Crossing the Line – Chapter 1
by Little PandaReturning to the Country
To extend the shelf life of the fresh flowers, this flower shop always maintained a temperature below twenty degrees, so the heating was rather weak.
Coupled with the bitter cold outside, Jiang Siyi’s fingertips were already red from the cold by the time she finished hand-picking the flowers she wanted to give Song Ti tonight.
As she held a vibrant, delicate Cinnabar Bowl camellia between her fingertips, her phone buzzed.
Retrieving it with one hand, she saw a WeChat message from Song Ti.
With heavy snow falling tonight, perhaps she was worried that the roads would be difficult to navigate.
[Tonight, my cousin is also coming. That dress from last time won’t do. Where something more presentable.]
The WeChat message had likely been converted from voice to text, hence the typo.
Jiang Siyi squeezed her phone and looked down at herself.
She was indeed wearing “that dress from last time” as Song Ti had put it.
The young shop assistant took the Cinnabar Bowl camellia she had selected, gathering it with thirty-eight others before securing them with pink paper tape. She smiled brightly.
“Miss, please come and choose the wrapping paper.”
Jiang Siyi selected white tissue paper, picked out a card featuring a wheat field oil painting, and sat down at a small round table in the shop to carefully write her birthday wishes.
The assistant wrapped the flowers with practiced ease and presented them to Jiang Siyi.
With dozens of orders a day, she usually just printed out messages using templates, so it had been a long time since she last saw someone write a card by hand.
She stole a glance at Jiang Siyi.
Her first impression was one of pure simplicity, as delicate and clean as her handwriting.
Perhaps because she spoke little and was too quiet, she carried an air of cool, aloof distance.
The skin on the back of her hand holding the pen was as milky white and smooth as porcelain, her fingers long and slender, her knuckles delicate and completely devoid of any jewelry.
Jiang Siyi wrote a few words, then paused, as if gathering her thoughts to compose each stroke, trying her best to make the handwriting as pleasing to the eye as possible.
The card was made of quick-drying paper, but she still waited a moment after finishing to ensure the ink wouldn’t smudge before carefully tucking it into the matching envelope.
Jiang Siyi looked at the beautiful Cinnabar Bowl camellias, then lifted her gaze to smile faintly at the assistant.
“You wrapped them beautifully.”
Her profile was quietly beautiful. When she looked up, her eyes caught the light from the ceiling lamp, shining as brightly as gems.
Being praised by such a beautiful young lady, the assistant felt the physical and mental fatigue of her long day’s work lift considerably.
Seeing that Jiang Siyi was calling a ride-hailing car on her phone, she took the initiative to remind her that the nearby area was a pedestrian street where it was hard to get a car. She shared a secret tip: take the alley to the mall behind them, and exit through the west gate, where she wouldn’t have to wait in line.
Jiang Siyi gathered the flowers in her arms, thanked her, and left.
She had already planned to stop by the mall behind them anyway.
Half an hour later.
Once she changed into her newly purchased dress, her usual aura of fresh freesia was transformed into that of a gorgeous, striking rose.
Jiang Siyi wasn’t quite used to this outfit, which was clearly meant to flaunt a certain allure.
Still, the current version of herself was clearly closer to the kind of fiancée Song Ti wanted.
Cradling the eye-catching bouquet of Cinnabar Bowl camellias, she walked briskly to the mall’s west gate.
The taxi sat waiting by the curb. Jiang Siyi walked against the heavy snow, passing the giant white Christmas tree set up in the mall’s forecourt, heading toward the car.
The new dress was beautiful, but unfortunately, it was only suited for elegant conversation at a banquet. For someone walking through wind and snow, it was pure torture.
To maintain an elegant silhouette, the skirt’s hem was narrow enough to constrict her stride, and she was wearing high heels to boot.
The wind-whipped snow swirled and slammed against her, and the flowers in her arms bent sharply in one direction. She had no choice but to turn around, using her back to shield them from the storm and protect the fragile Cinnabar Bowl camellias.
Just before both she and the flowers fell apart, she finally managed to slide into the car.
As the car door shut, Jiang Siyi brushed stray strands of hair away from her cold-reddened face.
