Crossing the Line – Chapter 14
by Little PandaDare a Canary Peck its Master?
Regarding Song Ti’s refusal to break off the engagement while simultaneously lashing out with venomous words, Jiang Siyi had only one evaluation: utterly inexplicable.
She had clearly been so disgusted with it, constantly trying to find ways to end this “feudal dross,” and had even started an intimate relationship with someone else. Yet, now that all her cards were on the table, she refused to cancel the engagement.
Aside from inexplicable, Jiang Siyi truly could not find any other words to describe Song Ti’s series of absurdly erratic behaviors.
It didn’t snow tonight, and the north wind that had raged throughout the depths of winter was showing signs of subsiding.
Cold as it was, it was no longer so biting, making it increasingly suitable for walking the dog.
Coming back to her senses, she realized that even though she was walking very slowly, Xueqiu was still obediently following along. He looked up at her from time to time, seemingly confused as to why tonight’s walk was so leisurely.
The act of lowering her head tugged at the back of her neck. The dense, prickling pain reminded her of the meaning behind her tattoo.
The extra pair of wings now resting on the back of her neck represented her desire to leave this biting frigid zone and fly to the place she longed for.
She stopped analyzing Song Ti’s bizarre actions. Regardless of what she was thinking, this engagement was definitively over.
She would no longer drain herself over Song Ti.
Not only that, but Jiang Siyi made a promise to herself: from now on, she would never think about Song Ti again, thoroughly isolating this woman from her world.
She was going to start a new life that truly belonged to her.
Putting Song Ti completely behind her and entirely ignoring the calls from the Jiang family, Jiang Siyi’s life now consisted solely of work—and her daily observation of the tattoo on the back of her neck, which was becoming clearer and integrating more and more seamlessly with her skin.
This month, Jiang Siyi’s commissions were already in a league of their own. Coupled with the private sale of the jade pendant to Lin Ji, her performance not only took the top spot in the Gold, Stone, and Jade Department but also stood out prominently across the entire auction house.
In the mornings, the Jiashibi pantry was always a gathering place for gossipmongers.
As soon as the coffee machine sounded, one knew that a few well-informed information brokers were hiding inside.
Oliver loved to hide silently in the lounge next to the pantry and eavesdrop.
Every time, he managed to reap the freshest gossip.
Today, two colleagues from the Oil Painting Department were discussing Jiang Siyi.
Although Oliver was reluctant to admit it, he couldn’t deny that she was currently the number one topic of conversation at Jiashibi.
The most important taboo when gossiping is to avoid using real names, and these two colleagues from the Oil Painting Department were clearly well-versed in this rule.
“Someone filmed her at the auction and posted it to a video platform. It already has tens of thousands of views. She even got a nickname—Qipao Beauty Auctioneer. A bunch of people in the bullet comments are calling her a goddess, and the more shameless ones are even calling her wife.”
“That’s impressive. She might as well change careers and become an influencer.”
Accompanied by the sound of coffee beans being ground, the two giggled for a while.
“Last time CEO Gu and a few shareholders passed by the performance board, they stopped and talked for quite a bit. I saw CEO Gu point at her name.”
“They value her that much?”
“How could they not? With all the junk their department scraps together to force an auction, not a single item in her session went unsold. Not to mention all that, can you believe she actually knows the founder of Huanwei Technology?”
“Right, right, right, I heard about that too. At the Spring Auction after-party, CEO Gu specifically left the two of them alone together. That night, all my work group chats were talking about it.”
“Looking so low-key and pure, like someone with no worldly desires, who would have thought her client relationships had developed all the way to Huanwei behind the scenes? She really has some tricks up her sleeve. What do they say—you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“I heard she originally studied art history and is very knowledgeable about Chinese painting and calligraphy.”
“Let me tell you a joke: whenever the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Department is short-handed, they often ask her for help.”
“Ma Ge has used no shortage of underhanded tricks trying to transfer his own people into his Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Department. Take that Spring Auction incident…”
Oliver used to have a nickname: “Barcode.” Because his striking, thick eyebrows looked too much like scannable product barcodes, it had gradually simplified over the years to “Ma Ge.” This was his most hated nickname.
In a spot where Oliver could not see them, the two likely exchanged glances and nudged each other’s arms. They didn’t actually say it out loud, but the atmosphere made it obvious they were simultaneously thinking of the joke they had both witnessed, their low chuckles rising and falling.
A distinct aroma of Geisha coffee drifted over, and Oliver ground his back teeth harder than stone.
The fact that he had wanted Wan Xin to seize the upper hand at the Spring Auction, only for her to fail and make a fool of herself instead, was now known to the entire company.
Oliver’s already less-than-positive image had suffered a massive blow because of this.
Both the Vice President and the HR Director had come to speak with him, warning him that he could no longer interfere with the work of other departments.
Wan Xin had even been directly docked her commission for the entire Spring Auction, with a warning that it was not to happen again, lest she face severe consequences.
Thanks to Jiang Siyi, the two of them had become the most famous joke in recent auction circles.
Oliver coughed forcefully. The laughter in the pantry immediately vanished, swiftly turning into two sets of footsteps fading into the distance.
Wan Xin arrived just as the two from the Oil Painting Department left.
Wan Xin walked into the pantry while looking down at her phone. As she scrolled, a mysterious smile spread across the corners of her mouth.
