Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 57

Jiang Xingran was sitting at her desk leisurely eating fruit when she saw Ling Xi approach, and for a moment, she didn’t recognize her.

“For heaven’s sake, has the sun risen in the west? You actually didn’t arrive just in time!”

Watching Jiang Xingran’s startled reaction, Ling Xi put down her satchel, her smile reserved, and she didn’t respond.

Jiang Xingran shoved the fruit box into her hand, acting as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight. She circled Ling Xi several times, then tapped her forehead and continued to tease: “Don’t you wear a white cotton T-shirt seven days a week? Why the sudden change to a shirt? Also, you usually wear your hair down, why did you decide to tie it up today?”

Ling Xi smoothed the wrinkles on her collar and replied with difficulty, “Isn’t it good like this?”

Jiang Xingran looked around, leaned close to Ling Xi’s ear, and gossiped, “You’ve started learning how to dress yourself up. Are you… dating President Qiao? Otherwise, this makes no sense.”

Ling Xi maintained a kind smile and shook her head, appearing calm: “She’s just my temporary visiting student; there’s no other inappropriate relationship.”

Receiving such a conventional answer, Jiang Xingran grew more suspicious: “You’re acting strange today. Come, come, let’s exchange our secret signal first.”

“Secret signal?”

Jiang Xingran leaned against the desk and greeted her: “Good morning, Associate Professor Ling.”

Ling Xi looked at Jiang Xingran in confusion, not quite understanding what she meant, and could only respond mildly, “Good morning, Teacher Jiang.”

“You’re not right! I seriously suspect you’re not Ling Xi! You should answer me ‘Bad morning!'”

“Then… Bad morning, Teacher Jiang.”

“No, no, your tone is wrong! You should sound half-dead!” After some playful teasing, Jiang Xingran still believed Ling Xi had lost her mind and sat back down in her office chair, mumbling.

Ling Xi stared at the messy desk in front of her. Her past self truly had been excessively lazy. She got up, retrieved a rag from behind the door, and began a systematic cleaning and tidying.

“Oh, Associate Professor Ling, you have the leisure to clean your little doghouse today?”

“Indeed, usually if Director Chen doesn’t say anything, you’re too lazy to organize it.”

Colleagues passing by, seeing Ling Xi unexpectedly cleaning, reacted as if they had seen something rare and unusual, playfully joking with her.

Ling Xi didn’t fuss and quietly continued to organize her desk.

Jiang Xingran played with a pen in her hand, leaning sideways with her head propped up, scrutinizing the quiet Ling Xi, continually clicking her tongue: “Ling Xi, did something unhappy happen to you? Don’t be so quiet; you’re making me feel uneasy.”

“I’m fine. Don’t you think making appropriate changes is a good thing?”

Hearing Ling Xi’s official answer, Jiang Xingran put on a distressed face: “You’re so formal that you’re like a stranger. I’m not used to it.”

“You’ll get used to it gradually. Humans are creatures with strong adaptability.”

“Is Ling Xi here?”

Director Chen’s sudden appearance interrupted their conversation. He was already used to Ling Xi’s tardiness, but after asking, he saw a rare sight: “Well, what holiday is it today? Are you turning over a new leaf?”

Hearing Director Chen joke, Jiang Xingran rolled her eyes: “She’s undergoing labor reform.”

“Director Chen, is there something you need?” Ling Xi put down the rag and asked politely, which, in turn, stunned Director Chen.

Director Chen raised his hand and touched Ling Xi’s forehead, muttering, “This child doesn’t have a fever… Oh, right, President Qiao called. The lessons are off.”

Ling Xi was puzzled, and her brows furrowed: “Why did she suddenly stop coming to class?”

“A few days ago, you were crying and didn’t want to teach her. Now that President Qiao isn’t coming, are you not used to it?”

“I just find it very sudden.”

“Since you don’t have classes on your hands, how about I find you a good research project to look into?”

Director Chen only said this thinking the lazy little one would surely protest, but Ling Xi unexpectedly nodded in agreement: “Sounds good. I have free time anyway.”

Director Chen was dumbfounded and touched Ling Xi’s forehead again: “Hiss… are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“Then, then, then… I’ll find something for you when I have time. It’s about time to submit academic research this year, or else your associate position won’t look good.” Director Chen quickly left the office.

Ling Xi turned back and continued to clean her desk.

For some reason, hearing the news that Qiao Bo’er was discontinuing her lessons made her feel empty. She put down the rag, was silent for a moment, and then took her phone and walked out of the office.

Dialing Qiao Bo’er’s number, Ling Xi quietly listened to the busy tone, but after waiting a while, the call wasn’t answered.

Ling Xi mentally set a limit of three attempts, but dialed again and again, all to no avail.

Standing in the hallway, Ling Xi put her hands on her hips, feeling a sense of emptiness. Suddenly, she laughed self-deprecatingly, what was wrong with her?

“Boss, isn’t this decision too hard on yourself?” Chu Xi, who had returned to work, looked worried. She had only been away for two or three days, so why had the situation escalated to this point?

“Then what do you think I should do?” Qiao Bo’er played with the pen in her hand, having lost her usual vibrancy. She looked very tired.

“That woman named Lin Fangwan suddenly appeared, and now you’ve severed contact for the lessons with Ling Xi. Isn’t this just creating an opportunity for them to reconcile? I believe your decision is flawed.”

Chu Xi risked Qiao Bo’er’s anger but insisted on voicing her thoughts.

“Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?”

“Flawed is flawed! You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are, and Ling Xi might not see it, but we do!”

The hardships they had endured, the person who captivated her heart knew nothing of them. Chu Xi clenched her fists, stubbornly on the verge of tears. She was too heartbroken for Qiao Bo’er.

