Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Chi Jia’s gaze swept over Jing Rui and the mature woman beside her, her expression unchanged, her singing seemingly unaffected. It wasn’t the first time she had seen Jing Rui being intimate with other women here. Miss Jing’s romantic interests seemed to come and go like her designer clothes, beautiful and never the same.
Chi Jia only sang two songs tonight, then left the stage early, claiming her throat wasn’t feeling well.
Sitting in a corner, Chi Jia stared intently at the liquid in her glass, then downed it in one gulp. She finally understood what it meant to “lose by taking it seriously.” She shouldn’t have played games with Jing Rui, she couldn’t win. No matter how nonchalant she acted, her heart was serious, and it would hurt regardless of whether she admitted it or not.
Chi Jia mocked herself; all those past relationships seemed to have taught her nothing. She was still easily fooled by fleeting moments of affection, mistaking them for love. That night, Jing Rui had simply given her a hug, and she had mistaken it for genuine feelings.
Just a few days ago, Chi Jia had thought Jing Rui might like her, but after she rejected Jing Rui, Jing Rui didn’t seem upset or heartbroken at all, quickly moving on to another woman.
So, a woman’s intuition wasn’t always accurate.
What did she even want? Chi Jia was confused, even annoyed at herself. If Jing Rui truly liked her, she felt anxious; if Jing Rui was just playing around, she felt hurt. Perhaps humans were inherently contradictory creatures, always creating problems for themselves.
The only way to solve her problem was probably to stay away from surnamed Jing, the vixen. Before meeting Jing Rui, Miss Chi had always had a healthy appetite.
After a few drinks, Chi Jia left, brushing past Jing Rui. The familiar fragrance of Jing Rui’s perfume, a scent etched in her memory, lingered in the air. Jing Rui, noticing Chi Jia from the corner of her eye, smiled faintly. Two people who had once been passionately entangled in bed, now acting like strangers.
Being too good at pretending wasn’t always a good thing, like Jing Rui, always strong and never showing vulnerability, burying her loneliness deep inside, afraid of being seen.
“Want to watch a movie tonight?”
Jing Rui turned to her date. “Not interested.”
“Then why did you ask me out tonight?” Having heard of Miss Jing’s open-mindedness, the woman became bolder, leaning in suggestively. “Let’s just go to a hotel, shall we?”
Jing Rui’s smile remained alluring as she stood up and said calmly, “I meant, I’m not interested in you.”
“Hey! Then why did you ask me out?!”
Jing Rui had already walked out of the bar, leaving without an explanation, something she had done many times before.
At midnight, Chi Jia lay in bed, wide awake, her mind racing. Was surnamed Jing cuddling with another woman right now, whispering sweet nothings to lull her to sleep?
Chi Jia buried her face in the pillow, feeling hopeless. Why was she still thinking about such a woman?
10 AM, AS CEO’s office.
For the first time, Ning Qian entered this office without a smile, her expression cold.
Both of them looked haggard, Wen Jin even more so. The recent string of troubles had left her exhausted, and then there was that night with Ning Qian…
“What can I do for you…?”
Ning Qian didn’t speak, nor did she meet Wen Jin’s eyes. She placed her resignation letter on the desk and pushed it towards Wen Jin.
A resignation letter. Wen Jin had expected this.
Despite wanting to separate her personal and professional life, Ning Qian couldn’t do it anymore. Every time she saw Wen Jin, she was reminded of that night, of the shattering of her years-long crush, of becoming the despicable “other woman.”
Wen Jin looked at the resignation letter, unsure whether to try and persuade Ning Qian to stay or to accept her resignation.
Silence hung heavy in the air.
Holding the letter, Wen Jin looked up at Ning Qian. “It’s all my fault, I’m sorry, you don’t have to…”
“President Wen.” Ning Qian met Wen Jin’s gaze. In the past, such eye contact would make her heart race, but now, she couldn’t describe her feelings. “After everything that happened, do you think I can still stay here?”
“Actually, I and…”
“Enough!” For the first time, Ning Qian interrupted Wen Jin, her voice sharp. “Don’t bother explaining. If you truly feel sorry for me, don’t ever mention that night again. It makes me sick… it makes me feel disgusted with myself.”
“Don’t say that…” Wen Jin was speechless. She had wanted to explain, but what good would it do? She had already hurt Ning Qian; words couldn’t fix it.
“Don’t worry, I’ll properly hand over my work, I won’t leave a mess behind.”
“I’m sorry.” Besides these two words, Wen Jin didn’t know what else to say to Ning Qian.
Those two words were precisely what Ning Qian hated hearing the most right now. One night, Wen Jin had taken her from heaven to hell.
