Indulgence - Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Jiang Nian couldn't resist calling Yao Ran's number. She hadn't really thought about what to say, and each ring made her feel more uncertain. By the third ring, she hung up herself. She was inexplicably afraid that the call would go unanswered, or that if it was answered, she would be met with an increasingly impatient, "Don't be so childish."

Just as Yao Ran was hesitating whether to answer, the caller ID changed to a missed call. Immediately after, she received a text from Jiang Nian. She opened it to read:

I just touched it by accident.

Yao Ran stared at the words on the screen, lost in thought, then looked out the window again…

After sending the text, Jiang Nian kept picking up her phone to check, as if waiting for a reply, but no message came. She thought about Yao Ran's cold reaction the last time they met. She had pretended not to even know her, so how could she possibly care about her phone call?

Si Mao trotted over to her again, looking for affection.

Jiang Nian put her phone away, casually wiped the tears from her cheeks, and squatted down to pet the little dog.

Si Mao licked her palm, his round eyes sparkling as if he were trying his best to cheer her up.

Jiang Nian smiled and absentmindedly played with Si Mao for a while. Perhaps from squatting for too long, her vision went black when she suddenly stood up, and her consciousness blurred for a moment. She swayed and collapsed to the ground.

Si Mao stood on the street and barked several times.

Just then, a kind-hearted passerby noticed and came over to check on the situation.

Jiang Nian's consciousness blanked out for a moment before gradually returning. The first thing she registered was a sound by her ear, what seemed to be a young man's voice asking her, "Are you okay?"

He was trying to help her up.

The sound of hurried footsteps grew closer. Seeing someone rush over with a tense and worried expression, the man asked, "Is this your friend?"

Yao Ran was panting. "Yes."

The man said, "It's probably low blood sugar. She fainted all of a sudden, it was pretty scary."

Yao Ran thanked him softly. She bent down and called out, "Jiang Nian…"

"Hm?" Jiang Nian murmured and slowly opened her eyes. For a second, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Get up." Yao Ran reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and half-pulled, half-supported her to her feet.

Once standing, Jiang Nian still hadn't recovered and instinctively leaned against the person beside her. She smelled a familiar fragrance and, looking hazily at the person before her, the feeling gradually became real.

Holding her by the waist and seeing her up close, Yao Ran could more clearly tell how much weight she had lost. Jiang Nian wasn't wearing any makeup today; her eyes were red from crying and her lips were pale, making her look exceptionally unwell.

Jiang Nian wasn't in poor health, but she had been overly exhausted recently, either working overtime on tattoos or staying up all night drawing designs. On top of that, she hadn't been feeling well tonight, and the sudden lack of oxygen had caused her to pass out.

Once she clearly saw it was Yao Ran, Jiang Nian subconsciously leaned her head on her shoulder. Afraid she was unsteady, Yao Ran promptly held her a little tighter.

Such an intimate gesture was all too familiar to them.

Yao Ran first helped her back to the studio.

Jiang Nian sat down on the sofa, still dazed by Yao Ran's sudden appearance. She pursed her dry lips.

Seeing this, Yao Ran walked to the pantry with practiced ease.

After the commotion earlier, everyone else in the studio had left early, leaving it perfectly quiet.

Yao Ran went to the pantry and got a bottle of juice and a bag of cookies. She had been here so many times that she knew exactly where everything was.

The bottle of juice, its cap already twisted off, was held out in front of her. Jiang Nian paused before taking it. She took a sip of the orange juice, easing her discomfort.

"Didn't eat again?" Yao Ran couldn't help but say. She could guess that Jiang Nian had skipped dinner again.

"Yeah," Jiang Nian replied. Her voice was heavy with congestion from crying so hard and having a cold. She stared at Yao Ran and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Yao Ran answered simply, "Just passing by after work."

Jiang Nian figured as much. She asked again, "Getting off work this late?"

Yao Ran didn't answer, just handed her the cookies.

After the brief exchange, they fell into a silence filled with distance.

Jiang Nian took another sip of orange juice, tasting only sourness, not sweetness. A moment ago she had been longing to see her, but now that they were face to face, they were acting like strangers. If they hadn't broken up, she would have eagerly thrown herself into Yao Ran's arms, whining pitifully, and Yao Ran would have shed her usual cold demeanor, stroking her head and coaxing her in a soft, gentle voice…

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Jiang Nian drank her juice in a daze and silently ate a few cookies. The color slowly returned to her face.

