I Want to Be Your Mrs. Jiang - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Although she had only gone home for a short Qingming Festival holiday, Su Xiaomi still felt a bit out of sorts when she returned to work.
The most obvious sign was that on the first morning after the holiday, she had set three alarms and still almost failed to drag herself out of bed.
But once she got to the office, she felt much better—because everyone else seemed to be in the same boat.
They all looked utterly drained, as if the holiday had sucked the life out of them, leaving them too weak to handle the pressures of work.
As a result, the break room was livelier than usual that day.
“Hey, did you know? I went on a blind date during Qingming Festival,” Putao suddenly said while sipping her coffee, staring blankly at the skyscrapers outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Su Xiaomi wondered if she had misheard.
“…Qingming Festival? A blind date?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
Su Xiaomi hesitated before replying, “Well… it’s not that big of a deal, but the holiday atmosphere seems a bit…”
Putao shrugged.
“Actually, it’s the perfect atmosphere for a blind date. After all, the mood for blind dates, tomb-sweeping, and work is equally… complicated.”
Fair enough!
“So, how did it go?”
Putao shot her a look.
“What do you think?”
Su Xiaomi pondered for a moment before choosing her words carefully.
“I think anyone willing to go on a blind date during Qingming Festival is pretty rare in this world. So if possible, you shouldn’t let them slip away. Really.”
Putao: “…”
“Alright, enough about me. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”
Su Xiaomi shook her head honestly.
“Nope.”
Putao gave her a sidelong glance.
“That’s surprising. You’re so pretty.”
“Right?! What’s wrong with men’s taste these days?”
Puato burst out laughing.
“Don’t tell me you’re 26 and still haven’t had your first love.”
Su Xiaomi’s mind flashed to Jiang Yi’s face.
Feeling both guilty and inexplicably proud, she said, “Of course I’ve had one! And it was even a puppy love!” (Does a one-sided crush count?)
“So why did you break up?”
Su Xiaomi really didn’t want to talk about it, so she gave a vague answer.
“We just… naturally drifted apart.”
Luckily, Putao wasn’t the type to pry. She even nodded in agreement.
“Makes sense. How many first loves actually last? Tell you what—when I find a good blind date candidate, I’ll introduce you to one too. So, tell me, what kind of man do you like?”
Su Xiaomi put on an easygoing expression.
“My standards are super low. Someone like President Jiang would do.”
Putao: “…”
Su Xiaomi knew Putao wouldn’t take her seriously.
If you asked a hundred single women at Yihang Media what kind of man they wanted, a hundred and one would probably say “someone like Jiang Yi.”
But Su Xiaomi felt she was different from the others.
The man she wanted wasn’t just someone who resembled Jiang Yi in looks or personality—it had to be Jiang Yi.
No one else would do.
But Brother He said Jiang Yi didn’t like women.
Really?
That question had briefly troubled Su Xiaomi after returning from Ying City.
But after sharing orange-flavored lollipops with Jiang Yi and daydreaming about orange-flavored kisses the whole way back, she had dismissed the thought.
Now, sitting in the break room with her coffee, the question resurfaced in her mind: Could it really be true?
Back in high school, she had never seen or heard of Jiang Yi showing any special interest in any girl.
Later, in college, they were in different cities, and the updates she got about him were sporadic.
So whether Jiang Yi had ever dated or liked anyone in all those years apart—she truly had no idea.
Su Xiaomi absentmindedly traced the patterns on her coffee cup before cautiously asking Putao, “How do you confirm a man’s sexual orientation is normal?”
Putao blinked.
“Why are you asking me? Didn’t you brag about reading a truckload of R-rated comics?”
Su Xiaomi: “…That’s all theoretical knowledge. I have zero practical experience.”
Putao suddenly smirked.
“Well, practice makes perfect, my dear.”
Practice? How?!
Was she supposed to force herself on him again?
Su Xiaomi imagined herself pinning Jiang Yi down, then immediately shook her head.
The guilt from doing it once had haunted her for years.
A second time?
No way—spare her!
Thanks to two cups of black coffee (no sugar, no milk), Su Xiaomi not only made it through the workday but was still wide awake when she got back to her dorm that night.