Oliver quietly walked up behind her. Seeing that she was watching stage videos of her idol, his anger flared up, and he coughed again as a hint.
Unfortunately, Wan Xin was simply too engrossed and still didn’t notice his presence.
Unable to bear it any longer, Oliver gave her a forceful yank.
Her phone almost dropped to the floor. Wondering who could be so annoying, Wan Xin turned around with an angry face, only to shudder under the glare of Oliver’s darkened expression.
“Still have free time to chase idols? Your psychological resilience is quite impressive. Later, when your parents come to my house to ask me to help you out more at work, all I can say is that there’s nothing I can do.”
Today, Oliver had still styled himself exquisitely and appropriately. Wan Xin had already deduced a pattern: the better Oliver dressed, the worse his mood. He needed a refined exterior to mask his terrible temper.
Wan Xin hid her phone in her pants pocket and apologized to Oliver.
Oliver let out a heavy sigh, like one frustrated by iron failing to become steel.
“If you could spend the energy you use chasing idols on your work, your client resources wouldn’t be this scarce. Old Tong is retiring soon, and there will definitely be a vacancy in my Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Department. If you can’t catch up to Jiang Siyi, then just wait for her to transfer departments in high profile, while you can only watch helplessly.”
Oliver aimed his proudly sharp jawline at Wan Xin.
“That’s all I have to say.”
After saying this, Oliver turned around and walked away. Wan Xin had no choice but to chase after him and ask what else she could do.
Oliver lit a cigarette. Leaning against the wall, he said, “Didn’t you get the Xie family daughter’s WeChat last time? Her father has two of Huang Qingzheng’s paintings. There were rumors earlier that he wanted to sell, and I even went to contact them. Unfortunately, after that news circulated for a while, there was no further movement.”
He pointed his two cigarette-holding fingers in Wan Xin’s direction.
“Huang Qingzheng’s paintings can now auction for over a hundred million each. If you can acquire those paintings for auction, I can guarantee that CEO Gu will let me plan a major auction event. If this goes well, it’ll be easy for me to bring up your transfer to the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Department. Otherwise, with your massive blunder at the Spring Auction, let alone the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Department, you won’t even have a share in the small-scale auctions if you stay in Gold, Stone, and Jade. You’ll just be waiting to work as a cataloger.”
After Oliver’s “pointers,” Wan Xin’s heart was in even more turmoil.
She did indeed have Xie Shuyi’s WeChat and had chatted with her a few times on it.
Xie Shuyi was one of the core figures in J City’s second-generation circle. Whether it was the traditional manufacturing-based Song family or the e-commerce-founded Zhou family, they were all very familiar with her.
It wasn’t just Xie Shuyi’s father who wanted to sell off his collection. With the turnover of old and new capital in the market these past few years, the old capital struggling to transition was having a hard time. Many business owners were planning to sell their collections for cash to tide over the difficulties, leading to a lot of activity among major auction houses recently.
It was just that Xie Shuyi was a very difficult person to please.
Wan Xin had heard that when she went to luxury boutiques to look at next-season styles, her favorite thing to do was deliberately make the display models strike all sorts of ugly poses for her amusement. She ranked first in the circle for looking down on people, and the group of trust fund kids around her were cut from the same cloth.
Wan Xin really didn’t want to deal with Xie Shuyi, but right now, she had no other path to take.
Returning to her seat, she thought it over and over, ultimately having no choice but to bite the bullet and send Xie Shuyi a WeChat message.
…
Jiashibi had two major pillar departments: the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Department, and the Oil Painting Department.
The Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Department mainly auctioned Chinese paintings and calligraphy from various eras, while the Oil Painting Department was responsible for foreign works.
The prices of famous paintings were typically very high, ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions. Over the course of a Spring or Autumn Auction, or a themed auction, the auction house and the auctioneers could rake in fortunes through commissions alone.
Departments that could make money naturally received more attention.
Meanwhile, the items in the Gold, Stone, and Jade Department went for a few thousand to tens of thousands on the low end, and perhaps a hundred thousand on the high end. Million-tier items were considered rare, let alone those worth tens or hundreds of millions.
Compared to these two legitimate heirs—the Chinese Painting and Oil Painting departments—Gold, Stone, and Jade was like an adopted child, receiving very limited attention.
Over the years, Manager Wu had been surviving in the cracks, single-mindedly wanting to run the Gold, Stone, and Jade Department impressively. Unfortunately, she simply couldn’t overcome the sheer difference in the intrinsic value of the auction items.
However, with Jiang Siyi receiving attention from upper management recently, the Gold, Stone, and Jade Department suddenly had some buzz throughout the auction house.
CEO Gu had even specifically invited her for afternoon tea the other day. Before the spring had even reached its halfway point, he had started discussing the thematic planning direction for the Autumn Auction.
Manager Wu’s heart, which had already resigned itself to drifting with the current, suddenly found the motivation to steer the direction of her life once more.
The Autumn Auction was still too far away. During the department meeting, Manager Wu stated that she still wanted to start with daily planning, proceeding steadily and surely.
Duan Ning secretly shot Jiang Siyi a glance.
