Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 61

Ling Xi held the crumpled piece of paper in her hand, sitting in the car, feeling indecisive.

The address written by Chu Xi made her realize that Qiao Bo’er had been secretly hiding in a corner she had overlooked, for so long.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Ling Xi finally mustered the courage to get out of the car and walked towards the unfamiliar elevator entrance.

The familiar floor and door position. Ling Xi stood in front of the door, hesitating before knocking. She knocked repeatedly, mechanically, and numbly, but there was no response.

Lowering her gaze to the electronic lock, a string of numbers rushed into her mind, screaming to be tried—

“Stop talking nonsense, I’ll only say this once, the password is 7329.”

“7329? Your birthday?”

“Do I look like an old sister who is 49 years old?”

Remembering the happy moments of bickering with Qiao Bo’er, a natural smile appeared at the corner of Ling Xi’s mouth.

When she pressed 7329, the electronic lock let out a pleasant chime, which also heavily settled in Ling Xi’s heart.

In an instant, the bright light from inside the house broke into Ling Xi’s eyes. Her gaze passed through the living room to the balcony, directly facing her most familiar home.

The person who had lit up the darkness for her on those difficult nights turned out to be the crazy person who provoked and bullied her, yet constantly muttered that she loved her—Qiao Bo’er.

Ling Xi pulled back her thoughts, her throat tight and catching. Her heart ached, aching for Qiao Bo’er.

In this strange and lonely space, Ling Xi frantically searched for Qiao Bo’er’s figure.

Every room was empty, just like their hearts, pale, weak, and hollow.

Finally, in the corner of the balcony, Ling Xi found the dispirited Qiao Bo’er, who was tightly hugging herself, weak and powerless, as if this was the only way she could protect herself.

Ling Xi didn’t let out a startled gasp; her steps were incredibly anxious. But the movement she made to pick her up was so gentle, fearing she might disturb her intoxicated dream.

Qiao Bo’er was disturbed, she furrowed her brow and tried to push Ling Xi away. But the scent of milk on Ling Xi was familiar. She struggled to open her eyes, but the effect of the medicine and alcohol made her deeply believe that this was nothing more than an extended night’s dream.

Qiao Bo’er giggled foolishly in her stupor: “You dog…”

Ling Xi wanted to help her up, but she was too slender and couldn’t lift the drunk person at all, so she could only answer repeatedly: “I’m here, I’m here…”

“What a real dream!” Qiao Bo’er waved her hand happily, pulling Ling Xi’s collar, leaning close to her cheek and sniffing: “Even the smell is this real…”

Ling Xi had no choice but to sit beside Qiao Bo’er, carefully adjusting her loose sleeping gown.

Raising her arm to wrap it around Qiao Bo’er’s shoulder so she could comfortably nestle in her arms, Ling Xi gently asked in a soft voice: “Is it a beautiful dream?”

“Of course, I haven’t had a dream like this in a long time.”

Seeing that satisfied little expression, Ling Xi couldn’t help but rub Qiao Bo’er’s platinum blonde hair; the indulgence burst from the bottom of her heart: “Then continue having beautiful dreams.”

Qiao Bo’er’s arm wrapped around Ling Xi’s neck, and her fluctuating emotions made her begin to cry: “But this is just a dream…”

Ling Xi could feel the hot, wet tears on her neck. She didn’t know how to comfort this helpless woman, so she simply made their embrace tighter.

“It hurts so much…” Qiao Bo’er kept murmuring with her eyes closed. A feeling of nasal soreness came over Ling Xi, and she sniffed.

Miss Little Deer, I brought lots and lots of delicious candies. Let me share one with you!

Ling Xi’s eyes were red as she cupped Qiao Bo’er’s face, using her warm palm to wipe away the surging tears: “Don’t cry… good girl, we won’t cry…”

In the heart imprisoned by shackles, the dying little deer heard that heart-stirring call again. It finally stood up weakly, using its fragile antlers to hit the door with all its might.

Again and again, each time difficult and painful, yet each time firmer.

In the dark night, the moonlight accompanied by the evening breeze, pain gave birth to a sudden flutter, and a timidly deepening concern.

Qin Yun rushed to the company early, just to catch a fresh piece of big gossip.

She swayed her posture as she walked in, teasing excitedly: “You look good, but your eyes are so swollen, you must have cried a lot last night.”

Hitting a nerve, Qiao Bo’er coldly looked at Qin Yun, her emotions calm: “I drank too much, but I slept quite well.”

This contrasting reaction puzzled Qin Yun. Did Ling Xi not go to her place last night?

“You…”

“What about me?”

“Nothing, it’s good that you slept well… That… Did Ling Xi look for you?”

