I Missed You
A little after three in the afternoon, Cheng Jiqing first wiped the stains off the seat with a wet wipe after getting into the car.
Then she looked at the window; there really was a slight gap that hadn’t been closed. At that time, there was still some water in the crevice. As she wiped it, her gaze fell on her fingernails.
She hadn’t cut them yesterday due to that special time; today, they had grown out a bit.
She thought she’d have to remember to cut them later; it would be quite painful if her nails accidentally poked someone.
Then she drove from Nanyang City’s urban area to the hospital.
Soft, comfortable music played in the car. A red light came, and the car stopped.
Cheng Jiqing’s gaze passed through the car window, seeing the sky that had only faintly brightened at three o’clock, like a flashback.
Her mind was filled with yesterday’s fire. Thinking of that heat and the feeling of suffocation, Cheng Jiqing’s breathing unconsciously tightened.
Perhaps it wasn’t as severe as it was for her original body, but it was undeniable that her psyche was also being affected.
The results of the investigation had just come out in the afternoon: a fire had started in the warehouse of a clothing store. Because the floors were all apparel-related, coupled with the dry weather and goods, the fire had spread very quickly.
As for the explosion, it was because a shop on the third floor had stored flammable and explosive materials.
Three deaths, dozens injured; the afternoon’s trending searches were all social news.
Last night, she had actually felt a lingering fear.
How could her being completely unscathed be just luck?
But later… that frenzy with Bai Xin had made her forget everything.
Upon arriving at the hospital, she confirmed with Tang Ji in advance and went straight to the 16th floor.
She didn’t get to see Tang Jia, who hadn’t come down yet due to surgery. If it was just for a blood draw, the process was very short.
It only took a few minutes.
Downstairs in the parking lot, she was about to drive to get her phone’s SIM card replaced first. As she was nearing the exit, a Porsche pulled up beside her.
She paid it no mind and opened her car door.
“Little CEO Cheng, what a coincidence.”
Cheng Jiqing looked up. It was Zhou Yushu, whom she had met last time at Cheng Jing’s company, the CEO of XM.
A commuter suit, leaning towards a professional woman’s style; her delicate features held the sharpness and smoothness of a businesswoman.
Cheng Jiqing smiled politely, “CEO Zhou.”
“Seeing a doctor? Or visiting someone?”
Cheng Jiqing said, “Just a small cold. And you, CEO Zhou?”
Zhou Yushu: “I’m here to see someone.”
Cheng Jiqing nodded and said, “Ah, I see. Then I won’t disturb you.”
She wasn’t a social butterfly1; it was impossible to be overly friendly with someone she had only met once. Achieving a polite level was sufficient.
Both of them exchanged greetings in a routine, business-like manner.
Zhou Yushu sized her up for a few seconds without leaving a trace, then said, “Please, go ahead, Little CEO Cheng.”
As Cheng Jiqing went to open her car door, her gaze inadvertently swept over Zhou Yushu’s wrist—a delicate, gold-chained watch.
Her gaze didn’t linger, but her thoughts paused for a moment—it looked very similar to the one on Bai Xin’s wrist. She wondered what brand it was.
Zhou Yushu walked towards the hospital building. Hearing the sound of the car departing behind her, she glanced back, then continued upstairs.
Before going up, she smoked a cigarette downstairs. Tang Jia’s fastidiousness was particularly strong in the office; she rarely smoked in the office.
Tang Jia came down from the operating table more than ten minutes later, still wearing her green surgical gown. As she entered the room, she smelled a faint scent of smoke and said, “I’m not trying to scare you, but do you know how many people in the country die from lung cancer each year? One million two hundred thousand.”
Zhou Yushu was a smoker, had been for many years. Chewing on lollipops, using e-cigarettes, even trying some novel drug interventions. Useless.
Zhou Yushu shrugged, her hand resting on the table. “Can’t quit. Haven’t you relapsed too?”
“Mine isn’t as severe as yours,” Tang Jia said, then suddenly noticed the gold watch on her wrist.
“Is your watch the same as Bai Xin’s?”
“We had two custom-made at the time,” Zhou Yushu said. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. These few months are critical; I won’t let anyone know about Bai Xin’s connection to the company. Besides, who would notice a watch? Only you.”
Hearing this, Tang Jia said no more. She always just gave reminders, touching upon things lightly and never spelling them out.
She didn’t care about the things they were planning.
