The Amnesiac Omega Who Reels Me In Every Day – Chapter 26
by Little PandaDying of Shame
She was protecting her flowers
Qin Yue froze mid-stride, her face instantly darkening with rage.
Jiang Jinyi really couldn’t bear it anymore. Covering her nose and mouth with one hand, she shoved Qin Yue aside and quickly escaped the stall.
As she walked away, she looked back in disgust at Qin Yue, who stood frozen in place, and scoffed, “Has anyone ever told you that your pheromones smell awful? It’s like cheap rose perfume—so pungent that it makes me dizzy and sick to my stomach.”
“You, my model? Are you kidding me? You really are ordinarily confident1 to the extreme. Why would I want you when I have so many international supermodels to choose from?”
Qin Yue felt like her lungs were about to burst with rage.
But with the bodyguards waiting right outside the restroom, she was completely powerless to do anything to her.
After finishing her shopping, Jiang Jinyi didn’t head straight home; instead, she went to the seaside.
Luo City was a coastal city with many famous beaches. Stepping out of the car onto the beach, Jiang Jinyi saw a beach motorcycle charging aggressively toward her from the distance. The person waving on it was none other than Huo Qi.
Huo Qi wore a floral shirt and sunglasses, her hair tied back in a half-ponytail, looking flamboyantly stylish.
“Eldest Miss Jiang2, you’re here! Get on,” she called out.
Lifting the hem of her floral dress, Jiang Jinyi climbed onto the back seat. Her bangs blew wildly in the sea breeze as she asked, “Where did you get this?”
“I bought it, of course. And not just the motorcycle.”
Huo Qi drove Jiang Jinyi to a deserted stretch of beach with gorgeous scenery and uniquely shaped reefs. The sea breeze whipped through their hair and skirts while waves crashed against the rocks. The rumbling of the tide filled their ears, bringing a sense of comfort and relaxation to body and mind.
“How is it, Eldest Miss Jiang?” Huo Qi shouted, turning her face toward her.
The two had grown up together. They hadn’t been close at first—in fact, they were practically sworn rivals—and their relationship had only begun to soften once they reached high school.
Huo Qi loved calling Jiang Jinyi “Eldest Miss Jiang,” teasing her for her high-and-mighty, domineering personality.
Jiang Jinyi squinted against the wind and shot her a look. Huo Qi understood immediately.
One could never get a straight answer out of Jiang Jinyi; at most, she’d offer a careless, “It’s fine.”
“Does seeing my ocean make you feel better? Are you suddenly not sad over that dumbass3 Qin Yue anymore?”
Jiang Jinyi replied lazily, “I’ve never been sad over her.”
“Oh, as expected of our Eldest Miss Jiang. Your recovery speed is impressive.”
Jiang Jinyi let out a soft huff. Huo Qi watched her for a moment, her beautiful eyes crinkling with a deeper smile. She hopped down from the reef, strolled over to her with her hands clasped behind her back, and draped a slender, soft hand over Jinyi’s shoulder. With a mischievous grin, she said, “You should thank me. See how sharp my eyes are? I saw right through that piece of trash at a glance. Don’t you feel incredibly lucky to have a friend like me?”
Jiang Jinyi eyed her with disgust.
Huo Qi pouted. “For your sake, I even lost my boyfriend.”
Jiang Jinyi frowned. “Huh?”
Huo Qi shrugged, looking completely unbothered. “Well, Qin Yue went to complain to him, and when he came to interrogate me about it, I just dumped him.”
Jiang Jinyi: “…Oh.”
Seeing her lackluster reaction, Huo Qi huffed in dissatisfaction. “I just went through a breakup because of you, and this is how cold you are?”
“Isn’t your policy to just find a new one after a breakup?”
“I don’t want to,” Huo Qi whined, naturally slipping her arm through Jiang Jinyi’s. Looking out at the ocean, she sighed in disgust, “Not a single one of them is any good.”
She turned to smile at Jiang Jinyi. “Being single is so much fun. Why don’t we stay single together? Who could possibly deserve our Eldest Miss Jiang anyway? You should remain a solitary beauty—don’t let those people get a bargain.”
