I Want to Be Your Mrs. Jiang - Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Su Xiaomi couldn’t remember how she got home.
By the time she snapped out of her daze, she was already sitting at the dining table at home.
Su Xiaomi’s parents were thrilled to have their daughter back.
They had prepared a table full of delicious food early on, waiting for her.
Although Su Xiaomi had already eaten an expensive French meal earlier, to be honest, she had only tasted a bit of it.
Plus, with Jiang Yi sitting across from her, she had been too conscious of her image to eat much, so she had only eaten half-full before politely putting down her chopsticks and saying she was full.
On top of that, the day’s events had been too much for her, and she desperately needed some comfort food to recharge.
So, faced with the spread of home-cooked dishes in front of her, she couldn’t find any reason to refuse.
Su Xiaomi’s mom had received a message from her earlier saying she would have dinner with colleagues before coming home, which had initially disappointed her, thinking the meal she prepared would go to waste.
But now, seeing Su Xiaomi wolfing down the food, she said with a mix of concern and relief, “Slow down, slow down, you’ll choke. Honestly, your dad and I wanted you to stay in Ying city for college, but you insisted on going to Songcheng. Fine, you went to Songcheng for college, but then you ended up staying there to work. I just don’t get it—what’s so great about Songcheng that makes you want to stay?”
Su Xiaomi, nibbling on a chicken wing, instinctively thought to herself, “There wasn’t anything worth staying for before, but now there is. Now, Songcheng has Jiang Yi.”
Then she bit her tongue in frustration. Why was she thinking about Jiang Yi again?
Stop it, stop it… just focus on eating!
When Jiang Yi got home, his family was also having dinner.
As soon as he walked in, his little nephew Tutu threw down his chopsticks and waddled over on his chubby little legs.
Jiang Yi chuckled, bent down to pick him up, and ruffled the little guy’s bald head before greeting the rest of the family, “Grandpa, Grandma, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, I’m back.”
Jiang Yi’s parents had been in the capital for years, and while his older brother’s family stayed in Ying city, they mostly lived in the city and rarely stayed at the old family home.
So, the old house was usually just occupied by Jiang Yi’s grandparents.
It was a bit lonely, but the elderly couple was used to it and didn’t want to move.
As the younger generation, Jiang Yi and his siblings could only respect their wishes and visit more often during holidays.
Grandma Jiang adored Jiang Yi the most.
As soon as she saw him, she waved him over, “Xiao Yi, you’re back? Come here, let Grandma see if you’ve been eating well. Have you lost weight again?”
Jiang Yi put Tutu down and obediently walked over, giving Grandma Jiang a hug.
She patted his shoulder affectionately and scolded him lightly, “You do look a bit thinner than before. Work is important, but you have to eat properly, understand? Go wash your hands and come eat some more. Grandma made your favorite braised fish tonight.”
Jiang Yi’s sister-in-law couldn’t help but laugh, “Grandma, didn’t Jiang Yi text earlier saying he already had dinner outside?”
Jiang Yi smiled, “It’s fine. The food outside can’t compare to home. I’ll go wash my hands now.”
During dinner, the conversation inevitably turned to Jiang Yi’s love life.
Jiang Yi had one brother.
His older brother, Jiang Yan, had married and had children early on, leaving Jiang Yi as the only single one in the family.
Over the years, not only had he not gotten married, but he hadn’t even been heard of having a girlfriend.
Grandma Jiang hadn’t been too concerned before, but as she got older and her health declined, she had started urging him more often.
In the past, Jiang Yi would never respond to such topics.
No matter what Grandma Jiang said, he would remain silent.
But this year, when she brought it up again, Jiang Yi actually agreed, “Don’t worry, if I meet someone I like, I’ll bring her back for you to meet right away.”
Su Xiaomi’s holiday routine consisted of eating, sleeping, and occasionally going with her parents to visit the graves of their ancestors.
She also found time to meet up with some old classmates.
The gathering was held near their old high school.
Su Xiaomi’s high school was called Ying city Experimental High School, one of the top schools in Ying city. Many locals believed that getting into Ying city Experimental High School was like having one foot already in a prestigious university.
From the window of the private room where they were having their meal, they could see the school’s playground and running track.
However, since it was the holidays, the school was empty, with not a single person in sight.
Su Xiaomi leaned on the windowsill, gazing at the school in the distance while half-listening to her old friends chatting behind her.
At first, the conversation revolved around everyone’s recent lives, but gradually, it shifted to classmates who hadn’t shown up.
Whenever this happened, Jiang Yi, as the former star of the school, was always the center of attention.
“Hey, have you heard? Jiang Yi apparently turned down a high-paying job in the capital and chose to return to Songcheng to start his own business. I heard he’s in media, and it’s going pretty well. In just a few years, his company has become one of the top in Songcheng.”
