HC Chapter 39: I Don’t Love You (IX)
It is said that huskies are so foolish and capable – they could be the captains of any demolition team. When Dong Ci still lived there, although Little Wolf often bit things, he was never as crazy as he was today.
The room was completely trashed. But even though most of the things were ruined and could no longer be used, Dong Ci still felt that it could’ve been worse. At least her dog didn’t enter Jing Rong’s study.
If that was the case…
Dong Ci didn’t want to picture the imaginary aftermath. Wouldn’t Jing Rong really get crazy enough to abuse her dog?
She was certain that her guess wasn’t without a possibility – Jing Rong was certainly such a vengeful person.
Dong Ci’s heart finally settled when she saw that her Little Wolf was in one piece. Although she constantly worried about leaving her pet here, she couldn’t bring him back to her mother’s place – her mother was afraid of dogs. And Dong Ci also couldn’t constantly be on the watch at home – her work was in the way.
After some consideration, she decided to leave Little Wolf at Yan Ning Shuang’s house until she could take care of him herself.
After returning from her studies abroad, Yan Ning Shuang has started working in her own company. At first, the two of them often contacted each other, but later, following Yan Ning Shuang’s promotion, their meetings and calls became rare.
Dong Ci hesitated for a moment, but still found Yan Ning Shuang’s phone and called her. In any case, it was better to drag her friend to help with foster care than to leave Little Wolf with Jing Rong.
‘Beep—’ The phone was ringing for a while without being picked up. Dong Ci thought that Ning Shuang was still busy with work and was about to quit the call when it was suddenly answered.
“Hey?”
Although the phone was finally picked up, the voice on the other end sounded extremely exhausted as though it lost all energy.
“Shuang Shuang, are you still at work?” Dong Ci glanced outside the door and lowered her voice. “I want you to take care of Little Wolf for me.”
“But I am abroad now,” Yan Ning Shuang sighed, her voice becoming slightly floaty. “I am abroad, still abroad…”
“What’s wrong with you?” Dong Ci noticed her friend’s strangeness.
The sound of a glass bottle falling to the ground came from the other end of the call. Yan Ning Shuang’s breaths were heavy as they reached Dong Ci’s ears. She seemed to be crying, sobbing, and still trying to explain: “I wanted to go abroad to relax. I, I work so hard. I wanted to make myself feel better, but I still keep on thinking about him. I think and think, I constantly think… My heart hurts so much when I think about it.
“Xiao Ci, did you know? The place I am currently at is so beautiful. Many people have recommended it to me for relaxation, to lift my mood. They said, maybe I can forget about him and meet my true love here.”
Yan Ning Shuang quirked her lips even as no one could see her. Her smile was desolate. “I am here right now, my eyes can barely grasp all the wonderful views, yet it seems that I can only see that one person… I love him so much, I feel like my heart is about to burst. I want to dig it out of my chest to show him, but…”
She could barely control herself from crying – her lips couldn’t form the following words.
Her grief went straight to Dong Ci’s heart, even as they were separated through thousands of miles and conversed over the phone. Dong Ci understood the suffering, but she couldn’t find words of comfort.
And comfort wasn’t what Yan Ning Shuang wanted or needed – it was enough that there was someone who could listen. Such a proud person – she would never allow Dong Ci to mention this incident again, so right now, she just wanted to cry her heart out to someone.
The two of them have been friends for many years. And from the first time Dong Ci saw the other girl’s tears, to this day, there was only one person who could cause Yan Ning Shuang’s control to slip – An Cheng Feng.
“…”
After a lot of crying, Yan Ning Shuang’s mood improved. Although she couldn’t take care of Little Wolf by herself, she found someone else to take the dog away.
“Don’t worry, I know someone who will be able to help you look after that stupid dog.”
Although Dong Ci believed in Yan Ning Shuang’s abilities, Little Wolf was just too naughty. Dong Ci was afraid that the person who was tasked with looking after her pet would have a bad temper, so she curiously asked, “What is that person like? I am afraid that Little Wolf won’t be used to the new environment and might bite them, or something…”
“You don’t have to worry!” Yan Ning Shuang sniffed and said with disgust, “She has no temper. When comparing in stupidity, if she is second – only your dog can be the first! After living with Little Wolf for a while, maybe they will sense each other’s similar hearts and recognize each other as siblings.”
