HC Chapter 24

HC Chapter 24: I Obey You (III)

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Dong Ci looked at it for a long time before she figured out what was embroidered on the scarf. Then she recalled the clothes Jing Rong usually wore – it seemed that these two letters were present on every piece of his clothing.

“Do you like it?”

Jing Rong noticed Dong Ci’s thoughtful stare. He extended his fingers and, tapping the tip of her nose, said with a smile, “As long as you are with me, you can also wear this logo in the future.”

“…”

The meaning of his words was lost to Dong Ci, but Jing Rong didn’t bother to clarify. The scarf was left to be wrapped around her neck up until Yan Ning Shuang noticed it after class, and sent a strange look the other girl’s way.

“Jing Rong gave it to you?”

Yan Ning Shuang carefully touched the fabric with a chuckle, then muttered to herself, “Yes, this sign is only ever worn by Jing Rong. I have never seen it on anyone else.”

“Do you know what it means?” Dong Ci asked with puzzlement while touching the logo. “I also remember that Jing Rong has this sign on almost every clothing he wears. Today, he even mentioned that he will let me use it in the future… What does it mean?”

“He really said that?”

Yan Ning Shuang was taken aback. But, noticing Dong Ci’s worsening complexion, she quickly controlled her emotions by taking a deep breath and letting it out a few times. Even so, she couldn’t help but shake her head with a sigh, “Xiao Ci, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jing family is rich, and their clothes should be customized by an entrusted designer. This sign… Most likely, it belongs to the Jing family. Anyone who understands the rules of higher society will know who the person wearing the sign is. If Jing Rong said that you can wear this logo in the future – doesn’t it mean that he… wants to marry you?”

Even Yan Ning Shuang was uncertain when she said the last sentence. Before, she has heard from her family that it was a great honor to be granted the right to wear the Jing family’s emblem. But at the same time, she was cautioned against seeking this right because it could also bring fatal danger upon her.

Yan Ning Shuang couldn’t see through Jing Rong’s intentions, but she knew that after Dong Ci was imprinted with this sign, the harm it would bring the girl would outweigh any benefits.

Of course, she couldn’t say any of her thoughts out loud – she couldn’t tell Dong Ci everything.

“Are you joking?!” Dong Ci shouted out, frightened by Yan Ning Shuang’s ominous words. “After graduation, we will walk different paths. I will go to a good university. He will go his own way. Hopefully, we will never meet again in this life – how could he be thinking about such a distant matter?”

But was it as far away as she has just said?

Dong Ci once felt that she was still far away from university, from fulfilling her dreams, from marriage and death. She felt this way up until the day when she found that in just one moment, all of these impossible things became reality.

At that time, her world was shrouded in darkness and she had no one to rely on. Whether she wanted to or not, the one who accompanied her throughout life could only be Jing Rong.

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The beginning of winter was commemorated by heavy snowfall.

When Dong Ci went to school that morning, she could still see the ground. But only after two classes, everything was already covered in white.

“I haven’t seen such heavy snow for many years.” Dong Ci reached out and grabbed the snow on the railing. Hearing Yan Ning Shuang’s footsteps coming from behind, she turned and awkwardly asked, “Do you want to go to the playground?”

“Alright.”

After the conversation on the rooftop, the relationship between the two girls improved. Yan Ning Shuang was no longer alone, and neither was Dong Ci.

The snow on the ground was very thick, and as the shoes stepped on it, there was a rustling sound. As the two girls walked side by side, occasionally exchanging a few words, Dong Ci’s heart also warmed up in this harmonious and peaceful atmosphere.

Perhaps because of the snow, there were many students in the playground running around and exchanging snowballs.

“How childish,” Yan Ning Shuang sneered disdainfully.

Dong Ci didn’t reply. She blinked and watched as one of the playing girls quickly formed a snowball. Perhaps she was infected by the atmosphere on the playground – her mood was particularly good.

“Look, that elementary school girl is so cute,” Dong Ci pointed at a girl who was wearing a plush coat. “Where did she find so much snow?”

