Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Jing Rui's gaze shifted from Chi Jia's face to the car a few meters away. "Let's go," she said softly.
Just then, a taxi turned the corner, its tires splashing through puddles. Chi Jia quickly stepped forward into the rain and hailed it.
It was empty.
Before getting in, Chi Jia turned to Jing Rui. "I'll take a cab myself. Thank you."
They used to be closer when they didn't get along, now, exchanging polite pleasantries, they felt distant.
Chi Jia got into the taxi, her hair slightly damp. Looking out the window, she watched Jing Rui's figure disappear into the hazy night. Her mind was in turmoil tonight, she needed to calm down. She was afraid that being close to Jing Rui would lead to another impulsive act, further complicating their relationship.
Jing Rui tightened her grip on the umbrella handle, stood quietly in the rain for a moment, the cold seeping into her bones, before returning to her car.
Sitting in the car, Jing Rui's mind wandered to her conversation with Ning Qian that night, when they had talked at length about relationships as they drank.
"…It takes time to accept that you like women, and it takes even more courage to choose to be with a woman. You can see it, right? Chi Jia is serious about you. If you also have feelings for her, you should give her time, give her a little more courage…"
Ning Qian had firsthand experience in this matter, having realized her attraction to women during adolescence, and embracing it. But the older you got, the less courage you had. Family, society, all sorts of realistic constraints held people back.
Ning Qian deeply understood Chi Jia's feelings, seeing her own past self in Chi Jia. If Jing Rui dared to play with Chi Jia's feelings, even as an outsider, she would be the first to give surnamed Jing a piece of her mind.
"Meeting Chi Jia is a good thing. I have a feeling this girl will teach you what love truly means, hahaha…"
"You're drunk."
"I'm not drunk." Ning Qian, practically slumped over the table, still refused to admit it, looking at Jing Rui and mumbling, "Liking her, but she doesn't accept you, isn't that frustrating and painful? Jing Rui, I understand how you feel, I really do…"
That night, Ning Qian's drunken words had struck a chord with Jing Rui. She hadn't said anything, but she had drunk a lot with Ning Qian. Frustration and pain, that was exactly how she had felt when Chi Jia told her "let's not contact each other anymore."
Watching the raindrops falling outside the window, Jing Rui's thoughts returned to the present, remembering Chi Jia's stubborn expression, a sense of loneliness washing over her. Chi Jia kept avoiding her, afraid to face her, was it just a matter of time?
Jing Rui, who had never been willing to invest much time in relationships, was now pondering this question.
Wen Jin was divorced. Thankfully, she had never given up on her career and was financially independent. The divorce was a true liberation for her.
10 PM, the office lights were still on.
After two consecutive all-nighters working on a project proposal, Ning Qian, without makeup, looked like she belonged in a national treasure exhibit. Feeling a wave of exhaustion, she instinctively wanted to ask her secretary for a cup of coffee, then realized she was the only one left in the office, working overtime.
Ning Qian had just raised her coffee cup to her lips when Wen Jin appeared at the doorway. "Don't drink too much coffee so late at night."
"I asked my housekeeper to make some soup and porridge. You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Wen Jin walked into the office, carrying several food containers. "Eat something first."
Ning Qian looked up at Wen Jin, then lowered her head, unsure what to say. In the past, she would have been overjoyed by Wen Jin's care and concern, but now, what did this mean? The nicer Wen Jin was to her, the more uncomfortable she felt.
Ever since Ning Qian returned to work after being discharged from the hospital, Wen Jin had been having her secretary bring her lunch every day. After accompanying Ning Qian to the hospital that time, Wen Jin learned about her poor eating habits and excessive drinking, which had caused her stomach problems, and it wasn't the first time she had ended up in the hospital.
"No need to rush, don't overwork yourself."
Ning Qian was working so hard so she could officially leave AS after the new year. After everything that happened between them, how could she continue facing Wen Jin like before?
After that night, Ning Qian seemed to have gained some clarity. Why had she been so persistent all these years? Wen Jin never liked her, her one-sided devotion was pointless, foolish even.
She hadn't dared to confess, afraid of rejection, deceiving herself into believing that as long as she wasn't rejected, there was still hope. But that morning, Wen Jin had rejected her without hesitation, breaking her heart.
All the emotional turmoil lately had left Ning Qian feeling exhausted, too exhausted to continue clinging to a lost cause.
"Don't do this for me anymore." Ning Qian didn't understand why Wen Jin was still being so nice to her, knowing her feelings, after everything that happened. Did Wen Jin still want to be friends?
Wen Jin paused, then continued ladling porridge into a bowl. After their encounter, she considered Ning Qian her closest friend, and despite the change in their relationship, she still wanted to care for her.
"Eat while it's hot." Wen Jin handed the porridge to Ning Qian. "Be careful, it's hot."
