Inside the KFC.
Ji Heyuan felt that something was a little strange.
At first she had been very furious, mercilessly exposing Xie Xiao's scheme, standing on the moral high ground and fiercely criticizing Xie Xiao's kind of bad behavior of attempting to gain something without working for it.
Ji Heyuan had originally thought that Xie Xiao would defend herself. She had even already thought through how she would refute her if Xie Xiao tried to explain.
But who would have known that after the person opposite her finished listening to her words, she instead revealed a dazed expression.
Seeing Jiang Jiang's face turn pale, looking at a complete loss, Ji Heyuan instead found herself not quite knowing what to say.
Perhaps… all of this had been done by Xie Xiao's grandmother, and Xie Xiao herself was actually unaware?
Although she knew this possibility was very low, Ji Heyuan found it hard to continue speaking for a moment.
Jiang Jiang remained silent for a full several minutes before biting her lip and lifting her eyes to look at Ji Heyuan, asking in a low voice, "Can we go back now?"
Ji Heyuan felt a sense of powerlessness. She had already said everything that could be said; she could not bring herself to say anything more vicious.
Besides, today's matter had been kept from her older sister and her grandmother. If Ji Xuan found out that she had said such things to Xie Xiao behind her back, she would definitely be unhappy.
It wasn't that Ji Heyuan didn't understand. This matter was not something Xie Xiao alone could decide. It was just that she couldn't persuade the other two people, so she could only pick on Xie Xiao, the soft persimmon, to squeeze.
"Let's go." Ji Heyuan stood up. After hesitating for a moment, she still lowered her voice and said, "Think carefully about what I just told you."
"Just for your own sake—do you really think you'll be happy marrying my sister?"
Jiang Jiang's mind was in a mess. Right now she only wanted to go back and contact Xie Xiao, to tell her about this matter, and preferably ask Xie Xiao whether Grandma Xie had previously given her any hints.
She hadn't heard Ji Heyuan clearly at all, only giving two perfunctory "mm" sounds as a response.
Even though she was in a hurry to go home, Jiang Jiang still didn't forget to have Ji Heyuan pack up the unfinished food to take away.
Ji Heyuan hesitated for a few seconds. "Then you have to promise me—if my sister asks, you'll say you were the one who wanted to eat it."
This time Jiang Jiang heard clearly. She cast a thoughtful glance at Ji Heyuan. "Alright."
The atmosphere on the way back was fairly peaceful. Although the two still didn't speak to each other, it was at least no longer like before, when they avoided one another as if the other were a venomous snake.
When they were almost at the old residence, Ji Heyuan reminded her again. Jiang Jiang treated it like wind past her ears—heard it and forgot it.
The moment she got out of the car, Jiang Jiang carried the packed food and hurried toward the villa's entrance, leaving Ji Heyuan far behind.
By the time Ji Heyuan stepped into the foyer, Jiang Jiang was already nearly at the second floor.
"Running so fast, like she's being chased by a ghost."
Ji Heyuan muttered softly. Before she could catch up, the phone in her bag began to vibrate.
Ji Heyuan took it out for a look, and a smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Hello? Zhouzhou…"
——
Jiang Jiang stayed in her bedroom all afternoon, discussing the ins and outs of this matter with Xie Xiao.
"Now that you say that, I do remember something."
At the mention of her grandmother, Xie Xiao's eyes reddened again. She sniffed and tried hard to recall the scene at that time. "Grandma was very ill then. Even speaking was weak and breathless. She held my hand and said a lot in fragments, telling me to make sure to take good care of myself."
Only at that time, Xie Xiao had thought that Grandma was saying those words because she pitied her for being alone from then on. She had never considered that there might be another possibility.
Grandma might very well have known that she would go to another world, so she reminded her to be cautious and careful, not to be as naive as before.
Jiang Jiang comforted her for a while. After Xie Xiao's emotions calmed down, she softly said, "So does that mean that Ji Xuan and I really are a match destined by heaven?"
The person Grandma Xie spoke of was clearly not Xie Xiao, but her—Xie Jiang Jiang.
"The reason you and I switched identities, was it also to continue this destined bond?" Jiang Jiang frowned tightly, guessing uncertainly.
Xie Xiao couldn't make sense of it either. "You two are from different worlds. Logically speaking, your lives should never have had any intersection. Why would such a heaven-ordained fate exist?"
When the Matchmaker ties red threads, can she even choose to connect across worlds?
The two of them speculated for a long time, yet still couldn't figure out the reason.
In the end, it was Xie Xiao who made the final call. "Whatever. This only proves that what I said before was right."
"You are destined to marry Ji Xu'an."
So hurry up and win her over, then arrange a crematorium-level wife-chasing arc for her, okay?
Jiang Jiang bit her lip. Though she felt a bit shy inside, she still nodded seriously. "I'll work hard not to disappoint you, Xiao."
