Chapter 32

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After Luke asked Jaziel whether he would come back for the celebration banquet and received no reply, he called out to Jaziel a few more times over the phone.

“Jaziel.”

“Jaziel?”

Jaziel replied, “Not coming back.”

Finally, a response.

He wasn’t coming back, but Luke didn’t mind.

“I’m going to China to find you in a few months anyway.”

As he spoke, he pressed one hand down on the woman beneath him, signaling her to put in more effort.

“Tone it down next time,” Jaziel reminded him.

“Tone down what?” Luke asked.

Jaziel didn’t elaborate on what had just happened, simply said, “Hung up.”

Luke chuckled mischievously, no longer hiding the gradually uncontrolled tone in his voice, and asked, “Are you in a hurry to go see your wife?”

Completing this deal wasn’t about how much money they made; it was the thrill of winning the game.

This kind of excitement needed to be released, and ordinary methods just wouldn’t suffice.

Like Jaziel used to choose to race cars—wild and reckless, something Luke wouldn’t dare attempt.

By comparison, Luke’s way was much safer. But now that Jaziel had a wife, he probably didn’t need to engage in such dangerous pursuits anymore.

Luke’s question went unanswered.

Jaziel had already hung up.

He was going to see his wife.

**

When Shi Ran heard the doorbell, her face was still flushed.

She hadn’t expected that Luke could be so brazen, even doing that kind of thing openly on a phone call.

After all these years, it was the first time she had ever encountered something like this.

It was daytime in Manhattan now; Luke was probably still in the office.

Thinking of this made Shi Ran’s cheeks flush again, blood rushing to her face.

At this hour, the only person who would ring the doorbell was Jaziel.

Shi Ran recalled how calmly Jaziel had ended the call, as if he was used to it.

She knew the people on Wall Street were promiscuous, and among the playboys in the southern city many lived extravagantly; she had heard plenty about it, but to run into it herself was another matter entirely.

She didn’t want to open the door for Jaziel at all.

The doorbell rang twice and then fell silent.

Just as Shi Ran suspected Jaziel had gone upstairs, her phone buzzed.

It was a message from Jaziel.

- Jaziel: Didn’t you want to talk to me?

Shi Ran opened the door and saw Jaziel standing outside.

The faint arrogance and recklessness he’d had during the call had faded considerably, and the white light of the foyer illuminated the smile in his eyes.

What was so funny?

Shi Ran grew even angrier and gave him a cold look.

Jaziel’s gaze swept over the tip of her ear peeking through her hair, flushed red, then settled on her face.

Shi Ran, already uneasy, looked away when their eyes met.

She stood in the doorway without any intention of letting him in, so Jaziel just stood outside.

“I never knew you could run so fast before.”

“...” Shi Ran said nothing.

Did she stay or run?

After a few seconds’ pause, Jaziel spoke again, “Luke’s a bit reckless. I didn’t expect him to—”

Fearing he would continue, Shi Ran stopped him with a look.

Jaziel chuckled softly. “Still angry?”

He lowered his eyes toward her, his tone much gentler.

Shi Ran denied it. “No.”

But her expression and tone said otherwise.

“Back upstairs just now, were you cursing me in your head?” Jaziel asked.

When she heard it, Shi Ran indeed had been cursing both him and Luke silently.

How did he know?

Jaziel raised an eyebrow and teased, “The last time you looked at me like that was when I proposed to you.”

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Shi Ran: “...”

Jaziel: “Shi Ran, before you give me that look, shouldn’t you ask if I’ve done something like that?”

Still flustered, Shi Ran didn’t hesitate and replied, “What you have or haven’t done has nothing to do with me.”

After a few seconds, no response came.

Jaziel said no more.

Shi Ran instinctively glanced up at him, her gaze falling into his dark, intense eyes.

Jaziel tugged at the corner of his mouth and looked away, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

“Well, you’ve always been so generous, indifferent to all this.”

Shi Ran moved her lips but said nothing further, unsettled by his sudden sarcastic tone.

The atmosphere grew inexplicably cold.

Like a pot of water that had been steaming now mixed with cold water—the steam dissipated, leaving no sign of movement.

The foyer was so quiet it felt as if the air had frozen.

Shi Ran’s flushed cheeks gradually cooled.

“What did you come upstairs for?” Jaziel’s voice broke the silence, his tone a little distant.

Shi Ran suddenly remembered the matter at hand.

She looked at Jaziel. He still had his usual tired, lazy demeanor.

“Tomorrow, Aunt Hui is coming to bring me some things.”

She paused before adding, “My grandmother thinks we’re living together now.”

Jaziel raised an eyebrow. “Living at your place?”

Shi Ran nodded. “So I need you to bring some of your things down. Aunt Hui won’t go into my bedroom, mostly just the living room and kitchen.”

Jaziel: “Alright.”

Shi Ran: “Then you go get them upstairs; I’ll wait here.”

He said nothing more and turned to go upstairs.

After he went up, Shi Ran left the door half-open and returned to the living room to start preparing.

She wanted to make sure the places Aunt Hui would see showed signs that two people lived there.

Before long, Shi Ran’s phone rang.

