Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 56
Chapter 56
"…I love you."
It wasn't easy for Jing Rui to say those three words; she rarely made promises in relationships. Promises came with responsibilities, and failing to fulfill them was a form of deception, and she didn't like to lie.
Jing Rui hadn't expected to fall so hard for Chi Jia, to the point of saying "I love you," wanting to keep her by her side. In the past, all she thought about during breakups was how to avoid the other person's persistence.
Chi Jia's heart fluttered wildly as she looked into Jing Rui's eyes. She had heard those three words countless times, to the point of becoming numb to them, but Jing Rui's soft whisper was enough to captivate her completely. Other people's sweet words and grand gestures meant nothing, but with Jing Rui, she couldn't help but react, her heart pounding, unable to resist.
Did the vixen really care about her this much? Chi Jia was still replaying Jing Rui's "I love you" after the kiss. She knew Jing Rui liked her, but she didn't realize how special she was in Jing Rui's heart.
Some words needed to be spoken aloud.
Although they were starting over, how could they completely ignore their past? Their relationship, having begun as a casual fling, would require more courage and trust than others'.
Especially for Chi Jia.
Jing Rui's gaze lingered on Chi Jia's rosy lips, then met her eyes, her voice calm and gentle. "Have you really thought this through? Being with me?"
She needed a definite answer from Chi Jia.
In relationships, Jing Rui had always been the one in control, but with Chi Jia, she was unsure. She was afraid Chi Jia would say something like "I'm not that into you" again.
Silence filled the car.
"I hate you," Chi Jia said, looking directly into Jing Rui's eyes, "for turning me gay, and then asking me this… Do you know how scared I am of liking you?"
The very thing she feared the most had happened.
Chi Jia, who had always proclaimed herself to be straight, admitted to being "bent" by Jing Rui, admitted to falling in love with her.
"I know." Jing Rui remembered taking Chi Jia home that night, Chi Jia drunk and pouring out her heart, saying she was afraid… But Jing Rui had chosen to give up then, afraid of hurting Chi Jia. Back then, she hadn't understood her feelings as clearly as she did now.
"I hate myself even more, for…" Chi Jia paused, her voice softening. "For not being able to forget you."
Chi Jia didn't think Jing Rui was the right person for her, but even knowing it was wrong, she still wanted to continue down this path.
"I won't let you forget." Jing Rui leaned in, gently kissing Chi Jia's lips, then pulling her into an embrace. "With me here, what are you afraid of? You don't have to be afraid of anything."
Chi Jia rested her chin on Jing Rui's shoulder, closing her eyes and hugging her tight. This embrace was the reassurance she needed. Even if the road ahead was difficult, as long as Jing Rui continued to be like this, Chi Jia felt it wouldn't be so scary.
"I'll protect you, okay?" Jing Rui whispered, gently stroking Chi Jia's hair. She needed time, she needed reassurance, and Jing Rui was willing to give it to her, as long as she stayed by her side.
Chi Jia's eyes welled up, and she hugged Jing Rui even tighter, her heart completely invested in this relationship.
"It's precisely because it's you that I'm afraid." After a moment, Chi Jia pushed Jing Rui away and turned around, muttering, "Always flirting, never settling down, always with a different woman, who would want to be with someone like you…"
"When have I ever been a flirt?"
"When I was singing at the bar, you think I didn't see you?" Chi Jia's voice rose with her anger, bringing up the past. Whenever she wasn't drinking with Jing Rui, wasn't Jing Rui always with other women, constantly flirting?
A belated surge of jealousy.
So Miss Chi did get jealous. Jing Rui smiled, her plan having worked. "Yes, you saw it, and it was on purpose."
"Jing Rui!"
"If I didn't make you jealous, how would you admit that you like me?"
"I must be blind to like you."
"Chi Jia, can't you say something nice to me?"
Chi Jia looked straight ahead at the windshield, silent, waiting for Jing Rui to drive.
"Come closer." Jing Rui, not intending to drive yet, pulled Chi Jia closer.
"What are you doing~?" Chi Jia asked knowingly, turning her head just as their lips were about to touch.
"I miss you," Jing Rui whispered, her voice slightly husky. "I want to kiss you."
"We just saw each other yesterday… Mmm…"
Her words were lost as their lips met.
With Chi Jia, a forceful kiss was more effective. Jing Rui gently kissed Chi Jia's lips, sighing softly. "I miss you even when I'm not with you, what should I do? You're addictive, you know?"
"Mmm… you're so cheesy for someone your age…" Because of Jing Rui, "cheesy" had almost become Chi Jia's catchphrase, although she secretly loved it every time.
"Better to be cheesy than to be a repressed prude like you…" Jing Rui lifted Chi Jia's chin and continued kissing her, murmuring against her lips, "You clearly want it, yet you keep pretending."
Surnamed Jing was definitely doing this on purpose. Hearing Jing Rui's soft moans, Chi Jia felt a surge of desire. If they were parked somewhere more secluded, she would have ripped the vixen's clothes off right then and there.