After work, Ning Qian asked Jing Rui out for a drink. She wanted to drink until she threw up, to mourn her shattered dreams. After tonight, Wen Jin would disappear from her life completely.
“What should I do? I feel like the sky is falling…” These were Ning Qian’s first words to Jing Rui.
Seeing the usually lively and cheerful Director Ning with red eyes, Jing Rui sensed something was wrong. “What happened?”
Ning Qian had already had quite a few drinks. “I slept with her that night.”
Jing Rui remained silent. If that was the case, Ning Qian shouldn’t be this upset.
“The next morning, she told me… she’s married.” Ning Qian said with a bitter smile, tears welling up in her eyes. She tilted her head back, trying to hold back the tears. “She’s married, why did she kiss me… why did she lead me on…?”
Ning Qian, drunk and heartbroken, told Jing Rui everything. Although Jing Rui couldn’t understand what it felt like to have a crush on someone for almost ten years, seeing Ning Qian like this, she knew it must be devastating. “Just cry if you want to, don’t hold it back.”
“Jing Rui, I envy you so much.” Ning Qian continued drinking, one glass after another, finally collapsing into Jing Rui’s arms, still mumbling, “I envy you for not falling for anyone… you must think I’m stupid… but I really liked her… I loved her… why did she do this to me… when she kissed me, I thought I was dreaming… I thought I had finally…”
Ning Qian finally broke down, sobbing in Jing Rui’s arms.
Jing Rui gently patted Ning Qian’s back. “Look at it this way, at least you’re free now.”
Ning Qian didn’t feel free, she felt terrible. They said forgetting someone was sometimes harder than liking them. Could she really forget Wen Jin completely?
Either way, it was torture.
Ning Qian buried her face in Jing Rui’s arms, crying like a child, almost soaking Jing Rui’s clothes with her tears.
Jing Rui held Ning Qian, comforting her, lost in thought. She and Ning Qian were complete opposites. She wanted to ask Ning Qian why she bothered pursuing someone she could never have, was it worth it? But right now, it didn’t seem like the right time to ask.
The reason Chi Jia saw Jing Rui again was purely because she had been coming to the bar every day lately.
The scene before her was a bit too much for Chi Jia to handle. Before, she had only seen Jing Rui flirting with other women, but tonight, Jing Rui was actually cuddling and being intimate with another woman. Although Chi Jia had imagined this scenario, seeing it in person felt different.
Nothing surprising, really.
Jing Rui sighed, feeling helpless as Ning Qian continued to cry, her tears soaking Jing Rui’s clothes.
Ning Qian was completely drunk, clinging to Jing Rui. “Stop drinking, I’ll take you home.”
As soon as they were in the car, Ning Qian passed out. Seeing her heartbroken state, Jing Rui sighed, not wanting to leave her alone, so she took Ning Qian to her place.
After a wild night at the bar, Chi Jia took a cab home.
She had been grinning all night, her facial muscles almost cramping, feeling happier than ever, reverting to her old carefree self, the Miss Chi who celebrated breakups.
Inside the taxi, the world quieted down. Soft, lyrical music played on the radio as Chi Jia leaned against the window, the forced smile finally fading from her face, exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
The radio DJ’s warm, soothing voice narrated a late-night love story.
Chi Jia listened with a blank expression.
“…In this cold winter, who are you thinking of right now, the person you wish you could hold in your arms as you fall asleep?”
Hearing these words, tears welled up in Chi Jia’s eyes, flowing uncontrollably. She wiped them away with her hand. Damn it, she must be drunk to be so sentimental over a radio show.
Back home, Chi Jia continued drinking, wanting to get completely drunk tonight.
Dizzy and lightheaded, she didn’t even bother showering, collapsing onto the sofa, thinking, being single was great, she could drink as much as she wanted, so carefree.
She fumbled for her phone in the cushions of the sofa, her vision blurry as she stared at the screen, opening her contacts. She had made a pact with herself, never to contact Jing Rui except for work. But drunk and vulnerable, her finger trembled as she dialed the vixen’s number…
At Jing Rui’s place, Ning Qian was almost tearing the house down, crying, ranting, and demanding more alcohol. In the end, Jing Rui gave her a bottle of water, which Ning Qian happily drank, finally calming down.
Jing Rui’s phone rang. She stared at the screen for a few seconds; it was Chi Jia. She answered. “Hello?”
“It’s me… Chi Jia…”
Jing Rui frowned. She could smell the alcohol on Chi Jia’s breath even through the phone; another drunk one, and quite drunk at that. “You’re drunk, where are you?!”
“At home…” Chi Jia lay on her back on the sofa, her eyes closed, murmuring into the phone, “I want to go to your place… or a hotel… I want to do it with you… right now… Jing Rui… I want to fuck you…”
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