Crossing the Line – Chapter 49
by Little PandaFreed Hands Unbuttoning the Trench Coat
This night was crammed with all manner of emotions, and with one less person beside her, unsurprisingly, she didn’t sleep well.
Woken by the alarm the next morning, she struggled to open her eyes—eight o’clock.
She scrambled out of bed, and seeing her surroundings, suddenly remembered she had moved near the company. It was only a seven- or eight-minute bike ride now.
Work started at nine-thirty. After waking at eight, she could still eat breakfast at a leisurely pace, listen to the news, walk the dog—no need to worry about not having enough time in the morning.
Her heart, which had been suspended mid-air, settled back down.
Perhaps because she’d woken up alone, she had the fleeting illusion of being back in her rented apartment, her mind slightly hazy.
After walking Xueqiu, she couldn’t be bothered to eat breakfast at first.
But during this time, Lin Ji had insisted on cooking for her, carefully balancing nutrition every day, making her feel embarrassed to neglect herself.
She rummaged through the refrigerator, toasted a slice of bread, and layered it with Brie cheese.
Pan-fried a small piece of aged halibut to pair with a fried egg, then washed some romaine lettuce to cut through the richness.
Naturally, there was also a small bowl of strawberries that were never absent from their home.
Everything laid out on the dining table—nutritious, healthy, and the color arrangement was easy on the eyes.
A bit of Lin Ji’s style, perhaps?
—Except for the irregularly shaped fried egg with a bit of broken skin, not quite matching the perfect ovals that came from Lin Ji’s hands.
Jiang Siyi was quite satisfied with her suddenly improved cooking skills through imitation.
After eating comfortably, she changed clothes and biked to work.
The morning was actually quite cool. Biking along the tree-lined road to the company, a gentle breeze brushing past, she didn’t break a sweat at all.
But why did this T-shirt feel a bit ill-fitting?
It seemed one size too large.
Entering the building and joining the back of the elevator queue, her phone buzzed.
She had a premonition it was a WeChat from Lin Ji.
She pulled out her phone to check—it really was.
She pressed her lips together, suppressing a smile that was about to spill out in public.
Today’s dose of tacit understanding achieved.
Lin Ji sent a nighttime photo of London Airport. She must have just gotten off the plane.
，: 【I’ve arrived.】
Jiang Siyi only then realized she hadn’t even asked Lin Ji to “let me know when you arrive.”
Even without saying so, Lin Ji had still proactively come to “report.”
Sanzhuang Tusi’s fingertips flew across the screen: 【Is it cold?】
，: 【I put on the coat you reminded me to bring. Not cold.】
，: 【Did you eat the oxtail? Was it too salty?】
Sanzhuang Tusi: 【Not salty at all. Super delicious.】
She casually sent Lin Ji the photo of the oxtail stew pot she’d taken yesterday.
Saying it was delicious came from the heart, but after sending it, looking at the text plus the image, she felt she’d been a bit too openly affectionate.
Such a troublesome dish to make, and she’d highlighted it—what if Lin Ji insisted on making it for her regularly?
，: 【Then I’ll make it for you often from now on.】
Sure enough.
Jiang Siyi was about to reply when the elevator doors opened.
People surged before and behind her, eyeing the morning rush-hour carriage like hawks vying for a spot.
She temporarily locked her phone screen and squeezed into the elevator in a vertical sliver.
She held on until reaching the company and greeted her colleagues.
Walking into the tea room filled with the aroma of Gesha coffee, waiting for the machine to brew a fresh cup, she opened WeChat again to reply to Lin Ji.
Hmm?
Hmm hmm?
Lin Ji had actually posted on Moments.
【Stewing oxtail wasn’t as difficult as imagined. Also, someone said it was super delicious. Image courtesy of Ms. Sanzhuang Tusi.】
Lin Ji’s Moments post not only directly mentioned Jiang Siyi’s nickname, but the attached image was the one she had just sent Lin Ji.
In the lower left corner of the photo, more than half of Jiang Siyi’s hand was visible.
The photo was taken casually.
Jiang Siyi, who had no habit of posting on Moments, took photos with zero compositional merit whatsoever.
Nor had she added any filters.
Not only was a hand resting there quite casually, but the ring on it was especially conspicuous.
As expected, the sister circle1 in Lin Ji’s comment section descended once again with impressive speed.
Comments and likes poured in on schedule.
But the tone had shifted subtly.
