After getting together with Ji Zhaoxi, Xie Sili felt incredibly insecure and wanted to stick to her all the time.
He always felt that Ji Zhaoxi didn't like him that much, and the reason they got together in the first place wasn't exactly honorable.
At that time, Father Ji was seriously ill. Ji Zhaoxi had to worry about her father's condition while also preparing for her postgraduate recommendation, putting her under immense pressure.
When Xie Sili found out, he busied himself every day, arranging for Father Ji to be transferred to a better hospital, hiring caregivers, settling Mother Ji, and standing guard at the hospital daily so Ji Zhaoxi could focus on her schoolwork with peace of mind.
Xie Sili felt despicable for taking advantage of her when she was at her most vulnerable. But if given another chance, he would still make the same choice.
He could never let her leave him.
Sunlight blanketed the ground. On the lawn, Ji Dadan and Leiting ran back and forth endlessly, their bodies covered in grass and stray flowers they had brushed against from who knows where.
Eating a popsicle, Ji Zhaoxi sat cross-legged on the wooden veranda. Leaning against a pillar, she felt a bit drowsy.
"Meow!"
Ji Dadan let out an angry cry and smacked Leiting hard on the head.
"Ji Dadan, can you stop bullying him all the time?" Ji Zhaoxi said, feeling a bit speechless.
Leiting was quite timid. Even after being hit, he didn't dare get angry. Whimpering, he lay on the ground and kept rubbing his head against Ji Dadan.
Ji Dadan, who was busy catching butterflies, was incredibly annoyed by Leiting's nudging. He swatted him a few more times with his paws, leaving Leiting to just stare back pitifully.
Footsteps drew closer. Xie Sili pulled Ji Zhaoxi into his arms and chuckled, "Leave him be. His skin is so thick, there's no way it hurts."
Xie Sili placed a gentle kiss on her neck. Ji Zhaoxi's ears instantly turned red. She pushed him uncomfortably but failed to push him away.
She could feel Xie Sili's constant gaze on her. She pretended not to notice, but his stare grew increasingly heated until, flustered and embarrassed, Ji Zhaoxi covered his eyes.
"Don't you have things to do?"
Wherever she went, he followed.
Ji Zhaoxi was actually under a lot of psychological pressure. She hadn't told the System about her relationship with Xie Sili.
She didn't know if the System was aware of it or not, and she often feared that the System would return only to catch them hugging.
Xie Sili's voice sounded somewhat aggrieved. "I clearly have an official title now, but every time we do this, it feels like... we're having an illicit affair."
Sneaking around like this—was he that shameful to be seen with?
Ji Zhaoxi choked on her own saliva. The way Xie Sili spoke nowadays was getting more and more... much.
She cleared her throat, quickly pecked him on the cheek, and then nonchalantly went back to eating her popsicle.
Xie Sili raised an eyebrow, leaned down, and deepened the kiss.
The housekeeper, holding a towel, was just about to wipe the back windows. She took one step forward, then immediately turned around.
Never mind, she'd clean somewhere else first.
Ji Zhaoxi worked very hard at her scientific research every day. She worked in the lab, and sometimes even had to work overtime after coming home, often falling asleep in the study out of sheer exhaustion.
Many times, when Xie Sili returned home from the company and opened the study door, he would find Ji Zhaoxi asleep on the sofa.
This reminded him of the first time Ji Zhaoxi went to his study. She had been just like this, so tired that she fell asleep on the sofa. But she was very cautious back then; the moment he walked in, she woke up immediately.
Xie Sili didn't like others touching his things, nor did he like others invading his space.
But at that time, looking at Ji Zhaoxi sitting in his study, he thought to himself: how wonderful it would be if he could see her sleeping face every day from now on.
Now, this wish had finally come true.
Xie Sili tidied up the documents on the desk and gently picked her up. Ji Zhaoxi groggily nuzzled into his embrace, and Xie Sili pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
In the beginning, Ji Zhaoxi wasn't used to being intimate with Xie Sili. Whenever he picked her up, she would jolt awake immediately. But now, she was completely familiar with his scent.
Realizing this filled Xie Sili's heart with immense satisfaction.
"Xie Sili, I'm so sleepy."
Xie Sili tucked her under the covers, chuckled softly, and rubbed the tip of her nose.
"I know, go to sleep."
After taking a shower, Xie Sili pulled Ji Zhaoxi into his arms and closed his eyes.
Fragmented moonlight spilled over the trees, casting swaying shadows on the ground. A few fireflies flitted by. The occasional meow from the garden intertwined with the chirping of cicadas, rising and falling in the night.
Jiang Shiyi took over the Jiang Corporation right after graduating from high school.
Father Jiang did not think highly of Jiang Shiyi and constantly tried to secretly prop up his illegitimate son. As a result, the illegitimate son got into a car accident on his very first day at the company.
He didn't lose his life, but he did break a leg.
Many things happened in the Jiang family that year. Jiang Zhen finally understood the pressure weighing on Jiang Shiyi, and he matured a great deal.
Since the illegitimate son was no longer of use, Father Jiang turned his sights to Jiang Zhen, hinting both openly and covertly to Jiang Shiyi that women were not suited to run the household.
Jiang Shiyi didn't say anything; she simply froze Father Jiang's credit cards. Father Jiang immediately fell in line and never said anything similar again.
Jiang Shiyi and Ji Zhaoxi would meet up occasionally. By tacit understanding, neither of them brought up the things Ji Zhaoxi had done in the past.
Later, when Jiang Shiyi went abroad, Ji Zhaoxi even went to the airport to see her off.
As the plane took off, Jiang Zhen leaned back in his seat, scratching his hair sleepily.
"Sis, you're going to be away for so long this time. Why didn't you talk to her a bit more?"
To be honest, he couldn't tell if his sister's relationship with Ji Zhaoxi was good or bad.
If it was good, they barely spoke whenever they met, just sitting together and playing with the cats.
If it was bad, the two of them met quite frequently.
Jiang Shiyi lowered her eyes, put on her sleep mask, and spoke softly.
"We'll be seeing each other all the time in the future anyway."