Duan Ning understood Manager Wu all too well. It wasn’t that she wanted to proceed steadily; it was simply that there was no point in fixating on the Autumn Auction right now. After all, the Autumn Auction was the battlefield of the Chinese Painting and Oil Painting departments. Their Gold, Stone, and Jade Department was at best a mere add-on.
If they wanted to prove themselves at this year’s Autumn Auction, they could only rely on daily planning and various events to maintain good relationships with new and old collectors, and to acquire more high-value items. Otherwise, they would forever remain a backdrop.
Perhaps because of Jiang Siyi’s outstanding performance at the Spring Auction, CEO Gu looked at the entire department with new eyes. Manager Wu remarked that she had never found it so easy to apply for funding.
Manager Wu: “CEO Gu also said that the events must be grand, and we absolutely must make the collectors feel at home. If the funding isn’t enough, we can continue to apply for more, and he’ll approve it personally.”
A male colleague sighed in admiration: “How generous…”
More than half of the entire department eagerly peeked at Jiang Siyi, who was sitting in the corner.
Everyone knew exactly whose blessing it was that they were receiving this level of attention.
Jiang Siyi herself was thinking about her event proposal.
Manager Wu asked her, “Xiao Jiang, do you have any ideas?”
Jiang Siyi: “I plan to send out a wave of questionnaires first to see what kinds of events collectors are most interested in right now, and then decide which direction to plan for. That way, the collectors’ enthusiasm for participating might be a bit higher.”
Duan Ning chimed in beside her: “Yeah, after all, these are people dealing in tens of millions by the minute. Ordinary events won’t be able to invite these big shots.”
Manager Wu: “Alright, come to me anytime you have an idea. That goes for everyone—if you have ideas, tell me directly.”
After the meeting, Jiang Siyi returned to her workstation. She already had several concepts stored in her mind and quickly formulated them into a questionnaire.
Opening WeChat on her computer, she planned to send the questionnaire to the collectors she had added as friends, and then to the major client groups.
She also needed to ask her colleagues in the network operations department if they could help her post the questionnaire on the company’s official public account, which would result in a broader scope of feedback.
The WeChat synchronization finished.
Jiang Siyi had originally intended to click on the collector’s chat box at the very top. Who knew that purely by coincidence, Song Ti would send a WeChat message at that exact moment. The chat, which had previously sunk to the bottom, suddenly leaped to the very top.
Jiang Siyi’s hand twitched, and she accidentally clicked it open, taking in the crude and simple message in a single glance.
Song Ti had shared a restaurant address with her; apart from that, there was not a single word.
This was Song Ti’s usual style.
Every time she wanted Jiang Siyi to accompany her for a meal somewhere, or out for fun, wanting Jiang Siyi to join her, she would just directly share the coordinates like this.
The familiar arrogance, the familiar self-righteousness.
Even so, for the old Jiang Siyi, such high-and-mighty “directives” had once been delightful previews of a meeting.
Back then, she thought it was just Song Ti’s personality, finding countless excuses for her.
No matter how far the location, she would depart immediately for her, just for the chance to see her.
Now, looking at the same WeChat message, Jiang Siyi only felt that her past self must have been possessed, actually able to tolerate such cold and terrible behavior for so long.
Jiang Siyi blocked Song Ti.
Without any hesitation, without any reluctance or panic, she was decisively calm beyond her own imagination.
In this moment, a small part of Jiang Siyi’s heart grew light and suddenly opened up.
She understood why Song Ti had previously been able to belittle and treat her so coldly without any burden.
The one who does not love is always the one in power.
Jiang Siyi closed her eyes, fulfilling the promise to herself. She stopped thinking about that person and withdrew her attention, resuming her work.
There were many clients in her WeChat, mostly assistants and agents of collectors. Collectors who truly prided themselves on their status would not easily let an auctioneer of Jiang Siyi’s level add them as a friend.
But for Jiang Siyi, it was all the same. Whether it was the collector themselves, an assistant, or an agent, they were all just pathways to the auction items.
After mass-sending the questionnaire, she discovered that six people had ruthlessly deleted her from their contacts.
Jiang Siyi smiled.
Fine, it was already fewer than she had expected.
She went to ask her colleagues in network operations for help, and they readily agreed.
She went off to do some other work for a while, and by the time she came back from lunch, she had gradually received some questionnaire feedback.
As she had expected, most people filled them out very hastily.
Those who could check off all the questions were the minority. Most only checked the few questions they were interested in, leaving the rest completely blank.
For these busy people, being able to spare a bit of precious time to move their fingers and check a few boxes was already doing their utmost.
Flipping down through them one by one, she was suddenly stunned by a completely filled-out questionnaire.
All the multiple-choice questions regarding interest and needs for auction items were checked, and the expected price ranges for some collections were filled out very reasonably, providing great reference value.
What surprised Jiang Siyi even more was the second half, the manually entered personal preferences section. It covered preferred auction item styles, eras, craftsmen, and favorite art salon themes, all filled out completely to the brim.
Not only that, but it also proposed some personal requirements for Jiashibi.
For instance, online exhibition halls, private investment portfolio recommendations, and unique, progression-based titles distinct from standard membership tiers as their transaction volume at Jiashibi increased.
Jiang Siyi wondered which great philanthropist had shown such kindness to write so much.
Moving her gaze downward, she saw the name in the footer—Ms. Lin.
Surnamed Lin, and a woman.
