Who Moved My Ashes Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Chen Man sat with Jiang Xichu and watched TV for a while, but because of her words earlier, Chen Man couldn’t focus anymore. The sister, who was pure at heart, had immediately become the big villain in her mind. This was originally a suspense drama but now she knew who the bad person was - naturally, she couldn’t watch it anymore.
Chen Man turned off the TV and began to debate whether to bring a blanket for Jiang Xichu or move her to the bed. After three seconds of thinking, Chen Man made a decision and took the blanket. Although Jiang Xichu was very thin, she still couldn’t move her.
Chen Man left. After five minutes, she came out of her bedroom with a blanket in her hand. Although it was light, it was very fluffy. When Chen Man entered, her line of sight was blocked by the duvet and she couldn’t see the immediate surroundings at all. When she came to Jiang Xichu, she found that she was awake and up drinking water.
Chen Man didn't speak. She first looked at Jiang Xichu’s face carefully. Then, she tentatively asked, “Jiang Xichu, how do you feel?”
Jiang Xichu slowly looked up. “What do you mean by this sentence, how do you think I should feel?”
Chen Man: “...” Good. It’s still the sober Secretary Jiang.
Chen Man threw the blanket onto her. “Since you’re awake, go to your room to sleep. Remember to adjust the temperature first; it’s still quite cold at night.”
Chen Man’s home was fitted with zoned temperature controls, each room with its own setting. After saying this, she turned abruptly and started to leave the room. “On second thought, I’ll just set it for you. With how you fumble around, you’d probably mess it up and overheat in the middle of the night.
Jiang Xichu called to her, “Come back.”
Chen Man paused and looked back at her, “What?”
Jiang Xichu placed the cup down and patted the position next to her expressionlessly, “Sit here, we need to chat.”
Chen Man: “...”
Why did Jiang Xichu look so terrifying? Also, what was there to chat about?!
When Chen Man was a child, her father always liked to use the word “chat” when disciplining her. It left her feeling a sense of dread whenever that word was used. Chen Man warily walked over and nervously sat down. “C-Chat about what?”.
Jiang Xichu felt that her brain was a little dizzy and very sleepy from the wine. She held her head up and slowly said: “There were some problems that’s been troubling me recently, so I wanted to chat with you.”
‘So she was having issues with her personal life and had come to her boss for help?’
With that thought, Chen Man felt quite pleased. She crossed her legs, tension flowing out of her body, and said breezily, “All right, ask away, what’s the issue?”
Jiang Xichu looked into her eyes. “That is…do you have someone you like?”
Chen Man’s back was stiff for a moment, but she soon returned to normal. She replied to her with a natural expression, "No, you know that as well as I do. My focus right now is on my career. I'm not thinking about personal matters."
Jiang Xichu wasn’t surprised with this answer at all. She wasn’t oblivious when it came to emotions, but she had never felt so much as a hint that Chen Man thought of her in that way. It just showed how masterfully she had concealed it.
What Jiang Xichu didn’t understand was why she had to hide herself so much, as if she was a thief. Was she afraid of being discovered by her? Was it necessary?
Jiang Xichu was originally leaning against the sofa. Now, she sat up and got closer to Chen Man. She made an expression as if she was about to share gossip. “I need to tell you something, but don’t spread it to anyone else.”
Chen Man stared blankly and nodded, “Go on, I won’t tell others.”
Jiang Xichu smiled gratefully, then asked her in a curious tone. “I found out that someone has liked me for a long time. I haven’t told her that I already know, because I don’t understand. See, if she likes me, why won’t she tell me?”
Hearing this, Chen Man thought her secret had been discovered and her breathing stopped for several minutes. After what felt like half a day, she heard her voice ask, “Who is that person?”
Jiang Xichu’s smile was shallow. “You don’t know her, but you can help me analyze her psychologically.”
Her worry was gone, but a different unease crept in. There was someone who had feelings for Jiang Xichu, and Chen Man had no idea…worse yet, Jiang Xichu seemed genuinely curious about whoever it was.
After a pause, Chen Man said without any spirit, “There could be all sorts of reasons…maybe he’s just too hideous.”
Jiang Xichu decisively shook her head. “Impossible, she’s very good-looking and very beautiful. That would never be the reason.”
(TLN: Pronouns in Chinese, while written differently, are all pronounced the same (i.e. they’re homophones, like ‘they’re, their, and there’). So while Chen Man used the male '他', Jiang Xichu thought she used the female ‘她’.)
...
Chen Man’s heart began to turn sour.
“Then, maybe she didn’t like you in that way, but you thought she did. Maybe people just like you in an ordinary way.”
This was even more impossible. Jiang Xichu shook her head again. “No, I’m very sure. She likes me.”
