HC Chapter 9: I Fear You (VIII)
The phone call came from her mother’s supervisor at work. As soon as she answered the phone, Dong Ci had a bad feeling in her heart.
“Sick again?!” the voice on the other side paused for a moment, and then loudly continued, “Why is that invalid so weak? Can’t she report in advance if she’s not feeling well? Who will replace her at work on such short notice?”
“Why are you calling my mother an invalid?” Dong Ci’s hand was tightly clenching the phone as the anger in her heart grew, but she tried to restrain herself. “Please, speak politely.”
“Why should I bother?!” the man cursed, his mood worsening. “I even gave her this job, yet that widow’s daughter is also ungrateful – no good can come from that woman’s spawn! F**k it all!”
As he kept talking, Dong Ci’s body trembled from the contained anger. Finally, she couldn’t bear listening any longer, and coldly said, “What do you think you’re good for? Uncultured people like you are no different from the beasts!”
“You’re calling me a beast?” the man repeated with astonishment. He didn’t expect that Dong Ci would dare to scold him back. He laughed angrily and declared, “Ok, I will be a beast – tell your widowed mother that she’s fired!”
Du du—
The call disconnected, and Dong Ci slowly lowered the phone.
The strong wind outside the window swept up the fallen leaves from the ground. They fluttered around, as though uncertain about their destination – wondering where to fly. Dong Ci took a deep breath, her nose slightly wrinkling at the strong smell of disinfectant that characterized the hospital. She blinked her dry eyes, and suddenly moved to open the window.
The cold wind pierced her body like a knife, and although it slightly hurt, it also awakened her from the trance. She tried to adjust her breathing, but her pale fingers kept on tightly clutching the phone.
Can’t cry, she repeatedly told herself.
Dong Ci’s body was stiff from the cold air, but she didn’t move – stubbornly telling herself that she mustn’t be weak.
When her mother woke up, Dong Ci was distractedly staring at the sky outside the window.
“Xiao Ci, what time is it now?”
After taking the medicine and resting for a while, her mother regained some energy and started searching for her phone. When she couldn’t immediately find it, she frowned and muttered, “Has anybody called me? The supervisor will scold me again since I didn’t request to take a day off in advance.”
“Mom, don’t go to work any longer, alright?”
After she ended that call, the phone has been clutched in Dong Ci’s hands because she refused to release it.
“Didn’t you always dream about opening a restaurant? Let’s rent a place and do it together.”
“It’s easy to say such a thing, but where would we get the spare money to rent a space?” Dong Ci’s mother thought that the girl was just joking. She coughed a few times, then stretched her hand in her daughter’s direction and said, “Hurry up and give me the phone. I have to hurry and ask for the sick leave.”
“Mom…” Dong Ci hesitated, not knowing how to tell her mother about the dismissal from work. She hid the phone behind her back and continued the previous topic, “Let’s take the money that you’ve been saving for college and open the store. I believe that with your abilities, our restaurant will definitely make money.”
“Xiao Ci, you don’t know what you’re talking about!” the expression on her mother’s face got more serious as she admonished her daughter. “Did you forget what you promised me after your dad died? Your main concern right now is studying as well as working hard to get admitted into a good university. You don’t have to worry about your mother’s matters!”
“But…” Dong Ci hesitated, before finally admitting, “But you were fired.”
Dong Ci didn’t tell her mother what the supervisor had said over the phone. She was afraid that if her mother knew about it, she would be sad, so Dong Ci took all of the responsibility onto herself. As a result, her mother had been sulking and ignoring her for two days.
During that time, Dong Ci has been occupied with looking for rented places. She kept on running around, searching for a suitable shop – but none of them were good enough.
It was just as her mother said – she didn’t know how hard it was in the outside world. Only after she went out did she find that it was far more complicated than she had ever imagined.
Dong Ci stood on the side road, looking at the prosperous commercial street in front of her, and watched the endless crowds pass by the freezing vendors, who still insisted on operating the outdoor stalls. Suddenly, she found that life was very difficult.
Although she wore a thick coat, the weather was very cold, and her thin body kept shivering. Dong Ci was so immersed in her thoughts, that she didn’t notice when someone approached her from behind. By the time she found out, she was already wrapped in warm arms.
“Have you been waiting for me?”
Jing Rong grabbed her waist from behind and felt her trembling from the cold. He frowned and quickly unbuttoned his coat, enveloping her entire body in his arms. Then he leaned over and rubbed her cold face, his lips curling into a lukewarm smile, “Are you trying to freeze yourself?”
She was really too cold, while Jing Rong’s thick coat was very warm. Dong Ci flinched, but for the very first time, she didn’t try to push him away.
Jing Rong’s eyebrow rose slightly when he noticed a notebook in her hands. Without asking for permission, he quickly stole it and curiously opened it.
“Give it back!”
The pages were tightly packed with information about various storefronts, many of which were crossed out with a red pen because of the high price. The remaining few places had many things marked in red, but before Jing Rong could see it more clearly, the notebook was snatched back.
The boy’s eyes flashed a little as he curiously asked, “You’re going to rent a shop?”
“Is it any of your concern?!”
“Not enough money?”
“I told you, it’s not your business!”
Dong Ci’s refusal to admit anything didn’t affect Jing Rong’s mood, which seemed to be particularly good. He stretched out his arms and grasped her palm, wrapping it directly into his own big hand.
