Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Chi Jia walked over to Jing Rui and sat down without a word.
Jing Rui crossed her legs, swirling her wine glass. She glanced in Qin Dong's direction and asked Chi Jia, "You have a handsome guy keeping you company tonight, yet you're here drinking with me?"
"I'm not interested in him." Chi Jia replied casually. She had tried to accept Qin Dong's advances during this time, but it turned out she really didn't feel anything. "If you're interested, I can introduce you?"
Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia without speaking.
"I forgot," Chi Jia chuckled, looking Jing Rui up and down. "You like women."
"Let's drink."
If it was just about finding a drinking buddy, Chi Jia thought Jing Rui was a good choice.
Although they didn't see eye to eye, objectively speaking, drinking together was quite enjoyable.
Chi Jia spent the entire evening drinking with Jing Rui, finally putting down her glass near midnight.
Qin Dong was still waiting for her, seemingly with no intention of leaving.
Chi Jia rubbed her forehead, feeling even more annoyed.
"Need my help again?" Jing Rui asked with amusement.
Chi Jia looked up at the alluring face before her, those fiery red lips. Given their "history," Chi Jia thought Jing Rui was going to kiss her again. "No need!!!"
Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia's lips, the lower lip slightly fuller and softer, very comfortable to kiss. She teased Chi Jia, "Why are you so nervous? Afraid I'll take advantage of you?"
Her eyes were expressive and seductive.
Chi Jia sometimes suspected the vixen might have impure thoughts about her.
"Jing Rui..." Chi Jia straightened up, half-joking, "I'm not into women, you don't have to flirt with me."
Although kissing Jing Rui was quite exciting, Chi Jia didn't think she liked women.
That feeling was probably just a physical stimulation.
Hearing Chi Jia's words, Jing Rui laughed. "You think I'm trying to pursue you?"
"I think so, a little." Chi Jia was slightly tipsy.
Jing Rui shook her head with a smile. "I don't like your type."
"What's wrong with my type?! Plenty of people are after me!" Chi Jia retorted, then noticing the late hour, she stood up. "Forget it, I'm not drinking anymore tonight."
Jing Rui was left alone again.
As Chi Jia stood up, Qin Dong also rose, following closely behind her.
Jing Rui watched them, then after a moment, followed them out.
Midnight, the bar street was still lively.
Qin Dong quickly caught up with Chi Jia. "Xiao Jia, I'll take you home."
"No need."
"It's so late, and you've been drinking. I'm not comfortable letting you go home alone."
"Really, no need." Chi Jia didn't want to drag things out any longer. After a moment of thought, she decided to be straightforward and friend-zoned Qin Dong. "You're a good guy, but I don't have feelings for you anymore."
"Why are you suddenly saying this… I'm just worried about you and want to take you home. It's normal for friends to do that, isn't it?"
"..." Chi Jia hated this kind of beating around the bush. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
The fortune teller said she would have exceptionally good luck with relationships this year, especially in the second half. It seemed like they were all rotten luck.
Chi Jia now only cared about her financial luck, not her romantic luck.
"What she means is, she's not interested in you, and you shouldn't waste your time anymore."
A clear female voice rang out in the night.
Chi Jia turned around. Who else could have such an irritating tone? It was Jing Rui, just stepping out of the bar in her high heels, her aura imposing.
"I'm her friend, and I'll take her home. You don't have to bother."
After a moment of stalemate, Qin Dong was speechless. He said goodbye and turned to leave dejectedly.
Jing Rui had rescued her again.
Chi Jia simply said to Jing Rui listlessly, "I'll be going now."
A black car stopped in front of them.
Jing Rui wasn't used to taking taxis, so she had arranged for a driver to pick her up. "Get in."
"I can take a cab myself."
Jing Rui had already opened the car door, her tone casual. "I'm going in the same direction, I can give you a ride."
Since that was the case, Chi Jia didn't refuse, getting into the backseat with Jing Rui.
A luxury car was naturally much more comfortable than a taxi.