Xie Xiao hummed twice, then deflated and slumped onto the desk. "Speaking of which, I still don't know how to get close to Princess Huaining."
They had just discussed this issue as well. Since Jiang Jiang and Ji Xuan had fate between them, was it possible that Xie Xiao and Princess Huaining also shared a similar bond?
Because of that possibility, Jiang Jiang—who had previously opposed Xie Xiao approaching Princess Huaining—also began offering suggestions.
"The eighth day of next month is the Crown Princess's birthday. At that time, Her Majesty will certainly hold a family banquet in the palace. You'll be able to see Princess Huaining then."
"The eighth of next month? That's still more than half a month away—that's so long!" Xie Xiao couldn't wait.
Jiang Jiang pondered for a moment. "I know there are two jewelry shops and several taverns in the capital that are Princess Huaining's properties. She sometimes goes to the shops to take a look. You could also try your luck there."
It was just that this method had too many uncertain factors. Who knew in which year or month they would happen to run into her?
As for other methods, it wasn't that there weren't any. Princess Huaining was in charge of the Luanjing Bureau and had to go there to handle affairs every few days.
It was just that this method was too dangerous, so Jiang Jiang didn't tell Xie Xiao.
Xie Xiao's eyes lit up at once. "Great, I haven't gone out in ages!"
Ever since transmigrating to this world, in order not to expose herself, Xie Xiao had been hiding in her room learning the etiquette and common knowledge Jiang Jiang taught her, not daring to go out at all.
"I'll try tomorrow and see if I can bump into her by chance. Wait for my good news!"
——
Ji Xu'an worked an extra half hour in the afternoon before packing up and returning to the old residence.
She actually had a dinner engagement that evening, but she had promised Xie Xiao that she would come back earlier. Besides, alcohol would certainly be unavoidable at the dinner, and since she still had matters to discuss with Xie Xiao, it was better to keep a clear head.
So Ji Xu'an turned down the dinner.
In the past, Ji Xu'an would never have let a trivial matter affect her work.
But back then, no one had ever made such a request of her. This kind of experience was unfamiliar to Ji Xu'an, yet she did not dislike it.
When she returned to the old residence, the sunset had just climbed into the sky. Splendid orange-red light poured from the distance, like overturned oil paints spilling warmth across everything.
Dinner was not yet ready, and Jiang Jiang was not downstairs. Ji Xu'an simply returned to her room to take a shower, changed into a comfortable set of casual clothes, and then went to knock on Jiang Jiang's door.
Jiang Jiang hadn't heard the car enter the garage. When she saw Ji Xu'an standing at the doorway, she was somewhat surprised.
"You're back so early?" From Ji Xu'an's slightly damp hair tips, she guessed that the other woman had already been home for a while.
It wasn't Jiang Jiang's fault. Ji Xu'an had come home too late yesterday, making Jiang Jiang think she wouldn't be back early today either.
"I came back right after work." Ji Xu'an was concise. "Where do you want to talk?"
Jiang Jiang tilted her head. "The back garden. Is that okay?"
Ji Xuan agreed.
They weren't standing very far apart. As they spoke, Ji Xu'an caught a familiar scent from Jiang Jiang.
In a calm tone, she asked, "What did you eat today?"
Jiang Jiang pressed her lips together shyly and smiled. Her expression was restrained, but her eyes sparkled. "Little Yuan took me to eat KFC."
"I'd never eaten it before. It was really delicious!"
"The shop even gave me a picture book. It's so pretty—it tells the story of a little rabbit."
Ji Xu'an was first slightly startled by her excited tone. To be honest, her relationship with Xie Xiao had not been good—one could even say it had been very bad. After all, her attitude toward Xie Xiao had always been harsh.
Ji Xu'an also knew that Xie Xiao was somewhat afraid of her. So she hadn't expected Xie Xiao to share her happy little matters with her so joyfully.
Her tone was almost innocent; the satisfaction in her smile was unadulterated. At least in this moment, Ji Xu'an could be certain that Xie Xiao's happiness was not feigned.
She seemed to be infected by Xie Xiao's joy as well, and couldn't help but curl her lips slightly. "Mm, I know."
This version of Xie Xiao, actually, didn't seem all that detestable.
At this moment, Ji Xu'an's mood was not bad, but that did not prevent her from silently marking down a tally against Ji Heyuan.
She had told her not to bully people, yet she turned around and took Xie Xiao to eat fried chicken and hamburgers, even deliberately ordering her a children's set meal.
It could be said that she had completely failed to take her words to heart.
—
Author's Note:
Ji Heyuan: Why does my back keep feeling chilly lately? (takes out phone) (opens Baidu) (frowns deeply) (realizes something isn't right)
Diligent Author: Is it possible that you're about to receive a mixed double beating from your sister and sister-in-law?
—
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