Crossing the Line – Chapter 30
by Little PandaShe Was My Fiancée to Begin With
Taking advantage of her day off today, Jiang Siyi went to the police station to make a statement.
The police informed her that they were retrieving surveillance footage near the night market and would continue to monitor and investigate the matter, advising her to call the police immediately if she received any further threats.
Returning home in the afternoon, she cleaned the apartment. The new toys she had bought for Xueqiu had arrived, so she played with him through each one.
Fortunately, Xueqiu was resilient. Over the past two days, his mood had visibly improved, and he was back to eating and sleeping well. Tired from playing, he rested his chin on Jiang Siyi’s leg to take a break, melting into a fluffy white blanket once again.
Staying in on her day off, Jiang Siyi did not feel like cooking, nor did she have an appetite for takeout, which was usually too oily and salty. Lacking the energy to move, she simply munched on soda crackers as her meal.
It was a terrible habit, but living alone made her far too lazy to bother.
Eating crackers, she checked her email.
She had received several replies to the emails she sent yesterday. Most mentioned having heard of Jiang Siling’s name and admiring her work, before politely declining for various reasons.
It was expected.
This was essentially no different from sending out résumés for a job hunt; it was impossible to get positive results so quickly.
Jiang Siyi was not discouraged. She continued browsing information on other art agencies, planning to find better, more precise matches.
After sending out a few more emails, her finger brushed against the edge of the mouse, grazing the ring.
Her gaze shifted to the ring.
It truly was lovely and suited her hand well.
She stared blankly at it, lost in thought for a moment.
Until a push notification for a livestream popped up on her phone.
Her elder sister’s overseas social media account was currently live.
Jiang Siyi frowned in confusion.
No one knew better than her how introverted her sister was.
Since its creation, this social media account had only ever posted paintings.
Let alone livestreaming, there was zero personal content. The few hundred followers did not even know her gender, appearance, or real name.
She had once told Jiang Siyi that she was a painter and only wished to communicate with the world through her art—not through words or any other means unrelated to painting.
Yet the account currently marked “Livestreaming” was indeed her sister’s.
Instinctively sensing that something was wrong, Jiang Siyi clicked into the stream immediately.
The stream was pitch-black, devoid of sound or human figures.
Suddenly, sparks flickered and danced in the darkness, quickly swelling into a tongue of flame that rapidly devoured a painting.
Jiang Siyi had seen this piece before; it was a work her sister had completed recently.
On the day it was finished, her sister had video-called her for a long time, excitedly explaining its deep significance and how it could very well be her defining work before turning thirty.
This was her sister’s milestone, her blood, sweat, and tears—why was it being burned?
Was someone threatening her sister’s life, brazenly using her account to stream and insanely destroy everything?
Jiang Siyi was on the verge of asking a friend abroad to call the police for her.
The flames consumed the painting, illuminating the surroundings.
She saw her sister sitting expressionless in front of the roaring blaze.
Beside her, masterpieces she had once poured her heart and soul into, forgetting to eat and sleep, were now being sliced with a knife and burned without hesitation.
Jiang Siyi’s motion to grab her phone froze in midair, her eyes unblinking.
Everything before her defied expectation.
Amid the soaring fire, Jiang Siling self-deprecatingly laughed as she personally destroyed all the fruits of her labor from over the years:
“I used to believe those who helped and praised me genuinely loved my paintings, that they were my kindred spirits. Only now do I realize that their hypocritical praise was a shackle binding the person I hold most dear. Since my work isn’t truly loved, there’s no reason for it to exist.”
She had never imagined her sister, always so delicate and sensitive, could do something like this.
Jiang Siyi did not even see tear tracks or reluctant longing on her face—only cold, unwavering resolve.
This usually low-profile emerging artist had suddenly performed such an outrageous act that the audience in the stream soared from a dozen people at the start to over a hundred.
Jiang Siyi left comments and called her repeatedly, but there was zero response.
Her sister simply continued to numbly burn away her entire past.
