Chapter 40

Shu Shiran received a phone call just before getting off work, which held her up a little.

Ji Xi appeared to have been waiting for a while. His car was parked by the roadside, the driver-side window rolled down. Once she got in, Shu Shiran said, "Something came up at the last minute."

"No rush," Ji Xi said, rolling up the window. He suddenly asked, out of the blue, "Do your clients come by often?"

Shu Shiran, who had just fastened her seatbelt, looked up in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing." Ji Xi didn't elaborate, turning the steering wheel to pull out into traffic.

***

They were dining at a private kitchen in downtown Nancheng, tucked away inside a small Western-style villa. The restaurant specialized in local Nancheng flavors and creative cuisine. Shu Shiran’s grandfather used to love this place.

Upon entering the private room, Shu Shiran finally met Luke. Just as Xue Fu had described, Luke was a handsome man of mixed heritage, with brown hair, fair skin, and deep-set features. Besides him, there was a beautiful woman in the room, along with two white bodyguards.

Luke had been waiting with bated breath for them to arrive, and his gaze landed on Shu Shiran the moment she walked in. His eyes lit up, his curiosity and anticipation clearly satisfied. "This is R, right?"

Ji Xi’s brow twitched.

Shu Shiran looked at Ji Xi, catching a fleeting, strange expression on his face. She remembered that he had saved her contact name in his WeChat as "R." She wondered if he had been referring to her by that code name behind her back all this time.

Luke was already on his feet, greeting them with great enthusiasm. "I’m Jaziel’s good friend, Luke. Finally, I get to meet you—Jaziel’s wife."

Shu Shiran smiled. "I’ve heard him mention you often. I’m Shu Shiran; just call me Sharon."

"A beautiful name," Luke said. His slightly exaggerated reaction left Shu Shiran unsure of how to respond. She realized then that Luke truly didn't know her name; Ji Xi must have really been using that code name for her.

Luke had only learned of "R" back on December 20th of a previous year, when he had accidentally caught Jaziel distracted by a WeChat chat window. There had been no message history, just the contact name "R." He had sensed back then that Jaziel was infatuated with someone. After much pestering, he finally learned the woman was "R," but no matter how much he pressed, Jaziel refused to say her real name, so he had continued to refer to her as "R."

Ji Xi nudged the overly enthusiastic Luke. "Alright, sit down and eat."

Luke, pushed aside, didn't mind at all; he just found this side of Jaziel rare. He had never seen him act so possessive before.

As they sat down, Luke’s eyes remained on Shu Shiran. So this was Jaziel’s "white moonlight"—she was indeed beautiful, no wonder he couldn't forget her. Meeting Luke’s scrutinizing gaze, Shu Shiran asked about the woman beside him. "Is this your girlfriend?"

Luke had almost forgotten he had brought someone along. He was far more interested in Jaziel’s wife. "Her name is Sandy," he introduced.

Sandy, sitting quietly beside Luke, said, "Hello."

"You speak Chinese?" Shu Shiran was surprised.

"She’s of mixed heritage," Luke explained. Since he was coming to China, he had naturally brought a girlfriend who could speak the language.

Shu Shiran looked at Luke and Sandy, and a sudden thought made her feel a bit awkward. Luke was quite the conversationalist; throughout the meal, he talked about the places he had visited that day. When he mentioned the Erqi Art Museum, he gave Ji Xi a knowing wink.

Ji Xi acted as if he hadn't seen it, giving no reaction. Luke, unsatisfied, brought up another matter. "Sharon, let me ask you something."

Shu Shiran paused her chopsticks. "Yes?" What could he possibly want to ask her?

Luke glanced at Ji Xi and asked, "Is your birthday December 20th?"

Shu Shiran was astonished. "How did you know?"

Ji Xi’s calm voice cut in: "I told him."

Luke finally understood the significance of that date—the day their first company was founded, the day they released their first short-selling report, and the date of many other events important to Jaziel. December 20th was indeed R’s birthday. He had guessed it before, but Jaziel wouldn't admit it; now, he finally had the chance to confirm it with R herself.

Shu Shiran was still looking at Ji Xi in confusion. Sensing her gaze, Ji Xi met her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "What is it, wife?"

She realized he was putting on a performance. "Nothing," she replied. She was just a bit puzzled by the sudden mention of her birthday, though she didn't dwell on it. It must have been Ji Xi who told him; how else would Luke know?

Shu Shiran chatted a bit with Sandy and was surprised to learn she was an architecture graduate. The firm Sandy had interned at happened to be the same one where Dai Jiao used to work—a star firm in the industry. Although Sandy wasn't in the field anymore, their shared background gave them plenty to talk about. Luke listened to their conversation and looked at Jaziel with a smug expression. Knowing his wife was an architect, he had specifically brought someone she could relate to.