Qiao Bo’er’s expression was grim, but this time she didn’t lose her temper. She merely sighed sadly, closed her eyes, rubbed the bridge of her nose, and shook her head: “It’s because I was too aggressive that I caused this situation. The problem is with me.”

“It’s not your fault! You did nothing wrong! I just don’t understand why you keep bottling it up? Go and tell her, tell her you came for her. Why don’t you say it?”

The fluctuating ringtone of the phone tugged at Qiao Bo’er’s nerves. She glanced at Ling Xi’s incoming call but had no intention of answering.

“Do you know? That day she appeared, the sunlight enveloped her as if she were edged in gold. She was trying hard to reach out and hold my hand. The moment my fingers touched hers, I knew she was mine, and mine alone…”

The bitterness caught in Qiao Bo’er’s throat prevented her from saying anything more. She could only tightly close her eyes and swallow the melancholy.

The Ling Xi in her memory was as beautiful as a gift bestowed by the heavens.

Now, she was within reach yet separated by mountains and seas. Qiao Bo’er hadn’t yet found a way to untie that butterfly ribbon. She frowned in frustration but was determined to find a way to open Ling Xi’s heart.

Silence lingered for a long, long time, until Qiao Bo’er forgot the passage of time, until a figure appeared at the doorway.

Ling Xi was holding an ice cream cone she had specially gone home to get. It was the only way she could express her goodwill, and one of the few happy memories she could recall, a happiness unique to her and Qiao Bo’er.

“If you eat the ice cream, can you become the happy ghost?”

Qiao Bo’er opened her eyes and looked at the slender Ling Xi, surprised that she would take the initiative. Hadn’t they just seen each other this morning?

“What are you doing here?”

“Why did you stop the lessons?”

“Did you come all this way just to ask that?”

“You’re sulking.” Ling Xi held out the ice cream cone to Qiao Bo’er as a gesture of peace: “If I treat you to ice cream, will you still sulk?”

Qiao Bo’er took the ice cream but had no appetite for it. She simply called out faintly, “Ling Xi.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not happy.”

“I know. Because of me, you’re not happy.”

Hearing Ling Xi’s answer, Qiao Bo’er remained leaning in her side-seated posture. She sadly closed her eyes, and the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes flowed down calmly. That silent sorrow also fell into Ling Xi’s sight.

“Will you reconcile with her?” Qiao Bo’er tried to make her voice sound less desolate, but she wanted an answer.

Ling Xi sat down in the visitor’s chair, silently tearing the wrapper off the ice cream cone. She took a bite—the sweetness was accompanied by a hint of bitterness, a strange taste.

“Answer me.”

“I don’t know.”

“What should I do for you to spare just a tiny bit of affection for me? I’m not even greedy enough to ask for that affection to be love.”

“Miss Qiao, I truly don’t understand. I don’t have wealth comparable to yours, and I’m also sick. Is someone like me worth your affection?”

“It’s alright, you’re just ill. I don’t blame you.” Qiao Bo’er repeated this sentence in distress, and Ling Xi was somewhat disappointed: “Why do you always use this sentence to fob me off?”

Qiao Bo’er stood up and leaned over the desk, whispering in Ling Xi’s ear in a humble voice: “What do you want to hear me say? I love you… I love you… I can give up the whole world, but I can’t give up on you…”

A refreshing scent, as clear as summer, still carried that familiar scent of green oranges.

It turned out that this scent had unknowingly been imprinted in Ling Xi’s memory. Her memory was fragile, yet she could remember Qiao Bo’er’s stunning appearance, her clear and refreshing scent, and her arrogant personality, but she was unwilling to remember this moment of humility.

“I’m sorry. As I am, I cannot accept your love.”

“You will fall in love with me. You definitely will.” Qiao Bo’er restrained her sadness and insisted confidently.

Even if Ling Xi relentlessly carved at her heart with a knife, she would persevere. Otherwise, a life that already held little meaning would lose its only aspiration.

Although the old apartment building was quite tall, it had no elevator.

The staircase was covered with dust from the passage of time, and even the spiderwebs hanging in the corners had lost their freshness.

Despite the bright daylight, not a sliver of light managed to penetrate. The flickering, poorly connected stairwell light cast an eerie, sinister glow.

Ji Nancen whistled a cheerful tune, which seemed completely out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.

When she reached a security door, Ji Nancen, with her strong investigative skills, turned on the light on her phone. She looked at the direction of the footprints on the ground. The dust clearly indicated that the person inside had not left the house.

Raising her hand to block the peephole on the security door, Ji Nancen knocked.

“Who is it?” A voice came through the door. Ji Nancen answered casually, “Sir, your takeout.”

“I didn’t order any takeout. Did you get the wrong place?” Clearly, the person inside was cautious, but this did not stump Ji Nancen: “Is your surname Lu? Is your phone number 133…”

Hearing the delivery person recite his information, the person inside lowered his guard. With a clack, the door was pushed open.

Through the crack in the door, Lu Jiuzhe only extended one arm. Ji Nancen seized the opportunity, grabbed the arm, and twisted the wrist forcefully with her other hand. Instantly, there was a sickening crunch of bone, and the man’s despairing scream echoed continuously in the hallway from the pain.

Lu Jiuzhe’s wrist was dislocated. Ji Nancen quickly slipped into the room, slammed the door shut, and signaled for silence with a ‘shush’: “Such a big commotion is difficult for me to handle. Be quiet… or your other hand will be dislocated too… I have a few questions for you. Answer them properly, and I’ll help you set it back.”

The highly capable Ji Nancen wore a smiling-tiger expression, facing the man who had fallen to the floor in horror.

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