Chapter 40.1: An Independent and Rational Woman

　　All throughout this week, Jiang Dai had always been appearing at the hospital without makeup.

　　‌Even so, she had a refined appearance with perfect facial features and eyes that were full of charm. As for her lips, the natural color was not incredibly bright, but rather, it was a very warm shade of orangey-pink.

　　Without makeup, she was even more eye-catching than those so caked up with makeup. Furthermore, that insipid visage of hers made her seem younger than her actual age, so there was hardly any difference from five years ago. 

　　Since her dad’s surgery was successful, in particular, Jiang Dai had been extraordinarily elated and looked incredibly well, so much so that her body seemed to be enshrouded with a sort of warm glow.

　　It was a shame that the current uneasiness on her face was far too real even though he thought her alarmed gaze was rather adorable.

　　As such, not only did Liang Jingche felt it was heartrending, but he was also somewhat struggling to keep a straight face.

　　He explained hurriedly, “It was a dare at a friend’s birthday party.” 

　　Only then did Jiang Dai heave a massive sigh of relief.

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　　Despite the cacophony of catcalls from the crowd, not once did she display any form of discomfort or shyness that girls her age would usually have. Instead, she courageously favored him with a sweet smile.

　　Whereas, all Liang Jingche could do was emit a sound of appreciation.

　　Yet, Jiang Dai had absolutely no recollection of this matter. Instead, she recalled how common a game, like truth or dare, was at a party…… It was indeed true that she had played it frequently.

　　Five years ago, she was probably in her junior year of high school?

　　That was precisely the time when one’s courage was at its greatest. Jiang Dai reckoned that she would have thought a kiss was not much of a big deal back then. As such, it was possible that had indeed occurred. 

　　Moreover, he was a dignified chairman of a private bank, so there was no reason for him to use this matter to slander her.

　　At the end of the day, it was merely a kiss.

　　When she was suddenly told that she had once kissed this male seated opposite her, who had a striking visage and elegant demeanor, Jiang Dai, as a divorced middle-aged woman, found it pretty challenging to maintain a nonchalant countenance within a short time. 

　　It was clearly something that occurred five years ago, yet she had absolutely no recollection. However, the awkwardness that had settled over them seemed as though they had just kissed!

　　For the sake of alleviating this sort of awkwardness, Jiang Dai’s first reaction was actually to apologize.

　　However, weren’t these things done through a dare just a game? Wasn’t it somewhat over the top or pretentious for her to apologize?

　　At the same time, Jiang Dai’s thoughtful expression laid before Liang Jingche’s eyes, for which it was his first time seeing Jiang Dai in such confusion.

　　Upon seeing this, a gentlemanly yet relieved smile graced his face all of a sudden. “It’s nothing, so don’t take this the wrong way. Since it suddenly came to my mind, I was curious as to whether you still remember this. All in all, I don’t mean anything by it.”

　　Seated next to her, Liang Jingche could detect the sense of abashment emanating from her body, as if a child was caught right-handed by an adult for sneaking some candies. Even though it was obviously not an inexcusable mistake, it was simply far too embarrassing. Hence, the child became anxious and lost, so much so that she could not utter a reason after a long time.

　　At this juncture, it dawned on him that Jiang Dai had indeed been so shaken up. Also, he was a little too direct today, especially when a hospital was not an ideal place to confess his love.

　　Having heard this, Jiang Dai expectedly heaved a long sigh of relief instantly. As the awkward tension dissipated, her smile became significantly more cheerful. “So, that’s what it is! Gosh, you have given me quite a scare! I thought…… I thought you were here to ask me for compensation.”

　　With a gentle tone, Liang Jingche assured, “That’ll be all, so why don’t you go in and accompany your dad?”

　　After making a sound of agreement, Jiang Dai stood up and was caught off guard when she met his eyes. This man’s eyes……were so profound and gentle, yet carrying a sort of undisguised emotion, for which sent her mind in a whirl. Without any further ado, she lowered her head and hastened her gait towards the ward.

　　Amitabha! It has indeed been far too long since she had last dealt with such a complicated relationship. Yes, it was simply far too complex. At this point, she just wanted to be an abstinent and ascetical career-oriented robot.

　　Even though Liang Jingche appeared to be easy-mannered to have let Jiang Dai leave for the ward, his mood, in fact, had been on a roller coaster ride for a long time.

　　It was not like he had not tried to understand Jiang Dai’s background. When she was in high school, not once did she date anyone. When other beautiful girls began changing boyfriends one after another, she instead led a group of underlings……to be chivalrous and take down the wicked (?)

　　Although there were numerous guys around her, they were merely like brothers in her eyes.

　　During her university days, she had, all the more, turned down tons of love confessions and broken countless young mens’ hearts.

　　In today’s language, Jiang Dai could be regarded as an independent and rational woman who is beautiful and seductive without even realizing it?

　　However, this rational woman soon encountered her crush, who coincidentally liked that beautiful visage of hers. Utilizing her hardcore method to pursue love, they eventually got together.

　　Based on her overall experiences, it was not difficult for Liang Jingche to understand that reaction of hers.

　　Even though Jiang Dai was married once, her relationship experiences were, in fact, so simple that it was just like a piece of blank paper. Hence, she might have been relatively slow in this aspect.

　　So, it seemed that his current progress was much slower than he had initially anticipated, per his original plan.

　　

　　*****

　　Jiang Dai and her family had scheduled their return to Yanjing to be in a week.

　　At this juncture, the stitches on Father Jiang’s incision had already been removed, and he had pretty much recovered fully. Once he returned to Yanjing, all he needed to do was to continue recuperating at home for some time.

　　Throughout her stay in Zurich, Wen Yan had been reporting to Jiang Dai about the company’s situation from time to time.

　　“President Jiang, Jiang Zhuyuan has been acting strangely as of late. When he is at work, it seems as though he has taken some stimulant and would always be holding a small meeting with several shareholders. So, I reckon he is already planning to usurp your place in the company.”

　　The report Wen Yan stated had simply cracked Jiang Dai up. “I am rather curious about what sort of amazing plan he is able to come up with.”

　　Upon hearing that, Wen Yen inquired, “Would you like me to send someone to spy on your Third Uncle? All in all, I am more worried about your Third Uncle being abetted by Jiang Zhuyuan. The last I checked, Second and Third Bro have always been chums all these years, and Third Bro, after all, owns a massive number of shares. In the case of him switching over to Jiang Zhuyuan’s side, I’m afraid that by the time you return, things will become far more challenging to be dealt with.”

　　After mulling over it for several seconds, Jiang Dai responded swiftly, “There’s no need for that. When it comes to Third Uncle, I have a pretty good idea of how Third Uncle is as a person. Not only is he somewhat weak, but it is also easy to entice him.”

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