It was a voice call from Jaziel.

She answered.

Jaziel: “Do you want me to bring down some clothes?”

Shi Ran thought for a moment. “Bring a few pieces down.”

Jaziel responded with a short “Mm.”

Shi Ran: “What else are you bringing?”

They confirmed the list of items to bring down over the voice call.

After finishing the call, Jaziel quickly came downstairs with the items.

This time, Shi Ran didn’t keep him outside the door.

She laid out the clothes he brought, asking him to check for any inconsistencies.

Jaziel had brought t-shirts, shirts, and two suit jackets.

Shi Ran thought for a moment and left one of his suit jackets on the sofa, putting the rest away in the master bedroom closet for next time.

While arranging everything, Shi Ran felt it wasn’t enough.

When she came back from the closet, she clearly saw the changes in the living room.

The layout and furniture hadn’t changed, but there were traces that hadn’t been there before.

Jaziel sat on the sofa, casually looking at his phone, with his suit jacket casually draped over the other sofa.

For a moment, Shi Ran almost believed he truly lived here.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him look up as she came out.

Shi Ran fluttered her eyelashes and said, “See if there’s anything that doesn’t look right.”

“Almost there,” Jaziel said, then stood up.

It was already one o’clock.

Shi Ran followed him to the door.

When they reached the entrance, Jaziel stopped.

Shi Ran heard a barely audible sigh.

Just as she wondered if she had imagined it, Jaziel turned around, half-lidded eyes meeting hers.

“I haven’t done that kind of thing.”

Shi Ran was momentarily caught off guard. “What?”

Seeing her confused expression, Jaziel chuckled. “Shi Ran, your skin is so thin—are you sure you want me to say it?”

“...”

Shi Ran understood and felt her face warm.

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“Got it.”

She knew he hadn’t done the same things Luke had.

**

The next day at the firm, Shi Ran received two voice messages from Aunt Hui.

“Ranran, I put the wontons and spring rolls in the fridge. If you’re not eating them right away, just freeze them.”

“If there’s anything you and Jaziel want to eat for the New Year, just tell me and I’ll prepare in advance.”

Aunt Hui had already been to her place.

Apparently, she hadn’t found any inconsistencies.

Shi Ran breathed a sigh of relief and replied to Aunt Hui’s message.

That evening, when Shi Ran got home, she opened the fridge.

The wontons and spring rolls packed in containers were neatly arranged by Aunt Hui, with a larger quantity than before—enough for two.

Shi Ran was just a little hungry.

Thinking back to how Jaziel had helped oversee the setup last night, she picked up her phone and sent him a message.

- Shi Ran: Want a midnight snack?

- Shi Ran: Aunt Hui brought a lot of wontons.

Shi Ran came home earlier than the past few days; it was only ten o’clock.

After a short while, she received a reply from Jaziel.

- Jaziel: Wait twenty minutes for me.

When Jaziel arrived, Shi Ran was boiling water; the wontons hadn’t gone into the pot yet.

Hearing the doorbell, she went to open the door.

Seeing him holding a jacket, carrying a faint scent of alcohol, Shi Ran realized he’d just come back from outside.

After entering, Jaziel asked, “Did you manage to get by today?”

Shi Ran replied with a hum. “Aunt Hui probably didn’t suspect anything.”

Walking to the island, she poured him a glass of water.

“There are also spring rolls. Want some?”

Jaziel: “No, just some wontons.”

Shi Ran thought the same.

The water in the pot was boiling, so she went over to drop the wontons in.

Aunt Hui’s wontons were beautifully made, plump and round like little ingots.

Feeling a gaze on her, Shi Ran turned to see Jaziel leaning against the island, holding his glass, watching her.

A wisp of steam rose, briefly clouding her vision.

“You look quite skilled,” Jaziel’s voice came through the steam.

As the steam cleared, Shi Ran’s view sharpened.

He added, “I thought you’d be like Zheng Tingyan.”

He seemed surprised.

Shi Ran: “...I’m a bit better than her.”

Shi Ran wasn’t good at much else, but cooking wontons was her strength.

Once the water boiled, just add cold water twice and bring it back to a boil—simple.

Aunt Hui had instructed her this way, and she had never failed at cooking wontons since.

Her phone buzzed on the side; Shi Ran glanced at it.

It was Zheng Tingyan, the one who had once accidentally cooked herself into the hospital.

She answered the call, holding a stirring spoon in one hand.

“What’s up, Ranran?” Zheng Tingyan’s voice came from the phone.

Shi Ran: “Nothing much, just wanted to check how you’re recovering.”

When Jaziel arrived, Shi Ran had tried calling Zheng Tingyan, but she hadn’t answered.

Zheng Tingyan: “Much better now, just need to eat light and rest.”

“Then take good care of yourself.”

Shi Ran’s peripheral vision caught a shift in light.

She saw Jaziel approaching.

Then, the hand holding the spoon felt a warm touch.

Before she could react, the warmth vanished as he withdrew the spoon.

Her wrist tightened as he pulled her to another spot.

Seeing Shi Ran’s puzzled look, Jaziel blinked.

Shi Ran realized he wanted to cook the wontons for her so she could take the call.