Yan Ning Shuang squinted. She seemed to have recognized the girl, because after observing her, she pouted her lips and scornfully said, “Her name is Su Tang… she looks like an idiot.”

Just as the words came out of her mouth, Su Tang, whose clothes were covered in snow, hurriedly ran towards a snowman. But perhaps because she ran too fast, she slipped and hit it instead of stopping just before it.

When Su Tang got up, she was completely covered in snow. Although it was very embarrassing, the girl looked adorable.

“Do you know her?” Dong Ci asked, amused at Su Tang’s antics. She turned to Yan Ning Shuang for just a moment, but when she turned back, Su Tang was already grabbing a handful of snow and putting it behind another girl’s neck. The two of them began another snowball fight.

“Do you want to go down and play?” Dong Ci eagerly asked. But just as she turned to look at Yan Ning Shuang, she saw a disgusted look on the other girl’s face.

“How old are you? You still want to play in the snow!”

Although the words were full of mockery, Dong Ci still saw a little sparkle in Yan Ning Shuang’s eyes. She knew about the taller girl’s proud temperament, so she pretended to be sad whilst tugging the other’s hand.

“Miss Frosty Grownup, I beg you, come and play with me.”

‘Cough, cough—’

Yan Ning Shuang raised her chin as the corner of her mouth twitched, forming into an uncontrollable smile.

“Since you are begging me, I will reluctantly agree to accompany you,” she said unpleasantly. However, her real feelings were clearly reflected on her face – she was actually the one who wanted to play the most.

Yan Ning Shuang seemed to enjoy playing with snow. At first, she showed restraint while standing beside Dong Ci and observing her. But later on, she couldn’t help abandoning her image and squatting down to pick up a handful of snow to form a ball with it.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big snowball hit her right on the head, and Yan Ning Shuang’s expression immediately darkened.

“Sorry, sorry!”

The girl wearing a plush coat ran over with panicked apologies. When she saw the person who was hit, she blinked, then suddenly pounced on her.

“It turned out to be Sister Shuang Shuang!”

Dong Ci was frightened by the girl’s behavior. Before she could react, she saw Su Tang planting a kiss on Yan Ning Shuang’s cheek and the angry Yan Ning Shuang throwing the girl back into the snow.

“You idiot! How many times have I told you – you are not allowed to kiss me! You are not allowed! Do you have brains in your head, or is it empty?”

Dong Ci was shocked by the sight in front of her. The always proud Yan Ning Shuang was suddenly rolling around on the ground with Su Tang, making them both completely covered in snow. At first, Dong Ci thought that the two of them were fighting, but when she stepped closer, she realized that they were playing.

She couldn’t remember how she joined them. She only knew that when Su Tang raised her head and saw her, the girl’s eyes brightened, and there was suddenly a bunch of snowballs flying in Dong Ci’s direction.

That day, the girls played for a long time. First, they fought in a snowball battle, later on, they built a snowman.

Unfortunately, because of her weak body, a few days ago Dong Ci caught a slight cold. Even when she sweated a lot whilst playing, she didn’t dare to undress any of her clothes. As such, she couldn’t play for long – she was afraid of getting even sicker.

Suddenly, Dong Ci felt a tug. Raising her eyes, she questioningly looked at Yan Ning Shuang, wondering what the other girl needed.

“Someone came to clean up the little monster,” Yan Ning Shuang explained whilst taking Dong Ci back a few steps.

“What?” Dong Ci asked, confused. She followed the taller girl’s gaze, only to see a handsome young man walking towards them.

“Stand up.”

Su Tan, who was rolling around on the ground, was startled when she heard the cold voice. She panicked and quickly tried to get up. But because of the hurry, she slipped and once again fell on the ground, covering herself with even more snow.

She shook her head, dislodging the snowflakes, and looked at the silent teenager with a playful smile. Stretching out her hand in his direction, she sweetly asked, “I can’t get up, I want you to hug me up~”

In the distance, a bell rang, signaling the end of the break.

