Chapter 69

Su Qingqiu bid farewell to Ning Xin, and by then, the city lights had already come on.

She rubbed her phone.

The phone was not on silent, ensuring she wouldn’t miss any calls or texts, but she had only received a few work calls, and nothing else.

Rong Jin had not sent her a single message.

She had clearly told Rong Jin to let her know when she was getting off work.

Su Qingqiu left the studio and got into her car.

An inexplicable restlessness wrapped around her.

Had she done something wrong again?

She fastened her seatbelt and lowered her eyes.

Rong Jin disliked being constrained and probably didn’t like or want to report her itinerary to her. Perhaps she didn’t even want to leave work with her or live together.

Rong Jin was just too soft-hearted.

She never refused.

But not refusing didn’t mean she accepted.

She might have already gone back to her own home.

Su Qingqiu gripped the steering wheel tightly and suddenly started the car, speeding toward the CBD Motian Twin Towers.

Rong Jin was still in a meeting.

She went from the large conference to smaller ones, summoning all the department directors of Rong Corporation to assign the next steps of work.

“The cooperation with Liu Corporation—you handle it, Old Wang. You can give them a little leeway on the profits.”

“Yes.”

“Lily, report to me on the situation with Zhongtou and how the cooperation with them is going.”

“President Rong, Zhongtou’s President Li has reached a preliminary cooperation intent with us, but they said they need to consider it further, so we need to keep in contact.”

“Very good. You follow up on this case.”

“Got it.”

Rong Jin had been in board meetings from ten in the morning until eight at night without a break.

She rubbed her brow, fatigue settling between her eyebrows. Her leg still hurt a bit, the throbbing stimulating her nerves.

Xiao Qiangwei timely brought her a cup of coffee.

Rong Jin took the coffee. “Thank you.”

“Alright, proceed with the work as we’ve decided. Everyone worked hard today—go home now.”

“You worked hard too, President Rong.”

“Goodbye, President Rong.”

The people in the conference room greeted her and left one after another, leaving only Xiao Qiangwei and Rong Jin behind.

As Xiao Qiangwei tidied the files, she said softly, “Didn’t Su Qingqiu say she was coming to pick you up after work? But I saw the light in her office go off.”

From the top floor here, they could vaguely see the office on the top floor over there, and Su Qingqiu’s office light had never turned on.

Rong Jin lifted her eyelids and glanced at her.

“Hm?”

Xiao Qiangwei: “I still can’t believe it. Is she really coming to pick you up? Is she lying?”

Rong Jin: “…”

What was there to lie about?

Rong Jin looked out through the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The office over there indeed had no light on.

She had probably gone out for something else.

Rong Jin pulled out her phone and edited a text.

[I’m getting ready to get off work…]

She hadn’t even finished typing the sentence when the conference room door was suddenly pushed open forcefully.

Rong Jin slowly finished typing and hit send.

The notification sound for the text rang immediately at the door.

Rong Jin looked up.

Su Qingqiu looked like she was in a hurry, with beads of sweat on her forehead, as if she had rushed over.

She heard the notification sound, lowered her eyes to glance at her phone, and scanned the text.

Rong Jin waved her phone at her. “I just sent you that text, and you arrived.”

Su Qingqiu pursed her lips tightly.

…I thought you left without a word again.

Rong Jin wheeled her chair toward Su Qingqiu, looked up at her, and smiled. “I called all the department directors for a meeting this afternoon, and it ran late. Did you run over? Why so urgent? I’m not in a hurry to leave.”

Su Qingqiu reached out to hold her wheelchair and pushed her out. “…Let’s go.”

Su Qingqiu took Rong Jin home.

Su Xijing heard a car pull up outside, slipped on her little slippers with pattering sounds, and rushed to the door.

Rong Jin got out of the car and into her wheelchair when a small figure pounced into her arms like a little cannonball.

“Auntie, you’re back!”

Su Xijing blinked her big eyes cutely.

“Xixi waited for Auntie all day. Auntie promised to make Xixi a Cat Night Light!”

Rong Jin stroked her hair. “If Auntie promised Xixi, she’ll definitely make it for her.”

Su Xijing: “Yay!”

Su Qingqiu saw how close Su Xijing was to Rong Jin and suddenly felt a bit unsettled. “Xixi, don’t press on Auntie’s leg. Auntie’s leg is still injured.”

Su Xijing obediently climbed off Rong Jin’s lap. “Xixi knows.”

Su Qingqiu pushed Rong Jin through the villa gate. Aunt Zhao wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen.

Aunt Zhao said, “You’re back so late. Xixi and I already ate. I’ve reheated the food for you—I’ll bring it out.”

Dishes of exquisite food were rearranged on the dining table. Rong Jin and Su Qingqiu sat on opposite sides, heads down eating.

Su Xijing was having fruit after dinner, digging into half a watermelon, her little belly round and full.

Milk lay at her feet, eating cat food from its bowl.

Su Xijing carefully picked out the watermelon seeds and placed a small piece in Milk’s bowl.

Milk bit into the watermelon. After finishing, it wanted more and pawed at Su Xijing’s leg.

Su Xijing said seriously, “No, you can’t eat too much watermelon, or you’ll get a tummy ache.”

Milk rolled around at her feet. “Meow QAQ.”

Aunt Zhao looked at the two adults, one child, and one cat, smiling contentedly.

Before Su Xijing came, it was just Su Qingqiu and her; they didn’t have much to say and ate in silence.

After Su Xijing arrived, she had brought a lot of liveliness to the home, but as she grew, she learned to be understanding toward Su Qingqiu, becoming obedient and sensible, no longer noisy.

It had been a long time since the home felt this warm and harmonious.

Su Qingqiu ate while silently observing.

