Forbidden To Be Tempted

"Is it okay to use WeChat to post the location?" Jiang Yu's tone was flat, "It's more convenient, you can navigate directly."

However, Cheng Suran heard a hint of pleading, her fingers tightened again, and her palm was hurt by the metal object. She told herself not to think too much, "I have navigation in my car, I'll just enter the address."

After saying those words, there was a brief silence on the other end.

"Okay."

After Jiang Yu finished speaking, Cheng Suran immediately hung up the phone.

She leaned her back against the door, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath slowly.

Sending it to her home in person is unavoidable, but adding her on WeChat is something she can refuse.

It's been five years, and she still finds herself easily soft-hearted when facing Jiang Yu. In order to avoid falling into it again, she can only try her best to avoid meeting Jiang Yu. However, now that Jiang Yu is the company's biggest business partner, it means she has to give her some face in most situations.

Cheng Suran felt that she had dug a hole for herself.

However, if it is good for the company's development, might as well just jump into the pit, Jiang Yu is not a scourge.

She thinks.

The phone vibrated.

Cheng Suran opened her eyes, clicked into the inbox, and there was a text message in it.

The address is not long, it consists of only the name of a residential complex and the house number. It is the famous riverside luxury residential area in Jiangcheng, called "Green Shang Mansion," with an average price of 200,000 yuan per square meter. Even the smallest unit in this complex is over 400 square meters in size.

It turns out that Jiang Yu's home is here...

She suddenly remembered the WeChat messages she secretly snooped on Jiang Yu's phone that night. At that time, Bai Lu lived at Jiang Yu's house and ate supper made by the aunt nanny, while she didn't even know which way the door of Jiang Yu's house opened.

Today, unexpectedly, she found out in this manner.

How ironic.

There is another sentence after the address: I will be home at about five o'clock in the afternoon, please come over around that time, thank you very much.

Cheng Suran didn't reply, but raised her hand and spread out her palm.

There was a faint red mark on her palm on the raised part of the dial.

The first time she saw this watch was six years ago. They went on a trip during the National Day holiday, and returned to the hotel room after soaking in the hot spring that night. Jiang Yu’s watch was left in her bag. She intended to return it to Jiang Yu and accidentally bumped into Jiang Yu and Lu Zhiqiao whispering in the corner of the corridor.

It was also during that time that she found out Jiang Yu's ex-girlfriend was Qi Yan.

She was once insanely jealous.

What a fool.

She also fantasized about the "Flower in the mirror and Moon in the water" hidden in her old phone's contact list, wondering when she could openly call that number. Now, it's the first time, but as a business partner.

Now they are equals.

...

In the evening.

The sun sets in the west, and the red clouds blaze like fire.

Jiang Yu returned home before five o'clock, took a shower quickly, changed into a fresh and elegant long dress, sprayed on some more perfume, and put on the matching necklace and earrings.

Completely refreshed from head to toe.

On that day, Ranran complimented her on her beautiful dress. After returning home, she took out all her dresses, taking advantage of the remaining summer days. Every time she met Ranran, she would wear a different dress until autumn arrived.

After tidying herself up, Jiang Yu went to tell the nanny to start processing the ingredients for dinner.

"Skip the onions and cilantro in the ingredients, not too spicy... You can add garlic to the water spinach for aroma, but chop it into large pieces..."

Auntie nodded repeatedly to reassure her.

Jiang Yu went to tidy up the room again, placed all kinds of snacks and drinks on the coffee table, took out a pair of pure white rabbit slippers from the cabinet, and put them at the door.

At 5:15 PM, she received a call from the security room to verify the visitor's information.

Afterwards, she stood guard at the door.

At the moment the doorbell rang, Jiang Yu quickly opened the door, and the graceful and slender figure of the woman appeared before her eyes. Her heart started racing, and she held her breath.

The security guard standing next to her nodded and then turned away.

Their eyes met.

Cheng Suran's expression was indifferent, but the hand hanging by her side tightly grasped the watch. Without waiting for Jiang Yu to speak, she raised her arm, "Miss Jiang, your watch."

"Thank you..." Jiang Yu accepted whatever the woman had brought, but then she noticed her turning to leave. "Come in and have a seat."

Cheng Suran stopped, not intending to agree.

"Aren't we partners now?"

Jiang Yu looked at her, her eyes shimmering, and casually threw out the same reason, "We're also friends. How could I let someone stand at the doorstep and not come in?"

That's also true.

Would it seem too deliberate to avoid it?

Cheng Suran pondered, her gaze shifting past Jiang Yu as she peered into the house, her curiosity stirred with anticipation.

Back then when she was a canary, she wanted so much to come to Jiang Yu's house to take a look and feel the breath of life that belonged to this person. For this, she begged in every possible way, crossed the line, and was severely poured with cold water.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=4738582

This translation is originally posted on

love4baihe.blogspot.com

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Now that she has become Jiang Yu's business partner, the other party took the initiative to invite her in.

Normal people are indeed different from canaries.

