Chapter 17 Chapter 17 "Hold tight."
Yuncheng has stepped into summer. It is May, the molting season, and pet shops are busy.
The work schedule was fully booked with appointments, and the store was short-staffed, so Ji Ci also started picking up scissors and learning pet grooming from Xiao Zhou.
It's not that difficult, just a bit neck-wrenching.
When Jin Sen entered the store, he happened to see Ji Ci bending over and staring at a Maine Coon cat.
He casually took out his cell phone and took a picture.
"Hey, that customer," Sister Xu joked from behind the counter, "No photos allowed in this store."
Jin Sen achieved his goal and put away his phone: "No taking pictures of cats, and no taking pictures of people?"
Ji Ci stood up, muttered "No" under her breath, and then floated away with the cat in her arms.
"It's not going well." Sister Xu typed on the keyboard, her eyes glued to the screen.
"Who said that?" Jin Sen put one arm on the front desk and leaned lazily, "It's going smoothly."
Sister Xu raised her eyes and saw what was on the other person's wrist: "Tsk, he's wearing it again."
He didn't wear the bracelet that Ji Ci bought for him when he was working, but only wore it when he was free.
It's just a blatant show.
Jin Sen raised his eyebrows: "You won't work overtime tonight?"
"What's the matter?" Sister Xu looked at him and asked, "Do you have a dog to wash?"
"Not really," Jin Sen said, "I have a movie to watch."
The latest movie that was released was the type that Ji Ci liked. Jin Sen had made an appointment with them a few days ago. This time, he planned to at least let both of them have popcorn while watching the movie.
Sister Xu chased Jin Sen out of the store with a look of toothache on her face.
At eight o'clock in the evening, Ji Ci finally finished her last order. Xiao Zhou nudged her with his elbow and said, "Alright, go now. I'll take care of the rest."
Ji Ci's face flushed: "I'll treat you to milk tea tomorrow."
She went to the studio to change out of her work clothes and planned to go home to change clothes first. When she was about to leave, the store's landline rang. Sister Xu picked it up and told the name of the store first.
"Hey, Xiaoji."
Just seconds before Ji Ci pushed the door open, she was called.
Sister Xu pointed to the receiver in her hand and said, "It's for you."
There have been calls asking for Ji Ci by name. A small number of them were young male customers who were blocked because their pursuit was unsuccessful and they could only call the pet shop's landline. The rest skipped the platform and made private appointments with employees. Ji Ci had a good service attitude, so many people were happy to find her.
"A man." Sister Xu said in a low voice, covering the microphone.
Ji Ci nodded slightly and took the receiver: "Hello."
There was a pause of about two seconds, followed by a chuckle: "It really is you."
The long-lost voice was like a bucket of cold water poured over Ji Ci's head, soaking her completely in an instant.
For a moment she was completely empty, as if she had fallen into the deep sea, standing there at a loss.
"You've lived a wonderful life since leaving Beijing—"
Ji Ci suddenly put the receiver on the phone, and with a "bang", Sister Xu was startled.
She was just replying to a customer's message. The sound made her look up subconsciously and she saw Ji Ci's pale face.
"W-What happened?"
"Nothing." Ji Ci let go of the receiver, pressed her five fingers on the edge of the front desk, and then slowly retracted them.
She seemed a little flustered, her eyes lowered, she blinked many times, and even her breathing seemed to become much faster.
Sister Xu frowned: "Those men again?"
Ji Ci reacted and nodded.
Sister Xu immediately checked her call logs and said, "I blocked his number."
"Thank you, Sister Xu." Ji Ci said.
"Call Boss Jin along," Sister Xu said, feeling a bit worried. "That guy hasn't come looking for you recently, has he?"
"No," Ji Ci whispered, "I'll go out and take a look."
The distance from the front desk to the door was only a few meters, but it seemed particularly far away today. Ji Ci almost dragged her legs to walk over and raised her hand to push open the double glass doors.
There are only a few electric bikes parked at the bottom of the three-story staircase outside the store.
Haven't come to my door yet.
The huge stone hanging in her heart fell to the ground with a loud bang. Ji Ci seemed to have caught her breath suddenly. She took out her mobile phone with trembling hands, walked down the stairs, flipped through the address book, and called Zhuang Yan.
Jin Sen was chatting with someone in the shop next door. He caught a glimpse of another figure passing by the door of the shop. He didn't pay much attention to it because he thought that if it was Ji Ci, she would definitely look at him.
But after a while he felt something was wrong and took a slow look out of the store. He found that Ji Ci was walking very fast and had already walked some distance away.
"Hey," he hurriedly chased people away, "It's closed. Let's talk another time."
He was delayed for a while and missed the same elevator as Ji Ci. When he reached the eighth floor, the sensor light outside was on and the door on Ji Ci's side was not closed, leaving a narrow gap.
This is not something Ji Ci would normally do.
Jin Sen walked over, and before he reached the door, he heard the sound of a phone call from inside the room. Ji Ci's voice was urgent, with a faint nasal tone: "...I can't stay here any longer. He called the pet shop's landline, and he'll probably come over soon."
Jin Sen paused.
"What if the store gets implicated? I wouldn't be surprised if people like them could do anything."
As he was speaking, there were three knocks on the door.
