Chapter 21 Chapter 21 A kiss that stops at just the right amount, just one touch...
Ji Ci didn't stay in the store for long. She took the key from Jin Sen and went to the eighth floor with Zhuang Yan without stopping.
Her suitcase was placed by the entrance. After Jin Sen came back, he probably just put the suitcase down for her and didn't even go in.
"Sure, I'll rent you a room this big for a few hundred bucks? You dare to actually move in? Aren't you afraid of being tricked?"
"He only rented me a bedroom." Ji Ci said as she sorted her clothes.
Zhuang Yan looked around: "There's no one in the other rooms."
"Hmm... maybe no one's renting it," Ji Ci said, unsure what to say. "Don't worry about it. He's helped me a lot before, and everyone on this street knows he's a good person."
"Before this?" Zhuang Yan pondered. "Could he have already taken a fancy to you? Otherwise, why would he be so nice to you?"
"He's kind to everyone," Ji Ci puffed out her cheeks. "You'll understand once you get to know him more."
Returning to the bedroom, with Zhuang Yan by her side, she felt a little relieved.
They slept together at night. Ji Ci stared at the ceiling, thinking about what Zhuang Yan said to her in the auto repair shop.
Are you going to stay here forever?
Working in a pet shop, dating Mr. Jin.
Will they get married and settle down in Cloud City?
But even snowflakes couldn't form here. She missed the heavy snow in Beijing in winter and the medicinal field in front of her door. The green leaves were hidden among the white snow. She liked to wear thick gloves and dig in it.
Ji Ci moved lightly and quietly got up. She found the small medical kit in the compartment of the suitcase. The disposable needles were sealed in plastic packaging and there was a slight crisp sound when they were taken out.
Take out all the things, and inside there is a brown needle holder embroidered with ginkgo leaves.
Times are advancing rapidly. When Ji Ci was a child learning acupuncture, there were no disposable sterile needles. Her grandmother had a set of silver needles, which she kept in this needle holder. Ji Ci wanted them very much at the time, but her grandmother said that she could only have them when she grew up.
But when she grew up a little, she got aluminum storage boxes, and then she started using disposable ones.
Just when Ji Ci was about to forget about this matter, her grandma gave her this needle clip.
She was already in college, and her grandmother used disposable acupuncture needles at that time. This set of needles had not been used for a long time, and Ji Ci wondered if it could still be used.
She pulled out a long needle and held it in her hand.
The light in the room was too dim to see clearly, so she walked to the window and lifted the curtains a little, wanting to observe in the moonlight without disturbing Zhuang Yan's sleep, but her finger slipped and the silver needle fell to the ground.
She hurriedly squatted down to look for it, but the floor was like a dark gray endless ocean. The silver needle was like a drop in the ocean, and she couldn't find it even if she felt carefully.
With a "click", Zhuang Yan turned on the light.
Ji Ci looked up, her long hair covering her face.
"What are you doing?" Zhuang Yan squatted beside her with sleepy eyes.
The two of them were like mushrooms growing together, and after being watered by a rain, they suddenly popped out of the ground.
Ji Ci laughed at herself, but then felt uncomfortable.
"I can't find my needle."
"What needle?" Zhuang Yan asked.
Ji Ci tucked her long hair behind her ear and said, "This is the needle my grandma left me, a long needle."
Zhuang Yan stood up, took out her phone, turned on the flashlight and helped her search. As she searched, she complained, "It's the middle of the night, are you going to stab me?"
"No," Ji Ci said, "I just wanted to take a look when you asked me today."
The needle handle was wrapped with metal wire, making it quite conspicuous. The flashlight was bright, so I found it with a little search.
Zhuang Yan crossed his arms and placed them on his knees, watching Ji Ci carefully wipe the silver needle and put it back in place, his eyes full of reluctance and caution.
"Actually, you want to go back to Beijing," said Zhuang Yan.
Ji Ci pursed her lips: "It's not like I can go back just because I want to."
Zhuang Yan frowned: "If you want to go back, then go back. We live in a society ruled by law now. What are you afraid of?"
Ji Ci lowered her eyes.
Zhuang Yan sighed pretentiously: "Beauty is hard to resist the hero. If you are because of someone, then there is really no going back."
Ji Ci put the needle clip back into the medical bag.
"How about opening a clinic in Yuncheng?" Zhuang Yan suggested, lying back on the bed. "With Boss Jin backing you up, it shouldn't matter even if you get discovered, right?"
"It's not that easy to run a clinic," Ji Ci tidied up and turned off the lights. "First, we have no connections, and second, no customers. Can't people just go to the community hospital? Why would they come to you?"
"But do you really want to work in a pet shop for the rest of your life?" Zhuang Yan felt a little uncomfortable. "Honestly, Ji Ci, I feel sorry for you."
"Let's talk about it later," Ji Ci also got into bed. "Maybe one day I'll go back to Jing City and take Boss Jin with me? I want to show him the snow in Jing City. The winter there is more beautiful than Yuncheng."
