Want to try again
Nine o’clock in Jiangcheng.
The main entrance was a revolving glass door, flanked by two large floor-to-ceiling windows. Heavy, gold-threaded curtains were drawn to either side, but it was too dark outside to see the rain clearly from within.
You could only hear how loud the rain was, and occasionally see someone enter looking irritated or travel-worn.
Bai Xin found her voice: “How long is ‘a few days’?”
A rather childish question.
And rather fixated.
She knew it herself; ‘a few days’ wasn’t a unit of measurement here, but a vague concept.
Cheng Jiqing didn’t speak. She watched Bai Xin’s whitened knuckles twitch. The heating in the lobby wasn’t on yet, and Bai Xin still seemed to be shivering from the cold.
Just then, a voice suddenly broke the cold, silent atmosphere between them.
“Chengcheng.”
The person who arrived was wearing a mask.
It was Zhou Qing, an actress from the cast, the one who played the abused wife in 《Cat and Mint》. She had been acting for many years and was somewhat well-known.
She was a warm-hearted and talkative person.
Cheng Jiqing greeted her.
Zhou Qing adjusted her mask, walked over carrying a few paper bags, and looked at Bai Xin. “You have such a good-looking friend here in Jiangcheng?”
Cheng Jiqing smiled. “Teacher Zhou, you went out in such heavy rain?”
Zhou Qing said, “I just love going out on rainy days. I mentioned in the group chat I was going to buy milk tea, but you didn’t reply.”
“Ah, I haven’t had a chance to check my phone.”
“I bought you a taro-flavored one, it’s still warm. Does your friend want one? I can give her mine.”
Bai Xin averted her gaze from the woman’s face and said softly, “No, thank you.”
Cheng Jiqing chimed in, “One cup is enough. Thank you, Teacher Zhou. My treat next time.”
Zhou Qing could tell the atmosphere wasn’t quite right. The vibe between normal friends and a couple is different; anyone with a bit of perceptiveness could see it.
She nodded. “Definitely.”
She’d figured it out; who would want to do something so unwelcome?
After Zhou Qing left, Cheng Jiqing glanced at Bai Xin, then at the milk tea on the table, and pushed it towards Bai Xin.
She said softly, “It’s warm.”
The taro-flavored milk tea. Through the transparent plastic seal of the cup, you could almost see the richness inside.
Bai Xin remembered that before they watched the movie 《Addicted to Her》 at the end of September, Cheng Jiqing had also bought her a taro milk tea.
She stared at the milk tea and heard Cheng Jiqing ask, “Have you booked a room?”
Bai Xin looked up and shook her head.
Cheng Jiqing said, “Give me your ID card.”
Cheng Jiqing booked another room for Bai Xin on the same floor.
They walked into the elevator.
Inside the elevator, there was a water-absorbent mat on the floor, and the mirrored walls were speckled with water stains.
Bai Xin looked at Cheng Jiqing’s reflection in the mirror opposite them. Cheng Jiqing’s expression was calm, but Bai Xin knew, she could feel, that Cheng Jiqing was very angry and also very sad.
Bai Xin felt a sense of helplessness; she didn’t quite know how to react.
Her gaze fell on Cheng Jiqing’s hand. After a couple of seconds, she reached out to grab Cheng Jiqing’s wrist.
Cheng Jiqing flinched, startled by the chilling coldness of Bai Xin’s fingers, which made her hesitate to pull her hand back immediately.
Not until her sleeve was pushed up and her arm also felt the cold.
Seeing the horrifying bruise on her arm, Bai Xin’s heart trembled violently. The next moment, Cheng Jiqing pulled her hand back, away from Bai Xin’s palm.
Cheng Jiqing’s sleeve had already covered her arm again. Bai Xin kept looking at that spot and murmured, “Does it hurt?”
“It’s alright.”
Bai Xin bit the soft flesh inside her lip, as if agitated by something.
The elevator doors opened.
Their rooms were three doors apart. Bai Xin’s room came first. Cheng Jiqing watched her stand at her door before heading towards her own.
“I’m sorry.”
Cheng Jiqing’s steps faltered. The voice was very soft, tinged with a slight rawness.
A door opened, then closed.
