Crossing the Line – Chapter 40
by Little PandaMy Name Might Follow You for a Lifetime
She woke in the morning, her head splitting with pain.
This was already the third time this week Song Ti had dreamed of Jiang Siyi.
In last night’s dream, Jiang Siyi was walking arm in arm with a woman, drifting further and further away.
No matter how she called out, Jiang Siyi couldn’t hear her. Her profile was bright with a smile, focused only on the person beside her.
The person she clung to was buried in shadow—the silhouette familiar, but the true face impossible to make out.
Song Ti ran and ran, crying and shouting, full of grievance.
Jiang Siyi never looked back at her. Not even a glance. Her figure grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely.
When she woke, a tearing sense of loss saturated her heart.
She struggled to sit up and found herself still wearing her outer clothes and high heels, lying in a private room at ECHO Club.
The expensive outfit was stained with wine spots and food residue, even traces of vomit.
Wretched and filthy—nothing like her.
Incredible. Tan Ya had been there yesterday and hadn’t taken care of her at all.
Lately, Song Ti had been in a constant state of emotional imbalance.
Jiang Siyi buying a watch as a gift meant she had someone in her sights. If she quickly fell in love and found someone new, wouldn’t Song Ti become a laughingstock?
She needed to maintain her relationship with Tan Ya.
But the more time she spent with Tan Ya, the more dissatisfied she felt.
Unlike Jiang Siyi, Tan Ya didn’t yield to her. She liked to dictate—from taste to behavior, everything was up for judgment.
In the past, they’d only met occasionally in London, all sweetness and harmony. Those unpleasant traits never had time to surface before the two of them were separated by distance again.
But this time, as they spent more and more time together and faced risks and turbulence as a couple for the first time, she discovered that Tan Ya couldn’t provide her with anything positive.
Unlike Jiang Siyi, who was always emotionally steady, comforting her and caring for her, providing a sense of ease and warmth.
Lately, being with Tan Ya meant nothing but arguments and mutual complaints.
And for some reason, Tan Ya still hadn’t returned to London. She seemed to have found a new job in the country.
Song Ti didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to confirm it.
She needed Tan Ya, yet feared Tan Ya would actually stay.
After their last blowout argument, the two had been in a cold war. Unwilling to become a laughingstock, Song Ti had to swallow her pride and reach out first.
Last night, she and Tan Ya had been hanging out with friends at ECHO Club. They started arguing over whether a former university classmate worked in Los Angeles or London’s West End, and eventually both were red in the face.
Xie Shuyi had even said, “Don’t you two have anything else to talk about?”
After that, Song Ti had sulked and kept drinking, eventually getting drunk and throwing up. And Tan Ya had actually just left her at ECHO Club?
She hadn’t even helped clean her up, hadn’t given her a blanket, and was nowhere to be seen now.
If it had been Jiang Siyi, she would have taken her home, stayed with her until morning, and gently made her hangover tea.
Wasn’t that what all couples were supposed to do?
Her phone kept buzzing. She knew it was the annoying company CEO, her harsh parents, and Tan Ya, who knew what else she wanted to judge and argue about—all of them ceaselessly grating on her nerves, day and night.
Among the countless messages, not one was from Jiang Siyi.
There was no way she could go to the office today.
Song Ti went home, showered, and threw away the outfit worth tens of thousands of yuan that she’d worn only once.
After calling Xie Shuyi over, she didn’t say a word—just sat in silence, drinking coffee.
Xie Shuyi saw through her at a glance.
“If you keep this up, Jiang Siyi will laugh at you.”
Her hair, long neglected for lack of care, hung messily over her shoulders. Song Ti fidgeted irritably with a lighter.
“If you ask me, you should win Jiang Siyi back.”
That line finally made Song Ti look up.
“And then dump her hard. That would be the greatest punishment for her.”
Xie Shuyi leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
“She’s loved you for years—she can’t just forget it all. She’s just angry and hasn’t found a way to back down. If you apologize sincerely and give her a thoughtful, tasteful gift, she might very well change her mind. Once she’s back by your side, you kick her to the curb. After that, no matter what happens, she’ll be the one you abandoned—the eternal laughingstock.”
