When I Woke Up, I Had Three Romantic Partners - Chapter 37

Zhuge Wei looked at Chi Jinqing. She really liked her, and the liking wasn’t the kind one felt for a friend; she was genuinely happy that Chi Jinqing might reconsider her romantic interest.

But Chi Jinqing didn’t acknowledge her, even closing her eyes.

Zhuge Wei: “…”

She pouted, finally yielding to Chi Jinqing’s coldness: “Since you dislike me so much, I won’t say things like that anymore. We’ll just be ordinary friends, okay?”

Chi Jinqing barely glanced at her: “Really just friends? Nothing else?”

Zhuge Wei raised her hand and said sincerely, “I swear.”

Chi Jinqing: “Fine.”

If she weren’t genuinely exhausted and didn’t want to think too much right now, she wouldn’t be so determined to distance herself from Zhuge Wei. The other woman had taken good care of her over the years; if they couldn’t be lovers, being ordinary friends was still possible.

Zhuge Wei blinked, masking her disappointment. Chi Jinqing’s quick agreement clearly meant she hadn’t taken her words to heart.

However, given the situation, she couldn’t press the issue any further.

She sighed heavily: “You never used to talk like this. You’ve changed so much lately, I feel like you’re not yourself anymore.”

Chi Jinqing quickly finished the black tea in her cup: “Everyone changes after going through so much. No one remains the same.”

“Actually, I think the current you are better. Before, whenever I saw you, I always felt you were unhappy. Now, you seem much better, and your complexion is good too.”

Her words were sincere; she was genuinely happy for Chi Jinqing.

Zhuge Wei remembered the first time she met Chi Jinqing. She had just debuted, still just a child, but the maturity on her face was far greater than the people around her. Her eyes seemed to be filled with stories, which made Zhuge Wei want to explore them.

As they got more familiar, she found it even harder to understand the fractured inner world of the person. It seemed to encompass so much, yet nothing at all.

Chi Jinqing: “Thank you.”

Zhuge Wei: “I heard before that you’ve been having to pay off debts because of your family’s situation, but when you were injured, your family didn’t seem to come and see you.”

“Is your family relationship not very good?”

Zhuge Wei found it strange. Logically, if Chi Jinqing was paying off debts for her family, their relationship should be decent. Yet, she had been injured for so long, and no one from her family had come to visit or even sent a message.

This was confusing to her.

Chi Jinqing’s hand holding the teacup paused, and her lowered, narrow eyelashes trembled slightly, as if there were some words she couldn’t say.

Seeing Chi Jinqing becoming distressed, Zhuge Wei quickly smacked her own mouth and said regretfully, “My mistake, my mistake. I shouldn’t have asked about that.”

“It’s alright, it’s not a secret.”

Chi Jinqing put the cup down again and opened the window, letting the outside sunlight stream in. She squinted slightly, uncomfortable with the brightness, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: “Actually, many people don’t know that the mother I have now is my stepmother.”

“She is thirteen years younger than my father. He brought her back the year after my mother passed away.”

Chi Jinqing gave a bitter smile: “That year, I was fourteen, and they conceived their own child.”

“When that child was born, she had congenital deficiencies. She has always been frail and sickly, constantly needing attention and careful care.”

Zhuge Wei sighed: “I see…”

“Then your father’s investment failure…”

Chi Jinqing: “After my father’s investment failed three times, resulting in losses, although I was still in school, I had no choice but to work part-time and enter the entertainment industry. Sister Qin was the one who led me into the industry; she is my benefactress.”

With the conversation opened up, Chi Jinqing held nothing back. After all, none of this was a secret; it could all be found out with a little research.

“At that time, Father owed 1 billion yuan. To repay the debt, I stayed in the entertainment industry. After all, it’s a good place to make fast money. Although I never achieved huge popularity, the money I earned was enough to slowly pay off the debt.”

“Over the years, Father’s business has gradually improved, and he can fill some of the gaps, so I estimate I can retire in three or five years.”

Chi Jinqing’s words were very calm, so calm that it didn’t sound like a retirement announcement, but rather like talking about what she had for lunch today.

Zhuge Wei opened her mouth, wanting to convince her to stay, but didn’t know what to say. After all, Chi Jinqing entered the industry just to pay off the debt. Once the debt was cleared, she would have nothing left to hold onto.

But if she quit the industry, how would Zhuge Wei see her or work with her again?

“Do you truly not like acting at all? And what about your fans, don’t you feel any reluctance to leave them?”

Zhuge Wei: “They’ve been supporting you since your debut, treating you as their goal. If you just quit like this, wouldn’t you be letting them down?”

Chi Jinqing shook her head and said softly: “I’m not anyone particularly worthy of being idolized. It’s their affection that has put me on a pedestal. When I leave, they will also grow fond of other newcomers; someone will take my place in their hearts.”