Cheng Jiqing returned to her room. It was warmer inside than out. She walked to the desk and poured a glass of cold water.
Her heart felt restless, and her body did too.
Her agitated period was late. Her glands would show symptoms of flaring up every couple of days, but it was intermittent, as if something was building up inside.
It stubbornly refused to be released.
If it didn’t come, taking suppressants wouldn’t have much effect either.
So it remained deadlocked, making her irritable and her desires intense.
Coupled with the recent troubles, she felt even more fire pent up inside her. It was waiting to be released, and she too was waiting for the day of release.
Cheng Jiqing took her glass to the small balcony. Perhaps it was due to the weather, but there weren’t many cars on the road, making Jiangcheng’s night seem less lively than that of Beicheng.
The few tall buildings were just dark silhouettes.
But in her mind was Bai Xin’s face, etched with a shattered look. Seeing her like that, Cheng Jiqing figured Bai Xin probably wouldn’t eat before coming over. That person was always like this, never listening to her.
Yet, on the other hand, Cheng Jiqing felt a morbid sense of joy—Bai Xin had come, for her.
But she hadn’t lost her mind. Her anger could be eased, but the sadness and disappointment couldn’t disappear so quickly. They both needed some time; that was undeniable.
She just didn’t know whose lesson this was supposed to be.
She already foresaw it—this night was destined to be sleepless.
In the room a few balconies away.
Bai Xin stood at the doorway for a moment. At that time, the only warm part of her was the hand clutching the milk tea.
Bought for Cheng Jiqing by another woman.
She had always felt very close to Cheng Jiqing before, but these past few days, she suddenly realized she didn’t understand Cheng Jiqing at all. She even discovered that if Cheng Jiqing wanted to…
…she could very easily… distance herself from her.
Cheng Jiqing had her own world.
Or perhaps not.
Someone like her, a refined egoist—it wasn’t that Cheng Jiqing had suddenly developed her own world; it was that Bai Xin had only just started paying closer attention to Cheng Jiqing. In reality, Cheng Jiqing had always had her own world.
Bai Xin never thought being self-interested was wrong. If she didn’t look out for herself, who would protect her?
But then Cheng Jiqing appeared, like a blazing sun, completely overturning her gloomy, dark worldview—someone protected her, someone would protect her without any reservation.
Bai Xin closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She felt her own dejection, a trace of low self-esteem, and also panic. As all these realizations dawned on her one after another, Bai Xin opened her peach blossom eyes, which had slightly lost their luster…
Her feelings for Cheng Jiqing were already more than just ‘like’.
Cheng Jiqing had said back then—more than like.
So this was what it felt like.
Bai Xin clutched the milk tea, as if she had figured something out in an instant. She took out her phone and started dialing as she walked towards the balcony.
As she passed the trash can, she tossed the milk tea in without a second glance.
The call connected smoothly.
“You’re not calling me to work overtime at this hour, are you?”
Tang Jia’s calm, teasing voice sounded.
Bai Xin gazed at the distant, unfamiliar tall buildings, which looked like mysterious silhouettes in the night, appearing exceptionally solitary against the backdrop of the entire city.
She spoke faintly.
“What?”
“Stop that medicine,” Bai Xin said.
For Tang Jia in Beicheng, these words were like a clap of thunder on a clear day. She was stunned into silence for a moment, then asked, “Do you… know what you’re saying?”
Tang Jia turned off her tablet, letting her surroundings fall completely silent.
From the day Bai Xin differentiated into a 3S Omega, from the day her dual glands came into existence, Bai Xin had endured hidden pain that ordinary people could hardly bear. Every time her estrus period arrived, Bai Xin got through it by relying on countless suppressants.
Even when not in her estrus period, because of her dual glands, Bai Xin’s sensitivity was more than 20 times that of an ordinary person, which further fueled her gloomy, harsh, cold, agitated, and sensitive personality.
Under these circumstances, Bai Xin also had to be wary of those three members of the Bai family around her.
In that circle, things were intricate and complicated; scheming for survival and mutual deception were the norm. Bai Xin’s experiences and the feedback from the world around her had instilled in her the philosophy that self-interest meant survival.
