Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 39
Chapter 39
The sound of running water gradually faded, footsteps receded, and the restroom fell silent.
“Mmm…”
A deep kiss, their breaths mingling.
Embracing tightly, their eyes closed, lips locked, both eagerly seeking pleasure from the other, lost in the moment, neither wanting to stop.
“Xiao Jia?” A voice called out from the doorway.
Their kiss had been too intense, and Chi Jia, pulling away from Jing Rui’s lips, was breathless.
They looked at each other in the confined space of the stall.
Jing Rui gently caressed Chi Jia’s flushed cheek, a seductive smile playing on her lips.
“Xiao Jia? Are you in there?” The voice asked again.
Chi Jia remained silent.
Jing Rui smiled, leaning in to gently kiss Chi Jia’s cheek and the corner of her mouth. Chi Jia’s heart was in turmoil. She slightly turned her head away, but Jing Rui’s lips still brushed against hers.
“Strange… where did she go…?” The voice outside muttered and faded away.
As Jing Rui was about to kiss her again, Chi Jia bit her lip and turned her head away, a clear sign of refusal.
Chi Jia’s hands had already released Jing Rui. She lightly scratched the door with her finger, silent for a few seconds, then looked into Jing Rui’s eyes. “One last time, after this, let’s not do this anymore.”
They had said “one last time” many times before, but this time, it felt different; before, it had just been empty words spoken in the heat of the moment.
The moment Chi Jia pulled away, Jing Rui had guessed the answer, but she still looked intently into Chi Jia’s eyes, finally admitting, “I’m serious.”
Chi Jia could sense Jing Rui’s feelings for her; their relationship had changed significantly since the beginning.
Did liking someone’s body lead to liking the person? Perhaps. Their relationship started casually, but now, neither of them could deny their feelings for the other.
“I admit I like you, but… I’m not that into you.” Chi Jia’s voice was soft, her words a stark contrast to their earlier intimacy. It sounded heartless, but also realistic; no one would die without the other.
Chi Jia wasn’t someone who prioritized love above all else. She had been struggling with this for a while now, and she honestly told Jing Rui her true feelings. “I still want my old life back, so, let’s not contact each other anymore.”
“Not that into you.” Jing Rui, being much more experienced than Chi Jia, understood what those words meant. Even if she told Chi Jia she was serious, she couldn’t say “I absolutely have to be with you.” They were adults now, not teenagers; a simple “I like you” couldn’t conquer everything.
Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia for a long time, then lowered her head, a seemingly relieved smile on her face as she looked up. “I understand.”
That “I understand” left the first scar in Jing Rui’s love life.
Their short, calm conversation seemed to have settled everything between them. At this moment, Chi Jia felt she had made the right decision, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t heartbroken.
After their conversation, they were both calm, a calmness that felt almost suffocating, a stark contrast to their usual dynamic.
Chi Jia and Jing Rui stood face to face for a moment. Just as she was about to leave.
“Chi Jia.” Jing Rui grabbed Chi Jia’s wrist, and after a moment of silence, she said, “Let’s end this the way we started it.”
Chi Jia turned around, stunned for a moment, then smiled. “Okay.”
Chi Jia was nowhere to be found in the bar, her phone unanswered, and Ning Qian couldn’t reach Jing Rui either, because Chi Jia had already taken Jing Rui out through the back door.
The snow was falling heavily on Christmas Eve, like feathers floating from the sky. Chi Jia held Jing Rui’s hand; they had never walked hand-in-hand like this before.
After all, they weren’t a couple.
“So cold~”.
Chi Jia, exhaling into the cold air, pulled Jing Rui into a taxi; they were freezing. Snowflakes clung to their hair, and they brushed them off for each other, their eyes meeting, their gazes lingering.
Their initial attraction had indeed been based on physical appearance.
Looking at each other, their hands stopped brushing the snowflakes away. The next moment, they instinctively embraced, their eyes closing as their lips met in a kiss.
Lost in the kiss, oblivious to their surroundings.
Their lips, initially cold, warmed from their repeated kisses. Kissing the vixen, Chi Jia never got tired of it. As she deepened the kiss, she wished the taxi ride to the hotel would last a little longer.
Chi Jia remembered their first time together; she had been quite drunk that night, just like now, sitting in the backseat of a taxi, kissing passionately on the way to the hotel, much to the driver’s embarrassment.
Tonight, the same scene was replaying.
Ending things the way they started, how fitting.
The passionate kiss in the taxi continued, lasting the entire ride to the hotel.
“You’re seducing me again.” Chi Jia realized she had become fond of saying this to Jing Rui, but now, those words held a hidden affection.
Jing Rui smiled, kissing Chi Jia’s earlobe. “Don’t you like it?”
Their voices were low, meant only for each other.
“I like your…” Chi Jia’s body felt weak, and she hugged Jing Rui tighter, whispering in her ear, “Seductiveness.”
Jing Rui also held Chi Jia close, nuzzling her face against Chi Jia’s neck, enjoying the embrace, then replying playfully, “Isn’t that what a vixen is supposed to be like?”
Chi Jia was lost in thought for a moment, her eyes closed, her embrace tightening around Jing Rui. Then, she cupped Jing Rui’s face in her hands and kissed her again, a deep, passionate kiss, oblivious to the curious glances around them, her world narrowed down to the woman in her arms.
They had decided not to get entangled, and although Chi Jia didn’t know what this night meant, their beginning hadn’t meant anything either.
A game had ended; this was probably what a clean break looked like.
Their purely sexual relationship had, at least, come full circle.
Back at the bar, Qin Dong was searching everywhere for Chi Jia.
