Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Jing Rui rubbed her forehead; the cold medicine was making her feel even dizzier. Just as she hung up the phone, she heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," she replied.
The door, unlocked, opened.
As Jing Rui had expected, it was Pei You, holding a plate of fruit. She had just showered, her hair still slightly damp, wearing only a bathrobe, the collar slightly open.
Pei You closed the door and walked over to the desk. "Have some fruit."
Jing Rui, her nose congested from the cold, didn't notice the subtle, seductive fragrance of Pei You's perfume. She glanced at Pei You, then continued working, her voice stuffy. "No, thanks."
She didn't even bother looking at her. Pei You felt a pang of disappointment. Seeing Jing Rui's pale complexion, she leaned closer, continuing her one-sided pursuit, her voice soft and gentle. "Is your head hurting? Let me rub it for you."
As she bent down, Pei You didn't bother covering her cleavage.
Jing Rui frowned, moving away from Pei You, and asked, her voice sharp, "What are you trying to do?"
Pei You's intentions were clear. She looked at Jing Rui, her eyes filled with a mixture of affection and desperation. "I want to be with you."
Jing Rui had said that if they couldn't find the right person, they would be together, and Pei You had taken those words to heart. She hoped that one day, Jing Rui would get tired of playing the field and settle down with her.
"If you're not here for work, there's no need for you to stay." Jing Rui's tone and gaze were cold and indifferent.
"Jing Rui…"
"I don't have feelings for you, not even a little bit." Jing Rui's answer this time was clear and firm. "If I led you on before, I apologize."
"Apologize?"
A simple apology, dismissing everything.
A bitter smile appeared on Pei You's face. How could she have thought that Jing Rui's kindness towards her was special? Just because of those ambiguous moments? Jing Rui had been entangled with countless women.
So she was just another one of them.
But she was still unwilling to give up.
Pei You, in a moment of desperation, kissed Jing Rui's cheek, then wrapped her arms around Jing Rui's neck, her voice almost pleading. "Try it with me, just tonight..."
The atmosphere shifted.
Just as Pei You was about to kiss Jing Rui's lips, she was forcefully pushed away…
Jing Rui stood up, looking down at Pei You, her voice cold and sharp. "Stop it, don't test my patience."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it sent chills down Pei You's spine.
Pei You opened her mouth, then closed it again, speechless. This woman, when she was kind to you, could make you feel like you wanted to be with her forever, but when she was cold, she was more heartless than a winter blizzard.
"You can casually kiss and sleep with other women, so why not me?!" Pei You's voice rose with her desperation, her words tumbling out without thinking. "I can play along with you, I'm willing…"
Persistence for the wrong person wasn't true love.
"Enough." Jing Rui interrupted her, unable to listen anymore, suppressing her anger. After a moment of silence, she said, "You deserve better than a 'casual' woman like me."
"That's… that's not what I meant." Pei You said anxiously, trying to explain, her words jumbled. "Can't you… try to change?"
Pei You wanted to say she could wait.
Change? If you truly wanted to change for someone, you wouldn't have to try, it would happen naturally, unconsciously, until you realized you were a different person.
"I can," Jing Rui replied calmly, "but not for you."
A harsh truth.
Pei You felt like she was looking at a stranger, a different Jing Rui.
Remembering the woman Jing Rui had sweet-talked on the phone, Pei You fell silent, then with a bitter smile, she asked, her voice filled with resentment, "But that woman is okay?"
Silence filled the study. Jing Rui, arranging the documents on her desk, initially didn't intend to reply, then she looked up, answering Pei You's question. "I love her."
Hearing those words, Pei You felt her last hope crumble. She knew she had truly lost, a feeling she had never experienced before, despite Jing Rui's countless girlfriends.
Jing Rui took the documents and left the study, leaving Pei You alone, leaning against the desk, heartbroken.
Stepping into the elevator, Chi Jia finally felt warmer.
The temperature fluctuated greatly between day and night recently, and many people had caught colds. Chi Jia remembered Jing Rui's voice on the phone; she had been sick, yet still working overtime.
