The Reconciliation Chapter 10

Chapter 10 – Giving Presents

The meal was very lavish. It wasn’t the first time Yu Xi and Han Yisi came to her house so Hu Xiaojing knew their food preferences very well. However, she did not expect Jiang Jingbai nor Lu Xiaowei to come as well so she quickly added a couple of dishes at the last second, even though the main dishes were still mainly spicy.  

When they were choosing their seats, Yu Xi was firmly pulled over to Han Yisi’s side as if she fully believed that Yu Xi would pounce towards Jiang Jingbai if she let her go. Yu Xi found her friend’s bodyguard-like posture inexplicably amusing yet a little bit touching so when they were eating, she repeatedly helped her grab food.

“Eat some more.”

Han Yisi replied very cooperatively, “Oh, thank you very much, my dear.”

“You eat too. Here, this is your favorite, try some.”

The others sitting at the dining table all felt like vomiting blood, besides Jiang Jingbai who still remained expressionless while eating her food. Her movements elegant and unhurried, it was as if she was not affected at all as she maintained her usual indifferent posture.

Seeing her like this, Yu Xi suddenly thought back to the time when the school blacked out and everyone in the class erupted into a clamor. Back then, all of her classmates were shouting up a frenzy and Jiang Jingbai was the only one who kept her dignified and elegant posture.

Just like right now as well.

It was as if nothing has changed, although in a blink of the eye, it also seemed like everything has changed.

Yu Xi looked down. Just then, Lu Xiaowei who was sitting right in front of her wasn’t able to restrain himself from asking, “Are you two together?”

He, of course, read the scandal online where she revealed she liked girls. The high school group chat also discussed it for a very long time with quite a few guys lamenting about how they lost their first love and how it is unfair that a beauty like Yu Xi is a lesbian, so Lu Xiaowei knew very clearly that she liked girls. On top of that, Yu Xi and Han Yisi are longtime friends and were just acting super intimately earlier, so he immediately put two and two together and came up with that prediction.

Han Yisi put on a fake smile and shook her head very frankly, “Of course not.”

“It’s only a one-sided love from my end.”

“You should know, there’s honestly too many people that like Yu Xi. So many, in fact, that I’m not even able to get in line.”

She spoke very sincerely and looked as if she was touched by her own words. Yu Xi was so revulsed that her goosebumps all shot up so she laughed, “Stop messing around, I don’t even feel like eating anymore.”  

Hu Xiaojing coughed lightly and said, “Oh right, Xiaowei, I heard last time from Gu He that you took over your dad’s job. So you should be Director Lu now. When will you invite us all to a meal to celebrate it?”

Her semi-joking words smoothly switched the topic. Watching everyone’s gaze settle on him, Lu Xiaowei hurriedly replied very modestly, “What do you mean by Director Lu, it’s only a small broken company. If it wasn’t for my dad asking me to help out, I wouldn’t even be that willing to join the company.”

“But let’s not talk about me anymore, let’s talk about you guys. How have you all been recently?”

Although his words were full of contempt, he carried a pretty ecstatic expression on his face.

Yu Xi felt her mouth twitch. Did this person not know how to act at all? Take one look and you’ll feel embarrassed for him.

Yu Xi doesn’t know if it was due to her previous prejudice against him but she really disliked Lu Xiaowei. During school, he used his mastered skill in exploiting his relationships to snatch the class monitor position. Although he barely did any of his proper duties, he still ran to the office all day long to rat on his classmates. Aside from this, he also liked to follow Jiang Jingbai around.

When she and Jiang Jingbai were still together, she didn’t know how many times he disturbed their two person world.

Therefore, even though the two of them already broke up for this many years, Yu Xi still contradicted this person instinctively.

Although she disliked Lu Xiaowei, Han Yisi disliked him even more because when they were at school, he would always report her to the teachers. Hence, neither Yu Xi nor Han Yisi replied.

Jiang Jingbai never had the habit to take the initiative in replying others unless she was specifically called on, so none of the three responded to his question, causing the atmosphere to be momentarily awkward. Gu He sighed, “How else can it be, it’s just like normal. It’s not like I can do as well as you, old classmate.”  

Hearing what he said, Lu Xiaowei smiled widely and started to take turns drinking back and forth between him and Gu He.

The meal lasted around an hour. When Yu Xi left the table, Lu Xiaowei and Gu He were still drinking. Hu Xiaojing already left a bit earlier for her room to take care of her child.

Han Yisi was sitting at the couch, watching tv. Yu Xi sat next to her and used her feet to kick the other’s calf lightly, “Come take a look with me?”

