Love For You - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Isn't the Medicine Delivered to Your Door?

It was pouring rain, and Miao Jing had been out for over an hour before returning to the dormitory empty-handed. Her roommate was watching television, completely oblivious to the situation. Miao Jing, tightly wrapped in her coat, went straight into the bathroom. After she finished showering and came out, the area around her fair neck was covered in large, red, bruised marks from where she had been scratched by fingernails.

“What happened to you? Your neck is so red.”

“I might be having an allergic reaction. I just took these clothes out of the closet; they’re a bit itchy.”

“The rain is quite heavy outside. I called you, but you didn't pick up.”

“I didn't hear the ringtone. I just went to see a friend and had a quick chat.”

Miao Jing didn't elaborate further. She opened her laptop to work overtime, scratched her neck, stood up, and changed into a high-neck sweater.

The torrential rain had left Chen Yi feeling quite dizzy and disoriented. He didn't know why he hadn't been able to restrain himself; perhaps it was purely because Miao Jing had angered him. In the few months since she returned, she had caused one problem after another. He hadn't been prepared, and he simply couldn't handle it.

The billiard hall had a small studio used for repairing cues. At first, it was exclusively for Chen Yi’s use, but later he let Bozai learn how to do it as well. Repairing cues wasn't difficult, and having this skill was always convenient. There weren't many people in the billiard hall during the morning, so Bozai would stay in the studio maintaining the cues while Chen Yi usually sat by, smoking a cigarette, watching him work, and making small talk.

Bozai treated this billiard hall as his own career. He didn't have many ways to make money, and with his leg damaged, he knew Chen Yi would never mistreat him. Nowadays, he was the person closest to Chen Yi. Seeing that Chen Yi was in a foul mood lately, he assumed it was about the breakup with Tu Li and kept pushing Chen Yi to find another girlfriend.

Actually, at their age, most people who wanted stability were thinking about starting a family. Bozai knew that Chen Yi had never wanted to get married. As for why, it might be due to things from his family in the past, or perhaps he was just used to being footloose and fancy-free. But finding a girlfriend was still easy, and girls like Weiwei were quite excited knowing Chen Yi was single.

Chen Yi pinched his cigarette, his eyes drooping with no interest.

“Sister Lili posted two photos on her Moments. Her figure is smoking hot. Did you see them, Brother Yi?”

“Didn't see them.” He yawned. “What photos?”

“Dancing, of course. Everyone drooling in the comments are people we know.” Bozai couldn't help but ask, “Brother Yi, did you really break up with Sister Lili? Honestly, Sister Lili is really pretty.”

After kicking Tu Li out of the house that day, Tu Li hadn't bothered him much, but it wasn't as if they hadn't crossed paths. They had seen each other in KTVs and bars. When they brushed past each other, her expression would be icy and cold; she would needle him with a couple of sentences, specifically poking at his relationship with Miao Jing.

Chen Yi, who had been drinking at the time, was impatient and retorted, “You know I can't marry you. Since I’m not getting married, I obviously never intended to be serious with you. Everyone was just playing around, right? Why are you being so real about it?”

Tu Li’s expression had instantly paled. Everyone knew how things stood, but for Chen Yi, she was clingy, and finding someone else was a hassle, so they had lived in relative harmony for two years. But after sleeping together for two years, surely there had to be some feelings?

Chen Yi didn't view it as a matter of emotion. He had spent quite a bit of money on Tu Li, so he didn't feel much guilt; things that could be measured in money didn't need to take up space in his heart. As for him and Miao Jing, what could a dress prove? Who the hell would use someone else's dress to seduce someone? Miao Jing had been back for over three months, and nothing had happened between them. He hadn't cheated or strayed, and even Detective Conan couldn't find a single shred of evidence.

After hearing his blunt words, Tu Li’s face turned icy. She walked past him with her chin held high, her back looking cool and beautiful, but her hands were trembling in the dark. If he had just said he still liked her even a little or remembered her kindness, she might have let it go. But because he used other excuses, she couldn't swallow this bitterness.

After the breakup, Tu Li didn't look for Miao Jing, and Miao Jing didn't take the initiative to ask about her, either. She was just as quiet and still as Chen Yi. The fact that their reactions were identical was the strange part—that was the evidence. Tu Li began contacting Lu Zhengsi frequently, urging him to look into Miao Jing’s eccentricities; at the very least, he needed to stir up some trouble. It couldn't just end like this.

