Contractual Cohabitation GL - Chapter 34

Jing Bokun and Yao Shushu were preparing to return to New Zealand to resume their life as a couple after less than a week at the Jing residence.

Their flight was on Friday morning, and on Thursday evening, Yao Shushu and Ye Luochen talked for a long time in the study again. Having lived under the same roof for these few days, Jing Xiaonan’s parents naturally observed Ye Luochen very closely. Such a outwardly serene and inwardly gentle girl easily reminded Jing’s mother of her younger self. The only difference was that her younger self might not have had the courage to love another woman. Even if she had loved, she might not have been able to accompany her Nan Nan with such delicacy, such deep hidden devotion, and such a complete heart, year after year, with the silent nourishment of a gentle rain, as Ye Luochen did.

Perhaps only a woman could possess such subtlety, such deep reserve, and such complete devotion to silently and gently accompany her Nan Nan over the years. If it were a man, it would be impossible to achieve this kind of silent tenderness.

Yao Shushu quietly thought that she had hoped Nan Nan could live the life most girls would choose, and that Nan Nan could experience the various joys of being a wife. Even now, Yao Shushu still believed that by not choosing this ordinary path, Jing Xiaonan would lose a lot compared to other girls. But at the same time, because her daughter chose Ye Luochen, how much did she gain in the face of loss?

A loss to the old man at the frontier might turn out to be a blessing in disguise?

Turning around, the gates of the Jing residence were wide open. Jing’s father and daughter emerged from the door, each carrying a suitcase, with Ye Luochen accompanying Jing Xiaonan, occasionally lending a hand.

After loading the luggage for New Zealand into the Land Rover, Jing Bokun turned around, paused, and said to Ye Luochen:

“Miss Ye, perhaps, I should call you Luochen.” Jing Bokun’s dignified and inherently authoritative demeanor was as usual. Only Yao Shushu, who loved and understood him, could tell his awkwardness at this moment: “I know my own child very well. Jing Xiaonan might appear astute, clever, and strategic, but when it comes to feelings, she is just a silly, focused, and clumsy fool.”

“Dad!” Jing Xiaonan protested. Was he seriously undermining her like this? She glanced at Ye Luochen beside her with a mix of apology and slight embarrassment, only to see the girl listening intently to her father’s nonsense.

Without even looking, Jing Bokun raised a large hand and covered Jing Xiaonan’s face, pushing her back after completely obscuring her clean features. Regardless of her reaction, he continued: “I don’t need to tell you how she feels about you; if you don’t understand now, you will in the future. I won’t say anything superfluous. As a father, I only want to give you one piece of advice.”

Ye Luochen nodded, gently steadying Jing Xiaonan, who was pushed back a few steps. Her eyes, waiting for Jing Bokun to continue, were calm and full of sincerity.

“Protect yourself. If you have any problems, don’t always think of solving them alone. Be sure to tell the other person. Take good care of yourself, and also give her the opportunity to take good care of you. That is the greatest love you can give her.”

After speaking, Jing Bokun opened the car door, stepped in, and started the Land Rover without looking back.

Jing Xiaonan was a little reluctant to let go, hugging her mother, who had walked over, for a long time before finally letting go. Her eyes were a little red, and she whispered:

“Do you really not want me to drive you?”

Yao Shushu affectionately stroked her daughter’s small face: “It’s alright. Your parents have already delayed your work for several days. You should still go to the company later. Remember to find someone to drive the car back this afternoon.”

“I will visit you often.”

“We will also come back often.” Yao Shushu, holding her small bag, ruffled the hair on Jing Xiaonan’s forehead, smiled slightly at Ye Luochen, turned, and got into the car.

Jing Xiaonan stood in her driveway, watching the Land Rover until it disappeared from sight.

“Alright, let’s go home,” Ye Luochen said softly, extending her jade arm to hook Jing Xiaonan’s finger with her little finger. The tenderness in her tone significantly alleviated the emptiness Jing Xiaonan felt.

Embracing Ye Luochen’s slender waist, the two returned inside. The moment the door closed, Jing Xiaonan glanced again in the direction her parents had gone and turned to Ye Luochen:

“What did my mother talk to you about these past few days?”

“Nothing much. Just about books, interesting domestic news, Australian culture and history…” Ye Luochen was crouching down, petting William, who had come to compete for attention. Her long, slender, porcelain-white legs were bent together, her beautiful hair naturally falling down on both sides, a sight of elegant beauty. “Oh, she also talked to me about your ex-girlfriend.”

“Uh!!!” Jing Xiaonan was greatly startled. Ye Luochen’s tone was as normal as ever, but the content sounded like a bolt from the blue to her ears. She was a little panicked and quickly asked:

“W-w-what did she tell you?”

Only then did Ye Luochen look up at the nervous person. The slight curve of her lips suggested a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, and her eyes looked at her mysteriously, making it completely impossible to guess her inner thoughts.

Time passed moment by moment. Just as Jing Xiaonan thought she had no intention of answering, the pair of cherry lips finally parted slightly:

“Then what do you want to tell me?”

The topic of ex-partners is a very tangled one for every couple. Jing Xiaonan had thought about coming clean, but she kept postponing it, wanting to wait until their relationship was defined before delicately bringing it up. Now that Ye Luochen was asking her directly, she rubbed her palms and confessed honestly.

