Who Wants to Love Bad Girls - Chapter 43

Chi Jianyue had been playing around for a long time. She was naturally free-spirited and rarely stayed in one place for too long. The most settled period of her life was probably the time she spent at Ting Wan’s house.

Waiting was a bittersweet experience. It brought happiness to others but anguish to oneself. Chi Jianyue had never waited for anyone before, but now, in a short amount of time, she had learned how to wait from Ting Wan.

Encountering Ting Wan had made her feel like she wasn’t herself anymore, and realizing this, Chi Jianyue felt scared.

She didn’t want to become someone who relied on another person for everything.

In this technologically advanced era, where electronic devices were constantly being upgraded with more and more features, Ting Wan used the latest smartphone on the market but had the usage habits of an elderly person.

She rarely used entertainment apps. Aside from managing the ‘kilig’ account and occasionally posting advertisements for events, she wouldn’t even open her social media feed. The most frequently used function on her phone was making phone calls.

On the other hand, Chi Jianyue frequently sent messages, but ever since they went on their trip, the frequency of her messages had decreased. At first, Ting Wan didn’t pay much attention to it. She wasn’t much of a chat person herself. But perhaps out of habit, she would occasionally open WeChat to see if there were any new messages.

Lán Líng found it strange. She had been shocked by Ting Wan’s unconventional phone usage a long time ago, but this was the first time she had seen her like this.

“Ting Wan Mama, be honest, is something going on with you?” Lán Líng asked curiously.

The red dot notification on the chat box indicated a news update, but there was still no activity from Chi Jianyue’s side. Ting Wan, puzzled, replied with a question of her own, “What do you mean something going on?”

“You’ve been staring at your phone for almost eight hundred times now. If you’re not waiting for a message, then what are you doing?” Seeing Ting Wan’s momentary confusion, Lán Líng leaned in with a teasing expression. “Who is it? That has Ting Wan Mama so worried.”

Ting Wan turned off the screen, unfazed. “There’s a client who wants to make a reservation. I’m coordinating the timing with them.”

Lán Líng clicked her tongue, her gossip-filled curiosity dissipating. It seemed that Ting Wan was still the familiar workaholic.

She boredly walked to the lounge to chat, while Ting Wan reopened her phone. The chat screen was still on Chi Jianyue’s message from yesterday, where she complained about being tired and Ting Wan reminded her to rest well and sleep early.

Certain phrases and expressions had a completely different feel when presented through voice or text. Although these words truly reflected Ting Wan’s caring nature, they could be considered the typical “drink more hot water” advice from a straight girl, making Lán Líng almost want to vomit blood.

Ting Wan pondered for a moment, deleting and editing the text in the input box until it became blank.

Forget it. She was about to go back to the main screen when she had a thought upon seeing Chi Jianyue’s profile picture.

This was the first time Ting Wan had clicked on her Moments since they added each other on WeChat. Comparing her own empty Moments, Chi Jianyue’s was full of interesting and exciting posts.

Most of them were photos taken during their trips, and the latest one showed a girl in a swimsuit, smiling brightly on the beach. The sunlight perfectly reflected her flawless figure, and the sea breeze played with a few strands of her hair, giving her a gentle touch.

The post had been published not long ago. Ting Wan lowered her gaze and clicked the heart button.

Chi Jianyue only returned on the last day of their vacation. As she stepped into the house, she coincidentally ran into Ting Wan, who was about to leave for work. The moment Ting Wan saw her, she visibly froze.

“What’s wrong?” Chi Jianyue still had her arms open, waiting for Ting Wan to embrace her. Seeing her reaction, she had to step closer and embrace Ting Wan’s delicate body. “Just a few days apart, and Ting Wan doesn’t recognize me anymore?”

The sound of her muffled voice echoed in Ting Wan’s ears, accompanied by the sweet scent of her neck. Ting Wan snapped back to reality, slowly raising her arm and extending her fingers a few times before lightly resting them on Chi Jianyue’s back.

“Welcome back, Jianyue.”

…

After the National Day holiday, the temperature suddenly dropped, and autumn arrived overnight. It had been raining continuously in N City for several days, and the ground was never dry.

The cold wind in the rainy weather brought a bone-chilling coldness when it blew against the skin. At first, Chi Jianyue insisted on wearing a short skirt, but after a day of feeling chilled to the bone, Ting Wan, unusually assertive and angry, made her change into warmer clothes.

Wearing a hoodie and jeans, she looked especially obedient. When they met, Zhuang Xiao jokingly teased her about not being allowed to drink alcohol when underage. Chi Jianyue let out a soft snort in response, but didn’t retort. This outfit was bought by Ting Wan. After rummaging through her wardrobe and not finding any suitable warm clothes, Ting Wan dragged her to the mall and bought several sets.

“Why have you been inviting me out so frequently lately? And where’s Ting Wan?” Ever since Chi Jianyue started hanging out with Ting Wan, she rarely went out with Zhuang Xiao and the others. But now that they had returned from their trip, she seemed to have returned to her previous state, as if nothing had happened. Zhuang Xiao thought that maybe she had finally come to her senses.

Whenever Ting Wan was mentioned, Chi Jianyue would put on that familiar and conflicted expression. “I just feel like it’s not good to cling to her all the time. She has her life, and I have mine. Always revolving around her only brings her trouble.”

Although her words still carried a hint of a love-struck mind, it was better than before. Zhuang Xiao was relieved. “It’s good that you’re thinking this way.”

They were also joined by their high school classmate, Lu Ye, who had just returned from studying abroad a few days ago. It was a welcoming dinner of sorts. After eating, they decided to go somewhere else with a few more friends to have some fun. Chi Jianyue hesitated a bit, but since they all had a good relationship and hadn’t seen each other in a long time, there was plenty to talk about. With a tug from Lu Ye and Zhuang Xiao, she couldn’t refuse and followed along. However, deep down, she felt like she had forgotten something important.

The karaoke room was noisy, and the group of three had turned into dozens of people, making it like a small class reunion. Zhuang Xiao, who had had too much to drink, insisted on dragging people into a duet. Chi Jianyue tried to stop her, worried that she would embarrass herself, but she didn’t notice the blinking message on her phone screen.

By the time they finished playing, the streets were already empty and cold. Chi Jianyue supported Zhuang Xiao and helped her into the car, while Lu Ye did the same for someone else. He asked Chi Jianyue, “Can you get home by yourself, A-Chi?”

“It’s okay, you take her home.” Chi Jianyue knew that she couldn’t handle alcohol well and hadn’t drunk much, so she was still sober.

“Let me know when you get home.” She tapped on the car window. Zhuang Xiao casually waved her hand, “Got it, Ojou-sama. I’m not drunk.”

After everything was settled, Chi Jianyue took out her phone from her bag and saw the messages and missed calls from Ting Wan. Finally, she remembered what she had forgotten.

She quickly hailed a taxi and said, “Driver, please hurry.”

There weren’t many cars on the road in the early morning, so they arrived at Bahe quickly. The old residential building stood under the dim yellow light of the street lamp, only illuminating a small area nearby.

And in that small area, stood a figure that couldn’t be more familiar to her. Chi Jianyue hurried over and nervously called out, “Ting Wan…”

The late-night cold wind was chilling, and she looked at the woman standing downstairs wearing a thick coat, while she herself was still in a trench coat with a long skirt, exposing a glimpse of her legs. She didn’t know how long Ting Wan had been standing there. “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you…”

Ting Wan’s long, black hair accentuated her fair skin, and her eyes and nose were slightly reddened, perhaps from the wind. Her voice sounded hoarse. “Jianyue, don’t make it hard for me to find you.”