Following their chance encounter at the tattoo studio last time, the major surname “Lin” had suddenly shrunk in Jiang Siyi’s mind, instantly bringing only that person to mind.
But Lin Ji was a busy woman, far busier than everyone in Jiang Siyi’s circle of friends combined. How could she have the time to fill out an inconsequential questionnaire so diligently?
On the line below the words “Ms. Lin” was the phone number Ms. Lin had filled in.
Jiang Siyi secretly opened her phone’s contact list.
She also had Lin Ji’s phone number, though she had forgotten under what circumstances she added it and had never once called it.
Checking it digit by digit, the 11-digit phone number matched perfectly, without a single error.
Jiang Siyi’s eyes stared straight ahead.
This Ms. Lin was actually Lin Ji herself.
A small questionnaire like this, even Jiang Siyi herself might not have taken the time to fill it out.
Yet Lin Ji had done it.
Being treated as someone kept in mind made a faint heat burn across Jiang Siyi’s face.
Thinking about it this way, she had dragged it out for so long without answering Lin Ji’s marriage proposal, yet not only did Lin Ji not blame her, she also genuinely hadn’t rushed her, instead earnestly helping her fill out the questionnaire.
As Jiang Siyi used her cool fingertips to cool down her overheated cheeks, she remembered Lin Ji standing in the hazy cold night, speaking words capable of making someone’s heart skip a beat in an instant.
—I can give you everything you want. A comfortable life, a fair existence, a loyal partner. I have this ability.
…
Jiang Siyi read many news articles about domestic and foreign auction houses, as well as user feedback across major social platforms. Combining this with the returned questionnaires, she planned to organize an art appreciation salon themed around “Oriental Aesthetics.”
The main goal was to facilitate close-range communication, providing collectors with a relaxed artistic journey.
Jiashibi’s team of experts would answer the collectors’ questions regarding art authentication and collecting for free. It would also provide a space for veteran collectors and eager newcomers to converse face-to-face.
In such a private space, collectors could not only trade art but even discuss other business ventures.
Inspired by Lin Ji, Jiang Siyi suggested introducing a points system distinct from Jiashibi memberships to provide collectors with identity recognition, enhancing their sense of achievement and circle belonging while strengthening the two-way bond between the collectors and the auction house.
Jiang Siyi also had some ideas for an AR immersive experience, allowing collectors to step into digital scenes to more personally experience the charm and value of the auction items.
In short, it was to minimize the marketing atmosphere as much as possible, transforming cold monetary transactions into warm artistic experiences and cultural engagements.
Manager Wu was very satisfied with this proposal, but she also raised a question.
“Your proposal needs a core attraction. Veteran collectors are the biggest draw; after all, new collectors are highly likely to attend just for them. But what can drive veteran collectors to show up? Those capitalists don’t even make personal trips to auction sites, let alone an auction house’s salon.”
Jiang Siyi said, “I considered this issue before as well. Actually, as long as we can use a highly desired auction item to attract a specific veteran collector to confirm their attendance, they can become the draw, mobilizing other veteran collectors in the same circle. Up-and-coming collectors will then naturally follow suit.”
After saying this, she noticed Duan Ning, sitting off to the side, giving her a mysterious smile.
Who was it that had helped Jiang Siyi thoroughly wipe the floor with Oliver’s dignity at the Spring Auction?
And who was it that had thrown away a fortune, allowing the department to steal the spotlight?
Who was that potential veteran collector? It wouldn’t happen to be Director Ji, would it?
Jiang Siyi, feeling a chill down her spine from Duan Ning’s contorted smile: ?
While Jiang Siyi was utterly baffled on her end, Duan Ning smiled and then started sighing in lament.
Director Ji had even chased her all the way to the after-party, yet Jiang Siyi had the nerve to deny her even the title of a childhood friend, all for the sake of that wretched fiancée who was essentially dead weight.
Duan Ning didn’t yet know that Jiang Siyi had broken off the engagement. Recently, she had been staying up late binge-watching dramas, and at this moment, a dizzyingly tragic and deep love triangle was playing out in her mind.
Just a moment ago she had been beaming with joy, and in the blink of an eye, she was engulfed in gloom. Duan Ning acted out an entire saga of love and hate in her head, her expressions shifting a hundred times over.
Watching her say nothing while her facial features flew about wildly, Jiang Siyi silently pushed a cup of hot water toward her.
Duan Ning had actually guessed half right. Jiang Siyi had already mentally compiled a list of veteran collectors to invite, and it included Lin Ji.
Lin Ji wholeheartedly wanted to recover her grandmother’s relic. If they could find more similar Green-yellow Jade Dragon and Phoenix Pendants, Lin Ji might truly be willing to come.
There was also a hazy, unexamined thought spreading in Jiang Siyi’s heart.
She actually really wanted to help Lin Ji find the lost jade pendant and fulfill her long-held wish.
In her memory, Lin Ji wasn’t someone who smiled often.
She wondered what Lin Ji looked like when she smiled genuinely, from the bottom of her heart.
…
Manager Wu was incredibly supportive of Jiang Siyi’s proposal and took the plan to discuss it with CEO Gu.
CEO Gu was also very satisfied after reading it. He allocated more funding to the department and told Xiao Jiang to go all out.
After the start of spring, the temperature in J City continued to rise following occasional scattered showers.
