090 Distance

If those words had been spoken by Chen Qing or by any other woman, they would have seemed quite ordinary.

But to hear them from the mouth of a girl of only fifteen, one could not help but be pleasantly surprised.

Given proper care and polish, she would surely become a gem in the rough.

Wu Tianhao clicked his tongue twice and laughed. “Never thought such a little girl could have that kind of insight. You really do make people look at you twice.”

Lin Xia was startled. Stirred by the matter of Xu Yichen, she had lost composure and revealed too much.

Chen Qing smiled. “She writes novels. She’s one of my authors. Even if she hasn’t seen these things herself, she’s read plenty about them in books. Knowing a little isn’t strange.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that.”

“Do you know Xu Yichen? Or have you merely heard of him?” Jing Ye asked, staring straight at Lin Xia.

Lin Xia shook her head. “I only heard you talking about him. It sounded so legendary, like listening to a story. I had thought such plotlines existed only in novels, and never expected there to be such a thing in real life. It just made me think of it—like a tale from an epic chronicle.”

Chen Qing nodded in agreement. “I used to think A Jin was already bad enough, but there is always someone worse. To think there are even such inhuman people.”

Lin Xia pressed her lips together in a smile and did not respond, lowering her head to eat.

As she was still musing over it, she heard Wu Tianhao say, “I heard the old man in their family originally wanted to send Xu Yichen off to some little county in River City. But after seeing his performance lately, he changed his mind and wanted to keep him in the capital instead. Too bad that through this matter, the kid actually woke up to things. He knows the capital is full of murky waters now and isn’t going to wade in and fish for gain. He even volunteered to go to River City himself.”

“Hm? River City? Which county is it? Xia Xia is from River City,” Chen Qing asked.

“I heard it’s called Rongcheng or something. Never even heard of the place.”

The chopsticks in Lin Xia’s hand paused.

So it really was for Liu Ziqing.

Suddenly, the silver-gray Mercedes-Benz RV she had seen on the street that day, while on her way to sing, flashed through her mind.

There were no shortage of rich people in Rongcheng, but none so ostentatious. Could that have been the legendary Xu Yichen?

Thinking of the timing, every Saturday at four in the afternoon was Liu Ziqing’s fixed hour for afternoon tea, and that was already no secret among the students.

If Xu Yichen had been reborn, then given the obsession and madness he had once had for Liu Ziqing in his previous life, it would not be impossible for him to go looking for her.

“Really? Xia Xia is from there. Their education over there is actually quite good,” Chen Qing said with a smile. After all, Xu Yichen would be taking the political path in the future, and she did not dwell on the topic for long. Instead, she asked, “How long will you be staying in B City this time? When are you going back to America?”

The topic that followed was no longer one Lin Xia could join in. She merely pricked up her ears and listened. Besides, different fields were like different mountains; most of what they said went over her head anyway.

After the meal, she had eaten the most of the four, and her stomach was somewhat bloated.

Only then did Lin Xia realize that the reason she had run into Jing Ye, and then collided with him, was because he had just come out of the room prepared for Wu Tianhao.

Such a coincidence truly made her marvel.

The three of them saw Jing Ye off to the car. Lin Xia obediently returned to her room. As for Chen Qing, after reminding Lin Xia not to run around, she stayed in Wu Tianhao’s room.

On the surface, Lin Xia was naturally obedient, but inwardly she was like a kitten scratching and scratching. After all, gossip was irresistible; it made one want to dig into every little detail.

Back in her room, she took a quick shower, changed into her sleepwear, and returned to the bedroom, only then noticing that Jing Ye’s soiled clothes were still left there.

Proof of guilt, proof of guilt, Lin Xia muttered to herself, utterly unwilling to look at the clothes even once more.

A laptop that Chen Qing had brought from home sat on the table. Lin Xia went online for a while, wandering through all kinds of forums. Unfortunately, the clothing seemed to exude some inexplicable pull and scent, making it impossible for her to settle down.

After dawdling for nearly an hour, she took out her phone and found Jing Ye’s contact information. Thinking it over, she still did not place the call.

They had only met twice. They were still practically strangers. To call him so abruptly would make her seem far too eager, as though she were throwing herself at him.

After some thought, Lin Xia finally decided to send him a message instead.

At that very moment, Jing Ye had just come out of the bathroom, with only a bath towel around his waist, and a white towel in his hand still wiping his hair.

When he heard the sound of a message, he found it a little strange. Very few people knew this private number—only a handful of close friends and the company’s trusted inner circle.

Moreover, since it was a text alert, those people would usually call if something came up; they did not often send messages.

Who could it be?

He picked up the phone and saw an unfamiliar number.

“I’m Lin Xia. Um, what should I do with your clothes?”

The clothes?

Oh, the suit that had been dirtied.

Thinking of that sticky, clinging sensation, Jing Ye frowned and replied.

After sending the message, Lin Xia grew uneasy. The moment she pressed send, she already began to regret it. She had no idea what he would think when he saw it. Would she be bothering him? What if he happened to be chatting with his girlfriend or out on a date? What then?

Thinking of that, Lin Xia almost went mad.

Overcome with regret, she could only lie face down on the bed, burying her head deep into the pillow and numbing herself with psychological warfare.

When the message sound finally rang, Lin Xia let out a breath, with the feeling of someone awaiting sentencing.

She snatched up the phone and looked. He had only said a few words: It cannot be used anymore. Throw it away.

Throw it away. Throw it away.

Lin Xia felt those three words looping endlessly in her mind. He thought it was dirty. He thought it was dirty.

That was her first reaction, as though a basin of cold water had been poured straight over her head.

All the strength seemed to drain from her body. Lin Xia lay limp on the bed, not even wanting to reply. In fact, she truly did so. After calling her mother to report that she was safe, she simply turned off her phone.

When Chen Qing returned to the room, she saw Lin Xia lying shapelessly on the bed, looking somewhat listless.

She poured her a cup of warm water and placed it on the table beside her. Then Chen Qing touched her head and asked, “What’s wrong? You were full of energy right after dinner, and in the blink of an eye you’ve wilted. Stomachache?”

After hearing that, and with the power of suggestion, Lin Xia really did feel her stomach begin to hurt.

Leaning against the headboard, she held the glass and drank two mouthfuls of water before feeling a little better.

“Why didn’t Sister Mao stay with Brother Wu a little longer? I’m fine being alone in the room.”

Chen Qing stood up, stretched, rolled her neck, and twisted her waist, smiling. “His jet lag hasn’t adjusted yet, and he’s tired too. I told him to rest a bit.”

Looking at the time on the table, it was already half past nine. Thinking that she still had to attend training the next day, Chen Qing smiled and said, “I’m going to take a shower. You go to sleep first. We still have to get up early tomorrow and report to the company for training.”

Remembering the matter at hand, Lin Xia nodded and lay down to sleep, leaving it at that.