***

After dinner, Luke suggested going to a bar, so they headed out in two cars. Shu Shiran rode with Ji Xi. Inside the car, they talked briefly about Luke. He was just as Shu Shiran had imagined: a Wall Street playboy.

She suddenly thought of something and asked Ji Xi, "When you mention me in private, do you always use 'R' as a code name?"

Ji Xi replied nonchalantly, "What defines 'private'? Are we in private right now?"

"Then why would Luke say that?" Shu Shiran pressed. "You have me saved as 'R' on WeChat." She began to wonder if he used that initial not just because of the "Ran" in her name, but for some other reason—like a secret collection of contacts labeled A, B, C, D, and so on.

The bar was only a five-minute drive away. Ji Xi parked, unlocked his phone with his fingerprint, and handed it to Shu Shiran. "See for yourself."

Shu Shiran took the phone instinctively, realizing only a second later that he meant for her to check his WeChat. In this day and age, few people felt comfortable letting others browse their phones; only those in the most intimate relationships would freely share access—it was a sign of both trust and transparency. For no reason at all, the sight of Ji Xi unlocking his phone for her made her heart skip a beat.

Ji Xi didn't seem to care that she was holding his phone and opened the car door to step out first. Shu Shiran hesitated, then tapped on the WeChat icon. The windshield and passenger window faintly reflected the interface. She saw her own avatar at the very top.

The contact name now read: Wife.

Just then, a valet opened the passenger door. Shu Shiran turned her head and saw Ji Xi standing in the night air, waiting for her. Behind him, the flamboyant lights of the bar served as a backdrop, silently outlining his sharp silhouette. The crisp early March wind ruffled his hair.

Shu Shiran’s heart, which had skipped a beat, suddenly surged back to life. Then, its rhythm went completely haywire, racing faster with every second. She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out, hearing Ji Xi say, "I only use letters; meanwhile, some people filed me under 'Clients.'"

"..." Why was he bringing up old grievances?

She shoved the phone back into his hand. "That was the group I used before we were married."

Because they had been delayed, Luke and his party—who had been following behind—had already walked ahead into the bar. Realizing they were still at the entrance, Luke turned around, arm around Sandy, and called out, "Jaziel!"

Ji Xi ignored Shu Shiran’s annoyed look, took her hand, and held it firmly in his palm. "No more digging up the past. Let's go."

The bar manager had reserved a spot for them. Once seated, Luke pulled Sandy close. Ji Xi sat on Luke’s other side, with Shu Shiran beside him. No sooner had she sat down than she was enveloped in his clean, familiar scent. Ji Xi draped his arm naturally across the back of her chair. Caught off guard, her hand brushed his arm, making it feel as if he were holding her.

She stiffened, shifting slightly forward, and looked up to find Luke watching her. She tried to act as natural as possible. Luke looked from Shu Shiran to Ji Xi, sensing that their relationship didn't seem quite like what Jaziel had described.

Most of the time at the bar was spent with Ji Xi and Luke talking. Though they spoke via video and voice calls, it wasn't the same as being face-to-face. They discussed trades, the fourth-quarter financial reports of listed companies, and the office they planned to set up in Nancheng. Ji Xi maintained a lazy, indifferent air; he and Luke were like two gamers, and those trades were simply their game.

Shu Shiran mostly listened, occasionally clinking glasses with Sandy. Sandy remained nestled against Luke. When Luke got excited, he would pull her in for a kiss, and Sandy would whisper something back, the two of them flirting openly.

Shu Shiran looked away and took a sip of her drink, only to realize that Ji Xi was watching her. The arrogance he usually projected had faded, but traces of it still lingered in his eyes. He suddenly leaned in close. The scent surrounding her became even more pronounced. Before she could react, he whispered into her ear.

"Afraid you'll keep feeling awkward, so I'll tell you something."

His warm, moist breath brushed against her. His low, languid voice drowned out the surrounding noise. Shu Shiran still held her wine glass; the liquid within rippled, just like her trembling body. She seemed frozen, her posture unchanging, though her eyelashes fluttered. "What?"

To an outsider, they looked no different from the flirting Luke and Sandy.

Ji Xi murmured, "The Sandy you heard on the phone that time... it wasn't this Sandy."

"..."

After meeting Sandy, Shu Shiran had naturally assumed she was the same woman from that phone call. Since she had inadvertently overheard Sandy... well, it was no different than catching them in the act, which was why she felt so awkward meeting her. She hadn't expected it to be someone else.

It was only March, and the incident had happened in January—less than two months ago. It meant he changed women quite frequently.

...That wasn't any better.

"Jaziel, what are you two whispering about?" Luke looked over.

Ji Xi looked at Shu Shiran’s complicated expression, a smirk playing on his lips, before turning to Luke. "Nothing."

Luke suspected Jaziel was badmouthing him, because for the rest of the night, his wife kept looking at him with a very strange expression.