DF Chapter 16

Chapter 16: We’re Curious About Your “Let the Heavens Grow Cold, Let the Kings Perish” Grand Project.

It was nearly 12:30 AM when Song Ji’an and Sheng Jia arrived home.

The salty, humid sea breeze from the Binhai Highway couldn’t reach the entrance of Sheng Jia’s neighborhood. Here, there was only a gloomy darkness. The two of them circled around and around on the highway, as if they had some unspoken agreement, neither of them spoke again until this moment when Sheng Jia returned to her doorstep.

She took off her helmet and returned it to Song Ji’an, only asking in a low voice, “Is Auntie Liu almost here?”

Song Ji’an glanced at her phone. Half a minute ago, Auntie Liu had just sent her a message saying that she was about five hundred meters away.

Sheng Jia and she stood in front of the neighborhood entrance, waiting together for Auntie Liu’s arrival.

The black Volkswagen quickly appeared in their sight. Auntie Liu got out of the car to help Song Ji’an fold the electric scooter and put it in the trunk. After Song Ji’an got into the car, she waved to Sheng Jia, “Sheng Jia, go home.”

Sheng Jia nodded silently but didn’t move, standing at the entrance stubbornly watching the Volkswagen drive away before heading into the neighborhood.

The face that had perked up a bit after being blown by the sea breeze suddenly revealed the weariness buried deep within when no one could see it.

She wasn’t used to exposing her weaknesses in front of others, especially when that person was Song Ji’an.

She felt that she had been acting strangely ever since the Xu Lijing incident. She seemed to have lost her usual composure and rationality. Today, watching Song Ji’an and Xu Lijing laughing and joking, she even fantasized in her heart about whether she would be full of youthful energy and vitality like them if she had grown up in a normal environment, instead of being like she was now, with a heart like withered wood, only wanting to climb upwards.

But such fantasies could only go so far. At that moment, she was startled and looked up to see Song Ji’an and Xu Lijing still laughing and joking, but only she knew how flustered she was inside.

She was working so hard to avoid envying other people’s lives. She had told herself many times before that she would be the best Sheng Jia. Perhaps she had experienced worse things than others, but she wouldn’t give up. She would manage her own life well.

She had never envied anyone, nor had she ever had any fantasies.

Because she didn’t need them. She was the most standard doer.

But the appearance of Song Ji’an had created a crack in the fortress she had built up over the years. Those complex emotions even affected her work tonight.

Sheng Jia walked aimlessly in the neighborhood when her phone suddenly buzzed.

It was a message from Song Ji’an.

Song Ji’an: I was afraid of disturbing people, so I didn’t dare to speak too loudly in the car.

Song Ji’an: Sheng Jia, good night.

Song Ji’an: [Little cat heart]

Sheng Jia stared at the last emoticon of the beautiful Ragdoll cat being held up to make a heart. The fluorescent light shone on her face, making it even paler.

But she didn’t know what expression to make right now, so she could only mechanically type “good night” and send it.

She turned off her phone and took a deep breath, as if to exhale all the irritability in her heart. She wasn’t someone easily swayed by emotions, so she would only allow herself to be strange for this one night. After tonight, she would still be the Sheng Jia with clear goals.

–

Song Ji’an didn’t know what Sheng Jia was thinking at the moment. She had been in a good mood tonight, but later she started to feel a little sad.

Perhaps it was because she felt Sheng Jia’s fatigue.

Even when they were driving around by the sea, preserving a little of her own small joy, she couldn’t hide the emotions that were transmitted when her chest was pressed against Sheng Jia’s back.

She had been very sensitive since she was a child. Her mother, Song Ningqiu, paid close attention to her physical and mental health, planning many things for her in the process of her growth so that she could grow into the confident and cheerful person she was now. That sensitivity turned into acuteness, allowing her to easily feel other people’s emotional changes, and it became a little secret she had never told anyone else.

She had been able to get along so well with others in the past and present, and that perception was indispensable.

It was difficult for people to truly empathize, but that didn’t stop her from perceiving and understanding another person’s emotions.

She didn’t know how to help Sheng Jia relax.

When she left Sheng Jia’s neighborhood just now, she leaned on the car window and looked back. Sheng Jia gradually shrunk into a small dot, as if the intimacy of the night had disappeared without a trace. The distance between them was like a moving car, getting farther and farther away.

Perhaps it was because she lost control of her expression after getting into a familiar environment that Auntie Liu, who was driving in the front, noticed her fidgeting and couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s wrong?” she asked gently. “You’ve been absent-minded since you got in the car. Can you tell me about it?”

Song Ji’an rested her chin on her hand and replied, “I just think Sheng Jia is amazing, working part-time while going to school and still managing to be Grade/Year One.”

“She seems to be able to handle everything with ease, doing everything calmly and confidently, and her emotions are very stable.”

Auntie Liu nodded. “Yeah, yeah, the praise is over. What’s bothering you? You’ve been praising this little girl at home so much these days that my ears and Auntie Zhou’s ears are about to get calluses.”

Song Ji’an smiled embarrassedly.

Every little girl can’t help but show off to others after making a very amazing friend, and she couldn’t avoid it either.

“I think she’s working too hard,” Song Ji’an couldn’t help but sigh again when she said this. “But I don’t know how to help her.”

She could tell that Sheng Jia was short of money. In fact, she could find Sheng Jia a relaxed part-time job that wouldn’t waste too much time and energy.

Song’s Heavy Industry didn’t not have branches in Jingjiang. According to Sheng Jia’s excellence, she could completely go to the mechanical museum under Song’s to be a guide, only going two or three times a week, with generous compensation.

But according to Sheng Jia’s personality, she probably wouldn’t accept it.

