My Angel, My Guardian (GL) - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Just as Jingchun walked out of the passage, she saw Li Mingxi’s brilliant smile amidst the crowd. A smile floated to the corners of Jingchun’s mouth; no matter how exhausted she felt, seeing that familiar figure and smile made all her fatigue vanish in an instant. However, she quickly withdrew her smile—Li Mingxi truly was a headache for her.

Jingchun walked over and stood before Li Mingxi. Mingxi reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace. It had been a long time since she had seen Jingchun, who was always finding various excuses to avoid her.

“Sister, I missed you so much.”

Li Mingxi greedily inhaled the scent of Jingchun’s body. Jingchun hesitated, reaching out her hand, but quickly dropped it again. She allowed Mingxi to hold her—neither pushing her away nor responding. This was her attitude toward Mingxi’s feelings: she couldn’t bear to push her away, yet she could not reciprocate.

“Sister, let’s go home!”

Li Mingxi took Jingchun’s hand with one hand and pulled her suitcase with the other. She put the suitcase in the trunk and opened the passenger door for Jingchun.

“Sister, did the performance go smoothly this time?”

As Li Mingxi started the car and left the airport parking lot, Jingchun nodded gently. Performing had become such a routine for her; how could it not go smoothly?

“Sister, don’t leave this time. Stay, okay? I’ll take care of you.”

Li Mingxi didn’t want Jingchun running all over the world; she hated the idea of Jingchun playing the piano for anyone else but her. However, no matter how much she disliked it, she would never oppose Jingchun once her mind was made up.

Jingchun didn’t respond. She didn’t want Mingxi to get distracted by her sign language while driving. When they arrived home, Li Zhenyu and Teng Ai were away on a trip, leaving the two of them alone in the vast house.

“Sister, sit down. I’ll go get you some water.”

Li Mingxi set the suitcase aside and went into the kitchen to pour a glass of juice for Jingchun.

“Sister, you haven’t answered the question I asked in the car. Don’t leave again, okay? If you don’t like me pestering you, I promise I won’t do it anymore. Mom and Mommy are away right now, and the house is so big with just me here. Sister, just stay to keep me company, alright?”

Jingchun’s hand holding the glass paused. Seeing Mingxi so humble and pleading made her heart ache. She set the glass down, took Mingxi’s hand, and wrote on it stroke by stroke.

“I am your sister; how could I not like you ‘pestering’ me? No matter what, you will always be my younger sister.”

Jingchun specifically emphasized that Mingxi was her sister and she was Mingxi’s elder sister. Li Mingxi lowered her head, her brows furrowed tightly. She didn’t want Jingchun to be her “sister” at all; she never did. She wanted Jingchun to be her girlfriend, even her wife. But every time she confessed, Jingchun would reject her and then vanish for a period. During those absences, Mingxi could only see news of her on TV or in newspapers. She was afraid Jingchun would run away again, so she chose not to confess anymore. She chose to wait—waiting for Jingchun to let go of the so-called “sibling” relationship, waiting for her to overcome her inner insecurities, waiting for the day she would finally accept her.

“Sister, you must be tired after two days of flying. I’ll go run a bath for you.”

Li Mingxi stood up and walked toward their bedroom. She crouched by the bathtub, staring blankly at the flowing water. When would Jingchun stop seeing her as a sister? When would she see her as a woman—a woman who loved her and wanted to give her a home?

When the tub was nearly full, Mingxi turned off the tap. She took Jingchun’s pajamas and underwear from the closet and placed them on the bathroom rack. As she walked out, she said:

“Sister, the water is ready, and I’ve put your clothes on the rack. Go take your bath; I’m going to the study to look over some materials.”

Mingxi knew that staying in the bedroom would make Jingchun feel awkward, so she used the study as an excuse. There, she opened her computer and began drafting a proposal for Guangqiang Group. Currently, the group’s daily customer traffic nationwide was less than a hundred people. How could such a group be saved?