Probably because the topic of watches came up, Zhou Yushu glanced at Tang Jia’s hand, remembered something, and said, “Tong Yanxi is about to start filming a new drama.”
Tang Jia looked up, her eyes under the glasses frames flickering slightly. “You don’t need to tell me about her affairs in the future.”
That day, she and Bai Xin had seen Tong Yanxi downstairs at the hospital. They hadn’t been divorced for long then; it had only been a month since Tong Yanxi moved out of their home.
She had thought that, at least when they met again, they could, for the sake of their past few years together, at least not refuse a normal conversation and greeting.
But clearly, Tong Yanxi no longer wanted to even see her, this ex-wife.
Zhou Yushu asked, “Why did you two really divorce?”
That again. Bai Xin had asked her the same thing. Tang Jia slowly turned and asked, “Then what are your feelings for Bai Xin, really?”
Who wasn’t a bit curious about things these days?
Zhou Yushu let out a scoff. There were probably very few people around with whom she could comfortably talk about Bai Xin. Tang Jia was tight-lipped, so she didn’t mind saying anything.
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Take your time.”
…
Tang Jia crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. The fatigue after surgery, the emotional blockage—these often eased when she listened to stories. She liked listening to stories.
Zhou Yushu took out the cigarette case from her pocket, pulled one out, and tossed it to Tang Jia.
For once, Tang Jia didn’t say anything. Mainly because she herself needed a bit of release right now. She lit one. Tang Jia occasionally felt that the image of them sitting opposite each other, smoking, made them look like sisters in misfortune2.
Tang Jia asked, “Love?”
Zhou Yushu didn’t answer directly. “Less than familial love, more than friendship, different from romantic love. What does that count as?”
Tang Jia smiled faintly. “Quite complicated.”
Zhou Yushu exhaled smoke. “Sometimes I feel that for so many years, Bai Xin and I have gone through thick and thin together. I was with her during her most painful times, and we jointly created a miracle like XM. Our relationship is definitely different. For such an outstanding woman, how could one not be moved?”
“But?”
“No buts. Don’t laugh, I’ve always felt we were very compatible.”
“To be precise, you think Bai Xin is suitable,” Tang Jia said.
…
Tang Jia thought about what Zhou Yushu had just said. “I know what this counts as.”
“What?”
Tang Jia pushed up her glasses and commented, “A deep bond of camaraderie forged in shared struggle3.”
Zhou Yushu: “…”
Cheng Jiqing went to get her SIM card replaced. As soon as she turned on her phone, text messages for missed calls started popping up one after another—from Cheng Jing, and also from Song Ling and Yuan Sheng, the boss of Lan Qi…
She logged into WeChat. There were messages from these people too, and surprisingly, also from Qin Yufu.
Qin Yufu: 【I saw the Weibo post, are you okay?】
They hadn’t contacted each other since the last inquiry.
Cheng Jiqing was quite surprised. She replied: 【I’m fine, thanks for asking.】
She went back and replied to Yuan Sheng’s concerned message as well.
Just after she sent it, unexpectedly, Qin Yufu’s WeChat message had already come back: 【Are you still in the hospital?】
Cheng Jiqing: 【Already discharged.】
Qin Yufu: 【Hmm… then get some good rest.】
Cheng Jiqing: 【Okay.】
Cheng Jiqing sat in the car, her skin a little itchy. She reached her hand under the hem of her clothes to her waist and felt a very faint mark.
It was from a fingernail scratch.
Perhaps because it was shallow, it was already healing and a bit itchy.
She thought to herself, Bai Xin’s nails would scratch her raw sooner or later.
Mulling this over, she prepared to exit Qin Yufu’s chat window and then look at Cheng Jing’s messages.
Cheng Jing’s latest message was from noon, just four words: 【Rest well.】
Compared to the previous urgent and overly emphasized concern, Cheng Jiqing preferred this approach. However, she could roughly guess that Cheng Jing might also mind her leaving the hospital directly without saying a word.
Song Ling, on the other hand, had sent seven or eight messages.
【Cheng Jiqing, why were you discharged?】
【Are you wearing a skirt or pants?】
【So are you better now? You can stand up, right? Can you still come to the hotel opening?】
…
Cheng Jiqing: “…”
The clothes and skirts Song Ling bought were all to her taste: simple and elegant. Following the question, she first thought of those black pants.
Black wide-leg pants; that fabric smudged easily when wet.