“…”
They chatted about random things in the dark, and Zhuang Yan soon fell asleep.
Ji Ci still couldn't sleep, but she was afraid of waking people up again, so she just lay there without moving.
At twelve o'clock in the evening, she was really bored, so she opened her phone and scrolled through her social media. Most of her former classmates were working in the same profession, and occasionally they would post about the daily trivialities of working in the hospital. This was supposed to be Ji Ci's life.
She turned sideways, her cell phone resting on the pillow, emitting a dim light.
I swiped the screen with my thumb and clicked into Boss Jin's chat box. I clicked on the avatar out of boredom, wanting to check out his circle of friends, but my hand slipped and I clicked twice, and a line of words popped up on the screen: I patted "Boss Jin".
Ji Ci was so frightened that she retreated immediately.
My heart was pounding and I prayed that the other person would not be woken up, but the next second Jin Sen’s message popped up: Aren’t you sleeping yet?
She sighed.
[The word does not express the meaning: I clicked it accidentally.]
[Boss Jin: It doesn't have to be careless.]
[Words don’t express the meaning: Aren’t you sleeping yet? ]
[Boss Jin: Chat with you.]
Ji Ci pursed her lips and placed her palm on the side of her face. The light from the screen was imprinted in her eyes, with a faint smile that she herself was not aware of.
[Boss Jin: Is your friend free tomorrow? I'd like to treat her to a meal.]
[The words don't express the meaning: Why did you still invite her to dinner? ]
[Boss Jin: Show your performance.]
【Words don’t express my meaning: …】
[Boss Jin: Let her go with peace of mind.]
【Words don’t express my meaning: …】
[Boss Jin: What do you want to eat?]
The two of them tentatively arranged tomorrow's schedule. It was getting late, so Ji Ci urged Jin Sen to go to bed, fearing that he would have to wait for him to get up early tomorrow.
She herself couldn't fall asleep yet, so she decided to just stay awake until dawn.
However, ten minutes later, Jin Sen sent another message.
[Boss Jin: Are you asleep?]
【Words don’t express what I meant:?】
[Boss Jin: [Picture]]
[Boss Jin: Come and have a drink.]
When you click on the picture, you will see a lot of mixed drinks, including high-proof liquor, some beverages and fruit wine.
Ji Ci had never touched alcohol before, and wanted to try it today.
She casually put on a thin knitted sweater and slipped out of the room. In the corridor, Jin Sen had just pressed the up button of the elevator.
The rooftop of their building is a public area, but it is basically used as a back garden by the top-floor residents. There are benches and awnings. The small vegetable garden in the corner is neatly tended, and there are grape vines overhead, already laden with green fruits.
Jin Sen opened a bottle of fruit wine with negligible alcohol content for Ji Ci. He didn't use a cup, but just inserted a straw into it, and she drank it in her hand.
Ji Ci took a sip and frowned slightly: "It tastes weird."
Jin Sen laughed and opened a can of sparkling drink for her: "Then drink this."
Ji Ci sat on a woven stool under the grape vines and looked up at the sky.
The weather has been good recently, with a clear night sky, a bright moon and sparse stars.
"How do you know I can't sleep?" Ji Ci took another sip of the drink, alternating between it and the fruit wine.
Jin Sen drank a small bottle of sake, which was nothing compared to his alcohol tolerance. "The original plan was disrupted, so I'm bound to be anxious."
This sentence hit Ji Ci's lungs hard. Her shoulders slumped, and she felt a little frustrated: "Boss Jin, you are really a smart guy."
Jin Sen smiled and sighed: "Tell me, what are you worried about?"
Ji Ci looked down at her toes - she had just grabbed a piece of clothing and came out, still wearing indoor slippers.
"I'm thinking about getting a job in a hospital."
I didn't do my job before because, firstly, I was afraid of being saddened by the past, and secondly, I was afraid of being called in and replaced at any time. I didn't want to find a job that was too formal because it would be troublesome to quit.
But if you decide to stay here, you have to consider the issue of work.
"You can try," Jin Sen nodded, "but it's been almost three years since you graduated, is it easy to find a job?"
"It might be hard to find one," Ji Ci was worrying about this. "But my teacher is quite famous. If I can't find one, I can ask him to write me a letter of recommendation."
After saying that, she added, "It's a bit embarrassing. If that doesn't work out, I'll try to go the inheritance route."
Jin Sen propped up his chin and said, "I don't understand this. Tell me about it."
Ji Ci thought for a moment and said, "That's the difference between the orthodox path and the unconventional path."
In Beijing, Ji Ci could follow the regular training process and work at a tertiary hospital, earning promotions and salary increases step by step, or she could learn from a renowned teacher, pass the master's examination, and then start her own business. She had previously chosen the former, but was now considering the latter.