She grew up, understood, and looked away.

"Okay."

With a happy expression on her face, Jiang Yu pulled her in, pointed to the rabbit slippers on the ground and said, "Wear this pair, I specially prepared them for you."

Cheng Suran was slightly taken aback, said nothing, and put on slippers.

They fit perfectly.

Inadvertently, when she saw the black slippers of the same style on Jiang Yu's feet, she froze for a moment, feeling a strange emotion in her heart.

What does this mean?

Couple slippers?

"Ranran, let me show you around first." Jiang Yu took the initiative to hold her hand.

Cheng Suran avoided it, and only nodded slightly.

The smile on Jiang Yu's face turned a bit dim, and she withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened, leading her around the entrance to the living room.

The floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room occupy the entire wall, and the outside balcony is more than ten meters long, with sofas, viewing platforms, and hanging basket swings. On the left is a large round table restaurant with semi-curved floor-to-ceiling windows. There is also a small restaurant behind with a square table. Behind it is the kitchen. There is a Chinese kitchen and a western kitchen. The nanny is currently handling the ingredients.

There are five bedrooms left, four of which are ordinary guest rooms, six toilets, and four small balconies.

No matter which corner of the house she is in, she can have a panoramic view of the entire city center of Jiangcheng.

Cheng Suran likes the interior design here very much.

It's a mansion, but it doesn't look like a pile of money. Every piece of furniture looks ordinary, but you can find the owner's unique personality when you look closely. For example, at this moment, she found that Jiang Yu likes to use lines, likes large areas of light, and likes transparent glass.

It looks good wherever you stand and take pictures.

No wonder Bai Lu praised it like that...

Cheng Suran couldn't help but think of the WeChat messages she secretly saw on Jiang Yu's phone many years ago.

Is this where she once yearned to explore deeply?

A small pebble fell into her heart lake, causing shallow ripples, floating layer after layer on her chest, unable to calm down for a long time.

"Does your family not live here?" Cheng Suran changed the subject.

The house is beautiful, but it feels empty, lacking a sense of warmth. Living alone makes it more like staying in a hotel.

Jiang Yu's expression stiffened slightly and she said: "I have no family."

"Where are your parents?" Cheng Suran subconsciously asked, but soon regretted it. She clearly understood the meaning of that sentence, so she shouldn't continue to ask.

But she really wanted to know...

Want to know everything related to Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

"I'm sorry, I was talking too much." Cheng Suran said in a low voice.

In that moment, she seemed to sense Jiang Yu's entire range of emotions, like surging magma, just like what she had mentioned about her family. She wanted to hold Jiang Yu's hand, to embrace her, and tell her that it wasn't out of pity.

But she held back.

Cheng Suran, wake up.

"It's okay, they divorced a long time ago, and I haven't been in contact with them for many years," Jiang Yu said casually.

Cheng Suran was startled, and her heart was overwhelmed with emotions, but now was not the time to delve further. She gently nodded her head and changed the topic, "Did you design and decorate this house yourself?"

Jiang Yu smiled nonchalantly, "Mm, I also consulted friends who are experts in interior design."

"I feel like it's a work of art."

"Are you praising me?"

"Thank you for your compliment, Miss Cheng."

Upon hearing this address, Cheng Suran froze, feeling a bit uncomfortable. However, she didn't say anything, and the smile on her lips became more professional.

In her heart, Cheng Suran was thinking about what Jiang Yu said earlier about her parents.

'They divorced a long time ago, and I haven't been in contact with them for many years…'

How long has it been? Ten years? Fifteen years? Twenty years? Does that mean, for a long time, Jiang Yu hasn't had any family by her side, always being alone?

It's so similar to her own situation.

Her curiosity was raised but left unsatisfied, feeling like a gentle itch that couldn't be relieved, just like a kitten's paw lightly scratching, tickling and unbearable. Clearly, Jiang Yu had no intention of telling her.

"I asked the nanny to buy your favorite dishes. How about having dinner here at my place tonight?" Jiang Yu's lips carried a gentle smile, and she seemed to transform into a different person, as if the moment of unfamiliarity when she called her "Miss Cheng" was just an illusion.

Cheng Suran snapped back to reality, and her gaze merged with Jiang Yu's spring-like smile, creating ripples of shallow waves in her heart.

However, upon careful consideration of those words, something felt off.

"How do you know what dishes I like?"

"When we had dinner with Miss Wen that day, I paid attention to the dishes you ordered." Jiang Yu said with a hint of melancholy in her expression.

Cheng Suran lowered her head: "Oh."

There's still something not quite right.

"Ranran?"

"Did you prepare the dishes in advance? Do you think I would definitely agree?

"I think it's not uncommon to invite business partners to have a simple meal at home," Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow.

Cheng Suran tightened her lips and looked at her in silence.

Their gazes seemed to be connected by an invisible thread.

After a while, Cheng Suran took out her phone, dialed a number, and quickly got connected. She turned her face away and said, "Ruoxian, I'll be having dinner with a client outside tonight, so I won't be going back. You can go eat by yourself."

