My Feelings Can Wait - c18
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“I…. I thought you were Lin Yue.” Ji Youyan stammered a little when she realized it was Jing Xiu.
Jing Xiu nodded slightly and shifted her gaze, fixing her eyes on the two long bare legs. It was okay for her to be this naked just because she might have been Lin Yue? Jing Xiu’s face turned more and more sullen.
Ji Youyan blushed as Jing Xiu’s eyes went further down, and while trying to stretch her clothes with her hands to cover her legs, she said awkwardly, “Wait a minute.”
Then, without waiting for Jing Xiu’s response, she hurriedly closed the door and jumped back to rummage through her closet.
Jing Xiu sighed heavily as she was shut out of the room. She had only briefly glanced at her legs, but they seemed to be slightly red. Fortunately, it didn’t seem very serious.
“Where is Lin Yue? I’ll have Yao Xiao take you to the hospital.” Jing Xiu’s muffled voice came through the thick wooden door.
Ji Youyan hadn’t brought any shorts with her and had managed to rummage out a pair of loose, wide-legged pants to put on. When she heard Jing Xiu’s question, she paused for a moment and couldn’t help but bite her lip and snicker.
Jing Xiu was concerned about her, right?
She put on her pants, walked quickly back to the door, and opened it as she responded, “Yue Yue is supposed to go get me burn cream. No need to go to the hospital. It’s okay. It’s just a little red. I’ll just run some water on it and it’ll be fine.”
After finishing her words, Ji Youyan took off her slippers, walked to the bathroom, pulled up her pants legs high, turned on the shower head, and mockingly laughed at herself, “If I get photographed in the hospital, the media will make up some story again. I will not help them waste brain cells.”
She bent over, holding the shower head with one hand and pulling up the pant legs with the other, obviously with difficulty. The right pant leg that could not be pulled all the way up with one hand began to slip and get wet. Ji Youyan didn’t have a spare hand to pull it up and was about to use the hand holding the shower head to turn off the faucet when a slender hand appeared in her field of vision.
Jing Xiu bent down and gently folded her right pant leg up carefully. From time to time, her fingertips, which carried a little bit of heat, touched Ji Youyan’s skin, which had been made extra sensitive by the cold water, and Ji Youyan couldn’t help but swallow her throat.
After folding the pants, Jing Xiu inched closer, took the shower head from her hand and said indifferently, “Just hold your pants in place.”
Ji Youyan was flattered and stared at Jing Xiu’s face in daze. It was too close.
“Your skirt will get wet.” Ji Youyan’s voice was a little dry. Jing Xiu was wearing a black ankle-length skirt and a long overcoat today, and when she entered the bathroom, she had only taken off the outer one.
“It’s okay.” Jing Xiu stared at the red marks on her legs, in addition to the goose bumps from the cold water, and frowned slightly.
“Does it still hurt?” She suddenly asked.
Ji Youyan turned her head to see Jing Xiu and saw her head hanging down, her dark hair hiding most of her face, but the long-lost gentleness and calmness between her eyebrows was faintly visible.
Her heart began to beat like a drum as she softly whispered back to Jing Xiu, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Jing Xiugave an inaudible “mmm” and didn’t say anything else.
The only sound that could be heard in the bathroom was the rushing water and her own heartbeat. Ji Youyan looked at Jing Xiu’s long, soft figure and smelled the delicate fragrance that seemed to be coming from the tips of Jing Xiu’s hair, and she felt like she was dreaming.
“Did it rain in Beicheng yesterday?” She licked her lips and asked tentatively.
Jing Xiu lowered her eyes and answered after a few seconds of silence, “En, it rained.”
The curve on Ji Youyan’s lips could no longer be suppressed, and she pressed on, “So did the shooting go well? I heard there were outdoor scenes. Did that affect it?”
Jing Xiu moved the shower head levelly so that it rinsed in an even area. Hearing the follow-up question, she couldn’t help but look up and lock eyes with Ji Youyan.
Ji Youyan was smiling brightly, and her eyes were shining. She was usually a person with an exquisite appearance, but at this moment, she was as young and clumsy as a little girl. Jing Xiu moved her eyes away and compromised, “There was nothing wrong. The shoot was inspiring, and I added a little something to the background of the shoot. It just so happened to rain down and the rainy environment was conveniently used. Its effects worked quite well.”
Such a quiet space, such gentle lighting, and such a calm conversation between Jing Xiu and her gave Ji Youyan the illusion of turning back time.
Once upon a time, they also had such a quiet moment. At that time, she had just started her career as a singer and did not want to get involved in the film and television industry. She had released two online singles, which had no impact in the industry, and she was almost half unemployed. Jing Xiu was already involved in shooting films and was so busy that she couldn’t keep her feet on the ground. But after her busy schedule was over, no matter what time it was, Jing Xiu was always willing to catch the earliest flight and return to their little nest at the first available opportunity.
Sometimes, when she was too tired, she would fall asleep in the bathtub; when she wasn’t tired, Ji Youyan would move a small stool and sit next to the bathtub, wash her hair, kiss her, rub her with soap, and chat with her about her recent work.
In those days, she used to think it was normal, but when she thought back to it later on, she found those moments to be very precious.
Ji Youyan’s eyes dimmed a little and she opened her mouth just to say something else, when a loud call suddenly sounded outside the door, “Sister Ji, I brought the medicine. Are you okay?”
It was Lin Yue who pushed open Jing Xiu’s semi-closed door and rushed in in a frenzy.