Lu Zhengsi scratched his head. He really couldn't see anything suspicious about Miao Jing’s behavior. The only thing suspicious was his status as her boyfriend. Miao Jing went everywhere with him, and although they hadn't progressed to kissing, they had held arms and held hands, and Miao Jing’s body language was exceptionally natural and gentle.

She could do everything so naturally that there wasn't a hint of guilt. Lu Zhengsi couldn't help but think Tu Li was just being paranoid, though he also felt some of Miao Jing’s actions were indeed a bit too cold. He didn't want to break the illusion yet and decided to keep observing.

In addition to working overtime at the company, Miao Jing occasionally went out with Old Tan to have meals and entertain suppliers or sales companies. She was the department’s face and had solid professional skills, making her very presentable.

That evening, they went to a local restaurant famous for its signature dishes. As the group was seated, Miao Jing went ahead to order food. It turned out the lobby manager was a high school classmate of hers. She came over to say hello. Miao Jing was stunned for a moment, but as they spoke, she recalled that they were classmates in high school. After graduation, she had lost contact with most of her classmates, keeping in touch with only a few. To the others, she was indeed somewhat blurry and unfamiliar.

In the eyes of ordinary classmates, Miao Jing was a rather ethereal and mysterious existence. The two exchanged pleasantries, chatting about school and their current jobs. The conversation suddenly veered toward Chen Yi. It turned out he was a regular at this shop, and the female classmate had an extremely deep impression of him, stemming from the time Chen Yi came to attend a parent-teacher meeting at Miao Jing’s school.

At that time, Chen Yi should have just come of age, around eighteen or nineteen. To look more mature, he wore a black suit, black trousers, and polished leather shoes. Although his eyes still carried a touch of youthful inexperience, his temperament was arrogant and flamboyant. He sat next to Miao Jing with one hand in his pocket, pretending to be composed. With his sword-like brows slightly knit, he tapped the report card with his long fingers. When he turned to talk to Miao Jing, his voice, raspy from a night of drinking and smoking, was clear yet slightly husky. The female classmate had even paused her breathing just listening to him.

“I recognized him the first time I saw him. I walked up to him and asked if he was Miao Jing’s older brother. He was stunned for a second, then walked away. I thought I had mistaken him for someone else. But when I was paying the bill, he asked me if I was your classmate. When I said yes, that was when he smiled.”

“He was here just two days ago, dining with some friends. He drank quite a bit. I heard he sounded a bit nasally when he spoke, so I even asked the kitchen to boil him a bowl of ginger soup.”

Miao Jing listened to her classmate with a smile. After chatting for a few more minutes, Lu Zhengsi came out of the private room to see her about ordering, and the conversation was interrupted. The classmate thought about adding her on WeChat later, but they had spent too long at the meal, and Miao Jing was busy entertaining, so they never got around to it, and in the end, she didn't get her contact information.

It had been four or five days since that night of the downpour. The two of them had maintained a strangely tacit agreement not to contact each other. Miao Jing took out her phone, glanced at it, and ultimately put it back in her bag, turning to chat with her colleagues.

Then, the very next day—

Files and packages delivered to the company were placed at a designated spot in the security office. Lu Zhengsi went to collect the mail every noon, and if he saw packages for his department colleagues, he would greet them and pick them up for them. He happened to see several documents for Miao Jing, including a registered express letter sent from a hospital. Lu Zhengsi took an unintentional glance at it and pondered for a moment.

The documents were delivered to Miao Jing’s desk. She had been in meetings all afternoon and was too busy to open them. When she finally finished work and the others had left, Miao Jing took a breath, poured a glass of water, and used a paper cutter to open the stack of documents. A medical checkup report slid out and fell onto the desk.

“Engineer Miao, did you have a checkup recently?” Lu Zhengsi turned around. “Did the company arrange one?”

“It’s not my report. It’s someone else’s.”

She opened the cover and browsed through the text on the report. Her expression was calm and composed, but as her gaze scanned the page, her eyes softened, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly, revealing a strange, enigmatic smile.

“Brother Yi’s?”

“Yes.”

Miao Jing finished scanning the report and put it into her desk drawer. Lu Zhengsi pretended to ask casually, “Brother Yi… is he alright? Is his health okay?”

Lu Zhengsi had been constantly mulling over Miao Jing’s claim that “someone in my family is suffering from a serious illness.” He harbored a fantasy: could there be a possibility that Chen Yi was truly suffering from some unspeakable terminal illness, which was why he broke up with Tu Li? And why Miao Jing needed him as a boyfriend?

