Our Love, A Public Service - Chapter 92
Chapter 92: Watching the Sea (Part 2)
They took the elevator downstairs.
Having woken up so early, Chi Jia was completely out of it, her eyes half-open, wearing a "don't bother me, I haven't woken up yet" expression.
"Still not awake?" Jing Rui raised a hand to tidy Chi Jia's slightly messy long hair, smiling as she said, "It's a miracle you actually managed to get up today."
"Isn't it all because of you?" Chi Jia looked up, pouting and muttering complaints at Jing Rui. Then, she tilted her head and leaned directly on Jing Rui's shoulder, closing her eyes to rest.
Jing Rui turned her head, smiling at Chi Jia's tightly shut eyes. Her lowered hand discreetly found Chi Jia's and held it. Chi Jia still didn't open her eyes, but the corners of her mouth lifted slightly as her fingers quietly slipped between Jing Rui's, lacing them together tightly.
For the two of them, it was a gesture that had already become a habit.
Soon, the elevator stopped. As the doors opened, two beautiful women stood at the entrance—one cool and aloof, the other elegant and mature.
Chi Jia quickly pressed the open-door button.
"Thank you," one of them said.
"You're welcome." Chi Jia smiled. Seeing that the other woman was carrying a drawing board and looked like she was going to sketch, she casually asked, "Are you going sketching?"
"Yes," the two women replied simultaneously with polite and gentle smiles. They both seemed rather aloof and didn't say much else.
Chi Jia's gaze lingered. The woman with the drawing board was wearing a slip dress. She was quiet, but the tattoo peeking out on her shoulder was striking. It rested on her porcelain-white skin, brilliant like fire, so beautiful it was eye-catching. Chi Jia was interested in this sort of thing, so she couldn't help but take a couple of extra glances.
Jing Rui glanced sideways, taking in her every move. At that moment, she lightly stepped on Chi Jia's foot.
Chi Jia looked back at Jing Rui, somewhat confused.
Jing Rui pretended nothing had happened, offering a smile that didn't reach her eyes and giving her a look that said, "Figure it out yourself."
Chi Jia vaguely understood something, but then thought, "She can't be that petty, can she?"
On the beach, there weren't too many people, but it wasn't empty either. Many photography enthusiasts had already set up their tripods and were making preparations.
The sky was just breaking, faintly lit. The pale blue sky was gradually turning white, and a hint of fine golden light seeped through the distant horizon. The sunrise was imminent.
Taking deep breaths of the fresh morning sea air, with the gentle breeze blowing, their hearts gradually relaxed and quieted. The moment they saw the golden sun leap over the sea level was so breathtaking that all the waiting felt worthwhile.
"The duck egg yolk is out! It's so beautiful!" Chi Jia directly hugged Jing Rui's arm, extremely excited, showing no trace of her earlier sleepiness.
"Everything you see is food. I've never seen someone who loves to eat as much as you," Jing Rui said, her gaze fixed on Chi Jia's profile, which was bathed in the morning light, her eyes filled with amusement.
"If I didn't love to eat, wouldn't your cooking skills go to waste?"
"Are you saying I should thank you?" Jing Rui raised an eyebrow.
"Of course," Chi Jia said so righteously that she herself started laughing.
Jing Rui was amused by Chi Jia's thick skin. Her smile under the sunlight was exceptionally warm and beautiful.
Chi Jia gazed at Jing Rui's smiling face, a little lost in thought. She had seen many sunrises, but it was always most beautiful when Jing Rui was by her side. She still remembered when Qin Dong had taken her to see a sunrise. At that time, she had clearly thought about breaking things off with Jing Rui, yet her mind was still filled with nothing but Jing Rui.
"Jing Rui," Chi Jia called out softly, the sea breeze blowing around them.
"Hmm?" Jing Rui looked at her.
Chi Jia didn't say anything more, but instead linked her arm with Jing Rui's and gently rested her head on her shoulder.
It was rare for her to be so quiet, which made Jing Rui feel a bit unnatural. She deliberately asked, "What's wrong?"
Chi Jia rested her chin on Jing Rui's shoulder and said with a grin, "I suddenly felt like being romantic. Is that not allowed?"
The tranquility lasted no more than three seconds; she was back to her old ways. Jing Rui couldn't stop smiling. Although Chi Jia could be a handful sometimes, she had never been this happy before meeting her. To put it sentimentally, Miss Chi was her little sun.
With that thought, Jing Rui lowered her face and kissed Chi Jia's slightly pouted lips.
"We're outside, people will see," Chi Jia whispered a warning only after the kiss was over.
Jing Rui showed no restraint. Taking advantage of the moment Chi Jia lifted her head, she leaned in and kissed her lips again.