First, she checked the card tucked among the flowers.
Fortunately, only a tiny speck of snow had landed on it, and it hadn’t gotten wet.
Jiang Siyi breathed a sigh of relief.
Heavy snow blanketed the city, the flakes fluttering down like fragments of the past, casting a heavy shadow in the depths of Jiang Siyi’s eyes.
Tonight was the twenty-sixth birthday banquet of Song Ti, Jiang Siyi’s fiancée in their marriage alliance.
The banquet was being held at the Song Family Suburban Villa, and getting there required traversing the most congested roads in the city.
It was bad enough that there were so many intersections, but she seemed to hit a red light at every single one.
The driver grumbled incessantly. Jiang Siyi kept her head down, scrolling through her phone as a faint, anxious tension filled the car.
She opened a social media app at random, scrolling to distract herself.
Celebrity gossip and news of global turmoil flashed before her eyes, but not a single word truly registered.
It wasn’t until a voice call from her sister, Jiang Siling, pulled her wandering thoughts back.
“Hey, baby.”
Jiang Siling’s voice sounded slightly hoarse, as if she had just woken up.
“Are you at Stella’s birthday party?”
Stella was Song Ti.
Jiang Siyi put on her earphones. “Almost there. Why are you up so early?”
Jiang Siling was currently hosting a solo exhibition abroad, with a thirteen-hour time difference from China.
“I couldn’t sleep at all. I’m still riding a massive high. Yesterday’s exhibition was incredibly successful—the local contemporary art media all turned up. It completely exceeded my expectations. More importantly… Baby, do you know who I met?”
Jiang Siyi replied, “You met Glenda, didn’t you?”
“Huh? How did you… Oh, right, I posted it on WeChat Moments. Ugh, I really drank too much.”
On the other side of the Pacific, Jiang Siling rubbed her aching head and drank some water as she continued:
“I’ve been copying Glenda’s paintings since I was a child. I never thought I’d get to meet her in person in this lifetime. I thought she’d be aloof and difficult, but she was actually so warm and friendly. She even signed my clothes! Hahaha, so much has happened these past few days. It feels like all my dreams have come true hand-in-hand. My brain is just too wired. I barely got three hours of sleep last night.”
The smile in Jiang Siling’s voice grew more pronounced.
“Oh, right, please thank Stella for me. If it hadn’t been for her aunt, I never would have been able to organize this exhibition tour, let alone have everything I do now.”
Jiang Siyi’s fingers tightened around the bouquet.
“Yeah, I’ll pass it along.”
“When are you two getting married? I’ll definitely make time to come back to China for your wedding.”
Caught off guard by her sister’s sudden question, Jiang Siyi paused for a moment before making an excuse. “I’m almost there. Let’s talk later.”
Jiang Siling was indeed busy, with another salon to attend today, so she didn’t press further.
“Alright, we’ll chat later then. I saw that J City is having a cold snap. Remember to bundle up so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Mm, don’t worry.”
After hanging up, Jiang Siyi noticed her sister’s long-unchanged WeChat profile picture had been replaced with a photo of her and Glenda.
In the photo, her sister held a wine glass, her smile amidst the flowers brighter than any Jiang Siyi had ever seen.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Jiang Siyi’s lips.
She could easily imagine how happy her sister must be right now.
As the car neared the foot of the hill where the villa was located, Song Ti called.
“Siyi, where are you?”
“At the foot of the hill.”
“I’ll come pick you up. Wait for me there for a bit.”
Jiang Siyi got out of the taxi and waited for Song Ti by the roadside.
The temperature in the suburbs was a couple of degrees lower than in the city. The wind howled, and the chill had long since pierced through her dress. The coat draped over her shoulders offered little protection, and her feet were already numb.
Unfortunately, what she cradled in her arms was not a heater, but flowers that were even colder and more fragile than she was.
After she paced in the snow with her head down for over ten minutes, a pair of headlights finally pierced through the curtain of snow, winding slowly and elegantly down the mountain road.
The car pulled up beside Jiang Siyi, and the window rolled down unhurriedly.