Xie Shuyi’s words hit Song Ti’s most sensitive nerve, and she fell into silent contemplation.
Xie Shuyi had deliberately concealed certain things.
She’d already heard about Lin Xuebo and Qiao Jin’s scheme.
She also knew that Jiang Siyi had put on a ring and declared herself married.
She hadn’t told Song Ti any of this.
Song Ti had been listless lately, drinking herself into a stupor, completely out of touch with the latest gossip in their circle. Xie Shuyi intentionally kept her in the dark, and even their mutual friends had been sworn to secrecy.
If Song Ti found out, it would spoil a lot of the fun.
The more Song Ti thought about it, the brighter her eyes grew.
Exactly. Just as Xie Shuyi said—win Jiang Siyi back, then dump her hard.
Song Ti told herself: that was the thrill she wanted—the pleasure of punishing and humiliating her.
Countless scenarios flashed through her mind, and Song Ti began excitedly picking out gifts.
Jewelry, haute couture gowns, custom trips, matching couple’s watches…
None of them worked. None felt quite right.
Song Ti completely failed to realize that what she was thinking of was coaxing and deception. Instead, the more she prepared, the more carried away she became, genuinely pouring her heart into trying to please Jiang Siyi.
Searching every corner of her memory, Song Ti suddenly had a brilliant idea.
Noontime, Jiashibi Auction House.
After a busy morning, the moment her mind relaxed, Lin Ji barged into Jiang Siyi’s thoughts without the slightest courtesy.
Two days ago, in the dressing room.
Lin Ji had asked her whether she had any reservations about going public as a married couple.
Siyi blinked. “I don’t have any reservations. I thought you were the one who didn’t want to go public.”
Lin Ji went silent.
When did I ever not want to go public?
The retort was already on her lips, but she suddenly realized that saying so would make Siyi think she was being harsh, and who knew what Siyi would later question with her friends about her capabilities. She adjusted her tone and expression again, trying to sound as gentle as possible.
“I’ve never wanted to hide our marriage.”
The woman in the mirror wore that expression again—the one that made Siyi’s heart buckle.
Lin Ji hadn’t expected that the gentleness she so desperately wanted to convey had looked, in Siyi’s eyes, like grievance.
With Lin Ji looking like that, whatever she asked for, Siyi probably couldn’t have refused.
“I don’t have any reservations either.”
Siyi’s two index fingers unconsciously twined together again.
But not because she was miserable.
It was the nervousness of facing a life about to change completely.
She had agreed to attend Huanwei’s 5th Anniversary Banquet with Lin Ji.
This was different from when she’d helped Lin Ji fend off blind dates before.
Completely different.
That night, they would appear together wearing identical rings, publicly announcing their marriage.
The tension of a momentous event approaching made Siyi’s mind wander a little.
There was a private sale that afternoon, for a ring. Manager Wu came over and said the client had specifically requested Jiang Siyi.
The client wasn’t previously Siyi’s—Manager Wu had developed the lead.
Manager Wu said generously, “Xiao Jiang, you don’t know this, but a few of your auction videos got posted online and the views are through the roof. The client probably requested you because they’re your fan. It’s fine, just go. You’re all in the same department, don’t feel pressured. Anyway, thanks to you, I’ve already exceeded my performance quota for this month.”
The ring’s estimated value wasn’t particularly high, and Duan Ning and the others had other matters to attend to that afternoon, so Siyi went alone.
Following the agreed address, Siyi arrived near the park.
The same park full of memories, where she’d sit on the little swing whenever she had time.
Siyi smiled at the little swing, then walked toward the residential community ahead.
This community was one of the Fourth-Generation flats that the major real estate agencies had been heavily promoting recently. The spacious flats had excellent views and prime locations, and the massive sky gardens had once tempted Siyi too. But after hearing the price and various red flags, she’d crossed it off her wish list.
