Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

That guitar was never given away on Christmas Eve. Jing Rui casually placed it in a corner of her study, leaving it there.

Jing Rui had thought about finding a different place to unwind, but she still ended up at N Bar. Although she and Chi Jia had ended their… arrangement, it didn't affect her enjoyment of Chi Jia's singing.

However, Jing Rui no longer sat in a prominent spot. She would deliberately avoid Chi Jia, so Miss Chi wouldn't misunderstand and think she was still pursuing her.

As Chi Jia walked past, Jing Rui instinctively turned slightly, hiding behind her wine glass, not wanting to be seen.

Jing Wei, who was also there for a drink, noticed her actions and clicked his tongue. "It's only been a while, and you've already dumped her?"

Jing Rui just silently drank her wine.

Jing Wei was annoyed, making it awkward for him to pursue Chi Jia now, always remembering the scene of Chi Jia kissing his sister. "If you weren't serious, why did you have to steal her from me?"

After asking, Jing Wei realized it was a pointless question; Jing Rui always treated relationships like games, when had she ever been serious? He said in a rare moment of seriousness, "Sis, let me tell you, any girl who falls for you must have really bad karma."

"You're one to talk." Jing Rui looked at the playboy before her and retorted.

"I'm actually more qualified than you to say that." Jing Wei didn't give Jing Rui any face, his usual playful demeanor replaced with an unusual confidence only in front of Jing Rui.

Jing Rui didn't reply, remembering Chi Jia's repeated rejections. She had never been afraid of truly falling for someone, of getting hurt, probably because she had never been hurt before, she was always the one inflicting the pain.

She took a sip of her wine, her gaze subconsciously searching for Chi Jia, but she was nowhere to be seen. Jing Rui still didn't believe her feelings for someone could last, and that included Miss Chi.

Those involved were blind, while onlookers saw clearly.

Ning Qian saw through her; Miss Jing clearly hadn't moved on, yet she stubbornly refused to admit it. In the past, Jing Rui would be at lesbian bars, looking for flings, unlike now, simply drinking alone, seemingly uninterested.

Gradually, even Jing Rui's visits to N Bar became less frequent. The alcohol there seemed to make her feel even more suffocated, and sometimes, she would leave before even finishing her drink.

In another corner of the bar, Chi Jia sat at her usual spot, chatting and laughing intimately with Qin Dong, a radiant smile on her face. This wasn't the first time.

Back in her car, Jing Rui rubbed her forehead, her eyes closed, her heart heavy. She knew she cared, which was why she was now choosing to avoid the bar. Her words to Chi Jia before, "I'm truly at a loss with you," had been sincere.

She had never cared about someone like this before.

---

"Let's go, I'll take you to dinner."

Chi Jia looked at the time on her computer; it was already 6:30 PM. She turned around. "Where are we going?"

Qin Dong replied, "Just follow Lao Hu, he's treating us tonight."

Chi Jia turned off her computer; Qin Dong had already picked up her bag. Half a month ago, she had agreed to Qin Dong's request to "give it a try."

They said the best way to get over a relationship was to start a new one. Although her "relationship" with Jing Rui hadn't even officially begun, the principle was the same.

When Chi Jia agreed to Qin Dong, she wanted to be serious and committed, but something always felt off.

"Eat more tonight, you've lost weight."

"Okay..." Chi Jia didn't feel repulsed when Qin Dong held her hand, but when the elevator became crowded, she took the opportunity to pull her hand away.

The traffic was heavy, and they didn't arrive at their destination until almost 8 PM.

Seeing the familiar sign, Chi Jia was surprised; the dinner venue was Number Nine.

"What's wrong?" Qin Dong asked, seeing Chi Jia frozen in place after getting out of the car.

"Nothing." Chi Jia thought, she might not even run into the vixen.

But she was wrong. Given her karmic connection with Miss Jing, being matched together even on a dating app, running into each other on Jing Rui's territory was almost inevitable.

The chances of encountering Jing Rui at Number Nine were high, as Miss Jing's private office was upstairs.

"The food here is amazing, I booked a table several days in advance." Their colleagues were already impressed just by looking at the menu.

"I heard the owner is also very beautiful."

Chi Jia sipped her tea, her mind wandering as she listened to their conversation, filled with thoughts of Jing Rui, the inescapable vixen.

"Xiao Jia, don't you come here often? Is the owner really as beautiful as they say?"

Chi Jia had tasted the delicious food here, and the beautiful owner… she had also experienced firsthand. But she didn't want to answer the question. Whenever Jing Rui was mentioned, she felt uncomfortable, because of all the complicated things that had happened between them.