Jiang Siyi knew better than anyone how stubborn her sister could be.
As obsessive as she had once been about her art, she was just as ruthless now.
Let alone Jiang Siling herself—even Jiang Siyi felt agonizing heartache seeing years of hard work reduced to ashes in an instant.
With her past reduced to cinders, lacking even the heart to clean up, Jiang Siling walked away after setting fire to the final painting.
The camera remained focused on the last piece.
The flames gradually died down, leaving behind only a ruined half.
Surprised and bewildered comments flooded the livestream feed. Ten minutes later, Jiang Siling finally answered Jiang Siyi’s video call request.
Except she switched it to voice-only.
【Baby, don’t worry.】
Before Jiang Siyi could speak, she heard Jiang Siling’s forced calm voice:
【Don’t worry, I’m fine. I feel much better after letting it out.】
Jiang Siyi took a deep breath.
【Do you have any plans for what’s next?】
The air hitting the microphone from the other side was faint, as if she had drained her very last drop of strength.
【I don’t know… I just hope I have the courage to start over.】
With everything from the past burned to ashes, she wanted a fresh start.
But that was easier said than done.
Jiang Siling kept the second half of the thought to herself, unwilling to make her younger sister suffer alongside her.
On the other side of the city.
When Lin Ji entered Jiang Siling’s livestream, she happened to see her ignite the final painting.
It was Jiang Siling’s self-portrait.
In the painting, the woman smiled happily toward the light, filled with hope.
The fire devoured half her face, tumbling into a messy heap of ash. The livestream camera happened to focus right on this final scene.
What an ironic sight.
Yet it moved the viewer even more than the original vitality of the self-portrait.
The streamer had already left, but the number of viewers pouring into the room was still climbing.
Watching the stream of comments—ranging from shock to pity—rapidly refresh, Lin Ji dialed the contact she had spoken with yesterday and continued in English:
【There’s been a slight unexpected development. We can make a few adjustments to the plan I mentioned to you yesterday.】
…
Five minutes later, Lin Ji hung up the phone. Seeing that Fan Qing had not yet started the car, she looked up at her.
After playing badminton with her friend and having dinner, the next item on her itinerary was supposed to be the Volunteers Association.
It was a place she visited regularly on the afternoon of the third weekend of every month.
Fan Qing naturally knew this. The reason she had not set off yet was that Lin Xuebo could not reach her daughter directly, so she had called Fan Qing instead and remained on the line, waiting.
Lin Ji instructed Fan Qing to end the call, saying she would dial back herself.
Just as Lin Ji expected, Lin Xuebo began by giving Kong Yuchen a thorough scolding, saying he was taking more and more unauthorized initiative. Her implied meaning was that the crowd of blind-date prospects at the bank banquet had not been her doing.
Lin Ji: 【Rest assured, I don’t think this had anything to do with you.】
Lin Xuebo paused on her end.
Having a daughter who was too smart was not entirely a good thing—it was like she could read minds.
She was terrified that Kong Yuchen’s antics would make her daughter despise matchmaking entirely, causing her already unsociable daughter to remain single.
With her daughter fast approaching thirty, not being married was not a huge deal, but never having even dated made the aging mother anxious.
Lin Xuebo pondered her phrasing before softening her tone: 【Actually, matchmaking isn’t a bad thing. The main point is that it has to respect your wishes—we should discuss it with you beforehand and only proceed if you agree.】
Reading between the lines, Lin Ji said: 【There’s no need to arrange any blind dates for me.】
【I certainly won’t rush into anything. I’ll let you look over their background first, and if you’re interested, then we can—】
【I’m already married.】
Silence descended on the other end for several seconds.
Lin Ji: 【If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.】
Lin Xuebo: 【Wait… Xiaoyou, you’re married?】
【Yes.】
【Can you tell Mom who it is?】
【Jiang Siyi.】
Silence fell on Lin Xuebo’s end once more. Before her mother could process the news, the car arrived at the entrance of the Volunteers Association. After saying goodbye, Lin Ji hung up.