Jiang Siyi searched everywhere for auction items that could attract veteran collectors. After confirming two pieces, she attended several banquets in the auction circle and heard that a collector had a Green-yellow Jade Dragon and Phoenix Pendant with quite a bit of provenance they wanted to sell.
Rumor had it that the jade pendant came from the Ming dynasty imperial family, and being able to collect it was a very rare twist of fate.
From the sound of it, acquiring the jade pendant was probably due to some kind of coincidence.
Jiang Siyi had seen photos of the jade pendant. With its openwork carving, distinct lines, elongated flat dragon head, and vigorous phoenix feathers, it had an excellent sense of depth. Various features seemed to align perfectly with the Ming dynasty style.
Jiang Siyi sent a WeChat message to Lin Ji, asking if her grandmother’s relic was from the Ming dynasty.
At this moment, Lin Ji had just finished her overseas work and was flying toward J City on her private jet.
Continuous intercontinental flights over the past period had thrown her biological clock into chaos, and she had been unable to sleep for twenty-six hours.
Right now, she still felt no drowsiness. Her swollen, bloodshot eyes were open as she spoke on the phone with her mother.
Lin Xuebo’s voice carried obvious worry, gentle and low.
【If this melatonin has lost its effectiveness so quickly, you still need to continue light therapy. The light therapy worked very well last time; you were stable for a while, but now you’re flying back and forth again… Xiaoyou, once your plane lands, I’ll have Dr. Huang and the others come over. Being able to get a good night’s sleep is more important than anything.】
Lin Ji gave an “Mn” and said, 【Don’t worry.】
Lin Xuebo: 【How can I not worry? You finally returned to my side. After so many years, your condition finally showed improvement…】
The words came to an abrupt halt here. Not wanting to touch upon their shared wound, Lin Xuebo’s melancholy sigh caused a faint rush of air in the receiver.
After a brief silence, Lin Xuebo asked about Jiang Siyi.
【How is the Siyi child doing lately? I heard from your aunt that she seems to be having a dispute with Stella.】
【I heard about that too.】 Lin Ji said. 【It will blow over soon.】
At the time, Lin Xuebo failed to hear the underlying meaning in Lin Ji’s words.
Assuming that Song Ti had discussed plans to reconcile with her fiancée with her cousin, she didn’t ask further, only saying as usual:
【Siyi is a good child. Have her come over to the house and visit when she has time.】
Lin Ji: 【There will be a chance.】
Hanging up the voice call, Lin Ji’s eyes were sore and swollen; she hardly wanted to open them.
Her private jet was equipped with a private bedroom. This luxurious aerial mansion had everything one could need, quiet and cozy.
But it simply couldn’t give her the feeling of falling asleep.
Her assistant, Fan Qing, came over and knocked on the door.
“Enter.”
When Fan Qing walked into the bedroom, she saw Lin Ji leaning against the bed with her eyes closed.
All the lights in the bedroom were on. The windows were adjusted to a pale blue, and the large-area clear sky light specially installed on the ceiling was working hard to emit artificial daylight—cloudless and bright, strictly guarding against the aura of the night.
Anyone entering this space would immediately squint from the overly bright, piercing light. How could anyone possibly sleep in such an environment?
Moreover, no matter how large the cabin was, it remained small and confined to Lin Ji.
Fan Qing handed her the pillbox.
The capsules went down her throat with some water. The phone left on the table vibrated.
Fan Qing reminded her. Her eyes remained closed. “Who?”
“A WeChat message from Ms. Jiang.”
Lin Ji finally opened her eyes and picked up the phone.
【Excuse me, Lin Ji-jie, was your grandmother’s relic a Ming dynasty jade pendant?】
【Yes.】
She read quietly and replied quietly.
The irritable weariness that had been shrouded in fatigue just a moment ago now faintly gave way to a sense of relaxation.
After replying to a few WeChat messages, Lin Ji asked Fan Qing, “What are my work arrangements for the sixth?”
Fan Qing immediately took out her phone and flipped through the itinerary.
“There is a meeting at headquarters on the morning of the sixth, attendance non-mandatory. There are three appointments at noon, none of which have been confirmed by you. In the afternoon, there is a new product launch you were originally scheduled to attend, but I can go and record the entire event. There are no private meeting plans for the evening.”
As an excellent assistant, she should be able to answer all of the BOSS’s questions anytime, anywhere.
And as an outstanding assistant earning a million-yuan annual salary, she could not only answer questions but also discern the BOSS’s thoughts, helping her solve every issue before she even opened her mouth.
Lin Ji nodded and said, “Thank you for your hard work.”
Fan Qing: “You’re welcome.”
On the sixth of next month, Jiang Siyi had invited her to attend the art appreciation salon.
Jiang Siyi had also said that she would try to find as many Ming dynasty Green-yellow Jade Dragon and Phoenix Pendants for her to review as possible, and she would return the shawl to her at that time.
After Fan Qing left, Lin Ji held the phone that had just received Jiang Siyi’s messages. It was slightly warm.
It reminded her of the body heat she had felt through her gloves while tattooing.
By her ear, the speakers played the simulated sounds of nature—insects chirping and birds singing.
It was very similar to the atmosphere when she saw Jiang Siyi in that small park.