Jiang Jinyi ignored her. Not a single word out of Huo Qi’s mouth was trustworthy. Even if she got dumped, Jinyi wouldn’t feel a shred of pity for her. She was a textbook player4. Hardly any of her boyfriends lasted more than a month, and she’d find a new one within a few days.
“Xiao Jin.”
“Hmm?”
With the reflection of Jiang Jinyi’s profile in her nearly pure-black pupils, Huo Qi asked languidly, “By the way, why couldn’t I get through to your phone last night? I was worried, so I went to your house and knocked, but you didn’t open the door either.”
Jiang Jinyi’s face stiffened, but she quickly masked it, averting her eyes to look unnaturally toward the ocean. “Qin Yue kept annoying me, so I turned off my phone. I was feeling irritated and fell asleep, so I didn’t hear the doorbell. What did you want from me anyway?”
“You could actually sleep through that?” Huo Qi’s tone was skeptical.
“Why wouldn’t I be able to sleep?” Jiang Jinyi turned her gaze back, looking completely dismissive of everything. “Do you think Qin Yue is worth me losing sleep over?”
Huo Qi let out a soft chuckle. “Indeed she doesn’t.”
“You just said a lot of nonsense, but I think you got one thing right.”
“Which one?”
“No one is good enough for This Miss5.”
The car drove into the courtyard. As Jiang Jinyi got out of the car, Jiang Youwan was sitting in the yard, just sitting there quietly, doing nothing, feeling the wind and feeling nature.
She was like a deity with no desires, completely at peace with the world.
She might look like a deity, but Jiang Jinyi was different. Seeing her, Jiang Jinyi couldn’t help but think of the embarrassing fiasco from that night.
A maid, having filled a watering can, looked at Jiang Jinyi with concern as she handed it over. “Miss, are you running a fever? Your face is so red.”
Jiang Jinyi snapped out of her daze immediately. “I-It’s just too hot today! I don’t have a fever.”
A quarter of the summer vacation had already passed, and it was currently the hottest time of the year. It was indeed a flawless explanation.
The maid thought about it and said thoughtfully, “It really is very hot. Miss, please head back inside quickly after you finish watering the flowers.”
“I know, don’t bother me.” Jiang Jinyi patted her face with her hands, shooing her away.
Jiang Jinyi had never felt so humiliated in her entire life. To make matters worse, the target of this shameful behavior was the very sister she had spent years humiliating. What had she been like that night? What had she said and done? How was Jiang Youwan laughing at her in secret?
Jiang Jinyi felt like she would never get over this hurdle. Seeing how calm Jiang Youwan was only made her feel even more unbalanced.
“Who allowed you to sit here?” Jiang Jinyi glared at her, manufacturing trouble out of thin air with righteous indignation.
Jiang Youwan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She lifted her face to meet Jinyi’s gaze and said softly, “I’m sorry, Miss Jiang. I’ll leave right away.”
She stood up obediently, preparing to walk back into the house.
Her spine was straight, and she had to admit that her waist-length hair was beautiful as it swayed in the breeze.
Her posture seemed incredibly humble, yet her inner world remained entirely undisturbed.
Jiang Jinyi always had this feeling.
Jiang Jinyi narrowed her eyes. “Stop right there.”
She instantly obeyed, halting in her tracks. Then, she turned around slowly, facing Jiang Jinyi with precision, and called out to her inquisitively.
“Miss Jiang?”
Jiang Jinyi gritted her teeth and walked up to her. As if able to sense her, Jiang Youwan faced her.
Jiang Jinyi was about the same height as her.
She looked up at her and asked in a cold voice, “What happened that night? How did I…” She couldn’t bring herself to utter the rest.
Jiang Youwan pursed her lips and asked, “Doesn’t Miss Jiang remember?”
Jiang Jinyi frowned and demanded domineeringly, “Don’t answer my question with another question. I’m the one asking you.”
Jiang Youwan paused for a moment, then replied, “I don’t remember.”