Jin Sen didn't quite understand what she was saying, but that didn't stop him from thinking Ji Ci was very capable: "You should have no problem starting your own business, right?"
"You flatter me," Ji Ci shook her head. "After all, my age is very low, and my clinical experience is very limited. Besides, the license exam also requires years of work experience."
Jin Sen has never been good at studying since he was young, and he gets overwhelmed whenever he hears about taking exams.
But he knew that no matter what job he did, he needed connections, and he also knew that in terms of development prospects, Jing City was a thousand times better than Yuncheng.
He had a word stuck in his mouth, but he hesitated for a long time and couldn't open his mouth.
I feel uneasy, afraid that if I say something, some people will leave.
Jin Sen looked at Ji Ci.
She was holding a bottle of wine and looking up at the sky, her long, silky hair loose, half of it curved over her shoulders, and the other half drooped down like a waterfall.
The night wind blew, and the loose hair on her forehead trembled like butterfly wings. Her eyes were brighter than the stars, and her light green halter dress made her skin look snow-white, like jasmine hidden in the leaves, emitting a faint fragrance.
Jin Sen reached out and gently gathered Ji Ci's long hair. The slightly cool touch felt like his fingertips were brushing against a piece of cold jade.
Her round shoulders were exposed, and her porcelain-white skin almost blended into the white thick-knit cardigan. The white chocolate melted, and the heat made his eyelids jump.
Jin Sen rubbed her head.
"Boss Jin," Ji Ci tilted her head to look at him, "Do you treat me like a cat?"
"Not really," Jin Sen retracted his hand, "I don't usually look at cats that way."
Their eyes met in mid-air, and they stared at each other quietly, looking for themselves in each other's eyes, getting closer and closer.
Their breaths intertwined, and Ji Ci closed her eyes first. She first smelled the faint aroma of wine, and then the soft lips covering hers.
A kiss that is just enough and ends at the touch.
The warmth beyond body temperature is like a ripple on the surface of a lake in the cold night, spreading outward little by little with time.
Ji Ci came back to her senses and felt slightly dizzy. She looked down at the bottle of wine she was holding. The alcohol concentration was less than two percent. It was really outrageous. Was she drunk?
Jin Sen laughed first.
He stretched out his hand again, slightly bent his knuckles, and drew a line under Ji Ci's eyes.
Ji Ci blinked and felt her face getting hot.
"You're a hooligan."
She calmed down, put down the bottle, stood up and left.
Jin Sen quickly held her forearm: "Xiao Ji."
The full moon hangs high in the sky, and the shadows of the trees sway, casting mottled moonlight on the ground.
Everything was cold, but his heart was burning hot, hitting his ribs in his chest, "thump, thump", and every beat was clamoring for love.
"I liked you the first time I saw you."
Ji Ci turned around and was stunned: "So early."
Jin Sen was somewhat helpless: "Don't be offended."
Ji Ci turned to Jin Sen: "Oh, no."
"Do you want to date me?" Jin Sen took her hand, bent down slightly, and looked at her face.
Ji Ci tilted her head to the side uncomfortably and nodded a little uncomfortably: "Yeah."
Jin Sen's head followed over: "Then I'm not considered a hooligan, right?"
Ji Ci dodged back and said, "Forget it."
Jin Sen pressed the issue further: "So can I kiss you again?"
Ji Ci: “…”
She didn't refuse.
Their noses touched, and Jin Sen leaned forward and kissed her lips.
Ji Ci was not used to the sudden approach of the opposite sex, so she subconsciously shrank her shoulders and received a brief kiss.
Jin Sen stepped back a little and said with a smile, "Don't hold your breath."
Ji Ci frowned angrily, sat back on the stool and continued drinking the wine she had not finished.
My mouth was dry, so I drank half a bottle in one breath.
My face was hot, my head was dizzy, and my whole body felt dizzy, as if I was trapped in a soft cloud.
A lot of messy memories came to her mind: the first time she was taken by a friend to read a romance novel, she learned how to kiss between opposite sexes, the malicious laughter of boys in biology class, and the first boy who confessed to her.
She couldn't remember his name or appearance, but Ji Ci could remember how panicked she was at that time. After she refused, she ran away quickly, thinking while running, "It's terrible! I don't want to be with a boy."
At that time, I could never have imagined that many years later, in a remote southern town, her heart would beat faster and she would forget to breathe because of a kiss.
Do I like him that much?
Ji Ci was confused in her heart.
"Are you drunk?" Jin Sen's voice came from my ears.
Ji Ci shook her head: "I'm just a little sleepy."
She turned her head and found that Jin Sen was right next to her face, a little too close.
Not used to it, she raised her hand to push the other person's face away, but Jin Sen grabbed her wrist, pulled her in and kissed her palm.
"Ah..." Ji Ci cried softly, staring at her palm in a daze. "Are you finally sleepy?" Jin Sen teased her, "Kiss me and I'll take you downstairs to sleep."
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