"That's the owner…"

At those words, everyone at the table, regardless of gender, looked in the same direction.

Chi Jia also glanced over. Jing Rui was chatting and laughing at a table, elegantly sipping her red wine. Just sitting there, she was the most striking presence, just like the first time Chi Jia saw her, a mature, alluring, and captivating woman.

Chi Jia's understanding of Jing Rui's allure was no longer superficial, so seeing her face now evoked a myriad of emotions.

Jing Rui also looked up, noticing Chi Jia's table. Her gaze swept over Chi Jia, a fleeting glance.

It was difficult to hide affection, her eyes always involuntarily seeking Chi Jia out.

Chi Jia lowered her head, focusing on her food, thinking it wasn't as delicious as Jing Rui's cooking, but she wouldn't have the chance to taste the vixen's cooking again.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Qin Dong touched Chi Jia's forehead, thinking she might have a fever again; she had had a persistent low-grade fever recently.

"No, I'm fine."

Chi Jia felt inexplicably down, wanting a drink, but Qin Dong replaced it with juice.

Qin Dong was warm and considerate, but Chi Jia was distracted, not how someone should act in a relationship.

Their colleagues, seeing them, teased, "We have enough dishes tonight, no need for more dog food."

Jing Rui seemed oblivious, although her drinking pace unconsciously increased.

They continued eating and chatting. By the time Chi Jia and her colleagues were finishing up, the restaurant was about to close.

As the restaurant emptied, Jing Rui sat there, finishing her drinks, then stood up. A scarf lay on a nearby chair. Jing Rui picked it up; it was Chi Jia's.

Chi Jia, stepping out of the restaurant, realized she had left something behind, so she told Qin Dong and went back to retrieve it.

"I'll go with you." Qin Dong followed closely behind her.

Chi Jia hurried back into the restaurant and ran into Jing Rui, who was holding her scarf. They stood face to face, their first interaction since their "breakup."

A moment of silence.

"Is this yours?" Jing Rui's smile was as alluring as ever. "Still as forgetful as ever, I see."

Chi Jia knew why Jing Rui said "still." Last time, she had left her contract in Miss Jing's car and had gone to her place to retrieve it, only to end up being… devoured.

"Yes..." Chi Jia wasn't as good at hiding her emotions as Jing Rui, her expression slightly awkward, unable to face Jing Rui as a casual acquaintance.

"She's always like this, thank you." It wasn't Chi Jia who took the scarf from Jing Rui, but Qin Dong.

Jing Rui recognized Qin Dong, the man who had serenaded Chi Jia with a love song at the bar and had been drinking and chatting with her. Not long ago, Chi Jia had claimed to be uninterested in him, yet now they seemed quite close. It seemed Miss Chi wasn't just playing games with her.

"Your boyfriend?" Jing Rui looked at the two of them standing side by side, and asked Chi Jia.

Chi Jia hadn't intended to explain this to Jing Rui, but since she asked, she smiled at Jing Rui. "Yes, my boyfriend, Qin Dong."

Jing Rui also smiled. "Congratulations, you're off the market now."

Chi Jia paused, speechless. She seemed to have detected a hint of sadness in Miss Jing's usually alluring smile. She had been drinking tonight, and her words sounded a bit forced...

"." Qin Dong also recognized Jing Rui; she was too beautiful to forget. He remembered her as Chi Jia's friend, someone with a bit of a temper.

Jing Rui simply glanced at him and turned to leave.

Qin Dong didn't quite understand the dynamics between women. Were they close, or not?

Back outside the restaurant, Qin Dong told Chi Jia to wait in the car while he went to buy something. Chi Jia sat in the passenger seat, lost in thought, thinking she had moved on, but seeing Jing Rui again, her mind was filled with thoughts of that woman…

Chi Jia realized she was more sentimental than she thought.

Ten minutes later, Qin Dong got into the car and handed Chi Jia a cup of warm milk tea. "You didn't eat much, want to grab something else?"

Chi Jia held the milk tea, warming her hands, and shook her head.

Qin Dong took two chocolate bars from his pocket and smiled, offering them to Chi Jia. "I saw you always eat these, so I bought you some."

Chi Jia stared at the chocolate bars, the same kind Jing Rui had given her. She always ate these? She hadn't even realized.

The chocolate bars brought a sudden silence between them.

"Have you been feeling down lately?" Qin Dong had wanted to ask this for a while now. Were they even in a relationship?

Chi Jia looked at Qin Dong, and as she spoke, she knew she was about to be a "heartbreaker" again. "…Let's just end this."

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