Crossing the Line – Chapter 22
by Little PandaIndescribable Intimacy
“She’s buying a gift for someone? For who?”
“Don’t know who, but there’s something behind this watch.”
Zhou Yanlin opened his phone and handed it to Song Ti — the watch’s detailed product page.
“This watch is from this year’s new ‘Date’ series. Date — that’s not even a hint, that’s practically spelling it out. She must be giving it to someone she’s pursuing.”
Song Ti stared blankly at Zhou Yanlin’s phone. After a long moment, she flung it back.
Zhou Yanlin swore and bent down to barely catch it.
“I just got this phone replaced!”
Song Ti rose and left without a word. Behind her, one of the wealthy heiresses was still calling out: “So am I still going to the Caribbean to wait for you on the yacht, or not?”
Stepping out of the dim bar, harsh daylight pierced her eyes. The entire city became a line drawing with contrast cranked to the maximum.
The pitying glances, the snide remarks dripping with mock concern — she could hear them well enough.
She’d kept her mouth shut to avoid becoming the laughingstock of their circle, but things hadn’t gone her way.
Song Ti stood on the street, angrily pulling a cigarette from her handbag.
The fire in her chest made her lose control of her grip. The slim cigarette snapped clean in half from the rough motion.
She couldn’t even have a cigarette in peace.
She crushed it into a ball and threw it into the trash.
Standing in the sun on the street for a while actually cooled her overheated head somewhat.
She retreated to the shade, folded her arms, and thought for a moment before sending Zhou Yanlin a WeChat message.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yanlin had sat back down beside Xie Shuyi. He picked up a bottle and waved it in front of her:
“Did I do good enough?”
Xie Shuyi: “You and your big mouth.”
“Hey, I’m realizing you’re really something. Wasn’t it you who egged me on to tell her about the watch? How come I end up as cannon fodder and you won’t even own up to it?”
Xie Shuyi waved his hand away. “Fine, fine, fine — it’s just fashion week, I’ll take you.”
“Not just me. You think I want to go to that stupid fashion week? It’s Emma who wants to go.”
Emma was Zhou Yanlin’s girlfriend of two months, an obscure online influencer whose dream was to show her face at fashion week.
Xie Shuyi’s family happened to have those connections, and it was precisely for fashion week access that Zhou Yanlin was being so conspicuously “well-behaved” around her.
Xie Shuyi muttered “How ambitious” and tacitly agreed.
How clear-headed Xie Shuyi was. She hadn’t gone to fan the flames herself.
She had personally seen Lin Ji and Jiang Siyi appear at the same art salon.
The woman had some tricks, but Xie Shuyi didn’t think showing up at the same event meant Jiang Siyi had actually borrowed Lin Ji’s influence.
But to say the two of them had zero connection would be self-deception.
Even at a commercially oriented salon hosted by an auction house, there was inevitably resource networking involved — and the two of them had talked privately for quite a long time, standing closer than the usual social distance warranted.
Whatever their relationship actually was, Xie Shuyi had no intention of getting personally involved.
Not getting involved didn’t mean she couldn’t find amusement.
She had previously fed Song Ti no shortage of malicious ideas to make Jiang Siyi initiate the engagement breakup.
Life was too dull. She was an expert at finding entertainment.
The bombshell of Jiang Siyi initiating the breakup was something she had “accidentally” mentioned in a small private chat.
She’d been careful — no names mentioned.
But that chat group was a gathering of the most gossip-prone busybodies from far and wide. They immediately guessed who it was about, and the news quickly spread through the entire circle, reaching Song Ti’s ears.
Of course, in the process, Xie Shuyi had added some oil and vinegar1, making Song Ti believe that Jiang Siyi was deliberately humiliating her.
Not only could she keep herself out of it, but things would also develop in a more interesting direction.
Xie Shuyi sipped her wine, brimming with anticipation.
This year, from beginning to end, was looking like it wouldn’t be boring at all.
At 7:55 in the evening, Jiang Siyi arrived at the watch store.
