My Angel, My Guardian (GL) - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next day, despite a splitting headache, Li Mingxi woke up on time. Opening her eyes, she looked at the woman sleeping soundly beside her, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She knew everything that had happened the night before. Thinking of Jingchun’s reaction, her smile widened; it turned out Jingchun did care about her—at least enough to get jealous. This was the first time she had ever seen Jingchun jealous.

Li Mingxi stood up and rubbed her temples, then headed toward the bathroom. The warm water hitting her face washed away the last traces of fatigue. After freshening up, she changed her clothes and went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the two of them.

By the time Jingchun woke up, Li Mingxi had already finished making breakfast. Jingchun walked into the dining room, a flicker of happiness crossing her heart as she looked at the meal on the table.

“Sis, you’re awake? Come and have breakfast.”

As she spoke, Li Mingxi placed a glass of milk at Jingchun’s usual spot. Jingchun nodded and sat down, eating her breakfast in silence.

“Sis, I might be coming home late for the next while, so you don’t need to wait for me for dinner. Also, if I’m working very late, I’ll just rest at the office.”

In truth, Li Mingxi wasn’t actually that busy; she just wanted to take a gamble. She wanted to test how important she was in Jingchun’s heart. She decided to play along—since Jingchun seemed to want her to be with someone else so badly, she would play at being ambiguous with her secretary and see how Jingchun would react then.

“Take care of your health.”

Jingchun originally wanted to ask who had sent her home the previous night, but when the words reached her hands (sign language), they turned into a simple reminder.

“I know. Alright, Sis, I won’t chat anymore, I have to go.”

Li Mingxi checked her watch, downed the rest of her juice, grabbed her coat and briefcase, and left. Jingchun went to the window and watched Li Mingxi’s car drive out of sight. Her gaze then fell upon an old photo of her and Li Mingxi as children hanging on the wall. Time really does fly.

The first thing Li Mingxi did when she arrived at the office was call Wang Yi in. Wang Yi stood formally in the middle of the office. Li Mingxi watched her without speaking, and Wang Yi began to feel uncomfortable under her probing gaze.

“General Manager, is there something you need?”

“No, I just wanted to thank you for taking me home yesterday.”

Li Mingxi withdrew her gaze and spoke softly with a smile. Wang Yi was deeply captivated by the smile; it was the first time she had seen Li Mingxi look so beautiful while smiling.

“It… it was nothing. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to work.”

“Wait, do you have time tonight? How about I treat you to dinner as a thank you for yesterday?”

“No need, taking you home was part of my job,” Wang Yi quickly declined. Having dinner with the boss was never a simple matter.

“Don’t decline. It’s settled. We’ll leave together after work. Alright, go back to your tasks.”

Wang Yi opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back down. Finally, she nodded and left the office. Li Mingxi then pulled out her phone and dialed Xiao Zetong’s number.

“Sister Lele, I want to ask a favor…”

After a short conversation, Li Mingxi hung up, a sly smile crossing her lips. After work, Li Mingxi took Wang Yi to a Western restaurant. After they were seated, Li Mingxi inconspicuously glanced at two people sitting in a nearby corner.

“Order whatever you like.”

Li Mingxi handed the menu to Wang Yi. Wang Yi looked it over and eventually ordered a steak and a soup. Li Mingxi ordered foie gras and a bottle of red wine.

“Jingchun, isn’t that Mingxi? Who is that girl across from her?”

Xiao Zetong asked casually, pretending to have just noticed Mingxi. Jingchun fixed her gaze on Wang Yi and frowned.

“Probably a colleague,” Jingchun signed. Xiao Zetong raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

“Don’t you think Mingxi’s relationship with this ‘colleague’ is unusual? Look, Mingxi is even wiping a smudge off the girl’s mouth.”

Jingchun frowned as she watched the two of them chatting and laughing. She wondered what could possibly be so funny.

“Maybe,” Jingchun signed, then lowered her head to eat. Xiao Zetong smiled and said no more; the desired effect had been achieved, hadn’t it?

After dinner, Li Mingxi left with Wang Yi. Xiao Zetong and Jingchun were also finished, and Zetong drove Jingchun home.