The kind that was also easy to take off, with buttons and a zipper, a loose fit.
She wondered, did this also have something to do with the speed of her descent late that night?
Cheng Jiqing suddenly realized something and snapped back to her senses slightly. Huh? How come she thought of Bai Xin no matter whose WeChat messages she was looking at?
Little Cheng, have you already reached this point?
Have you really fallen into the tomb of love?
Not quite, not quite yet.
Cheng Jiqing shook her head, trying hard to recover a bit of her “Liu Xiahui of the entertainment circle4” persona. She glanced at the time; it was already past five.
Based on the previous situation, Cheng Jiqing and Bai Xin wouldn’t meet today.
But that rain had come…
【Are you coming over tonight?】
When Cheng Jiqing sent this message, she herself felt a strange sensation; this tone seemed like that of a lover. She passively waited for a reply.
In reality, Cheng Jiqing had always been giving Bai Xin the right to choose.
A few minutes later, Cheng Jiqing received Bai Xin’s reply: 【Not coming over, I have things to do.】
Cheng Jiqing raised a delicate eyebrow. Really… speak of the devil?
No wonder they say the one who takes the initiative first has a higher chance of losing.
Cheng Jiqing sat silently in the car for a moment. She wasn’t in a bad mood; if she had to dissect it, she felt somewhat dazed.
It seemed like everything was changing, yet it also seemed like nothing had changed.
Bai Xin didn’t come that night, nor the next day. The agreement to meet the day after was broken after they had become deeply intimate.
This situation, however, caused Cheng Jiqing’s near-‘love’ mentality to weaken.
Clarity gradually returned, it seemed.
The next day, Bai Xin had also sent her a message: 【Have things to do today too, not going.】
Actually, this sentence wasn’t that short, but when filtered through Bai Xin’s usual cool tone, these few words seemed even more devoid of emotion.
She felt a bit uncomfortable, so she only replied with: 【Mm.】
At that time, she had rented a dance studio next to her apartment. There are many opportunities in this world, but opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared.
This dance studio had good soundproofing; she could also come here to practice her lines and posture in the future.
The mass auditions were next month. She had to practice a bit during this time and, by the way, memorize all the currently released character lines for 《Cat and Mint》.
She was aiming for Tong Yanxi’s work and the female lead role, but she also needed to be realistic and prepare to play a supporting female role.
The third day, that day was one of the hottest in September.
The lilies placed on the windowsill two days ago had all wilted. Cheng Jiqing hadn’t thrown them out, feeling they could still hold on a bit longer. If it wasn’t dead, let it live a while.
Cheng Jiqing was still asleep, vaguely feeling a weight on her body, her collar being tugged. She reflexively grabbed the person’s hand, pushed it up, and flipped the person onto the bed.
“Hiss… Cheng Jiqing, that hurts!”
Cheng Jiqing had actually already reacted. She was still in a leaning position, and let go of her hand: “…”
She didn’t straighten up, staring at the person beneath her. “Well, well, if it isn’t Miss Bai?”
Bai Xin: “…”
Bai Xin hooked her hands around Cheng Jiqing’s neck, pulling her down a bit, wanting to kiss.
Cheng Jiqing lifted her head slightly, only letting the person kiss her chin. Looking at the dissatisfied person again, she asked, “Barging into someone’s room early in the morning, treating it like a hotel?”
Bai Xin detected the displeasure in her tone. These past two days, she had been busy with XM company matters. Thinking of Cheng Jiqing’s ‘Mm’ from yesterday, she curved her lips. “Cheng Jiqing, are you angry?”
Cheng Jiqing stared at the triumphant curve of the Omega’s lips, her teeth itching.
“Because I didn’t come yesterday?” Bai Xin cupped her cheek with her palm, meeting Cheng Jiqing’s gaze. “Is that it?”
Look at that, a siren knows best how to ‘play with’ people’s hearts.
“Miss Bai, your smug expression is a bit too obvious.” Cheng Jiqing couldn’t resist and gently pinched the soft, clear cheek with her thumb and forefinger.
Not a direct reply, but Bai Xin was very satisfied.
Her bent leg pressed against Cheng Jiqing’s waist, her hands pulling the person down, and she whispered in Cheng Jiqing’s ear, “Miss me?”
Before Cheng Jiqing could speak, Bai Xin said, “I. Missed. You.”
The author has something to say:
Chengcheng: What a scheming woman.
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