【I’ve had another epiphany. The highest realm of life isn’t making every day poetic and picturesque, but cooking a table of delicious food for the one you love. Thanks to Jiejie, my sugar intake exceeded the limit first thing in the morning [crying]】
【It really has such a warm, domestic feel. What do you call god-tier composition? Learned something new [not simple]. Can I say it? Saosao2‘s hand is so beautiful. I never knew a plain band should be worn like that—gained two skills at once [not simple] [not simple]】
【Isn’t Jiejie too amazing? Casually stewing an oxtail and it’s otherworldly. The bug of not being able to smell fragrance through a phone screen has been cured by Jiejie. When is Jiejie going to hold a class on how to pamper your wife? I guarantee I’ll be the first to sign up!】
【Sanzhuang Tusi is Siyi-jiejie, right? Don’t ask how I know—I added Siyi-jiejie as a friend before [cute]. Has the wedding date been set? Would it be too early to start preparing a gift now? [cute] [cute]】
Another day of being inundated by “Jiejie.”
Only unlike before, she herself had also become a “Jiejie.”
And in between the lines, she saw the word “Saosao” that made her facial features rapidly drift outward from the center.
Jiang Siyi rubbed her temple.
If she’d known Lin Ji wanted to post on Moments, she definitely would have taken a better photo—and a more low-key one.
Come to think of it…
Jiang Siyi scrolled down. Lin Ji used to go years without posting on Moments.
This year, she’d already posted twice.
And both times were related to her.
The last time was covertly related. This time, the relationship was out in the open—no hiding it at all.
She wanted to rush into the “carnival square” once more.
Unlike last time when she could sneak around, this time she certainly couldn’t hide in the crowd.
After thinking it over, nothing she said felt quite right, so she just posted two firework emojis.
Back then, she’d hoped Lin Ji wouldn’t notice her, buried among mountains and valleys of rainbow farts.
This time, her mindset was different—she herself understood that.
She wanted Lin Ji to still find her.
After sending the reply, she carried her coffee back to her desk.
She’d barely sat down when Lin Ji replied to her.
Above all the comments and likes, Lin Ji replied to her and only her.
Matching her with digital fireworks.
Jiang Siyi set off two; Lin Ji set off three.
Selecting Jiang Siyi’s comment from the “carnival square” and manually pinning it to the top.
She suddenly realized that the last time she left a comment for Lin Ji, deep down, she’d actually wanted Lin Ji to see her.
Otherwise, why leave a comment at all?
Those thoughts that had been buried beneath the surface, temporarily incomprehensible—were now fully revealed in this moment.
Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of her phone, the corners of her lips curving upward beyond her control.
Strange.
Fireworks were clearly just tiny emoji on a phone screen, yet they seemed to land directly on the tip of Jiang Siyi’s heart.
Rumbling, making her left chest cavity tingle and swell, her heart pounding.
Lin Ji proactively reported in once more.
，: 【I’m heading into a meeting. It’ll probably last at least two hours. Might not be convenient to send WeChat during the meeting. I’ll contact you again after it’s over.】
Even though she wasn’t by her side, she explained every step to her.
Jiang Siyi could even picture Lin Ji right now—she should have already arrived at the office, walking briskly toward the conference room, wearing that camel trench coat she’d reminded her to bring, coffee in her left hand to keep her alert, sending this WeChat single-handedly with her right.
There probably weren’t many people busier than Lin Ji, yet even she could find a moment in the cracks of her packed schedule to thoroughly relay a single message.
She wouldn’t let Jiang Siyi spend the next two hours overthinking because of lost contact.
Those people who couldn’t be bothered to reply to a single WeChat from their partner for hours on end—it wasn’t that they truly had no time. They simply didn’t care enough to want to reply.
This morning, Jiang Siyi was busy.
Busy with work, and busy on her phone.
Every so often, a like notification came in.
Then at regular intervals, another friend request.
If not for these requests—some from people she’d assumed were still on her list—she wouldn’t have known when they’d deleted her.
She didn’t particularly mind. Deleted and re-added—whatever.
These interpersonal relationships were already blurry and hard to distinguish. She no longer had the inclination to parse out who was genuine and who was insincere.
Just a flick of the fingertip.
Energy should only be spent on the people and things that matter.
In the morning, she and her colleagues finalized the theme for the next online auction. By the time they finished, it was already twelve-thirty.
The sun outside was blazing. Not wanting to leave the building, she and Duan Ning grabbed a quick meal at the employee cafeteria on the first floor.
Regarding the employee cafeteria, Duan Ning’s previous assessment had been: “The cafeteria contractor probably runs a salt farm on the side, and a water station too. Otherwise, how could the food be so salty? You eat one meal and have to drink a whole bucket of water in the afternoon.”
After last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, a dish of mooncake stir-fried with bitter melon burst onto the scene, driving customer traffic to an all-time low.
Everyone in the Gold, Stone, and Jade Department had ruthlessly abandoned it.
Last month, Duan Ning went back with a sliver of hope, and it was still so awful that her facial features scrunched together. She immediately took to Moments to complain, calling the employee cafeteria the champion of dark cuisine, the turnover accelerator, and the chief culprit behind sluggish performance.