Yao Ran asked her, "Feeling better?"

Jiang Nian wanted to tell her she felt awful, but then she remembered she no longer had the right to. Playing the spoiled child wouldn't work anymore. She forced a smile. "Yeah."

Yao Ran thought for a moment, then said, "Take good care of yourself."

The words made Jiang Nian's nose sting. This kind of concerned remark, laced with distance, was even harder to bear. She looked up at Yao Ran, thought of her own pathetic state, and a bitter feeling rose in her heart. "Do you think I'm too immature again?" she asked.

Yao Ran deliberately avoided her tear-rimmed, aggrieved eyes.

"We may have broken up, but you don't have to pretend you don't know me, right?" Jiang Nian said with a bitter smile.

Yao Ran knew Jiang Nian was referring to the night she came by with Yao Qi.

"Don't worry. I might not be mature enough, but I won't pester you endlessly." Jiang Nian quietly bit her lip, her voice trembling slightly. "I won't be a bother to you…"

Yao Ran said in a low voice, "That's not what I meant."

Jiang Nian's eyes grew even redder, but she fought to keep the tears from falling. She looked at Yao Ran again. So many bitter words were stuck in her throat, she couldn't utter a single one. She just stared hopefully at the person in front of her, waiting for Yao Ran to say something more.

Seeing that she had mostly recovered, Yao Ran said, "I'm leaving."

Jiang Nian's eyes dimmed. "Okay."

Si Mao hadn't seen Yao Ran in a long time and had been clinging to her leg. Seeing that she was about to leave, he followed her, trying to block her way.

Yao Ran patted Si Mao's head. "Be good."

Jiang Nian said sullenly, "It's been too long. He doesn't want you to go."

---

Back home that night, Jiang Nian tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Was it really such a coincidence that Yao Ran happened to be there right when she fainted?

While she was wide awake, Jiang Nian received a WeChat message.

【Yao Qi】Babe, when are you free? Wanna be a model for me?

Since they had added each other on WeChat, Yao Qi had chatted with her a few times. At first, they talked about tattoos, and later they discussed photography. She knew that Yao Qi was now a freelance photographer.

Jiang Nian asked her: What kind of model?

【Yao Qi】I'm shooting some promotional photos for my sister's bar soon, and I want to include some beautiful women.

Jiang Nian stared at the message for a moment, then replied: Your sister is so beautiful, you could just shoot her.

【Yao Qi】That old stick-in-the-mud would never cooperate.

Old stick-in-the-mud? Jiang Nian thought the term was quite fitting. Aside from herself, who had seen Yao Ran's passionate, unrestrained side, everyone else probably saw Director Yao as abstinent—even her own sister.

Yao Qi sent another message: It's a paid gig~

Jiang Nian smiled and replied: That's not necessary. I'll be a model for free.

【Yao Qi】Love you! I'll buy you a drink!

They set the time for the following Monday.

It was Ruan Xin's idea to have Yao Qi shoot the promotional photos. Ruan Xin had watched Yao Qi grow up, so when she heard the young woman was now a photographer, she felt she had to support her as an older sister figure.

The bar didn't open until after eight, but Yao Qi arrived before then with a full set of professional equipment, bringing a friend along with her.

Ruan Xin had also called Yao Ran over, so Yao Qi could take some photos of her as well.

"The busy bee has been coming quite often lately," Ruan Xin said with a smile when she saw Yao Ran.

"Weren't you the one who rushed me to come?" Yao Ran said.

"I used to rush you before, but I could never get you to move," Ruan Xin pointed out bluntly.

Yao Ran hadn't realized she was coming to the bar more frequently. Now that Ruan Xin mentioned it, she realized it was true.

"Jiang Nian is coming tonight, too," Ruan Xin suddenly said to Yao Ran, as if giving a friendly warning. "Yao Qi asked her to be a model."

Yao Ran blinked slowly but didn't respond.

Ruan Xin smiled knowingly. Some things were better left unsaid. But with Yao Ran coming to the bar so often after the breakup, she didn't believe for a second that Jiang Nian wasn't on her mind.

Jiang Nian arrived a little later. As soon as she walked into the bar, she saw Yao Qi bouncing and waving at her. "Jiang Nian, we were waiting for you!"