She would never easily accept help from others.

Song Ji’an wanted to quietly let Sheng Jia try to apply for the job, but she was a little afraid of being discovered.

Sheng Jia was very smart. Even if she didn’t know it at first after entering Song’s related industry, she would eventually discover Song Ji’an’s involvement later on.

“If the other person doesn’t accept financial or work-related help, you can try other aspects,” Auntie Liu suggested. “As for work, you can slowly think of a way, but working part-time in the second semester of senior year may affect her study efficiency. Maybe she’s working so hard now to save money before the second semester comes?”

So, conversely speaking, as long as Sheng Jia realizes that she won’t have such a big financial pressure in the second semester of senior year, she might not force herself to work so hard now.

Song Ji’an’s eyes lit up, feeling like she had grasped something. She slightly got up and hugged Auntie Liu over the seat, cheering, “I know what to do, Auntie Liu, I love you so much!”

Auntie Liu was amused by this little ancestor. “Sit down quickly. If there’s a traffic accident, then the comedy will turn into a tragedy.”

Song Ji’an hurriedly sat down awkwardly, but the excitement in her eyes was still difficult to hide.

In the following days, Sheng Jia was still thinking about whether she needed to be a little colder when facing Song Ji’an, so as not to be led astray by her. But she suddenly discovered that Song Ji’an wasn’t quite right these days.

In the past, she might have been used to going to bed early and getting up early, and her mental state was excellent every day. But these days, she had dark circles under her eyes and would even doze off during class.

After finishing work at the hotel, Sheng Jia started to go back to work at the Greenery Cafe every day. Song Ji’an followed her there after school. Sheng Jia couldn’t stop her, so she got used to it.

Sheng Jia worked, and Song Ji’an found a small table to sit at and took out her notebook to type away.

Of course, her behavior didn’t stop with just her on the second day. Xu Lijing also followed, and she brought her two childhood friends, Zhang Jing and Zhou Yijia.

Ever since Xu Lijing decided to study hard, she had really made a very big determination. According to her level of truancy, she had to start tutoring from the knowledge of junior high school. The teacher who tutored her suggested that she repeat a year because it was not a little difficult, but hell difficulty to start from scratch in a year and then pass the goal she set for herself.

But Xu Lijing made up her mind. Regardless of whether she repeated a year or not, she would study desperately first and strive to participate in this year’s college entrance examination.

Her decision naturally received the unanimous support of her two good friends, and the three of them formed a study group after school every day.

However, although Zhang Jing and Zhou Yijia’s academic performance wasn’t bad, they weren’t considered academic powerhouses. There were some questions they couldn’t answer immediately. Xu Lijing, with a studious attitude, went to Song Ji’an and found that Song Ji’an was simply a good person, willing to answer anything she asked.

Later, she also discovered that Song Ji’an would come to the cafe with Sheng Jia these days, so she simply followed shamelessly. Of course, she very consciously took on all the expenses.

But they were also very polite, not bothering Song Ji’an too much, only asking her about the problems they really couldn’t solve after she finished her own business.

Sheng Jia, who originally had one small tail, turned into three. Even the cafe owner joked that Sheng Jia had brought her several fixed incomes, so she had to get a raise.

“If Sheng Jia gets a raise, she has to treat us, right?” Xu Lijing immediately said when she heard this. “The wool comes from the sheep. As the biggest customer, if Sheng Jia gets a raise, I demand that she treat me to ice cream.”

Sheng Jia: …

Sheng Jia, who was wearing a work uniform, glanced at her expressionlessly and turned to go into the back kitchen. The cafe owner laughed with her chin in her hands, “Sheng Jia must be shy.”

After Xu Lijing harassed Sheng Jia, she finally couldn’t help but move closer to Song Ji’an after so many days and asked, “What have you been typing away at all these days?”

“I’m writing a project report for my mother.” Song Ji’an took a sip of Osmanthus Wine Fermented Latte, her hands not stopping. “It’s almost finished.”

Zhang Jing and Zhou Yijia had become familiar with her these days. When Zhang Jing heard this, she covered her mouth in shock and said, “Is this the life of a rich second generation? Starting family internal projects in high school?”

Zhou Yijia, a deep chuunibyou girl, pushed up her glasses and said, “Rich woman, is it a grand project that will ‘let the heavens grow cold, let the kings perish’? Can we hear about it?”

Song Ji’an, who was a little dizzy from looking at the data, raised her head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Xu Lijing helped repeat, “We’re curious about your ‘Let the Heavens Grow Cold, Let the Kings Perish’ grand project.”

Song Ji’an: ?

It’s not me, I didn’t.

“I’m just applying for a batch of funds from my mother,” Song Ji’an quickly explained, her face blushing, interrupting their outrageous imaginations. She lowered her voice and said, “My mother won’t easily give me too much money unless I write a complete project report in the name of her subordinate, explaining what this batch of funds is for, what benefits it can bring to the company, and what the return on investment is. That’s why I’ve been dizzy from looking at data lately.”

“Understood,” Zhou Yijia nodded. “This is the test of a wealthy family’s chairman for the wealthy family’s heir from childhood to adulthood.”

When Xu Lijing and Zhang Jing heard this, they nodded deeply, making a zipping motion on their mouths, indicating to Song Ji’an that they would definitely keep the wealthy family heir’s unfinished plan a secret.

Song Ji’an: …

Forget it, let it be destroyed.

While the group was chatting idly, the wind chimes at the door made a light sound. Song Yi pushed open the door and entered with people, heading straight towards them.

Song Ji’an dared to say that she had never seen Song Yi so affectionately as at this moment because as soon as she came, she diverted this awkward topic to another more interesting thing.

——The Jingjiang High School Marathon League that will be held next week.