The CEO’s Cannon-Fodder Ex-Wife (10)
The late-autumn sunlight streamed through the gallery’s enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, casting geometric patches of light across the polished marble floor.
Ning Xin stood in front of an abstract painting. The canvas was filled with chaotic yet harmonious blocks of blue and gray, resembling the sea on the eve of a storm.
“Do you like this one?”
Zhao Yawen walked over to her, her tone less sharp than usual.
Ning Xin glanced sideways at her.
Zhao Yawen was wearing a black pantsuit today, looking capable and neat. However, the dark circles beneath her eyes were impossible to conceal, and even her foundation could not completely cover them.
“It’s all right.”
Ning Xin replied calmly. “The composition is interesting.”
The two continued strolling through the gallery.
This private gallery was exhibiting works by several emerging artists. The surroundings were quiet, with only a handful of visitors.
A faint mixture of turpentine and coffee lingered in the air.
The system reminded Ning Xin:
【Host, Zhao Yawen came to see you today because she wants you to pass a message to the Jiang family.】
【The Zhao family’s cash flow is about to break down, and they urgently need a bridge loan.】
Ning Xin responded mentally,
“I know.”
She understood the people in this circle far too well.
Among the “plastic sisters” around her:
Lin Wei was intelligent and knew how to read the situation. The development of the Lin family could be described as steady and methodical.
Zhou Xiaoxiao was quick-witted. Whatever she wanted to do was written all over her face, making her easy to read.
Only Zhao Yawen had a straightforward personality. She said whatever was on her mind and often offended people because of it, but she was not a bad person.
For someone as proud as her to take the initiative to ask for help, the Zhao family must truly have reached the edge of a cliff.
When they reached the lounge at the back of the gallery, a waiter brought them two cups of coffee.
Zhao Yawen stirred her coffee, hesitating several times as though she wanted to say something.
Ning Xin picked up her cup and took a sip, waiting for her to speak.
“Ningning, I know I shouldn’t have come to you about this, but…”
“The Zhao family is about to collapse.”
Ning Xin finished her sentence for her.
She might not involve herself in business, but she certainly wasn’t someone who completely ignored what was happening around her.
Zhao Yawen suddenly looked up. A trace of embarrassment flashed through her eyes, quickly replaced by urgency.
“Yes. We invested too much money in that project in the south of the city. Now that the banks have tightened their lending policies, if we can’t raise the money before the end of the month, the Zhao family will…”
She didn’t finish, but the meaning was already clear.
Ning Xin set down her coffee cup. The bottom of the cup lightly tapped against the saucer, producing a crisp sound.
“Yawen, you know that I never interfere in business matters. I also won’t influence my family’s or Jiang Xiao’s decisions.”
“I know, but—”
Ning Xin interrupted her.
“However, I can ask.”
She was only willing to ask. She couldn’t guarantee the result.
Hope immediately lit up in Zhao Yawen’s eyes.
“Thank you, really… As long as you can pass the message along, whether it works or not, the Zhao family will remember this favor.”
Her words were solemn, but Ning Xin merely smiled faintly.
“We’re friends. There’s no need to be so formal.”
The two looked at several more paintings, but Zhao Yawen was clearly distracted.
Ning Xin appropriately suggested leaving.
“I still have something to do, so I’ll leave first.”
“Okay. Thank you for your help.”
After walking out of the gallery, Ning Xin was greeted by the cool autumn breeze.
She gathered her coat around herself and walked toward the car parked by the roadside.
The system asked:
【Host, are you really planning to help the Zhao family?】
“Whether I help them or not depends on whether they’re worth helping.”
Ning Xin opened the car door.
“The Zhao family built its foundation through real industries. Their foundation is still fairly solid. If they can truly get through this crisis, they could become a useful ally in the future.”
“It’s easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow.”
“I understand that principle. Jiang Xiao understands it even better.”
The car drove toward a jewelry studio in the eastern part of the city.
Last month, Ning Xin had ordered a set of pearl jewelry there as a gift for Jiang Xiao’s mother.
Jiang Xiao’s mother liked pearls, saying that their gentle luster resembled the beauty accumulated through the passage of time.
The studio was located on a quiet street lined with plane trees.
After parking her car, Ning Xin pushed open the door. The wind chime rang out with a crisp sound.