Getting out of the car, she and Fan Qing loaded the supplies from the trunk onto a folding cart and wheeled them into the Volunteers Association.
By the time they came out, night had fallen.
Lin Ji saw a WeChat message sent by Lin Xuebo an hour ago.
【This is so sudden. Why didn’t you tell Mom about something this major?】
Presumably seeing that Lin Ji had not replied and worrying she might seem overly intrusive, Lin Xuebo sent another message fifteen minutes later.
【It’s not that I oppose you and Siyi. Siyi is a good child, but… there are many ways to ensure she wants for nothing for the rest of her life. You didn’t necessarily have to choose marriage. Using the rest of your life to repay her—isn’t that a bit too extreme?】
Lin Ji replied with a voice message: 【It’s not to repay her.】
Or rather, not just to repay her.
Lin Xuebo replied quickly: 【Then why?】
Lin Ji: 【I like her. Besides, she was my fiancée to begin with.】
Lin Xuebo’s end fell silent once more.
Compared to her shock upon first hearing about the marriage, Lin Xuebo reacted a bit faster this time.
【…I understand. So, when will you bring Siyi home to meet the parents?】
【She might not be free. I’ll have to ask about her schedule.】
【Ask her for Mom.】
【Mm.】
The next day, before leaving for work, Jiang Siyi thought it over and took off her ring.
She and Lin Ji were merely in a marriage of convenience—a formal union. Even after getting their certificate, they continued living separate lives, no different from before. In all likelihood, they would never have a true marital life.
Wearing a wedding ring to work would undoubtedly be noticed, requiring endless explanations.
Besides, whether Lin Ji wanted to publicize their marriage now—or when she would want to—remained an unknown.
Jiang Siyi felt Lin Ji might not wear hers either; after all, Lin Ji had far more social engagements to navigate.
Despite thinking this, she did not leave the ring behind in a drawer.
She did not have a jewelry box, and imagining the ring sitting lonely in a small, dark space felt a little pitiful.
Rummaging through her belongings, she retrieved a necklace her elder sister had bought her long ago. She threaded the ring onto the chain, wore it around her neck, and concealed it beneath her clothes.
The hottest time of the year was precisely when preparations began for the most grand Autumn Auction.
Jiang Siyi was rushed off her feet all day, staying busy until eight in the evening before finally getting ready to leave work.
Gulping down water to soothe her parched throat, she scrolled through her phone, which she had not had a chance to touch all day.
Opening WeChat, the first thing that caught her eye was a message from Lin Ji.
Lin Ji had actually sent her a message.
Checking the timestamp, it had been sent an hour ago.
Gulp.
She swallowed a large mouthful of water directly, making her throat throb with pain.
,: 【Are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner together.】
Jiang Siyi replied immediately: 【I’m so sorry, I was buried in work today and only just saw this. Is it too late? How about I treat you to dinner tomorrow instead?】
Finally receiving Jiang Siyi’s reply, Lin Ji read the message—which sounded as politely formal as an invitation to a business dinner—and pressed the voice note button:
【It’s not late. I’m downstairs at your company.】
What?
Jiang Siyi instantly leaned against the window to look down.
Unfortunately, their office building was too high up. With the sun having set, she could not tell which car downstairs belonged to Lin Ji at all.
“What’s wrong?”
Duan Ning was packing up her things and asked gossipingly.
“Is another jiejie picking you up?”
There actually was.
Except she was not just a jiejie—she was a legally wedded…
As those two words drifted through her mind, a subtle, indescribable sweetness melted over her heart.
Without saying much to Duan Ning, she packed her belongings, clocked out, and left, replying to Lin Ji as she walked:
【I’m heading down right now.】
Stepping briskly to the elevator bank, she found that one elevator had just passed her floor on its way up, the other was stuck on a high floor, and the freight elevator was out of service for maintenance.
As Jiang Siyi waited, no matter how she looked at it, the floor numbers on the display seemed to tick by slower than usual.