Unable to reach either Jing Rui or Chi Jia by phone, Ning Qian knew the handsome Mr. Qin was in for a heartbreak. She comforted him, saying Chi Jia had left with a friend, probably something urgent came up, and told him not to worry.
Just as Ning Qian had thought, tonight, Chi Jia belonged to Jing Rui. But after tonight, they would be nothing.
On the sofa, on the floor, in the bathroom, and then in bed, Chi Jia and Jing Rui spent hours entangled, until they were both exhausted.
Nearing dawn, they finally calmed down, lying quietly in bed, drifting off to sleep. If nothing else, tonight had been more passionate than ever before.
Jing Rui was still awake when Chi Jia rolled over and hugged her.
Chi Jia, her eyes closed, was sleeping soundly.
Jing Rui turned and pulled Chi Jia closer, enjoying the feeling of holding her, the way she unconsciously snuggled against her, even Miss Chi’s morning grumpiness seemed endearing.
The more she looked at Chi Jia’s face, the stronger the sense of loss Jing Rui felt.
If their relationship hadn’t started with physical intimacy, perhaps they could have approached their feelings for each other more rationally.
As Jing Rui reached out to turn off the bedside lamp, Chi Jia nuzzled her face against Jing Rui’s neck, inhaling her scent. Jing Rui forgot to turn off the light, gently stroking Chi Jia’s hair, and chuckled softly. “Such a puppy.”
The light went out, silence descending.
In the darkness, Chi Jia felt a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth.
Chi Jia woke up early the next day, but the bed beside her was empty.
Jing Rui must have just left; the other side of the bed was still warm, her faint fragrance lingering in the air.
Chi Jia lay naked in bed, her body covered in marks from last night’s passionate lovemaking. She and Jing Rui both enjoyed leaving their marks on each other.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Chi Jia rested for a while, then got out of bed and went to the bathroom for a shower, wanting to wash away the lingering memories of last night and clear her head.
But as she looked at herself in the mirror, she was lost in thought again…
How wild had last night been?
Before meeting Jing Rui, Chi Jia never thought she had such a high libido, but after meeting Jing Rui, she realized she had been influenced by surnamed Jing, becoming just as insatiable.
It took Chi Jia a long time to understand that it wasn’t that she had changed, but simply because it was Jing Rui.
It also took her a long time to understand that although in matters of the heart, there wasn’t necessarily only one “right” person, and life offered many choices, but once someone entered your heart, it became difficult to choose anyone else.
There was no right or wrong choice, only gains and losses. Whether you were willing to let go, whether you regretted it, you had to bear the consequences yourself.
They said relationships were about fate, finding someone was a blessing, losing them was destiny. Chi Jia thought that after this, her “karmic entanglement” with Jing Rui would finally end. But she couldn’t deny that endings also meant new beginnings…
After Christmas Eve, Ning Qian, out of concern, asked Jing Rui about her and Chi Jia. Jing Rui’s reply was strangely indifferent: “No contact, each going their own way.”
Since Jing Rui didn’t want to elaborate, Ning Qian didn’t press further. Her own emotional turmoil was a mess; she didn’t have the energy to worry about others.
“Director Ning, there’s a dinner engagement tonight, President Wen asked me to remind you.” Wen Jin’s secretary informed Ning Qian as she passed by her office.
“Okay, thanks.”
With a pile of unfinished work and the difficulty of recruiting senior executives, Ning Qian’s official departure from AS would likely be postponed until after the new year. She would focus on her work for now.
The client they were meeting tonight was one that Ning Qian had secured, so she naturally had to attend the dinner.
Wen Jin was very grateful to Ning Qian for staying at AS to help her. Ning Qian was highly competent and well-connected, significantly boosting the company’s performance shortly after joining.
Wen Jin had been surprised when Ning Qian agreed to stay, thinking it was out of friendship, but now, she finally understood that there were other reasons as well.
“Don’t drink anymore, I’ll take it.” At the dinner table, Ning Qian intercepted one drink after another for Wen Jin, because Wen Jin had been drinking too much lately, and she couldn’t bear to see it.
Habits were truly terrifying; even now, Ning Qian still instinctively cared for Wen Jin. She hated herself for not being ruthless enough. After resigning, she would definitely cut ties with Wen Jin completely.
Ning Qian had been drinking just as much as Wen Jin lately. Enduring until the dinner ended, she clutched her burning stomach, her face pale. Wen Jin held Ning Qian, steadying her, her brow furrowed with concern and guilt. “It’s my fault, I made you drink so much for me. Are you in a lot of pain?”
Ning Qian, feeling Wen Jin’s closeness, was reminded of that night. She pushed Wen Jin away slightly. “I’m fine.”
Wen Jin didn’t let go. “No, I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“I said I’m fine!” Ning Qian continued to push Wen Jin away. She figured she probably had a stomach ulcer from all the drinking; it wasn’t the first time she had ended up in the hospital because of alcohol.
But Ning Qian’s tough act didn’t last long.
Just as Wen Jin helped Ning Qian out of the hotel, they ran into trouble. Ning Qian saw a man walking towards them, the same man who had caused a scene in Wen Jin’s office earlier, her husband.
“Jinjin, please give me another chance, I beg you.”
Wen Jin looked at him coldly. “If you don’t sign the papers by tomorrow, I’ll take you to court.”
“No, we can’t get divorced! Haven’t I explained everything? That day, I was just drunk with him, it was just a joke…”
Wen Jin didn’t want to recall the scene she had witnessed. She slapped the man across the face. “So you don’t want a divorce now? Is it more convenient to keep cheating on me while hiding it from our families, is that it, Mr. Zhou?”
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