“Miss Ning, you’re here.”
The owner of the studio was a woman in her fifties with a gentle and elegant air.
“The jewelry you ordered is ready. I’ll bring it out for you to see.”
Ning Xin nodded and waited by the counter.
Various jewelry designs were displayed inside the glass cases. Most followed a simple and elegant style, which suited her taste very well.
“Ning Xin?”
A somewhat familiar voice came from behind her.
Ning Xin turned around and saw a man standing at the entrance, looking at her in surprise.
He wore thin-rimmed glasses and had a refined, scholarly air.
Her memory quickly supplied the answer.
Lin Sen, an architecture major at A University and her senior by two years. Back then, he had been the vice president of the student union and had once expressed his feelings for her, but she had rejected him.
His name was rather interesting, too—five characters in Chinese, all associated with wood.
After graduation, he went abroad for further studies. She had heard that he had only returned to the country two years ago and now owned a well-known architectural design firm.
“Senior Lin.”
Ning Xin smiled and nodded.
“Long time no see.”
“It really is you.”
Lin Sen walked inside, genuine surprise in his eyes.
“You looked familiar from outside just now, but I wasn’t sure. You haven’t changed at all.”
“Senior, you’re joking.”
Ning Xin’s tone was polite.
“Did you also come to pick something up?”
“Yes. I ordered a brooch for my mother.”
Lin Sen walked to the other side of the counter and took out his receipt.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“I heard that you… got married?”
Ning Xin nodded.
“Yes.”
“Congratulations.”
Lin Sen smiled warmly.
“Your husband must be an excellent person.”
“Thank you.”
The two collected their respective custom-made pieces.
The brooch for Lin Sen’s mother was made of jade set with diamonds, elegant and dignified.
Ning Xin’s jewelry was made of pearls and diamonds, with an exquisite design.
“This set of pearls is beautiful.”
Lin Sen looked at the jewelry box in Ning Xin’s hand and sincerely praised it.
“It suits you very well.”
“I didn’t buy it for myself. It’s a gift.”
Ning Xin closed the box.
“A gift for an elder.”
The two stood at the entrance of the studio and chatted for a while, talking about their former professors and the changes at A University.
Lin Sen was witty and well-informed. Ning Xin responded occasionally, a faint smile on her lips.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the plane-tree leaves and fell across her face.
When Ning Xin spoke, her eyes curved slightly. The usual coolness and distance had faded, revealing a rare softness and brightness.
Lin Sen looked at her, complicated emotions flashing through his eyes—admiration, nostalgia, and perhaps a trace of feelings that had never completely faded.
“You…”
He was just about to say something when a black sedan slowly pulled up beside the road.
The window rolled down, revealing Jiang Xiao’s expressionless face.
“Wife.”
Ning Xin turned her head. A trace of surprise flashed through her eyes when she saw Jiang Xiao, but she quickly returned to normal.
“Why are you here?”
“The driver said you were here. I happened to be passing by, so I came over.”
Jiang Xiao turned toward Lin Sen beside her.
“And this is?”
“Lin Sen, my senior from university.”
Ning Xin introduced them.
“Senior Lin, this is my husband, Jiang Xiao.”
The two men’s gazes met in the air.
Lin Sen extended his hand.
“Mr. Jiang, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Jiang Xiao shook his hand.
“Hello.”
The atmosphere became inexplicably subtle.
Lin Sen withdrew his hand and smiled at Ning Xin.
“Ning Xin, I’ll be leaving first. I won’t disturb you two.”
“Let’s find some time… to meet again another day?”
“Sure.”
Ning Xin nodded.
Lin Sen gave Jiang Xiao a polite nod before turning and leaving.
Jiang Xiao watched his back until he had gone some distance away before looking at Ning Xin again.
“Get in.”
Ning Xin opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
The car was very quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine filling the space.
Jiang Xiao didn’t start driving immediately. He simply held the steering wheel and stared straight ahead.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were here?”
he asked, his voice calm.
“I decided to come pick up the jewelry at the last minute.”
“But you—where were you going?”
Ning Xin fastened her seat belt.
“How did you happen to come this way?”
“I was going to look at a property.”
【Host, he’s lying. The driver secretly told him that you were having a great conversation with a man, so he came here specifically.】
Ning Xin secretly laughed but didn’t expose him.
