Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 28

After getting into graduate school, Xie Jing found herself trapped in a monotonous cycle of mind-numbing work, a boss who seemed to thrive on exploitation, and suffocating lab meetings. She felt like she was slowly becoming a lifeless shell.

By the time she snapped out of her daze, she realized that Qin Ning hadn’t contacted her in a long while.

After lunch, Xie Jing took out her phone and dialed Qin Ning’s number, only to be met with a busy signal.

In that moment, Xie Jing had the sudden urge to run to her, to ask what she had been so busy with lately.

But she didn’t even know where Qin Ning worked.

She held her phone tightly, waiting for a response, calling again and again, only to have the line automatically hang up each time — like stones thrown into the ocean, swallowed with no echo.

Just as she sat in a daze, her phone screen lit up.

She looked down in surprise, only to find it was a group notification tagging all members of her class chat.

The light in Xie Jing’s eyes dimmed. She stared at the message for a few seconds, then quietly set her phone aside and went for a few laps around the track.

By the time she returned to the dorm, it was already late afternoon. She lit up her screen again — still no missed calls.

Worry crept in: had something happened to Qin Ning? Was that why she’d gone silent for so long? But before she could spiral further, her phone suddenly rang, the sound loud and jarring in the empty room.

It was a call back from Qin Ning.

“Sorry, Xie Jing,” Qin Ning said, sounding rushed. “I was in meetings all day and missed your calls. Is something wrong?”

There was a trace of panic in her voice — Xie Jing could hear it — and yet, despite that, she couldn’t help but blurt out:

“Can I not call you unless something’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant, Xie Jing.”

“What’s going on with you?” Qin Ning asked nervously. “Did your advisor give you a hard time? Are you feeling unwell again?”

“No,” Xie Jing said, taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Then what is it? Can you talk to me about it?” Qin Ning asked gently.

Hearing her soft voice finally soothed Xie Jing’s nerves. She pursed her lips and, feeling wronged, said, “I just missed you. I wanted to hear your voice. I wanted to see you.”
Hearing that, Qin Ning finally relaxed, but her heart quickly tightened again. “Baby, I miss you too. I’ll come see you after work.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Xie Jing quickly tidied up the dorm. She showered, changed into clean clothes, sprayed on some perfume, and even went out to buy Qin Ning’s favorite fruit and cake.

While waiting eagerly, she arranged the fruit platter.

But as the agreed-upon time came and went, Qin Ning still hadn’t shown up.

Xie Jing called her, only to find the line busy. When she hung up and tried again, the call wouldn’t go through at all.

She waited until late into the night, but Qin Ning never came.

She sliced the overly sweet cake, stuffing it into her mouth until she choked on tears. Only then did she spit it out.

The next day, Qin Ning called to explain that she hadn’t made it last night because her grandmother had suddenly fallen ill and was hospitalized.

All the complaints Xie Jing had been ready to unleash got stuck in her throat. She had no choice but to swallow them down.

“Oh,” she said.

“Xie Jing, did you wait long for me yesterday?” Qin Ning asked. “My phone died.”

“…No, you didn’t come, so I just fell asleep early.” But as she said this, her eyes were shadowed by two enormous dark circles. People passing by gave her strange looks.

“I’m sorry,” Qin Ning said. “Once Grandma’s condition stabilizes, I’ll apologize to you in person.”

Xie Jing pretended to be unaffected and nodded. “Okay.”

A few days later, Qin Ning managed to sneak away when her grandmother was transferred to a general ward and came to see Xie Jing. They ate claypot rice on the second floor of the campus canteen, just like old times, then strolled around the school track.

Xie Jing asked about her grandmother’s condition. When she learned that Qin Ning had missed their date because her grandmother had suffered a stroke relapse, she was overwhelmed with guilt.

Qin Ning had grown up relying solely on her grandmother. Of course she would prioritize her. Yet Xie Jing had selfishly sulked for days, giving her the cold shoulder. She felt incredibly childish.

“Qin Ning.”

“Mm?”

“I feel like I’ve become some bitter wife since we’ve been apart.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because I miss you all the time. I can’t stop myself from calling you. And when you don’t pick up, I start imagining all kinds of things.” Xie Jing hated this version of herself, too. During the day, work kept her distracted, but at night, insomnia took hold. She just couldn’t sleep.

“It’s my fault,” Qin Ning said. “I’ve been so focused on work that I’ve neglected your feelings. From now on, I’ll come see you once a week.”

“You don’t have to… every week. Aren’t you swamped lately? You’ve got a huge company to run, people eyeing your position, and your grandmother to care for. You have so much on your plate.”

Qin Ning gently tucked a windblown strand of hair behind Xie Jing’s ear and lowered her voice. “You’re part of that plate. Seeing you is one of the things I have to do.”

