62: The woman hidden in the shadows
Jiang Chuan parked the car in its spot and got out with his keys. He couldn't remember her name, so he just gave a slight nod as a greeting.
Seeing his meticulously styled appearance, Feng Qiqi's little heart beat somewhat out of control.
Ever since the last incident, she had hurried to ask Xiao Yi about his relationship with Shen Qingning, only to learn they were just colleagues, not a couple.
While she felt relieved, she also knew this man's charm; she had to strike first to gain the upper hand.
But she didn't have his contact information and didn't want to play hard to get anymore. After finishing dinner, she went directly to the parking lot to wait for him.
Half an hour, an hour, an hour and a half passed.
Her small feet in high heels were starting to hurt, but there was nowhere to sit in the parking lot, so she had no choice but to keep standing there.
Just as she was about to give up, thinking he might not return here tonight, she saw the familiar mercedes-benz g-class drive into the underground parking lot.
“He's finally back!”
She was almost moved to tears. She quickly took out her makeup mirror to touch up her look and braced herself for him to get out of the car.
“President Jiang, what a coincidence. We meet again.”
“Nonsense! You're waiting in my parking spot; it would be strange if we didn't meet!”
Jiang Chuan complained inwardly, but his expression remained calm as he said directly, “Is there something you need, Miss?”
“Mi... Miss?”
The corners of Feng Qiqi's eyes twitched uncontrollably. This title was too ambiguous; he could have at least added her surname in front of it!
“It's like this. I just returned to the country and don't have many friends or hobbies. I saw Xiao Yi's live streams and thought they were quite interesting, so I wanted to try streaming when I'm not working. What do you think?”
“No problem. It's easy to register; you just need an ID card.”
Feng Qiqi was full of questions. She didn't believe he couldn't understand her meaning, and his way of speaking lacked any emotional intelligence. It didn't match the 'considerate and elegant' description Xiao Yi had given him at all.
She stopped beating around the bush and said directly, “I heard Starlight has some contracts. Do I have a chance to sign one?”
Jiang Chuan looked her up and down. Her figure was decent, and she was wearing black silk stockings. He nodded and said, “Absolutely no chance.”
Feng Qiqi finally understood why President Sun of Xiyang Live Streaming ended up in the hospital. This man was simply too infuriating. Her full chest heaved violently with anger, and she gritted her teeth, not knowing how to respond.
Jiang Chuan leaned against the front of the car, crossing his arms over his chest, and frowned.
“Stop acting. I don't have time to play house with you. If you have something to say, say it directly.”
Seeing that she still didn't speak, he turned to leave, bored. He thought there would be some good show, but this was it? Her psychological resilience was too poor.
The men Feng Qiqi met before always pampered her during conversations. She had never met someone like this who countered every word she said as if they were enemies. However, she wasn't willing to let this 'tall, rich, and handsome' man go.
She jogged over and hugged him from behind, saying in a tearful, coquettish voice:
“Gege~ I just want to be in the same company as you~ I liked you from the first moment I saw you.”
“Oh? For real?”
“Really~”
Jiang Chuan broke free from her soft embrace, turned around, and said with interest, “Then let's go. My home is right upstairs. Let me see how much you like me.”
Feng Qiqi's aggrieved expression froze on her face, and she subconsciously took half a step back. How could she agree to such a request? What difference would that be from being a kept woman?
He took a step forward, and she took a step back until her back was against the wall with no way out. Seeing him lean in close, she truly started to cry, tears sliding down her cheeks.
Jiang Chuan ignored her tears and whispered in her ear:
“You want to join my company, spend my money, but don't want to be slept with? What makes you think you're so special? Is your body made of gold?”
“Have some self-awareness, Miss!”
After saying that, he turned and left, ignoring her as she slumped to the ground. He had seen too many girls like her who thought too highly of themselves. He hated people who wanted to be a whore but still tried to build a monument to their own chastity.
Feng Qiqi's bitterly maintained pride was crushed to pieces by him. Her family's previous situation wasn't top-tier, but it was much better than an average family.
She had been pampered since childhood, but the good times didn't last. The company suddenly faced major problems, and her father struggled for over a year, but ultimately went bankrupt.
Unable to handle such a blow, he chose to jump off a building. Her mother died of grief shortly after. A once happy family was suddenly reduced to just her.
The aunts and uncles who used to be so kind suddenly seemed like different people. She fully experienced the reality of the adult world.
Fortunately, her father's best friend took her in and arranged for her to work at her current foreign trade company. But life didn't change; an outsider joining a family with no blood relation—one can imagine what she encountered.
She saved some money, moved out of that 'home,' and rented a room in her old neighborhood.
She was no longer a lively and cheerful girl. The more people looked at her with strange eyes, the more she wanted to prove herself by buying designer bags and cosmetics and living in a high-end neighborhood.
She enjoyed the feeling of being pursued by the crowd, as if this could prove to her colleagues and that family that she was doing well—better than anyone else!
People with beautiful hearts can enjoy the world more. Those who are too sensitive feel that even a casual glance from others is a sign of contempt.
Feng Qiqi thought Jiang Chuan would be like the men who pursued her—that if she hinted at a possibility between them, he would be at her beck and call, and if she acted cute, he would give her everything.
Who knew that even after hugging, acting coquettish, and even confessing, he remained unmoved.
He even tore open the scars in her heart and turned to leave without any tenderness.
In her heart, Feng Qiqi didn't blame Jiang Chuan. She knew how pathetic she was—glamorous on the outside, but a bad woman through and through on the inside.
Vain, liking to string men along, using their money to buy bags and makeup, and enjoying the envious looks of others.
But she didn't want to become like this. She also wanted to go back to being that carefree, lively, and cheerful girl.
But there was no one left behind her. she had no one to rely on and could never go back to the way she used to be.
Her smooth arms were scratched by her clenched nails, and bright red blood dripped onto the ground.
She didn't blame anyone; she just missed her mother, missed her father, and missed home.
In the dark underground parking lot, only the lights of cars flashed occasionally as people hurried home.
No one noticed the homeless girl crouching in the corner, sobbing bitterly. She seemed abandoned by the world, only able to walk alone in the shadows.