ORCBRB – Chapter 2
Chapter 2
After they reunited, Sang Shi'an rarely saw Jian Cenyu smile, let alone joke with her like this. She even suspected for a time that Jian Cenyu had suffered some kind of trauma during her four years of studying abroad, causing her to lose her basic ability to show expressions.
But for now, it seemed Jian Cenyu was, barely, a normal person.
Sang Shi'an returned to the open study in the living room to check on her water-damaged laptop, only to find that it wouldn't turn on.
Sang Shi'an couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Her paper was due in the afternoon. If she were to buy a new one now... Last night, to celebrate her childhood friend's birthday, she had bought a newly released bag along with a bunch of useless accessories, completely spending her allowance. She was waiting to go home on the weekend to ask for more money.
A laptop costing nearly five figures was something she couldn't afford at the moment.
Just as she was searching on her phone for ways to salvage a water-damaged laptop, Jian Cenyu emerged from the bathroom after blow-drying her hair. She went straight to the pantry and started the coffee machine.
She had changed into a clean white shirt and a black Hepburn-style skirt, which perfectly accentuated her figure. The white light falling on her seemed to add a faint layer of aloofness.
Quite the respectable look.
Sang Shi'an pouted, lowered her head, and continued to fiddle with the laptop. When she long-pressed the power button, the screen lit up for five seconds before going dark again.
It didn't look promising.
Sang Shi'an had no choice but to contact Su Ningyue, planning to borrow a laptop from her first. After getting in touch, Sang Shi'an immediately stood up. Perhaps the movement was too sudden, as it pulled at the bruise on her lower back from the previous night. She gritted her teeth and hissed in pain.
Jian Cenyu, who was coming out with a cup of coffee, happened to hear her. "Did you hurt yourself?"
Sang Shi'an's hand moved, trying to hide her right lower back with her sleeve in a poor attempt at concealment. "No."
Jian Cenyu's eyes narrowed slightly, carrying a hint of scrutiny. She was three years older than Sang Shi'an, and since their reunion, she always exuded a sense of pressure.
There hadn't been such a barrier between them when they were children. Jian Cenyu had managed to get into Yanjing University's graduate program in a different major while studying in a demanding university system abroad. Perhaps this long-term effort had shaped her personality.
"Are you sure you're not hurt?" Jian Cenyu asked again.
Sang Shi'an remained stubborn. "I just bumped my waist a little. What's there to ask? Do you have nothing better to do?"
Jian Cenyu's brows furrowed. It seemed like she was angry, or perhaps just annoyed that Sang Shi'an was talking too much.
In the two months they had been living together, Sang Shi'an had never once heard Jian Cenyu play music out loud. She was as cold and quiet as her personality.
Jian Cenyu was still her housemate, and their families got together from time to time. Sang Shi'an couldn't let their relationship become too strained.
So, Sang Shi'an spoke up again. "I saw a bottle of perfume when I was out yesterday and thought it would suit you perfectly, so I bought it. I'll go to my room and..."
...pick one out for you right now.
"Thank you," Jian Cenyu said politely. Her gaze finally moved away from Sang Shi'an's waist as she changed the subject. "Do you have class later?"
Sang Shi'an answered without much confidence, "No."
She originally had a Marxism class, but after drinking last night, she knew she wouldn't be able to get up, so she found someone to attend for her.
But Jian Cenyu wasn't the type to care about her class schedule.
Sang Shi'an thought for a moment. Reading Jian Cenyu's gaze, she felt she had guessed her intention and answered with rare confidence, "No class, but I don't have any plans with anyone either. I'm going to the university later to get a laptop from my friend, and then I'll spend the whole day writing my paper."
Jian Cenyu seemed dissatisfied with her answer and remained standing in front of her. Sang Shi'an's tone softened slightly. "I really have to write my paper. It's due today."
Jian Cenyu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is it the assignment Professor Xu gave on valuation adjustment mechanisms?"
Sang Shi'an was surprised Jian Cenyu knew. "Yes, that's the one."
Undergraduates at Yanjing University were also assigned advisors, but their relationship with them was far less close than that of graduate students. They were usually only given an assignment once a month.
Coincidentally, Jian Cenyu and Sang Shi'an had the same advisor.
Perhaps confirming that Sang Shi'an was genuinely focused on her studies, Jian Cenyu's gaze warmed slightly, and she became more approachable.
"This is an analysis I did when I was researching related companies." Jian Cenyu tapped her phone a few times, and the screen in Sang Shi'an's hand lit up. "You can use it as a reference."
Sang Shi'an looked at the case study on her phone. Although her brother had done similar things at this age, it still made her thoughtful that Jian Cenyu, who had just switched majors, could be so proficient.
Jian Cenyu asked a few more questions about the direction of Sang Shi'an's paper, and Sang Shi'an answered them one by one.
She didn't sound like she was cramming at the last minute. Jian Cenyu was finally satisfied. "Weren't you going to find your classmate? Go on."
Sang Shi'an grabbed her jacket and left. The moment the door closed, she let out a deep breath, as if she had finally escaped a teacher's office.