Xie Jing was silent for a long moment before sighing. “Okay.”

From then on, Qin Ning made time to see her every week. Sometimes they’d share a meal at the canteen, sometimes take a walk on the track, and sometimes they’d rent a hotel room, making love with a passion that spoke of all the longing they couldn’t put into words.

Qin Ning only ever had half a day off. She’d visit her grandmother at the hospital, then make a long detour across Jinghai to reach Xie Jing. Sometimes she could only stay for an hour or two before rushing back — but even so, they cherished every second together. The time was short, but the comfort they gave each other was real.

And yet, every time Qin Ning left, Xie Jing would slip back into her hollow state.

Graduate school was exhausting. Life without Qin Ning was unbearable. She had survived the grueling prep for exams and internships, but now, each day felt like an eternity.

Life without Qin Ning had lost all its color.

Eventually, Xie Jing made a decision: she wouldn’t wait for Qin Ning to come to her anymore. If she missed her, she would go to her instead.

This weekend was Qin Ning’s birthday. Xie Jing ordered a custom cake and hailed a cab to Qin Ning’s workplace. She still had the address Qin Ning had sent her last time, telling her she could visit the Fang Group if she ever missed her.

Afraid the cake would get damaged, she held it in her hands the entire ride. By the time she arrived, her arms were numb.

The Fang Group headquarters towered over Jinghai’s glittering CBD. Xie Jing stood before the skyscraper, hesitating. Should she call Qin Ning? But it was work hours — she was probably busy. She dismissed the

thought and walked into the building with the cake.

At the front desk, the receptionist asked who she was here to see. Xie Jing gave the name, earning a confused look.

“You’re looking for President Fang?”

Oh, right. Qin Ning was officially Fang Qin Ning now.

Xie Jing nodded. “Yes, I’d like to see President Fang.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

She hadn’t considered needing an appointment just to see her girlfriend. She froze.

The receptionist, seeing her young age and the cake in her hand, spoke kindly. “Are you a student? What’s your business with our President Fang? She’s in a meeting now, but you can wait in the reception room.”

“Thank you.” Xie Jing brought the cake to the reception room and finally set it down. Shaking her numb hands, she debated calling again — but remembering the receptionist’s words about Qin Ning being in a meeting, she put the phone away.

Forget it. I’ll wait a bit longer.

She glanced around and picked up a company brochure.

The Fang Group had once been one of the top corporations in Jinghai, once rivaling the Gu family’s conglomerate. But in recent years, internal strife had taken its toll. Two Fang daughters led rival factions, locked in a vicious power struggle. The company had yet to recover.

Qin Ning had to deal with endless internal issues and guard against sabotage from the eldest Fang daughter, who was waiting for any mistake to take her down.

Qin Ning’s birth parents had passed away. The eldest daughter and her uncle plotted to seize the inheritance. Qin Ning didn’t want to fight — but they had gone too far, trying to strip her of everything.

Her grandmother was still in the ICU, with daily medical bills piling up. For her sake, Qin Ning had no choice but to fight.

Xie Jing waited in the reception room for three full hours. Night had fallen. Still no word from the front desk. She called Qin Ning — no answer.

She sent a message on WeChat, asking when she’d be off work — no reply.

Tired, hungry, and disheartened, she almost stormed upstairs to find her. But reason held her back. Qin Ning was busy. Meetings and overtime were normal now. She wasn’t a student anymore who could text back instantly or drop everything to see Xie Jing. She had a corporation to run — tens of thousands relied on her. The Fang Group was a boulder on her shoulders, and she had to bear it.

But because of that, she could no longer match Xie Jing’s pace.

After nearly three more hours of waiting, Xie Jing finally left, clutching the now-deformed cake.

At the front desk, the receptionist looked surprised. “You’re still here? President Fang already left through the basement.”

“You didn’t tell her someone was here for her?”

“I informed her secretary. But company policy prohibits personal visits during office hours. Didn’t President Fang contact you?”

Xie Jing gave a bitter smile. “Your company doesn’t clock out at 8 PM?”

“We end at six,” the receptionist replied. “No overtime past midnight. But President Fang had a date tonight, so—”

“A date?”

“Yes. She spent the whole afternoon with Miss Chen from the Chen Group. They left together after work through the underground garage.”

“I see.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Xie Jing stumbled out of the building, numb, only to see a sleek black Maybach pull up to the front. A beautiful, elegant woman sat in the passenger seat.

From the driver’s side… stepped Qin Ning.

Qin Ning walked around the car, opened the door for the woman, and turned to face the entrance—

Only to lock eyes with Xie Jing, frozen at the top of the steps.

“Xie Jing, you…”