CHAPTER 99: 099: THE PLAN FELL THROUGH

During the journey back to the apartment, Cen Jin leaned back against the seat, her eyes gazing out the window. When he went in to return the keys, she chose to continue sitting inside the car to wait for him.

When he came out, fifteen minutes had passed, and it was already past four-thirty. After getting into the car, Jiang Baizhou asked her again if she had decided what to eat. Cen Jin shook her head, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes still looking outside, not even glancing at him: "I want to eat the braised Lion’s Head my mom makes. It’s still early for dinner, let’s go back! Besides, I’m a little tired and want to take a nap. My mom will be home early today."

"Are you sure you don’t want to eat out?" Jiang Baizhou raised his eyebrows, emphasizing his question.

Cen Jin didn’t notice his expression at that moment, she only heard his indifferent tone and didn’t want to delve into it, nodding affirmatively: "Yeah, let’s not eat out. It’s expensive, and it might not even taste good. Let’s head back! It’s still early; I can take a nap."

Jiang Baizhou pressed his lips together, his gaze slightly restrained. After a brief silence, he looked at her profile and noticed her exhaustion. He thought about how she had been at the factory since the morning; she must have been working hard. Accepting this, he drove straight home.

As soon as the car reached the villa, Cen Jin quickly unfastened her seatbelt and looked at him: "I’ll head in first; let’s postpone our dinner. You can invite me some other time when you’re free." She didn’t wait for Jiang Baizhou’s reply, immediately pushed open the car door, and entered the villa without looking back.

Watching her departing figure, Jiang Baizhou furrowed his brows, his hand which had just lifted to grab her slowly lowered again, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.

It seemed tonight’s plan had fallen through.

It truly confirms the saying that plans can’t keep up with changes.

His long fingers tightened slightly, and he silently sighed, a hint of helplessness flashing in his dim eyes. He had lost count of how many times in his twenty-six years he felt defeated when facing her.

After a while, a pleasant alert sound in the car broke his thoughts. Jiang Baizhou took out his phone and swiped open WeChat. It was a message from Ke Yuanfan asking about the house. He raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment, set the phone aside, and drove the car into his home garage. Then he returned to his room with the phone to earnestly discuss the matter with Ke Yuanfan.

After returning to her room, Cen Jin lay limp on the bed as if she had lost her soul, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, tears streaming down her cheeks.

There are things that end before she even gets to take that step.

Gradually, her eyes grew tired, and she slowly closed them, slipping into dreams with tears still on her cheeks.

When she woke again, it was almost eight o’clock and it was Ms. Qin who called her up. Sitting at the dining table, she looked at the dishes, yet felt no appetite. Ms. Qin noticed she was just poking at a braised Lion’s Head without intending to eat it. She waved her hand in front of Cen Jin’s eyes: "Didn’t you say you wanted the braised Lion’s Head? Why are you spacing out now? Hurry up and eat! It won’t taste good if it gets cold."

Cen Jin snapped out of her daze, nodding vacantly: "Oh, okay."

"What’s wrong with you today? Did something happen? Your eyes are red; have you been crying? You seem listless. Come on, tell mom what’s going on?" Ms. Qin put down her chopsticks, seriously inquiring.

Cen Jin bit her chopsticks, shook her head: "It’s nothing, really nothing. I just watched a touching movie this afternoon and cried, and now I’m still a bit dazed from just waking up."

"Really?" Ms. Qin looked at her suspiciously, half-believing her explanation.

Cen Jin looked up, gave her a faint smile, and nodded sincerely: "Yes, really, mom. Don’t worry about this, just eat! Also, today’s braised Lion’s Head seems different from before, doesn’t it?"

"Different? Let me taste it." As expected, Cen Jin’s words diverted Ms. Qin’s attention. She picked one up and tasted it, mumbling: "I added some water chestnuts today to enhance the texture. Hmm, it’s still good, don’t you like it?"

"No, I like it; it’s still quite delicious. I just meant that the texture is different from before."

"Which one is better?"

Cen Jin was silent, at a loss as she looked at Ms. Qin’s earnest expression—this was surely a question with no right answer. After thinking for a moment, she replied with a smile: "Both are good. As long as it’s made by our Ms. Qin, I love it. It has mom’s special touch."

Ms. Qin couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing that, giving her a reproachful look and placing a piece of chicken on her plate: "You and your flattery, hurry up and eat, and don’t forget to wash the dishes when you’re done."

"Okay, ma’am, as you wish." Cen Jin pretended to give a bow, her earlier bitterness fading away significantly. She adjusted her mindset and ate earnestly.

After dinner, Cen Jin cheerfully washed the dishes and then went upstairs. When she went to close the drapes in front of the large window, she realized it had started to rain. Gazing at the endless threads of rain, a touch of loneliness tinged her bright eyes, landing on the lit room across the way.

***

The next morning, the sky remained overcast, with rain heavier than the previous night’s. The air was distinctly moist, completely dispelling the previous days’ heat. Cen Jin put on a goose yellow sleeveless dress, considering that she would attend a party tonight; she reluctantly placed a pair of high heels in a bag, wore a pair of white sneakers, and left with a transparent umbrella.

Exiting the villa’s white fence, Cen Jin instinctively glanced toward the adjacent white villa, pursed her lips, and stepped forward, walking through the rain towards the estate’s gate.

When she arrived at the studio, it was already nine-thirty. Ye Lingran was there, cleaning the countertop. Seeing her, he smiled and greeted her: "Morning, Cen Jin. Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"

"It’s nothing, maybe just the wind outside." Cen Jin placed her umbrella on the drying rack, walked to her workspace, and turned on the computer: "By the way, Ling Ran, have you checked the website’s appointment messages?"

"Not yet. Have you?"

"Yes, I looked through them yesterday but didn’t reply; I was working on one of the sections."

"I’ll handle them now."

"Okay. Isn’t Miss Zhang supposed to come today to customize her wedding dress? Was the appointment for the morning or afternoon? It’s not marked here."

"Let me check." Ye Lingran set aside what she was working on, went to her computer, bent over to look, and apologized with a smile: "She’s scheduled for two o’clock in the afternoon. Last time there were so many appointments, I forgot to note it down, only wrote it in my notebook."

"Alright, I’ll contact her now."

"Okay."