Romantic love was something Bai Xin had never experienced.
She had put on a superficial pretense a few times, though.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her cruel and ruthless, unfeeling and ungrateful.
Logically speaking, she should be a very clear-headed person.
Even she (Tang Jia) didn’t know how many years it had taken before she could occasionally have a heart-to-heart talk with Bai Xin.
Compared to people, Bai Xin trusted cold contracts more.
This was also why Bai Xin and Cheng Jiqing had signed an agreement in the first place.
And the ultimate purpose of the agreement was actually for the medication—simply put, to alleviate the symptoms of her dual glands, ensuring Bai Xin would have a safety net even if she was away from people.
But now, Bai Xin said she wanted to stop, and she meant to stop immediately.
It did fit her wild temperament.
But hearing it, Tang Jia couldn’t help but be shocked.
A moment of silence.
She heard Bai Xin say.
“I know.”
“Stop temporarily, or stop forever?” Tang Jia asked, unusually serious. She added, “According to the progress, the finished product will be ready in three months.”
Such tempting words.
In three more months, she could escape her suffering.
Bai Xin didn’t speak.
It seemed to be a hidden emotion; she suddenly didn’t want to reveal her weakness—what she was thinking at that moment was: stop forever.
She suddenly didn’t want it anymore. She didn’t want Cheng Jiqing to have her blood drawn; she didn’t want Cheng Jiqing to be in pain.
When she saw that bruise, her heart ached with agitation.
She wished she could transfer that bruise to herself.
She also didn’t want to reveal her panic. Nothing could be left to chance; there were no eternal secrets in this world—even the dead might not be able to keep them. Cheng Jiqing’s attitude had made it very clear to her: if Cheng Jiqing ever found out everything, she would lose her.
She didn’t want to, and she couldn’t.
She didn’t want any medicine anymore; she just wanted Cheng Jiqing now.
But from that long silence, Tang Jia seemed to have understood something. She asked, “If Cheng Jiqing leaves one day, you’ll go back to your old life, and your symptoms might even get worse due to dependency. Are you sure you want to stop?”
Tang Jia asked, “Finding another matching blood type is harder than climbing to heaven. Are you sure you want to stop?”
“I just want Cheng Jiqing.”
“Aren’t you afraid of regretting it?”
“I’m doing this now precisely so I won’t regret it later,” Bai Xin said, lowering her voice.
Tang Jia didn’t know whether to feel gratified that Bai Xin finally had the emotions a normal person should have, or to sigh that now that Bai Xin finally had emotions and was learning to love someone, she first had to pay the debts of her ‘youthful ignorance.’
After a brief pause for thought.
“So, are you planning to tell her?”
“Tang Jia.”
“Mm.”
“For the first time, I feel like…” Bai Xin slightly narrowed her dry eyes, “I’ve done something wrong.”
“There’s still time,” Tang Jia said.
“She’s angry right now.”
Given Cheng Jiqing’s attitude just now, the extent of her anger and hurt, how could she tell her now?
At a time when Cheng Jiqing wouldn’t even speak to her.
If she told Cheng Jiqing at this moment that she had used her, someone as perceptive as Cheng Jiqing would definitely realize that the original intention behind their marriage was also false.
What would Cheng Jiqing do? She didn’t even want to think about the consequences.
Tang Jia couldn’t offer advice either; she couldn’t meddle in such matters. Telling her now, or waiting and telling her slowly later—both were choices. Different choices, different outcomes.
Like the butterfly effect1.
She couldn’t take responsibility for that.
So she cunningly tossed the question back.
“What do you think?”
But Bai Xin didn’t answer, seemingly having lost interest in the conversation.
Before hanging up, Tang Jia said.
“If you’ve already decided, then I can give you some normal advice. Right now, you need to coax her, pamper her, and be considerate of her.”
Bai Xin stood on the balcony, clutching her phone. There was a small crack in the window for ventilation, and the wind blew in through her collar onto her neck. Bai Xin pulled her trench coat tighter around herself, pressing the collar against her neck.
She smelled the faint scent of peach blossom wine that could soothe her…
Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Bai Xin’s eyes lit up slightly, and she quickly walked to the door.
