Chapter 104

Chapter 104

But after this incident, Yu Wenlai had lost his appetite for the meal.

Seeing him like this, Jiang Yiyan suddenly felt a bit regretful. Not that she regretted making this decision, but rather that she regretted mentioning it before the meal.

She should have said it after the meal.

In this way, it was likely that the meal wouldn't be enjoyable either.

But there was no other choice; she couldn't worry about everything. She had just wanted to quickly distance herself from him. For people she didn't like, Jiang Yiyan always made things clear immediately; she disliked dragging things out.

Though it might be a harsh blow at first, it was better than leading someone on and then pushing them away in the end, right?

"The food here is quite good; I saw great reviews online," Jiang Yiyan tried to ease the atmosphere.

Yu Wenlai also realized that his behavior wasn't ideal, so he quickly tried to adjust his mood, not wanting to make the situation even more awkward.

But with a bad mood, no matter how hard he tried to adjust, he couldn't return to how things were before.

So during the meal, Yu Wenlai was preoccupied, even finding it difficult to eat.

Jiang Yiyan could tell he was in a bad mood, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't pretend to like him just to make him feel better, could she?

So... to avoid putting herself in an awkward position, she could only let him be in a bad mood.

Yu Wenlai knew very well that she probably wanted to reject him, which was why she was leaving. But Yu Wenlai still didn't want to give up; he wanted to try one more time.

So after the meal, Yu Wenlai invited Jiang Yiyan to watch a movie.

Thinking that if he failed in work, he could at least succeed in love, it would be better.

However, he was clearly going to be disappointed.

Since Jiang Yiyan had already rejected the work proposal, she definitely wouldn't accept going to a movie with him.

"I promised my daughter I'd go back early to be with her. Last night, I came home late, and she was already asleep when I got back," Jiang Yiyan politely declined.

Yu Wenlai didn't insist further, saying, "Then I'll take you back."

"No need," Jiang Yiyan refused again, "I live nearby. It's just a fifteen-minute walk. You live farther, so you should head home early."

Her refusal was clear and firm.

With no room left for negotiation, Yu Wenlai, despite his courage, didn't dare to push further.

So, Yu Wenlai simply said, "Alright." But he still tried for another chance, "But Yiyan, regarding the collaboration, I hope you can reconsider."

Jiang Yiyan smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your kind invitation. Yes, I will consider it." But from her attitude, Yu Wenlai could tell she was just being polite.

After leaving the restaurant, Jiang Yiyan felt instantly relieved.

She had finally made things clear with Yu Wenlai.

Solving this issue changed her entire state of mind.

Heaven knows how uncomfortable she had been from last night until now.

Being appreciated and liked was, of course, a good thing, but relationships needed mutual feelings to be meaningful.

In her previous world, she never wanted to be pressured into marriage or forced to date someone she didn't like. There was no reason why, in this world, where she was wealthy, she should feel constrained as before.

Thinking of that world, Jiang Yiyan naturally started missing her parents.

Perhaps because she missed her parents so much, she dreamt of them all night.

Strangely, she observed her parents from a third-person perspective, not as part of the scene.

Even stranger, there was another Jiang Yiyan beside her parents.

This person looked exactly like her but had short hair, doing something she had always wanted to do but lacked the courage.

Everything in the dream seemed real, as if it existed in another world.

In other words, another Jiang Yiyan had replaced her in that world.

Her parents, unaware of the truth, treated that person as her, and they seemed happy together.

Although it was a dream, Jiang Yiyan knew deep down that it was likely a real occurrence in another world.

Perhaps... that person... could it be this world's Jiang Yiyan?

Waking up, Jiang Yiyan felt a sense of loss, and her pillow was wet.

Usually, she would get up right away, but today she felt lazy. After waking up, she sat on the bed for a while before getting up.

It was already past eight and nearing nine o'clock. Meimei had gone to school, and there was no sign of Wen Mochuan in the living room; he must have gone to work after breakfast. Or perhaps, Wen Mochuan hadn't come over at all.

Fang Fang wasn't there either.

Jiang Yiyan remembered that she had recently enrolled in a driving school and was probably learning to drive.

Feng Ma was around, though.

"You're awake. What would you like to eat?" Feng Ma asked, coming out of the kitchen.

Jiang Yiyan had no appetite and lazily leaned against the dining table, asking tiredly, "What's available?"

Then Feng Ma told Jiang Yiyan what was available for breakfast.

"Then make me a bowl of clear noodle soup with more vegetables and fewer noodles." Not having much of an appetite, she decided to eat less and keep it light.

After breakfast, Jiang Yiyan started fiddling with her phone again.

It was as if someone had installed a surveillance camera on her phone; the moment she picked it up, Yu Wenlai sent another message.

To be honest, Jiang Yiyan now felt nervous every time she saw his messages.

The chat window popped up, and instinctively, Jiang Yiyan took a deep breath.

