My Wife Always Wants to Run Away - Chapter 17

Seriously, what does he think I am? Jie Xiangyi just got back, and even if I wanted to get intimate, there’s no need to rush things.

Am I really that desperate?

Tang Jinzhi forced a smile, the corners of her lips twitching. “Exactly, exactly! You’re so clever. What else could we possibly be doing in the room?”

Too annoyed to bother explaining, Tang Jinzhi sarcastically agreed with Zhang Yueqi, letting his words hang in the air.

But clearly, the other two in the room didn’t catch her sarcasm.

Zhang Yueqi’s face lit up with delight. “Whoa!”

Jie Xiangyi instinctively took a half-step back, her breath catching in her throat.

Her already exhausted mind lacked the energy to analyze Tang Jinzhi’s tone, so she took her words at face value.

Tang Jinzhi gritted her teeth in frustration.

She closed her eyes briefly, then turned to Zhang Yueqi, who was still lingering. “So, can you take a hint?”

“Sure thing!” Zhang Yueqi grinned widely, baring his teeth, and spun around to return to the living room.

Even the few steps it took to pull Jie Xiangyi back into the room required effort.

Tang Jinzhi crossed her arms and stared at Jie Xiangyi, who stood stubbornly in the doorway, refusing to enter. Her eye twitched. She took a deep breath and said helplessly, “Just come in.”

Jie Xiangyi braced her hand against the doorframe, her face etched with wariness, frozen in place.

“Hmm?” Tang Jinzhi murmured.

Jie Xiangyi gripped the doorframe tighter, her gaze toward Tang Jinzhi complex and her expression strained.

“Isn’t… isn’t this too fast?”

Her voice, already lacking confidence, trailed off into a whisper by the last two words. Her gaze slid away from Tang Jinzhi’s face, her eyes dropping to some unknown point below.

For now, she could barely manage to share a room with Tang Jinzhi…

Tang Jinzhi narrowed her eyes, a knowing smile playing at the corners of her lips.

If Jie Xiangyi had dared to look up at that moment, she would have seen the unmistakable glint of mischief in Tang Jinzhi’s eyes.

“Too fast? I don’t think so.”

Tang Jinzhi’s smile widened as she took a step closer to Jie Xiangyi.

Jie Xiangyi’s throat tightened. Her fingers gripping the doorframe turned white, and her breathing grew ragged as Tang Jinzhi approached.

Facing Jie Xiangyi’s tense posture, Tang Jinzhi clasped her hands behind her back, her smile radiating innocent charm.

With her hands clasped behind her back, Tang Jinzhi stared intently at Jie Xiangyi, leaning forward slightly and closing the distance between their faces.

As Tang Jinzhi’s face loomed closer, Jie Xiangyi squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, unable to meet Tang Jinzhi’s gaze. Her heart pounded wildly with nervous anticipation.

She simply couldn’t withstand Tang Jinzhi’s deliberate teasing.

For some reason, Tang Jinzhi stopped closing the gap. She gazed absently at Jie Xiangyi’s reddening ear.

It was only then that she realized how easily Jie Xiangyi was flustered.

And how utterly adorable she was.

A jumble of chaotic thoughts flooded Tang Jinzhi’s mind.

Her breathing quickened slightly as her gaze slowly drifted from Jie Xiangyi’s vividly flushed earlobe to her gradually reddening cheeks.

Tang Jinzhi bit down hard on her lip, desperately suppressing her restless impulses to maintain her composure.

This version of Jie Xiangyi was truly tempting, making it easy to cross the line.

Tang Jinzhi bit her tongue sharply, the pain snapping her back to reason.

She jerked backward, abruptly closing her eyes and straightening her posture. She took a step back, mentally chanting the mantra “Must not be lustful” over and over, frantically brainwashing herself.

Those few agonizing seconds were unbearable not only for Jie Xiangyi but also nearly backfired on Tang Jinzhi herself.