Seeing the bouquet of Cinnabar Bowl camellias in her arms, looking all the more gorgeous and striking with beads of snow clinging to them, Song Ti smiled in pleasant surprise.
Jiang Siyi walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.
Song Ti took the flowers. “They’re beautiful.”
Jiang Siyi: “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.” Song Ti handed the flowers back. “Put them in the back seat, otherwise you won’t have room to sit comfortably.”
Jiang Siyi took the flowers back. Her movements stiffened slightly, but she could only place them in the back seat before sliding into the passenger seat.
As she tidied her hair, she noticed Song Ti quietly sizing her up.
Song Ti rarely stared so directly, which made Jiang Siyi’s face flush slightly.
“Mm?”
“You look great in this,” Song Ti said with a satisfied smile. “Your figure is even better than I imagined.”
Standing at 1.65 meters tall, Jiang Siyi usually preferred long skirts or trousers—styles that were modest, quiet, and didn’t show off her figure. Outside of work, she rarely even wore high heels, prioritizing comfort.
Feeling Song Ti’s unshielded gaze, she pulled uncomfortably at the hem of her skirt. Unsure of how to respond, she merely forced a faint smile to deflect the attention.
Three minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the villa. Song Ti handed the keys to the butler, letting him park the car.
Jiang Siyi glanced at the flowers in the back seat. Song Ti, who had already taken a couple of steps, turned back, took the initiative to grab the flowers, and cradled them in her arms as she took Jiang Siyi’s hand and walked inside.
This was the third birthday Jiang Siyi was spending with her as her fiancée.
Perhaps because Song Ti’s cousin, Lin Ji, was attending tonight, the turnout for the banquet was more than double that of last year.
Among the crowds gathered around the sofas, cocktail tables, and heated pool, Lin Ji’s name was mentioned from time to time.
Everyone was speculating whether Lin Ji would actually stay in the country now that she had returned.
“No wonder. I was saying, weren’t you guys supposed to be skiing in Switzerland? Why did you all rush back? Turns out you just wanted to show your faces in front of Lin Ji.”
“Didn’t you rush back just as eagerly?”
A knowing, low chuckle rippled through them.
The second-generation heirs in J City were close-knit.
They were either childhood friends or bitter rivals who couldn’t stand the sight of each other; whenever they gathered, there was never any shortage of words.
Song Ti’s cousin, Lin Ji, had been a legendary figure in this circle since childhood.
She was the quintessential “child of someone else’s family”—scoring top marks and ranking first in everything.
Every single one of J City’s second-generation heirs had been raised in the shadow of Eldest Miss Lin’s exemplary achievements, having her achievements served as a side dish with every meal, growing up in her shadow.
They thought they could finally catch their breath once they grew up, but as they got older, the shadow she cast only grew larger.
Lin Ji had founded her own company during her university days. Three years ago, she took it public overseas, raising over one billion dollars through its IPO.
Heavily sought after by capital markets, she had successfully sheared a massive amount of foreign wool.
While these trust-fund heirs were still trying to familiarize themselves with their family companies’ organizational charts, Lin Ji had already made her mark in the capital markets, displaying an increasingly unstoppable momentum.
This crowd of young ladies and young masters had been spoiled rotten in their luxurious environments. Those who could barely keep their family businesses afloat were already considered outstanding; most of them, with a single move, could set their companies back a decade, catching major shareholders completely off guard.
A few years ago, when business was still easy, their parents hadn’t been so quick to lose their tempers, letting them squander the family fortune.
But with the economic downturn of recent years, doing business had become increasingly difficult. Parents spent their days frowning and short-tempered, and looking at these good-for-nothing children only incensed them further, making life quite tough for the second-generation heirs as well.
To live a bit more comfortably and avoid being removed from the family trusts, they were all desperately searching for a way out.
Hearing that Lin Ji had finally returned to the country, anyone who didn’t want to remain a useless, universally despised piece of trash did whatever they could to squeeze into Song Ti’s birthday banquet, hoping to cozy up to her.
While the crowd waited restlessly, they saw Song Ti walk in, holding Jiang Siyi’s hand.
“Siyi, long time no see.”