The moment she walked in, she spotted the clerk who had arranged the stock transfer for her.
Strangely, the clerk didn’t greet her with the usual warmth. Her expression was unnaturally stiff, and she even averted her eyes.
A sense of foreboding rose in Jiang Siyi’s chest. She walked over and said:
“Hello, I received your WeChat message. I’m here to pick up the watch.”
The clerk kept her head down, busy with some packaging.
“I was actually about to call you. I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. I’m sorry — that watch did arrive in stock, but it’s not yours. It belongs to another lady.”
Jiang Siyi paused, her brow furrowing.
“You contacted me yourself, telling me the watch I ordered had arrived.”
“I contacted the wrong person. I didn’t mean to reach out to you.”
Jiang Siyi took out her phone.
“This is the WeChat message you sent me, and you addressed me as ‘Miss Jiang.’ The person you meant to contact happens to also be surnamed Jiang?”
Jiang Siyi looked gentle and mild-mannered — polite, not the type to get into conflicts with people.
She wasn’t shouting or making a scene now, either. Every word came out steady and certain, yet one could clearly feel the pressure she was exerting.
The clerk’s scalp tingled under Jiang Siyi’s relentless questioning. She stubbornly made excuses:
“It really was a mistake. The stock you requested still needs another week… maybe five days. I’ll push them on it for you. Miss Jiang, I’m truly sorry you came all this way for nothing today. Can I pour you some tea, or would you like something else to drink?”
It seemed they weren’t going to give her the watch.
In five days, Lin Ji’s birthday would have already passed.
Just as Jiang Siyi’s mood was sinking, she heard a familiar woman’s voice from the VIP lounge area not far away.
“This watch is nothing special. Just something to wear for fun.”
Her gaze shifted. After many days apart, Jiang Siyi once again saw Song Ti.
Song Ti wore an extravagant gown that generously displayed her delicate collarbones. Sleek legs extended from beneath the hemline, and on her feet were a pair of striking opera red high heels. As she crossed and recrossed her legs while admiring the watch, a faint shimmer of gold surfaced through the vivid red. Her hair fell smooth as silk — clearly freshly treated.
She looked expensively beautiful, conspicuously beautiful, calculatingly beautiful.
The watch Jiang Siyi had reserved was now on Song Ti’s wrist.
Never mind how jarringly the midnight-blue leather strap clashed with her over-styled ensemble. Song Ti inspected the watch, turning it over in front of her eyes, simultaneously complaining it wasn’t expensive enough.
The store manager sat across from Song Ti. Between them, the small glass round table was piled with shopping bags — all from the store’s most expensive series.
The woman before her had bought them all in one go, single-handedly completing the quarter’s sales target.
The manager’s face was nearly cramped from smiling. He kept asking if Song Ti wanted anything else to drink.
The manager himself had personally prepared a large platter of Meizao cherries and Dandong strawberries and brought it to Song Ti.
Song Ti ignored him. From the corner of her eye, she caught Jiang Siyi’s gaze upon her.
How would Jiang Siyi look at her?
Furious? Resentful? Wronged? Or hysterical?
With the anticipation of unwrapping a gift, Song Ti happily turned her eyes toward the woman behind the counter.
She saw a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.
No agitation. None of the emotions she wanted.
Jiang Siyi hadn’t been provoked. Even the extravagant spending hadn’t stirred the reaction she wanted.
The woman who used to smile at her gently, who looked after her considerately, who would go anywhere at a single word from her — that woman now regarded her with coldness, even pity.
Song Ti didn’t know what expression she wore.
Whether she had betrayed any of the unflattering emotions — surprise, confusion, shock.
She told herself to quickly look away with perfect nonchalance, to seize the upper hand.
Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, Jiang Siyi looked away first.
Song Ti felt something inside her crack open, a sour, swelling ache flooding in.
Jiang Siyi didn’t want to make things harder for the young clerk, who was even younger than her and thoroughly at a loss.
