Jiang Cheng deserves a break

Chap 9: Making Amends

A/n: Hello! This chap is in my opinion lackluster. The idea and impact that i want it to have just doesn't reflect in the entire chap and I am so upset. But i still have to get the rest of the book out so i can finally move on from it.

And so, this chap is shorter than i wanted it to be. It's continuation will be in the next chap.

Whether or not i can get the rest of the book published soon is not looking too good. And so, the hiatus remains and updates will be dreadfully slow.

Trigger warnings include:

Homophobic language,
A character using the word 'cutsleeve' as an insult,
Character's intense self-loathing,
Swearing,
And a character's sexuality crisis

You have been warned
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Jiang Cheng's Pov:

Throughout the day, Shu Mei Ling had been intolerable. She was much snarkier when responding to him, and much meaner towards him, too. When he had requested for tea, she screamed at him furiously and threw an empty teacup at him. "Get it yourself, asshole!"

Jiang Cheng ducked his head and the cup shattered against the wall behind him.

He quickly figured out that Mei Ling must have overheard his conversation with her mother. Hence, Jiang Cheng didn't stop her from treating him so harshly; even if he outranked her and had the authority to exile her from Lotus Pier. He agreed that he fully deserved the hate anyway.

Jiang Cheng had been meaning to talk to his advisor (soon to be former advisor because he's certain Shu Jinghua wouldn't want to work for him anymore) all day, but he couldn't catch even a glimpse of her.

She had somehow avoided all detection, and every disciple he asked said they hadn't see her either; while the servants just pretended to not know who he was talking about.

Miraculously, he did find her at one of the many gazebos in the Jiang clan compound, reading a novel. He makes his presence known to her. Madam Shu puts her book down reluctantly, the pages facing down and she greets him tightly. "What is that leader Jiang wants?"

Jiang Cheng gestured to one of the three empty chairs, "May I take this seat?"

Shu Jinghua refused to even look at him, "You outrank me, do you not? This chair already belongs to you."

Her dismissive attitude toward him was getting on Jiang Cheng's nerves and it frustrated him to no end; but he reminded himself that he was here to fix things with his advisor. Not to make it even worse.

He sat down, "I just want to talk to you." He felt encouraged to go on when Jinghua decided to look at him.

He swallowed dryly and forced out his words, "You...were wrong about what you said." Madam Shu's eyes narrow at him, "So I've been told before."

Jiang Cheng became confused for a second then realised that he was too vague and hurriedly amended his words. She must have mistakenly thought that I meant that she was in the wrong for suggesting that I was a cutsleeve.

"No, no! That was not what I meant. What I meant to say was that I was wrong to say that being a cutsleeve wasn't normal, it's just that it isn't natural, wait no--fuck!" He cusses, though that doesn't really help with the situation.

Jiang Cheng turns his head away. He berates himself internally for not preparing his apology beforehand. He had blew his chances of apologising to Madam Shu properly, and now she's going to hate him forever. He desperately tries to form a coherent apology but his mind draws a blank.