“You look so beautiful tonight.”
Scattered, lukewarm greetings drifted over, and Jiang Siyi politely responded to each one.
It had indeed been a long time. To be precise, it had been ages since anyone besides Song Ti had taken the initiative to invite Jiang Siyi to a social gathering.
Ever since her mother passed away and her father remarried, she had fallen out of this social circle.
Once the Jiang family’s business took a nosedive, she had been completely erased from the wealthy social circle.
Whether it was a “childhood friend get-together” or a “rival-sabotage party,” no one spared a thought to invite her.
Old friends still treated her with polite civility, maintaining their manners, but their snobbery was plain to see in their eyes and actions.
The Song family had deep pockets. In everyone’s eyes, being able to get engaged to Song Ti was the single most correct choice Jiang Siyi’s mother had secured for her while she was still alive.
The crowd’s gazes fell lukewarmly on Jiang Siyi.
Her outfit tonight was striking, and her makeup was slightly heavier than usual, exuding a mature allure—precisely the style Song Ti favored.
Not to mention the lush, gorgeous bouquet of Cinnabar Bowl camellias in her hands, which was clearly meticulously selected.
She was truly going to great lengths from head to toe to please her fiancée.
In their eyes, if Jiang Siyi wanted to live a respectable life for the rest of her days, she indeed needed to think hard about how to hold fast to Song Ti, her absolute lifeline.
Someone teased Song Ti, “You dote on your fiancée so much, going out in this heavy snow to pick her up yourself. I’m so envious. If only my partner were half as considerate as you.”
Wrapping one arm around Jiang Siyi’s shoulders while holding the Cinnabar Bowl camellias securely with her other hand, Song Ti smiled.
“Isn’t that only natural? Frankly, you’re the one who should consider finding a new husband.”
“With this packaging, the Cinnabar Bowl camellias look so much more beautiful than the ones in my garden. Siyi has great taste.”
“Siyi, did you carry these flowers here yourself? That’s no small feat. Such a huge bouquet—your hands are red from the cold.”
“Stella, you’re being unfair, outright showing off like this.”
The crowd’s eyes drifted boldly back and forth between the Cinnabar Bowl camellias and Jiang Siyi’s face.
Their direct scrutiny was identical to the way Song Ti had sized her up earlier.
It was like admiring a pretty object—a plaything meant to serve its master.
They looked wherever they pleased, without hiding their gazes in the slightest.
There was absolutely no need to consider her feelings.
After all, an object wouldn’t get angry.
Jiang Siyi didn’t return anyone’s gaze, nor did she pay any mind to the patronizing teasing and pity directed at her, remaining as quiet as if she didn’t exist.
After taking her around for several rounds to meet all the important guests, Song Ti sat down with her in the small garden.
Song Ti brought over a glass of mulled wine and handed it to Jiang Siyi.
“Tired?”
The Cinnabar Bowl camellias, which Song Ti had held so protectively in front of everyone just moments ago, were now casually cast aside.
Song Ti had surely noticed the handwritten card, yet she hadn’t made any move to take it out and read it.
Jiang Siyi accepted the glass and took a small sip. “A little.”
“Once we meet my cousin, I’ll take you upstairs to rest.” Song Ti glanced at her watch. “She should’ve arrived half an hour ago. She was probably delayed by the snow.”
The projects Song Ti had invested in over the past two years had all lost money. While the dismal market was partly to blame, her own investment acumen was also hard to describe.
Hearing rumors that her cousin Lin Ji intended to return to develop her business domestically, Song Ti had her own calculations.
To say nothing of establishing a close connection, even the tiniest scrap of resources slipping through her cousin’s fingers would be enough for her to hold her head high in the Song family.
Song Ti was desperate to meet Lin Ji.
While Song Ti was single-mindedly focused on making a comeback, her mother would occasionally drop hints, urging her to quickly set a wedding date with Jiang Siyi.
“It’s been three years since the engagement and there’s still no progress. This is unseemly. Siyi is steady and reliable; she can help you to some extent in both your work and personal life.”
Song Ti had mild-manneredly told her mother, “Everything depends on Siyi’s wishes. We’ll marry whenever she says.”