She stared at the screen. Her mind replayed all the news regarding Guangqiang, the most serious being a death incident. Although Guangqiang eventually won the lawsuit with a powerful legal team, the public was already convinced they sold counterfeit goods.

Mingxi went to the kitchen, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and returned to the study. As she drank, her eyes suddenly fell on the beer bottle.

She thought for a moment and dialed an investigation firm. She wanted to know exactly how bad Guangqiang’s reputation was among the public. She gave them her requirements and demanded results within three days. Hanging up, she took a sip of beer. Since Guangqiang’s downfall was rooted in product quality, she would make “quality” her primary focus.

Jingchun stood at the study door, watching Mingxi. She sighed silently, went to the kitchen to brew a cup of hot tea, and brought it to the study. As she placed it on the desk, Mingxi looked up with a smile and stood.

“Sister, what do you want for dinner?”

“Anything is fine,” Jingchun gestured. After years of touring, she was no longer picky as long as she was full.

“Then shall we go to the supermarket in a bit?”

Mingxi wanted to check out Guangqiang to see exactly how rotten it had become. Only one store remained barely operational in this city.

“Okay, let me get ready and we’ll go.”

Mingxi closed her computer and they left. She parked at the Guangqiang flagship store. In a parking lot spanning tens of thousands of square meters, theirs was the only car. The security guard was fast asleep in his booth. Mingxi frowned; it was no wonder the business was failing.

“Why come to Guangqiang?”

Though Jingchun was rarely in town, she had seen reports on the group and was puzzled by Mingxi’s choice.

“Sister Ai bought Guangqiang Group and appointed me as the General Manager starting Monday. I’m just here to see how it can be managed back to life.”

As Mingxi explained, she unbuckled her seatbelt. Jingchun followed closely. As they stepped out of the elevator at the entrance, Mingxi’s frown deepened. The floors were filthy and felt sticky underfoot. Several staff members in uniform were gathered together, laughing and chatting.

“With this attitude, it’s no wonder they’re going bankrupt.”

Mingxi felt like turning around and telling Ying Jia’en that she was quitting. But it was only a fleeting thought. She didn’t have the habit of giving up halfway. Since she decided to take over, she would put in the effort.

They walked inside. Aside from a few idle employees, there wasn’t a single customer in the massive store. Mingxi picked up a food item; it was half a month past its expiration date. At the meat section, the meat in the plastic trays had turned slimy. Seeing this, Mingxi knew there was no need to go further.

She led Jingchun away from Guangqiang to another supermarket. This one was bustling with people. The production dates on the shelves were from the last two or three days, and the meat products were fresh with quality certificates.

“Sister, what do you think?”

Mingxi held Jingchun’s hand with one hand and pushed the shopping cart with the other through the crowd.

“Guangqiang’s downfall is inevitable.”

Jingchun let go of Mingxi’s hand and wrote lightly on her palm. Although Mingxi could understand sign language, she loved the feeling of Jingchun writing on her palm, and Jingchun had grown accustomed to communicating this way with her.

“It seems there is only one way: let the name ‘Guangqiang’ become a thing of the past.”

Guangqiang could not exist as it was. To save it, she had to let it “die” first, then cut away the “rotten meat”—the idle employees. If a company was a machine, every employee was a screw; everyone was vital and could not be overlooked.

After buying groceries and returning home, Mingxi put on an apron and started cooking Jingchun’s favorite meal. Jingchun sat at the piano, playing Mingxi’s favorite piece. To the accompaniment of the beautiful melody, the meal was soon ready.

They sat across from each other. Mingxi placed a piece of sweet and sour rib in Jingchun’s bowl. As Jingchun took a small bite, the familiar taste warmed her heart. It seemed that choosing to leave everything behind and come home was the right decision; at least here, there was warmth, the family she missed, and Li Mingxi—the one who never treated her as family but was forced to be her sister.

“How is it? Does it taste good?”

Mingxi looked like a child waiting for praise after doing a good deed. Jingchun nodded, indicating it was delicious, and Mingxi’s smile widened.

“If it’s good, eat more.”