“She was a junior I knew in college…”

“She?” Right as she started, Ye Luochen softly interrupted, as if speaking to herself.

“Uh, her name was Yin Xueyan.”

“Mhm, you remember it so clearly.”

Uh! Jing Xiaonan sweated. “I-I-I’ll just say ‘she.’ She was at the same university as me…”

“Heh, it’s true that people prefer to use ‘she’ to represent the unique and irreplaceable person in their heart.”

Jing Xiaonan was completely disheartened. This woman was different when angry. She spoke softly and gently, with no hint of sharpness or malice, making it almost impossible to detect any jealousy. Just as she was about to bow her head, admit her mistake, and beg the ‘Goddess Luo’ to show mercy, Ye Luochen looked at her directly and said softly: “Continue.”

“……… She and I, uh, were at the same university…”

So Jing Xiaonan concisely and briefly told Ye Luochen the story of her first love, shrinking it wherever possible. Her listener did not interrupt again, watching the narrative of the ex-lover with such calmness and elegance, her eyes showing no ripple of emotion, making her current mood indiscernible.

“So, how did you two break up?”

Jing Xiaonan let out a silent sigh, not because the memory brought pain, but purely out of a sense of melancholy:

“She had to go back to get married after finishing her studies. So, this relationship ended without a conclusion.”

“Why didn’t you try harder to keep her?”

Shaking her head, Jing Xiaonan smiled bitterly: “Before she left, she told me that love had nothing to do with marriage. I was just her love, not her final destination.”

After her words fell, the Jing residence living room was quiet for a long time.

“Alright,” Ye Luochen stood up gracefully, smiling faintly, her tone light: “That was a good story, Vice President Jing, very lively and very engaging! Luochen has heard it all and is going upstairs to rest. Excuse me~”

“Hey!” Jing Xiaonan stood up in a bit of a rush. Didn’t she just show a little jealousy earlier? Why is she still acting like this?

“Luochen, it’s almost lunchtime. What are we eating?”

Ye Luochen looked back at the person after taking a few steps. That action and expression were so alluring and captivating, yet in Jing Xiaonan’s eyes right now, there was only a sense of anxiety.

“I’m not hungry. You eat by yourself. Aren’t there many flavored instant cans in the bottom drawer of the kitchen?”

Jing Xiaonan watched the beautiful figure drift away, on the verge of tears. Luochen, those are all William’s cat food cans…

The completely wronged Vice President Jing drove the Porsche back to the company. The sadness of sending off her parents was significantly lessened by this incident. Gao Jiong and Qin Yan had taken on most of her work for the past week, and they had arranged over ten interviews on Wednesday and Thursday. She hadn’t attended a single one. Returning to the law firm on Friday afternoon, she had to attend the last two interviews.

“Vice President Jing is back?”

“Hi!” Jing Xiaonan squeezed out a smile that was even emptier than her small stomach, with a slight suspicion of acting cute to gain sympathy. She couldn’t find Gao Jiong in the meeting room, so she stepped out and caught the General Manager’s Head Secretary, who happened to be passing by, and politely asked:

“Where is General Manager Gao?”

“General Manager Gao was very tired from interviewing all day and just went downstairs to get some fresh air.”

Oh! She nodded. So he went out for a break. Jing Xiaonan smiled at the Head Secretary and returned to her office.

“Xiao Yan?”

The cold-faced beauty with her hair tied up was sitting outside the Vice President’s office, reviewing files one by one. The deep fatigue could not be concealed by her focused expression. Hearing the sound, she quickly looked up. A very bright light flashed in her usually icy eyes, staring intently at Jing Xiaonan.

Gradually, this light slowly dimmed, and Qin Yan, with an expressionless face, spoke:

“Is there anything you need?”

“Uh…” Jing Xiaonan suddenly felt a bit awkward. In the past, no matter how expressionless or cold Qin Yan was, she always felt that their hearts were close, and playing and joking around as friends was very natural. But now, she seemed to have changed without her realizing it.

Coughing to cover her discomfort, Jing Xiaonan said: “Nothing. Just tell me if you see A Jiong come back, please.”

Qin Yan nodded to acknowledge the request and returned her gaze to the documents. The neglected Vice President Jing scratched the tip of her nose, pushed the door, and entered her office.

Leaving for a week had indeed led to a huge pile of accumulated work. Judging from the extent of the processing, Qin Yan must have worked tirelessly to help her resolve many complex parts. Jing Xiaonan frowned and immersed herself in reading the important contracts, quickly forgetting the hunger in her stomach.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the wooden door. Qin Yan came in with a toasted sandwich and a cup of coffee, placing them in front of Jing Xiaonan.

Vice President Jing subconsciously glanced at the computer. She was hungry, no doubt, but it was 2:30 in the afternoon. How did Qin Yan know to prepare food for her?

“How did you—”

“You only smile so sparingly when you’re hungry,” Qin Yan answered the question that the person hadn’t yet asked, with a poker face.

Fine. It sounds like she shares a surname with a foodie like William Jing. Thinking for a moment, Jing Xiaonan was about to ask another question—

“Then…”

“A Jiong hasn’t returned yet.”

Qin Yan’s cold voice saved the Vice President the effort of speaking again. Without pausing after her words, she walked straight out of the Vice President’s office.

Jing Xiaonan was momentarily stunned. Her thoughts quickly turned to A Jiong. What was this mischievous kid up to?