Chi Jia frowned, but then couldn't help but break into a wide grin. She wasn't as bold as Jing Rui, so she just buried her face in Jing Rui's neck, lazily nuzzling her. She stole several kisses on her earlobe and neck, then gave a mischievous little bite.
Jing Rui laughed softly. These casual moments of sweet intimacy always put her in a great mood.
Their friends always envied them, saying that even after so many years together, they could still be so affectionate. Chi Jia would subconsciously retort, "How are we being affectionate?" but upon careful thought, she and Jing Rui really were quite clingy. There was nothing to be done about it; she could only blame her vixen for being too good at it.
The warm sun dispelled the darkness, revealing a湛blue sky. It was another bright and sunny day.
The two of them sat nestled together on the sand, leisurely enjoying the breeze. Jing Rui looked into the distance and saw two people with easels, standing on the beach and painting. It was the same two they had met in the elevator that morning.
Chi Jia followed Jing Rui's gaze and noticed them too.
"That girl is quite good-looking," Jing Rui remarked to Chi Jia, jutting her chin out, her tone seemingly casual.
"What?" Chi Jia didn't catch on.
"The one from the elevator with the tattoo on her shoulder," Jing Rui added, pressing the issue.
Chi Jia straightened up. Remembering how Jing Rui had stepped on her foot in the elevator, she understood the subtext. She laughed at Jing Rui, "Aren't you being a little too petty?"
"Chi Jia, you were gawking at another woman right in front of your wife, and you're calling me petty?" Jing Rui pinched Chi Jia's cheek. "I saw your eyes were practically glued to her."
"I was not!" Chi Jia felt wronged. What did she mean, her eyes were glued to her? She had only glanced a couple of times.
Jing Rui let go of her hand and replied flatly, "Oh."
Chi Jia rubbed her cheek, still wanting to laugh. "Do you really have to be like this?"
"I do," Jing Rui said, standing up for herself. "So you're allowed to be jealous, but I'm not?"
Chi Jia was speechless. Jing Rui wasn't wrong; she was quite the jealous type. Thinking about it from the other perspective, if Jing Rui had looked at another woman a few extra times in front of her, she would have definitely lost it.
"I just thought her tattoo was really unique," Chi Jia explained, taking Jing Rui's hand and rubbing it a couple of times.
Jing Rui asked, "What, you want to get one too?"
Chi Jia immediately backed down. "No way, I'm scared of pain."
Jing Rui had guessed as much. Chi Jia was the type to cry out from a single mosquito bite. She looked into the distance again. She had to admit, beautiful women together were a sight to behold.
"Her girlfriend is also very pretty," Jing Rui said leisurely.
"Please—" No matter how Chi Jia looked at them, she just saw two close best friends, nothing impure about it. "Don't assume the whole world is gay just because you are."
Jing Rui's interest was piqued. "How about we make a bet?"
"Bet on what?"
"If those two are a couple, I win. If not, you win. The loser has to sleep on the sofa tonight."
"That's so boring. Are you actually going to go ask them?" Chi Jia rolled her eyes. But on second thought, it wasn't something Jing Rui was incapable of doing.
"Bet or not?" Jing Rui pressed.
Although Chi Jia said Jing Rui was being boring, she ended up making the bet, fully confident that she would win. There was no other reason than she really wanted to see her vixen begging her to let her sleep in the bed that night.
In the end, there was no need to ask; the answer presented itself. Not long after, Chi Jia watched with her own eyes as the two women started kissing in front of their easels. The level of clinginess was on par with her and Jing Rui when they first got together.
"Hahaha—" Jing Rui laughed without reservation.
Chi Jia: "..."
Jing Rui was still laughing.
"No... how did you figure it out?" Chi Jia was baffled. Back then, with her mom and Auntie Xiao Yang, Jing Rui had also seen through it right away.
"What's so difficult about that? You were so straight back then, but I still figured out you were gay." Over the years, Jing Rui loved to tease Chi Jia with this. That little straight-arrow who swore she'd never like women, what about now?
Chi Jia pressed her lips together in silence. She was used to it and was mentally prepared to be teased by Jing Rui for the rest of her life.
Jing Rui nudged Chi Jia's knee with her own. "You're sleeping on the sofa tonight, Miss Chi."
Chi Jia: "..."
Chi Jia loved to eat and wander, so Jing Rui accompanied her to check out all the delicious and fun places in H City.
The whole day was quite tiring, and the two didn't return to the hotel until it was dark.
That evening, when Chi Jia came out of the bathroom after her shower, Jing Rui was sitting on the edge of the bed applying body lotion.
Chi Jia fluffed her long hair and, acting as if nothing had happened, walked toward the bed, planning to play dumb and get away with it.