Private elevator access—one unit per floor. Siyi took the elevator to the sixteenth floor.
When the doors opened, she thought she was seeing things.
Both sides of the corridor were lined with flowers, forming an extravagant floral path that stretched all the way to the front door.
This…
An odd feeling made her stop.
When she realized the flowers were vivid scarlet Zhushawan camellias, a sense of foreboding washed over her.
No wonder she’d been specifically requested. The private sale was just a pretext.
She turned to leave, and the sound of a door opening came from behind her.
“Siyi.”
An urgent female voice chased after her.
Siyi didn’t look back at all, walking faster and faster.
Just as she was about to reach the elevator, Song Ti strode up and grabbed her left wrist.
Siyi raised her hand to push her away, but her right hand was carrying the locked case with the ring, and her left hand was weaker—she couldn’t break free at once.
Siyi’s voice was low and steady. “Let me go.”
It had happened before, not long ago. Song Ti appearing out of nowhere, grabbing her and refusing to let go, leaving red marks on her wrist that took days to fade, spewing crazy talk that embarrassed them both.
She thought it would be the same this time—another exhausting tug-of-war.
Unexpectedly, the moment the words “Let me go” left her mouth, Song Ti actually let go.
“I don’t want to hurt you either. Just don’t leave.”
Unlike last time at the watch store, when Song Ti had dug her fingers into her wrist to stop her from leaving and hurled insulting words at her, the woman before her had eyes that reddened the moment she spoke.
Those once-gentle, smiling eyes were now brimming with tears, the whites streaked with red, the skin around them swollen and blotchy.
She wasn’t grabbing Siyi anymore. Instead, she used her body to block the elevator doors.
The Zhushawan camellias didn’t just fill the corridor—she was also holding a huge bouquet in her arms.
After that one sentence, tears rolled down Song Ti’s face as she stared at Siyi.
“I’m sorry, Siyi… I was wrong before. I let you down, I hurt you. Can you give me a chance to make it up to you?”
All the frustration, anxiety, and resentment of these past weeks surged into a flood of grievance, drowning her pride in an instant.
She had never groveled like this for anyone’s forgiveness.
“We’ve known each other for years, grew up together—our lives have been intertwined for so long… Do you remember when we were kids, how we always teamed up against the same enemies, always stood on the same side? You’ve always known how much I care about you. I just… I just strayed for a moment. Everyone makes mistakes. I’m willing to change. Give me one chance to make it right, okay? You don’t want all those years of love to go up in flames either.
“You like that little park behind the building, right? I’ve already bought this flat. I bought it for you. We can live here together, see the park every day, take walks in it. Siyi… let’s start over. I’ve grown up. I won’t make the same mistakes again. You have no idea how I’ve survived these past days. This time, let me be the one to take care of you. I’ll love you properly, cherish you properly. Siyi…”
The glamour was gone, the arrogance was gone. The woman begging desperately before her was a stranger in a different way.
So Song Ti knew she liked the small park.
She knew what mattered to Siyi. She’d heard every word Siyi had ever said.
Yet she’d stayed deliberately silent all along, torturing her with cold indifference.
Siyi looked at the vivid, dewy Zhushawan camellias in Song Ti’s arms.
The same flowers she’d once dismissed and neglected were now cradled like precious treasures.
Which face was real, which was fake?
Perhaps both were real.
Whether it was Jiang Siyi or the Zhushawan camellias, whether past or present, they were all just props for Song Ti’s self-gratification.
Song Ti waited anxiously for Siyi to speak. After a long moment, she saw Siyi shake her head and say slowly:
“You haven’t grown up, Song Ti.”
I’m the one who’s grown up.
Siyi said it to herself in her heart.
That was how she could see Song Ti’s fundamental flaws clearly, see that this relationship had long since reached a dead end, and that turning back would only waste all the effort she’d made to move forward.
If she forgave someone who had hurt her without mercy, she’d be betraying herself, and betraying all those agonizing yesterdays.
Meeting Song Ti’s disbelieving stare, Siyi said plainly and cruelly:
“It’s been over for a long time.”
