Chapter 12 Farce (Part 1)
As Ji Rendong walked toward the conference room, she gently rubbed her fingers together, as if the soft touch of Shi Banxia's hair still lingered on her fingertips.
Remembering Banxia's slightly flushed face, she couldn't help but smile, but lowered her lips again after hearing footsteps.
"Honeysuckle, you and Banxia are going to a meeting later, right?" Mu Xueqing said, handing Shi Banxia an envelope and giving her a meaningful smile.
"This is Banxia's letter. Please give it to her."
Ji Rendong nodded and took the envelope. She was clearly stunned when she saw the picture on the envelope.
Mu Xueqing chuckled and patted Ji Rendong's shoulder. "Remember to give it to her." With that, she turned and left.
Ji Rendong lowered his eyes and stared at the envelope.
The painting depicts a heart pierced by an arrow, with the words "My dearest Banxia baby" written in a playful and colorful cursive script next to it. The signature is a large "Your Qing loves you."
A strange, bittersweet emotion, like the cold wind of the Arctic, spread quietly and unexpectedly into Ji Rendong's heart.
Ji Rendong's fingers tightened slightly as she held the envelope. She put the envelope into her folder, her expression returning to its usual calm.
In the conference room, Shi Banxia was already seated, engrossed in writing and drawing in her notebook. Ji Rendong walked in and sat down beside her, his movements as usual.
"Sister Rendong, you're here!" Shi Banxia immediately looked up, a smile on her face.
"Mm," Ji Rendong responded, his gaze sweeping over Shi Banxia's surprised face. He paused for a moment before handing over the envelope, his tone devoid of emotion.
"Xueqing asked me to give this to you."
Shi Banxia's attention was immediately drawn. She eagerly took the envelope, her excitement undisguised, "My dear finally sent me a letter?!"
Shi Banxia examined the heart on the envelope and burst out laughing, "Why is it still so cheesy?"
Ji Rendong paused slightly as he flipped through the documents, lowering his eyes to conceal the darkness within them.
Darling...so cheesy...?
So, is this how they usually are?
The meeting began, and Shi Banxia carefully put away the envelope, intending to read it after the meeting.
Throughout the meeting, Ji Rendong appeared more silent than usual. She focused on the content on the projector, occasionally taking notes, but the aura she exuded was a bit colder than usual.
Shi Banxia keenly noticed this change. She stole a glance at Ji Rendong and saw that she was pressing her lips together and looking down at the documents in her hand.
Was the meeting content too difficult?
Shi Banxia looked up at the projector, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
As soon as the meeting ended, Shi Banxia was about to lean closer to Ji Rendong to say something when Ji Rendong stood up first, saying in a flat tone, "The data still needs to be organized, I'll go to the office area first."
After Ji Rendong finished speaking, he left without looking at her as usual.
Shi Banxia stood there, stunned, watching Ji Rendong's retreating figure, feeling a void in her heart.
For the next half day, Shi Banxia noticed that Ji Rendong was clearly "avoiding" her.
When she handed in the photography materials, Ji Rendong simply nodded in a businesslike manner; when she went to the canteen to eat, she was told that Ji Rendong had taken the food back to her room to eat; even when they met in the corridor, Ji Rendong's gaze only lightly swept over her and landed in the distance.
This deliberate distance made Shi Banxia feel flustered and wronged. She kept thinking about the reasons, and it wasn't until evening that she opened the letter.
The letter was sent by Shi Banxia's best friend Lin Qing, who was studying in country N. The whole letter was either teasing Shi Banxia or reporting on her own study abroad life. It ended with:
"My dearest Banxia, don't forget me even when it's freezing cold! Come visit me in T City after you finish work! Love you!"
Shi Banxia couldn't help but smile, looking at the hastily drawn and exaggerated heart. She suddenly recalled Ji Rendong's strange behavior at the meeting earlier that day, and his subsequent change in attitude. A thought popped into Shi Banxia's mind:
Could it be that... Ji Rendong misunderstood something?
This conjecture made Shi Banxia's heart leap. It wasn't anger at being misunderstood, nor the annoyance of being deliberately avoided, but a joy mixed with disbelief.
If Sister Rendong acted this way because of the contents of the envelope, does that mean that she has already occupied a different place in Ji Rendong's heart?
Once such a thought takes hold, it's impossible to suppress. Shi Banxia carefully put away the letter, threw on a coat, and jumped out of bed.
At that moment, a voice inside her said: she wanted to see Ji Rendong…
Arriving at Ji Rendong's room, Shi Banxia took a deep breath before gently knocking on the door. "Sister Rendong, it's me."
"Please come in," came Ji Rendong's voice, still calm.
Shi Banxia pushed open the door and saw Ji Rendong sitting at the table, looking at the screen, seemingly working. However, the screen only showed a monotonous standby image. Only one desk lamp was on in the room, and the light outlined her slightly lonely profile.
Shi Banxia gently closed the door and walked to Ji Rendong's side.
"Sister Rendong," Shi Banxia said softly, her voice tinged with a hint of probing, "Are you... not very happy today...?"
"Why do you ask that?" Ji Rendong's answer was concise, her gaze still fixed on the screen. "Is there something you need that's bringing you so late?"