When they arrived at the house, the child was still sleeping. Afraid to wake her up, Yu Xi could only restrain herself until now before finally suggesting going in to take a look at her. Han Yisi nodded, “Let’s go.”

She rose up. Jiang Jingbai watched the two move towards the room before pursing her lips and rising up as well, following behind Yu Xi.

The three people entered the room together.

The baby was already up, her bright eyes opened wide. Only born a few days prior, her skin was still a little winkled but her face was very smooth. Round and moist, it was very tender. Hu Xiaojing was currently changing her diaper. When she heard the door open from behind her, she turned around to take a look and from her face a smile could be seen, “Xiao Le, your ungrateful godmother is here.”

Yu Xi gave a light cough, “When have I been ungrateful?”

She walked forwards two steps and then sat on the side of the bed. She took out the present she prepared. It was a specifically ordered silver bracelet, so it wasn’t too expensive but still very uniquely designed.

Hu Xiaojing liked it very much so she helped the baby put it on.

Han Yisi already came before so she already gave her present before then. After Yu Xi gave her present, Jiang Jingbai conveniently took out her present as well and passed it over to Hu Xiaojing.

Hu Xiaojing froze for bit and looked up at her for a few seconds.

After all, she and Jiang Jingbai never had much of a friendship between them to start with. Previously, she only knew Jiang Jingbai purely due to Yu Xi. After the two started dating, the four of them would occasionally gather and play together. However, this only happened a few times so strictly speaking, she and Jiang Jingbai didn’t grow familiar enough throughout their interactions for them to send each other’s children presents.

On top of that, she also doesn’t know how many times she clenched her teeth together and scolded Jiang Jingbai after Yu Xi and Jiang Jingbai broke up.

So now that she’s receiving a present from her like this all of a sudden, it was somewhat awkward.

Han Yisi and Yu Xi were both currently looking down and playing with the baby. Hu Xiaojing took the box over and opened it, seeing a longevity lock inside.

But as the old saying went, you shouldn’t hit the person smiling at you, so since Jiang Jingbai gave her child a present, Hu Xiaojing could only hold herself back and say, “Thank you.”

The tone of her voice stiff.

Jiang Jingbai simply nodded slightly and gave a smile.

Yu Xi and Han Yisi were still playing with the baby with different toys nonstop changing. All kinds of sharp and clear sounds arose from the room. Outside the room, Gu He suddenly yelled out, “Xiaojing!”

“Coming!” This one line broke through the room’s awkward atmosphere. Hu Xiaojing gave Jiang Jingbai a light smile, “Please sit, I’ll go take a look.”

Jiang Jingbai nodded, “Okay.”

After Hu Xiaojing left, Han Yisi started talking, “Xixi, who do you think Xiaole looks like?”

Yu Xi quietly looked over the baby. She was just born so her facial features have not fully taken shape yet so Yu Xi really couldn’t tell who she looked more like. Only her eyes resembled Hu Xiaojing’s a little.

She replied, “Probably Xiaojing.”

Han Yisi laughed, “I thought so too. Looks like there’s going to be another beautiful girl in the family.”

After finishing her words, she started to poke the baby’s round and chubby cheeks. Han Yisi’s smile deepened, “Xiaole, in the future, you have to remember that beauty is only skin-deep, so you can’t be arrogant because of it. You shouldn’t use your good looks to purposely trample on other people, you hear me? Behave with integrity because the most important thing is to have a conscience. People with no conscience are no different than animals.”

“Precisely like your godmother. When she was young, she was unlucky and blind and met a slag.”

“In the future, you have to become a person with conscience, hear me?”

Hearing her indirectly scolding a certain person, Yu Xi lightly coughed and tugged on her clothing. Han Yisi stared at her, “What is it? I’m giving her an early pre-school education.”

“You’re not giving her a pre-school education, you’re giving her an advanced early education.”

Han Yisi coldly hmphed in return.

Yu Xi asked, “How many days are you on leave?”

“One week.”

“I have to go back tonight.”

After Han Yisi graduated, she joined a research institute. Whenever she started researching, it’ll be for many continuous days and nights so even up to half a month without contact would be normal. Even during Chinese New Years and other holidays, she would rarely be able to have days off. Now that she’s finally decided to go on leave for an entire week, she returned back to her hometown for a visit and didn’t come back until just yesterday.

Yu Xi frowned, “This fast?”

Han Yisi nodded, “Yeah, so I won’t be able to go to your place and visit.”

Talking, she turned around to look towards Jiang Jingbai who sat behind her. She jabbed Yu Xi’s temple lightly, “Learn some next time, I don’t want to hear any bad news the next time I come out.”

Yu Xi rolled her eyes, “You’re talking as if you’re going to enter some iron cage.”