She didn’t even realize that, at this moment, she lacked her usual caution towards the outside world.
She didn’t even look through the peephole.
This was the first time.
But she was disappointed.
Delivery person: “Hello, your order.”
Her spirits, which had fallen, lifted again because of these words and the food container in the bag.
She hadn’t ordered food. Besides Cheng Jiqing, who else would care if she ate?
The door closed.
Bai Xin carried the items to the table and opened them: a clean-looking pork rib congee with chopped scallions, light side dishes, and a small tureen2 of chicken soup.
She looked at the delivery slip. It read—”No cilantro, thank you.”
Bai Xin sat on the armchair by the coffee table, her eyes slightly red. She sat quietly for a moment, pushing back the stinging sensation in her eyes. She took a deep breath, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in her mouth.
It’s not as delicious as Cheng Jiqing’s cooking, she thought.
But she still ate half of it, mouthful by small mouthful, and then her eyes began to sting again.
The next day.
They had arranged in the group chat to go to the dance studio at 7:30 AM. Cheng Jiqing had ordered breakfast room service for both rooms.
Several actors were on the same floor. When Cheng Jiqing stepped out, she saw Li Yunlan approaching from the other end of the corridor. The other person was wearing a mask. They looked at each other and smiled.
Cheng Jiqing walked towards the elevator. As she passed the third room, she unconsciously glanced at the closed door.
After going downstairs, she waited for the others in an SUV outside the hotel. The car had a stuffy smell from being closed up all night, which wasn’t very pleasant.
She sat by the window. Li Yunlan and the others, apparently not worried about encountering fans, had opened a window halfway for ventilation.
So her gaze naturally fell on the hotel entrance.
“Coming, coming!”
The voice of the last actor sounded from someone’s WeChat.
“Chengcheng, did you not sleep well last night? You look a bit pale,” Li Yunlan suddenly asked.
Cheng Jiqing turned her head. “Maybe I had a bit of trouble adjusting to the bed3.”
She explained briefly.
“I get that too. Next time you’re on a trip, bring a pillow from home or something; you’ll sleep more comfortably.”
“Okay, I’ll definitely remember next time.”
Cheng Jiqing smiled, then turned her head and her gaze suddenly froze. She saw Bai Xin coming out of the hotel entrance, wearing her trench coat, still looking haggard in the early morning wind.
Then, that person’s gaze suddenly met hers.
Cheng Jiqing didn’t look away. A few seconds later, just as the last actor got into the car, she turned her head back.
She looked down and typed: 【Go back.】
The car started, and the window was rolled up a little.
Cheng Jiqing received a reply: 【I’ll wait for you in Beicheng.】
Cheng Jiqing didn’t reply.
She turned off her phone. This time, she rarely didn’t waver so quickly.
Cheng Jiqing didn’t know that Tong Yanxi in the front seat had also seen Bai Xin. When the car started, Tong Yanxi took the initiative to send Bai Xin a message.
【Just saw you at the hotel entrance. Is the great beauty Bai here on a business trip? If you’re not leaving tonight, let’s have dinner together.】
Bai Xin’s gaze retracted from the rear of the car, and she looked down at the message.
Bai Xin: 【No.】
She paused: 【Could I trouble you with something?】
Tong Yanxi: 【Sure.】
Bai Xin’s slightly cold fingertips typed a line and sent it: 【Help me look after Cheng Jiqing, take care of her a bit.】
Tong Yanxi: 【? You and Cheng Jiqing?】
Bai Xin’s eyes were cool and aloof. As she looked at the message, before she could reply, a very perceptive message came from the other end: 【Your friend is extremely popular. I’ll help you keep an eye on her, but no guarantees.】
This reply was in the same style as Tang Jia’s: no refusal, but no guarantees.
Bai Xin understood the meaning of those words. How could she not know what kind of person Cheng Jiqing was?
Cheng Jiqing’s face and her temperament were likable no matter where she went.
Just like her peach blossom wine pheromones.
Bai Xin clutched her phone and took a deep breath, suppressing the possessiveness within her. She was like someone who had made a mistake, treading carefully with every step, even though she desperately wanted to say to Cheng Jiqing right now—”Don’t look at other people. You’re not allowed to look at other people.”