Chi Jia sniffed, turning to look at her reflection in the elevator mirror. Her cheeks were red from the cold wind. She smoothed her slightly messy hair and took out her lipstick, carefully reapplying it.
She smiled, satisfied, thinking about how to surprise the vixen, deciding to be extra nice to her tonight since she was sick…
Lost in thought, Chi Jia smiled to herself, impatiently checking the elevator's floor indicator every few seconds.
It only took a minute.
Standing at the door, Chi Jia didn't ring the doorbell, but took out her phone and called Jing Rui.
Pacing back and forth, she held the phone to her ear, smiling, thinking about what to say, planning to start with a sweet "I miss you" and then… smother her with affection.
The phone rang and rang.
No answer.
Chi Jia tried calling two more times, still no answer. It seemed her plans had changed. She sighed and rang the doorbell.
Pei You had just left the study, heading back to her room, when the doorbell rang. She walked slowly to the door and opened it…
"Why didn't you answer my call~?" Chi Jia grumbled as she walked in, then looking up, she realized…
It was a stranger.
Chi Jia's first thought was that she had knocked on the wrong door, but within a second, she realized this was her girlfriend's apartment, and the stranger before her was wearing her girlfriend's nightgown.
They stood there, looking at each other.
What was going on?
Chi Jia was more sensitive than most in such matters…
Pei You instinctively pulled at the open collar of her bathrobe. "Who are you?"
Although she asked, she had a pretty good idea who this girl was to Jing Rui.
Chi Jia was furious, her heart pounding. She pushed Pei You aside and stormed into the apartment, but before she could say anything, she saw Jing Rui.
Jing Rui's hair was slightly damp; she had just showered.
"Why are you here?" Jing Rui was surprised; she hadn't heard the phone ring because she was in the shower.
Seeing Jing Rui freshly showered, Chi Jia's mind went blank, suddenly understanding… why Jing Rui had told her not to come over tonight.
"So this is what you meant by 'working overtime'…" Chi Jia's voice trembled, her eyes welling up with tears.
With Jing Rui also in her nightgown, the scene before her was difficult to explain.
"You misunderstood, she's…" Jing Rui stepped forward, about to introduce Pei You.
"I know what you're going to say." Chi Jia interrupted angrily, her voice choked with sobs. She sneered. "She's just your 'ordinary friend,' right?"
Chi Jia had been cheated on before, more than once, which was why she had repeatedly warned Jing Rui not to see other women.
Because it was devastating.
She had always felt insecure in her relationship with Jing Rui, a small sense of security that had finally started to develop, shattered by tonight's events. It felt like her worst fear had come true.
People tended to jump to conclusions, and what Chi Jia lacked most with Jing Rui was trust, always thinking Jing Rui was making excuses, that a leopard couldn't change its spots, that she could be sweet and affectionate with her today, then with someone else tomorrow.
Even after deciding to be together, Chi Jia hadn't truly trusted her, always feeling a lingering sense of unease.
"Calm down, she's here with my mother…"
Before Jing Rui could finish explaining, Chi Jia, in a fit of anger, slapped her across the face.
It wasn't a hard slap, but it stung.
The slap brought a sudden silence.
Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia, stunned.
She was usually so proud and aloof, no one dared to raise their voice at her, except, of course, for Chi Jia.
"How dare you!" Pei You rushed forward and pushed Chi Jia away, then turned to Jing Rui, her voice filled with concern. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
Seeing their intimacy, Chi Jia stood there, tears streaming down her face.
The slap hadn't brought her any sense of relief, only a surge of sadness and pain so intense that she couldn't even speak, so many things she wanted to say, stuck in her throat.
She turned and ran, not looking back.
"Xiao Jia…" Jing Rui was about to chase after her.
Just then, Jing Rui's mother came out of the bedroom, hearing the commotion. "What happened?"
Jing Rui said casually, "It's nothing, I'll be right back."
"Put on a coat!"
