She felt it was too contradictory; those events they described didn’t seem to be possible for her.
Shen Jianian’s resistance to Fu Jichen was something Bai Changxia hadn’t foreseen. She pondered for a while before saying, "Jianian, do you remember what I said to you when you tried on wedding dresses and I called you?"
"I didn’t hear it at the time." Shen Jianian recalled the events of that day—Fu Jichen had suddenly barged in and injured Pei Che, leaving her no energy to listen to a call, "You sounded odd on the phone that day, what was it you were trying to tell me?"
"Actually, I had seen the wedding dress photo you sent me but didn’t reply immediately because I was contemplating some things, unsure if I should tell you." Bai Changxia explained slowly, "I later made up my mind and called you that day. What I wanted to say was, the person you truly love is Fu Jichen, and you should seriously reconsider marrying Pei Che."
Shen Jianian’s hand shook slightly as she held the teacup, spilling a few drops.
Why would even Xiaxia say that?
"Pei Che is my friend too; I don’t want to speak ill of him, but I knew you first, and no matter what, I will definitely side with you." Bai Changxia said, "The marriage thing, he did lack consideration. I’m afraid once you regain your memory, you’d regret being with him, so I thought about it for many days and decided to tell you the truth."
Bai Changxia sighed slightly, unable to speak about Jianian’s parents’ death, not wanting Jianian to suffer once more.
Shen Jianian remained silent for a long time. If Fu Jichen and Aunt Cheng’s words made her doubtful, Bai Changxia surely wouldn’t deceive her.
"I know you can’t remember Fu Jichen, and believing you were once together might be difficult, but Jianian, you genuinely liked him before. I can’t hide that from you." Bai Changxia recounted things that Shen Jianian had no recollection of, "You cared so much about a bad omen Fu Jichen received that you visited Tanfu Temple several times to pray for him. You even went to my jade carving workshop to consult with the master craftsman to personally carve a piece for him."
Shen Jianian remembered seeing a photo in Fu Jichen’s phone album earlier; it turned out she copied Buddhist Scripture at Tanfu Temple to pray for him.
Fu Jichen had mentioned that day she had personally given him a carved piece inscribed with "perfect match." She had seen that piece; Fu Jichen carried it daily, and it was two chubby lotus segments. The jade was fine, though the carving was somewhat rough, clearly not the work of a renowned master. Despite his status, he handled it without fear of ridicule.
"Did my heart change?" Shen Jianian’s lips moved as she murmured, "My feelings for Ah Che have always been good, how could I fall for another man?"
"Jianian, it’s not what you think..." Bai Changxia feared she would blame herself.
Bai Changxia remained silent, finding it difficult to bypass the grievances between the Pei and Shen Families to explain her story with Fu Jichen.
"Didn’t Fu Jichen tell you?" Bai Changxia asked.
"He said we met in Yicheng, I was bullied and sought his help, he took me back, and then we made a deal, he helped me reclaim Lingyue Group, and I went with him. Later...we fell for each other. That’s what he said, but I can’t fathom why I went to Yicheng, and why Lingyue Group needed to be reclaimed?"
Bai Changxia was aware that Fu Jichen hadn’t mentioned the Shen Family’s changes.
"Some things, I think it’s more suitable for Pei Che to tell you himself." Bai Changxia looked sincere, "Jianian, I can clearly tell you, when you and Fu Jichen started, you were already disconnected from Pei Che; you haven’t wronged him, so there’s no need to have a mental burden."
Shen Jianian put down the teacup she held, kicked off her slippers, and sat curling her knees on the sofa, looking at Bai Changxia, asking her repeatedly, "Did I really like Fu Jichen very much before?"
"From a bystander’s perspective like mine, yes." Bai Changxia, like her, leaned against the sofa backrest, facing her, "You’ve forgotten now, do you feel strange towards him?"
Shen Jianian nodded, feeling more than just strange; she found him annoying. She disliked overly strong individuals.
"It’s okay, past is past, now is now, I’m telling you these things to give you a basis, not forcing you to fully accept them." Bai Changxia always prioritized her, not caring about Fu Jichen’s feelings nor Pei Che’s thoughts, only hoping Jianian would be happy, "You don’t like him now, then don’t like him, follow your heart, do what makes you comfortable."
Shen Jianian knew Bai Changxia understood her best: "But Fu Jichen won’t let me leave. I negotiated with him last night; he said to give him a month, and if after a month I still don’t like him and insist on leaving, he won’t force me anymore."
"Did you agree?" Bai Changxia felt that Fu Jichen wouldn’t let go easily; he had looked for Jianian for three years, someone so persistent wouldn’t just back down.
"Do I have any other choice?" Shen Jianian complained, "Seeing him everyday makes me angry, I got so upset last night my head hurt and couldn’t sleep well."
Bai Changxia suddenly found this Jianian quite amusing and couldn’t help but laugh.
"You still laugh?" Shen Jianian feigned anger, giving her a glare.
Bai Changxia immediately pursed her lips and stopped laughing.
They chatted until almost six, when Fu Jichen came downstairs, and Bai Changxia prepared to leave.
Shen Jianian was reluctant to let her go, holding onto her hand.
Fu Jichen saw Shen Jianian clinging to Bai Changxia like a gummy bear and cleared his throat, inviting her for dinner, "The cook is preparing the meal, after dinner, let the driver take you back." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Bai Changxia had no choice but to stay for dinner.
After dinner, Bai Changxia didn’t let the driver take her; her fiancé called, saying he’d come to pick her up.
Shen Jianian walked her to the villa’s gate and felt relieved watching her get into Zhu Qisen’s car. She sighed at the car driving away and turned back, each step heavy, not wanting to return to that luxurious cage.
Raising her eyes, Fu Jichen was standing on the steps, a cigarette between his fingers.
He hadn’t gone to the company this afternoon, dressed in casual homewear that, even so simple and comfortable, couldn’t hide his elegant and noble demeanor, exuding a powerful and steady aura with every move.
"What do you want?" Shen Jianian retorted, "Afraid I’d escape with her, keeping an eye on me here?"
Fu Jichen threw the cigarette butt to the ground, stepped on it to extinguish, and released the last puff of smoke with a half-smile, "What did you talk with Miss Bai this afternoon?"
Shen Jianian remained silent.
"Let me guess." Fu Jichen stepped down from the stairs, keeping half an arm’s distance from her, "Did she tell you how much we loved each other? Do you believe it now?"
Shen Jianian looked up, meeting his gaze, "She’s my best friend and shared my viewpoint; she said the past is past, now is now, not to be mixed, to follow one’s heart, unlike how you force me to accept everything from before."
Fu Jichen was rarely rendered speechless.
"Want to go for a walk?" Fu Jichen decisively changed the topic, "I’ll drive you out for a spin."
Shen Jianian’s eyes lit up. Being cooped up in the villa daily, she felt like molding; naturally, she wanted to go out, but thinking of going with Fu Jichen made her hesitate.
"No pressure, if you don’t want to go, we’ll drop it." Fu Jichen offered, turning to go back inside.
Shen Jianian was most susceptible to reverse psychology; seeing him withdraw the offer, she quickly felt anxious, mumbled softly, "I didn’t say I won’t go."