Ji Ci sat up suddenly, as if she had suddenly thought of something, and hurried out of the bedroom. It was indeed Jin Sen.
Jin Sen politely stopped outside the door and asked her what was wrong.
Ji Ci opened her mouth, said nothing, and closed it again.
My mind was in a mess and I felt like I was standing there like a scarecrow, confused and not knowing what to do.
Jin Sen was not in a hurry and waited for her answer.
"I..." Ji Ci lowered her head and glanced at the phone in her hand that was talking on it. "My friend has something to do."
Jin Sen nodded slightly: "Then you go ahead and do your thing."
He grabbed the door handle and was about to close the door, but was stopped immediately the next second.
"Boss Jin!" Ji Ci took two steps forward and stood in the corridor between the bedroom and the living room. "I..."
Her eyes wandered, she seemed to want to say something but hesitated. She called the person over, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Jin Sen saw her embarrassment and did not force her to speak. He just said that he was next door and she could come to him anytime if she had any problems.
The door closed, and the lock fell with a "click". Ji Ci leaned against the door as if exhausted, and slowly sat down on the ground along the wall.
"What's wrong?" Zhuang Yan asked on the other end of the phone, "What do you want to say to him?"
Ji Ci bent her legs, hugged them with her arms, arched her body, and put her chin on her knees: "I want to leave, I have to give up my lease."
She spoke with a heavy nasal tone, and her throat seemed to be filled with something that made people choke and cry.
It's just a sentence. If you don't say it in one go, it will be even more difficult to say it after hesitation.
"I made an appointment with him to watch a movie today." Ji Ci sniffed and whispered, "He didn't blame me for suddenly breaking the appointment."
In the bedroom, the suitcase was lying on the floor, with clothes piled on top.
Wonton jumped down from the foot of the bed, walked to Ji Ci with straight cat steps, and rubbed his head against her legs.
"If you really can't bear to let him go, just tell him. It's always easier to figure it out with two people than alone."
Ji Ci picked up the wonton and said, "But why?"
Boss Jin's life was peaceful and simple. He spent every day bragging and joking with his neighbors and friends. He was very relaxed and comfortable. Why should he get involved in this mess for her?
"He is willing." Zhuang Yan said.
Ji Ci put her face against Wonton's back: "But, will you always be willing?"
When you first fall in love, you are always overwhelmed and your emotions drive you to do things on impulse.
However, when the original tranquility is broken and faced with a devastated life after hard struggle, who can guarantee that there will be no regrets?
"I'm afraid he'll blame me," Ji Ci rubbed her eyes, "I don't want that."
Instead of blaming each other and becoming a pair of resentful couple, it is better to end it without any disease and stop at the best time.
Zhuang Yan sighed: "If you think so, why did you approach him in the first place?"
Everything in Beijing is like a time bomb, always there, and will explode sooner or later. Ji Ci should have thought that there would be such a day, so why should she be so reluctant to leave.
After a brief silence, Ji Ci sniffed: "I don't know, I can't control it..."
There are still ten minutes before the movie starts. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it if I walk to the cinema.
Jin Sen threw his phone on the sofa, leaned back, and stared at the chandelier on the ceiling.
He didn't know what had happened, but Ji Ci seemed to be in a state of great emotional turmoil, so it must be something serious. He wanted to comfort her, but was rejected. Jin Sen had no choice. After all, their relationship was not close enough to force his way into a girl's room.
So what happened? Was she being harassed by a customer? Or was it her father in Jing City?
Ji Ci is usually emotionally stable and not the kind of person who throws tantrums. In all likelihood, it's the latter.
Jin Sen stood up from the sofa.
“Knock knock knock—”
The door suddenly knocked three times and he walked over quickly to open it.
Ji Ci changed her clothes and stood outside the door with her head down.
She entwined her fingers in front of her and said sheepishly, "Can we still make it to the movie?"
Jin Sen didn't say anything nonsense: "Yes."
When they got to the store, he handed Ji Ci a helmet and said, "Time is a bit tight."
Ji Ci put it on his head quickly and stepped onto the back seat of the motorcycle.
Her fingers pulled on both sides of Jin Sen's coat: "Is it okay for me to hold you like this?"
The helmet was heavy, and her voice was muffled inside, lingering around her ears along with the heat.
Jin Sen seemed not to have heard. He let go of the handle and grabbed Ji Ci's wrist with his backhand, then pulled her towards his waist. Ji Ci subconsciously moved forward, and the girl's slender arms were wrapped around his side.
Through the thin clothes, Ji Ci could feel the other person's tense abdominal muscles, and subconsciously wanted to stop.
"Hold tight." Jin Sen's words were equally vague.
Her face turned red, and she simply closed her eyes and made up her mind. She followed suit with her other hand and pressed her whole body against the other person's back.
The motorcycle started slowly, and Jin Sen intentionally slowed down, but Ji Ci could still feel the inertia pushing her backward. Her helmet blocked out the wind, leaving a gentle buzz in her ears, like the fluttering wings of a summer cicada. She clasped her hands together, a tight embrace from behind, a warmth she was reluctant to let go.
"Boss Jin."
Her voice was so soft that it couldn't be heard outside the helmet.
"I don't want to leave. I can't bear to leave you." ----------------------
The author has something to say: I forgot I didn’t update yesterday and sent out two red envelopes [laughing and crying]
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