Miraculously, after her rant, the cafeteria food had recently improved.
The dark cuisine dishes had all vanished, the menu had been nearly entirely replaced, and the cooking skills had leveled up by more than one tier.
Everything was excellent in color, aroma, and taste, with fresh seasonal fruit to boot.
The private sale at Lin Xuebo’s home with friends and family last time had pushed Duan Ning’s commission to an all-time high this month. When she saw her pay stub, she’d rolled around on her bed in excitement until her hair was a mess.
She was someone who knew how to express gratitude, and she knew exactly who had given her this opportunity.
She told Jiang Siyi that lunch was on her today—order whatever she wanted.
“It’s completely different from before. Nothing’s a miss. Especially the strawberries—they’re so good, better than the ones at those fancy grocery stores. You love strawberries the most, right? Here, try one.”
Duan Ning had specially bought a large box of washed strawberries and pushed them in front of Jiang Siyi.
Jiang Siyi looked at the strawberries before her, blinking slowly in confusion.
Could it be because her relationship with Lin Ji had undergone an unexpected change, her heart now so full of feelings for her that even the company cafeteria’s strawberries looked identical to the ones grown in their yard?
She didn’t stand on ceremony with Duan Ning. She picked up a large, red strawberry and bit into the pointed tip.
The fruit fragrance was so rich and delicious—truly very similar in taste to the ones Lin Ji grew.
Jiang Siyi: “Delicious strawberries.”
Duan Ning, who had already eaten over a pound of strawberries yesterday, said: “Right? Could it be that I complained so loudly on Moments that the heavens heard me and just replaced the cafeteria contractor entirely? Jiashibi has really stepped up. Let’s just hope it doesn’t immediately turn into one of those internet-famous restaurants where you have to queue just to buy a meal. Eat up while we can.”
Duan Ning was thinking ahead; Jiang Siyi nodded in earnest agreement.
At the same time, a thought flashed through her mind—could the new contractor’s backer be Lin Ji?
Because she’d tasted amazing strawberries at the breakfast shop, had Lin Ji personally orchestrated things so that from home to the company, everything was switched to flavors she liked—just so she could always eat her favorite fruit in the places she frequented?
The thought floated into her mind, and Jiang Siyi, who’d just eaten a whole strawberry, smiled.
How silly. How could that be? But the feeling of letting her imagination run wild wasn’t bad either.
She’d let herself be self-indulgent today.
…
They’d never enjoyed a meal in the cafeteria this much. After eating, they headed upstairs to the office together.
On the way back, Duan Ning complimented her: “Your top is really nice.”
This simple, solid-colored half-turtleneck T-shirt wasn’t the first time she’d worn it to the company—89 yuan each, 69 for members. Miss Jiang, the member herself, had bought three in different colors. Cheap and comfortable.
She chose it today, naturally, because the half-turtleneck’s advantage was that it could cover the marks on her neck…
When picking out clothes this morning, she’d still been thinking—she’d figured this out all on her own, without needing to be taught.
Jiang Siyi: “Do you want one? I can pick one up from that store for you later.”
Duan Ning’s expression shifted slightly. She’d just started to say “don’t—” when Manager Wu came over to call Duan Ning to the office.
Before leaving, Duan Ning still reminded Jiang Siyi: “Don’t buy it for me, it’s too expensive. Clothes are clothes—whatever you wear is fine.”
69 apiece wasn’t expensive at all.
Jiang Siyi thought that Duan Ning, who lived so frugally yet still treated her to meals, was really kind.
Walking toward her desk, her phone started buzzing.
It should be Lin Ji, done with her meeting, messaging her on WeChat.
But it wasn’t WeChat—it was a video call.
When Jiang Siyi saw the video request from “，”, her heart felt like it had been tapped by Xueqiu’s little paw.
Even though she was a legally married wife whose relationship was public, before answering, Jiang Siyi still glanced around, stepped into a nearby break room, and closed the door. Only when she was alone did she accept the call.
【I just finished the meeting. It ran a bit longer than expected—sorry. I’m at the hotel now. You still have some time before you start work this afternoon, right?】
Lin Ji answered everything Jiang Siyi wanted to know right off the bat.
And offered a subtext—
She wanted to claim the time before Jiang Siyi started work this afternoon.
【Yeah, I still have a while.】
Jiang Siyi sat on the sofa.
On the video call, Lin Ji was walking down a dimly lit hotel corridor.
Her high heels pressed against the thick carpet, producing a faint muffled sound.
Her long black curls fell forward, covering half her face.
Her outline, half-visible in the dimness, reminded Jiang Siyi of last night’s kiss.
Of the searing heat when her lips were parted.