“He’s fine. He’s alright.” Miao Jing’s fair, slender fingers tapped the desk. After thinking for a moment, she said, “By the way, does Tu Li still contact you? How is she doing? Is she okay?”

“We talk occasionally. She seems to be doing fine…”

Miao Jing smiled slightly at him. “Thank you for your patience. Sorry for the trouble.”

“What trouble? I, I’m actually quite willing to do this.”

Miao Jing pursed her lips to hide a smile, her brows arching happily.

Miao Jing honestly hadn't expected to receive a medical report. In the end, she sent a message to Chen Yi saying she was going home on the weekend to pick up some things. Chen Yi’s attitude was indifferent, telling her to let him know when she was coming over so he could be there to rest.

It happened to be the weekend. Lu Zhengsi had business in the city, and knowing Miao Jing was going home to pick up her luggage, he drove her there.

They knocked on the door for a long time. Finally, Miao Jing called Chen Yi. His voice on the phone was hoarse and heavy like sinking sand, dazed and unaware of the time. Chen Yi eventually opened the door wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants, his chin shadowed with a dark blue stubble. He looked lethargic, like someone without bones, his dark, dim gaze sweeping over Lu Zhengsi before he nodded slightly. “Come in.”

Miao Jing cast him a sideways glance. Without a word of greeting, she went straight to the room to pack her things. Lu Zhengsi tried to be helpful on both sides, assisting Miao Jing and chatting with Chen Yi.

The atmosphere in the house was quiet and dull. Chen Yi stood by with his hands in his pockets, leaning lazily as he talked to Lu Zhengsi, asking about his work, what he had been busy with, the weather, and so on.

Seeing how Miao Jing was packing, the two of them realized she intended to move back to the company completely.

There were too many things to take. Lu Zhengsi went downstairs to move the two storage bags Miao Jing had already packed into the car. The house was left to just the two of them. Miao Jing was busy packing in the room, and Chen Yi stood outside the door watching.

She bent down at the desk to rummage through the drawers. The person behind her walked over and stood still behind her, bracing his hands on the edge of the table on either side of her. His strong, tall physique enclosed a small space, creating a small distance between them—neither too far nor too close. The pressure and his scent rushed toward her, and his voice, nasal from his cold, was as low and husky as a subwoofer.

They exchanged casual remarks.

“Did you receive the medical report?”

“I did.”

“How is it?”

“All the indicators are pretty good.”

“Moving everything back to the company?”

“Is that not allowed?”

He hummed with a laugh, his eyes half-closed. His tongue pushed against the side of his mouth, making a half-circle, causing his cheek to bulge.

His tone was husky and muffled.

“Can’t you tell I have a cold?”

“Why did you catch a cold?”

“I was drenched in that heavy rain, and you didn't say a single word.”

“A cold cycle only lasts a week. Looking at your symptoms, it doesn't look like it’s from that rain.”

“I don't have medicine. Do you think a cold gets better that easily? Do you have medicine in your room?”

“No. You should go to the pharmacy.”

He pulled his hands in, leaned his tall frame down, and pressed against her back, hovering on the verge of contact. He tilted his head and pecked at her cheek, rasping, “Isn't the medicine delivered to your door?”

Chen Yi leaned in, his arm crossing over her shoulder to press against her cheek. He leaned down to kiss her, and his other hand immediately locked onto her waist, capturing her lips with ease.

He had just been smoking, so his mouth tasted bitter, but her lips were cool and sweet. Miao Jing closed her eyes, her chin tilted up by his free fingers, and their lips pressed together in a fluid and tacit kiss.

It was searing, perfectly suited for the cooling season.

The sound of lingering breathing and the soft smacking of lips intertwining echoed in the room. However, the sound of footsteps outside was also drawing closer. Those footsteps were like drumbeats keeping rhythm. The door to the room was open, and the front door outside was also open. Lu Zhengsi’s footsteps stepped up the stairs, moving from far to near, clear and distinct. At the exact moment he stepped into the entrance and took two or three steps forward, Chen Yi took one final suck of her sweetness, caught his breath, released his embrace, and leisurely stepped back. He leaned against the wall cabinet, pulled out a cigarette in a slow, unhurried manner, and lowered his head to light it.

Miao Jing blinked, calmly packing the remaining things in her desk.