On the third day of training, thanks to Tong Yanxi’s reputation and Li Yunlan’s fan base, the initial buzz for 《Cat and Mint》 was as lively as expected.
But there was also a point of controversy—the only point of controversy.
Cheng Jiqing’s name, as a new actress, was prominently listed in the female lead position.
#YixinSignsNewcomer#
#FemaleLeadInDirectorTongYanxisNewMovie#
#ChengJiqing#
All three trending topics made entertainment headlines. Everyone was too unfamiliar with this name and full of doubt.
Aiwujiwu4: ‘Who’s this?’
76799: ‘Pretty, but has never acted… emmm, seriously? Is the director getting complacent with her second film?’
Donghu: ‘Li Yunlan? The Best Actress is acting with her? Can this newcomer handle it? I have my doubts.’
Comments like these were numerous.
There were also comments refuting these.
Xiaoyang: @76799: ‘Then why don’t you go act?’
Chengxin Ruyi5: @Aiwujiwu: ‘None of your business?’
Cheng Jiqing’s Weibo was even more overwhelmed with red dot notifications from mentions.
A few people were rehearsing lines in a room and started talking about the online comments.
Seeing that Cheng Jiqing had been a bit out of sorts whenever she had free time these past two days, they all thought it was because of the comments.
“Chengcheng, don’t look at these. Actors in this industry always have to go through this. It’ll pass.” Li Yunlan handed Cheng Jiqing a glass of water. “Let your work do the talking.”
Cheng Jiqing: “It’s okay, I understand.”
Although it wasn’t entirely without effect, it was nothing compared to her past experiences.
Zhou Qing and a few others also chimed in to comfort her.
Actually, filming would only begin after these few days of training were over, but they all vaguely knew that Cheng Jiqing would definitely become popular.
If not with this film, then with the next one.
“Alright, I’m heading back to Beicheng tomorrow morning. Let’s take a break tonight and go to Beicheng Lake to relax.” Tong Yanxi put away her script. “But no feasting recklessly; we’ll just have some tea.”
A few minutes later.
Cheng Jiqing came out and saw Tong Yanxi standing by the window in the corridor.
“So quick?”
Cheng Jiqing said, “Just grabbing a jacket.”
Tong Yanxi raised an eyebrow. “I like this confidence you have.”
“Thank you, Director Tong.”
“Want one?”
Cheng Jiqing looked down. A lollipop. She suddenly remembered that one of the lollipops Tong Yanxi had given her last time was still in her bag; she had originally intended to save it for Bai Xin.
“One won’t hurt. Eating it will make you feel better,” Tong Yanxi said. “Go on, I permit it.”
Cheng Jiqing: “…”
Tong Yanxi was around the same age as Tang Jia, two years older than Bai Xin, but she had a unique kind of vitality about her.
She took it and unwrapped the candy.
Peach-flavored. Very sweet.
Apart from controlling her sugar intake, she rarely ate sweets usually, not for any particular reason, just that she didn’t have much of a craving for sugar.
Bai Xin, however, liked them.
That person could finish a whole slice of cream cake.
And drink most of a very sweet milk tea.
“How is it?”
“It’s alright,” Cheng Jiqing commented insincerely.
“You know Bai Xin?”
“…?”
A sudden question.
The movement of her tongue rolling the lollipop paused. She looked at Tong Yanxi, who shrugged. “She, Tang Jia—that character—and I have known each other since university.”
Cheng Jiqing: “Ah…”
She never minded who knew about their relationship. She asked, “Did she tell you?”
There was no intention of hiding it in what Bai Xin had said yesterday. Tong Yanxi said straightforwardly, “I saw Bai Xin yesterday and asked a bit more.”
She didn’t spell everything out.
Cheng Jiqing: “Alright.”
“So you two…?”
“…”
Cheng Jiqing thought for a moment and understood. Bai Xin probably hadn’t spelled out their relationship either, likely adopting an ‘if you know, you know’ attitude.
Because Tong Yanxi’s words had a gossipy6 undertone of ‘wanting to know more of the inside story.’
Cheng Jiqing suddenly felt that this Director Tong and that character Tang Jia were quite well-matched.