But setting aside how the Jiang family relied on the Songs just to keep their business afloat, even her sister’s career was entirely in the hands of Song Ti’s aunt. Given Jiang Siyi’s situation, how could she possibly be the one to decide?
Even now, freezing to the point where her back was stiff and her face was pale, she had no standing to voice a desire to leave.
Jiang Siyi knew that Song Ti had made tonight’s birthday banquet so lively primarily to welcome her cousin back.
Lin Ji, who rarely appeared in social settings, had uncharacteristically agreed to attend.
Song Ti had prepared with great care, which Jiang Siyi had noted. There was no way Song Ti would miss the opportunity to be the first to speak to Lin Ji just to accompany her upstairs to rest.
Jiang Siyi took a deep breath, her back aching from the biting cold.
Just as she was about to say, ‘Tell me which room I can rest in, and I’ll go up myself,’ a commotion broke out near the entrance.
Lin Ji had finally arrived.
Jiang Siyi had barely uttered the word “You—” before Song Ti’s gaze shot toward the entrance. She stood up with a sharp whoosh, knocking the Cinnabar Bowl camellias to the ground.
Jiang Siyi instinctively reached out to save them, but she was too slow.
The Cinnabar Bowl camellias tumbled into the footprint-ridden snow, scattering a mess of ruined scarlet petals.
The card, which had remained unopened the entire time, also fell out, landing squarely in a puddle of half-melted snow.
It was instantly soaked, ruined beyond recovery.
Jiang Siyi stared blankly at the flowers and the card, staring at the gift she had meticulously prepared. Her eyes were completely devoid of life.
It seemed they were destined never to be cradled in Song Ti’s arms.
The dirty snow was, after all, their proper home.
…
Cutting through the crowd, Song Ti beat everyone else to open the car door for Lin Ji, putting on a sweet smile as she called out:
“Cousin, you’re finally back. Do you know how much I missed you?”
The woman inside the car kept her eyes half-lidded. Wearing earphones, she was currently speaking on the phone in English.
As the crowd behind them pressed forward noisily, Song Ti turned around and made a shushing gesture.
Speaking on the phone, Lin Ji stepped out of the car wearing a black suit that was entirely out of keeping with the party’s festive atmosphere. As she alighted, her driver-cum-assistant stepped forward to drape a long, matching cashmere coat over her shoulders.
It was a display of austere, low-key simplicity—an utter indifference that had no need to please anyone.
Even the snowflakes seemed to favor her, drifting softly in her direction.
Her long, ink-black curls were soon flecked with snow, making her cold eyes appear even clearer and brighter.
For a distance of just a couple of steps, Song Ti tried to hold an umbrella over her.
But Lin Ji merely raised her hand slightly, signaling “No need.”
It seemed this bit of wind and snow was not even worth shielding herself from, entirely beneath her notice.
The second-generation heirs, who had been eagerly awaiting Lin Ji and who usually threw their weight around in any other setting, saw that she was on the phone. None of them dared to interrupt. They instinctively parted to clear a path, following behind her in small groups with hesitant, unspoken words.
Lin Ji didn’t spare a single glance for anyone, walking inside with seemingly no particular destination.
She walked straight toward the small garden where Jiang Siyi sat.
At this moment, Jiang Siyi sat there with her eyelids lowered.
In truth, there was another, actual birthday gift.
One that Jiang Siyi had reserved in advance through the auction house where she worked, intending to surprise Song Ti.
She had pulled quite a few strings just to ensure it would arrive in the country before midnight tonight, and had planned to go collect it in a little while.
But a birthday gift only mattered if it brought joy to the recipient.
Now, it seemed a gift that wasn’t valued had no reason to exist.
Just like this bouquet.
Jiang Siyi looked at the beautifully wrapped flowers scattered across the ground, feeling as though she were looking at her own ridiculous self.
Just as she was about to look away, a beautiful, feminine hand picked up the bouquet.
Jiang Siyi looked up in surprise.
Through the howling, pitch-black night and the relentless snow, her gaze met Lin Ji’s bright, spotless eyes.
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