This was the third time Miss Jing had taken her home.
Aside from work, they didn't seem to have much to talk about. Whenever they spoke, it usually led to an argument.
"When are you giving me those villa projects?" Clients were hard-earned, and Chi Jia was constantly thinking about this. If she could secure those villa projects, her performance could reach the top again.
"Didn't we call it even last time at LEFT?"
Chi Jia realized she had indeed said that, and instantly regretted it. Kissing the vixen and losing such a big project, what a loss! Why was she so impulsive then?
"Dizzy?" Jing Rui noticed Chi Jia rubbing her forehead.
Chi Jia was too heartbroken to speak, the lost villas weighing heavily on her mind.
Jing Rui seemed to see through Chi Jia's thoughts. It was just a lost project, was it necessary to be this upset? "Want to get those projects? Then you can..."
As she spoke, Jing Rui glanced at Chi Jia's lips, her eyes suggestive.
Chi Jia recoiled. "In your dreams!!!"
"I didn't say anything, Miss Chi. What were you thinking just now?"
Chi Jia: "..."
Scary, the vixen was truly scary.
So far, Jing Rui remained quite mysterious in Chi Jia's eyes.
Chi Jia only knew that Jing Rui was wealthy, owned a restaurant, but definitely didn't act like a chef, and enjoyed going to bars and drinking.
Always acting like money could solve everything.
Of course, Jing Rui wasn't as idle as Chi Jia imagined. She also ran a venture capital firm.
Apart from work, Jing Rui rarely had any real personal time.
Even going to a bar twice a week was a luxury.
Usually dealing with investors and socializing for business purposes, her interactions had become utilitarian, which was why she opened the restaurant, hoping to make some genuine friends.
"Ms. Jing, this is R Group's financial report."
"Put it there. Wait..."
Secretary Zhou was about to leave when she was called back. "Yes?"
Jing Rui suddenly remembered something. "I recall your brother works at a real estate company."
"Yes, he does."
"I want a house."
Jing Rui always took good care of her employees, offering excellent benefits and treatment, which was why the company's turnover rate was very low.
"I'll tell my brother, I'll have him contact you later."
"No need, just have him look for me."
"I… do you have any specific requirements?"
Jing Rui continued with her work. "Unfurnished, over 500 square meters. Just these two requirements."
"Okay, understood."
Leaving the office, Secretary Zhou couldn't help but marvel at her boss's extravagance. Buying a 500-square-meter villa without even looking at it herself.
Poverty truly limited one's imagination.
One afternoon at work, Chi Jia stared blankly at her computer screen, a melancholic expression on her face.
Her performance this month was worrisome. She hadn't yet recovered from the loss of the 500-square-meter villa project, her mind still on the lost commission.
Chi Jia listlessly walked into the break room, losing count of how many cups of coffee she drank every day.
The coffee habit developed after she started working. Relying on caffeine to get through the demanding workload, she had become increasingly dependent on it.
"Xiao Jia, you haven't been looking well lately."
"How could she not look well being pursued by Mr. Qin? I think she's glowing."
"Stop gossiping about me. Mr. Qin and I are just alumni, nothing more." Chi Jia poured herself a cup of coffee and returned to her cubicle to work.
After a few minutes of drawing, Chi Jia heard someone call out from behind, "Chi Jia, your client is here."
"Coming right away." Chi Jia took out a small mirror and tidied her hair.
Every day was filled with various trivial matters. Although she was a designer, her work didn't end after submitting the design drafts and construction drawings; she still had to follow up on the construction process.
But Chi Jia never imagined that the client this time would be Jing Rui.
And Jing Rui had brought her another big project.
Villa interior design, 500 square meters.
Life was full of ups and downs. Chi Jia was in disbelief...
They sat at the same spot as last time.
Seeing Chi Jia's stunned expression, Jing Rui asked, "Miss Chi, not interested in taking this project?"
"Of course I am!" Chi Jia was puzzled. "Didn't you say last time..."