Yao Ran watched them. It hadn't been long, yet Jiang Nian and Yao Qi were already so close. On second thought, she supposed no one could dislike Jiang Nian's personality.

Jiang Nian smiled back at Yao Qi, her gaze automatically finding the person standing further away. She hadn't expected to run into Yao Ran tonight. She had assumed Yao Ran would know Yao Qi had asked her to be a model and would deliberately avoid being here. Or did she not know?

"Teacher Jiang, you look so beautiful tonight," Yao Qi said sweetly. "You'll definitely charm everyone."

"You think so?" Jiang Nian accepted the compliment graciously. She confidently took off her jacket, revealing a dress underneath that accentuated her figure even more.

"Oh my god, your figure is amazing," Yao Qi said with an envious tone. She turned excitedly to her friend. "Isn't the model I hired super beautiful?"

Jiang Nian walked over to greet Ruan Xin, which naturally brought her in front of Yao Ran.

Now, whenever the two of them met, neither knew what to say. Thankfully, Ruan Xin was there to ease the tension. Ruan Xin looked at Jiang Nian and also praised her, "I almost didn't recognize you. This looks good on you, it suits you."

Jiang Nian smiled.

Yao Ran's quiet gaze swept over her. Jiang Nian was dressed with a certain maturity tonight, but it wasn't the kind of look she used to force. Her makeup also suited her age and temperament.

"Are you sure you don't want an appearance fee?" Ruan Xin teased with a smile. "With such a beautiful model, I'm really getting a great deal."

Jiang Nian joked back absentmindedly, "If you insist on paying, I won't say no."

Ruan Xin: "Let's not. I was just being polite."

After a few lighthearted jokes, Yao Qi called out, "Jiang Nian, come on over. Let's start shooting."

"Okay, coming."

Jiang Nian knew a thing or two about photography herself—how to pose, what made for a good composition, she had a feel for it all. Plus, Qiu Lan had taken countless photos of her, so she was very expressive. Working with a model like her was a breeze for any photographer.

Yao Qi was thoroughly enjoying the shoot. "Let's get one by the bar."

Leaning against the bar, Jiang Nian held a wine glass and posed for a shot, a perfect smile on her lips.

Seeing this, Yao Ran's thoughts drifted back to the first night she met Jiang Nian. It was just like this. She had to admit, she had never met anyone more flirtatious than Jiang Nian…

Ruan Xin glanced over from the corner of her eye. She turned to look at Yao Ran. "Captivated again?"

Yao Ran: "…"

After the shoot, Ruan Xin treated everyone to drinks. When Jiang Nian sat down, she happened to be right across from Yao Ran.

The friend who came with Yao Qi was named Mimi, an artsy-looking girl. After sitting down for drinks, she struck up a conversation with Jiang Nian. "I hear you're a tattoo artist?"

Jiang Nian hummed in agreement.

"That's so cool," Mimi said with a smile. "Actually, our jobs are a bit similar."

"What do you do?" Jiang Nian asked, playing along.

"I'm an illustrator. We both draw, you just do it on skin," Mimi said with a laugh.

Jiang Nian laughed too. "I guess they are pretty similar."

Mimi asked a few more questions, and after learning they were both from art-related fields, they found even more common topics to talk about.

Yao Ran watched Jiang Nian laughing happily and silently took a sip of her drink.

"I suddenly think you two look really good together," Yao Qi said, looking through the photos she had just taken. She had caught a candid shot of Jiang Nian and Mimi together. She sighed in admiration and showed it to Yao Ran beside her. "Sis, don't you think so?"

The table fell into a sudden, unanimous silence.

Yao Ran's gaze froze on the photo for a long moment, but in the end, she said nothing.

Ruan Xin raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Yao Qi had no idea about Yao Ran and Jiang Nian's history… If she did, she wouldn't be provoking her own sister like this.

"Don't talk nonsense," Mimi said with an awkward laugh. "Jiang Nian must have a girlfriend, right?"

Jiang Nian stole a glance at the person across from her but gave up. It was hard to read any emotion on Yao Ran's face.

Yao Qi asked Jiang Nian, "You're single, right?"

Jiang Nian answered truthfully, "Yeah."

"Mimi's single too. Since you two get along so well, want to give it a try?" Yao Qi was enjoying herself, loving the idea of two beautiful women getting together.

Yao Ran's fingers accidentally knocked over her wine glass, clumsily spilling it everywhere.

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