Client...

Jiang Yu smiled bitterly.

"Okay, I'll be careful. Don't worry, I definitely won't drink." 

"No need, Xiao Meng will pick me up."

With a smile in her eyes and a soft tone, as if she was concerned about a loved one on the other end of the phone, Cheng Suran spoke. Jiang Yu watched her intently, lost in thought.

After she hung up the phone, Jiang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Do you need to report everything, even about dinner?"

"I don't want her to worry," Cheng Suran replied casually.

For the care and concern of others, all she can do is return 100% of it. No one in this world can give one-way forever. Whether it is friendship or love, any relationship is two-way, and it needs to be responded to in order to maintain it.

Jiang Yu didn't think about it that much, she just felt a sudden painful stab in her chest.

"What's behind this door?"

 Cheng Suran put away her phone, raised her chin, and pointed to the platinum double doors in front of her.  Jiang Yu hid her emotions and said, "It's the master bedroom."

"Oh, then..."

Cheng Suran wanted to say that she wouldn't look inside as the master bedroom was a private area. It seemed impolite to enter someone else's bedroom in the first place, and the person might not be willing to show her.

However, to her surprise, Jiang Yu extended her index finger and lightly tapped the door lock.

"Come in and take a look."

---beep

The double doors slowly opened to reveal a unique and unfamiliar world before Cheng Suran's eyes.

A walk-in closet greeted her, spanning over thirty square meters, with cabinets lining the walls. Bright lights illuminated the neatly organized clothes and backpacks of various types, resembling a mini clothing store.

As she walked further, there was a semi-open study on the left, a bathroom on the right, and a small gym diagonally ahead.

Finally, she entered the master bedroom.

On the carpet, window sill, sofa, and the two-meter-wide bed, various types of rabbit plush toys were piled up. Some were half a meter tall, while others were palm-sized. They came in gray and white colors, with droopy or upright ears, some holding carrots, and others wearing hairpins...

Rabbits were everywhere.

Cheng Suran was stunned.

What is this?

She blinked and turned to look at Jiang Yu, suddenly feeling that she didn't know this woman.

"Aren't they cute?" Jiang Yu met her gaze.

Cheng Suran nodded slightly and suddenly remembered that Jiang Yu, just like herself, was born in the Year of the Rabbit. She couldn't imagine that this seemingly cold and dominant woman had a room full of stuffed toy rabbits.

What was it called again?

A cute contrast?

Jiang Yu didn't seem to care about her astonishment and pointed to the large bed, saying, "Sleeping surrounded by these fluffy guys every night gives me a sense of security."

Cheng Suran's lips moved, and she was about to say something when she happened to notice a transparent box on the windowsill, which looked very familiar.

She walked closer to take a look.

Inside the box was an incomplete clay model.

A small garden, a tiny swing, a miniature runway, small people, vivid and colorful, but with a few broken pieces scattered around, looking lonely and pitiful.

Cheng Suran's eyes widened.

[On the left is your career, the part that everyone sees. On the right is your life, the part that I see.]

[Sister, do you still like it?]

The voice from the memories, the scenes from the past, traveled through the long river of time to reach her ears, right before her eyes, like rushing torrents, breaking down the defenses she had built at this moment.

This was the gift she gave to Jiang Yu...

The birthday present she picked up from the trash bin.

Her calm eyes cracked open, a tinge of sourness mixed with a thin layer of mist surged up. Cheng Suran reached out her hand, her shoulder trembling slightly, and her fingertips trembled incessantly.

"Ranran—"

Jiang Yu felt that something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to block the model.

Cheng Suran pushed her away, picked up the box, and tears welled up in her eyes, falling down her cheeks.

"You still kept it?"

"Mm..."

"Why?"

She gritted her teeth, her blurry gaze locking onto Jiang Yu, sounding like an interrogation.

Jiang Yu blinked, turned her face away, and then back again. Her gaze fell on the broken model as she whispered, "In these years when you were not around, it was my only keepsake."

Furrows appeared on Cheng Suran's forehead.

Tears welled up, streaming down her face. The two transparent streaks of water seemed like a zipper, revealing the collapse beneath the calm surface.

"I'm sorry, I accidentally broke it. I've been trying to repair it all these years, but I haven't succeeded..." Jiang Yu looked at her tear-stained face, and her heart clenched.

Cheng Suran stared at the model, not showing any response.

"Ranran..."

Unable to control her emotions, Jiang Yu hugged her, raising her hand to gently wipe away the tears on her face. Her fingertips slid along the cheek to the corner of her lips.

Cheng Suran jolted, panic-stricken and struggling. "Let me go—"

She raised her arm, attempting to push Jiang Yu away with all her strength. However, her slap landed on Jiang Yu's face, crisp and clear, neither too light nor too heavy.

Jiang Yu froze.

"I won't stay for dinner, goodbye."

Cheng Suran pushed her aside, hugged the model in her arms, and turned around and ran out as if fleeing.