This time, Yu Wenlai spoke openly.

"Yiyan, I don't know if my actions over the past few days have caused you distress, which is why you left. If that's the case, I am truly sorry. I apologize for being rash these past two days. However, regarding your decision to leave, I still hope you can reconsider."

Since she had already made up her mind to leave and even told him about it, there was no way Jiang Yiyan would change her mind.

So, there was no need for further consideration.

Just as Jiang Yiyan was about to reply, another long string of text appeared. It essentially described how promising their collaboration could be.

But with her mind firmly set on leaving, Jiang Yiyan couldn't listen to any of this.

In fact, the more Yu Wenlai tried to persuade her, the more she wanted to back away.

Thus, without much thought, she simply replied, "I've already given it serious consideration. There's really no need for further persuasion."

Yu Wenlai stared at his phone, stunned for a full minute, then sighed deeply, looking quite helpless.

Forced fruit is not sweet. To prevent further entanglement and avoid making her despise him even more, Yu Wenlai reluctantly replied, "Alright, Yiyan, I respect your choice. But I still want to apologize to you. I'm sorry for causing you distress."

This made Jiang Yiyan feel somewhat guilty.

After some deliberation, she replied, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity in the past. Thank you."

There was no further response from his end.

Jiang Yiyan thought that their entanglement should now be considered over.

Soon, Jiang Yiyan resigned from Yu Wenlai. In fact, to minimize the impact on his work, she even introduced another designer to him through a platform.

Having done this much, Jiang Yiyan felt she had done enough.

Initially, when she first arrived here, Jiang Yiyan was anxious. She always felt that this body wasn't hers and that everything here wasn't hers either, so she was eager to create something that belonged solely to her.

Eager to find a job and earn an income.

But as time passed and she made friends here and got closer to her family, Jiang Yiyan gradually became more integrated into this role.

Moreover, in her dreams, she saw her parents accompanied by another Jiang Yiyan, which gave her peace of mind.

If she couldn't return, she could live well here.

As she slowly accepted everything here and embraced her new identity as Jiang Yiyan, her mindset became more relaxed.

Since she had fully become the original person, she could now handle everything under her name with ease.

No longer treating everything as belonging to others, Jiang Yiyan didn't feel as urgent about finding another job.

Perhaps she should take a break and plan her future carefully.

As long as what she did was worthwhile, earning money wasn't the primary goal.

Suddenly, everything seemed clearer to her, and she felt great.

She slept until she woke up naturally in the morning, read books, and spent a couple of hours painting. After a short nap in the afternoon, she would drink tea or go for beauty treatments with Yun Lan.

Sometimes Yun Lan was busy, so she went alone.

About three or four times a week, she and Fang Fang collaborated and posted content online.

They also started accepting advertisements, though the income was still modest, but it was a good start.

Slowing down and not rushing to earn money, Jiang Yiyan felt more energetic.

One day, Yun Lan finished her night shift, and Jiang Yiyan drove to the hospital to pick her up.

At around seven in the morning, Jiang Yiyan was already waiting outside.

Yun Lan rushed out of the hospital, smiled upon seeing Jiang Yiyan's car, and quickly ran to the passenger side.

"I've been so busy all night, barely getting any rest. My eyes are dark circles now." A patient came in last night, and they were busy until five in the morning.

Jiang Yiyan started the car while smiling, "That's why I'm taking you to enjoy some relaxation."

"I haven't eaten all night, my stomach is empty. Let's grab some breakfast," Yun Lan said.

Jiang Yiyan stepped on the gas, "Of course, we can't let our Miss Yun go hungry."

After eating breakfast together and chatting for a bit, they went shopping. Around ten or eleven, their usual beauty salon opened, and they headed there.

Coincidentally, they met Cai Wenqing there.

Cai Wenqing used to get regular beauty treatments elsewhere, but since her membership expired, she transferred it here.

Seeing Jiang Yiyan, Cai Wenqing not only didn't feel awkward but even approached her to greet her.

Jiang Yiyan was slightly taken aback but quickly regained her composure.

Cai Wenqing was much calmer than Jiang Yiyan. Seeing her, she remained composed and even had a hint of provocation in her expression.

Having finished her business, she approached Jiang Yiyan on her own initiative.

"Yiyan, this is your friend, isn't she? She's really pretty."

However, Jiang Yiyan did not introduce Yun Lan to her; instead, she asked, "Aunt Cai, why are you here?"

Cai Wenqing seemed to be waiting for this question and immediately replied, "To get a membership card."

She had no income, and even if Shu Yao had found a job, her salary would not be high for now. Therefore, all they had was the one million yuan from the divorce settlement and some jewelry given to her by Jiang Yiyan's father.

The expenses here were not excessively high, but they were indeed not low either.

Her ability to spend money here suggested that she was no longer worried about finances.

Jiang Yiyan probably guessed what was going on; it was likely that Jiang Xu had given them money.