Chapter 202 - 170: Assistant and Best Friend

Chapter 202: Chapter 170: Assistant and Best Friend

The Rolls-Royce passed through a bustling intersection, and the clamor of the streets pulled Fang Meng from her thoughts.

She put her phone away. "Qianqian, the Eldest Miss said she’s coming home for dinner tonight."

The previously expressionless Jiang Qian turned her head.

"My sister is coming back? It’s been a while." For over a year, she’d known her sister had started a new company. It was a sizable enterprise, and it seemed... to have some vague connection to Lin Zhengran.

But she had no idea what exactly had happened between her sister and Lin Zhengran. Even Fang Meng couldn’t find anything out.

’I’ll have to ask her tonight.’

"Yeah, I know. I’ve actually been wanting to see her."

Fang Meng stared at Jiang Qian’s face for a moment before asking, "Qianqian, about your college choices... are you hoping to go to the same school as Lin Zhengran?"

Jiang Qian didn’t deny it, simply nodding.

"Yes. I don’t have any other motive. It’s just out of goodwill. Someone with his talent deserves a better platform, not to be held back here and stagnate because of other people."

"Qianqian, you haven’t been this nice to someone in years. It’s been a long time since you thought about helping anyone."

She immediately retorted, "That’s because most people are ungrateful wretches. But Lin Zhengran..."

Jiang Qian and Fang Meng’s eyes met. They both paused, looking at each other.

It seemed they were both reminded of something from their childhood.

Jiang Qian turned to look out the window. "Lin Zhengran is different. He’s a good person." She recalled the incident in the piano room during their first year of high school. "He shouldn’t let his future be affected by other people."

After she finished, Jiang Qian suddenly added, "You weren’t included in the ’ungrateful wretches’ I just mentioned, don’t get me wrong. And the same goes for you—you don’t have to follow me to the same university just because of me. I’ve really let go of what happened back then."

Fang Meng, who had shown no reaction until now, had a change in her expression. She clenched her fist slightly.

The driver was sweating bullets. Although the Second Miss and Fang Meng had only exchanged a few words, he could already sense that the atmosphere in the car was off.

’I just need to get to the villa, fast,’ he thought. ’Otherwise... something terrible might happen.’

In the back seat, Fang Meng took a long breath and told Jiang Qian clearly:

"Qianqian, I’ll be honest with you. Based on my recent observations, Lin Zhengran is not like you. His ability to judge people is much stronger than yours. The people he cares about are all genuine with him..."

Before she could finish, Jiang Qian cut in, "That’s impossible. It’s only because nothing bad has happened yet. Once something does, no one can help you but yourself."

"Why do you always think like that?!" Fang Meng clenched her fists, unable to stop her voice from rising.

But as soon as the words were out, even she was stunned. She smoothed her brow.

Jiang Qian looked at her, surprised but still coolly detached. The driver swallowed hard.

Jiang Qian asked, "What are you so angry about?"

Fang Meng quickly tried to explain, "I’m not angry. You’re my best friend, how could I be angry with you? I just..." She tried to compose herself but felt a sense of confusion when she saw the emotionless look in Jiang Qian’s eyes.

"Fine, I am a little angry. Let’s not talk about Lin Zhengran. What’s with all the vacation days you’ve been giving me over the past year? I’ve been wanting to ask about this for a long time!"

"What’s there to ask? Isn’t it good to have more time off? You get a lot more personal time, and I’ve been quite busy lately."

"It’s not good!" she shot back.

"I can’t help you with your cram schools and training classes, but I can still be with you every day. So what do you mean by always giving me time off?! Let’s not even talk about this year. Out of the three hundred and sixty-five days last year, I had a full one hundred and forty-three and a half days of vacation!

And what did you mean just now when you said I don’t have to follow you to university, that you’ve let go of what happened back then?! What was that supposed to mean?!"

Jiang Qian answered, "It’s just the literal..."

Fang Meng stared at Jiang Qian, cutting her off and enunciating every word:

"Are you trying to say that the reason I’ve been with you all these years, ever since we were little, is because I’m making up for what I owed you back then? And now that I’ve ’made up for it,’ there’s no need for us to be together anymore? Is that what you think?"

Jiang Qian looked at Fang Meng, who had almost never lost her temper in all these years.