So annoying. It seems like today is not my day.
On the way, Sang Shi'an was on the phone with Su Ningyue, complaining about what had just happened.
After listening, Su Ningyue clicked her tongue in amazement. She even started calling Jian Cenyu 'Senior'. "Senior Jian is concerned about your paper and even gave you pointers?"
Sang Shi'an was baffled. "What's wrong with that?"
Su Ningyue's tone was vague. "It feels like your relationship isn't that bad."
Sang Shi'an corrected her. "It is bad. No arguing."
Nearly ten minutes later, Sang Shi'an was waiting at the west gate of Yanjing University for Su Ningyue, who was arriving with the laptop.
Su Ningyue handed her a cup of milk tea and leaned in mischievously. "Since you two get along so poorly, why don't you tell your parents? The Jian family is so wealthy, it's not like they can't afford a house. Wouldn't it be better for you to keep that three-hundred-square-meter place all to yourself?"
Sang Shi'an, who was lazily fiddling with her straw, paused and shook her head. "My parents would never believe me. They'd just think I'm throwing a tantrum. There's nothing private on your laptop, right? If I see something I shouldn't, I'm not taking responsibility."
Su Ningyue was unconcerned. "There are two user accounts. Log into the one without a password. It's empty inside, so you can just download your own documents."
Sang Shi'an was relieved. "Okay, I'll treat you to a meal later."
When she returned home again, Jian Cenyu was sitting on the sofa, talking on the phone. Sang Shi'an could hear several specialized medical terms.
Hearing that Jian Cenyu had already started taking over some of the Jian family's projects, Sang Shi'an couldn't tell if it was a work call or a school-related one.
Just seeing Jian Cenyu's effortless demeanor made her want to grit her teeth and glare.
As if sensing it, Jian Cenyu slowly looked up before Sang Shi'an could retract her gaze.
Their eyes met directly.
"Glaring sideways too much will make you habitually roll your eyes," Jian Cenyu said after hanging up the phone, her tone clearly preachy.
Sang Shi'an couldn't stand this tone from Jian Cenyu, so she didn't look away and continued to glare openly.
Those beautiful eyes were reddish from the wind. Jian Cenyu's gaze lingered on them for a moment before she asked, "Aren't you in a hurry to write your paper?"
"Yeah, I'm going to write it now." Sang Shi'an kicked off the shoes she had just changed out of and listlessly walked towards her room, her slippers making a shuffling noise on the floor.
"Wait, did you really go out just to borrow a laptop?" Jian Cenyu's footsteps followed from behind.
"What else would I... "
The next second, her voice stopped abruptly.
Jian Cenyu's hand was resting on Sang Shi'an's right lower back, the speculation in her eyes exceptionally clear. Sang Shi'an could even feel each of Jian Cenyu's fingers pressing against her waist, the scorching heat transmitting through her thin jacket.
Jian Cenyu said, "I thought your real reason for going out was to buy ointment. So it really was just to borrow a laptop."
Sang Shi'an was stunned and blurted out, "You knew I was hurt? Then why did you ask me just now if I was injured?"
"I thought you wanted to apply the medicine yourself, but it seems you have no intention of doing so." Jian Cenyu released her hand and turned to pick up her jacket. "The place where you're bruised is indeed a bit awkward to treat yourself. I'll go out and buy some ointment."
Jian Cenyu was going to apply medicine for her? The skin-on-skin kind?
Sang Shi'an stepped back, her expression instantly becoming quite colorful. "You're saying you're going to apply the medicine for me?"
Just like in the past two months, whenever Jian Cenyu got close, she would become exceptionally wary of her touch.
"What else?" Jian Cenyu didn't seem to understand why Sang Shi'an was asking again.
Sang Shi'an: "I can do it myself."
But Jian Cenyu shook her head and said, "I have time. It's no trouble."
Sang Shi'an: ...
Why is Jian Cenyu pulling this again?
It was as if she was the only one who disliked Jian Cenyu. Didn't Jian Cenyu find her annoying too? When they first moved in, Jian Cenyu wouldn't even let her touch her suitcase and had rarely shown her a pleasant expression.
Sang Shi'an's knuckles whitened as she gripped the laptop, shooting an angry glare at Jian Cenyu, only to have it deflected by Jian Cenyu's cool aura.
Since Jian Cenyu was so keen on playing the part of a loving sister...
An idea sparked in Sang Shi'an's mind. She took two steps toward Jian Cenyu and asked, "Can I borrow your laptop?"
Her tone was casual, slightly flippant. "Su Ningyue said her laptop is empty, so I'd have to download everything again. Since you're going out anyway, why don't you just let me use yours?"
After asking to borrow such a personal item, Sang Shi'an smiled at Jian Cenyu, waiting for a troubled expression to appear on her face. To her surprise, Jian Cenyu just hummed in agreement. "It's on the desk in my room. Go get it yourself."
It was like kicking a ball of cotton.
Jian Cenyu watched Sang Shi'an's back disappear into the room. The deliberately indifferent look in her eyes finally broke, and a hint of a smile emerged.
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