“Why bring her up? She’s immersed in the warmth of an old acquaintance, she has no time to care about me.”

Qiao Bo’er’s tone was very sour. Qin Yun shrugged indifferently: “Alright then, I’ll go flirt with little Chu Xi. You get busy with your work.”

Qin Yun’s face immediately darkened as she walked out of the office. She picked up her phone, dialed Ling Xi’s number, and walked angrily towards the emergency exit.

“Hello?” Hearing Ling Xi’s voice, Qin Yun immediately started scolding her: “Ling Xi! Is there something wrong with your brain? I gave you the perfect answer, yet you handed in a blank sheet?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t go find Bo’er last night?”

“I did. She was drunk, and I stayed with her for most of the night.”

“Then why doesn’t she remember anything?”

“Oh, she thought it was a dream. I helped her back to bed, and then I left.”

“Even a pig is smarter than you; it knows to use its nose to root for food. Can’t you even give a kiss or a hug?”

“A kiss? We are innocent, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

“Tsk, you blockhead! Now that you know Bo’er’s secret about her apartment, pretend nothing happened, so you don’t implicate my Chu Xi.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t betray Secretary Chu.”

“And… today, I don’t care if you have to pluck stars from the sky or fish for the moon in the sea, you must keep your evening free for me!”

…

Lin Fangwan seemed to particularly enjoy intercepting Ling Xi after work.

Today was no exception. She stood at the door early, waiting for Ling Xi, holding a gift she had prepared beforehand.

As soon as Ling Xi walked out of the office, she stepped forward with a smile to greet her: “Ling Xi.”

“Fangwan? Why are you here?”

Ling Xi changed her address, no longer using a familiar one. Lin Fangwan caught this small detail and quickly handed over the box in her hand: “I prepared this gift a long time ago and kept forgetting to bring it to you. I didn’t have anything to do anyway, so I thought I’d drop it off… Do you have other plans tonight?”

Lin Fangwan’s tone was always cautious. She was hoping Ling Xi would accept her invitation. However, Ling Xi did not show any intention of taking the gift she offered.

Based on the scene in the video yesterday, Ling Xi felt a sense of resistance toward Lin Fangwan.

Remembering Qin Yun’s warning about ‘plucking stars and fishing for the moon’ this morning, Ling Xi answered truthfully: “Sorry, I have an appointment today.”

Jiang Xingran happened to walk out of the office. Hearing Ling Xi’s rejection, smart as she was, she immediately took Ling Xi’s arm: “Let’s go, the traffic will be jammed soon, and it wouldn’t be good to be late.”

Lin Fangwan looked at Jiang Xingran’s intimate gesture, and her expression softened a little. Entangling further would only make her seem redundant, so she stuffed the gift box into Ling Xi’s arms, at least to leave gracefully: “Alright then, I’ll call you in advance next time I ask you out.”

Ling Xi’s attitude remained lukewarm: “Okay.”

Failing to get a response of retention from the person she liked, Lin Fangwan’s disappointment was almost overflowing from her eyes: “The gift… I hope you like it.”

“Actually, you didn’t have to go to such lengths to prepare a gift, but thank you anyway.”

The more polite Ling Xi was, the more Lin Fangwan could feel her deliberate attempt to distance herself. It felt terrible; this feeling was terrible.

“See you another day.” Lin Fangwan politely bid farewell. After Ling Xi watched her leave, Jiang Xingran opportunely showed a gossipy expression: “Hey, who was that woman?”

“A friend. Just returned to the country.”

“She came all the way to the school to wait for you. I don’t think she’s just a regular friend.”

“What are you gossiping about? She’s just a friend. But thank you for helping me just now.”

“Forget it. You treated me to hot pot last time, so I’ll treat you today. What do you want to eat?” Jiang Xingran invited her generously, but Ling Xi waved her hand: “I really have something to do. Let’s make it another day.”

Being ruthlessly rejected by Ling Xi, Jiang Xingran complained irritably: “Hiss… I’ve never seen you so busy in a blue moon. When did you become so occupied?”

A message tone cleverly sounded. It was a location sent by Qin Yun. Ling Xi looked at the phone screen and then excused herself: “Next time, I’ll treat you to hot pot again. I have to go now.”

…

Qiao Bo’er picked up her designer bag and prepared to leave the company. She glanced at Qin Yun following her, wanting to send her away: “You’ve been with me all day—no, to be precise, you’ve harassed me all day. Haven’t you caused enough trouble? I think you should just take Chu Xi home.”

“No, no, no. How can you count it as a full day when the sky isn’t dark yet? I’ve had Chu Xi book a restaurant. Let’s go try the food together.” Qin Yun insisted on taking Qiao Bo’er, and this behavior was quite unusual.

