Online Romance with an Iceberg Professor Backfired - Chapter 24.1
Chapter 24.1: The Reveal
Ji Pei felt her little heart pounding as she saw another message from Winter Sun.
Winter Sun: “You’ll know tomorrow.”
Full of mystery, Ji Pei grew more and more excited.
Ye Wenzhu stayed at Ji Pei’s house that night. In the early hours of the morning, Ji Fan returned from outside. She carefully pushed open the door and tiptoed, planning to sneak back to her room, but bumped into Ye Wenzhu, who had gotten up in the middle of the night for water.
“Sister Wenzhu, why are you at my house?”
Ye Wenzhu, holding her water cup, leaned in. “Your sister is meeting her girlfriend in person tomorrow. As her strategist, I obviously have to be here.”
“What? Meeting in person?” Ji Fan whispered, “My sister is dating online too?”
Ye Wenzhu took a sip of water. “What do you mean ‘too’? Don’t tell me you…” Seeing Ji Fan’s expression, Ye Wenzhu gasped dramatically. “What is wrong with you two sisters? You’re both as beautiful as goddesses, but why are you both dating online? This is more nerve-wracking than opening a blind box.”
Ji Fan looked depressed and very hurt. “Indeed, online dating is risky, and meeting in person requires caution.”
Ji Fan’s eyes darted around. She hugged Ye Wenzhu’s arm and said, “Sister Wenzhu, take me with you tomorrow, alright? Since you, the strategist, are going, I, the consultant, can’t be absent.”
Ye Wenzhu put down her cup. “Fine, I’ll prepare some gear tomorrow, and we can both consult for your Sister Ji Pei.”
The next morning, after Ji Pei got dressed, she saw Ye Wenzhu and Ji Fan each holding a pair of binoculars. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Seriously, I’m going to a meet-up. What are you two doing?”
Ye Wenzhu lowered the binoculars, took out a sapphire brooch-shaped eavesdropping device from her bag, and pinned it to Ji Pei’s collar. “This is called fighting a prepared battle. You don’t understand. Just do as I say.”
Ji Pei looked at the sapphire brooch on her chest, unable to hide her amusement, and tried to take it off. “I’m going to meet someone, not on a secret mission. Are binoculars and an eavesdropping device necessary?”
“Very necessary. How else will we know the situation ahead?” Ye Wenzhu adjusted Ji Pei’s collar. “If your partner really looks scarier than a Kappa, just pinch the diamond on the brooch twice, and Fanfan and I will drive over to rescue you immediately.”
Ji Fan excitedly leaned in. “Sister, Sister Wenzhu and I both want to see what your online dating partner looks like. I’m dying of curiosity.”
Ji Pei looked at Ji Fan’s eager expression and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be in class today?”
“I called in sick for the day. Please, Sister, just let me go.”
Opening the garage door, Ji Pei intended to drive the Porsche, but Ye Wenzhu shook her head with a profound look and held up the Rolls-Royce keys. “Drive the most expensive one. It gives you more face.”
“What if they say I’m materialistic? I’d rather drive the cheaper one.”
Ye Wenzhu opened the passenger door, pressed Ji Pei into the seat, and sat in the driver’s seat herself. “What’s materialistic about it? You’re meeting someone; you need to show some sincerity.” Ye Wenzhu was eager in the driver’s seat. “I’ve never driven a Rolls-Royce before. Let me have a go today.”
The car started. Ji Pei turned on the navigation. She held her phone with both hands, her heart racing like a deer. She also brought a mirror, frequently opening it to check her face. Ji Pei had put on light makeup. Her pale red lips were plump and moist. She was so nervous that she kept licking the lipstick off with her tongue.
“Hey, don’t be nervous. We’re almost there. I’ll drop you off on the bridge, and Fanfan and I will wait for you underneath the bridge.”
Ji Pei reapplied her lipstick in the mirror, pursed her lips, and said, “Behave yourselves later. Don’t scare her.”
It was 8:50 a.m., ten minutes before their meeting time. When the Rolls-Royce drove under the bridge, Ye Wenzhu found a suitable spot and parked the car there.
The breeze blew across her face. Ji Pei felt her entire face was burning. She hadn’t even met the person yet, and she was already a wreck. Ji Pei inwardly cursed herself for being so pathetic.
“This is a good spot. We can see the whole bridge. When we use the binoculars, we can see the person’s face on the bridge clearly.”
Ji Pei poked both their heads one by one. “You two wait here. Don’t do anything without my instructions.”
Ji Pei got out of the car and stood in front of it, opening her phone. She wanted to call Winter Sun, but the Decibel system was still under maintenance, so she had to send a message.
Seasonal Wind: “My love, I’m at the bridge now. Where are you?”