Downstairs, Lin Ji seemed to read her mind from afar.
,: 【No need to rush. I happen to be in an online meeting. Take your time coming down.】
She was still in a meeting; she really was busy.
Hearing this, Jiang Siyi truly stopped rushing.
When she reached the ground floor, she spotted the Bentley diagonally across the street at a glance.
In the driver’s seat was not Fan Qing, but Lin Ji.
Unexpectedly, Lin Ji was driving herself today.
The two exchanged glances through the half-open window.
Jiang Siyi asked, “Weren’t you in a meeting?”
Lin Ji said, “Just finished.”
The moment Jiang Siyi came down, she just happened to finish—could it really be such a coincidence?
“Where is Ms. Fan?”
“She can’t be on call twenty-four hours a day. Today is her day off.”
With Lin Ji driving in person, Jiang Siyi could hardly sit in the back and treat her like a chauffeur, so she consciously slid into the front passenger seat.
Her daily work tote was somewhat bulky. Lin Ji reached over to take it and placed it on the back seat for her.
At the same time, she retrieved a bottle of room-temperature jasmine tea from the back and handed it to her.
In the sweltering heat of summer, Jiang Siyi did not particularly care for room-temperature drinks, but with her period approaching, drinking iced beverages was indeed unwise…
One handing it over and one accepting it, one driving and one in the passenger seat—this mundane interaction genuinely felt a bit like a married couple going about their daily life.
Parched after going without enough water all day, Jiang Siyi took the tea and thanked her, “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Lin Ji settled back in her seat and handed her phone over.
Jiang Siyi asked, “Hmm?”
“Swipe through. These three restaurants are all quite good. Take a look and pick one.”
Lin Ji’s phone was open to her photo gallery.
Was she really that trusting? Wasn’t she afraid Jiang Siyi might accidentally swipe onto some private photos?
Jiang Siyi followed Lin Ji’s instructions impeccably, swiping through only three images.
They were three screenshots detailing restaurant intros: one Cantonese, one Asian fusion, and one Japanese.
Remarkably, they were all cuisines she enjoyed.
It was so hard to choose…
Jiang Siyi turned the question back to Lin Ji: “What would you like to eat?”
As Lin Ji slowly steered the car out of the narrow alleyway, she said:
“If you can’t decide, use ‘eeny, meeny, miny, moe.’”
Jiang Siyi: …
Too childish for a kid, but just right for Jiang Siyi.
Jiang Siyi simply closed her eyes and pointed at random, landing on the fusion restaurant.
“Is fusion fine with you?”
“Mm.”
Lin Ji merged into the main road, heading toward the fusion restaurant.
At the first red light, a long sixty seconds ticked by.
Jiang Siyi handed the phone back to Lin Ji.
Lin Ji raised her hand to take it, and the ring on her ring finger suddenly caught the light, glinting in Jiang Siyi’s eyes.
Oh no…
Jiang Siyi stealthily pulled her hands back into her coat sleeves, leaving only her awkward fingers tucked out of sight.
Lin Ji was actually wearing the ring.
Now this was embarrassing.
Not only was Lin Ji wearing the ring, but she was also wearing the earrings Jiang Siyi had given her.
Jiang Siyi: …
Jiang Siyi thought to herself: I wonder if Lin Ji will notice I’m not wearing mine.
Wait, don’t overthink it. Lin Ji might not even pay attention to my hands.
When she’s focused on driving later, I’ll secretly take the ring out and put it on. She shouldn’t notice, right?
No… we’re too close. It’d be way too easy to get caught.
I’d better wait until we reach the restaurant, make an excuse to go to the restroom, and put it on then.
Jiang Siyi was overthinking it; there was no need to look for a chance to sneak it back on at all.
Lin Ji had noticed long ago.
The very moment Jiang Siyi got into the car, Lin Ji had seen her bare fingers missing the ring.
She probably did not want to publicize their marriage just yet, so she did not wear it on workdays. That was understandable.