She seemed to feel the heat of the sunlight, just as scorching as when Jiang Siyi’s expressive eyes fell upon her.
The unfading silhouette of a young Jiang Siyi had always swayed in Lin Ji’s subconscious.
People who knew Jiang Siyi now would say that she had beautiful and melancholic eyes.
But Lin Ji would always remember that the young her possessed a beautiful pair of smiling eyes, like ripples blown by the early spring wind. Her pupils gleamed with an amber light, dots of moisture misting with innocence.
She should have been a girl who loved to smile.
…
When Fan Qing came in again, she found that Lin Ji had fallen asleep.
The turbulence of the Bombardier Global 7500’s massive fuselage descending through the clouds didn’t wake her.
Wan Xin submitted one version of a proposal only for Oliver to reject it, pulling her hair out until she was almost bald.
Unable to bear it any longer, Oliver had no choice but to say openly, “Haven’t you noticed that Jiang Siyi is also working on an event proposal to maintain client relationships? If your own proposal is a dead end, can’t you go draw some inspiration and see how she does it?”
Enlightened by this hint, Wan Xin went to do it immediately. After secretly asking around, she came back and told Oliver:
“Jiang Siyi plans to host an art appreciation salon at the Yilan Hotel. She’s tentatively inviting several veteran collectors. Not only will there be networking between collectors, but they’re also setting up an art authentication course. She’s even created an entirely new title system for collectors.”
Oliver planted his hands on his hips. “You’re quite excited. If she actually pulls this off, what are you going to do?”
Wan Xin fell into deep thought.
“She definitely wants to host it at the Yilan Hotel’s West Restaurant. There’s an art corridor in front of the West Restaurant that was just renovated last year; it really is suitable for this kind of salon.” Oliver stared at Wan Xin and questioned, “Tell me, why couldn’t you think of this?”
Wan Xin stayed silent.
“Although you are stupid, you’re quite lucky.”
Oliver twitched the corner of his mouth. Raising his chin, his eyes shifted to the side.
“Fortunately, I have an old acquaintance at Yilan.”
During this period, Jiang Siyi had been constantly perfecting her proposal, running back and forth non-stop between the auction house and the Yilan Hotel. She had finally hammered out the time, costs, and the area available for setting up the exhibition with the hotel’s banquet manager.
This wasn’t her first time negotiating a collaboration with a hotel’s Western restaurant, and other hotels of the same tier weren’t this expensive. It was just that Yilan’s art corridor perfectly matched the vibe she wanted.
Of course, there were better options, but they were even more expensive, and no matter how generous CEO Gu was, the budget wouldn’t allow it.
Yilan was the best option at the moment.
Hearing Yilan’s quote, Manager Wu still gasped in shock.
Looking again at Jiang Siyi’s layout previews and the highly satisfying proposal, she could only grit her teeth and go back to fleece a little more wool from CEO Gu.
The venue was finally confirmed.
Jiang Siyi continued rushing about in the slightly cold drizzle of early March spring.
Confirming the time with the senior appraisers, confirming attendance schedules with the collectors, going over the venue layout, coordinating between various departments…
While she was giving her all for the largest and most complex event proposal of her career, she had no idea that Song Ti, whom she had blocked, had later sent her another WeChat message.
When she discovered she had been blocked by Jiang Siyi, Song Ti was watching car races with Xie Shuyi and the others.
A foreigner came over to hit on her, and completely out of character, Song Ti very rudely told him to “fuck off.”
The foreigner was equally lacking in grace and brought a group of his buddies over, wanting to reason with her.
The trust fund kids and lackeys freeloading food and drinks off Song Ti weren’t pushovers either. The group almost came to blows before finally being stopped in time by security.
Seeing Song Ti seething in silence, full of pent-up anger, Xie Shuyi came over to ask her what was wrong.
Song Ti just drank water and ignored her.
Trying every possible means to get rid of Jiang Siyi was one thing, but being actively shut out by Jiang Siyi was another.
Such a humiliating thing was hard to say out loud.
Even if she didn’t say it, Xie Shuyi guessed a bit of it.
In the past, Jiang Siyi was always required to show her face at gatherings big and small. This was so Song Ti could ostensibly look after and dote on her, deeply engraving the image of a good girlfriend into people’s minds.
Jiang Siyi had always been on call. There had been gatherings recently, and Song Ti definitely called her—Xie Shuyi had even seen her send the WeChat messages. But Jiang Siyi hadn’t come, which was very intriguing.
Jiang Siyi didn’t come, and that Tan Ya didn’t come either.
Xie Shuyi had heard from Zhou Yanlin that one of his friends saw Song Ti fiercely arguing with a woman in English.
The person she was arguing with had never been seen around, so she probably wasn’t from J City.
Xie Shuyi’s agile brain turned and immediately guessed that the woman was Tan Ya, Song Ti’s girlfriend in London.
She ran all the way to J City, and Jiang Siyi vanished from their friends’ gatherings. Putting it together… don’t tell me Jiang Siyi walked in on them.
Even if she did, would Jiang Siyi dare make a fuss with Song Ti?
Then Jiang Siyi really had guts.
Their Jiang family—from her father Jiang Luo, to her sister Jiang Siling, all the way to Jiang Siyi herself—which of them didn’t rely on the Song family?
Dare a canary peck its master?
