When I Woke Up, I Had Three Romantic Partners - Chapter 45

“Get closer to me?”

Chi Jinqing sneered, “What good would come from you getting closer to me?”

Si Jiamo was choked into silence by the retort. After thinking about it carefully, it seemed like nothing good had ever come of it.

Ever since Chi Jinqing had met her, all sorts of things had been happening, each one utterly frustrating.

She lowered her head sadly, clenching her hands tightly.

Chi Jinqing took a deep breath. Logically, she shouldn’t blame Si Jiamo for this, as it was a side effect that no one could prevent, but she just couldn’t stop herself from being angry.

Si Jiamo: “I know you’re very angry right now, but anger damages your health. You can take your frustration out on me, but please don’t hurt yourself.”

Chi Jinqing: “When have you not said that? Yet, when have you ever made things better for me?”

Chi Jinqing genuinely couldn’t hold it in anymore; she was truly furious.

“Just let me beg you, please, let me go, okay?”

“Just like you said before, someone dirty like me is not worthy of your attention. I don’t want to be entangled with you anymore, I want to give up, and I don’t want to keep explaining myself.”

Chi Jinqing sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. She said painfully, “Just for the sake of our past relationship, let’s give each other one last bit of dignity. Can we part ways peacefully?”

Si Jiamo’s expression grew tense: “No, I won’t allow it.”

She tightly held Chi Jinqing’s hand and pleaded, “Since you also like me, why must we be like this? We can go back. I’ll take back all those terrible things I said, or you can curse at me. You can curse at me however you want.”

“Ah Jin, if you want, even hitting me is fine.”

“Hit me…”

She pulled Chi Jinqing’s hand towards her face, but halfway, Chi Jinqing forcefully stopped it.

Chi Jinqing cried out, completely broken, “Si Jiamo, why are you doing this? What good is this for either of us?”

“Must you drive me to death before you’re satisfied? Will you only let me go if I’m dead?”

Si Jiamo tightly hugged the struggling and distraught Chi Jinqing, her expression sad and pained: “No, Ah Jin, I never thought of that. I’m just afraid…”

“I’m just afraid that you will leave me again, that’s why I act this way. I’m sorry, Ah Jin.”

“I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong.”

The arm she used to hug Chi Jinqing was still trembling. She didn’t want to be like this either, but naturally accustomed to control, she felt helpless and could only try to prove her love to Chi Jinqing this way.

She repeatedly tried to prove the love she desired to Chi Jinqing, but she forgot that love would fade away with repeated trials.

Moreover, Chi Jinqing was not her exclusive possession; she had her own thoughts and would not willingly be controlled by her, becoming a mere emotional cushion sought only when needed.

“You want me to believe you, fine.”

Chi Jinqing stopped struggling, and the panic in her voice had vanished. She tried hard to control her voice: “Transfer Qin Song back to me.”

Si Jiamo’s body stiffened while embracing Chi Jinqing: “What do you want with Qin Song?”

“She’s the manager who has been with me all along. I can’t do without her. We understand each other clearly and are the ones who consider each other the most. I need her by my side to help me.”

Chi Jinqing’s words were like a sharp blade piercing Si Jiamo’s heart. Most clearly understood, most considerate of each other—these were never the labels Chi Jinqing used for her.

Si Jiamo’s silence made Chi Jinqing’s heart sink. She couldn’t help but raise her voice: “So, are you lying to me?”

“Actually, you never planned to let me believe you. You’re just deceiving me, and planning to keep treating me like a useless person that you can easily placate, right?”

Si Jiamo: “No…”

Chi Jinqing pressed closer: “Then promise me.”

Si Jiamo pursed her lips: “I can promise you, but if I bring Qin Song back, will you truly trust me again and let me take care of you?”

Chi Jinqing: “Yes.”

As long as Qin Song was back by her side, she would definitely find a way to escape Su Yunhui’s control. Once she was free from Su Yunhui’s control, she wouldn’t have to be caught in the middle and be threatened.

In the schemes of these three people, she had to break this restriction herself.

She couldn’t be manipulated by these three people anymore.

Si Jiamo didn’t know what Chi Jinqing was thinking, but considering Qin Song’s feelings for Chi Jinqing, she was actually very reluctant for Chi Jinqing and Qin Song to get too close.

However, this was Chi Jinqing’s condition. Currently, Chi Jinqing couldn’t be stimulated, and the help of a familiar person might help soothe her emotions.

Si Jiamo finally relented: “Alright, I’ll have her transferred back. But since you’ve been transferred under Su Yunhui, and Qin Song has been demoted, even if I want to help you, it’s impossible for Qin Song to become your manager again.”

“She can only serve as a sub-manager to assist, but other decisions still need Su Yunhui’s review.”

In fact, most decisions still required her own review, but Si Jiamo didn’t say this, unaware that Chi Jinqing already knew everything.

