HC Chapter 38

HC Chapter 38: I Don’t Love You (VIII)

---

As soon as Dong Ci hurried away after being spotted by Jing Rong, she realized that such a reaction was strange and unnecessary. She didn’t do anything wrong, so why panic?

Gradually, Dong Ci slowed down, finally coming to a stop. She took a deep breath and started walking at a more reasonable pace. However, she couldn’t resist the urge to glance back.

She didn’t expect her gaze to meet Jing Rong’s.

“…”

“Let’s talk?” Jing Rong parked his car beside Dong Ci and motioned for her to get in.

“Is there anything else left for us to talk about?” Dong Ci suppressed her rising anger and mockingly asked, “Tell me, how are you going to annoy me this time?”

She was acting like a hedgehog once again…

Jing Rong frowned, pressed a hand against his forehead, and helplessly explained, “I just wanted to help you.”

“Your ‘help’ consists of secretly letting me enter the design studio that has connections with you so you could follow me every day? Just now, I saw it with my own eyes – you were talking with Wang Ming, the owner of the studio I work in, inside your car. What do you want him to do?”

Jing Rong’s eyes flashed, but his words were barely a whisper. “I thought that you would want to get more information about Zhao Qing Qing and Wang Shenghua.”

Dong Ci was taken aback. What did those two have to do with her now? She frowned and looked at Jing Rong with brief uncertainty before catching herself – she didn’t want to show him any weaknesses. Instead, she covered up her confusion by angrily demanding: “What do you mean?”

“My Xiao Ci is so smart. You should’ve already found out that I was the one who invested in Wang Shenghua’s TV series and withdrew my investment later on. So, since you have already guessed that I was the one who arranged you to work in the studio and found a way to follow your daily activities, why aren’t you suspecting me of arranging Zhang Qing Qing and Wang Shenghua to bully you from the very beginning?”

Jing Rong paused for a moment, then ruefully smiled.

“Maybe, this is another one of my plans that I devised to get you back,” he slowly said. “First, I found someone to bully you. And then, I planned to be the ‘good’ person who would help you. All of this done so you have a better impression of me.”

“What do you mean by saying all of this?” Dong Ci frowned. Was it reverse psychology? Did he do all those things and was now trying to make her feel guilty for thinking badly of him? Or was he innocent in this matter, and her previous impression covered her eyes when he was truly trying to help her?

After all, she did make a series of guesses and assumptions about how she was accepted to work in Wang Ming’s studio after she saw him with Jing Rong. However, she was still hesitant to push the affairs related to Zhao Qing Qing and Wang Shenghua on Jing Rong’s head.

It wasn’t because she assumed that Jing Rong was an innocent lamb.

No, it was because she doubted whether anyone would agree to ruin their lives as much as they did when the whole matter came out. After all, Zhang Qing Qing’s reputation as a designer was in ruins, and Wang Shenghua’s career in the filming circles was no different. Counting the many personal affairs that came out with him as the center of events, Wang Shenghua could be considered even worse off than Zhao Qing Qing.

No matter what kind of money or conditions one offered in return for suffering so many humiliations, who would agree to it?

However, the possibility existed. The pair may not have known the consequences that would befall them later on.

“Are they really yours?” Dong Ci bit her lip and looked at Jing Rong, who was still in the car.

Jing Rong placed his elbow on the car’s lowered window panel, looked at her through the eyelashes, and chuckled. “Don’t you already have an answer in your heart?”

From his expression, Dong Ci saw that he had already guessed her thoughts. Suddenly, she felt so small in front of him. She was like a transparent piece of glass every time she faced him – there was no privacy at all, not even in her head.

These feelings… angered her. She was no longer in a relationship with Jing Rong – why would she follow his pace?

Yes, she did have an answer in her heart – she didn’t believe that Zhao Qing Qing and Wang Shenghua were people he arranged to cross her path. Dong Ci lived with Jing Rong for so many years. She was certain: no matter how bad or deceitful he was – he would never deliberately put those kinds of people besides her to disgust her so much.

“Xiao Ci, I’m happy.” Jing Rong’s thin lips curled slightly. He was in a good mood.

Zhao Qing Qing and Wang Shenghua weren’t arranged by him. The reason why he invested in Wang Shenghua was to deliberately give Dong Ci more opportunities to develop. As such, he was indeed the one who requested Wang Ming to accept her into the studio and arrange for her to work with a famous director.

