Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 22

When desire strikes, no one can resist its overwhelmingly captivating temptation.

In the soft, white sheets of the bed, a woman’s embrace was given the name of loving only her, and the two delicate, entangled figures clung to each other, inseparable.

The woman’s face was blurry. Her slender fingers repeatedly traced and caressed Ling Xi’s smooth arm, tireless in their motion.

Every brush of the fingertip was an indescribable provocation, eliciting waves of comfortable itchiness that made one feel weak.

“Why are you staring at me?” Ling Xi’s face was like a ripe red cherry, the alcohol at work. Her voice was sweet and intoxicating…

Fingers coiled around soft hair, lifting a strand to her nose to enjoy the scent, which was like the fresh aroma of grass and trees carried by a breeze under a summer canopy.

“If I don’t look… how will I know if my beloved little cat prefers to eat fish… or prefers to eat me?” The woman lifted Ling Xi’s chin and delivered a passionate, possessive French kiss, stirring desire.

The alcohol made them lose themselves, and the soul’s unrest made Ling Xi lean in and hug her more eagerly. She bit the woman’s ear and whispered, “I’m very picky about food…”

“Are you? But right now… I’m hungry…” A sudden reversal led to a brief moment of joyful laughter. The passionate kisses seemed no longer enough to release the surging vortex of restlessness.

…

“Thank you for loving me single-mindedly all this time… Let’s break up…”

The Nightmare’s Aftermath

Ling Xi suddenly sat up in bed, still vaguely recalling fragments of the nightmare, her thin figure trembling with panic.

The dark, silent bedroom amplified her anxious, rapid breathing. She had to raise a hand to wipe away the fine sweat beading on her forehead; even her pajamas were damp.

Her mind felt like it harbored a needle carving out her heart, trying to tear her nerves and pierce through her skull.

She leaned against the headboard, distressed, trying to calm her body’s discomfort.

When Qiao Bo’er left, and how she fell asleep, felt like a memory that had been erased. Trying to recall it only brought explosive pain.

“Hiss…” Holding her forehead, she winced, threw off the small blanket, and put on her slippers, walking to the living room.

She checked the time: three in the morning. The bright moonlight separated the balcony and the living room into two different worlds.

Fortunately, where there was light, the world would not be so dark as to cause despair.

Ling Xi took mineral water from the refrigerator. Her throat was dry and cracked like land parched from a long drought. She drank more than half the bottle in one gulp before finding relief.

Unable to sleep, Ling Xi was like a wandering spirit in the house. She walked quietly to the balcony. The cool breeze of the early summer night was comfortable and seemed to dispel the unease brought by the nightmare.

This dream was not the first time. It was just that the woman’s face in the dream was always unclear. But the words “Let’s break up,” often echoed in her ears.

Who was she? Why did she torment herself in the dream, again and again?

With her hands resting on the balcony railing, Ling Xi tilted her head back to admire the round, full moon.

The moon was better than the sun; at least it wasn’t blinding. But the black night, where the shadow of the solitary self became three with no one to confide in, bred endless loneliness.

The house directly opposite had lights blazing in every windowed room, which looked jarring at a glance.

Qiao Bo’er resisted the darkness, so her entire house was brightly lit.

In the dead of night, the coffee table was covered with candy wrappers. She held what must have been her umpteenth ice cream cone.

A huge projector screen TV played a video on a loop. She stared intently, occasionally picking up the remote to rewind and replay a certain scene repeatedly.

The look in her eyes—a yearning, unrequited love—overflowed with desolation.

The person in the video was carrying a heavy backpack. Against the backdrop of a sun-lit golden mountain, her figure moved further and further along a narrow mountain path, finally merging with the surrounding clouds and mist, disappearing from the frame.

Qiao Bo’er ate the ice cream cone in large, undisguised, ravenous bites. She looked incredibly hungry, but no matter how much she ate, she couldn’t be satisfied.

Only she knew that only with this excessive sweetness could the video not feel bitter.