Dong Ci was afraid of being late for class, so she tugged Yan Ning Shuang’s hand to indicate her desire to hurry up. However, the other girl seemed to be unwilling to cease watching the show that was still in progress.

“Come on, the next class is with the home teacher. If we don’t get back in time, we will be punished!” Dong Ci persuaded, throwing a last look Su Tang’s way.

In the end, even as they hurried back, they were still late. The home teacher has always been harsh, so he punished them by making the two girls stand by the doors for ten minutes.

Because she was still in wet clothes and there was a slight breeze, Dong Ci sneezed a few times. Finally, the teacher was afraid of them catching a cold, so he let the girls go back to their seats.

But Dong Ci still couldn’t escape from the consequences of playing in the snow so crazily. She has been in poor health ever since she was a child, and she has always been forbidden from staying out for a long time in winter. As such, this time, her illness was rather serious.

For two days in a row, Dong Ci suffered from a high fever. On the third day, she finally got better and decided to go to school.

On the first day of her absence, Jing Rong also learned about her falling ill. Seeing her coming back on the third day, his lips thinned in disapproval. This made his bad mood even more obvious.

“Why are you coming to class if you are still sick?”

Dong Ci coughed a few times. Her nose was still clogged, and she kept rubbing it with paper tissues.

“I heard Yan Ning Shuang say that you participated in a snowball fight a few days ago. Don’t you know your physique? Can’t you even consider consequences before doing something so stupid?”

Dong Ci tried to ignore Jing Rong’s nagging, but the boy wouldn’t leave her alone. His eyes narrowed as he demanded:

“I am talking to you – can’t you hear me? Answer me.”

Seeing that Jing Rong was about to get very mad, Dong Ci helplessly bit her lip. She wanted to speak up, but due to her sore throat, her voice was gone. She tried to open her mouth and whisper a few words, but even then, her throat was too sore and itchy to get anything out.

“How could this be? Even your throat is like this,” Jing Rong muttered, feeling completely stunned. His eyes met Dong Ci’s aggrieved ones.

Lately, he has been very busy. Just as he left her alone for a few days, she quickly managed to get herself into such a state. Suddenly, Jing Rong felt helplessness filling his heart. In the future, if he wanted to properly take care of this delicate little flower, he would have to be more firm with her.

Dong Ci didn’t know about her desk mate’s thoughts. Instead, her mind was occupied by another matter – should she take medicine now or later?

Looking at the clock, Dong Ci saw that it was almost time for class. If she took medicine now, she would risk falling asleep later on. Before, she was already punished a few times for dozing off in class – she didn’t want a repeat.

Throughout the whole class, Jing Rong listened to the girl’s quiet coughs next to him. Her whole face turned red from trying to contain the noise. Finally, he couldn’t help it, and during the break, he quickly got up and rushed to the pharmacy to buy medicine.

“Take it now,” Jing Rong commanded whilst handing her a cup of hot water together with a pill.

Dong Ci shook her head in refusal.

“If you don’t want to take it yourself, I don’t mind feeding you,” he sneered whilst lazily leaning back into the chair.

“I have medicine. I will take it after the classes are over,” Dong Ci said with some difficulty. Then she once again coughed while covering her mouth.

“Take the one that I gave you. Do it now.”

Jing Rong didn’t care about listening to her arguments. He grasped the pill with his fingers and directly put it in the girl’s mouth.

Dong Ci anxiously shook her head and explained, “If I take it now, I will feel sleepy in class. The teacher will be angry with me.”

“Relax, this medicine won’t have that effect,” Jing Rong lied without hesitation.

It is true that not all medicine contains ingredients that cause sleepiness. But for Dong Ci to get better, Jing Rong bought the best-recommended medicine – and this kind happened to contain chlorpheniramine.

Jing Rong narrowed his eyes – suddenly, he remembered her falling asleep last year.

But it didn’t matter. After all this time, he wouldn’t let the teacher catch her again.

Today was the last day of the semester, and Jing Rong has just finished coaxing Dong Ci to sleep in the classroom. Her long breaths could be barely heard as they escaped her slightly open mouth.

