The Exclusive Bodyguard of the Top Idol - Chapter 51

When Ji Qingshi said she should stay and rest here, she really meant for her to lie down on the bed.

However, dormitory beds are all single-sized, so fitting two people would be a tight squeeze. Ji Qingshi wasn’t feeling sleepy, so she just sat by the bed and watched her.

Ren Jiao lay on Ji Qingshi’s bed, the blanket draped over her waist, surrounded entirely by her scent. Her mind grew hazy, and she stared at Ji Qingshi in a daze for a long while before finally shifting slightly inward, trying to make more space beside her.

“Big sis, you should lie down too.”

Hearing this, Ji Qingshi glanced at her, then looked down at the small space she had freed up. Anyone who’s lived in a dorm knows just how narrow single beds are—sometimes, even one person can’t freely toss and turn, let alone two. If Ji Qingshi were to lie down now, the distance between them would be extremely close, to the point where they’d be pressed together even without moving.

Ren Jiao, of course, knew this. But she didn’t care, nor did she want to feign hesitation anymore. Ji Qingshi’s behavior today was a crucial signal. Actively letting her stay and rest here was practically a declaration of shifting attitudes. This was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss.

Ji Qingshi didn’t hesitate for long before taking off her shoes and lying down. Both of them had changed into clean clothes after returning, and now, lying face-to-face, the air around them was thick with the mingling of their scents, intoxicating.

To save space, they both lay on their sides, gazing at each other in silence.

Ren Jiao’s eyes were fixed intently on Ji Qingshi, gradually turning mesmerized, as if she were sinking into a lake named Ji Qingshi.

Ji Qingshi’s face warmed under her gaze, and she averted her eyes slightly, breaking the silence. “Sister Cen told me your mom woke up.”

Her words successfully drew Ren Jiao’s attention. She blinked, surprised. “When did you and Sister Cen talk about this?”

“While you were filming. She chatted with me for a bit, then left.”

At this, Ren Jiao remembered. Around noon, when everyone was still working, she had occasionally glanced over and seen Cen Shu standing beside Ji Qingshi, the two seemingly deep in conversation.

Ren Jiao pressed her lips together and asked, “What did you two talk about?”

“About you. And about us.”

“Us…?” Ren Jiao was too sharp. Combined with Ji Qingshi’s sudden change in demeanor, she immediately guessed the gist of their conversation.

The thought that certain things and feelings had suddenly been exposed to Ji Qingshi made Ren Jiao feel ashamed. She lowered her eyes, suddenly afraid to meet the other’s gaze, her fingers gripping the edge of the pillow, her whole body tense.

Ji Qingshi observed her reaction but didn’t press the topic. Instead, she shifted the conversation. “It’s good that your mom woke up. There’s still a long road ahead.”

Her gaze drifted away, settling on some distant, uncertain point as she murmured softly, “My parents are still alive, but in my life, they might as well be dead.”

Ren Jiao was taken aback. This was the first time she had heard Ji Qingshi voluntarily bring up her parents. In her memory, Ji Qingshi had never mentioned her family. During the New Year, Ren Jiao had asked if she was going home, and Ji Qingshi had simply said there was no one else in her family. Ren Jiao had assumed her parents had passed away but it turned out they hadn’t?

“My family story is the most cliché trope. Parents who favored sons over daughters. I have an older sister who was married off to a neighboring county as soon as she came of age. After that, I never saw her again, and I have no idea how she’s doing. I also have a younger brother, spoiled rotten since childhood. To satisfy his material desires, my parents arranged a marriage for me before I was even an adult. Hah, calling it a ‘marriage’ is generous. It was more like selling me off for money. ”

“After my sister was married off, I made up my mind that I would find a way to escape this family one day. And I did. Back then, I had nowhere to go and no idea what to do. By sheer luck, I stumbled upon the recruitment for the SWAT program at the police academy and decided to give it a shot.”

Her tone was eerily calm as she spoke, her expression blank, not a trace of sorrow to be found. It was as if she were recounting someone else’s insignificant story.

When she finished, Ren Jiao’s face was etched with heartache, her expression fierce, as if she were ready to fight someone.

Ji Qingshi was amused by her reaction and reached out to gently stroke her hair, just as she had done while protecting her before as if their argument had never happened.

“I stopped caring a long time ago. They can’t do anything to me now, and they’d never dare harass me again.” Ji Qingshi continued running her fingers through Ren Jiao’s hair. “I just felt you should know. After all, this is my background. Even though I’ve long severed ties with them, if we’re going to be together, you have the right to know everything about my past.”

Ren Jiao froze, staring at Ji Qingshi in stunned silence, as if she hadn’t processed her words.

The phrase “be together” slammed into her heart with such force that she couldn’t even muster an immediate response.

