novelraw Chapter 1044 - 1042: Sister, or Sister-in-law?
Chapter 1044 - 1042: Sister, or Sister-in-law?
Ji Huan thought he might have pushed Zhu Qianyu too hard, which is why she resorted to lying to reject him.Coincidentally, a project leader from the Ji Family at a distant location applied for a month of paternity leave as he was about to become a father.
Ji Huan had previously been involved in this project, so when Da Bao mentioned it during a meeting, Ji Huan volunteered to go and act as the interim project leader.
At that time, he left in a hurry, almost deciding to pack his bags and head to the airport immediately. It wasn’t until he boarded the plane that he realized he hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to Zhu Qianyu.
After landing, the local assistant picked him up at the airport and rushed him to the project site. After all, this was no small project, and no one wanted to bear any blame if something went wrong.
On the first day in the new location, Ji Huan only returned to the hotel after eleven o’clock at night.
The environment here at the hotel was average, but it was conveniently close to the work site. Although Ji Huan could be quite meticulous at times, he was not someone who shunned hardships.
In an average hotel environment, the facilities understandably weren’t great either.
There was broadband, but the internet speed was as slow as a snail.
Ji Huan finished his shower and, while eating the late-night snacks he bought on the way, waited for the web pages on his computer to load slowly.
After finishing his late-night meal, the short video on his computer was still buffering.
Ji Huan glanced at the screen, shut the computer with determination, and went to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.
Lying in bed, he couldn’t help but think of Zhu Qianyu.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t find a breakthrough.
Finally, he decided to let things simmer for a while, hoping the separation would give her time to gain clarity.
And give himself some time to calm down and think things through.
...
Since that day, Zhu Qianyu had not seen Ji Huan, nor had she received any calls or messages from him.
Ji Huan seemed to have vanished from her life.
At first, she thought she’d only be down for a few days and would quickly return to normal.
But as days went by, and with Ji Huan vanished for two whole weeks, she still found herself plagued by illusions. She often heard her phone ring, only to find nothing there when she picked it up—no calls or messages.
Once a diligent student, she recently often found herself lost in thought during classes. Her distracted demeanor worried Fang Ziqing.
"Little Bamboo, did something happen with your family?"
Fang Ziqing wasn’t very familiar with her family affairs, but occasionally heard her mention her sister or mother.
"No...they’re fine..."
Her sister, who had disappeared for half a month, had already returned home and seemed to have gotten close to the elder lady from the Yan Family recently.
Therefore, she didn’t need to worry about her sister.
She was now worried about herself.
She was anxious about when she’d be able to return to solid ground from the depths of despair.
Previously, she had never experienced liking someone, so she didn’t know what it felt like.
Even now, she couldn’t say she fully understood.
But she realized one truth: falling in love might only take a minute, but forgetting someone you love could take a long time.
Though she appeared distracted most of the time at school, she never missed her Saturday and Sunday internships at Xinying.
Despite the fact that Ji Huan had introduced this job, she couldn’t bear to give it up. On the contrary, she cherished this internship more than ever.
She even dodged her sister’s two suggestions to return briefly to L City.
This Friday, she left school as usual, carrying her backpack straight to the bus stop.
After transferring to the station near Xinying, she called Tian Fang, who asked her to wait a moment as she might be a few minutes late picking her up.
With her backpack, Zhu Qianyu leaned against the bus stop sign listening to music with earphones. Time flew by, and within two or three songs, a familiar car stopped in front of her.
Just as Zhu Qianyu was about to head to the front passenger seat, the rear window rolled down and Tian Fang called out to her, "Xiao Yu, sit in the back."
Zhu Qianyu smiled and opened the rear door, "Hello Sister Fang!"
She sat in the car and closed the door, lowering her head to take off her backpack. A clear, crisp voice came from overhead, "Hello, I’m Si Han!"
Zhu Qianyu quickly looked up, facing the pretty face—who else could it be but Si Han?
"Ah! Hello Si Han Senior!" Zhu Qianyu forgot to take off her backpack, silly smiling and leaning forward between the front seats, showing Si Han a big smile.
She smiled foolishly for a while before realizing she hadn’t introduced herself, "I’m your die-hard fan, my name is Zhu Qianyu."
Si Han smiled and extended her hand to her, "Hello, I’ve known about you for a long time!"
Zhu Qianyu glanced at Tian Fang, "Sister Fang told you, right? It must be!"
Her very certain answer was actually not the case at all.
Si Han chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.
Si Han’s sparkling eyes looked at her carefully, "You really are very pretty and cute! Can I call you Xiao Yu?"
Getting to see her idol up close, Zhu Qianyu was already ecstatic; now, even if she asked to call her a cockroach, she’d agree without hesitation.
"Of course, you can, you can call me Xiao Yu, or Little Bamboo, or Qianqian."
After many days of feeling down, this day was undoubtedly the happiest she had experienced in the past half month.
"Hmm, I’ll call you Xiao Yu then, the name really suits you."
Si Han, confidently scrutinizing the woman who claimed to be her die-hard fan and also was liked by her brother, found her more and more endearing.
"Really? Thank you, Senior Si Han!" Xiao Yu was thrilled to get special attention from her idol.
For some reason, Si Han suddenly had the impulse to ruffle her refreshing short hair.
"Sister Fang brought both of us here, why don’t you just call me Sister?"
Tian Fang glanced at Si Han with a mysterious smile.
Si Han smiled as well, but she was smiling while waiting for Zhu Qianyu’s reply.
"Is it okay? Can I call you Sister?"
Zhu Qianyu had no idea that Si Han was Ji Huan’s sister.
"Hmm, of course, I’ve always wanted a sister like you."
As an observer, Tian Fang looked meaningfully at Si Han and then at Zhu Qianyu.
In her heart, she thought, Si Han, stop pretending, if you want such a sister-in-law, just say it!
"But I have a sister myself, so why don’t I call you Sister Han? It’s easier to differentiate!"
Zhu Qianyu was open and honest, showing no doubts or reservations towards Si Han, sharing things about her family she wouldn’t typically mention in casual conversation.