Zhuge Wei blurted out: “But they are not you.”

Chi Jinqing: “…”

They are not her, but they will do better than her.

Zhuge Wei saw through Chi Jinqing’s thoughts and sighed softly: “You have talent. You are suitable for this profession. Many people want to be like you, but they can’t. You can. Why don’t you consider yourself a bit more?”

“Chi Jinqing, you should think more about yourself.”

The burden of her family had put immense pressure on her. She had constantly been striving for her family, but why couldn’t she love herself a little more?

“You can let your father pay back the debt he owes. There’s no need for you to shoulder everything.”

“They haven’t been good to you, have they?”

If they truly cared about her, they wouldn’t have failed to show up even once after all this time.

Why was Chi Jinqing still holding onto a family like this?

Chi Jinqing lowered her eyes: “After all, he gave me life and raised me for over ten years. It’s normal to pay back his debt.”

Before her stepmother appeared, her father was very good to her. Whether it was education or daily necessities, she always had the best growing up.

Her father let her learn the instruments she liked, study the minor languages she preferred, nurtured her talent, and took her to amusement parks. Everything was so beautiful.

Unfortunately, after her mother was gone, her father changed, and the entire home no longer belonged to her.

She clenched her hands. She didn’t understand what else she had besides this.

“There are many things we can’t just choose not to do. Maybe my persistence seems foolish to you, but this is all I have.”

Chi Jinqing’s eyes were slightly red, and the smile on her face was full of bitterness.

She knew how difficult it was to wait for someone who wouldn’t turn back, just as difficult as her waiting for her father to see her again and love her again.

But this was all she had.

Zhuge Wei bit her lip lightly. She didn’t know what to say anymore.

Perhaps this was Chi Jinqing’s way of seeking what she wanted.

While they were talking, Chi Jinqing’s phone rang. She nodded apologetically to Zhuge Wei and walked aside to take the call.

She cleared her throat and said, “Dad.”

Chi Father sounded a little guilty: “Jinqing, I’m sorry. Your sister was hospitalized again recently, and this time she’s in the ICU. Your aunt and I have been with Yueyue and didn’t have time to check on you. I didn’t realize you were injured. How are things now?”

Chi Jinqing pulled at the corner of her mouth, trying hard to pretend nothing was wrong: “It’s fine, I’m already recovered. It wasn’t very serious.”

Chi Father said dryly, “That’s good.” Then he hesitated: “Uh, Jinqing.”

Chi Jinqing knew what he wanted from the sound of his voice, but still asked, “What is it?”

“The money earned before was all used to pay off the debt. I know you earn a lot, and having this debt on your shoulders is difficult, so I wanted to pay off as much as possible to ease your burden.”

Chi Father sounded a bit embarrassed: “But recently, the company was suddenly targeted by other companies. A lot of funds are tied up in resources, and some are in circulation, so I don’t have any money on hand right now…”

“I was wondering if you could lend me two million yuan for your sister’s surgery? We finally found a matching heart source this time. If we miss it again, I don’t know if your sister will be able to wait any longer.”

Chi Jinqing’s younger sister, Chi Jinyue, was born with congenital heart disease. The younger the treatment, the better for her future, and ideally, they would find a healthy heart for replacement.

They had been searching for a suitable heart for twelve years and hadn’t found one. A few years ago, they finally found one, but because the family went bankrupt, couldn’t afford the medical expenses, and the whole family was heavily in debt while Chi Jinqing was also in a difficult period, they missed the opportunity.

This was the second chance, and this heart was even better than the last one, making it Chi Jinyue’s second opportunity. Her own heart couldn’t hold on much longer.

Chi Jinqing: “…”

“Okay.”

She knew that he wouldn’t contact her for anything else.

“I’ll borrow the money and transfer it to you.”

She only had a few tens of thousands of yuan in her account. She hadn’t received the money from the fallout with Su Yunhui, and she hadn’t been paid for her recent cameo appearances. The money she had was used for medical expenses.

She couldn’t immediately come up with the money for her father.

Chi Father urged anxiously: “Then hurry up. There are many people competing for this heart source. We’re prioritized because we’ve been on the waiting list for a long time.”

Chi Jinqing said expressionlessly: “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

Zhuge Wei looked at her. Since she hadn’t walked far, and Chi Jinqing hadn’t deliberately kept her voice too low, she heard everything clearly.

Chi Jinqing needed money.

She had money.

As soon as Chi Jinqing hung up the phone, Zhuge Wei immediately said, “If you need money, you can ask me.”

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

She said apologetically, “I just accidentally overheard.”

“Although I’m not extremely rich, I’m wealthy enough. I can lend it to you without interest.”

Chi Jinqing pursed her lips. She couldn’t think of anyone else she could borrow money from at the moment. The fact that Zhuge Wei was willing to offer made her feel relieved.