She immediately took the lollipop out of her mouth, otherwise she’d feel like she couldn’t speak freely after accepting a treat7.
Tit for tat.
She said, “You know Doctor Tang too, right?”
Tong Yanxi: “…”
Tong Yanxi crunched the lollipop in her mouth.
The kind that’s crushed to smithereens.
Cheng Jiqing coughed softly and averted her gaze. Neither of them spoke.
After a few seconds, she heard Tong Yanxi suddenly chuckle and say, “Matters of love are pretty vexing, huh?”
“Indeed.”
“Especially when the other person is the great beauty Bai.” Away from work, Tong Yanxi exuded a youthful aura, not much like a director.
Cheng Jiqing didn’t have anyone around her she could talk to about Bai Xin. At that moment, hearing this, she actually felt a sense of comfort.
“Tell me about it,” she sighed.
“When we knew each other in university, Bai Xin was the kind of person who shone in a crowd, but she was too reclusive and unsociable. I don’t know how many long threads8 were built for her on the school website. An unattainable beauty, a flower on a high peak9… She kept herself completely guarded. What’s the modern term for it? Exclusionary.”
Cheng Jiqing: “Yes, she excludes everyone.”
Because no one taught her.
Tong Yanxi didn’t say this out loud, because it would sound too much like she was taking sides. You couldn’t expect everyone to understand Bai Xin.
Bai Xin had her good points, but when she was bad, she really made your teeth itch10.
For someone as gentle as Cheng Jiqing to be provoked like this, Bai Xin probably needed to be taught a lesson—of course, Tong Yanxi only thought this to herself.
But so far, she hadn’t seen anyone who could ‘cure’ Bai Xin.
Tong Yanxi turned her head, hands in her pockets. “Maybe she’ll eventually meet someone special.”
She didn’t know as much about Bai Xin’s experiences as Tang Jia did, but she had known her for a considerable time.
After her divorce from Tang Jia, their contact had lessened significantly, but this was the first time she’d heard of Bai Xin asking to ‘trouble’ someone.
Cheng Jiqing heard the implied meaning and smiled.
Pretending she hadn’t heard.
Another two days passed.
After the promotional photos were released these past few days, Cheng Jiqing received messages from many people.
Almost everyone was shocked.
She was now glad that she had mentioned it briefly to Song Ling before leaving; otherwise, she feared that little princess’s temper might have led her to ‘hunt her down.’
In the afternoon, Qin Yufu also sent a message.
When she received the message, the little assistant was just bringing over some low-fat afternoon tea.
Most of them, if they ate afternoon tea, would skip dinner.
The little assistant first handed a cup to Cheng Jiqing.
“Teacher Cheng, your orange juice.”
“Teacher Chengcheng, your orange juice,” Zhou Qing chuckled. “Chengcheng, did you bribe her? The little assistant only remembers your orange juice every day.”
The little assistant felt a bit embarrassed. “Aiya, it wasn’t me, Director Tong said it.”
Zhou Qing pretended to be aggrieved and nudged Li Yunlan. “Sigh, Chengcheng is just the favorite, isn’t that right, Lanlan?”
Cheng Jiqing was just opening WeChat and found this amusing. “Teacher Zhou, so it turns out what you ate for afternoon tea the day before yesterday wasn’t your favorite, huh? I’ll record this for Director Tong to hear.”
Zhou Qing stuck out her tongue. “Are you threatening me now? Who was it that put in a good word for you in the comments section yesterday?”
Cheng Jiqing, holding her phone, clasped her hands in a bow. “A grateful heart! A living Bodhisattva!”
The two bantered back and forth, neither giving an inch, while Li Yunlan and the others beside them laughed until their stomachs hurt.
This was what was most endearing about Cheng Jiqing: she could maintain her composure but also be down-to-earth.
Her mood seemed to have eased somewhat, but deep down, she didn’t feel much relief. Qin Yufu had sent her congratulations, and they chatted briefly.
She also sent two photos of Miaomiao.
The cat was growing quickly; it seemed a bit more robust than when it was taken.
They didn’t say much. Cheng Jiqing closed the chat window.
Then her gaze involuntarily drifted downwards, landing on the silhouette of a lily flower.