Ji Pei’s eyesight was excellent. She walked toward the other end of the bridge, seeing people walking and walking their dogs, her face full of confusion. She didn’t know what Winter Sun’s distinctive features were. There were quite a few people strolling on the bridge, men and women, old and young. Ji Pei walked toward the center of the bridge. People passed her on electric bikes and walking dogs.
Winter Sun, which one could it be?
Her phone chimed. Ji Pei’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly opened it.
Winter Sun: “I see you.”
Ji Pei suddenly looked up, scanning everyone on the bridge. Her gaze finally fixed on a woman in a red dress. The woman was at the other end of the bridge. Even with Ji Pei’s excellent eyesight, she couldn’t clearly see the person’s face.
Seasonal Wind: “I think I see you too. Are you wearing a red dress?”
Winter Sun: “Mhm.”
Ji Pei touched her face and her wildly beating heart, staring intently at the woman on the other end of the bridge. She ran toward the woman.
The Rolls-Royce car window opened. Ye Wenzhu, holding binoculars, saw Ji Pei start running and tutted. “Aiya, she finally found her girlfriend. Look how fast she’s running, faster than her 800-meter physical test.”
Ji Pei was about to reach the center of the bridge. The woman in the red dress had long hair flowing to her waist and was leaning on the railing, seemingly enjoying the scenery. The woman was wearing a long, thin dress. Ji Pei’s first thought upon seeing her was worry that she might be cold and catch a chill.
Ji Pei took off her coat, held it in her arms, and walked toward the woman. Just as she was about to get close, the woman turned her head. Her piercing gaze fixed on Ji Pei’s face. The mole at the outer corner of her right eye became more prominent on her fair skin.
Ji Pei’s breath hitched, and the faint smile on her lips froze. Long, slanted eyebrows, narrow phoenix eyes. Her profile, with its sculpted features, looked as if it had been polished by a flowing stream. The ink-wash-like eyes curved slightly. This gaze made Ji Pei feel completely numb.
The two made eye contact, neither speaking, but Ji Pei forgot how to breathe. The face overlapped with the face in Ji Pei’s dream. She took a step back, put a hand on the railing, and her fingernails scratched white marks on it.
“Professor… Professor Jiang…”
Ji Pei didn’t know how she managed to speak. Aside from her hands and feet, her voice was trembling. A car sped past, lifting the hem of Ji Pei’s coat. Strands of hair blew onto her face, and she forgot to brush them away.
Jiang Xianhan walked toward her, reaching out to smooth her dark hair. “What, you don’t recognize me?”
Ji Pei opened her mouth. Her throat felt blocked by a stone. The words that tumbled out were: “Does your foot still hurt?”
Jiang Xianhan’s dark pupils constricted suddenly. She had thought about what might happen after the meeting. Ji Pei might be angry and question her, or she might be disheartened by the deception and break up with her. But she never expected the first thing the other person did was to ask about her sprained foot.
“A little.”
Jiang Xianhan told the truth. Seeing Ji Pei’s evasive gaze, a faint curve appeared on her pale red lips. She wanted to say words of apology, but the next second, her body was covered by a warm, soft coat. She was enveloped by Ji Pei’s faint scent.
Jiang Xianhan stared blankly at Ji Pei’s hand placing the coat on her. Seeing the other person bite her lower lip, she initially thought Ji Pei was angry. But when Jiang Xianhan’s gaze fell on Ji Pei’s red ears, she knew the other person wasn’t angry, but shy.
“Professor Jiang…” Ji Pei was wearing a black, fitted turtleneck sweater. Even with her head bowed, her overall aura was impossible to ignore. “Why did you come out wearing so little? The temperature dropped today. Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Jiang Xianhan stroked the peacock blue gemstone brooch on her chest, staring into Ji Pei’s eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t let me freeze.”
Ji Pei’s face was even redder. Fortunately, she had put on light makeup before leaving, or her whole face would be too red to look at now. “Professor Jiang… I didn’t expect…”
Jiang Xianhan knew the shock Ji Pei was experiencing was significant. She wanted to stroke her face but settled for gently taking her hand. “You used to call me ‘sweetheart, wifey, my love.’ Why aren’t you calling me that now?”
Hearing this, Ji Pei remembered all the things she had said and wished she could jump off the bridge and end it all. Jiang Xianhan stroked the brooch. It felt cold to the touch. She couldn’t help but touch it a few more times.
A sudden alarm sounded inside the Rolls-Royce. Ye Wenzhu and Ji Fan immediately went on high alert.
“Sister Wenzhu, the brooch is sounding! Did my sister run into an ugly freak?”