Xie Shuyi felt a bit of schadenfreude in her heart. With the mindset of watching a spectacle, she kept dropping hints, wanting to goad Song Ti into saying it herself.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t get her wish in the end, earning only an eye roll from Song Ti.
Xie Shuyi certainly didn’t want to offend Song Ti, so she consoled her: “If someone makes you uncomfortable, you can’t actually be uncomfortable, otherwise won’t they just get what they want? Find some fun and relax. Just leave her hanging, and she’ll be eagerly coming back to find you later. People are just that cheap. I have a salon invitation here. Guess where it’s from?”
Song Ti didn’t guess.
Xie Shuyi answered her own question. “Jiashibi, Jiang Siyi’s company. Want to go play? Isn’t she putting on airs? Go to the salon and specifically name her to serve you. Let’s see how arrogant she can be then.”
Song Ti finally cast her first glance of the day at Xie Shuyi.
“What? The West Restaurant was rented to someone else?”
With only three days left before the art appreciation salon, the Yilan banquet manager casually sent Jiang Siyi a WeChat message saying that the West Restaurant was no longer available for her to use.
Jiang Siyi had just squeezed out of the morning rush hour subway and immediately called him back.
“All my display stands, floor stickers, and trusses were custom-made according to the specifications of your West Restaurant. The workers have also been on-site setting up for two days, and now you say it’s unavailable?”
Jiang Siyi’s voice leaned toward soft and gentle; even when arguing with someone, she didn’t sound very intimidating.
The banquet manager spoke flippantly on the other end: “Little girl, there’s nothing I can do even if you get angry at me. It is what it is, and I’ll refund your money.”
“We signed a contract.”
“Yeah, a contract was signed, but what can we do when unexpected changes suddenly happen? You’re a young girl, don’t be so stubborn.”
“You’re going back on your word.”
“I already told you a situation suddenly came up. How are you blaming me for going back on my word?” The banquet manager decided to just throw caution to the wind. “If you’re so unconvinced, then go ahead and sue me.”
As an old slicker of several decades, he had used these kinds of words to shamelessly muddle his way through many times.
Very few people would go to court over swallowing this kind of bitter pill in silence. It was a thankless, arduous task.
He didn’t expect the young woman on the other end to reply, “I will.”
Just as the banquet manager wanted to say something else, Jiang Siyi didn’t give him the chance and directly hung up.
The banquet manager clicked his tongue and slapped his phone onto the desk. Pointing at the screen, he said to Oliver, who was sitting across from him:
“I’m at your mercy. You pulled this stunt on me at the last minute, and now she says she’s going to sue me.”
Oliver exhaled a thick puff of smoke and said, “Relax, she’s just saying that to scare you. She won’t actually do it. Oh, right, don’t tear down the sets she put up. I can use them.”
The banquet manager wanted to speak, but ultimately swallowed his words in frustration.
Who could blame him when he owed Oliver over a hundred thousand yuan and still couldn’t pay it back? Thus, through a mix of buddy-buddy talk and half-threats from Oliver, he broke the contract with Jiang Siyi and let Oliver take the West Restaurant at the lowest price, with Oliver claiming he was going to host a banquet too. Shameless bastard.
The banquet manager thought to himself that it was a good thing the other party was just a young girl who probably couldn’t stir up any major trouble. If they kept things hushed up top to bottom, it wouldn’t reach the boss. Otherwise, he could kiss this job goodbye.
While the banquet manager was harboring lucky thoughts on his end, Jiang Siyi had already urgently contacted a lawyer on hers.
Working in the auction industry required knowing the law; after all, auction activities involved numerous laws and regulations, and one careless mistake could result in a lawsuit. Jiashibi had its own partnered legal advisors.
When Jiang Siyi first joined the company, she did odd jobs, spending all day delivering documents for the legal department.
The girl was pretty and easy to talk to. Whenever they asked her for a favor or something, she never fussed. The legal department all quite liked her, sharing snacks with her whenever they saw her, and they all had her on WeChat.
If it were the old Jiang Siyi, she might actually have swallowed her anger and kept quiet.
But after blocking Song Ti, who betrayed her, she felt that a certain place at the bottom of her heart had become proactive and hardened.
Lin Ji’s words also constantly lingered in her mind: she must not treat herself poorly, and she must not make her mother’s soul in heaven worry.
She had to strive to make her mother’s treasure live better.
Even if she couldn’t temporarily become a sword that cut people, she would become a stone.
To make the one who kicked at her understand that landing the blow would hurt them too.
Lawyer Zhao listened to her story, reviewed the contract, and said, “There’s definitely no problem. It’s a guaranteed win if you sue. It’s just that you need the venue by the sixth, and a lawsuit certainly won’t be in time. Xiao Jiang, hurry and contact other hotels. They’re not the only one in the city. Leave the lawsuit to me and rest assured. I’ll contact you when there’s progress.”
Lawyer Zhao was right; the most pressing issue was to quickly secure a new exhibition hall.
Time was far too tight. She needed a whole hall in three days. All the high-end luxury hotels in the city said it was too late, and ordinary hotels couldn’t support a salon of this scale.
Jiang Siyi thought about it and truthfully reported the matter to Manager Wu.
As soon as Manager Wu heard it, she felt something fishy was going on.
