I Want to Be Your Mrs. Jiang - Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Su Xiaomi stood in front of the skewer rack in the spicy hotpot shop, cheerfully picking out ingredients.
One beef skewer, one chicken wing tip skewer, one beef ball skewer…
After piling up a bunch of meat, she moved to the vegetable section to keep picking.
A potato slice skewer, a vermicelli skewer, a konjac knot—hmm, let’s try that… and another skewer of baby bok choy…
Jiang Yi stood behind Su Xiaomi, watching her pick and choose like a little squirrel hoarding food for the winter, her eyes glowing with excitement.
He found it amusing.
A long time ago, Jiang Yi had noticed this about her…whenever she saw something she liked, whether food or a person, her eyes would light up.
At first it was food, later… it was him.
After ordering, the three of them sat at a window table to wait for their meal.
With Ruan Tian around, there was never any awkward silence.
She always found topics to chat about with Jiang Yi.
She had a knack for dealing with people, even someone like Jiang Yi, clearly a hard one to talk to—she could still quickly find common ground.
Sometimes Su Xiaomi really admired Ruan Tian for this.
She herself only got chatty when facing interview subjects; otherwise, she wasn’t much of a talker.
Certainly not like Ruan Tian, who could keep any conversation going.
Fortunately, their food arrived quickly, so Su Xiaomi didn’t have to worry about joining in the conversation.
She just focused on eating.
Earlier when ordering soup base, she had deliberately chosen the shop’s signature—spicy tomato broth.
But now, looking at the vivid fiery-red pot, it was a bit intimidating.
Su Xiaomi prided herself on being able to handle spice, but maybe because she had gone too long without eating, just one bite nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Even her stomach began to hurt faintly.
Across from her, Jiang Yi immediately noticed and pushed a cup of tea toward her.
“Too spicy? Quick, drink some tea.”
Su Xiaomi was too overwhelmed to speak.
She grabbed the tea and gulped down several sips without thinking.
Only after drinking did she realize…that wasn’t her cup.
…Had she just drunk Jiang Yi’s tea?
Ruan Tian, who had been chatting with Jiang Yi nonstop, was stunned into silence by the interruption.
It took her a while before she recovered. When her own clear-soup spicy hotpot arrived, she smiled and asked Su Xiaomi,“Xiaomi, is yours too spicy? Do you want to switch for a clear-soup one? Mine tastes pretty good.”
Just as Su Xiaomi was about to say no, Jiang Yi slid his untouched bowl over.
“Eat mine. I haven’t touched it.”
Without waiting for her reply, he pulled her spicy bowl toward himself and began eating it without hesitation.
Watching him, Su Xiaomi’s cheeks turned red.
Because while his bowl was untouched, her bowl…she had already eaten from it!
Sure, it was just one bite, but still it was food she had eaten.
And this was Jiang Yi! The thought that Jiang Yi was willing to eat her leftovers made her heart float, as if she were walking on clouds.
But if Su Xiaomi was stunned, Ruan Tian was even more so.
Something about Jiang Yi’s behavior toward Su Xiaomi felt strange.
But she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Logically, the two of them shouldn’t have any private relationship.
She had lived with Su Xiaomi in the same dorm for a long time, and Xiaomi had never once mentioned Jiang Yi.
Even today, Xiaomi’s attitude toward him was polite, respectful but not intimate.
So Ruan Tian could only attribute the strangeness to Jiang Yi.
That strange feeling cropped up again when Jiang Yi gave Su Xiaomi his tea.
And again when he switched bowls with her.
From what Ruan Tian had learned, Jiang Yi wasn’t the type to be considerate.
He might have gentlemanly manners, but he wasn’t the doting kind.
With his looks and background, he never needed to curry favor with women.
Yet with Su Xiaomi, Ruan Tian could clearly feel it—Jiang Yi was trying to please her.
Like how he had flatly said earlier that he disliked spicy hotpot, but the moment Su Xiaomi suggested it, he immediately claimed it was his favorite.
Or how he, like Ruan Tian, had ordered clear soup, but the moment Su Xiaomi found hers too spicy, he unhesitatingly switched with her.
Watching Jiang Yi eat until he was nearly in tears from the spice yet still seeming oddly satisfied, Ruan Tian felt like something beyond her control was unfolding…something she had no desire to see.
For once, Ruan Tian fell quiet through the meal.
Jiang Yi and Su Xiaomi weren’t talkative to begin with, so with Ruan Tian silent, the whole table lapsed into calm.