Chi Jinqing was mentally prepared for this. She nodded: “I understand.”

“Mm, then…”

Si Jiamo looked at Chi Jinqing’s expressionless face and slightly red eyes and said softly, “I’ll ask for a few more days off for you. We can do the concentrated reshoots then.”

“Most of your scenes later on are related to me, and I’ll be shooting them with you.”

Sensing her gaze, Chi Jinqing looked away: “I will get better as soon as possible.”

“Don’t rush too much.”

After saying that, Si Jiamo felt that she sounded a bit like she didn’t want Chi Jinqing to recover, so she paused and added, “It’s better to let things happen naturally. You can’t rush this.”

“We have plenty of time, and you don’t have any scenes scheduled recently, so we can take it slow.”

Chi Jinqing: “Mm.”

Back at the Hotel

Returning to the hotel, Si Jiamo slowly led Chi Jinqing to the elevator door. Initially, Si Jiamo wanted to carry Chi Jinqing up, but Chi Jinqing adamantly refused. She wouldn’t even agree to let Xiao He carry her.

Having no choice, Si Jiamo could only lead her up. Even so, Chi Jinqing seemed unwilling, looking quite gloomy.

But there was no better way.

Upstairs, just as Si Jiamo was about to get her belongings to stay with Chi Jinqing, Chi Jinqing said, “When will Qin Song be here?”

Si Jiamo: “…”

She sighed: “Ah Jin, compared to me, do you still trust her more?”

Chi Jinqing: “Shouldn’t I?”

She didn’t want to get close to Si Jiamo. If Si Jiamo hadn’t insisted on staying, she wouldn’t have wanted to see Si Jiamo again. Since she woke up and encountered Si Jiamo again, nothing good had happened to her.

She didn’t want this.

Si Jiamo: “…”

“She should be able to come in a couple of days. You don’t need to worry. Rest well. I’m going to get my things.”

“I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

Just as Chi Jinqing was about to refuse, Si Jiamo continued, “Doctor’s orders, and you promised me.”

Chi Jinqing: “…”

“If you want to, move in. You’ll be moving out in a few days anyway.”

Si Jiamo pretended not to hear and went upstairs to move her things.

In the Evening

In the evening, Si Jiamo fed Chi Jinqing as usual.

Chi Jinqing ate slowly, listening to Xiao He read the revised script beside her. There were quite a few changes in certain parts, especially after the addition of the character ‘Teacher Zhu’, the script had become more complex.

The entanglement between Duan Rong and the character Zhu Qi was now more detailed, and many scenes that could have been skipped now had to be filmed.

Xiao He felt that the character Duan Rong was truly tragic—unloved by her father, neglected by her mother, the grandmother who adopted her passed away due to illness, and she was then imprisoned/humiliated by her teacher.

“Director Yu is brave to shoot this. Other directors would absolutely not write a script like this, let alone detail it and film it. Tsk, tsk.”

Si Jiamo didn’t think much of it. She believed that Director Yu was definitely not a vulgar person. Even if she filmed some details, she wouldn’t require them to actually do anything; at most, there would be a suggestive shot.

Moreover, this was a promotion of open-ended filmmaking.

“Upon closer look, this script isn’t a purely teenage drama; it’s more about hardship. Duan Rong’s character mainly shoulders the pain. It’s like ‘the weakest rope is the one that snaps,’ and ‘fate singles out the suffering soul.'”

Chi Jinqing didn’t say anything. Since they were filming anyway, it didn’t matter what they filmed.

Xiao He was reprimanded and had to retreat sheepishly. She didn’t understand this kind of art, only feeling that everything was too concentrated, and only on one person. No one else suffered any substantial harm, which was going too far.

Good people remained good, and suffering people remained suffering.

Just like Duan Rong in the script, who was already in pain, abandoned by her biological parents since birth. After finally being picked up and raised, she was bullied because of poverty and good grades. The school did nothing, and the teachers didn’t believe her.

A teacher even told her to think about why others only bullied her and not others? Was it because she had done something wrong, or something shameful?

This kind of irresponsible remark prevented Duan Rong from raising the idea of resistance. She remained silent and endured the bullying until high school, where she met Qing Chen and things finally improved.

But later, Qing Chen and Bai Qi got together. Because of gossip, they transferred schools, leaving Duan Rong alone again.

She had already been taught and protected enough to become slightly stronger. Just as she gathered the courage to struggle, the new English teacher dragged her into the abyss, never to return.

If these things were divided among other people, they wouldn’t be able to bear it, let alone piled up on one person.

So, in the end, Duan Rong went mad and died.

And the villain, Zhu Qi, also died.

The students who bullied Duan Rong did not receive punishment. Ultimately, the only ones who came to Duan Rong’s grave were Bai Qi and Qing Chen. They held hands, their eyes flashing with guilt towards Duan Rong.

If they had persisted a little longer, held on a little longer, perhaps Duan Rong wouldn’t have died.