yi was dining. However, due to the restaurant’s booth setup and the lush greenery separating each table, none of her colleagues noticed Jiang Yi’s presence.

Su Xiaomi also didn’t know that throughout the meal, her colleagues had been talking about her. Her recent interviews had left a deep impression on everyone in the department, especially her relentless determination. Pu Tao even remarked, “With Su Xiaomi’s tenacity, I really doubt there’s anything she couldn’t achieve if she set her mind to it.”

Sitting behind them, Jiang Yi silently stabbed at his steak. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he couldn’t help but think there was some truth to that statement. After all, shortly after starting high school, Su Xiaomi had boldly declared to her friends that she would steal his first kiss. Jiang Yi had remained steadfast for three years, but in the end… well, everyone knew how that turned out.

…It was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.

Su Xiaomi slept like a log and woke up to find that she had slept for a full 12 hours. Fortunately, it was Saturday, so she didn’t have to work and could laze around in bed a bit longer. However, after just half an hour, she couldn’t stand the hunger anymore. She scrolled through a food delivery app but couldn’t find anything appealing.

On a whim, she called her best friend, Xiao Luo.

“Luo Luo, do you have any food at home? Can I come over for a meal?… Great, I’ll be there in half an hour. Wait for me. I want to eat boneless cola chicken wings, smashed cucumber salad, vegetable shrimp pancakes, braised pork… Oh, fine, I’ll eat whatever you make.”

Half an hour later, Su Xiaomi was sitting in Xiao Luo’s home in Rose Garden, sinking into a beige sofa. On the coffee table in front of her were a plate of boneless cola chicken wings, a plate of smashed cucumber salad with vibrant red and green chili peppers, a dish of vegetable shrimp pancakes, and a large bowl of braised pork with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat.

Xiao Luo, wearing light-colored loungewear, was squatting on the plush carpet in front of her, serving rice.

Su Xiaomi was so moved she almost cried.

“Luo Luo, let me marry you. Or you can marry me. I’m flexible—I can be the husband or the wife.”

Xiao Luo: “…Stop talking nonsense. You might be single, but I’m not.”

Su Xiaomi: “…”

Xiao Luo was a private chef, and her culinary skills were her livelihood. Needless to say, her cooking was exceptional. Not only was it far superior to the takeout Su Xiaomi usually ate, but Su Xiaomi privately believed that even the best chefs at five-star hotels couldn’t compare to Xiao Luo.

Su Xiaomi was starving, and with such delicious food in front of her, she didn’t care about her image anymore. She ate so voraciously that Xiao Luo couldn’t help but laugh. “Does Yihang Media not feed you? You look like you just got out of prison!”

Su Xiaomi ignored her and focused on eating. Only when she couldn’t take another bite did she finally lean back on the sofa, content, and chatted idly with Xiao Luo.

After discussing their work for a bit, Xiao Luo suddenly asked, “Are you going back to Ying City for Qingming this year?”

“Qingming?”

Su Xiaomi was momentarily stunned, realizing that Qingming was indeed approaching. She had joined Yihang Media in mid-March, and time had flown by so quickly.

Su Xiaomi: “I’m not sure yet. There’s still some time, so I’ll see how things go. If there aren’t any major news stories and the department isn’t too busy, I’ll try to make a trip back. It’s been a while since I’ve been home, and I’m sure my family misses me.”

Sure enough, that evening, Su Xiaomi received a call from her father. He wouldn’t admit that he missed her, only saying that her mother did and asking if she could come back to Ying City for Qingming. Su Xiaomi was all too familiar with her father’s little quirks and didn’t call him out on it. She simply said she would check with the company on Monday and, if she didn’t have to work overtime, she would come home.

Her father happily hung up the phone.

On Monday, Su Xiaomi ran into Pu Tao in the elevator. She specifically asked about the Qingming holiday, and Pu Tao replied, “We get three days off, following the national holiday schedule. There will be designated staff on duty. But you’re only asking about Qingming now? Will you even be able to get a train ticket back?”

Su Xiaomi was indeed worried about this. She had been so busy with her reporting that she had completely forgotten about the Qingming holiday. If Xiao Luo hadn’t reminded her, she might not have even thought of it. But since Pu Tao said the holiday would be observed as usual, the only issue now was figuring out how to get back to Ying City.

Su Xiaomi: “High-speed rail and train tickets are probably out of the question. I might have to take a bus or spend more money on a plane ticket.”

Pu Tao suddenly chuckled and put an arm around her shoulder. “I have a great idea that will guarantee you a trip back to Ying City and save you money.”

Su Xiaomi’s eyes lit up. “…What is it? Tell me!”

Pu Tao: “Aren’t you and President Jiang from the same hometown? He goes back to Ying City every year for Qingming. You could hitch a ride with him!”

Su Xiaomi gave Pu tao a deadpan look. “…Pu Tao, can you not say such scary things around Qingming? You’re going to give me a heart attack!”