So when Ruan Tian changed into workout clothes and grabbed her gym card, Su Xiaomi offered to join her.
Ten minutes later, standing in front of the gym and eyeing the clay pot restaurant across the street, Su Xiaomi couldn’t help but ask suspiciously, “Do you usually work out at this gym?”
Ruan Tian nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah, why?”
Su Xiaomi didn’t reply.
If she remembered correctly, the last time she had come here to buy clay pot rice for Ruan Tian (when she was injured), she had seen Jiang Yi inside.
Would she run into him again today?
Luckily, after scanning the gym, she didn’t spot him.
Ruan Tian noticed his absence too, instantly losing interest in working out.
Truthfully, she didn’t even like exercising—the only reason she had a gym membership was to “coincidentally” run into Jiang Yi.
But after so many visits without seeing him, she was starting to doubt whether her intel was even correct.
Did Jiang Yi even like working out? Or did he just never come to this gym?
Since Jiang Yi wasn’t there, Ruan Tian just ran on the treadmill for half an hour before claiming she wasn’t feeling well and leaving.
Su Xiaomi, still too awake to sleep, decided to stay and keep running.
It wasn’t until someone plucked an earbud out that Su Xiaomi turned her head in surprise—and saw Jiang Yi standing there in white workout gear.
Her steps faltered, and she nearly tumbled off the treadmill.
Jiang Yi instinctively reached out to steady her, but as soon as she regained her balance, he immediately let go, his expression so proper it showed no trace of discomfort from the physical contact.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaomi subtly rubbed the spot on her arm where he had touched her.
Then, after a moment, she rubbed it again.
Neither of them spoke after that.
They just ran side by side in silence.
But Su Xiaomi’s mind was no longer on running.
It was elsewhere—like whether she should take this rare opportunity to confirm Jiang Yi’s sexual orientation…
Jiang Yi ran for less than half an hour before switching to weight training.
Through the gym’s glass walls, Su Xiaomi could clearly see his back as he lifted the barbell.
Despite his lean frame, his muscles were defined in a smooth, subtle way—until he exerted force, and then his entire demeanor turned sharp, his muscles flexing visibly.
Combined with his face, it was no surprise that several women in the gym were already eyeing him.
No, no, gotta do something…
But before she could act, one bold woman was already walking up to Jiang Yi with an unopened bottle of water.
From a distance, Su Xiaomi couldn’t hear their conversation.
And since both were facing away, she couldn’t see Jiang Yi’s expression—whether he was interested or not—nor could she tell if the woman was pretty.
But just from their silhouettes, they looked like a perfect match: him tall and refined, her slender and long-legged.
Su Xiaomi felt a pang of jealousy.
Without thinking, she turned off the treadmill and stormed over.
Her courage was at its peak on the way over, but by the time she reached Jiang Yi, it had completely evaporated.
What right did she have? She wasn’t his girlfriend…
Jiang Yi watched as Su Xiaomi marched toward him with murderous intent—only to float past him like a ghost, her entire being radiating dejection.
She had already taken two steps past him when Jiang Yi finally reached out and yanked her back in front of him.
Leaning down, he brought his lips close to her ear, his voice so low it was almost a whisper, his warm breath tickling her skin.
It took Su Xiaomi a moment to process his words:
“…Help me.”
Her mind instantly flooded with dirty thoughts.
“Huh? How? Here?That’s… not appropriate, is it?”
Jiang Yi: “…”
“…I mean, help me get rid of this woman.”
“Oh!”
Only then did Su Xiaomi properly look at the girl in front of her.
The woman had seen Jiang Yi’s interaction with Su Xiaomi earlier and had initially wondered if they were together.
But Su Xiaomi’s earlier cowardice had convinced her that even if they were dating, it wasn’t a serious obstacle.
So now, she faced Su Xiaomi with full confidence—the kind of confidence that made Su Xiaomi’s eyes burn.
Su Xiaomi might be a coward around Jiang Yi, but with anyone else, she was a force to be reckoned with.
Meeting the woman’s gaze, she said coolly but firmly:
“You don’t stand a chance.”
The woman scoffed. “And why’s that?”
Su Xiaomi smirked.
“Look at you, dressed like that in front of him—and he didn’t even ‘react’.”