She didn’t know how Song Ti had found out she’d reserved a watch here, but one thing was certain: this model — this entire brand’s watch — had been worn by Song Ti. It was tainted. She didn’t want it anymore.
“At least refund my deposit,” Jiang Siyi said to the clerk.
The clerk tried to salvage the sale. “Would you like to look at other watches from the ‘Date’ series?”
This watch was actually from the “Date” series…
Jiang Siyi had only been focused on the design before. She hadn’t noticed the series name at all.
Good thing she hadn’t bought it. Giving it to Lin Ji would have seemed like a confession, and Lin Ji might have thought she had some ulterior motive. That would be truly hard to explain.
Jiang Siyi exhaled in relief and repeated: “No thank you. Refund my deposit.”
The clerk couldn’t decide and looked back at the manager.
The manager, standing beside Song Ti, gave a nod.
The deposit was returned to its original payment method. Jiang Siyi turned and left the store.
She’d barely taken two steps when the rapid clatter of high heels striking the pavement caught up behind her.
As Jiang Siyi turned, her wrist was seized.
“You…”
Jiang Siyi hadn’t expected to see Song Ti with bloodshot eyes.
“Who’s the watch for? Jiang Siyi, don’t forget — you’re my fiancée.”
Song Ti’s grip on her wrist was painfully tight. Jiang Siyi strained against it.
“I ended the engagement a long time ago. I told you, there is no relationship between us anymore.”
“I didn’t agree!”
Song Ti’s voice shot up.
“I said I didn’t agree to the breakup! What makes you think you can decide things between us? And you want to give someone a watch? Who are you trying to seduce?”
The insulting word crashed into Jiang Siyi’s brain. As she wrenched her hand free, her palm swung upward and struck Song Ti across the face.
The slap rang out, crisp and loud, startling passersby into turning to stare and murmur.
Song Ti finally let go. She clutched her burning cheek in disbelief, tears pricking the corners of her eyes, stunned:
“You hit me… Jiang Siyi, you actually hit me?”
Jiang Siyi wasn’t someone who resorted to violence. What had just happened was an accident born of struggling.
But the sensation left on the back of her hand from striking Song Ti’s cheek felt deeply satisfying. Cathartic.
Jiang Siyi had absolutely no intention of explaining her behavior. She turned to leave.
Song Ti watched her merciless back walking away, an endless surge of grievance welling up inside.
She hurried around to block Jiang Siyi’s path, gripping her shoulders, demanding:
“You’ve liked me since we were little. You agreed to everything I said. You decorated a whole classroom all night just to make me happy — don’t you remember? How could you be so cruel? Jiang Siyi… Have you fallen for someone else? Is that why you can treat me like this?”
Jiang Siyi hadn’t expected the woman to turn the blame around on her.
She stepped back, not letting Song Ti touch her again.
“You cheated first, and now you’re the one questioning me? Song Ti, whether I like someone now, and who that person is, is none of your business.”
“I never liked that Tan Ya. I just didn’t want my life arranged so carelessly. I just wanted to rebel once. You know me so well — can’t you understand that?”
Jiang Siyi shook off Song Ti’s hand.
“Whether you like that woman or not, save it for her.”
Watching Jiang Siyi’s retreating figure, showing not the slightest hesitation or regret, Song Ti’s cheek still throbbed with heat.
The bright, pristine glass windows of the street-side shops reflected a disheveled, utterly graceless woman.
Anger, resentment, grievance, hysteria…
All the emotions that hadn’t appeared on Jiang Siyi’s face were now on full display across her own.
West 5th District, Greenwich Village.
The first thing Jiang Siling did upon waking was check her phone and email.
NEXT’s agent Jules, who was supposed to sign her, had said the contract was being drafted and would be sent once ready.
That was two weeks ago.
She knew NEXT wasn’t the most efficient operation — the entire West 5th District was about the same — but she also knew of several comparable contracts that had been finalized and signed in a fraction of the time.
The words “delay breeds trouble” kept circling in her mind.
No matter how anxious she felt, she still had to eat.
Breakfast was smoked salmon eggs Benedict, a recipe she’d just learned online.