Seeing her dumbfounded expression, Ji Qingshi couldn’t help but chuckle and waved a hand in front of her face. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”

Ren Jiao suddenly grabbed her waving hand, eyes locked onto Ji Qingshi’s face, and asked slowly, word by word, “Did you just say, we’re going to be together?”

“Yeah.” Ji Qingshi nodded.

“…In the way I’m thinking?”

Watching her adorable, disbelieving expression, Ji Qingshi interlaced their fingers, squeezing gently as she smiled. “Yes, exactly the way you’re thinking. Jiaojiao, I want to earn a new identity with you. Are you willing to give it to me?”

“A new identity!” Ren Jiao glanced at their intertwined hands before meeting her gaze again. “What identity do you want?”

Ji Qingshi tugged her closer, closing the distance between them, and enunciated each syllable deliberately:

“Girl. Friend.”

The three words rippled through Ren Jiao’s heart, sending wave after wave of emotion crashing inside her.

From the moment she fell for Ji Qingshi, Ren Jiao had considered it an unattainable luxury. At first, she believed Officer Ji. Steadfast as a mountain pine would never take notice of someone like her. Their connection, she thought, would only ever be professional: protector and protected, bound by duty. Later, when she sensed Ji Qingshi’s feelings for her, insecurity and fear made her retreat, even rejecting the other woman’s clear confession with a simple “I’m sorry.”

Ren Jiao had always held a pessimistic view of their relationship. It wasn’t until her mother woke up that things began to change and that change came from within herself.

Chasing after Ji Qingshi, shamelessly vying for her affection again, she had finally gotten her wish. Once more, she heard Ji Qingshi’s confession.

Ren Jiao shifted closer, burying her face against Ji Qingshi’s collarbone. “Why did you end up being the one to say it first again?”

Ji Qingshi blinked, amused, as she pulled her closer. “What’s the difference? We were always going to end up together anyway.”

Ren Jiao intertwined their fingers with one hand while lightly clutching Ji Qingshi’s clothes with the other, mumbling into her chest, “Last time, you were the one who confessed too and I messed it up. I thought this time, it should be my turn.”

Ji Qingshi chuckled softly, holding her tighter. “It doesn’t matter who says it. Besides, us being together now is thanks to you taking the first step. If you hadn’t come to me, I’d still be stuck in my own stubbornness.”

“I can be pretty infuriating when I dig my heels in. You’ll have to put up with that from now on.”

“I’m the one who should feel guilty, having someone like you tolerate me.”

“What do you mean, ‘someone like me’? You’re the best in my eyes! The best in the whole world! Every celebrity in your industry combined still wouldn’t measure up to you!”

Ren Jiao bit her lip, stifling a laugh. “If outsiders heard this, they’d probably scold us.”

“Let them! I don’t care!” Ji Qingshi huffed. “I might not know many celebrities, but among my colleagues just between us, I think their taste in partners is worse than mine!”

This woman, spouting such nonsense with such pride.

“Take Captain Qi, for example. Her taste is already great, but I still think mine’s better.”

Ren Jiao finally burst into laughter, tilting her head up to look at her. “Your bias is out of this world, sis. Putting everything else aside, Captain Qi’s partner is a provincial hero. She infiltrated a criminal syndicate, gathered intel, and played a huge role in taking down the Fengbo Group.”

“Yeah, true, Professor Qin is amazing. But you’re incredible too. You endured so much beside Sheng Dingzhe to gather evidence, and the intel you secured was crucial. You sing, you dance, and now you even act. Wow! My girlfriend is so impressive!”

Her praise grew more effusive, stars practically glittering in her eyes. “In conclusion, my girlfriend is absolutely the best!”

“Pfft—” Ren Jiao couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer, her beautiful eyes crinkling with mirth as she gazed at Ji Qingshi, her expression overflowing with love and gratitude.

She was so clever that she naturally grasped Ji Qingshi’s true intention. She even used this kind of disparagement which others might scorn to tell her, “You are the best, and in my heart, you will always be the best.”

Ji Qingshi gently brushed his lips against Ren Jiao’s forehead and said with deep affection, “I have no other family. Jiaojiao, you are my girlfriend, and you will also be the most important person in my life; now and in the future.”

No more doubting or belittling yourself, and no need to care about those false voices online. There is someone who holds you in the palm of their hand, cradles you carefully in their heart, and cherishes you as if you were their entire world.

Ren Jiao tried hard to hold back, but her eyes still reddened. Since she was fifteen, she had forced herself not to shed tears, yet Ji Qingshi was the only one besides her mother who could so easily break through that sturdy emotional barrier.

She tilted her head up slightly and planted a soft, deliberate kiss on the corner of Ji Qingshi’s lips.