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but Jinyi felt as if the corners of Youwan’s mouth had twitched upward a fraction of a second before she spoke—or perhaps they hadn’t.
Jiang Youwan added, “Miss Jiang was the one who told me to forget.”
It was indeed she who had told her to forget. Jiang Jinyi said righteously, “Well, now I’m ordering you to regain your memory!”
Jiang Youwan: “…”
After a brief silence, she spoke. “That night, Miss Jiang was drunk and had a stomachache. I served you a bowl of porridge. After you finished, you fell asleep against the sofa. I didn’t dare wake you, and I was worried you’d be uncomfortable sleeping like that, so I took the liberty of letting you rest your head on my lap for the night.”
Jiang Jinyi bit the inside of her lip, her fingernails digging into her palms so hard her fingertips turned white with shame. Forcing down her embarrassment, she demanded, “What did I say to you?”
Without a single crack in her composure, Jiang Youwan said calmly, “Miss Jiang was very well-behaved when she was drunk. She didn’t say a word.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Seeing her earnest expression, Jiang Jinyi believed about eighty percent of it. Her sense of shame faded slightly, and once she let out a sigh of relief, her tone grew even more arrogant. “Who gave you permission to touch me?”
Anyone else treated with such insolence would have been furious, but Jiang Youwan seemed utterly devoid of temper. “Miss Jiang’s body is delicate, and I was afraid… It was my presumption.”
She treated her as an enemy, yet Youwan only showed her kindness.
Jiang Jinyi suddenly felt utterly ashamed, wishing she could sink into the ground.
She looked away and said with tsundere pride, “Next time, without my permission, you’re not allowed to touch me.”
Jiang Youwan’s face remained placid as she let out a soft “Mm.”
Recently, the famous Chinese-heritage model Pola flew back to China, trending on the hot searches of the domestic modeling circle.
She was of mixed heritage—half-European and half-Asian—possessing both Eastern softness and deep, high Western features. With her high-fashion face, a height of nearly 1.8 meters, and an excellent figure, she was a household name in the modeling world.
Countless wealthy tycoons had failed to hire her even with astronomical offers. Her sudden return to the country naturally drew immense attention.
After getting off the plane, she first attended a friend’s gathering, where most of the guests were socialites, and Qin Yue happened to be present as well.
Since Pola was currently single, Qin Yue naturally didn’t miss the chance to go over and strike up a conversation.
Pola was a very easygoing person who conversed effortlessly with others. When Qin Yue gossiped about why she had suddenly returned to China, Pola smiled and said, “Because I received an invitation from Secretary Song of the Jiang family to model for their Eldest Miss.”
Qin Yue: …
“But it’s not settled yet,” Pola added, resting her cheek on her hand. “It mostly depends on Miss Jiang. I wonder if she’ll fancy me when she sees me in person.”
Qin Yue’s face stiffened, and she could only barely maintain her awkward smile.
Once Song Lian had learned that Jiang Jinyi wanted to paint a woman, she had helped her find numerous models and celebrities. Goddesses whom others could only look up to and never reach even with immense wealth were invited effortlessly by Song Lian, yet it still depended on whether Jiang Jinyi was willing.
For several days, all sorts of models and stars flowed in and out of the Jiang Family Villa, but none caught Jiang Jinyi’s eye.
Their figures and faces were all superb, impeccably so, but they just couldn’t give Jiang Jinyi the feeling she wanted. To Jiang Jinyi, every painting was a process of creating perfection. The feeling had to be exactly right; feeling was the origin of all art.
As more people came, Jiang Jinyi grew irritated and told Song Lian to stop sending them.
Those highly sought-after models and stars were thus turned away at the door, one by one, by Jiang Jinyi.
Jiang Jinyi often wondered gloomily what her mother was so busy with. They were already rich enough, weren’t they?
Previously, whenever Jiang Ningshu had to be away for more than a month, she’d always find time to fly back to Luo City from other regions or even from abroad just to spend the night with her, before flying back the next day.
