IMGH Chapter 55

Unprompted Flattery Means Trouble

Two cool, indifferent words — yet to Jiang Yi’s ears, they sounded like music from heaven.

Qiu Rui hadn’t spoken to him in that tone for a long time. It was cool and detached, yes, but nothing like the utter coldness of the past few days.

Jiang Yi wasn’t afraid of Qiu Rui’s sharp words or cold remarks — what he feared was the disdain and indifference that could surface in those clear, bright eyes.

Fortunately, Qiu Rui’s attitude toward him had thawed just a little today. Otherwise, Jiang Yi would have been beside himself with misery.

A good mood naturally brought out the best in his cooking.

Jiang Yi prepared a table full of delicious food, which delighted Chen Yuhe to no end.

But as she ate, Chen Yuhe began to sense that something was off. Beside her, Jiang Yi was bustling about enthusiastically, his chopsticks darting here and there as he waited on someone hand and foot.

The object of all that attentiveness was clearly not her, the great Miss Chen. Chen Yuhe felt a sour twinge in her heart.

Even the delicious food seemed to lose its flavor in her mouth. She knew Jiang Yi liked Qiu Rui. From the very first time she had visited Jiang Yi’s home, she had sensed the peculiar dynamic between the two of them. Back then, Chen Yuhe hadn’t thought much of it — but today, through that film, Jiang Yi had laid bare the truest feelings in his heart.

Only now did Chen Yuhe understand, belatedly, that her first love — not yet in bloom — was destined to wither before it ever flowered.

Chen Yuhe was genuinely reluctant to accept it, but there was nothing she could do.

Status, looks — none of that mattered. The real issue was that gender couldn’t be changed. It was hard enough to bend a straight man; straightening out a bent one was even harder.

No matter how much charm she possessed, she, Chen Yuhe, simply could not change Jiang Yi’s sexual orientation.

Riding the emotional wave of the film’s ending, Chen Yuhe had made peace with it all, and was no longer as resistant to the fact that Jiang Yi was gay.

She even found a small wish stirring in her heart — to help Jiang Yi win Qiu Rui over.

Jiang Yi wore a fawning, sycophantic grin, his eager manner like that of a lapdog with drooping ears and a wagging tail trying to please its master.

Qiu Rui, by contrast, was far more aloof. His handsome face was frozen with cold frost, and not once had he shown even the ghost of a smile. The deep furrow between his brows betrayed nothing but his disgust and aversion toward the man across from him.

Chen Yuhe shook her head inwardly, feeling it was a shame on Jiang Yi’s behalf. Her eyes shifted slightly, and a sly little smile crept onto the corner of her lips.

If you’re going to help someone, help them all the way — see the Buddha to the West, as they say!

Why not help Jiang Yi bend Qiu Rui? She hadn’t even seen how two men went about their business yet — oh my, how exciting!

A vivid, glinting light danced in her dark eyes as Chen Yuhe fixed her gaze on the man and the ghost sitting across from her, her smile turning deliciously wicked.

Jiang Yi felt a chill creep up the back of his neck — more unsettling, somehow, than even being stared at by Qiu Rui.

He turned around to find Chen Yuhe staring at him with a strangely unreadable expression. Jiang Yi’s body gave an involuntary shudder, and he laughed awkwardly. “Yuhe, why aren’t you eating?”

Chen Yuhe beamed at him warmly, and to his surprise, she reached out with her chopsticks and placed a piece of crispy fried chicken onto the plate in front of him.

“Jiang Yi, have some chicken! And there are spare ribs too! You’ve been busy cooking all this time — you really ought to eat more!”

As she spoke, she kept piling food onto his plate, and before he could react, his dish was already heaped full.

Jiang Yi waved his hands in flustered protest. “That’s enough, that’s enough!”

But in his heart he was muttering to himself: Unprompted flattery never means anything good. No, I need to stay away from this girl.

Jiang Yi subtly scooted sideways, putting a little more distance between himself and Chen Yuhe.

When Chen Yuhe went to add more food to his plate, she found her chopsticks couldn’t quite reach his dish.

Completely unaware that Jiang Yi was trying to avoid her, Chen Yuhe simply slid her chair over in his direction. She deposited the food from her chopsticks into his bowl and urged him along. “What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and eat!”

With that, she lifted her head and gave Jiang Yi a soft, gentle smile — a smile that was beautiful and captivating, full of tender feeling.

The crispy fried chicken Jiang Yi had just put in his mouth instantly turned into a sharp fish bone lodged in his throat, impossible to swallow.

Sometimes a beautiful woman’s affection really did put a person on a bed of needles — a blessing too heavy to bear.

“I’m full. Take your time.”

Qiu Rui’s cool, detached words drifted over, and by the time Jiang Yi turned to look, all he caught was the ghost’s faint, fading silhouette slipping into the bedroom.

The bitterness Jiang Yi felt inside — just when things had barely started to improve between him and Rui’er, this wretched girl had gone and ruined it.

Meanwhile, the one responsible for it all acted as though nothing had happened, continuing to eat with great gusto.