45: Poor Xiao Jing

Inside the Rental Room

Tan Jing's small face was flushed with anger. She could tolerate almost anything, but she would not back down when it came to Jiang Chuan!

"Xin Xin, how could you go back on your word?"

Xin Xin sat on a chair, removing her makeup, and replied nonchalantly:

"What's the big deal? I just suddenly didn't want to go."

Tan Jing clenched her small fists and argued her point, "Then you should have told me! I already made arrangements with Jiang Chuan!"

Xin Xin said impatiently, "Are you done? Is such a small thing even worth mentioning?"

She muttered softly, "Just a scammer, luckily I didn't fall for it."

The entire rental room was only so big; even the softest whisper could be heard clearly.

Tan Jing looked at her friend, tears slowly rolling down her face as she said coldly:

"I'll say it one more time, Jiang Chuan is not a scammer!"

Wiping her tears, she packed her luggage, gathered all her belongings, and walked out of the room with her suitcase.

Xin Xin muttered guiltily, "Is it really necessary? Getting so angry... If I hadn't lent you my computer, you wouldn't even be able to stream, yet you're yelling at me."

She didn't care, carefully washed her face, applied a facial mask, and lay comfortably on the bed.

Tan Jing walked aimlessly through the night streets of Falling City, not knowing where to go.

Ten thousand lights were lit, yet not one shone for her. She was like a directionless lonely ghost drifting through this bustling city.

--- -

Jiang Chuan lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He picked up his phone to check the time.

[12:35]

Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to stay up. He sat up, thought for a moment, and sent a message to Tan Jing.

[Jiang Chuan: Are you asleep?]

After waiting for a long time without a reply, he opened the Starlight app and randomly found a game Streamer to watch.

Suddenly, a call came through. It was Tan Jing. Jiang Chuan quickly answered and asked tentatively:

"Hello?"

"What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep yet? I was already sleeping."

Hearing her seemingly normal voice, the sense of unease in Jiang Chuan's heart grew stronger. He said:

"Where are you? Do you want to come over to my place? I have something to tell you."

"I'm at home. What is it? Is it urgent?"

If it were anyone else, Jiang Chuan wouldn't be worried, but Tan Jing's tragic experiences from his past life were still vivid in his mind. He said directly:

"I'll have Uncle Li pick you up. Just wait at home."

"No need! I can come over myself. Are you still at Zhenyi Hotel?"

Jiang Chuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. He said sternly, "Tan Jing, I'll ask you one last time, where are you?"

"I... I'm at the entrance of Luocheng University."

Hearing those words, Tan Jing could no longer suppress her feelings of grievance and began to sob.

"Wait for me!"

Jiang Chuan threw on some clothes, put on his slippers, took the elevator to the underground parking lot, and sped off in the Mercedes-Benz business van.

Everyone laughs at Old Sun, everyone is Old Sun... He soon arrived at Luocheng University, stopped the car, and looked around at the figures nearby.

Soon, he saw Tan Jing wearing a small black dress.

She was squatting pitifully at the main gate of the school, looking up with big, red eyes toward him.

Jiang Chuan reached for a coat, walked over quickly, and draped it over her shoulders.

Without saying a word, Jiang Chuan picked her up in his arms, grabbed her suitcase, and turned back toward the car.

"Hey! Hey!"

Tan Jing cried out in surprise, quickly grabbing his shoulders and shrinking into his embrace.

Jiang Chuan tossed her into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt before closing the door and putting the suitcase in the trunk.

Sitting in the driver's seat, he started the car and focused on driving in silence with a cold face. His speed was not even half as fast as when he came.

Tan Jing peeked at him cautiously from the corner of her eye, not knowing why he was angry and not daring to speak, but her heart felt warm and very comfortable.

Jiang Chuan parked the car in the parking lot, walked to the passenger side, and opened the door, about to pick her up again.

Tan Jing pulled her small hands to her chest and waved them repeatedly, saying, "No... no need, I can walk."

Jiang Chuan didn't force her. He took the suitcase from the trunk and walked toward the elevator.

Tan Jing followed him obediently into the elevator with her head down, not wanting him to see her tear-stained face.

The two went to the first floor, where Jiang Chuan ordered a bowl of noodles before taking her back up to the thirtieth floor.

He pushed open the door, put the suitcase in another room, and returned to the living room.

He sat on the sofa, looking at Tan Jing, who stood there holding the bowl of noodles like a child who had done something wrong.

"Sit down and eat something first."

Tan Jing nodded, sat down beside him, and asked softly, "Do you want some? I'm not very hungry."

"I'm not eating. It's all yours."

Tan Jing looked at the large bowl of noodles and touched her slightly plump belly, but she still began to eat in small bites.

It took her twenty minutes to finish the bowl, showing she really wasn't that hungry... Jiang Chuan was thick-skinned and didn't mind the silence. Seeing she was finished, he asked:

"Did you fight with your friend? And then you ran to the Luoda University entrance to squat there?"

"How did you know?"

Tan Jing looked up in shock, but she quickly lowered her head again.

"I had you learn voice acting, and you use it on me, huh?"

"S... Sorry!"

Jiang Chuan sighed and stood up, pressing her small head into his chest as he said softly:

"In the future, call me if anything happens, no matter what time it is, okay?"

Hearing this, the tears Tan Jing had just stopped began to flow again, even more than before. No one had ever cared for her like this.

At home, her parents didn't; at school, her roommates didn't; and after graduation, her good friend didn't either.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She gradually stopped controlling her voice and hugged his waist.

She cried loudly, as if releasing all the grievances she had accumulated over the years.

Jiang Chuan stroked her hair, not trying to talk her out of it, just accompanying her in silence.

Until she stopped crying, he squatted down, cupped her small face, wiped her tears, and whispered:

"Xiao Jing, I couldn't pay back thirty million in two lifetimes. I will definitely protect you and never let anything happen to you again!"

Tan Jing felt his gentle treatment. Although she didn't understand what he meant, his careful care...

...was something she had never felt before. She looked into his eyes and nodded vigorously.

Jiang Chuan rubbed her soft face and said, "Go get your makeup bag, I'll help you remove your makeup."

"No need, I can do it myself. Just wait for me a moment."

Jiang Chuan nodded, went to the bathroom, got a towel, soaked it in cold water, and wrung it out.

Yawning, he returned to the living room and sat on the sofa watching a stream while waiting for her to come out.

Tan Jing gently locked the door and leaned against it for a long time before finally going into the bathroom to remove her makeup.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Jiang Chuan, but she subconsciously locked the door wherever she was, even at home. It had become an instinct.

After removing her makeup, she took a comfortable hot shower and walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Fearing he might be waiting too long, she briefly dried her hair to ensure it wouldn't drip.

She put her hair up as she walked out of the bathroom, then squatted by the bed to open her suitcase. She took out two sets of pajamas and looked back and forth, not knowing which one to wear.

One was a loose pink short-sleeved top and shorts set with a bunny pattern, which looked very cute.

The other was a white lace nightgown with a very low neckline that made it impossible to bend over, and the hem barely covered her. It looked very seductive.