"I just feel like your life shouldn’t be tied to mine..."

"So you still think I’m your assistant because I owe you." Fang Meng’s gaze trembled with disbelief. "You think I’m with you out of guilt. You never once thought of us as friends." This time, she was truly angry, angry at Jiang Qian.

"Yes, I hesitated when you asked me back then, but that’s because I didn’t want to lie to you! As a kid, I never even considered that kind of problem. I never thought a childhood friendship could involve our families, and I never expected you would help my family borrow money.

Qianqian, you’re more mature than me, but that doesn’t mean I would have just stood by and done nothing like everyone else if your family had been in trouble! I just hadn’t thought about it, but if you had said something, I would have definitely helped you! Because in my heart, you’re my best friend. I’m not like other people!"

Fang Meng clenched her fists tightly.

"I deeply regret my hesitation back then. If I could do it over, I would answer you immediately without a moment’s pause. But I also know that you won’t believe anything I say now. What’s happened has happened.

But I absolutely did not stay by your side all these years because of that! I did it simply because I wanted to be with you, to be around you. I only became your assistant and gave it my all because I considered you my very, very best friend!"

Jiang Qian’s red lips parted slightly.

But she said nothing.

There seemed to be a film of tears in Fang Meng’s eyes. She grit her teeth. "I don’t like the Qianqian you are now. You’re so much worse than Lin Zhengran. No wonder you can’t compare to him in any way."

She changed her form of address. "Second Miss, I’ve had enough. I quit."

She ordered the driver, "Stop the car!"

The driver, who had heard everything from start to finish, reacted with surprising agility. He slammed on the brakes, turned around, and said with a tremor in his voice, "Fang... Fang Meng, don’t fight with the Second Miss. You two are... aren’t you the best of..."

Fang Meng opened the car door, got out, and hailed a taxi on the side of the road, which drove off in the opposite direction.

"Fang Meng!" the driver shouted.

The driver stared blankly at the disappearing vehicle, then looked back at Jiang Qian. "Second Miss... did it have to get this bad? Fang Meng is definitely genuine with you. And over all these years, I can also tell that you are genuine with Fang Meng, so..."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Yes!" The driver flinched.

"Drive home."

"Right..." The driver swallowed and could only continue driving home, his nerves stretched taut.

Jiang Qian closed her eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh after a moment. She looked at the road reflected in the car’s rearview mirror, watching until Fang Meng disappeared at the end of the road, gone to who knows where.

She turned her head and continued to gaze out the window at the scenery, just as she always did.

She wiped the reddened corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.

After they returned to the villa, Jiang Jingshi was sitting on the sofa in a full woman’s suit, her legs crossed.

She held a cup of hot tea, slowly savoring it as she waited for her younger sister and Fang Meng to arrive.

But when her sister’s car pulled up, only Jiang Qian came back, her face cold. Jiang Jingshi asked curiously, "Qianqian, you’re back? Where’s Meng?"

Jiang Qian didn’t answer.

Jiang Jingshi was puzzled. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Did you give her another day off? I have to remind you, if you give her days off too often, Meng might not thank you for it. She might even get angry."

Jiang Qian stopped in her tracks and turned to her sister. "You talk too much. You haven’t been back in ages. What have you been up to?"

Jiang Jingshi smiled and took a sip of her tea. "Busy with company matters."

A moment passed.

"If you won’t tell me, fine. I’m going upstairs."

"Huh?!" Jiang Jingshi watched her sister actually go upstairs. ’But didn’t I just tell her?’ she thought. ’What’s wrong with her? It feels like something major happened.’

So, just before Jiang Qian entered her room, she added, "Aren’t you curious who I’ve been busy with lately?"

Jiang Qian’s hand paused. "Who?"

"I’m not telling you," Jiang Jingshi replied.

SLAM. Jiang Qian shut her bedroom door.

Jiang Jingshi mused, "Looks like something really did happen. And it doesn’t seem to be because of little brother Zhengran, otherwise she wouldn’t have been curious about my last question. Was it between Qianqian and Meng? If so, that’s really something. After all these years, they’ve finally had a fight."

She continued to sip her tea, muttering to herself, ’A fight might be a good thing. Otherwise, keeping things bottled up inside will just make you sick. Some things should have been said out loud a long time ago.’