Those three restaurants were carefully selected by Lin Ji, and reservations had been made at all three, merely waiting for Jiang Siyi’s choice.
The fusion restaurant had a comfortable, relaxing ambiance, complete with a high-level guqin1 performance.
The guqin’s deep, gentle, and far-reaching tone was perfect for relaxing after a tiring day.
Lin Ji had booked the best seat in the main dining hall to enjoy the performance.
Now, seeing that Jiang Siyi preferred privacy, they would need to switch to a more secluded private room.
Lin Ji drove smoothly. Whatever the road conditions, her speed remained steady—swift, sharp, yet stable.
Having finished the jasmine tea and no longer feeling thirsty, Jiang Siyi held the empty bottle in both hands and asked Lin Ji curiously:
“Is today a special occasion?”
Her implied question was why Lin Ji had wanted to get dinner together.
Just as they hit another red light, Lin Ji brought the car to a gentle stop at the end of the line and turned her gaze toward her.
“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see you.”
Jiang Siyi, whose IQ and EQ were normally high, tended to suffer an accidental deficit in both whenever she faced Lin Ji.
Her lips parted slightly, her mind going completely blank. The sharp eloquence she displayed while hosting auctions vanished entirely, leaving her to blurt out three words—
“Oh, I see.”
Silence fell over the interior of the car.
So foolish.
Why had she blurted out such useless filler?
Yet she genuinely did not know how to respond, terrified of misinterpreting the situation.
Jiang Siyi instinctively wanted to take a sip of water to dispel her awkwardness.
Tipping back the tea bottle in her hand and even leaning her neck backward, she only then remembered that the bottle was already empty.
Jiang Siyi: …
Pretending as if nothing had happened, she put it down, wishing she could twist the bottle into a pretzel while praying Lin Ji had not noticed her ridiculous attempt.
Jiang Siyi said no more, turning her head slightly toward the window to avoid any potential eye contact with Lin Ji.
However, her slender neck, exposed to Lin Ji’s gaze, flushed with an overwhelming, helpless blush.
Seeing Jiang Siyi’s flustered state, Lin Ji realized she must have startled her.
Resting one arm against the window sill, Lin Ji watched the red light countdown numbers ticking down ahead, lightly biting her bent knuckle as she told herself—
Don’t rush things.
“My mom wants me to bring you home for a meal to meet the parents. I thought we should see each other more before going back, or else we’ll seem too distant—not like a properly married couple.”
So that was why.
Jiang Siyi slowly turned her face back toward her.
By the sound of it, Lin Ji’s family did not know that her marriage was a loveless arrangement of convenience.
…Wait, hold on, meet the parents?
Jiang Siyi asked in surprise, “You told your family?”
“I did.”
“S-So soon?”
“Was I not supposed to?”
It was a perfectly normal question; Lin Ji genuinely wanted to hear Jiang Siyi’s concerns about why she couldn’t tell them.
Yet coming from someone accustomed to wearing a cold face, even the most ordinary question sounded like a harsh interrogation to someone unfamiliar with her.
Jiang Siyi fell silent instantly, not daring to argue back.
Lin Ji wanted to press further, but the light turned green.
The cars behind were itching to honk at her.
She could only refocus her attention and drive properly.
Traffic was heavy at this hour, and with Jiang Siyi sitting in the passenger seat, she did not want to be distracted.
Only when they reached the next red light did Lin Ji return to the previous topic.
“Are you free on your next day off?”
“Yes.”
The meeting would be scheduled for her day off.
Which was five days from now.
The street scenery flowed past Jiang Siyi’s eyes, her large, beautiful eyes remaining unblinking for a long while.
A girlfriend for a day two days ago, getting married the day before yesterday, and now suddenly meeting the parents…
Was her acting ability about to be put to the test so soon again?
The author has something to say:
Lin Ji: Wife-pampering Step 2: Everything is arranged according to wife’s schedule, but meeting the parents comes first.
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