Shi Banxia's heart raced even faster. Deciding to stop beating around the bush, she mustered her courage and walked up to Ji Rendong. "You've been avoiding me all day."
Shi Banxia looked directly at Ji Rendong and said, "You've changed since the meeting this afternoon."
Ji Rendong's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked away. "You're overthinking it. I'm just busy with work today."
"Is it because of that letter?" Shi Banxia asked directly.
The room fell silent. Ji Rendong neither admitted nor denied it.
Shi Banxia noticed that Ji Rendong's gaze had finally shifted away from the screen, but he merely pursed his lips and still did not look at Shi Banxia.
“That was sent by my best friend Lin Qing.”
Shi Banxia softened her voice, her words carrying an explanatory tone, "I've known her since kindergarten. She was studying in N country. That's just her personality—outgoing and likes to joke around."
She emphasized the word "best friend," then paused and observed Ji Rendong's expression.
Ji Rendong simply adjusted his glasses, his face remaining expressionless.
"So," Ji Rendong said calmly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger, "what does this have to do with me?"
The question was asked calmly, even somewhat harshly. But it stirred something within Shi Banxia's heart.
If Ji Rendong truly didn't care, she could have simply laughed it off or given a nonchalant response, instead of using such a probing and defensive question.
Shi Banxia's courage grew stronger. She took a step forward, almost able to smell the faint, cool fragrance emanating from Ji Rendong. She leaned slightly forward, her voice firm.
"It has something to do with me because... I care a lot about your feelings. Ever since I received this letter, you've been avoiding me..."
"Sister Honeysuckle, I'm so sad..."
Ji Rendong's body stiffened for a moment.
Ji Rendong turned her head, and her calm expression was reflected in the glass.
Only Ji Rendong understood how the unfamiliar emotions surging within her caused her to lose her composure when she saw the affectionate words on the envelope and heard Shi Banxia blurt out "my dear."
She hated this uncontrollable emotion, and she also hated herself for deliberately avoiding Shi Banxia because of it.
What expression and mood should I use to face Shi Banxia now?
Shi Banxia continued, her tone tinged with grievance and a hint of cautious probing, "Sister Rendong, did you misunderstand something after seeing the contents of the envelope?"
Ji Rendong didn't turn around, and didn't even utter a "hmm".
This reaction made Shi Banxia even more uncertain. The eagerness to clarify and the fear of misunderstanding overwhelmed everything and also washed away the last bit of hesitation that had been lingering in her heart.
“Sister Rendong,” Shi Banxia’s voice lowered, trembling slightly, but utterly earnest, “Lin Qing is my best friend, that’s true, but you, you are a very important person to me…”
A few seconds later, Ji Rendong slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Shi Banxia's face, the light flickering in her eyes.
"How important is it?" Ji Rendong asked softly.
Shi Banxia's cheeks began to burn uncontrollably. She looked at Ji Rendong, whose usually cool eyes were now reflecting her own image.
Shi Banxia took a deep breath and said, word by word:
"I was very happy to see Lin Qing's letter, but... I will be very sad if Sister Rendong ignores me."
"Sister Rendong, I've been thinking about this the whole way here. If you're like this because of that letter, I'm actually... a little happy..."
"Because this shows that Sister Honeysuckle actually cares about me, right?"
These words almost exhausted all of Shi Banxia's courage. After speaking, she held her breath, waiting for Ji Rendong's reply.
Ji Rendong silently watched her, seeing the blush creep up the girl's face and the nervousness and unwavering sincerity in her eyes.
At that moment, Ji Rendong felt as if his heart had been struck by a sudden blow, and it skipped a beat uncontrollably.
“I’ve never felt this way before,” Ji Rendong said softly. “It’s very unfamiliar and strange.”
Ji Rendong's words gave Shi Banxia renewed courage. She took a step forward, shortening the distance between them once again.
"Sister Honeysuckle, are you jealous?"
The question was too bold, and as soon as the words left her mouth, Shi Banxia suddenly regretted it. She saw a rare hint of panic flash across Ji Rendong's face.
Unexpectedly, Ji Rendong did not deny it. After a long silence, she said softly, "I don't know."
This answer moved Shi Banxia even more than a direct admission. She noticed that Ji Rendong's ear tips were slightly red, and her profile looked exceptionally soft under the warm light.
Shi Banxia reached out and gently touched the back of Ji Rendong's hand.
When Ji Rendong didn't dodge, Shi Banxia couldn't contain her joy. She hooked her little finger with Ji Rendong's and then gently held that slightly cool hand.
"I'm very happy," Shi Banxia said with a smile.
“I’m happy because this might mean…” Shi Banxia’s cheeks flushed slightly, but her voice was firm.
“I must hold a special place in Sister Honeysuckle’s heart, right?”
At that moment, the room was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. Ji Rendong stared at their clasped hands, a warm feeling welling up inside her. She didn't pull her hands away, but instead gently squeezed them back.
This tiny movement made Shi Banxia's heart skip a beat.
"Perhaps." Ji Rendong lowered her eyes slightly, her voice soft...
A note from the author:
They've paired up! Congratulations to the two female guests!
I lost a favorite, sob sob... I'm so sorry... I've been quite busy lately, but I'll try my best to update!
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