"Please stop being so nice to me…" Ning Qian didn't want to continue accepting Wen Jin's kindness as just a friend. Before, she had no choice, but now, with the truth out in the open, everything was different.
Ning Qian raised her hand to push the bowl away, accidentally knocking it over, the hot porridge spilling onto Wen Jin's hand and the floor.
"Ah…" The hot porridge scalded Wen Jin's fair, delicate skin, turning it red, making her wince in pain.
Ning Qian was even more alarmed than Wen Jin. She grabbed Wen Jin's hand and gently blew on the scalded skin, her heart aching with regret. "I'm so sorry, does it hurt a lot? I'm so sorry…"
Ning Qian could never be truly heartless towards Wen Jin, despite telling herself she had to forget her.
"It's fine." Wen Jin looked at Ning Qian's worried face, her furrowed brow showing her concern, and couldn't help but say, "I hope you'll stay, don't leave."
Ning Qian was silent for a long time before replying, "Stay, and continue being just your friend? Wen Jin, maybe you can do that, but I can't, I really can't anymore."
Wen Jin didn't know how to respond. She wanted Ning Qian to stay. That night, she knew it was Ning Qian who kissed her, and she hadn't felt repulsed, but could that be considered liking someone?
"I can't be just your friend, and I can't pretend nothing happened, like you, do you understand?" Ning Qian poured out her heart to Wen Jin.
"What if…" Wen Jin thought for a moment, then looking into Ning Qian's eyes, she said slowly, "we acknowledge what happened, and don't run away from it?"
Ning Qian pondered Wen Jin's words, her gaze fixed on the pen in her hand. "That's not what I meant, you don't have to do this because of that night. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have crossed the line, I've already decided to leave, please don't say anything more."
Of course, she hoped Wen Jin didn't see her as just a friend, but not because they had slept together. She hoped Wen Jin genuinely had feelings for her before giving them a chance.
No matter how much she liked Wen Jin, Ning Qian didn't want Wen Jin to start their relationship out of a sense of obligation.
Wen Jin couldn't stop Ning Qian, who left, saying she was tired. Wen Jin stood there, rubbing her forehead wearily. Just as she had escaped one complicated situation, she seemed to have fallen into another.
At the end of January, the company started its New Year holiday. AS's holiday was long, almost half a month. Chi Jia, after working tirelessly all year, was looking forward to this break. Work, clients, everything could wait.
She packed her bags, two large suitcases, one for herself, the other filled with gifts for her mother: skincare products, cosmetics, clothes, everything.
While other young people dreaded going home for the holidays, dreading the generation gap, Chi Jia couldn't wait to be with her mother. After graduation, she only went back once a year, and her mother lived alone, which wasn't easy.
She called her mother at least three times a week, and they video chatted once a week, without fail.
But the New Year holidays also came with their own set of troubles. Although Chi Lishu wasn't worried about her daughter's marriage prospects, she couldn't escape the nosy relatives.
Chi Jia had a boyfriend at the end of last year, but they broke up before the New Year. She sighed inwardly, seemingly destined for relationship woes.
"Mom, did you miss me?" As soon as she got home, Chi Jia hugged Chi Lishu tightly.
"You've lost weight." Chi Lishu looked her daughter up and down, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "And you're even more beautiful now."
"Of course, I take after you. Mom, I brought you so many gifts, take your time unpacking them later."
"You send me money every month, and now you bought me so many gifts. Jiajia, save some money for yourself, my salary is enough."
"You gave me allowance when I was little, now I'm giving you allowance, it's only right. Don't be so polite, Mom." Chi Jia said playfully.
Chi Jia and Chi Lishu had a great relationship; people often said they were more like sisters than mother and daughter.
"Such a cheeky girl." Chi Lishu smiled, pinching Chi Jia's cheek, just like when she was little. "Go wash your hands, I'll make you some dumplings."
"Okay!"
After dinner, they sat on the sofa, watching TV and chatting.
"We're going to your uncle's place tomorrow. You didn't know, did you? Your brother is back."
"My brother is back?!" Chi Jia was surprised. She remembered the chaos when her brother came out to their family and introduced his boyfriend. He had even cut ties with them for several years because of it.
"Yes, he and his boyfriend came back together. I heard they've already registered their marriage overseas."
"Are my uncle and aunt still angry?" Chi Jia couldn't bear to recall her aunt's reaction back then, threatening suicide, it was terrifying. "They said they were disowning him before."
Chi Lishu sighed. "He's still their son, they can't just disown him. Your brother has also suffered a lot these past few years."
"Mmm…" Chi Jia stared blankly at the TV, her mind wandering, not paying attention to the show.
"Mom," Chi Jia turned to Chi Lishu, forcing a playful tone, "If I had a girlfriend, would you also disown me?"
Eita
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