What could possibly be more important than her own daughter?
With half of the two-month summer vacation already gone, Jiang Ningshu finally announced that she would be returning in a few days.
Jiang Jinyi received the call in the morning. It was a gorgeous, cloudless day. Though it was windy, dry, and intensely hot, the weather was the sort that put people in high spirits.
Jiang Jinyi was in a wonderful mood. She curled up on the living room sofa, watching a movie while eating ice cream, which in turn allowed the servants to relax quite a bit.
But her pleasant mood didn’t last long. When she went downstairs to water the flowers in the afternoon, she spotted Jiang Youwan again.
Her good mood evaporated instantly.
Jiang Youwan wasn’t in the courtyard. Ever since she had been scolded last time, she rarely showed herself there. Instead, she merely sat by her open window, sitting upright and proper, eyes closed, doing absolutely nothing.
She didn’t make a sound, looking entirely resigned to her fate, indifferent to the world. But was she really like that?
Jiang Jinyi had a strong premonition that her life, as well as her relationship with her mother, would change because of this person.
Her life would be disrupted by her.
Irritation instantly blanketed her pleasant mood. Why did Mother bring her back? Jiang Jinyi thought. Even if she couldn’t bear to let her starve, wouldn’t it have been enough to simply give her money and hire someone to take care of her? She’s already an adult, so why did she have to bring her back here to disrupt our current life? Once Mother returns, will Jiang Youwan still remain as docile and non-competitive as she is now? Is she just biding her time, waiting to put on a completely different face when Mother returns? Will Mother take her side and refuse to believe me? Will Mother split her love and give half of it to her?
Jiang Jinyi felt a strong sense of crisis.
…
Half-asleep and half-awake, she had no idea what time it was. In her groggy state, Jiang Jinyi heard the sound of rain from outside the window—a massive downpour…
The louder the storm raged, the cozier her bedroom felt. After struggling against sleep for a moment, Jiang Jinyi suddenly jolted awake. She threw off her blankets and looked out toward the balcony, where a deluge of rain was relentlessly washing over the ground…
The rainfall was like a waterfall.
Jiang Jinyi’s eyes widened in horror. Her flowers!
Before going to sleep, she had gone to the courtyard and noticed that several pots of flowers hadn’t been moved inside yet. With such a terrifying downpour, they’d definitely be drowned to death!
Her nerves taut, she threw on her slippers and sprinted downstairs. To her surprise, the main villa doors were wide open. Under the glow of the courtyard streetlights, she caught sight of a silhouette.
Jiang Jinyi froze.
Amidst the howling wind and driving rain, Jiang Youwan was crouching in the courtyard. She held an umbrella in her hand, but it wasn’t covering her own head. Instead—
She was holding the umbrella over a few pots of flowers.
Crouched there completely motionless, shielding a few pots of flowers.
And she herself had long since been drenched into a wretched state. If one looked closely, her body was trembling slightly.
Jiang Jinyi stood with her mouth slightly open, unable to describe the sensation washing over her. A shuddering chill rushed from the soles of feet straight to her brain, leaving her overwhelmed with a profound sense of shame, wishing she could sink into the ground.
She had spent all this time bullying her, yet she was protecting her flowers.
Jiang Jinyi stood frozen for two or three seconds before snatching an umbrella from the entryway, popping it open, and rushing outside.
“What are you doing?!” Jiang Jinyi yelled at her. Hearing her voice, Jiang Youwan lifted her head. Her face was completely covered in rainwater, droplets dripping from her eyelashes. Her wet hair clung to her face, making her look wretched yet possessed of an indescribable beauty.
“Miss Jiang, I can’t see the path and I’m afraid I’ll fall. Hurry and carry these flowers back inside.” Amidst the pouring rain, her voice sounded exceptionally calm.
Jiang Jinyi’s gaze grew incredibly complex. She didn’t freeze for long, crouching down to grab a pot in each hand while keeping her umbrella clamped under her arm as she dashed back toward the villa. After two trips, she finally managed to bring all the flowerpots inside. Jinyi was thoroughly drenched herself, her vision slightly blurred by the rain. She wiped her face with her sleeve, and once her eyes cleared, she looked outside. Only now did the blind woman out in the storm begin to hold the umbrella over herself, stumbling clumsily through the downpour as she made her way back toward the villa.