However, Jing Rong didn’t expect that there would be someone daring enough to bully his wife. He barely reined in his violent emotions when he learned of the deeds the two miscreants committed.

Today, he didn’t expect Dong Ci to see him. Before Jing Rong caught up with her, he was fully prepared to accept all the blame and anger that she directed his way. He thought that she would accuse him of collaborating with Wang Shenghua and Zhao Qing Qing.

In her place, he would be suspicious.

However, he was surprised when the only questions Dong Ci asked were about her arrangement to work in the studio.

His grim mood instantly disappeared when Jing Rong realized that he wasn’t unredeemably deplorable in her eyes.

This unexpected warmth in his chest – it was completely worth his persistence in keeping away and kindness that he tried showing.

“Although Wang Ming is my person, his studio has nothing to do with me. I won’t interfere with your work, nor will I appear in front of you at your workplace. So, you don’t need to resign.”

Jing Rong was familiar with the way Dong Ci’s mind worked, and he knew that she would definitely resign the next day after finding out his involvement in her life. As such, he clarified: “Although Wang Shenghua’s TV series project was something I asked Wang Ming to hand to you, it was his personal wish to recruit you into his studio.

“He is a very talented person and appreciates you a lot. I don’t want you to miss an opportunity because of me or your impulse to avoid anything to do with me.”

“Don’t think you are so important – I don’t care about you!” Although it was true that Dong Ci had already made up her mind to resign tomorrow, Jing Rong’s words woke her up.

Indeed, she didn’t have to trouble herself because of him. Wang Ming was a leading figure in the world of design, and she could learn a lot by staying underneath his banner.

If she really resigns like this, she may never find another opportunity to join a studio comparable to Wang Ming’s.

“Don’t follow me!”

Having found out everything she wanted, Dong Ci could no longer stand the sight of this person. As such, she turned around and quickened her pace. However, she forgot that she was wearing high heels – her step was unsteady as she wobbled and fell to the ground.

“Xiao Ci!”

Jing Rong commanded the driver to stop. He exited the car and hurried to Dong Ci to help her up, but she stubbornly refused to let him touch her.

“Go away.”

Why was she so unfortunate?

Dong Ci sat on the ground with a painful grimace as she felt up her bruises. She tried to stand up, but the sudden pain in her ankle immediately told her that it wouldn’t be possible, and she fell back again. This time, her palm was also bruised as she used it to cushion her fall to the pavement.

“You—”

Jing Rong could no longer bear to put up with her wilfulness. He picked her up despite the adamant protests and stuffed her into the car. Then he swiftly closed the door, ordering the driver to lock them in place.

This series of actions was done so quickly that by the time Dong Ci turned around intending to get out, the car was already moving.

“Let me out! I won’t go anywhere with you – I want to go home!”

Jing Rong put her feet on his thighs, his hand moving to gently knead the injured place as he lightly said, “Alright, let’s go back home for tonight.”

“My home is where my mother is. I want to get off the car!”

“Don’t move.”

Dong Ci was moving too much. Jing Rong frowned and slightly increased pressure on the ankle attempting to twist away from his grasp. He tried to say the following words in a softer tone: “Xiao Ci, go back just for one night. I won’t touch you.”

“No, I want to go home. I don’t want to be with you or to see you.”

Jing Rong’s long eyelashes dropped over his eyes. He was trying to pretend to be gentle and harmless as he continuously coaxed Dong Ci: “But I miss you so much.”

“…”

Dong Ci froze. For a few seconds, she felt as though her brain’s functions stagnated. But she quickly remembered herself and viciously spat out: “But I don’t miss you at all.”

She thought for a moment, feeling that there wasn’t enough deterrence, and added: “I hate you so much!”

“…”

She was really a hedgehog!

A helpless sigh escaped Jing Rong’s lips. He straightened himself up and leaned back in the seat. Then, tiredly closing his eyes, he indifferently reminded: “You don’t want your stupid dog any longer?”

Dong Ci frowned and reflexively asked: “Did something happen to him?”

Although Little Wolf was brought home with Jing Rong’s consent, Jing Rong didn’t like him. Actually, it was doubtful whether there existed a single animal he would have enjoyed having.

