The Crybaby Mistress GL - Chapter 28

While Chen Xin remained busy, Luo Jing was still frequently dragged to various entertainment venues by Li Cheng. Although the locations varied, the activities were always the same.

They involved singing, dancing, and drinking. Luo Jing never felt at ease with such pastimes. She often came up with polite excuses to refuse, but Li Cheng was relentless. She would pull Luo Jing along with her regardless. Luo Jing carried a firm “no” on the tip of her tongue the entire night but never managed to say it aloud. When she finally returned home, she would collapse onto the sofa, utterly drained. The smell of smoke and alcohol clung to her, and she would have to figure out a way to get rid of it.

That night, Luo Jing had once again been dragged into a nightclub. The deafening music overwhelmed her, so she retreated to a corner to hide, avoiding the crowd of people seeking casual flings.

After many similar experiences, Luo Jing had developed her own set of coping strategies. She mostly avoided everyone. If someone did approach her, she would escape to the bathroom. Each visit took a long time. It remained a mystery to her why nightclub restrooms for women were always crowded.

From a distance, she spotted Li Cheng dancing in the center of the floor. Her moves were decent, and she appeared to be having a good time with a boy she had just met. Luo Jing took a quiet sip of fruit juice, inwardly wincing at how expensive everything was.

The price of a single drink here was several times higher than outside. They also prohibited bringing in any food. Luo Jing could accept being called old-fashioned if it meant avoiding the overpriced, mediocre fried snacks served here. She was hungry, but had no interest in ordering anything.

At that moment, Li Cheng wandered over and casually ordered some cocktail Luo Jing could not even recognize. When she noticed Luo Jing looking at her, she smiled and said, “Luo Jing, you’ll cover this for me, right? I’ve already spent my entire paycheck from my part-time job this month!”

She did not even bother coming up with an excuse. Luo Jing was just beginning to frown when Li Cheng quickly added, “You’re well-off. One drink won’t bother you, right?”

The boy she had been talking to leaned over and asked, curious, “Really? She’s rich?”

Li Cheng made a playful face and said, “She’s just really good at making money.”

The two of them burst into laughter over something Luo Jing did not find amusing. Sitting to the side, she began to feel uneasy. Although Li Cheng had not said anything overtly insulting, Luo Jing still felt belittled.

Just then, her phone rang. It was not the new one that Miss Chen had given her, but her old mobile phone. When she saw it was her elder sister’s number, she picked up. The boy beside her noticed how outdated and cheap the phone looked and exchanged a look with Li Cheng.

Luo Jing ignored them. She covered the speaker with her hand to hear more clearly.

To her surprise, the caller was not Luo Han, but her boss from the restaurant. The man sounded extremely anxious. “Your sister fainted! She’s at XX Hospital!”

Luo Jing froze for a moment. Then she jumped off the high barstool and ran toward the nightclub exit.

Li Cheng quickly reached out to stop her. “Where are you going? We just got here!” She blocked Luo Jing’s way. If Luo Jing left, there would be no one to pay the bill.

However, Luo Jing brushed her hand aside. Her mind was in turmoil. The pounding music only made things worse. Images of her sister’s pale face from their last meeting flooded her mind. Her heart clenched. There was no doubt in her mind that Luo Han had collapsed from overwork, constantly running between her job and taking care of their mother.

“You go enjoy yourself, Li Cheng. I’m not coming with you anymore.”

She suddenly questioned the direction her life had taken. Was this what it had come to? She had allowed herself to be kept by Miss Chen in exchange for money, only to waste it in places like this? The thought felt absurd.

“I’m not paying for you again. You don’t have to repay what you borrowed, but please stop inviting me to places like this. I have something urgent and I need to go.”

Li Cheng looked stunned at first. Then she remembered how much she had already drunk. She did not have enough money to pay.

“Don’t go! At least settle the bill first. You said you’d treat me. How could you just leave me here?” Li Cheng pleaded, tugging at Luo Jing’s sleeve.

Luo Jing turned to her, frowning. “I never said I would treat you. You’ve had more than enough.” She pulled her sleeve back firmly. Her only concern was getting to the hospital as quickly as possible. Her voice had become much more decisive.

Li Cheng could only stomp her foot and yell in frustration from behind. “Luo Jing! If you leave now, I swear I’ll make you regret it! Luo Jing!”

Luo Jing did not even glance back. She dashed out of the nightclub, climbed into a taxi, and urged the driver to hurry to the hospital. Along the way, she anxiously dialed her second sister’s number. However, a stranger answered the phone and said that Luo Nan was in the shower and would return the call later.

Luo Jing had no choice but to go to the hospital alone. Her hands clenched around the phone, her mind filled with dread. If her eldest sister also collapsed, what would they do? Her eyes welled up with tears. Under the flashing glow of passing streetlights, her face shimmered with worry.

When she reached the hospital, Luo Jing jumped out of the car and rushed inside. After asking at the front desk for the room number, she ran down the hallway. In her mind, she kept imagining her sister looking weak and pale.

When she burst into the hospital room, she saw Luo Han sitting upright in bed, chatting with several coworkers still dressed in their chef uniforms.

“Sister!” Luo Jing cried. The moment she saw that Luo Han was alright, tears spilled down her face. She rushed to the bed and hugged her tightly. “Are you okay? Your boss called and said you fainted!”

Luo Han scratched her cheek and patted Luo Jing to calm her down. “It wasn’t that serious. I just felt dizzy for a moment. Look, I’m fine now.”

Her coworkers did not agree. “It was serious! You scared everyone when you collapsed. Little sister, you need to make sure your sister takes care of herself. She’s still thinking about going back to work like nothing happened!”

Luo Jing wrapped her arms around Luo Han to stop her from getting out of bed. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Seeing that a family member had arrived, the coworkers said their goodbyes. Luo Jing walked them to the door, thanking them sincerely. It was so late already. She felt bad for troubling them. When she returned to the room, she saw Luo Han on the phone, apologizing again.

“Something came up… I’m really sorry. I might need to take a day off… No, it’s not that serious. Where am I? Well…”

She looked uncomfortable, then admitted, “I’m at XX Hospital. You want to come over? That’s not necessary, really. Visiting hours are already over… Oh? You want the room number?”

She even gave them the room number. It was clear someone else was going to show up. Even though Luo Han kept saying there was no need to visit, the caller insisted and ended the call after getting all the information.

Luo Jing wanted to ask who had called, but at that moment her new phone rang. That meant it had to be Chen Xin.

She did not want to have a personal conversation in front of her sister, so she stepped outside to answer.

As soon as the line connected, Chen Xin asked, “Where are you?”

Her tone clearly conveyed displeasure.

Luo Jing glanced at the time and realized she had completely forgotten to call her at the agreed time.

“I’m sorry, Miss Chen. Something came up and I lost track of time.”

“Where are you?” Chen Xin asked again. She was standing alone in the empty apartment. She had arrived before sunset, expecting Luo Jing to return soon. Yet now it was already ten o’clock, and Luo Jing was still nowhere to be found. Chen Xin was understandably upset.

“Why are you not home?”