Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 15

She felt certain that she must have seen it wrong; the visibility was poor at night, and that person was tall and thin. There were quite a few men with long hair these days, right?

Qi Ning leaned back in the passenger seat, looking somewhat fatigued. Chu Yunjing glanced at her and turned off the bright lights inside the car.

A little over ten minutes later, the car entered Qi Ning’s neighborhood. Chu Yunjing had no intention of going upstairs, so she parked the car at the entrance of the building.

“We’re here.”

Qi Ning was almost asleep, but the sound of Chu Yunjing’s voice roused her from her drowsiness. She straightened up slightly and responded in a soft, sleepy voice, “Oh, okay.”

As she spoke, she reached to unbuckle her seatbelt. Whether it was the lingering effects of the alcohol or the darkness inside the car making it hard to find the latch, she fumbled twice without managing to press the buckle.

Seeing her struggle, Chu Yunjing reached over, turned on the overhead light, and accurately unbuckled her seatbelt. “Can you get upstairs by yourself?”

“Nope.” Qi Ning answered decisively, and the next words came out naturally, “You should carry me upstairs!”

“……” Chu Yunjing scrutinized her for a moment and quickly concluded, “You don’t look like someone who can’t take care of herself. Just say you want to take advantage of me.”

Caught in her own scheme, Qi Ning pouted, worried that Chu Yunjing might actually stumble and fall while going upstairs. In the end, Chu Yunjing parked the car by the roadside, opened the door, and helped her out.

Instead of carrying her, she took Qi Ning’s hand and led her toward the entrance. Qi Ning hadn’t drunk too much, and her tolerance was decent; aside from feeling sleepy, she didn’t think anything was wrong.

She yawned several times along the way.

“You didn’t stay up all night last night either.” Hearing the fourth yawn, Chu Yunjing could no longer hold back and teased her.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Qi Ning replied, “I’m just catching up on sleep from the workweek.”

Chu Yunjing: “…”

The elevator doors opened, and Chu Yunjing led her inside, pressing the button for a certain floor with familiarity, then watched the doors close while the digital display numbers increased.

Qi Ning felt her body growing weak, swaying slightly, and just like that, she leaned against Chu Yunjing, resting her head on her shoulder, her arms wrapped around her waist, clinging like a koala.

It seemed she could fall asleep standing up.

Chu Yunjing turned her head to look at her. From her angle, she could see Qi Ning’s thick, curled eyelashes, her rosy cheeks, and slightly parted pink lips, which made her look somewhat adorable. As long as this person wasn’t too mischievous, Chu Yunjing had to admit that Qi Ning was quite attractive.

Ding!

The elevator opened at the designated floor, and Chu Yunjing took her hand again as they exited. Qi Ning half-closed her eyes, allowing herself to be led.

“You shouldn’t drink so much when you’re out alone. What if you run into a bad person while you’re tipsy?”

Chu Yunjing poured her a glass of warm water and, seeing her sprawled out on the sofa without a care in the world, couldn’t help but lecture her.

“But you’re here, right?” Qi Ning said, reaching out to hook her arm around Chu Yunjing’s neck, flashing a silly grin. “I know you’ll always come to get me, no matter where I am.”

“ I really can’t deal with your shamelessness.” Chu Yunjing was almost amused to the point of anger, pinching her cheek. “Just keep acting like this.”

“How did your blind date go today? You’re not drinking to drown your sorrows from a failed date, are you?” Chu Yunjing casually asked as she watched Qi Ning sip her warm water.

Qi Ning swallowed a mouthful of water and huffed defiantly, “When I make an appearance, it’s only because I’m not interested in the other person, okay?”

“Oh.” Chu Yunjing raised an eyebrow, withholding her opinion.

“The person I met today seemed quite gentlemanly, first impression was good, but unfortunately, I’m not in the mood for a relationship right now.”

“Then why put yourself through the trouble of meeting? You could have just canceled.” Chu Yunjing said. If Qi Ning truly didn’t want to go, nothing could force her.

“He works at the Industrial and Commercial Bureau.” Qi Ning replied matter-of-factly, “It’s good to make friends; it’ll be helpful in the future!”

Chu Yunjing was momentarily stumped by her logic and after a while said, “But you’re not starting a business or opening a shop. What do you need his help for?”

“I don’t, but maybe you do!” Qi Ning said whimsically.

Chu Yunjing frowned slightly, a hint of concern in her eyes as she tucked Qi Ning’s hair behind her ear. “Don’t put yourself in a difficult position.”

“I’m fine!” The subject waved her hand dismissively, appearing carefree. “We’re not interested in each other anyway. I suspect he has a secret relationship and is just using blind dates as a cover.”

After finishing her water, just as Chu Yunjing was about to remind her to shower before sleeping, Qi Ning stood up from the sofa. “I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, be careful on your way back.”

With that, she turned and walked toward her bedroom.

“Aren’t you going to shower?”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“At least remove your makeup first.”

“Goodnight.”

“……”

When Chu Yunjing entered the bedroom, she found Qi Ning already lying in bed, naturally covering herself with a blanket and turning on the air conditioning, her movements so practiced it made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

No matter how she called out to her, Qi Ning refused to wake up.

What could Chu Yunjing do with someone like her? She couldn’t just ignore her; she could only indulge her.

Resigned to reality, Chu Yunjing sighed heavily and accepted her fate, pulling out makeup remover pads and cleansing water to take off Qi Ning’s makeup.

Once the makeup was removed, Qi Ning’s bare face looked even more innocent, her sleeping expression quite obedient, which made Chu Yunjing temporarily forget her “misdeeds.”

“Yunjing!” Just as Chu Yunjing finished tidying up the vanity, she heard the person in bed vaguely calling her name.

“What is it?” she replied irritably, walking over only to realize Qi Ning was mumbling in her sleep with her eyes closed.

Chu Yunjing: “……” smile.jpg

She adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature, and just as she set the remote down, the person in bed spoke again.

But this time, what she said left Chu Yunjing with mixed feelings.

“When are you going to find someone. Don’t avoid marriage; what will you do if no one takes care of you in the future.”

Chu Yunjing frowned, slowly sitting down at the edge of the bed, staring at Qi Ning’s face, and all her thoughts turned into a sigh.

She reached out to smooth Qi Ning’s messy hair and finally whispered, “Goodnight.”

As for when Chu Yunjing changed her mind about marriage, it was probably when she realized she didn’t like boys and cared more about girls, which meant she would never marry a man in this lifetime.

As for marrying the girl she liked, Chu Yunjing felt that was a distant dream. Besides the fact that the country’s circumstances didn’t allow it, the main reason was that she hadn’t met someone she liked. Her social circle was too small, and moreover, she had been busy with company affairs every day, leaving no time for romance.

So she placed her expectations for a partner on Qi Ning, hoping within her means that this childhood friend could live a happier life.

Just as Qi Ning sometimes treated her like a girlfriend, this affection also stemmed from friendship.

Qi Ning was like a free wind; no one could grasp her, yet this breeze would linger for her, occasionally transforming into a little sun to warm her.

This warmth was enough to melt the ice around Chu Yunjing’s heart.

Support