When Little Wolf was still young, Dong Ci liked to hold him in her arms, and she especially enjoyed petting him. During those times, Jing Rong’s expression was always dark, looking as though everyone in the world owed him money.

However, although Jing Rong didn’t like Little Wolf, as long as she was there he would never do anything to the dog. But now that she no longer lived at Jing Family’s villa, Dong Ci was slightly worried about Little Wolf’s living conditions.

“Xiao Ci, you know that I dislike noisy environments. Ever since you left, that dog keeps on barking every night…” Jing Rong trailed off with a cold smile.

At this moment, Dong Ci finally understood why Jing Rong looked so exhausted. Did he have a single peaceful night of sleep since she left the house?

As she thought of this, Dong Ci’s face paled.

She knew that with Jing Rong’s temperament if Little Wolf troubled him too much, he would definitely not let the dog experience a peaceful life.

Suddenly, Dong Ci regretted it a little. When she left, she should have taken her pet with her.

“…”

The car was silent as it drove to the Jing villa. Because Dong Ci was worried about Little Wolf, she no longer fussed about returning to her mother’s house. When she got off the car, she immediately went to find her dog despite the lingering pain in her ankle. But even after calling him for a while, he didn’t come.

Dong Ci panicked. She stumblingly ran to the second floor of the house, all the while shouting Little Wolf’s name. She was beginning to think that Jing Rong tied the dog up and locked it somewhere in a small dark room.

Even after many shouts, Little Wolf still didn’t show up. Dong Ci went through the rooms, opening one door after another until she finally reached her working room, where she used to design clothes.

Usually, this room was very tidy. However, when Dong Ci entered it today, she was immediately stunned by the sight of the messy floor – it was full of ripped fabrics and paper shreds. The table where she used to draw was also trashed, with many things scattered or broken.

A few drops of bright red appeared in Dong Ci’s line of sight. She hesitated, then took a few steps forward. At the corner of the table, she noticed spilled red liquid. She quickly bent her back to look underneath the desk, and almost fell to the ground at the sight that greeted her.

“What happened?”

As soon as she hurriedly retreated, Dong Ci bumped into Jing Rong, who had just entered the room through the open door. He subconsciously wrapped his hands around Dong Ci’s waist, but even though he knew that he crossed the silent boundaries, he still didn’t expect her to suddenly turn around and start beating him.

“It is also life! How can you be so cruel?!” Dong Ci shouted with tears falling down her cheeks. She knew that Jing Rong wasn’t a good person, but she didn’t expect that he would be so inhuman that he wouldn’t even let a dog go for offending him.

Dong Ci felt her heart hurt when she remembered the bright blood covering Little Wolf, but she didn’t dare to look back again.

Wshh, wshh—

Suddenly, a sound of a rustle came from beneath the table. Dong Ci paused in her actions, thinking that she misheard. She wiped away the tears on her face and lowered her head.

A ‘bloody’ dog shuffled out from under the table…

“…”

Dong Ci didn’t know whether to be shocked or happy. Her eyes moved as she noticed something. She stiffly leaned down and stretched her fingertips to gently wipe off the blood on the dog’s fur.

Looking closer, this… turned out to be her paint?

“…”

“You thought I killed your dog?”

Even though Dong Ci was hitting him just seconds ago, Jing Rong never resisted. He didn’t even know what happened before he saw the silly dog crawling out from beneath the table.

He released a short, angry laugh and squinted his eyes, approaching Dong Ci. His big palm wrapped around her red finger as he lightly asked: “In Xiao Ci’s eyes, I am so deplorable that you think I would abuse your dog while you are away?

“Is that right?”

“…”

Previous ToC Next

---

T/N: So, i am very, very sorry for my long absence! Especially sorry to all the story fans and readers, as well as those people who supported the translations on Patreon!

I don’t have many excuses – translation work was kinda put on hold when I got new job last year in September. Then i was acclimatizing myself to new environment and responsibilities… But later I was both – too lazy and too unmotivated – to continue. Today, I posted all of the translations I already had on Patreon last year – edited.

I saw that there were other translators, but it seems that they had published a bit less than what I had and stopped? Anyway, the point is – gonna strive to finish the translations this time – we are over halfway through there, after all 😀

Thank you all and let’s continue our journey through this story! ^^