Chapter 5 Part4 (1/2)

My Darling (我的曼达林) -- Chapter 5.4

by

Yesterday (for me, two days ago for some of you) was Zhousheng Chen and s.h.i.+ Yi’s anniversary. ❤ Remember them?

Halfway mark!

So, did you guys notice the t.i.tle of this chapter? Conflict can be a good way to learn and grow. Don’t worry. They’ve improved, and it won’t last long.

Chapter 5.4 -- Age-Old Jealousies (4)

The atmosphere, hmm, should have been pretty good.

Of course, this was referring to the atmosphere before Chu Jian received that phone call.

A call came in from an unfamiliar number. Chu Jian was not mentally prepared for it, but when she answered it with a ”h.e.l.lo,” there was already the faint sound of breathing on the other end. It sounded especially like Jian Bianlin when he called her sometimes, and were it not for the fact that Jian Bianlin was driving, she would have even thought that he must have lost his mobile phone and changed his number before he called&h.e.l.lip;

That was, until the other end said, ”Chu Jian, it's me.” An unfamiliar, yet familiar voice.

Chu Jian's brows puckered as she searched her mind for a moment. Xu Jing? Immediately, she felt a little uneasy. Trying to cover up for it, she greeted, ”Ah, yes, it's me&h.e.l.lip; Is there something the matter?”

She stole a glimpse at Jian Bianlin.

Reception was cut off.

Everything about this community compound was great, except that the parking garage had no mobile phone reception.

So, in the end, it actually seemed as if she had hung up the phone out of a guilty conscience.

”Who was that?” Jian Bianlin detected something.

”&h.e.l.lip; Xu Jing.”

Jian Bianlin did not say anything. Shutting the door and locking the vehicle, he walked with her up the wooden staircase of the courtyard to the central garden area of their community compound. Chu Jian was not certain whether it was because she was simply feeling too guiltily apprehensive, but she felt that the sound of his footsteps was very heavy.

Swipe the key card. Walk through the main door. Wait for the elevator.

A phone call came again&h.e.l.lip;

This time, Chu Jian recognized the number and did not answer. She had not seen that other party for so many years anyway, so she was not afraid of offending him. When the two of them stepped out of the elevator, Chu Jian rummaged through her purse for the key. Right as she felt her hand brus.h.i.+ng against it, Jian Bianlin's palm pressed against the nape of her neck, and wordlessly, he pulled her against him into his embrace.

His action was quick and decisive and done in one smooth motion, but because it was too unexpected, Chu Jian's forehead was sore from cras.h.i.+ng into him. The key that her fingers had just contacted slipped away from her again. When his kiss came down on her, she even thought, did all people who were in a relations.h.i.+p just kiss for no apparent reason like this? Didn't they get tired of it? &h.e.l.lip;

Both of their were lips were cool because of the temperature outside, and now, as they made contact, she felt that his lips were a little dry.

Her tongue was pulled directly into Jian Bianlin's mouth and then fiercely sucked on.

Stumbling, she fell against the closed elevator door. Her tongue felt raw and sore, like it had been torn by his ferocious kiss that had bombarded her without so much as a warning, and she had no choice but to shove him away with her elbow. ”That hurts.”

Jian Bianlin stepped backward, pressing his back against the corridor wall.

In the half a day that he had been back, he had done nothing but make soup for her while reading through his script of lines. If the bamboo shoot he was peeling was even slightly tough, he would continue to remove more of the outer layers, a little at a time, for fear that she would not like to eat it because the texture in the mouth was unpleasant to her. He knew how to cook all her favourite foods, but every time he had made them, he or his father had been the one to destroy it in his belly. After all, the flavours created from the same oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar could vary vastly depending on the different hands that used them to season, and in regards to whether the foods he made suited her taste, he actually did not have much confidence.

He had intended to feed her until her belly was full and happy so as to create a nicer atmosphere. Then, he would tell her that, these last few days, his mind had been filled only with her, that he had wanted simply to hurry and make a stopover in Shanghai just to see her.

But things had completely changed--all because of that phone call.

With face taut and head lowered, Chu Jian dug through her purse for a long time in search of her key. After opening the door to her home, she banged it shut behind her. On the stove in the kitchen, there truly was a pot of bamboo shoots with pork bone broth. The table had already been set with bowls and chopsticks, and there was even a small dish of spicy chili sauce mixed with sesame oil.

He was very aware of her habit where she liked to fish out the bamboo shoots and then dip them in this type of sauce to eat.

After standing in the entryway for a little while, Chu Jian's head had cleared.

Turning around, she opened the door. Sure enough, he was still leaning against the wall of the corridor.

Luckily this place was only two units per floor with one staircase, and even couriers only left their packages in the mailroom at the front gate and were not allowed into the community compound. Otherwise, if this big celebrity were photographed standing with his back against the white wall in such a despondent state, it would certainly cause imaginations to fire.

”I haven't seen Xu Jing since we graduated.” She walked up in front of him.

He knew that. Jian Bianlin lifted his eyes and looked at her.

Biting down on her lip, Chu Jian restrained her emotions. ”I already told you in Macau, your dad is the one who gave him my phone number. You heard everything when he called. I don't know, either, why he's trying to contact me.” Besides, back then, it was just for three days, and the only physical contact we had was when he held my hand for a short bit after I agreed&h.e.l.lip; You've kissed me many times already, you know? &h.e.l.lip;

He answered in a low voice, ”I know.”

She was taken aback. ”Then what are you mad about?”

Jian Bianlin tilted his head up to glance at the up and down arrows over the elevator. ”I just don't feel good once I hear his name.”

”&h.e.l.lip; That's just being unreasonable.”

He actually went so far as to give a quiet ”mm-hmm” and admit, ”You can't talk reason when it comes to this.”

Even if he clearly knew that they could not possibly have any type of relations.h.i.+p anymore, he still felt uncomfortable. He had absolutely no intentions of being reasonable when it came to this. There absolutely could not be even the slightest signs or suggestions of anything. Even hints that it was being daydreamed about it were out of the question.

Choking back on her frustration, Chu Jian blurted, ”When you were in that compet.i.tion, didn't you have a really close relations.h.i.+p with a girl? If I were to be unreasonable, would you be able to take it?”

Jian Bianlin paused in surprise. His brows drew together. ”Who said that?”

She did not intend on continuing the discussion.

”You believe it?” he pressed.

Without waiting for her answer, Jian Bianlin stretched out an arm, wanting to pull her into his embrace. Chu Jian instinctively sidestepped him.