“That’s great! Now you have a chance to get close to him again. Aren’t you in Songcheng too?”
“Shut up! Jiang Yi didn’t even go for the school beauty back then. What makes you think he’d go for someone like us?”
The school beauty… Su Xiaomi tried to recall her appearance.
From what she remembered, the school beauty had long, flowing hair and particularly beautiful, sparkling eyes.
Back then, many people thought Jiang Yi would end up with her because, although she never made it obvious, it was clear to everyone that she had a crush on Jiang Yi.
Later, Su Xiaomi even heard that the school beauty had deliberately applied to universities in the capital, just like Jiang Yi, though they ended up at different schools.
Still, the gesture of following him for love had moved many people.
Some even bet that even if Jiang Yi hadn’t accepted the school beauty in high school, once they were both in the capital, they would eventually get together.
What many people didn’t know was that Su Xiaomi had also thought about applying to universities in the capital.
Sometimes, when a girl likes someone, she can be blind to everything else—career, future, studies—nothing seems as important as being in the same city as that person.
But why didn’t she go in the end?
It wasn’t because she had mustered the courage to confess to Jiang Yi and was rejected.
It wasn’t because her family objected either.
It was because, after getting drunk and impulsively kissing Jiang Yi, she woke up feeling too ashamed to face him.
That sense of shame completely overwhelmed her, so she not only fled far away but also abandoned her original plan of applying to universities in the capital.
But things weren’t so bad now.
After all the twists and turns, she and Jiang Yi were back in the same city, even working in the same company.
Even if they couldn’t be a couple, Su Xiaomi was still quite satisfied with how things were.
It was like a treasure she thought she had lost long ago had somehow reappeared within reach.
Even if she couldn’t hold it in her hands, just being able to see it from time to time filled her with a sense of happiness.
Thinking about this, Su Xiaomi couldn’t help but smile.
“I don’t get why you girls are still hung up on Jiang Yi. This society is so realistic—you can’t get by on looks alone. In the end, it’s all about real skills. If Jiang Yi didn’t come from a wealthy family, he’d probably just be another working stiff. Starting a company? Dream on! And do you really think running a company is that easy? It might look glamorous on the surface, but who knows how much debt he’s in? One day he’s driving luxury cars and living in mansions, the next he could lose everything.”
Su Xiaomi frowned and turned to look at the male classmate who had spoken.
He looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember his name.
In truth, Jiang Yi had been quite popular in school.
Girls liked him, and boys got along with him like brothers.
But no matter how popular someone is, there will always be a few “haters.”
It’s normal—not everyone can be liked by everyone, after all.
Su Xiaomi was obviously biased, so she categorized anyone who didn’t like Jiang Yi as simply jealous.
Look at this blatant jealousy—it’s practically oozing out.
The male classmate continued to ramble, “And I heard the media industry isn’t what it used to be. The internet has had a huge impact on traditional media. For Jiang Yi to dive into media now—how can he compete with the internet? If you ask me, he should’ve just stayed in the capital and not come back to Songcheng to stir up trouble. If things go wrong…”
Su Xiaomi cut in at the perfect moment, “He’ll just have to go back and inherit his family’s billions.”
The male classmate: “…”
Su Xiaomi didn’t pay much attention to the little incident at the gathering.
After the meal, she happily went shopping with a few close friends before taking the bus home.
Just as she got on the bus, her phone rang.
Seeing it was an unknown number from Songcheng, she initially didn’t plan to answer, but then she thought it might be a colleague, so she hesitantly picked up.
To her surprise, it was Jiang Yi.
Su Xiaomi: “How do you have my number?”
Jiang Yi didn’t answer.
He wasn’t about to tell Su Xiaomi that he had memorized her number during her job interview.
Actually, he hadn’t planned to make this call at first.
But earlier, when he logged into QQ, a high school classmate who was close to him had messaged him about what happened at the gathering.
The classmate had joked, “Even after all these years, Su Xiaomi is still the same. She won’t let anyone say a bad word about you. The way she defends you—if I didn’t know better, I’d think you two were already a couple!”
Jiang Yi wasn’t the type who needed defending, but having someone stand up for him felt… surprisingly good.
So, without thinking, he made the call.
Only after dialing did he realize he didn’t really have anything to say.
Luckily, Su Xiaomi didn’t press him.
She just held the phone quietly on the other end, her breathing soft.
As Jiang Yi listened, he inexplicably recalled how Su Xiaomi had looked when she fell asleep on his shoulder during the ride back from Songcheng, her breathing gentle and her well behaved demeanor.
She really was quite pleasing to the eye.