Both Ji Youyan and Jing Xiu looked up at the sound of Lin Yue barging in. Lin Yue was caught off guard and saw the strange situation where Jing Xiu was helping Ji Youyan, so she also froze in place. Looking at Ji Youyan’s expression, she vaguely felt as if she had done something wrong.
However, she had no choice but to walk towards them while greeting them as usual, “You’re here too, Teacher Jing?”
Jing Xiu gave a calm “mmm”, gathered the hem of her skirt, and asked Lin Yue, “Can I see the medicine?”
Lin Yue handed her the burn cream, Jing Xiu took the cream, handed the shower head to Lin Yue, and walked out of the bathroom.
Ji Youyan looked at Lin Yue with a smile. Lin Yue made an aggrieved expression and said with concern, “Sister Ji, it’s still a little red. Should we go to the hospital? If the skin peels off tomorrow, it won’t be good.”
Ji Youyan laughed and pinched her index finger and thumb on Lin Yue’s upper and lower lips, scolding her, “It’s okay, you crow’s mouth.”
Jing Xiu handed the medicine back to Lin Yue and calmly admonished, “Rinse for ten more minutes and then put the medicine on. You should be fine after.” When she finished, she turned around and left.
Ji Youyan stared longingly at Jing Xiu’s departing back and Lin Yue apologized with a smile, “Teacher Jing seems particularly gentle today.”
Ji Youyan looked at her and was obviously in a good mood, but still said mercilessly, “You failed today.”
Lin Yue dropped her head and called out “Sister Ji” in a petulant manner.
The two continued in this position and watched the time obediently for another ten minutes before leaving. The two of them were sitting back on the bed, and Ji Youyan took Lin Yue’s medicine and was about to apply it when Jing Xiu suddenly came back.
Her eyes were calm as she handed over another cream and said lightly, “Use this, it will be better.”
The burn cream that Lin Yue brought back was the most common burn cream that she had gotten from the medical staff. The cream that Jing Xiu gave her now was the one that she had asked Yao Xiao to get from a personal doctor.
“Thanks.” Ji Youyan grasped the cream and looked at Jing Xiu with complex eyes.
Jing Xiu gave a little smile and wanted to say “You’re welcome, consider it a gift for helping me out at the dinner table”, but she stopped her words at the tip of her tongue.
“You’re welcome.” She softened her tone and said, “I’ll go out first.”
After she left, Lin Yue blinked her eyes and reiterated solemnly, “Sister Ji! Teacher Jing is really gentle today!”
She stared at Ji Youyan, a little curious about what had happened.
But Ji Youyan had no intention of answering her questions, only looking down at the cream in her hands. Her eyes were softer than the moonlight outside the window.
A’Xiu… has your heart softened? Can she expect a little more and attack with thicker skin?
————
Outside the door, Jing Xiu received a call from Zhou Kangcheng telling her to eat somewhere else. She looked at the door of Ji Youyan’s room and uneasily asked about Teacher Ji. Zhou Kangcheng said he had the kitchen make it and send it up, and only then did Jing Xiu go downstairs with peace of mind.
When she returned to the dining table, everyone was still complaining about the crystal lamp that had just fallen down, and as they talked, the topic gradually moved on to the newly opened property and the housing renovation, in which Jing Xiu had no interest.
She looked at the shimmering light on the highball glass and was a bit lost in thought, only to feel that the fragrance from Ji Youyan’s hair was still lingering at the tip of her nose when she put her arms around her.
At that moment, when she looked at Ji Youyan, it was as if she once again experienced what it means to have a “pounding heart”.
This was not the first time that Ji Youyan had taken the initiative to protect her, nor was it the first time that Ji Youyan had kindly released the perpetrator.
In the first year after they got together, they went to Tibet on a driving trip and had an accident on the way. Ji Youyan also hugged her in the same way and protected her under her body. Later, when her first movie as a female lead was released, Ji Youyan went into the movie theater with her in disguise to watch it, was discovered when it was over, and was chased. She had stumbled on the stairs, and Ji Youyan hugged her in the same way without hesitation and became her cushion as she rolled down.
She was almost unharmed when she rolled down the stairs at that time, but Ji Youyan had broken her elbow. When she went to the hospital for treatment, there were paparazzi still hiding outside the door to take pictures. She had called security to arrest them and was furious enough to destroy their cameras, but Ji Youyan stopped her and said, “Forget it, that is how they eat. Just delete the pictures.”
Ji Youyan said that everyone was working and it was not easy.
Jing Xiu’s eyes softened a little.
She always knew that Ji Youyan’s kindness would always be the same. Perhaps she also knew that she loved her as well, but she just carried too many things that were difficult to bear between them.
Accidents in life are both impermanent and constant.
She has been afraid many times, just like now. Afraid that what fell just now was not merely a crystal lamp. Afraid that if the crystal lamp had burst and splattered, it would hurt Ji Youyan. Afraid that… she may never really see Ji Youyan again in this life.
It was not easy for them to meet again like this.
Jing Xiu tried to reason with herself. These were some past affairs. Why not let them go first?
The author has something to say.
Teacher Jing: Does it still hurt?
Sister Ji acting spoiled: It won’t hurt if you kiss it. (*/ω\*)
Ms. Jing being indifferent: If I kiss it, this chapter will be locked in red.
Sister Ji: …………. I’m crying very loudly!
Is today’s Teacher Jing a little sweet? (*/ω\*)