Seeing Chi Jia approach, Jing Rui propped her arms on the soft bed, leaned back slightly, and then slowly lifted a slender white leg, pressing her foot against Chi Jia's waist to block her from getting on the bed. "We agreed you'd sleep on the sofa."
"Do you really want me to sleep on the sofa?" Chi Jia's attempt to feign ignorance failed, and she was unwilling to give in.
"A bet's a bet."
Chi Jia pouted and said cheerfully, "The sofa it is, then. The sofa looks soft anyway."
Jing Rui smiled noncommittally and lay down comfortably on the bed.
Chi Jia turned and started walking toward the sofa on the side. One step, two steps... after only three steps, she suddenly spun around and, without a word, scrambled onto the bed with a fiery burst of motion, the action fluid and seamless.
"Mmm, Chi Jia—" The rustling of the covers filled the air. By the time Jing Rui reacted, Chi Jia had already forcefully pulled her over and was hugging her tightly from behind like sticky candy.
"You're being a sore loser," Jing Rui said, turning her head to look at Chi Jia. There was no anger in her voice, only helplessness and amusement.
Chi Jia giggled. So what if she was a sore loser? She didn't believe Jing Rui would actually kick her off the bed.
Pushing and shoving, their pleasant laughter filled the bed. They weren't young anymore, yet their behavior was truly childish.
"Let me go."
"I won't." Chi Jia's legs were restless too, wrapping around Jing Rui's in a koala-style hug, trapping Jing Rui tightly in her arms. She smelled fatally good, a mix of her body lotion and natural scent.
"Go sleep on the sofa," Jing Rui said, but at that moment, she let Chi Jia hold her.
"I bet you can't bear to," Chi Jia's attitude softened as she spoke coquettishly. With her carefree personality, she rarely acted this way with Jing Rui, but she knew that if she did, Jing Rui would definitely give in.
Jing Rui was just like that. Whenever Chi Jia took the initiative to cling to her, kiss her, and act coquettishly, she was completely powerless to resist.
"You've got some thick skin," Jing Rui glanced lazily at Chi Jia. After letting her hug for a while, she asked out of the blue, "Do you think I'm too old?"
The sudden change of topic was jarring.
Chi Jia felt wronged again. "Of course not!"
"Then why were you looking at that young girl so intently today?"
It had actually come back to this. One should never underestimate a woman's ability to hold a grudge. Usually, it was Chi Jia causing trouble, but today the tables had turned.
"I was really just looking at her tattoo." Seeing how much Jing Rui cared, Chi Jia obediently admitted her mistake, her attitude impeccable. "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have looked at her twice."
Jing Rui wasn't actually that petty. She burst out laughing, "I'm just teasing you."
"Childish!" Chi Jia laughed and rolled on top of Jing Rui, playfully touching her face. She added discontentedly, "If anyone should feel insecure, it should be me. We're already married, and people are still hitting on you and trying to pursue you."
Jing Rui held the hand Chi Jia was rubbing on her cheek. "Didn't I block them immediately?"
"But the night before last..." Chi Jia started to say.
"What happened then?"
Chi Jia: "I even dreamed that you cheated on me."
Dreaming of her cheating... Jing Rui was truly rendered speechless by Chi Jia. "...You still don't trust me that much?"
When it came to the issue of trust, Jing Rui would become very serious. Her relationship with Chi Jia hadn't started well, and she was well aware that she wasn't someone who naturally inspired trust. Even when she first proposed they date, she hadn't thought much about responsibility. It was Chi Jia's repeated rejections that made her see her own heart clearly.
Chi Jia was just talking. From the moment she was willing to wear a wedding dress for Jing Rui, she already trusted her one hundred percent, certain that she would spend the rest of her life with her. It hadn't been easy for her and Jing Rui to get to where they were, and they had to cherish the rest of their lives together.
"Jing Rui, do you have a sense of humor? Can't you tell I'm joking?" Chi Jia lowered her head to look at Jing Rui's face with disappointment. After a long moment, her expression became focused. "I know your heart only has room for me. It's okay if you get old faster than me, I'll take care of you."
Jing Rui felt as if her heart had been poked by something. She hugged Chi Jia's waist in satisfaction, deepening the embrace. "Baby."
"Mmm—" Chi Jia propped her head up slightly, still nestled lovingly in Jing Rui's arms. Just looking at her quietly without doing anything felt like a pleasure. Being in love with Jing Rui was the happiest thing she had ever experienced in her life, and she thought she would still feel the same way when her hair turned gray.
Jing Rui nuzzled Chi Jia's forehead, gently pressed a kiss on her lips, and whispered, "I love hearing you say cheesy things."
Chi Jia smiled and kissed her back. "Not as cheesy as you."
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