Walking in the heavy rain was easy to slip even for normal people, let alone a blind person like her. She tripped over something unseen and fell to the ground. Jiang Jinyi hurriedly ran out to help her up.
Jiang Jinyi grabbed her wrist and helped her up, supporting her arm. Their two bodies pressed close together as she safely led Jiang Youwan back inside.
Closing the door, finally shutting out the heavy rain outside, Jiang Jinyi still gripped Jiang Youwan’s wrist. She turned her palm over to look; sure enough, it was bleeding.
“Y-you’re bleeding…”
Jiang Youwan could hear Jiang Jinyi’s panic. Pressing her other hand over the wound, she comforted her, “It’s fine, I just accidentally scraped it on a stone.”
How could it possibly be fine!
Blood mixed with rainwater streamed down together, giving Jiang Jinyi the illusion of a massive amount of blood. Her hands shook, and her legs felt weak and uncontrollable.
Biting her lip, Jiang Jinyi pulled her over to the sofa and made her sit down. She quickly scavenged for the first-aid kit, grabbed bandages and styptic powder, and jogged back to Jiang Youwan’s side. Cradling Youwan’s palm, Jinyi’s hands trembled as she sprinkled the powder onto the wound. Jiang Youwan trembled from the pain. Startled, Jinyi cried, “Don’t move!”
Jiang Jinyi’s voice carried a trembling, tearful tone. Jiang Youwan was dazed for a moment, then pursed her lips and endured it, not moving again or making a sound.
She had completely surrendered her injured hand to this girl, who likely had never bandaged anyone’s wound in her entire life.
Jiang Jinyi carefully yet quickly wrapped the bandage around her palm. Jiang Youwan could feel that her breathing was trembling, and her hands were shaking even more noticeably.
She had always been a well-protected delicate flower. This was her first time doing such a thing, and her first time seeing such a shocking, ‘bloody’ sight, so she was frightened. Did she cry from the fright? Jiang Youwan thought.
Hearing her voice, she had probably cried.
Not only that, even her pheromones had leaked out from fright.
A faint scent of hyacinth lingered in the air.
Once she finished wrapping the bandage, Jiang Jinyi immediately called Dr. Li to have her come over. Since a severe rainstorm was raging, it would take some time for Dr. Li to arrive. Jinyi led Jiang Youwan into the bathroom and drew a hot bath for her. Turning around, she instructed, “Hurry up and get in to soak. Just remember not to let your wound touch the water.”
“Miss Jiang should also take a shower quickly so you don’t catch a cold.”
Jiang Jinyi said nothing. She turned to leave, shutting the bathroom door behind her.
Jiang Youwan stood still for a moment, shed her soaked clothing, and slowly slid into the bathtub, taking care not to let a single drop of water touch the clumsily wrapped bandage Jiang Jinyi had applied to her hand.
Footnotes
- 'Pǔxìn' (普信) is Chinese internet slang meaning 'ordinary yet extremely confident', typically used to mock someone who overestimates their own appeal or status.
- 'Dà xiǎojiě' (大小姐) translates to 'Eldest Miss'. In this five-years-ago flashback timeline, high society refers to Jinyi as the Jiang family's Eldest Miss, whereas in the present timeline, her sister Youwan holds the title of Eldest Miss.
- 'Shǎbī' (傻逼) is a highly vulgar Chinese internet insult, equivalent to 'dumbass' or 'fucking idiot' in English.
- 'Hǎiwáng' (海王), literally 'Sea King', is popular Chinese internet slang for a player who simultaneously maintains multiple ambiguous romantic relationships.
- 'Běn xiǎojiě' (本小姐), literally 'this young mistress', is a self-referential term used by wealthy or arrogant young women to assert their status. It is translated literally as 'This Miss'.
0 Comments