Whenever a teacher came over, Jing Rong would squeeze her hand in warning, causing Dong Ci to wake up in a daze. After the teacher left their area, she would quickly fall back asleep.

Because of spending the whole day in a confused and sleepy manner, Dong Ci couldn’t remember a single thing about any lessons she was supposed to listen to. In the end, she had to borrow Yan Ning Shuang’s notes, which detailed the key points to remember in the next test. Anyway, because of her good foundation, Dong Ci wasn’t too panicked about the exams and still expected to achieve a good result.

Her mother’s restaurant also re-opened during this time, its business flourishing even more compared to before. In her free time, Dong Ci has also been helping out in looking after the store, especially after the holidays began. What made their little family even happier, was that the restaurant made a lot more money than the previous year.

After father unexpectedly left them, this was the most stable and happy time that the mother and daughter have experienced.

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On New Year’s Eve, Dong Ci was helping her mother with setting the table, which was full of fragrant dishes. After dinner, the two of them settled on the sofa to watch the Spring Festival Gala, as was their family tradition.

Having been busy all night, Dong Ci noticed Jing Rong’s call only after ten minutes have already passed. Wondering what he wanted from her, she opened a text message, then hurriedly walked to the window and glanced downstairs.

He was still there!

How was it possible for him to come here during the New Year celebration?

Dong Ci quickly threw on a coat and ran down the stairs. As she approached the lone figure, she noticed that Jing Rong was crouching on the ground and teasing a stray cat.

“Why are you here?” she asked when she got closer. During this vacation, Jing Rong has been unusually quiet – he didn’t come to bother her even once. What she least expected was for him to come to visit her on the New Year day.

“Of course, it’s because I missed you,” Jing Rong answered whilst standing up. Then he walked to her and slowly embraced her, asking in a low voice, “Are there a lot of people coming over to your house tonight?”

“It’s only me and my mother.”

“That’s great,” Jing Rong smiled into her neck, giving off a lonely feeling. “You still have someone by your side… But I am all by myself tonight.”

Dong Ci froze, looking up at him in surprise.

“Where are your parents?”

“Overseas.”

“Why didn’t they come to accompany you?” Dong Ci frowned, unable to understand. Before, she did hear some rumors from Yan Ning Shuang and knew that his parents lived abroad. But she didn’t expect that they wouldn’t even return for the New Year.

“I don’t need them to accompany me – you are enough.”

Jing Rong leaned over and looked at her. His beautiful eyes were as dark as abyss, but there was a little tenderness hidden inside them.

“Xiao Ci, be with me in the future, alright?”

Dong Ci had no chance to answer him as her lips were sealed by Jing Rong’s. His teeth scraped against her mouth, but the strength he used was very little. Dong Ci was so entranced by his rare show of tenderness, that she forgot to resist his touch.

It was a very gentle kiss. Jing Rong didn’t seek to occupy and conquer her mouth – he just wished to share his emotions with the girl.

It seemed that without their notice, the clock struck midnight. All around them, there were sounds of firecrackers being released from people’s homes, and fireworks were bursting in the sky one after another. Before, Dong Ci never thought that she would one day kiss another teenager during the New Year’s Eve.

“Did you like it?”

The sound of a chuckle reached her ears, causing Dong Ci to snap out of her thoughts. When she raised her head, she saw Jing Rong looking down on her with a playful smile. Remembering what just happened, Dong Ci’s whole face reddened – she was prepared to escape from the teenager the second he released her.

“Turns out, Xiao Ci likes gentleness.”

Jing Rong tightened his hold on her. Then he rubbed his chin on her head, and indulgently said, “As long as Xiao Ci likes it, I can always be gentle.”

Yes, he can promise to always be tender, unconditionally treat her well, love, and spoil her.

And if it wasn’t for what happened later, perhaps Dong Ci would have really been lost in his gentle embrace.

But as Yan Ning Shuang warned her before, no matter how much Jing Rong liked her, his character would still eventually hurt her until there was nothing left…

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