"Do you want it?" Jing Rui teased Chi Jia, seeing her flustered expression.
That tone, that breath…
Chi Jia tried to resist, "You're so…"
"So what?"
"You know what."
Jing Rui smiled. "Didn't you say you like me being seductive?"
Chi Jia was no match for Jing Rui when she was like this, so effortlessly seductive, calling her a vixen was an understatement.
"Just kidding." Jing Rui said, then kissed her again, reluctant to let go.
Chi Jia was speechless from the kiss, then surrendered completely.
She instinctively wrapped her arms around Jing Rui's neck, completely immersed in the kiss. She had fallen for the vixen the first time they kissed, and now, there was a sense of possessive satisfaction.
"Mmm..."
Their conversation ended, replaced by the sounds of their kissing, soft moans and gasps filling the air, the atmosphere charged with desire.
They were both good kissers, their kisses always deep and passionate, never ending until they were both breathless.
Another intoxicating kiss.
Chi Jia, her arms still around Jing Rui's neck, her face flushed, looked at Jing Rui for a long moment before finally speaking. "From now on, you can't touch other women, you can only be like this with me, only seduce me… only be mine."
Perhaps because she was dizzy from the kiss, Chi Jia had repeated "only" several times, but tonight, she was finally being honest with Jing Rui, pouring out her heart.
"I promise." Jing Rui kissed Chi Jia's forehead, her smile tender and affectionate. "I really have only ever seduced you."
"That's more like it." Chi Jia finally smiled, a contented smile.
Seeing her happy expression, Jing Rui couldn't help but say softly, "Babe, I love you."
Chi Jia, her heart melting, said, "Say it again."
Addicted to those words now. Jing Rui smiled, cupped Chi Jia's face in her hands, and indulged her, enunciating clearly, "I—love—you."
"The other word."
Jing Rui thought for a moment. "Babe?"
That word, the first time she heard Jing Rui call her that, Chi Jia's bones had almost melted, and just now, the feeling was even more intense, perhaps because now, that intimate term held a deeper meaning.
Chi Jia persisted. "Say it again."
"Babe~"
Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia, a smile playing on her lips. So this was Miss Chi's weakness?
"What's so funny?"
"Am I laughing?"
"You're grinning from ear to ear!!"
Jing Rui burst out laughing.
Chi Jia also couldn't help but giggle. She felt silly, the things they were saying, but she enjoyed it, their silly banter bringing her so much joy.
Now that they were officially a couple, they no longer had to hide their feelings.
Jing Rui always indulged Chi Jia. She would call her "babe," then kiss her. Chi Jia thought it was silly, wanting to push Jing Rui away, but when Jing Rui said "I love you" again…
Chi Jia couldn't help but kiss the corner of Jing Rui's lips, looking into her eyes. "I love you too."
Jing Rui's heart soared; all the waiting had been worth it, just for this moment.
They made a detour to the supermarket to buy some groceries, planning to have dinner at Chi Jia's place. Chi Jia loved Jing Rui's cooking; even restaurant chefs couldn't compare to her vixen.
Chi Jia hadn't said what she wanted to eat, but the ingredients Jing Rui chose were all her favorites. If she wasn't paying attention, how would she know? Chi Jia's heart warmed.
While Jing Rui cooked, Chi Jia helped out, her gaze fixed on Jing Rui, completely captivated.
"Why are you so good at cooking?" Chi Jia had always been curious about this.
"It's a hobby."
"A rather… peculiar hobby." Chi Jia couldn't resist teasing her; what CEO had the time and leisure for such things? Jing Rui had completely changed her perception of CEOs.
Jing Rui stopped and looked at Chi Jia, saying seriously, "If I weren't peculiar, would I have fallen for you?"
A playful jab at Chi Jia.
"You vixen!" Chi Jia flicked some water droplets from her hand onto Jing Rui's face.
Jing Rui closed her eyes.
"Did it get in your eyes?" Chi Jia asked, concerned.
"Can you be a little gentler?"
"You're one to talk! Were you gentle with me when you made me revise the design proposals?" Jing Rui had been incredibly demanding when she was Chi Jia's client, and Chi Jia had suffered endlessly. Now that their roles were reversed, she couldn't resist getting even.
Chi Jia's words left Jing Rui speechless. She had indeed been deliberately difficult back then; she just couldn't resist seeing Chi Jia get worked up. She wondered, how did they even end up together?
One claiming to be uninterested, the other swearing she didn't like women, and now…
After dinner.
"Come with me." Jing Rui took Chi Jia's hand.
In the corner of the study, there was a guitar, the one Jing Rui had bought in December last year. She hadn't given it to Chi Jia on Christmas Eve, and after several months, it was finally being given away.
"For me?" Chi Jia was surprised. It was the exact model she had been saving up to buy; she and Jing Rui seemed to have a telepathic connection.
It had only been four months, but it felt like a lifetime to Jing Rui, perhaps because those months hadn't been easy for her.
"I wanted to give it to my girlfriend last Christmas Eve," Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia, "but she rejected me and ran off with someone else…"
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