Song Ti’s bloodshot eyes didn’t blink, and the tears fell even harder.
It’s been over for a long time…
She hadn’t even used “we” as the subject.
Siyi said, “Move.”
Song Ti choked up, wanting to plead again, but then she noticed something on Siyi’s ring finger.
Siyi had come for a private sale today, but hadn’t handled the lot yet, so she hadn’t put on her gloves.
The ring caught Song Ti’s eye.
“What does that mean?”
Song Ti stared at Siyi’s hand.
“You… you’re really with someone else?”
Siyi said point-blank, “I’m married.”
“How could you… just marry some random person to spite me? Jiang Siyi, aren’t you being completely irresponsible with yourself?”
“Not random.” Siyi’s eyes flickered slightly. “I love her.”
Three words, like a knife straight through Song Ti’s heart.
Song Ti didn’t know when the camellias had fallen to the floor, didn’t know when Siyi had pressed the elevator button. Her head buzzed, Siyi’s words echoing endlessly.
She wanted to fool herself, to believe those words were a lie—that Jiang Siyi hadn’t given her love to someone else.
But she still knew Siyi.
Her tone, her attitude, those small certain gestures—everything told her Siyi was serious.
The elevator doors opened. As Siyi stepped forward, Song Ti crushed the delicate petals underfoot, trying to grab Siyi again.
But this time, she couldn’t reach her.
The words “Who is it?” never made it out of her mouth. Someone burst from behind her, the force of it nearly slamming into Song Ti’s back, and then her arms were wrenched behind her.
The sharp pain nearly made Song Ti scream.
It was Zhou Ni.
As always, no matter whose father or whose ex it was, Zhou Ni carried out one single directive—protect Jiang Siyi.
Her words came out like a machine devoid of emotion, exactly the same as when she’d pinned down Jiang Luo last time.
“Police station, or dislocate an arm?”
Even the lines were the same.
Song Ti heard her words and her face twisted in terror.
Wretched, cowardly, pathetic…
The last shred of dignity Song Ti held in Siyi’s eyes vanished completely.
Looking at the trampled petals—a floor of battered scarlet, like pear blossoms beaten down by rain1—Siyi pitied that beauty which had done nothing wrong. She looked away, said only “Keep her away from me,” and closed the elevator doors.
…
Song Ti felt she barely recognized Jiang Siyi anymore.
This cold, detached Jiang Siyi, with her air of authority, actually stirred a strange restlessness in Song Ti’s heart.
A restlessness that reminded her of long, long ago, when she’d wanted to solve every problem for Jiang Siyi.
After Jiang Siyi had completely left her, she had fallen in love with her all over again.
The wrench from that crazy woman who’d burst out of nowhere hurt so badly that Song Ti couldn’t sleep all night.
The next day, she summoned Xie Shuyi, Zhou Yanlin, and the others to her home, asking if they knew who Jiang Siyi had married.
So she finally knew Jiang Siyi was married.
Judging by Song Ti’s wretched state, she’d obviously been rejected—rejected brutally.
Xie Shuyi held back a smile tugging at her lips.
Everyone helped her guess who it was.
After a round of guessing, someone in the corner said quietly, “I said it before—could it be Lin Ji? The timing of their marriages is just too close.”
The remark was met with collective mockery.
“Similar timing means they married each other? Do you have any idea how many people in the world get married on the same day?”
“Jiang Siyi’s wearing some cheap plain band as a wedding ring. If she really married Lin Ji, do you think Lin Ji would ever wear something like that?”
“But… I heard Lin Ji seems to be wearing a plain band too?”
Zhou Yanlin was the most skeptical. He’d said before that if Jiang Siyi really married Lin Ji, he’d live stream eating iron pot stew of himself.
Zhou Yanlin retorted, “Talking to you is exhausting. A plain band and a plain band aren’t the same thing, okay? Lin Ji’s would definitely be a one-of-a-kind custom piece from abroad. Jiang Siyi’s is obviously off the shelf. Maybe Jiang Siyi bought hers to match Lin Ji’s and is throwing up a smokescreen.”