“Alright, I won’t manage your affairs, but as compensation – you have to go to dinner with me,” he said indulgently.
“I don’t want to go – I am still busy,” Dong Ci immediately protested, but Jing Rong ignored her and dragged her into a high-level club nearby.
It was a place that Dong Ci has never thought of entering. Although the interior decoration was simple, it still looked very luxurious as bright lights illuminated the surroundings, making them glow.
Jing Rong took her to the elevator, and brought her to the innermost private room, pushing her in.
“Oho—”
As soon as Dong Ci stumbled in, she heard a roar of cheers. Just as she raised her head, looking completely startled by the unexpected noise, the shouts abruptly stopped.
“Eh?” one of the boys’ raised an eyebrow in surprise, examining the girl from head to toes. Then he playfully said, “Sister, you entered the wrong room.”
“I…”
Dong Ci didn’t expect that there would be so many people in the room. Boys and girls stared at her with different expressions, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She panicked and turned around, wishing to quickly get out of the awkward situation, but was stopped by the teenager behind her.
“Wait, sister, you look slightly familiar.”
An Cheng Feng jumped out of the crowd, grabbed her shoulders, and carefully looked at her face, tentatively asking, “You came here with A’Rong? Where is he?”
“He took a call in the hallway,” Dong Ci answered, looking back at the door.
When they entered the second floor, Jing Rong’s phone rang, and he had to answer it first. However, she didn’t expect that he would take the initiative to push her into a room full of people, leaving her to deal with them by herself.
“Excuse me, I will exit now,” she said to the silent crowd.
There were no familiar people inside, so they were probably Jing Rong’s friends – and Dong Ci didn’t want to get involved with them. She opened the door, but instead of leaving, she plunged straight into Jing Rong’s arms.
“So passionate?” he joked while subconsciously hugging her.
He was about to push her back inside, but Dong Ci grabbed his arm and said, “I don’t want to stay here.”
Jing Rong moved slightly, his eyes settling on An Cheng Feng, who stood at the door.
“Did you bully her?” he slowly asked.
“C’mon, we would never! It’s just joking between friends,” An Cheng Feng quickly waved his hand, indicating his innocence. “It’s just that we can be too enthusiastic.”
Jing Rong sneered disdainfully at the excuse but accepted it nonetheless. Disregarding Dong Ci’s weak struggles, he pressed her into a chair beside him and handed her the menu.
“Eat whatever you want – An Cheng Feng is paying today.”
“I want to go home…” she said, the feeling of déjà vu sweeping over her. Not too long ago she had been in a similar situation.
The private room was very warm, and her face quickly reddened as a result. Jing Rong ignored her whispers. Instead, he reached out to touch her tender cheek, which was no longer cold, and coaxed her with a smile, “Be obedient, I will take you home after dinner.”
Everyone could see how reluctant this girl was to stay in the room. It was clear at first glance that Jing Rong was forcing her. The surrounding people had different expressions as they observed the pair, but no one dared to speak out without knowing what the relationship between the two was. Soon, heads turned in An Cheng Feng’s direction – clearly looking for help in this matter.
“Hem, hem-” An Cheng Feng awkwardly coughed, pretending to clear his throat. “A’Rong, you should introduce this sister to us.”
Jing Rong seemed to realize that the atmosphere in the private room was a bit cold. He moved his eyes away from Dong Ci’s face, nonchalantly supported his chin with a palm, looked around, and smiled, “You can’t see our relationship from my behavior?”
As soon as the sarcastic remark was heard, the atmosphere turned even colder. Dong Ci felt as though there were several pairs of eyes silently trying to tear her apart with their gazes. The emotions in them seemed different – there was scrutiny, contempt, and even… anger?
Finally, someone took the initiative to greet her, and all others also joined in. The room once again regained its warmth.
“She’s timid, don’t scare her,” Jing Rong warned, but didn’t try to get more involved in her conversations.
Dong Ci didn’t know how to communicate with these people. After the dishes were brought out, she kept on quietly eating and listening to the chatter around the table.
As the topic moved to Jing Rong, she realized that his previous absence was due to him traveling to the United States. The reason for his trip was because someone important to him got sick. And it was only today that he returned to China, coming here directly from the airport. This group gathered here for the sole purpose of celebrating Jing Rong’s return from abroad.
‘If you came back then good for you, what’s there to celebrate?’ she thought contemptuously.
Dong Ci fiddled with the fish in her bowl, her mind gradually wandering away from the excited group. She couldn’t wait to return home.
In the past few days, her mood was down because of the restaurant matter as well as her mother’s declining appetite. And, although the food in the club tasted really good – because she had something on her mind, she didn’t have the mood to enjoy it.
The person sitting beside her suddenly stood up, seemingly about to leave. Dong Ci raised her head in a hurry and, without thinking, pulled at his sleeve.
“Where are you going?” she whispered.
Jing Rong didn’t expect that she would grab him. The clear eyes looking up at him so pitifully, with a trace of panic and dependence, stunned him slightly.
Was she afraid that he would leave her alone?
Jing Rong restrained his smile, comfortingly patted her on the head, and leaned in to whisper back, “I’m going to the bathroom. Do you want to come with me?”
Zefelina's Translations 
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
LikeLiked by 1 person