Jing Rui, still in her thin nightgown, rushed out after Chi Jia, who had already taken the elevator down. She waited for a while, then another elevator finally arrived.
"What happened?" Jing Rui's mother asked Pei You, who was standing there, stunned.
Pei You, still reeling from Jing Rui rushing out after the girl, thought, how much did she love that girl, to chase after her even after being slapped…?
That was Jing Rui, she would never lower herself like this for anyone.
Chi Jia, her face wet with tears, walked out of the elevator.
She cursed herself for being so foolish, for not learning from her past experiences with scumbags. She had promised herself to be more careful, and yet, she had still fallen for Jing Rui.
Outside, the cold night wind made her shiver.
Thinking of Jing Rui, Chi Jia cried even harder.
How could surnamed Jing say those sweet words with such sincerity? "I love you," "I'll protect you"... She had actually believed them.
Chi Jia's mind raced with negative thoughts, wondering if she was just another one of Miss Jing's many girlfriends…
Rapid footsteps approached from behind.
"Chi Jia, stop!" Jing Rui caught up to Chi Jia, grabbing her arm, her breath slightly ragged.
"Don't touch me!" Chi Jia pulled her arm away, her emotions more stable now, although her heart still ached. She glared at Jing Rui. "There's nothing to say, I don't want to see you."
"Xiao Jia…"
They stood there, facing each other, the tension between them palpable.
Amidst their silent confrontation, Jing Rui finally explained, her voice hoarse, "She came with my mother, my mother is upstairs right now."
The argument came to an abrupt halt.
"Your mother…?" Chi Jia was stunned. "Didn't she leave this afternoon?"
"She stayed because I was sick." Jing Rui, braving the cold wind, her head slightly dizzy, continued explaining, "Do you have that little trust in me?"
Saying those words, Jing Rui felt a pang of guilt; it was understandable that Chi Jia didn't trust her. She knew she wasn't good at giving people a sense of security, but she wanted to give it to Chi Jia.
"I…"
"If you don't believe me, we can go upstairs and clear things up, my mother is there too."
Jing Rui's firm tone made Chi Jia waver. "Are you… telling the truth?"
"With your temper, can't you even wait for me to finish explaining?"
After a long silence.
Chi Jia realized she had been impulsive, her voice choked with sobs. "She was at your place, in the middle of the night, dressed like… that, how could I not overthink…?"
If it weren't for her mother, Jing Rui wouldn't have let Pei You stay over; tonight's misunderstanding was a huge mess.
"Don't cry." Jing Rui gently wiped away Chi Jia's tears.
Chi Jia couldn't help but sniffle, still upset from the misunderstanding.
Her hands were so cold.
It was cold at night, and even with a coat on, Chi Jia still felt chilly. Jing Rui, on the other hand, was only wearing a thin nightgown, her shoulders, legs, and arms bare, goosebumps rising on her skin. Chi Jia looked down and noticed Jing Rui was still wearing her slippers.
She must have rushed out after her without even changing her shoes.
Chi Jia's heart ached.
She quickly took off her coat and wrapped it around Jing Rui. "Put this on."
The warmth of the coat helped, but the cold wind made Jing Rui's cold worse, her nose even more congested.
Jing Rui gently wiped away Chi Jia's tears, her tense shoulders relaxing as Chi Jia calmed down and finally listened to her explanation.
"Don't overthink it."
Hearing Jing Rui's stuffy voice, seeing her pale and tired face, knowing she was sick, Chi Jia regretted slapping her, but in that situation, it was hard not to misunderstand.
Chi Jia gently caressed Jing Rui's cheek, the one she had just slapped, her heart aching, speechless.
Jing Rui looked at Chi Jia for a moment, then pulled her into a tight embrace, reluctant to let go.
She leaned close to Chi Jia's ear, sighing softly, her voice filled with a helpless tenderness. "Chi Jia, I must have owed you a debt in a past life to be tormented like this by you in this one."
Sabia que teria um mau entendido,pelo menos não foi nada gravd
ReplyDelete