“Breaking the contract? Not earlier, not later, but right at this exact moment. It’s obvious they want to make our event fall through. What kind of grudge would make them do such a wicked thing!”
After saying this, she immediately thought of her conflict with Oliver at the Spring Auction.
She paced by the window, frowning.
Could it be that bastard retaliating?
Jiang Siyi, on the other hand, sat very calmly in her chair.
“Regardless of who did it, the most important thing right now is to quickly find a new venue. My preparations weren’t thorough enough; I should have formulated a backup plan.”
Manager Wu leaned against the window. “It’s tough. There are a ton of events in March. The major hotels, clubs, and art galleries in the city are all fully booked. You definitely won’t find one right now.”
Indeed, they couldn’t find one. Jiang Siyi said, “Let’s settle for the next best thing then: reschedule, or modify the event plan. A smaller venue will work too.”
“If you do that, the impact of the perfect proposal you worked so hard on will be greatly discounted. Plus, if we change the time, it will be hard to explain to the collectors who finally confirmed their attendance. I’m afraid they won’t adjust their schedules, and there’s a high probability they just won’t come.”
Jiang Siyi clenched her fists. “Whatever happens, we have to try.”
At nine o’clock at night, after making phone calls all day, Jiang Siyi finally found a private art gallery. The space was barely large enough, and they had a free time slot on the sixth.
Jiang Siyi had already sent people to dismantle the sets left at Yilan.
The banquet manager inexplicably said she could leave them there, but Jiang Siyi, of course, refused, firmly ordering her people to bring everything back.
The private art gallery was certainly inferior to the Yilan West Restaurant in every respect. Because Jiang Siyi was in a rush, the other party also seemed to be price-gouging on the spot, making it even more expensive.
But its advantage was that the time could remain unchanged; they were just changing the location. The collector resources shouldn’t be lost too much.
She agreed to it.
It was okay.
After rushing about all day, Jiang Siyi let out a slight sigh of relief.
But it wasn’t great either.
Many meticulously planned details could no longer be realized due to the venue, rendering it less than perfect.
This was a regret. Jiang Siyi told herself that it was her own negligence. Because her inadequate preparation had led to these consequences, she could only accept this imperfection.
Quickly adjusting her emotions, Jiang Siyi sent messages to the collectors one by one, explaining the change of venue.
After sending them all, it was already past ten o’clock. Jiang Siyi was so exhausted her neck was stiff, and her fingertips were frozen numb.
It was only when she packed up her things and left the company that she realized just how tired she was.
When she walked downstairs from the company, the phone in her down jacket pocket vibrated continuously.
It was a phone call.
Jiang Siyi’s first reaction was that there was another accident and the venue was unavailable again.
Before taking out her phone, she mentally prepared herself, but…
The two words “Lin Ji” occupied her phone screen.
The feeling of stepping on empty air in her heart instantly turned into an uncontrollable, speeding heartbeat.
There was no denying it—there was still fear mixed into her emotions when facing Lin Ji now.
But the fear had already been diluted by a multitude of other complex, indescribable emotions.
Jiang Siyi didn’t know what she was preparing for, but she took several deep breaths before answering the call.
【Hello, Lin Ji-jie…】
It was very quiet on Lin Ji’s end, without the slightest trace of background noise.
This atmosphere, so quiet it bordered on serene, made her rational voice even clearer. It flowed slowly in through Jiang Siyi’s ears, occupying her entire brain.
【You changed the location?】
Just now, Jiang Siyi had, of course, also sent her the explanation for the change of location.
【Mn, it’s changed.】
After this brief reply, she didn’t continue to explain the reason for the change of location.
This implied that the reason wasn’t entirely convenient to explain.
Or that she was still too unfamiliar, and didn’t want to complain to her about anything.
Lin Ji naturally noticed this, and Jiang Siyi also knew she understood. The two fell into silence, though it wasn’t an excruciating one.
【What happened?】
【It’s nothing major. I’ve already solved it.】
She wasn’t good at acting spoiled, and wasn’t even very accustomed to pouring out her grievances.
Having lost her family’s protection when she was young, no matter how painful the wound, she licked it in solitude and healed on her own.
Having walked alone for too long, Jiang Siyi was accustomed to handling everything by herself.
When others came to check on her, she would subconsciously reply with an “I’m fine.”
Besides, she was indeed telling the truth—half of the truth.
The matter had been resolved, albeit with some regrets.
She originally thought the conversation would end here.
There was still a safe social distance between her and Lin Ji.
Lin Ji was absolutely not someone who liked to press for answers.
Under normal circumstances, if someone didn’t bring it up themselves, it was impossible for her to repeatedly inquire. She wouldn’t even give the other party a second chance to explain.
For Jiang Siyi, it was different.
It seemed that none of her principles existed when it came to Jiang Siyi.
【Jiang Siyi.】
In the early spring night, Jiang Siyi, covered in exhaustion and harboring reluctance in her heart, heard Lin Ji call her name in her unique tone.
She spoke a sentence—ordinary and flat, yet enough to suddenly send a stinging ache to the tip of her nose.
【If something happens, you can tell me.】
The author has something to say:
Lin Ji: Step three of wife-luring: take the initiative, take the initiative, and take the initiative again, ensuring that even the smallest wishes in my wife’s life are perfectly realized.
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Celebrating entering VIP, randomly dropping 50 red envelopes.
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