After plating it, she planned to take a photo and send it to her younger sister to brag about her newfound culinary prowess.
Her father Jiang Luo’s voice call request preempted everything, taking over her phone screen.
Jiang Siling frowned.
Her father hadn’t contacted her since she’d gone abroad. A sudden call couldn’t mean anything good.
She hesitated, then answered.
Before she could get a single word out, Jiang Luo’s angry voice burst through:
【That sister of yours is getting bolder and bolder!】
【Siyi? What happened to her?】
【She broke off the engagement, do you know that?】
【Broke off the engagement?】 Jiang Siling’s first reaction was that it was impossible. 【Why would she do that?】
Jiang Luo gave a cold laugh. 【Why else? She’s being foolish, provoked Song Ti, and wants to use breaking the engagement to threaten them. Siling, don’t think you can go off to another country and wash your hands of everything at home. You’re her older sister. She does something this shameful and absurd, you need to speak up. You need to discipline her on behalf of her mother.】
Jiang Siling asked calmly: 【She provoked Song Ti? Is that what she told you, or what Song Ti said?】
【I’m guessing. Well, you tell me — what other reason could there be?】
【She’s not the kind of person you think. Siyi wouldn’t use breaking an engagement as a threat. If she really did break it off, it’s because she was pushed to the limit and couldn’t take it anymore.】
Jiang Siling gripped her fork, her knuckles whitening degree by degree.
【For a father to not believe his own daughter — that’s pathetic enough in itself. Coming to me to interrogate and assign blame without even verifying the facts is laughable. You say I’m her sister and I should speak up — what about you? Aren’t you her father? You’ve never cared about us. You have no right to come pointing fingers now.】
Jiang Luo managed to squeeze out a single 【You—】 before Jiang Siling’s rising voice overwhelmed him.
【Jiang Luo, you’re a joke.】
Without waiting for Jiang Luo to respond, Jiang Siling hung up.
She had no interest in listening to that bastard father’s lectures.
And no matter what Siyi had done, she would absolutely never say a single word against her younger sister in front of anyone.
Siyi was her one and only precious baby sister.
Jiang Siling had lost her appetite. She stood by the window drinking an iced Americano, cooling her temper.
As the anger receded and reason returned, Jiang Siling began to think: breaking off an engagement was huge, and yet her sister hadn’t told her. She was worried, not knowing what the situation was on Siyi’s end.
She picked up her phone and pulled up the chat with “Baby” — Siyi’s contact name — but paused. She didn’t dial.
It was already late at night in China. Her sister was probably resting. Calling out of the blue might ruin whatever good sleep she could get tonight.
Her sister’s work required intense concentration. A scattered mind could affect her performance during auctions — and that was an industry dealing directly with money.
She hadn’t been at her sister’s side these past few years, but she knew Siyi’s character inside and out.
Rational and resilient, with a mind of her own, and close to her older sister.
If there had been some catastrophic upheaval she couldn’t handle, she would have spoken up long ago.
She hadn’t mentioned the breakup — that must mean she was afraid of worrying her abroad, and that the situation was within manageable bounds.
She’d call tomorrow.
Jiang Siling rubbed her temples. At the very least, let Siyi sleep well tonight. Don’t let more troubles disturb her.
Her coffee finished, her thoughts circled back to the NEXT contract that still hadn’t arrived.
Could it be related to the broken engagement?
One hour earlier.
Jiang Siyi finished her shower and, holding Xueqiu, set about picking out a new gift.
When she’d originally chosen the watch, she’d also noticed a pair of earrings from the Zhongyi2 brand.
After the Yilan incident, she’d unconsciously started keeping backup options for everything — even gift selection.
She opened the earrings’ page again, studying the details carefully. She still loved them.
They were ear-clip style, shaped like camellia blossoms encircled with a ring of small diamonds. Quietly elegant, restrained, and the color suited Lin Ji’s complexion beautifully.
The price was less than the watch, and the name carried nothing suggestive like “Date.”