“Jingchun, do you really want to give Mingxi away to someone else?”

Xiao Zetong stopped the car downstairs at Jingchun’s place and asked softly. Jingchun lowered her head and remained silent. She was conflicted. Her logic told her that Mingxi would only be happy with a “perfect” girl, but her selfish side told her she should hold onto Li Mingxi tightly—that Mingxi should belong only to her. Caught in the middle, she didn’t know which way to go.

“Jingchun, even though Aiai and I have been in this ambiguous stage, we both know what the other is thinking. I love her very much, but I haven’t chosen to formalize the relationship yet because I don’t want to end my single life so soon. But you and Mingxi are different. You have her in your heart but won’t show it. If one day Mingxi really does what you wish and goes to love another woman, it will be too late for regrets. Happiness isn’t a given. You are lucky to have had someone so sincere toward you for so many years. Hold onto your happiness; don’t make a decision you’ll regret.”

Xiao Zetong patted the back of Jingchun’s hand. Jingchun raised her hand as if to sign something, but eventually let it drop powerlessly.

“I know what you want to say—nothing but those same old excuses. Saying you’re the Li family’s adopted daughter, or that you’re ‘incomplete.’ But have you thought about it? Those are just excuses for your insecurity. You say you’re an adoptee, but all these years, hasn’t everyone in the Li family treated you like their own? You say you’re incomplete, but has Li Mingxi ever looked down on you? Back then at the Children’s Home, she didn’t look at anyone else—she went straight to you and insisted her family adopt you. Don’t think of this as charity; it was destiny. You were destined to be found by her, and you were destined to love each other. Why torture one another?”

“Jingchun, live for yourself for once, okay?”

Watching Jingchun like this pained Xiao Zetong. They had grown up together and understood each other well. Seeing the entanglement between Mingxi and Jingchun made her anxious for them.

“I’m going home now,” Jingchun signed, then opened the car door and got out. Xiao Zetong sighed at her retreating back.

“What a pair of star-crossed lovers,” she muttered to herself, then started the car and drove toward Ying Jiaen’s house. She suddenly missed her “Aiai” very much.

When Jingchun opened the door, she saw Li Mingxi sitting on the sofa watching TV. Jingchun changed her shoes and went into her room. Li Mingxi didn’t come over to knock as she used to, but simply continued her own business, watching anime. Jingchun left her door open, thinking Mingxi would come in, but after several minutes, she still didn’t. Jingchun frowned, got up, and stood in the living room watching Mingxi, who was clutching a pillow on the sofa.

“Sis, is something wrong?”

Li Mingxi turned to look at her. Jingchun frowned, thought for a moment, and eventually shook her head before returning to her room. Li Mingxi just shrugged and went back to her anime.

Back in her room, Jingchun grabbed a pillow and slammed it onto the bed. She was angry, but she didn’t know what she was angry about. Hearing the noise from the room, Li Mingxi flinched instinctively, thinking, What is she doing in there? However, she stuck to her plan of being indifferent. No matter how much noise came from the room, she stayed focused on her anime.

After the show, Li Mingxi stretched and ordered takeout. When it arrived, she set it on the table and went to Jingchun’s room. By now, the room was a mess.

“Sis, what are you doing? Who bullied you? Tell me, I’ll go give them a piece of my mind.”

Li Mingxi leaned against the doorframe, speaking in a somewhat nonchalant, playful tone. Jingchun glared at her.

“Alright, alright, come eat. I ordered takeout.”

Li Mingxi stood up straight and spoke seriously. Jingchun sat on the bed.

“I’m not hungry,” Jingchun signed. Li Mingxi nodded.

“Then I’ll leave some for you. If you get hungry, just heat it up yourself.”

With that, Li Mingxi turned and left. She went to the dining room, set aside half of the food in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge. She then sat down and ate her own portion. After finishing, she showered and went to bed, leaving Jingchun alone in her room to fume.

The next morning, Li Mingxi didn’t make breakfast either. She left early, grabbed a quick bite at a breakfast stall, and headed to the office.