IMGH Chapter 57

A Melodramatic Scene

“Jiang Yi, let me help you wash the dishes!” Chen Yuhe squeezed into the kitchen and reached into the sink, trying to grab the bowls and chopsticks Jiang Yi was rinsing.

“Little girl, don’t cause more trouble — go wait in the room!” Jiang Yi dodged Chen Yuhe’s outstretched arm and shifted to the side, widening the intimate distance between them.

Chen Yuhe pressed closer and said enthusiastically, “You cooked the meal — I’d feel really uneasy letting you wash the dishes too!”

Her delicate hand reached out again as Chen Yuhe sidled up next to Jiang Yi once more. Jiang Yi furrowed his brows, finding her behavior highly suspicious.

He stayed on guard while smoothly stepping away from her again without making it obvious.

Unexpectedly, the girl beside him suddenly stumbled and lurched toward him. Jiang Yi’s face went pale with shock — it was already too late to push Chen Yuhe away.

The girl crashed headfirst into Jiang Yi’s arms, and both of them stumbled backward several steps before finally steadying themselves against the wall.

Their bodies were stable, but the back of his head had knocked hard against the wall.

The collision left Jiang Yi dizzy and disoriented, completely unaware of how compromising a position he and Chen Yuhe were now in.

He rubbed the aching back of his head, and it took him quite a while to come back to his senses. Through bleary eyes, he caught a glimpse of that cool, aloof figure.

He jerked his head up to look — Qiu Rui stood not far away, his handsome face dark as iron.

He had clearly been driven out of the bedroom by the five-meter boundary.

Jiang Yi hurriedly pushed Chen Yuhe off — she was still draped against him — and rushed out of the kitchen to explain, but Qiu Rui had already drifted back into the bedroom ahead of him.

Jiang Yi stopped outside the bedroom door, head hanging, and lingered there for a long while before ultimately deciding not to go in.

Though it had only been a brief glance, Jiang Yi had still caught the faint flicker of jealousy on Qiu Rui’s face — so subtle that it would have been easy to miss.

He didn’t know how to explain things to Qiu Rui. Or rather, even if he tried, Qiu Rui definitely wouldn’t listen.

Jiang Yi knew that Qiu Rui harbored feelings for him. The problem was that Qiu Rui simply refused to admit it, always running away, avoiding any contact with him, unwilling to get to know him.

This left Jiang Yi feeling helpless — even defeated.

You clearly like me, so why won’t you face what your heart is truly telling you?

Jiang Yi stood outside the bedroom door, speechless and amused at the same time.

At least there’s still time. I hope I can wait until Qiu Rui finally opens his heart to me.

With that thought, Jiang Yi turned and headed back to the kitchen. Chen Yuhe was leaning against the doorframe with an expression like someone watching a show.

When she saw Jiang Yi actually come back — with none of the drama she had imagined unfolding — Chen Yuhe said in disappointment, “How can this be? Why didn’t you go explain yourself?!”

Jiang Yi stepped past her and said lazily, “Little girl, don’t play these pointless games in the future. Use your free time to figure out how to break the formation instead.”

“With your half-baked skills, you’re still out here pretending to be some great mystic!” Jiang Yi gave a light laugh. “If your master knew from the afterlife, they’d probably be so furious they’d refuse to reincarnate!”

The biggest thing Chen Yuhe could not stand in this life was anyone saying her spiritual abilities were weak. Today, Jiang Yi had completely turned her inside out, and the girl utterly lost her composure. Her inner fury erupted in an instant — all elegance thrown to the wind — as she planted one hand on her hip and jabbed a finger at Jiang Yi, snarling, “Jiang Yi, how dare you look down on me! Do you know that I am the three hundred and seventy-eighth generation successor of Xuanqing Palace?! Divination, talismans, formations — there isn’t a single one I’m not skilled in!”

“Skilled in all of them — just not skilled enough at any of them!” Jiang Yi shot her a sideways glance.

“Who — who says I’m not skilled enough!” Seeing Jiang Yi watching her with a teasing look, Chen Yuhe said awkwardly, “It just so happens that this particular formation is a tricky one to break!”

She thought about it and still felt indignant, her voice climbing again. “You need my help right now and you still dare to put me down like this. Hmph — I’m very unhappy at the moment, and I’ve temporarily decided not to help you!”

Jiang Yi stuck a finger in his ear. “Little girl, mind your image — stop shouting all the time.”

The threat had absolutely no effect. Chen Yuhe brought her pretty face right up close to his, blinking in disbelief. “You’re actually not scared?”

“What would I be scared of?” Jiang Yi raised a finger and pointed toward the bedroom, grinning. “You’re the one who should be scared. You still dare to threaten people and negotiate conditions — aren’t you afraid your boss will make things difficult for you?!”

Chen Yuhe’s narrowed eyes snapped wide open. She jumped back a step like a startled little rabbit and waved her hands frantically. “That’s — that’s not what I meant at all! I was just joking, don’t take it seriously, don’t take it seriously!”

Jiang Yi quietly laughed to himself. This girl really is something — she changes her tune at the drop of a hat.

Pat, pat, pat!

Something was tapping against the window ledge. Jiang Yi leaned over and, by the light of the neon signs outside, made out the object pressed against the glass.

It was a paper crane. If one didn’t look carefully, it would have been hard to tell it was made of paper — it was so lifelike it looked like a real living creature. Its wings fluttered gently, its beak lightly pecking at the window, as if it were trying to fly inside.