Chen Man became even more unhappy as she pursed her lips. “There’s only one reason left. She’s a coward, too timid to show her face to you. She’s afraid of losing face or never getting along with you again.”
Chen Man’s eyes strayed to the ground as she spoke, concealing any traces of disappointment behind her lashes. Jiang Xichu looked at her pensively. “Is that right…? So that’s the reason…”
When Chen Man heard her say that, she immediately raised her head and began to ruthlessly badmouth her would-be rival. “Jiang Xichu, listen, If someone likes another person, there’s no way they can hide it completely. There are bound to be signs. If this person likes you but hasn’t told you, it means they don’t like you anymore or there’s something wrong with them that makes it hard to make a move.”
Jiang Xichu “oh”ed but didn’t express any further opinions.
As she was still pondering, Chen Man moved a little closer. She was calm on the surface but was worried to death in her heart. She pretended with a light-hearted appearance. “Oh, Miss Jiang, you don’t like that person, right?”
Jiang Xichu blinked and remained silent.
Chen Man felt like she got thrown into an ice cave. She was stunned and her throat tightened. “Do you really like this other person?”
This sentence was spoken impulsively without her brain registering it. If Jiang Xichu didn’t know her thoughts, she would have become suspicious after listening to this sentence.
Jiang Xichu smiled brightly. “I don’t know, but I want to give it a try. Although I’ve never been exposed to this kind of thing before, if it’s her, I think…it would be good.”
Finally, Jiang Xichu’s smile deepened. “As my immediate supervisor and friend, do you have any emotional suggestions for me?”
‘Yes.’
‘Stay away from this person!’
Chen Man’s heart was a mess. She couldn’t say any suggestions or blessings. Her brain was also scrambled and she didn’t know what reaction she should have. Jiang Xichu’s eyes saw enough of her panic and finally let her go. Her attention shifted and she started a new topic. “I’m going to move.”
There was a pause. Chen Man looked at her, mystified. “Move? Didn’t you just rent that house? Where are you going to move to?”
Jiang Xichu rubbed her forehead. After drinking wine, her temples had began to swell. “I haven’t thought about it yet. I just don’t want to live in that place anymore. Before I find a house, I’ll live here with you first, and then I’ll move when I find a suitable house.”
This wasn’t a question or a consultation, but a notice. Secretary Yang and Secretary Li said that Secretary Jiang’s status was higher than Chen Man; it was because it was the truth.
Chen Man had no choice. “Then I’ll help you pack tomorrow?”
“Yes, you can help me move. My car is too small for many things to fit. You can drive that SUV and try to move it all at once.”
Chen Man agreed. Jiang Xichu stood up and headed to the room to sleep. She almost left the living room when Chen Man remembered a very important question. “Wait, you haven’t said why you want to move. Is the house not good?”
Of course, the house was very good. She had signed a two-year contract with the landlord, and now she had only stayed for two months. She felt very embarrassed but Jiang Xichu couldn’t help it. As the proverb goes, the pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first*. It was better for her to move here, not only to take good care of Chen Man, but also take advantage of the proximity instead of living so far away. In order to compensate the landlord, she would simply offer to leave the deposit. .
(TN: The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first - is an idiom: to benefit from intimacy with an influential person.)
When she heard Chen Man’s question, Jiang Xichu vaguely replied, “Yes, the house isn’t clean.”
Chen Man blinked and then widened her eyes. “Are there cockroaches?!”
Jiang Xichu: “...”
She looked at Chen Man speechlessly and they looked at each other for a while. Chen Man then realized the true meaning of unclean and sighed in exasperation. “Please, it’s all feudal superstition, just because of this…did someone tell you?”
Jiang Xichu didn’t want to discuss any relevant issues with Chen Man. When she heard this, she raised her eyebrows. “Why, you don’t believe there are ghosts in the world?”
Chen Man sneered, then looked up proudly, “No, I am an atheist. I only believe in science.”
Jiang Xichu looked at her. Suddenly, she smirked.
This smirk was a bit complicated, as if it was funny, as if it was laughing at Chen Man’s ignorance.
Chen Man wasn’t convinced. She had been educated for so many years on socialism and she had always disliked the theory of ghosts the most. She rolled up her sleeves and was prepared to give Jiang Xichu a long scientific education but before she spoke, Jiang Xichu said to her, “Then, I’ll listen to you and stay there. Tomorrow you don’t have to move my things. I’ll live there for a while and learn to believe in science.”
Chen Man;s hand froze as she rolled her sleeves up, then she calmly pulled them back down, fixing Jiang Xichu with a serious look.
“As the old saying goes, it’s better to believe than to ignore. Tomorrow, I’ll give you a half-day off. We’ll move the things in your house first then go to the company.”
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TL Note: Chen Man being a tsundere and acting that she wasn’t giving the blanket to Jiang Xichu and happened to be passing by and handed it to her.