Most people thought a match between Jiang Siyi and Lin Ji was impossible.
Some were flattering Song Ti; others genuinely thought Jiang Siyi wasn’t good enough.
Only Song Ti said nothing.
She thought of the day Jiang Siyi had discovered Tan Ya—that restaurant where Jiang Siyi had appeared out of nowhere, and after that, her Biaojie2 had chased right out after her.
Countless fragments and coincidences from the past flashed and pieced together in her mind.
A creeping panic spread through Song Ti’s heart.
Huanwei Technology’s 5th Anniversary Banquet.
Tonight’s banquet wasn’t just for J City’s elite and the second-generation rich of their circle—every employee at Huanwei Technology Headquarters was welcome to come eat and drink for free.
Huanwei had given everyone half a day off starting the afternoon before yesterday, and combined with the weekend, that made three and a half days—a mini holiday.
The employees were all curious. Chairman Ji had never thrown a banquet before—what had prompted this sudden generosity, giving them time off and free food and drink?
Lin Xuebo and Kong Yuchen attended together.
Kong Yuchen looked around and found tonight even livelier than the Ruihua Bank banquet.
People who hadn’t been invited to the bank banquet had all shown up tonight. Lin Ji’s drawing power spoke for itself.
All of that was understandable. But the entire Song Family showing up—that was a bit unusual.
Kong Yuchen asked his wife, “Xiaoyou is being so high-profile today. Is she planning something?”
After all this groundwork, it was all for today. Of course Lin Xuebo knew what Xiaoyou was planning.
She just didn’t want to spoil it by telling Kong Yuchen, who couldn’t accomplish anything but could certainly ruin it.
Lin Xuebo took a glass of champagne. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Meanwhile, in the upstairs lounge.
Siyi was wearing the backless evening gown today.
To complement her, Lin Ji had—very rarely—also dressed up, wearing a gorgeous champagne-colored boat-neck gown that accentuated her figure with added grace.
Siyi had again styled her hair in a low bun, while Lin Ji wore her long curls loose.
The two women standing together—one gentle and elegant, the other cold and striking.
Anyone who saw them would think: a perfect match.
Lin Ji reached up and brushed a stray wisp of hair from Siyi’s temple.
The custom ring sparkling boldly on her ring finger was identical to the one on Siyi’s.
They had temporarily swapped their plain bands for the rings Lin Ji had specially commissioned.
“Have you thought it through?”
Before going downstairs, Lin Ji asked Siyi one more time.
“Becoming each other’s wife means being the two most intimate people in the world—able to do the most private things together. At least in the eyes of others, for as long as the marriage lasts, that’s what it means. If you go public with me today, my name might follow you for a lifetime. I hope you’ve thought this through, and that you won’t regret it.”
The sounds of guests conversing downstairs drifted up in fragments.
The crowd tonight was large. The Song family might be among them.
She knew all of this. Lin Ji had told her.
Siyi tilted her head slightly, gazing at the woman before her who weighed every word with such care and thoroughness, and recalled her own response when faced with Song Ti’s questioning.
The words that had tumbled out when Song Ti had cornered her were, in fact, the true feelings she hadn’t dared to confront all this time.
The source of all that anxiety, joy, trembling, and heat had finally broken through the surface after being suppressed again and again.
She loved Lin Ji. It wasn’t a lie born of spite.
She wasn’t a fool. She knew better than anyone who had sparked the daydreams that had been haunting her heart these past weeks.
Probably no one could be tenderly cared for by a beautiful, mature, powerful woman like Lin Ji and emerge unscathed.
Jiang Siyi had fallen for someone she shouldn’t have, developed desires she shouldn’t possess, and longed for a moon she couldn’t reach even on her toes.
If she could be entwined with her name in this lifetime, who would hesitate?
Siyi’s eyes shone as she looked straight at Lin Ji.
“I won’t regret it.”
The author has something to say:
Lin Ji: Wife-pampering Step 12 — pave all paths for wife, high-profile public declaration.
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