"I happen to have a vacant house. I liked the design proposal you gave me last time, so I thought of you." Jing Rui was always straightforward. "If there's no problem, it's settled then."
"Okay… no problem." Although Chi Jia appeared calm on the surface, she was ecstatic inside.
Just like last time, they went through the procedures and paid the deposit, finalizing the deal.
Jing Rui stood up. "I have something to attend to, I'll be going now."
"We can discuss the specific plan next time. I'll go to Number Nine to find you." For a wealthy VIP client like Miss Jing, a personal visit wasn't a big deal.
Watching Jing Rui's departing figure.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Chi Jia jumped up and down in excitement, grinning from ear to ear, almost dancing with joy.
Just then, Jing Rui suddenly turned around and glanced at Chi Jia.
Chi Jia immediately composed herself, straightened up, and gave Jing Rui a standard customer service smile. "Take care..."
A slightly disgusted expression flickered across Jing Rui's face, but she couldn't help but smile after turning around.
She had been planning to buy a new house in L City, but hadn't gotten around to it. Chi Jia had reminded her, and this time, she was returning the favor to Miss Chi.
Because of Jing Rui, Chi Jia's patience and resilience had greatly improved.
Of course, Jing Rui didn't give her any special treatment just because this was their second collaboration.
Miss Jing was the ultimate demanding client, still as picky and sharp-tongued as ever, possessing the ability to torment people to the point of despair.
Chi Jia had become a regular at Number Nine.
When she was too busy revising to have dinner, Jing Rui would cook for her.
The more Chi Jia ate Jing Rui's cooking, the more addicted she became, sometimes wishing she could go to Number Nine for revisions more often.
"Come on, follow me to the kitchen."
"I don't know how to cook..." Chi Jia was lazy and didn't like being in the kitchen. She had rented her apartment for over a year and had never used the stove, either eating out or ordering takeout.
"Miss Chi, after all these free meals, don't you feel any shame?" Jing Rui pulled Chi Jia up. "Help me out in the kitchen."
Jing Rui had a separate kitchen at Number Nine, usually only used by her.
Once inside the kitchen, Chi Jia was like a headless chicken, completely lost.
"You know how to wash vegetables, right?" Jing Rui picked out the ingredients. "Wash these clean."
Since she was eating Jing Rui's food, Chi Jia reluctantly washed the vegetables.
This was Chi Jia's first time seeing Jing Rui cook. Her knife skills were impressive.
The rhythmic chopping sounds were crisp and pleasant.
Chi Jia couldn't help with anything, so she just watched Jing Rui, her gaze eventually settling on Jing Rui's face. Her light makeup today was very attractive.
After finishing chopping the ingredients and arranging them on plates, Jing Rui, having been stared at the entire time, naturally noticed. She turned to Chi Jia. "I told you, staring at me like this is easy to misunderstand."
Chi Jia averted her gaze, changing the subject. "Why do women like women? Is it innate?"
Before meeting Jing Rui, Chi Jia had never had such thoughts about the same sex.
Jing Rui took a paper towel and dried her hands, walking towards Chi Jia.
Chi Jia didn't know why her heart always raced whenever Jing Rui approached her. It was because of Jing Rui's uniqueness; she was the only woman Chi Jia had ever kissed.
Jing Rui whispered to Chi Jia, "Date me for a week, and you'll know why women like women."
Chi Jia took a step back. "Why would I want to know that?! I don't like women."
"Sometimes, you don't even understand yourself. Didn't you feel anything when we kissed?"
Chi Jia regretted bringing up this topic. "I… I didn't feel anything."
"But I could feel that you did." Jing Rui smiled seductively, a hint of slyness in her eyes. "I don't mind trying again with you, to see if you really don't feel anything towards women."
Chi Jia suspected Jing Rui could read minds; she always seemed to see through her thoughts.
Jing Rui's lips drew closer, her faint fragrance filling the air.
Chi Jia lowered her gaze, her eyelashes fluttering. Lately, she had really been questioning herself, whether she liked women…
Hmm
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