Han Yisi glared at her, “You shut up. Really, it’s a miracle that someone with your personality have not been beaten to death in the entertainment industry.”

Yu Xi laughed softly, “That’s because I’m talented.”

The two bickered back and forth. Jiang Jingbai’s line of sight fell on Yu Xi and only shifted away after pondering for a few seconds.

The room door opened and Hu Xiaojing walked in with her slippers, furrowing her brow, “If you can’t drink that much, then don’t. Why insist on getting drunk like a ghost.”

Han Yisi looked up, “What’s wrong? Did Gu He drink too much?”

Hu Xiaojing replied, “It’s Lu Xiaowei. He drank too much and fell into a drunken stupor. I let Gu He send him back.”  

Hearing the two talk, Yu Xi looked at her watch and rose up, “It’s pretty late already, should we also go?”

Han Yisi also rose up, “It’s about time for me to go back too.”

Hu Xiaojing shrugged, “Okay then, how about I send you back?”

Yu Xi shook her head, “No need, you have to take care of the baby.”

From the beginning to the end, Jiang Jingbai was entirely just like a backdrop or a transparent person. It was only until they were about to leave did she turn towards Hu Xiaojing and nod her head, “Until we meet again.”

Pulling her lip corners up, Hu Xiaojing replied, “Until we meet again.”

The three people entered the elevator together.

Han Yisi got off on the first floor, and very soon there were only Yu Xi and Jiang Jingbai left in the elevator.

The two didn’t exchange any words the entire time down to the garage. By the time they reached the garage, Yu Xi was fully dressed up again with only her two eyes showing. After she got into the car, she pulled off her mask and then she heard Jiang Jingbai say, “Looks like you and Han Yisi have a pretty good relationship.”

The black car slowly started and drove out the garage. The outside street lamps shone into the car. Yu Xi sat in the passenger seat, her expression normal, “It’s not bad.”

From her facial expression, one could tell that she wasn’t in the mood to talk. Jiang Jingbai pursed her lips and proceeded on driving.

It was really quiet in the car with the gentle and faint unhurried sound of music and the smell of perfume wafting around in the air. By the time the car stopped, Yu Xi nearly fell asleep. After Jiang Jingbai stopped the car, she tilted her head over, “We’re here.”

Yu Xi lazily hummed in response, only sitting up straight after a long time. She shook her head before preparing to get off the car. A voice was heard from next to her, “Yu Xi.”  

It was Jiang Jingbai’s voice.

Yu Xi looked over and watched Jiang Jingbai take a box out from a nearby bag, “When I was choosing a gift for the child, I saw this and thought it’ll suit you very much.”

It was a red box without any excessive decorations. Yu Xi scanned over it, falling into silence for a few seconds before taking it over. When she opened the box, she saw a necklace. The necklace’s pendant was in the shape of a monkey.

Yu Xi immediately thought back to this one time when she and Jiang Jingbai almost had a falling out in the past because she was angry about how Lu Xiaowei would always follow behind Jiang Jingbai every day. Taking advantage of the lunch break at school, she pulled on Jiang Jingbai’s hand and left the class. The two people sat next to the flower beds in the yard, with Yu Xi angrily saying, “Didn’t you tell me it was nothing, look at how he’s looking at you!”

Jiang Jingbai looked at her stupidly, “How’s he looking at me?”

She stared into her dazed eyes and got even more angry, “He’s looking at you like he wants you to give birth to monkeys¹ for him!”

Jiang Jingbai paused for a few seconds before laughing softly, the expression on her cold face changing into a different one. Her lip corners slightly raised, bending into the angles showing delight. Her voice was also all smiley, “Yu Xi, I’ll only have monkeys with you.”

It was originally a joke but she took it seriously and would even go in front of Han Yisi and Hu Xiaojing every day to show it off, saying ‘my family’s Jiang Jingbai said she wanted to give birth to a monkey for me’!

Now that she’s thinking about it now…

Yu Xi blinked.

This was all part of her dark past.

She closed the box and looked up at Jiang Jingbai, saying, “President Jiang’s made an error then.”

“This necklace doesn’t really suit me that well.”

“However, I think this suits Tao Yitong pretty well though.”

“Thank you for tonight, good bye.”

She placed the box in Jiang Jingbai’s hands and stepped out of the car in her high heels. She was still covered from head to toe although it still didn’t manage to cover up her wonderful long figure. Jiang Jingbai sat in the car, pinching the box and pursing her lips up for quite a while before putting the box back into her bag.

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1 This is a popular internet saying where girls will say “I want to have your babies” in a joking way but it kinda sounds weird in English.

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