It seemed, if anything, even more fitting.
Most importantly, no stock transfer was needed. They were in stock, and the official site guaranteed delivery within forty-eight hours of ordering. No risk of anyone interfering again.
After placing the order, staring at the completed order confirmation page, Jiang Siyi was genuinely exhausted.
A soreness seeped through her bones. Her wrist, which had been grabbed and squeezed without mercy, still ached, bearing several clear red marks.
Weariness surged over her. She didn’t want to move at all, didn’t even want to leave the sofa.
Noise kept pressing into her brain. She didn’t want to think about it, but those venomous words and ferocious expressions refused to let her go.
She rolled over and held Xueqiu tightly.
Xueqiu seemed to sense her mood. He didn’t struggle, just stayed quietly by her side.
His chin rested on the back of her hand, gazing intently at his unusually distressed owner.
In a daze, she felt her phone vibrating.
Mustering the last bit of energy to open her eyes, she saw it was WeChat.
A message from Lin Ji.
Lin Ji had actually initiated a WeChat message to her.
，: 【Have you turned back yet?】
Turned back?
Jiang Siyi instinctively looked behind her. Xueqiu looked back with her. Behind them was just the wall.
Sanzhuang Tusi: 【Turn back from what?】
Lin Ji’s chat showed “typing…”
She was already typing so quickly…
Jiang Siyi couldn’t help but wonder: had she been keeping the chat window open, waiting for a reply?
，: 【Didn’t Miss Jiang say she’d turn back and give me the calming tea recipe? So I’m asking — when is she turning back?】
The calming tea recipe!
Jiang Siyi sat bolt upright. Xueqiu slid right off her and flopped onto the floor, tilting his round head in bewilderment.
She’d been so busy these past two days she’d completely forgotten about it. She hadn’t expected Lin Ji to remember…
Still — “Have you turned back yet” was a ridiculous way to ask.
Jiang Siyi couldn’t help but laugh. She quickly sent over the recipe.
A few minutes later, Lin Ji sent back a short video.
The video showed a cup of steaming calming tea, a delicate spoon dipping in and stirring gently.
Lin Ji’s voice came from off-screen:
【Thank you, Miss Jiang. Very tasty. Goodnight.】
Perhaps because it was late at night, Lin Ji’s voice carried a husky, languid quality different from her daytime tone, flowing into the ears like a gentle massage.
Jiang Siyi found the strength to get back to her comfortable bed. After replying “Goodnight,” she used voice command to turn on the bedside lamp.
Soft, warm light filled the bedroom. Jiang Siyi burrowed into the covers and rolled over. She lay still for a moment, then suddenly rolled back, grabbed her phone, and opened WeChat again. Her gaze drifted involuntarily to the words “Miss Jiang.”
How strange — a form of address that should carry distance, yet spoken by Lin Ji, it somehow carried an indescribable intimacy.
With no one around to see, she watched Lin Ji’s video one more time, and listened to her beautiful voice again.
Without realizing it, she fell asleep.
…
At the same time, on the other side of the city.
Lin Ji stood alone in a living room so spacious it felt empty, a letter unfolded in her hands.
The paper had yellowed with age. Rows of blue ballpoint pen handwriting covered it — elegant yet childish, with a couple of wrong characters here and there.
The ink showed signs of fading, but that didn’t stop Lin Ji from taking it out to read from time to time.
Even after reading it countless times, to the point of knowing it by heart, she never tired of it.
She rubbed the rabbit charm in her palm, finished reading the letter once more, and let her gaze fall to the signature at the bottom.
The signature read “Your Little Jiang Jiejie.”
Below the signature, a cute cartoon rabbit was drawn.
A soft laugh echoed through the silent space.
Whose older sister would draw herself as a little rabbit?
After reading it one more time, she carefully folded the paper in half, then in half again, and slipped it into an acid-free paper sleeve for preservation.
Finally, she placed it inside a temperature- and humidity-controlled cabinet.
“Once again, goodnight.”
Lin Ji stroked the cabinet door and whispered softly.
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