“Oh.”
The car merged into the traffic.
【Host, Jiang Xiao’s emotional value is fluctuating noticeably…】
Ning Xin responded mentally,
“Probably because of Lin Sen.”
She turned her head toward the window, the corner of her lips curving almost imperceptibly.
“How high is his favorability now?”
【It has remained at 90% recently. It hasn’t changed for a long time.】
“Hmm. If it won’t rise… then let it drop a little.”
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
When they returned home, Jiang Xiao went straight to his study without even taking off his coat.
Ning Xin ignored him as well.
She sat in the living room for a while, checked the time, then went upstairs to change into her house clothes before heading to the kitchen.
Auntie Wu was preparing dinner. She was somewhat surprised to see Ning Xin enter.
“Madam, what are you going to do?”
“I’m just here to cut some fruit.”
She carried the tray to the study and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Ning Xin pushed the door open.
Jiang Xiao sat behind the desk. Several documents were spread out in front of him, but it was obvious he wasn’t actually reading them.
When he saw her enter, he raised his eyes, his gaze deep and heavy.
“I cut some fruit for you.”
Ning Xin placed the cup on the corner of the desk.
“You’ve seemed a little overheated lately. Have some vitamin C.”
“Thank you.”
“That Lin Sen…”
Jiang Xiao suddenly spoke.
“Are you two very close?”
“University classmates and acquaintances. We had quite a bit of contact.”
Ning Xin’s tone was calm.
“Why?”
Jiang Xiao looked at her, an emotion in his eyes that she couldn’t understand.
“The way he looked at you…”
Ning Xin put down the cup and looked up at him.
“What about it?”
“He likes you.”
Jiang Xiao was certain.
“He did confess his feelings to me before, but I rejected him a long time ago.”
“That was eight hundred years ago.”
The more Jiang Xiao thought about it, the more irritated he became.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. The posture created a subtle sense of pressure.
“There’s a clause in our contract.”
Ning Xin was stunned, then laughed.
“Is President Jiang reminding me not to cheat?”
Hearing her use that form of address, he understood that Ning Xin was somewhat angry.
“I’m just reminding you…”
Ning Xin met his gaze.
“So you specifically came to pick me up today because you were fulfilling your ‘supervisory duty’?”
Her words carried a sting, and Jiang Xiao’s expression darkened.
The two stared at each other as something in the air seemed to tighten.
In the end, Jiang Xiao was the first to avert his gaze.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
Ning Xin asked softly.
Jiang Xiao fell silent.
What did he mean?
Even he couldn’t explain it clearly.
When the driver had “reported” it to him, he admitted that he had panicked a little.
Then he had seen her happily chatting with another man.
She had smiled so naturally, so comfortably. It was a state he rarely saw when she was with him.
At that moment, an unfamiliar emotion had surged through his heart.
It was as if his territory had been invaded, yet also as if something important was slipping beyond his control.
For some reason, he thought of their contract and the clauses written inside it.
Reason told him that Ning Xin and Lin Sen had merely happened to run into each other. There was nothing to make a fuss about.
But emotionally… he didn’t want to see her smile at someone else like that.
After waiting a long time without receiving an answer, Ning Xin no longer wanted to stay there either.
Just as she reached the door, Jiang Xiao suddenly called out to her.
“Ning Xin.”
“Hmm?”
“As for the Zhao family…”
Jiang Xiao said,
“If you want to help them, I can consider it.”
Ning Xin turned around, somewhat surprised.
“How did you know?”
“Assistant Chen checked on the Zhao family’s current situation.”
Jiang Xiao paused.
“You met Zhao Yawen this afternoon.”
So he knew everything.
Ning Xin suddenly smiled.
“President Jiang really has well-informed sources.”
“So…”
Jiang Xiao looked at her.
“Are you willing to come and ask me for her sake?”
It was a cleverly phrased question.
Ning Xin tilted her head and asked in return,
“Do you want me to ask?”
Jiang Xiao said nothing.
After a long while, he let out a soft sigh.
“Tomorrow, I’ll have someone from the Zhao family come to the company.”
Ning Xin left the study.
Seeing how decisively she had walked away, Jiang Xiao became even more annoyed. He grabbed his keys and left the house.
