The force with which Xu Ruobing was holding Jiang Lai’s fingertips had not yet eased, and her knuckles had gone slightly white.
She stared into Jiang Lai’s eyes, her mind feeling stuffed with a tangled mess. First came blankness, then an indescribable suffocation, and finally a bit of absurd speechlessness.
Was Winter a season that made people’s heads spin? She had just brought up the idea of marriage with Jiang Lai, and Jiang Lai immediately turned around and said she wanted to hold a Wedding for Chi Yingyu. Why did everything have to be connected to weddings? And why did both of them have to drag her in?
Or had both of them already expected this?
Xu Ruobing even could not help but think darkly: were Jiang Lai and Chi Yingyu playing some inexplicable lovey-dovey play with her too? Deliberately using the Wedding matter to test her, or treating her as a backdrop for showing off their affection?
The moment this thought appeared, Xu Ruobing felt she was being ridiculous. She was probably overthinking it. After all, Jiang Lai was not that kind of person. Chi Yingyu was so proud; she was willing to be friends with her, not to do such idle things. And how could Jiang Lai possibly do such a thing?
But the awkward feeling in her heart could not be suppressed no matter what. Her expression remained ugly, and even the movement of letting go of Jiang Lai’s fingers was a little stiff.
Jiang Lai’s fingertips hurt from the sudden force, and seeing her face dark as Dark Cloud, her heart skipped a beat. She hurried to explain:
“Because of this matter, I wanted to ask you for advice. After all, Ruobing, you are knowledgeable…”
Xu Ruobing understood, and with a bit of deliberately feigned indifference: “So what do you want to know? Find a suitable Wedding venue, or do you just want someone to keep you company?”
“What reputation?”
“Nothing, I just think I am pretty impressive.”
“It seems my reputation is really good.”
“I want you to take an important position in the Wedding, for example, become your…”
“Second bride…”
Xu Ruobing interrupted her, her tone carrying a sourness she herself had not noticed.
“You two really cannot be two kinds of people sleeping in one bed. How can both of you come…”
The moment these words came out, even Xu Ruobing felt she was ridiculous. She had been too sour to say such a thing. What did ‘second bride’ mean? But the words were already out and could not be taken back.
She turned her face away, her gaze landing on the Thermal Lunchbox on the office desk. The aroma of Tomato Beef Brisket still drifted in the air, but she had no appetite at all now.
Jiang Lai was stunned by her words, then could not help laughing. She reached out and lightly patted her arm: “What are you talking about? How could a Wedding have two brides?”
On this matter, Jiang Lai had not told the truth. Although there were not two brides, there really were two people accompanying her, and if Xu Ruobing was included, there might be even more…
But doing this was immoral, a very scummy behavior, something that simply could not be spoken of. Sigh… but she really had no friends, only Xu Ruobing.
“Ruobing, um, it is just a small suggestion. If you are unwilling, I can research it myself. If you feel upset, I am sorry.”
Jiang Lai softly expressed the apology in her heart. Her voice was as light as a feather, falling into the air with a trace of cautious guilt.
She looked at Xu Ruobing’s averted side profile. The lines were still beautiful, but tightly drawn, and even her jawline carried a sense of unhappiness. Her fingertips curled unconsciously. She moved her chair forward, her knee lightly touching Xu Ruobing’s, like a small pet, leaning in slightly with an ingratiating softness.
“Ruobing, I really do not mean to tease you with this. If you feel upset, I am sorry.”
She reached out, wanting to pull Xu Ruobing’s hand, but feared being shaken off. Her fingers paused in midair, and in the end she only lightly rested them on her arm.
“This is my responsibility. I cannot not do it. I want Chi Yingyu to be happy. She is the most important person in the World to me. She has accompanied me for a very, very long time. I cannot not treat her well. If I could, I would be willing to give her everything I have.”
Xu Ruobing’s shoulder moved, but she did not turn back. Her gaze remained stuck on the Thermal Lunchbox. The aroma of Tomato Beef Brisket now seemed like noise, making her heart even more annoyed.
She was not angry at Jiang Lai for helping Chi Yingyu. She was angry that her own imagination just now had been too ridiculous, and she felt a bit guilty.
The force in Xu Ruobing’s fingertips unconsciously loosened. Jiang Lai’s hand resting on her arm could clearly feel that the tense muscles slowly relaxed.
She did not turn back, but spoke first. Her voice still carried a bit of un-dissipated stuffiness, as if wrapped in water vapor:
“I know she is important to you. Otherwise, you would not be unable to leave her at all.”
Jiang Lai felt relieved. Her fingertip lightly rubbed against her clothing, as if soothing her: “It is good that you can understand. Ying Yu always helped me before. Her meaning to me is something almost no one can compare to. Without her, I might not have lived until now.”
Speaking of these things, Jiang Lai’s voice softened, carrying a gentle trace of memory:
“If there is a chance in the future, I am willing to tell you everything about me, as long as you want to listen.”
Xu Ruobing finally turned her head, her gaze landing on Jiang Lai’s face. The girl’s eyes were bright. When she spoke of Chi Yingyu, that gentleness could not be hidden.
When she heard that there was a chance to learn about the past, the last bit of awkwardness in Xu Ruobing’s heart melted completely, like sugar soaked in warm water.
There was still a bit of uncertainty in her eyes. Her fingertip brushed the reddened tip of her ear: “I do not blame you, and I am not jealous. It was just that my mind was messy just now and I overthought things.”
She reached out and gently tucked the hair hanging by Jiang Lai’s face behind her ear.
“So you are saying you are not angry anymore?”
Jiang Lai looked up at her, as if afraid she had misheard.
“Angry about what?”
Xu Ruobing curved the corners of her mouth, picked up the spoon on the table, filled it with tomato soup, and brought it to Jiang Lai’s lips.
“Angry that you feel sorry for your own Girlfriend, or angry that I am petty? Drink some soup quickly, it has gone completely cold. As for other things, we can discuss them later.”
Jiang Lai opened her mouth and accepted it. The warm soup slid down her throat, and her heart felt warm too. She chewed the chopped scallions in the soup, then suddenly remembered something and said softly: “Actually… I asked you for help because I want to realize a very good scene. It is just that I am a little bad at judging such things, so I do not know how to arrange it. That is why I really need your help.”
Xu Ruobing looked at her frowning and could not help laughing: “You… if it is just this small matter, it is completely fine. I know a friend who is very involved in this sort of thing.”
Jiang Lai’s eyes immediately lit up, as if she had suddenly found direction: “Really? Then… could I trouble you to contact her for me? I can pay a larger deposit.”
“What is the rush?”
Xu Ruobing pinched her cheek.
“I will send her a message in a bit. But before that, you still have to tell me what you like. What is your dream Wedding like, okay?”