Dong Ci was a little curious. “Who is this person you are talking about?”
“You have seen Su Tang before.”
Su Tang?
Dong Ci felt that the name was familiar, so she tried to remember. Fortunately, her memory was good, and after a few seconds, she exclaimed, “That year, wasn’t the little girl who played snowball fight with us named Su Tang?”
“Yes, your other foolish half.”
“…”
Although she didn’t know the girl, they did meet once. Dong Ci had a good impression of her and was secretly relieved.
She came to Jing’s villa entirely because of the Little Wolf. Now that she found a place to settle him in, she didn’t have to stay there any longer and was ready to leave.
“If you go now, I won’t let the driver take you back.”
Dong Ci ignored Jing Rong’s threat as she walked straight out the door. She would rather walk home than wrong herself by staying in this place overnight.
At this time of the day, it was already dark outside. And, with the wind, it was slightly cold. Dong Ci was walking down the mountain road alone, surrounded only by swaying grass and dark trees. Some places, where lights couldn’t reach, looked especially terrifying.
The mountain road was very long, and Dong Ci was wearing heels on top of being injured earlier – her pace was very slow. Finally, to save time, she simply took off the uncomfortable shoes and walked on the road barefoot. At least, she would be home a bit sooner.
A dazzling car light pierced through the darkness from behind her, and when Dong Ci turned her head, a car stopped beside her. The doors suddenly opened as Jing Rong’s cold voice commanded, “Come inside.”
“…”
The mountain road was so long. If he really allowed her to walk back by herself, who knew what might happen to her considering her weak physique.
Jing Rong admitted to himself that he couldn’t bear it. He was helpless against this delicate little flower, even as he knew that he was being led by his nose.
He couldn’t help but care about her.
“Come in quickly, I don’t want to repeat myself for the third time.” Seeing her standing still, Jing Rong patiently urged her again.
There was still more than two-thirds of the road left to walk down the mountain. If she remained stubborn and walked all the way, she would faint eventually.
Thinking about having to get up early tomorrow for work, Dong Ci bit her lip and finally got into the car.
“Put on your shoes.”
The ground was cold and Dong Ci was already about to put them on, but when she heard Jing Rong’s commanding tone, her temper suddenly flared and she refused to move her hands which were clutching the shoes.
I really want to—
Pull you into my arms and take a good bite!
Jing Rong resisted the urge to punish the stubborn girl, grabbed the shoes from her hands, and grasped her ankle to help put them on. A small section of his exposed arm contracted.
The skin underneath his fingertips was smooth and tender. Jing Rong had already let go of her, but the feel of her intoxicating flesh seemed to remain on his palm, adding more fire to his already raging heart.
He hasn’t touched her for a long time – as long as he thinks of her delicate body, he feels parched. Jing Rong barely resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and ravage her lips with kisses. He closed his eyes and tightened his mouth.
He can’t touch her.
If he touches her this time, it will only become more difficult to approach her from then on.
He used to be wanton and indulgent, only taking what he liked, never caring about others’ feelings. But when Dong Ci took possession of his heart, she shackled him, binding him with the strongest chains – and he was willing.
The car finally stopped at the entrance to the community. Jing Rong opened his eyes, only to see Dong Ci swiftly throwing the car doors ajar and walking away without glancing back. He couldn’t help sighing.
“Xiao Ci.”
Jing Rong didn’t expect her to stop and listen to what he had to say, so he could only remind her while she was still nearby, “In the following days, please pay attention to safety.”
“…”
Pay attention to safety.
Jing Rong stared at her back as it gradually disappeared. His eyelids slightly lowered as he considered the darkness of the night outside the car window. The smile hanging on the corner of his mouth was a little cold.
Dong Ci’s mother lived in the innermost part of the Community, and it got more desolate the further one went.