Su Xiaomi didn’t know what Jiang Yi thought, but for her, this quiet meal was actually more comfortable.
The only thing she worried about was whether that bowl of fiery-red hotpot would upset Jiang Yi’s stomach.
And sure enough, her fears came true.
As soon as the three left the shop, Jiang Yi pressed a hand to his stomach and, voice weak, said to Su Xiaomi,
“Su Xiaomi, my stomach hurts.”
Su Xiaomi jumped in alarm, immediately taking his arm with concern.
“Is it bad? Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Ruan Tian quickly added,“How do we get there? I don’t have a license. Xiaomi, do you? Otherwise, let’s just get a cab.”
Su Xiaomi thought for a moment.
“Let’s take a cab!”
Jiang Yi waved his hand.
“No need for so many people. Just one of you can come with me.”
Ruan Tian spoke up at once,
“Then I’ll go with President Jiang!”
Jiang Yi froze, about to find an excuse to refuse, when Su Xiaomi calmly said,“You’ll go with him? That’s fine too.”
That’s fine too… fine too… fine too…
Jiang Yi’s stomach, which had only been faintly aching, suddenly hurt much worse.
He nearly lost his usual composed expression.
He felt utterly drained.
So when the car arrived, he got in without so much as a glance at Su Xiaomi. Out of sight, out of mind.
Soon someone else got in as well.
He didn’t even need to look and he knew it wasn’t Su Xiaomi.
She didn’t wear such sweet, heavy perfume; her scent was always lighter.
Sure enough, it was Ruan Tian.
She opened her mouth, ready to tell the driver to head for the nearest hospital, when Jiang Yi suddenly said,
“Wait.”
Ruan Tian blinked as he opened the door and stepped back out.
Seconds or minutes later, she wasn’t sure, Jiang Yi returned.
At the same time, the front passenger door opened.
Su Xiaomi slipped in, cheeks flushed, pretending calm.
“I thought about it. I’d just be worrying in the dorm, so I might as well come with you.”
Ruan Tian didn’t say anything, but instinctively glanced at Jiang Yi.
He was turned toward the window, expression unreadable, as if he hadn’t heard Su Xiaomi.
But she could feel it, his mood had shifted.
He was no longer cloaked in that earlier heavy aura.
So… what had happened during that short time he’d stepped out?
Su Xiaomi herself was asking the same question.
How could this happen?
Too much.
He was faking it!
He had clearly agreed to let Ruan Tian accompany him, but just as the car was about to leave, Jiang Yi had walked over to her and said,“You’re coming with me to the hospital.”
Su Xiaomi had stared at him in confusion.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t need so many people with you?”
Jiang Yi: “Tell me, who was it that suggested spicy hotpot?”
Su Xiaomi: “Me.”
Jiang Yi: “And who ordered that spicy tomato broth?”
Su Xiaomi: “Me.”
Jiang Yi: “…So as the culprit, shouldn’t you be the one to take responsibility and accompany me?”
Su Xiaomi: “…”
Jiang Yi looked down at her.
“…What, you don’t want to take responsibility?”
Su Xiaomi: “That’s not it…”
Jiang Yi: “Then why aren’t you getting in the car?”
Su Xiaomi pressed her hand to her forehead, then glared at him fiercely through the rearview mirror.
She thought she’d hidden it well, but Jiang Yi turned his head instantly, catching her in the act.
Su Xiaomi: “＠_＠”
Next came paying fees and waiting for tests.
When it was time to pay, Ruan Tian was about to step up, but Jiang Yi smoothly took the bill from her hands and stuffed it into Su Xiaomi’s.
“You go pay.”
Su Xiaomi: “T﹏T Can I put it on the company account?”
Jiang Yi: “Guess.”
“…Yes?”
“Guess again.”
Su Xiaomi: “T﹏T”
Last time when she treated Jiang Yi to dinner, she’d already had to tighten her belt.
If she had to pay his medical bills too, she didn’t even want to think about how she’d survive.
Jiang Yi, seeing even her ears droop in misery, couldn’t help but chuckle.
Slowly, he said,“Though medical expenses don’t count as company expenses… still…”
Su Xiaomi perked up instantly.
“Still what?”
“Still, since you’re an employee of Yihang Media, I’ll waive the compensation.”
Su Xiaomi was dumbstruck.
What did he mean, “waive compensation”? So he’d actually thought of making her compensate him?!
Too much. Way too much.
She glared at him resentfully and said seriously,“President Jiang, next time something like this happens, please just let me die from the spice, okay?”
Jiang Yi: “…”