Emotions on the verge of collapse made her breathing difficult until a quiet mist of tears welled up in her eyes.

She sniffled, feigning strength. In the dead of night, no one knew who she was thinking of, and she could only rely on eating ice cream to console something inside.

In truth, she hated sweets.

The video must have played countless times. She would always pause, rewind, and play again during a specific segment, never tiring of it.

The person in the frame was in a historical library in Western Europe, leaning lazily by the window, flipping through a thick book.

The occasional breeze couldn’t stir her immersed heart. The setting sun shining on her shoulder was only fleeting. People passed by in twos and threes.

The world outside the book was noisy and chaotic, but the person engrossed in the book was detached from it all.

She hit pause. The person frozen in the video looked serene, her eyes lowered, enveloped in a lonely beauty, seeming so detached and tranquil as a dream.

Beautiful, light amber eyes overflowed with deep, unwavering affection. Qiao Bo’er stared at the TV and smiled unconsciously.

Only, the video was bitter, the smile was bitter, and even the ice cream cone was a deceptive bitterness.

In this midnight hour, the person was more desolate than the moon.

The Morning Encounter

Having stayed up most of the night, Ling Xi appeared in the parking lot with dark circles under her eyes. She was lethargic and felt like she could faint at any moment.

Just as she was pondering how to get through today’s classes, a familiar figure appeared: “Good morning, Associate Professor Ling.”

Ling Xi sized up Chu Xi, who was dressed in formal attire. She recalled seeing her at “Unsolicited Coffee” and asked, “You are Qiao Bo’er’s…”

“I’m CEO Qiao’s secretary. Due to work, CEO Qiao won’t be able to attend class this week. She specifically instructed me to deliver this to you.”

Chu Xi held two bags. One was an insulated bag, which was not hard to guess contained ice cream cones. The other contained documents, presumably related to the compensation for the studio.

Ling Xi accepted the bags and documents, politely thanking her: “Thank you for making the trip.”

“You’re welcome. CEO Qiao asked me to tell you that—’A stingy person who eats chocolate will turn into a happy person, and a chocolate ice cream cone has the same effect.'” Chu Xi relayed the message with a smile. Just as she was about to leave, she added one more thing: “This is my business card. I think you might need it in the future.”

Watching Chu Xi walk toward her car, Ling Xi walked toward the tree-lined path, mumbling while holding the business card: “Chu Xi… Jiatai Group… Rongzhi Company…”

Qiao Bo’er leaned against the car window, looking tired. Chu Xi returned to the car and briefly reported that she had given the items to Ling Xi. Qiao Bo’er appeared indifferent.

“Associate Professor Ling looks very tired. Perhaps she also didn’t sleep well last night,” Chu Xi said. Qiao Bo’er’s eyelids fluttered slightly at the comment.

Chu Xi picked up her tablet to plan the day’s schedule. Suddenly, she received a notification push. She turned back to ask, “Dr. J’s flight arrives at three in the afternoon. Do you need to arrange for Qu Ye to pick her up?”

“Arrange it.”

As the car drove out of the parking lot, Qiao Bo’er and Ling Xi passed each other.

Looking at the Associate Professor’s lackluster face, Qiao Bo’er couldn’t help but look twice. Even after the distance widened, her gaze lingered reluctantly. Her body couldn’t lie; the action of looking back indicated a surging concern.

Ling Xi walked very slowly, holding the bags. She wondered if her attitude at home yesterday was too aggressive, causing Qiao Bo’er to be unhappy?

After all, that woman was petty, but the heavy ice cream cones in her hand seemed like a silent explanation: Don’t worry, she’s definitely not angry.

Qiao Bo’er was right to ask: She had done so many overly inappropriate things, so why hadn’t she ever fully burst into anger?

She unconsciously took out her phone, only now realizing that they had known each other for some time but had never exchanged contact information with the crazy woman.

The sudden absence from class, just for one day, why would it make her feel so unaccustomed?

Ling Xi sighed deeply. Her heart was in turmoil.

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