She tapped it open.
There had only been a few messages these past few days.
The latest was a photo Bai Xin had sent her at ten o’clock: bread and milk.
She scrolled a bit through the records of the past two days.
Bai Xin: 【It’s raining in Jiangcheng today. Take an umbrella when you go out.】
Bai Xin: 【Have you eaten? I haven’t yet.】
Cheng Jiqing: 【Eaten.】
Bai Xin: 【Is your hand better?】
Cheng Jiqing: 【It’s fine.】
Bai Xin: 【Chengcheng, how many more days until you come back?】
This was from two days ago.
She had been training in the dance studio at the time and only saw it very late. After thinking for a moment, she finally replied: 【Eat properly.】
So, today Bai Xin had sent a photo of her breakfast.
She could see that Bai Xin was trying to soften her stance, not in the physical, contact-based way she used to show vulnerability, but psychologically, mentally.
Bai Xin was coaxing her, or more accurately, caring for her, trying to understand her.
At the time, her heart had still been hard, and she hadn’t replied.
Just as she finished thinking this.
As if on cue, the screen flickered, and a new picture appeared.
It was a takeout meal, still unopened.
Cheng Jiqing looked at the time. It was already a quarter past three. She frowned slightly.
In the hospital.
After taking the photo in Tang Jia’s office, Bai Xin put her phone away.
“Aside from personally fighting online trolls11, when did you develop the habit of taking photos before eating?” Tang Jia teased, leaning back in her chair. “And isn’t your mealtime a bit late?”
The outer corner of Bai Xin’s eye twitched slightly. Her coldly beautiful peach blossom eyes glanced at her with a ‘none of your business’ look.
Tang Jia smirked. “Will you go for your blood draw first?”
Bai Xin was busy today and hadn’t had time to eat, and it was also time for her mandatory blood draw and check-up.
She had originally planned not to eat; once the initial hunger passed, she didn’t feel that hungry anymore. But Cheng Jiqing had told her to eat properly.
She took the photo for Cheng Jiqing to show her that she had listened.
The blood draw room.
The weather in Beicheng had suddenly cleared up today. The sky was clear and the air crisp. Sunlight streamed in through the glass window, illuminating the room brightly.
Bai Xin sat on the chair, her sleeve rolled up. Her snow-white, jade-like skin was constricted by the tourniquet, making her bluish veins exceptionally clear.
She stared as the needle pierced her vein, suddenly remembering the bruise on Cheng Jiqing’s hand that day—a hideous spread of purple that instilled fear.
She still didn’t know if that was the first time Cheng Jiqing’s vein had been pierced badly.
She had also had her veins pierced badly before, but now she had somewhat forgotten the feeling. How much did it hurt? Her own pain threshold always seemed quite high. Tang Jia said she was mentally desensitized to pain, that it had nothing to do with her body.
She wondered, what did Cheng Jiqing feel when her vein was pierced badly then?
She suddenly… really wanted to try it again.
It was just a fleeting thought, not very strong, but her body reacted before her mind could. A vein twitched, and the nurse exclaimed, “Ya! Miss Bai, don’t move!”
Bai Xin felt a slight sting in her arm, then a numb, tingly sensation, and upon closer attention, an aching fullness.
The nurse pressed down on the bleeding needle mark, grumbling softly. Bai Xin’s expression was, as usual, indifferent. She said coolly, “I’ll do it myself.”
She felt her throbbing pulse. Although it wasn’t very painful, it was extremely uncomfortable and made her feel irritated.
She thought, Cheng Jiqing must have been very annoyed at that time.
She sat quietly for a while. The phone in the pocket of her knitted jacket vibrated.
Bai Xin picked it up.
【Eat at regular times.】
Suddenly, Bai Xin didn’t feel so annoyed anymore.
Bai Xin’s legs were slightly together, her long skirt reaching her ankles. Her back was straight, and her hair was loosely tied up at the back of her head. Looking down at her phone, she had an air of docility.
She typed, character by character: 【I’ll listen to you.】
The author has something to say:
Now
Bai-jie: Being docile for a moment.jpg
After getting jealous.
Bai-jie: Immediate change of face.jpg
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