Qiao Bo’er pressed the elevator button. Unable to resist Qin Yun’s enthusiasm, she reluctantly agreed to her dinner arrangement.

When Chu Xi entered the elevator, Qin Yun immediately took her arm and then leaned towards Qiao Bo’er to be mysterious: “To cheer you up, I even specially prepared a gift for you. So, you absolutely have to eat this meal.”

“A gift?” Qiao Bo’er was suspicious. Qin Yun blinked her eyes, guaranteeing: “A 100% satisfactory gift.”

“I’ve seen all kinds of rare treasures; 100% satisfactory? If you’re so capable, why don’t you kidnap Ling Xi for me?”

Ling Xi was mentioned in five out of every ten of Qiao Bo’er’s sentences. Qin Yun tilted her head against Chu Xi’s shoulder, pointing towards the sky: “Let me put it this way, except for the stars in the sky that I can’t pluck, anything else is negotiable.”

Qiao Bo’er crossed her arms and teased: “I’d like to see what tricks you can pull.”

Qin Yun was typically someone who didn’t shy away from trouble. The restaurant she arranged was surprisingly the same one from yesterday.

Qiao Bo’er watched the car drive into the familiar open-air parking lot and gave her a cold look: “Did all the restaurants in Xuancheng close down? Are you afraid I’d eat an extra bite, so you insist on bothering me?”

“Tsk, you don’t understand. Where you fall, you get up. Besides, the food at this private kitchen is really good. I always choose this one when I host guests.” Qin Yun was unconcerned, casually making up an excuse and urging Qiao Bo’er: “Get out of the car.”

In the empty parking lot, Qiao Bo’er’s eyes scanned the area and immediately spotted the familiar Beetle car. She instantly turned to look at Qin Yun in the car.

A look of dawning comprehension slowly gave way to a faint expectation; it was a sign of pleasant surprise, looking somewhat endearingly silly.

Qin Yun in the car had no intention of moving; she simply ordered Chu Xi to lock the car door.

Through the car window, Qin Yun smiled brightly at Qiao Bo’er: “I told you, except for the stars in the sky that I can’t pluck, anything else is negotiable. Are you satisfied with this surprise?”

“You actually made an appointment with Ling Xi?”

“Here, good deeds must be done completely. We won’t be a third wheel. You enjoy your date time.”

Ling Xi had just arrived. As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Qiao Bo’er standing alone by the car. She rubbed her nose somewhat awkwardly, but her legs moved forward involuntarily.

She was about to speak after walking closer, but she could only watch as Chu Xi and Qin Yun drove away.

Only the two of them remained in the empty parking lot, staring at each other. The awkward atmosphere made them involuntarily curl their toes.

“Why did they leave?” Ling Xi took the initiative to ask. Qiao Bo’er just shook her head coldly, picking up her designer bag and walking straight toward the restaurant.

“Welcome!” The restaurant manager saw the two familiar faces and was not surprised: “Miss Qin has already arranged the menu and the private room. Please follow me.”

The aura between Ling Xi and Qiao Bo’er created a strange atmosphere. Since neither of them spoke, the restaurant manager had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead the way.

Finally bringing the distinguished guests into the private room, the manager immediately slipped away.

Qiao Bo’er casually pulled out her phone, but she wasn’t in the mood to play; she was just waiting for Ling Xi to break the deadlock.

Ling Xi didn’t like beating around the bush and started with a solemn apology: “I was too emotional yesterday. I lost my temper at you without asking for clarification. I’m sorry.”

Ling Xi’s apology was unexpected. Qiao Bo’er’s heart skipped a beat, but she still mocked herself sarcastically: “I slapped your Lin Fangwan several times. Shouldn’t I be the one apologizing?”

Ling Xi knew Qiao Bo’er was speaking out of anger, so she placed her phone in front of her and explained: “After I sent her back to the hotel, I went back to check the video. Although there were no cameras in the private room, the external surveillance happened to capture what happened inside, and the problem was solved.”

Qiao Bo’er was stunned. She stared at Ling Xi in disbelief, her dazed look melting the ice over her emotions: “You mean… you specifically came back to find the video to clear my name?”

“Although you always do things that I find baffling, I genuinely believe you are not an unreasonable person. I didn’t want to wrongly accuse you… It turns out that Lin Fangwan was trying to sow discord, and I’m very surprised, I don’t understand why she would do that.”

Ling Xi’s answer was firm, which instead made Qiao Bo’er feel a nervous ache in her heart. She murmured to herself: “Why did you come back… you could have just put all the blame on me.”

“If you didn’t do anything wrong, you didn’t do anything wrong. Why should you take the blame?”

Ling Xi’s determined look, which wouldn’t tolerate anyone slandering Qiao Bo’er, was powerfully steady.

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