Noticing Tang Jinzhi’s retreat, Jie Xiangyi froze, turning her head to look up. She saw Tang Jinzhi standing with her eyes closed, silent.

Is she… angry?

Jie Xiangyi pressed her lips together, her heart churning with even greater confusion and turmoil.

After struggling to regain her composure, Tang Jinzhi was about to open her eyes and pat her cheeks when she was suddenly pulled into an embrace.

Her eyes snapped open, her body instantly stiffening.

Jie Xiangyi’s loose strands of dark hair brushed against her cheek.

Jie Xiangyi was hugging her.

Tang Jinzhi stood frozen, afraid to move even an inch.

Jie Xiangyi let out a soft breath and explained gently, “This is the most I can manage for now.”

She had been nervous before taking this step, but now that she had, Jie Xiangyi felt some of her anxiety ease. Gradually seizing the initiative, she tried to explain herself to Tang Jinzhi.

Her voice was gentle as she asked, “Could you give me some time to adjust?”

Tang Jinzhi’s mind went blank for a moment, and she almost blurted out an agreement.

“Wait, wait,” Tang Jinzhi stammered, her thoughts scrambling to catch up. She felt like she’d gone too far and couldn’t explain herself. “No, that… you…”

Jie Xiangyi patted Tang Jinzhi’s back. “I know you might have been teasing me or testing me, but this is all I can do.”

She didn’t believe Tang Jinzhi had developed feelings for her in just half a month. Today’s events had simply misled her into thinking that way.

Moreover, Jie Xiangyi didn’t think Tang Jinzhi had been teasing her earlier.

Tang Jinzhi fell silent. She had truly just acted on a whim.

But she didn’t dare explain that.

Almost being completely bewitched earlier was just too embarrassing.

Held in Jie Xiangyi’s arms, Tang Jinzhi didn’t dare move, afraid of offending her. She even kept her breathing shallow.

“You don’t have to force yourself to adapt,” Tang Jinzhi murmured. Before Jie Xiangyi could respond, she added, “If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. There’s no need to make things difficult for yourself. Besides…”

Tang Jinzhi paused, then asked softly, “Have you never considered that we could get divorced someday?”

Tang Jinzhi’s words carried a hint of probing, as she desperately wanted to gauge Jie Xiangyi’s attitude toward the matter.

Jie Xiangyi froze, her arms finally loosening around Tang Jinzhi as the blush faded from her cheeks.

“Divorce?”

Jie Xiangyi suddenly chuckled softly, turning to Tang Jinzhi with a look of amusement. “We can’t just get divorced easily.”

Tang Jinzhi’s thoughts stalled for a moment before realization dawned. Their marriage was a strategic alliance, not a casual arrangement like a blind date between ordinary people.

So Jie Xiangyi had never even considered divorce as a possibility.

She really is…

Tang Jinzhi’s expression grew complicated.

“You’re just going to accept things as they are? Not even try to fight it?”

Jie Xiangyi’s face remained impassive, showing little concern. “There’s nothing to fight for.”

Tang Jinzhi frowned. “So if you had married someone else, would you have just… slowly adapted?”

Jie Xiangyi’s eyes flickered slightly, her gaze lingering on Tang Jinzhi’s face. After a silent pause, she replied, “I’m not that foolish. I would assess their character first. It depends on the person.”

Feeling inexplicably soothed, Tang Jinzhi’s heart eased, but she still huffed softly, retorting, “Judging someone’s character after marriage? Isn’t that a bit late?”

It’s only because I have good character.

What if she’d met some guy who was also after Xiangyi’s beauty…?

Tang Jinzhi frowned at the mere thought.

It’s truly unsettling.

Remembering something, Tang Jinzhi asked, “What if your arranged marriage partner had been a man? Would you have accepted that too?”

The mere possibility sent Tang Jinzhi’s temper flaring.

Perhaps because they were now legally married, her possessiveness toward Jie Xiangyi was overwhelming.

