The Crybaby Mistress GL - Chapter 20

A few days later, Chen Xin received a call from Luo Jie. She had originally planned to pick him up from the airport in a week, but over the phone, Luo Jie said he intended to stay an extra month.

“You want to stay longer?” Chen Xin asked in surprise. From what she knew, Luo Jie absolutely hated staying in the United States to manage the branch office. He always found ways to argue with his father just to come back early. It was rare for him to ever complete his full term abroad. For him to ask for an extension now was truly unexpected.

Luo Jie gave a dry laugh. “Well, there’s something else I need to take care of.”

“Are you planning to tell me what that is?” Chen Xin sounded genuinely interested. What could possibly make Luo Jie want to stay longer? She remembered a time when he had injured his leg in the U.S. and still insisted on flying back with a cast on.

“I will tell you when I return,” he said vaguely.

In truth, Chen Xin was more than happy to have him stay abroad for as long as possible. If he returned, her mother would surely start nagging her again about having children. With Luo Jie overseas, she could enjoy peace and quiet for another month. She sighed and said, “Honestly, it’s better if you stay a bit longer. Once you are back, my mother will start pestering me again.”

“About the baby stuff?” Luo Jie sounded equally frustrated.

“Maybe we should just get a divorce,” Chen Xin said, half in jest, expressing a passing complaint.

To her surprise, Luo Jie sounded somewhat tempted. “That’s not entirely out of the question.”

His tone raised some red flags. Chen Xin paused her work, sensing something off. “You didn’t get charmed by someone over there, did you?”

“Charmed? I’m the one trying to win her over!” Luo Jie shouted, inadvertently revealing everything.

Chen Xin let out a long, drawn-out sound. Her voice turned disappointed as she said, “You’re a married man. How dare you have an affair.”

Luo Jie quickly laughed and fired back. “You were the first one to cheat, remember? You’re the one keeping a cute little lover. I even know she’s living in your City B apartment and that you drop by for dinner every night.”

The two of them exchanged jabs and sarcastic comments, both guilty of the same kind of behavior. After a moment, Chen Xin asked, “Are you serious this time?”

Luo Jie sighed. “I think so. It feels different. Probably the same way you feel about that little sweetheart of yours.”

He added with a hint of gloating, “At least the person I like comes from a good family. We are a good match. My father would definitely approve if we decided to get married.”

That statement hit Chen Xin where it hurt. She sneered, “Scumbag. I want a divorce.” Then she hung up the phone, cutting off his annoying laughter. If he had any guts, he should just stay in the United States forever.

Just after she ended the call, Assistant Li knocked on the door. Chen Xin straightened up and allowed her in. The door remained slightly open as Assistant Li entered with a new stack of documents and also began clearing away the files Chen Xin had already reviewed.

Chen Xin handed over the file she had just finished. “Distribute these to all departments. I’m leaving work early.”

Assistant Li quickly reminded her, “Miss Chen, today is the day you are scheduled to pick up your medication. Would you like me to have someone go collect it for you?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Chen Xin smiled as she walked toward the door. “I’m heading there myself.”

“Ah, understood.” Assistant Li nodded and quickly picked up the phone to inform the driver downstairs to prepare the car.

However, Chen Xin popped her head back in. “Tell the driver to take the evening off. I’ll drive myself.”

She had her reasons for being so eager. Her car first pulled up in front of Luo Jing’s school. Just as expected, her sweetheart, who she had spoken to earlier that day, slowly emerged from the school building. Chen Xin narrowed her eyes with amusement and gave the horn two light taps. Luo Jing looked up in surprise when she recognized the car.

Chen Xin had expected Luo Jing to run straight over. Instead, she saw that a girl who looked less than proper was walking beside her, pulling her along while saying something. Only after Luo Jing finally freed herself did she hurry to the car, her face showing clear embarrassment and discomfort.

Chen Xin leaned on the steering wheel with a half-smile. Her little sweetheart was so honest that under pressure, she always grew nervous. After a moment, Luo Jing explained on her own. “That was… my classmate.”

“I see.” Chen Xin thought about warning her not to associate with that girl, who looked like trouble. If that girl corrupted Luo Jing, it would be a serious loss. But she held back.

They were university classmates, and maybe it was not her place to interfere too much. If she spoke up once or twice, Luo Jing might listen. However, if she said too much, it could become annoying. After a pause, Chen Xin simply said, “Just be careful when making friends. Take care of yourself.”

Luo Jing nodded. Being cared for like this actually felt quite nice.

Chen Xin started the car and headed toward the hospital. She said with a note of surprise, “I didn’t expect that the hospital your mother visits is the same one I go to. That place is quite far from City B. Why choose that hospital?”

“The medical care there is better. It is not too far either. It takes about two hours by bus. I usually visit two or three times a week. It doesn’t interfere with my classes.” Luo Jing explained that although her older sisters, who lived closer, usually took care of her mother, she still visited as often as she could. Her family told her to focus on her studies, but she could not bring herself to stay away.

“That hospital really does have good care.” Chen Xin also knew the costs were higher. She suspected this was one of the reasons Luo Jing had agreed to become someone’s kept lover. For families without much savings, a serious illness could be financially devastating.

“In the future, if you need to go, let the driver take you. If I have time, I will drive you myself. That will save you a lot of time.” Just thinking about those two-hour crowded bus rides made Chen Xin’s backside ache.

Luo Jing gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Miss Chen.”

That single phrase made Chen Xin’s entire body tingle. When they stopped at a red light, she pulled Luo Jing into her arms and planted kisses all over her, thoroughly enjoying herself. For once, she stopped complaining about the long ninety-second red light. It still didn’t feel long enough.

When they arrived at the hospital, Chen Xin walked Luo Jing to the elevator. She wanted to see which floor she pressed. As she suspected, it was one of the regular inpatient wards, possibly the shared six-bed rooms. Private rooms at this hospital were far too expensive for an average family. Chen Xin began thinking of ways she could offer help while heading to the pharmacy to collect her prescription.

She was prescribed long-term sleeping pills. Her chronic insomnia left her with no choice but to take medication. The doctor had said it was due to stress, but that kind of stress wasn’t easy to remove from her life. On the nights when she truly couldn’t sleep, she relied on the pills.

Lately, she had noticed that she woke up less often when she slept next to Luo Jing. Apparently, Luo Jing really did help her relax. She stopped thinking about it. Tonight, she would definitely need another round of relaxation. She was so damn happy.

While Chen Xin lingered on the hospital’s ground floor in her bliss, Luo Jing had already arrived at the ward. She quietly opened the door and happened to cross paths with another patient’s family member on the way out. As Chen Xin had guessed, the ward was a standard six-person room. Luckily, her mother’s bed was near the window, which made the space feel less cramped.

Luo Jing carefully walked past the other beds to her mother’s side. Her mother, usually full of energy, now looked frail as she slept. She seemed older and more tired, and Luo Jing felt her eyes begin to sting. Her nose turned sore as well. She would have cried if not for the superstition that crying at the bedside brought bad luck. She forced herself to hold back the tears.

Two women were already sitting and standing near the bed. Their facial features bore some resemblance to Luo Jing’s with both women wearing furrowed brows as they looked toward her. When they noticed her, one of them made a quiet shushing gesture, signaling Luo Jing not to wake their sleeping mother.