In high school, they rarely ate together. After graduation, they saw each other even less.

She didn’t even know what Rong Jin liked to eat.

Rong Jin was starving and devoured the dishes on the table like a tornado.

Back when she was in Su Xijing’s body, she had three meals of porridge and sweet egg custard a day. When she finally returned to her own body in the hospital, the doctor instructed her to avoid rich foods.

Even last night upon returning to the country, she only had a bowl of porridge.

Now, she was finally eating a proper meal.

She was so moved she almost cried.

Su Qingqiu bit her chopsticks, her mind not on the food at all.

Before coming home that evening, she had specifically asked Aunt Zhao to prepare extra dishes of various flavors, just to see if Rong Jin had any food preferences.

She secretly observed for a moment with her peripheral vision, noting the nearly cleared plates and the untouched sweet-and-sour pork ribs. She drew a conclusion.

Rong Jin ate everything except sweets.

She seemed easy to please.

But she liked sweet flavors, and Su Xijing took after her—they both loved sweet foods.

Su Qingqiu frowned a bit troubled.

Their tastes weren’t quite the same.

It looked like they’d need to make more varieties every day from now on.

…

After dinner, Rong Jin was pushed to the playroom by Su Xijing.

Su Xijing was only five and short; pushing the wheelchair took all her strength, but she could barely move it.

Rong Jin: “…”

Her wheelchair was actually electric, but she wasn’t used to the electric mode—it felt weird—so she always used manual.

But Su Xijing’s appearance was too adorable; she couldn’t resist teasing her.

Su Xijing said aggrievedly, “Xixi can’t push it.”

Rong Jin pretended to be regretful. “Then Auntie can’t play with Xixi.”

Su Xijing fell silent, her little mouth pouting, on the verge of tears. “Auntie clearly promised Xixi…”

Rong Jin felt like she’d tease the child to tears if she continued, so she was about to coax her.

Su Qingqiu grabbed Su Xijing with one hand and pushed the wheelchair with the other, shoving her into the playroom.

Su Qingqiu coaxed, “Alright, Xixi is a good girl and can’t cry easily.”

She glanced at Rong Jin, then turned to hug Su Xijing and continued coaxing. “Be good, Xixi, and Auntie Rong Jin will definitely play with you, right?”

Rong Jin felt the cold edge of her glare and immediately backed down.

“Xixi, Auntie will teach you how to make the Cat Night Light, okay?”

Only then did Su Xijing hold back her half-shed tears, beaming again. She pulled out a pile of scattered Lego bricks and metal balls, piling them in front of Rong Jin.

Rong Jin sat on the playroom carpet, her injured leg stretched straight, the other bent. She gathered the toys, lowered her eyes, and seriously began assembling the night light.

Su Qingqiu hesitated for a moment, didn’t leave, and sat down beside Rong Jin, holding Su Xijing and guiding her hand in hand to build toys.

Su Xijing looked at Su Qingqiu, blinking. “Is Mommy playing with Xixi too?”

Su Qingqiu lowered her eyes and said softly, “Mm, Mommy’s playing with Xixi.”

She rarely spent time playing toys with Su Xijing, who was both surprised and delighted, hugging Su Qingqiu tightly. “Xixi likes playing with Mommy!”

Rong Jin glanced at her.

Su Qingqiu’s head was half-lowered. She wore a soft knitted sweater and loose pants. A strand of hair trailed from her temple, tucked behind her ear, revealing a flushed earlobe and a section of soft, white neck.

Her features were faint, her long curled lashes casting a light shadow. Under the warm yellow light, she looked unbelievably gentle.

Rong Jin stared at her profile and suddenly zoned out.

She used to love looking at her like this too.

Her hands fumbled while assembling the toy, and the sharp edge of a metal piece scratched a shallow cut. Blood immediately welled up.

Su Qingqiu had been watching her from the corner of her eye and panicked at the sight of blood. “How so careless.”

She got up to fetch the first-aid kit.

Rong Jin snapped back, looking at the blood on her hand.

Su Xijing lifted her little face. “Auntie, you were staring at Mommy just now. Xixi saw it.”

Rong Jin smiled and booped her little nose.

Su Qingqiu quickly returned with the first-aid kit, hurriedly pulling out iodine and a bandage.

Su Qingqiu soaked a cotton swab with iodine and reached out. “Give me your hand.”

Rong Jin obediently extended her hand.

Su Qingqiu held her hand carefully, wiping the bit of blood and applying iodine to the small cut.

Rong Jin looked down at their clasped hands.

It was just a tiny cut; even without treatment, it would heal naturally in ten minutes.

The light intertwined their shadows.

No one spoke.

Su Qingqiu applied the bandage to the cut and held her hand, only then realizing it felt a bit inappropriate.

The warmth from Rong Jin’s palm transferred over—warm, even a bit hot.

Just like back then.

They hadn’t been this close in a long time.

Rong Jin withdrew her hand.

Su Qingqiu lowered her head awkwardly, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths in her mind.

Pretending to be calm, she stood up, put away the first-aid kit, and said, “These metal toys with edges should be put away. Xixi is still young; it’s not good if she gets hurt.”

Rong Jin nodded. “Mm.”

She stroked Su Xijing’s hair again. “Xixi, play with Auntie. Mommy’s going to run your bathwater.”

Su Xijing pouted at her leaving so soon. “Mommy said she’d play with Xixi—can’t break promises.”

Su Qingqiu coaxed her, bending down. “Playing with Auntie is the same. You still need a bath later, Xixi.”

Su Xijing: “Okay.”

Rong Jin watched Su Qingqiu leave hurriedly and looked down at the bandage on her finger.

For no reason, she thought her fingers had felt very cool just now.

Even cooler than before.

Was it because her health wasn’t good?