Two of the streetlights downstairs were broken, and it was too dark to see the road ahead, so Dong Ci turned on the light on her mobile phone. But it made no difference whether there was light or not, she still saw a vague dark shadow near her house.
She thought that it was nothing – just her subconscious fears playing with her mind – but as she walked a little closer, she saw the shadow move.
“Dong Ci?”
A brief thought that it was a thief flashed through her mind and died as soon as she heard her name being called out. This was a woman’s voice and it sounded familiar.
Dong Ci let go of her vigilance. After taking a few steps closer, she realized that the one who called her was Zhao Qing Qing.
“I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
Zhao Qing Qing’s voice was a little hoarse. When she took off her face mask, Dong Ci discovered that she lost a lot of weight – it was obvious that her recent days weren’t very comfortable.
“What’s up?” Dong Ci asked. She hasn’t forgotten how she was treated by this woman in the past, and her unpleasant tone of speaking revealed it. “If it’s nothing, I will be going.”
“I have always been curious about your relationship with Jing Rong.”
Zhao Qing Qing’s sunken eyes were dark, and when she blocked Dong Ci’s way with her body, her straight gaze made one uneasy.
“And here I thought, how could Jing Rong come to me out of nowhere? If I hadn’t seen you entering his car today, I would’ve never resolved my doubts.” Zhao Qing Qing sneered. “Dong Ci, you hid it well,” she inexplicably added.
“If you came here today just to spout this bunch of nonsense, then I apologize – I am not going to waste my time listening.”
Dong Ci crossed her and made to go home, but Zhao Qing Qing suddenly grabbed her shoulder and pressed something to her abdomen.
“Don’t move!” The knife was pressed in further. “If you want to die right here, right now – just shout. I promise, the people in the Community will definitely get the chance to see your body,” the woman spat viciously.
“What are you doing?” Dong Ci asked softly. She clenched her fists and stiffened her body, not daring to move an inch.
“Dong Ci, Dong Ci… If I had a choice, I wouldn’t do this kind of thing either – after all, I want to live well. So if you want to blame someone – blame Jing Rong! He was the one who forced me!”
Dong Ci frowned, “What did he do?”
As far as she knew, the only thing Jing Rong did was ruin Zhao Qing Qing’s reputation.
But Zhao Qing Qing didn’t believe that Dong Ci wasn’t aware. She pressed her knife harder and, through the gritted teeth, threatened, “Dong Ci, you can drop your pretense with me! I want you to tell Jing Rong to lift the ban on me. Also, he better delete all of those videos and photos that are spread out on the Internet!”
She paused a bit, then added, “I want him to clarify those negative rumors about me, and I want to go back to work!”
“Impossible!” Dong Ci refused without thinking. She was so disgusted by Zhao Qing Qing, that she couldn’t understand – how could such a person exist in this world?
“It may have been his fault for spreading your private affairs, but you are guilty of all the other crimes! You relied on your reputation to suppress the newcomers and plagiarize their ideas. Even if those things didn’t come out now, they would spread in the future! People are always watching, and you have done so many things… You don’t deserve to be a designer, and it is good that you have been banned from the circle. If I had even half of Jing Rong’s abilities, I would’ve banned you myself!
“As for the clarification you just demanded? Dream on!”
“Believe it or not, I will kill you today!” Zhao Qing Qing was stimulated by the harsh words. The knife she was holding pierced through Dong Ci’s clothes but, fortunately, she hasn’t completely lost her mind, and after taking a few deep breaths, she said, “Dong Ci, we can cooperate. You should be aware of my position in the design circle. As long as you meet all of my demands, I can lift you to my height or even higher.”
Dong Ci almost snorted out loud. Was it necessary? She believed that she had the strength to achieve her own success – did she have to resort to such methods?
Although Dong Ci wished to spit out everything that was going through her mind, she had already angered Zhao Qing Qing once. If she continued stimulating her, she wouldn’t come out of this unhurt.
Her silence may have seemed like an agreement to Zhao Qing Qing because, in the next second, she was stuffed with a mobile phone and ordered to call Jing Rong.
“Tell everything I just said to him now. If you dare to play any tricks, I will drag you to hell with me!”
Zefelina's Translations 