Ye Wenzhu picked up the binoculars. “Let me see. I just saw Ji Pei take off her coat and put it on the person. It must have been an accidental touch.”
On the bridge, Ji Pei saw that Jiang Xianhan seemed to like the brooch and almost forgot it was the eavesdropping device Ye Wenzhu had prepared for her. “Professor Jiang, actually, this…”
“If she was an ugly freak, your sister would have run away a long time ago…”
A clear voice came from the brooch. Jiang Xianhan showed a puzzled expression, but Ji Pei bit her lip, not daring to make a sound. How did the eavesdropper turn into a communication device? I knew they shouldn’t have done anything so flashy. How should I explain this to Jiang Xianhan now?
In the driver’s seat of the Rolls-Royce, Ye Wenzhu, binoculars in hand, stared at the two people standing together. The more she looked, the more she felt something was wrong. “Fanfan, don’t you think your sister’s partner looks a little familiar?”
Ji Fan was peering through the back window, squinting, unable to see clearly. She adjusted the binoculars. After seeing the person’s face clearly, she nearly screamed.
“It’s Professor Jiang!”
“How could it be Professor Jiang!”
Ye Wenzhu’s pupils shrank. She blinked, thinking she was mistaken. “Jiang Xianhan?”
“How could it be her?”
“We’re doomed! Your sister is finished this time!”
“I’m finished! I skipped Jiang Xianhan’s class! Ahhhh!”
“Huh? Is this eavesdropping device broken? Why can’t I hear anything?”
“Forget whether it’s broken or not! Let’s run now!”
“No, Ji Pei is still on the bridge…”
Disjointed wails of distress came from the sapphire brooch. Ji Pei stared at Jiang Xianhan’s smiling face, her hand trembling as she took it off.
“Professor Jiang, I can explain this.”
Jiang Xianhan found the button and gently pressed it with her fingertip. Now, her voice finally reached Ye Wenzhu’s phone. Jiang Xianhan’s face maintained a faint smile. “That’s Ji Fan’s voice, isn’t it? And the other one is…”
The next second, Ji Pei heard two voices coming from the brooch.
“Sh*t! She can hear us talking!”
“She said my name! I’m dead!”
Ji Pei’s face was ashen. Her originally flushed and shy expression gradually turned awkward. Jiang Xianhan turned off the eavesdropping device as if nothing had happened.
“This brooch is quite nice. Can you give it to me?”
Ji Pei felt the warm skin in her palm, nodded, and whispered, “Mhm.”
Ji Pei explained quietly, “My sister and Wenzhu were afraid I’d be scammed online, so they insisted on coming to vet the person for me and even rigged up this eavesdropping device.”
Jiang Xianhan gently drew a line in Ji Pei’s palm with her fingertip, then turned to look at the conspicuous Rolls-Royce in the distance. “It’s alright. Let me meet them while they’re still here.”
Ji Pei held Jiang Xianhan’s hand, thinking, Now I’m really done for.
Ye Wenzhu was slumped in the driver’s seat. Seeing the two people holding hands and walking toward the Rolls-Royce, she quietly ducked her head back inside. Ji Fan looked panicked and shouted at Ye Wenzhu, “Sister Wenzhu, quickly raise the partition!”
Ye Wenzhu quickly activated the partition, scrambled out of the passenger seat, and hid in the back seat, head buried, closing the window and remaining silent. The probability of them encountering such a bizarre situation, smaller than a meteor hitting the Earth, had just happened.
How could it be Jiang Xianhan? Ye Wenzhu was completely perplexed, but then she recalled the features Ji Pei had described to her earlier. 1.76 meters tall, early thirties, highly educated, studied abroad, and a beautiful voice. Ye Wenzhu slumped in the back seat, thinking, This matches perfectly.
Ji Pei opened the passenger door and helped Jiang Xianhan in. “Watch your foot.”
She went to the driver’s seat, saw the partition raised between the front and back, and couldn’t help but smile, then locked the car doors. Hearing the click, both Ye Wenzhu and Ji Fan’s hearts sank.
Ji Pei ignored the two people hiding in the back and turned to Jiang Xianhan. “Professor Jiang, have you had breakfast?”
Jiang Xianhan shook her head. “No, I was waiting for you.”
Ji Pei opened her phone to search for a restaurant. “Then let’s go now. I haven’t really eaten breakfast either.”
Jiang Xianhan’s hand rested on Ji Pei’s round, beautiful thigh, drawing circles on it through the black sweater. Her voice sounded slightly displeased. “You used to call me ‘my love.’ I’m still not used to you not calling me that anymore.”
Ji Pei touched her hot cheek. She pursed her lips, fighting an internal battle for a moment, but finally surrendered.
“My love, let’s go eat.”