Of being pulled onto the sofa, kissed from lips to neck.
Lin Ji had been just like this then too—her brows and eyes obscured by her hair, the lustrous color and contour of her lips all the more striking and vivid.
Jiang Siyi’s mind wandered for a moment. She quickly gathered her thoughts, pretending she hadn’t been thinking anything improper at all.
【Are you tired?】
When Lin Ji used her room card to open the door, the phone angle dipped, becoming a low-angle shot looking upward.
A great beauty was a great beauty—even from this unflattering angle, she was flawlessly, recklessly beautiful, without a single imperfection.
Her long hair draped over the side of her face, the light above her head, the surrounding atmosphere lending her a cinematic, languid texture.
That concentrated beauty flooded Jiang Siyi’s vision once more.
She’d thought Lin Ji was long accustomed to a life of shuttling between cities worldwide, that intercontinental flights were routine, and that she’d say “not tired” without a second thought.
Instead, her tone stretched slightly, the ending soft, and after a small “Mm,” she said:
【A little.】
Even the corners of her eyes curved downward slightly.
The lights reflected in her eyes, glittering, looking down at the camera—as if waiting for Jiang Siyi’s comfort.
Different from what she’d imagined. Jiang Siyi paused, searching through her mind, and found that when it came to sweet-talking, she couldn’t compare at all to those “little sisters” in Lin Ji’s comment section who only knew how to say flattering things.
She couldn’t bring herself to say anything too mushy. After thinking it over, she finally managed to squeeze out:
【Did you not sleep well on the plane last night?】
【Not as peaceful as at home. Barely slept.】
By that calculation, Lin Ji had probably gone more than twenty-four hours without sleep.
【Then, I’ll stay with you while you sleep.】
【How will you stay?】
【Just…】
Through the screen, Jiang Siyi’s gaze flickered slightly.
【Don’t hang up the video. I’ll hang up after you fall asleep.】
After saying that, she felt the phone’s temperature rise a few degrees.
Lin Ji’s soft laugh breathed into the microphone, the slight popping sound and her upturned lips sketching the contentment of being soothed.
【Okay.】
She didn’t know what Lin Ji was thinking when she looked at her.
For Jiang Siyi, facing someone she’d just kissed—even through a phone screen, on opposite ends of the earth—she still felt a bit shy.
But even with that awkwardness, with nothing pressing to discuss, she still wanted to talk to Lin Ji.
Even just saying the most ordinary things would be fine.
She wanted to see her as she was right now. She wanted to hear her voice.
【How’s the company matter going? Is it serious?】
【The local regulations changed too suddenly. There’s reason to suspect Huanwei is being targeted. We’ve now formulated several plans. Tomorrow I’m meeting with the legal team to work out a strategy for negotiating with the government departments.】
【Sounds a bit troublesome…】
【Don’t worry. It’s not the first time. We have process templates for handling this. It just takes some time.】
Lin Ji propped her phone on the desk, the camera still facing her.
Her freed hands were unbuttoning her trench coat.
Jiang Siyi very much wanted to focus on the serious matter at hand, but her attention was entirely drawn to Lin Ji’s hand movements.
Her snow-white skin, in the room lit only by ambient lighting, was so fair it seemed to glow.
Those hands, wearing rings that symbolized marriage, were unhurriedly unbuttoning her own coat.
Jiang Siyi’s thoughts swung between “stop looking, that’s impolite for a wife in a marriage of convenience” and “we’ve registered the marriage and kissed, it’s legal, everything you see is legal”—barely maintaining the appearance of normal conversation.
The coat was set aside. Underneath was a fitted white shirt.
Black hair, white shirt. Slender waist, straight shoulders. Jiang Siyi didn’t know if Lin Ji herself realized how good her figure was, how captivating she looked even when displaying it so casually.
After being embraced by those long, strong arms, her body had begun of its own accord to feel empty.
Gulp.
Separated by thousands of miles, Jiang Siyi realized she couldn’t keep watching.
【A-are you going to rest?】
【Mm. You should be heading to work soon too.】
【Good night. Go sleep.】
Following the order of conversation, Lin Ji should have replied with the same “good night.”
But Jiang Siyi didn’t immediately receive those two words.
Lin Ji picked up her phone and, without warning, moved closer to the screen, gazing intently at Jiang Siyi.
That face she’d thought about all day suddenly magnified before her eyes. Jiang Siyi’s breath caught.
【…What?】
【You look beautiful.】
Heat crept up the tips of Jiang Siyi’s ears: 【…Hmm?】
Lin Ji’s expressionless eyes gradually filled with a smile.
【My clothes look beautiful on you.】
The author has something to say:
Lin Ji: Wife-pampering step twenty—always letting your wife enjoy a pleasing view at any moment
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