Jie Xiangyi chuckled softly. “I forgot you have amnesia. The day we met, I told you that you weren’t the only candidate for this arranged marriage. They respect my wishes in this matter; I have the right to choose.”

Tang Jinzhi stared blankly for a long moment. Fine, fine, fine. Of course, among all the wealthy families in the world, our fake heiress has it the worst—I don’t even get a choice!

Tang Jinzhi refused to accept this.

She pressed, “Then why did you choose me?”

Jie Xiangyi’s eyes flickered, reluctant to answer.

Tang Jinzhi narrowed her eyes, sizing Jie Xiangyi up with a mischievous grin. “You’re not secretly in love with me, are you?” she teased.

Jie Xiangyi choked on her breath, glaring at Tang Jinzhi with exasperation. She decided to just admit her superficiality, rattling off quickly, “You’re the prettiest one in the group.”

And the most narcissistic, she thought.

Tang Jinzhi crossed her arms, delivering an even more conceited line: “So you fell in love with me at first sight when you saw my photo!”

Tang Jinzhi was deliberately provoking her.

She was really starting to enjoy teasing Jie Xiangyi. Every time she said something, the other woman reacted.

In just a few minutes, Jie Xiangyi’s face had cycled through a dazzling array of expressions.

Jie Xiangyi said, her tone indescribable, “You’re really…”

Tang Jinzhi raised an eyebrow. “Really what?”

Jie Xiangyi: “Shameless.”

See? Tang Jinzhi thought triumphantly. I’ve pushed her to the point of swearing.

Everyone has their limits.

Tang Jinzhi refused to believe Jie Xiangyi could remain indifferent to everything.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Jie Xiangyi said, eager to change the subject. She feared Tang Jinzhi might say something even more shameless.

For some reason, everyone around her was so unreliable.

Jie Xiangyi felt utterly helpless.

Watching Jie Xiangyi disappear into the bathroom, Tang Jinzhi let out a long sigh, her tense body finally relaxing.

She was far from as composed as she had pretended to be.

The sudden hug from Jie Xiangyi had her heart pounding wildly. She hugged me!

Regaining her composure, Tang Jinzhi walked to the bathroom door and knocked.

“Jie Xiangyi, remember not to brush your teeth yet. We’ll eat something when the delivery arrives later.”

Jie Xiangyi’s hand, which had been reaching for the shower faucet, froze. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “Okay.”

Soon after, Tang Jinzhi added, “Oh, right, I called you back to your room because I wanted to discuss something with you.”

Jie Xiangyi glanced around the bathroom, then at her already undressed self, her eyelids twitching involuntarily.

Why couldn’t Tang Jinzhi wait until I was dead to bring this up?

Taking a deep breath, Jie Xiangyi asked, “What is it?”

Tang Jinzhi cleared her throat and inquired, “I heard Zhang Yueqi say she was your little shadow, always following you around since childhood. Her mom even used to beat her on your orders.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jie Xiangyi, having put on her bathrobe, opened the bathroom door.

“Ah!” Tang Jinzhi gasped, startled. Leaning against the door, she nearly lost her balance and fell, but managed to grab the doorframe just in time.

Jie Xiangyi’s outstretched hand, meant to steady her, retracted.

“Her mother hits her because she misbehaves,” Jie Xiangyi replied.

Tang Jinzhi blinked. “The real question is, if you gave her mother some advice, would she consider it?”

Jie Xiangyi glanced at her, her voice calm. “She wouldn’t consider it.”

Tang Jinzhi’s smile nearly faltered, but Jie Xiangyi added, “She’d agree immediately.”

Tang Jinzhi grinned, her smile turning positively wicked.

Jie Xiangyi finally asked, “What are you planning?”

Tang Jinzhi’s smile grew increasingly twisted. “Don’t you think our little shadow is getting too bored? Could you get her mother to cut off her allowance? I want her to work for me.”

“Without pay, of course.”