CHAPTER 17

“I am getting there, mother,” she said with a sigh and then lifted her eyes to meet her mother’s. “I do not have it.”

0_0

“If not for Hao Zhi Ruo, she forgot to save Li Jing’s contact on my phone, now look, I do not have it.” She complained and threw her bag on the couch, feeling even more frustrated.

“Li Xiu! Can you hear yourself?” Ding Jiaying shouted at her. ‘This child is going to be the death of me,’ she thought.

“It is not like I needed her for anything, mother. So, do not sound so shocked and all,” Li Xiu countered back, refuting her mother’s words.

“Just pass me your phone so I can collect her contact.”

Ding Jiaying handed her phone over to Li Xiu so she could get the contact and call Li Jing. In no time she had typed the numbers and dialed it.

Ring! Ring!

Li Xiu raised her head to look at her dumbfounded mother, giving her the ‘You were saying?’ look.

Ding Jiaying had expected that Li Jing wouldn’t even have her daughter’s contact as well or would have blocked it. Apparently, Li Jing didn’t just have contact, but haven’t blocked her yet.

Ring! Ring!

****

In the small house where Li Jing lived, her phone buzzed on the bed where Ye Cheng slept. Apparently, it fell from her pocket when she slept and forgot to pick it up with her when she left to make breakfast.

Ye Cheng turned his head to the side, trying to figure out where the buzzing sound came from. He moved his leg, hoping to scoot over to the side and check for whatever it was, when his leg accidentally touched something hard.

He pushed the bed cover away to reveal the vibrating phone. Picking it up, he checked to see the caller. “Li Xiu.”

His eyes narrowed, trying to recall the family name but after sometime he gave up when he couldn’t and just dropped her phone back down.

He didn’t want to invade in her privacy and pick up the call and at the same time, he couldn’t call on her, because he didn’t know her name either.

‘Damn, I do not even know the name of my savior. Ye Cheng, try and be better.’ He scolded himself inwardly and waited for the call to end.

Afterwards it stopped ringing and the vibrating stopped. ‘Thank goodness. When she returns, I would ask for her name.’

He heaved a sigh of relief, adjusting himself so he could relax well on the bed. He still felt pain from his injuries and it didn’t help much with Li Jing lying on him all night.

Just as his eyes dropped close, the bed vibrated again, making him open them once more. “Like seriously? Can’t you tell she is busy and unable to answer the phone?” he muttered to himself.

Rather than calling for Li Jing, he pressed the power button and closed the screen. A small smile broke out on his face at his mischievous deed and closed his eyes back to rest.

Meanwhile, at the Li’s Residence, Li Xiu tried the call but Li Jing wasn’t answering. “Mother, she isn’t picking up,” she frowned at her phone, her eyes tearing up and her mouth pouting, looking like a frustrated person.

“I told you so. You better stop trying or she would block you too.” Ding Jiaying advised and got up, moving towards the small wine bar in the living room.

“Just one more and I would rest for now and continue later.”

Ring!

Ye Cheng’s eyes opened to the sound of the vibration. In frustration, he turned the phone upside down, so the screen was facing the bed and shutting up the vibration.

“Fine, I would call on her,” he said to the phone and took a deep breath. ‘This feels awkward.’

“Your…”

 Just as he opened his mouth to call her, Li Jing came into the room. His next words got stuck in his throat as he stared at her figure holding a tray containing his breakfast, at the entrance of the room.

After what seemed to be ages, he found his voice back and relayed the message. “You have a call.”

“Who?��� Li Jing asked closing the space between them and reaching for her phone.

She handed over the tray to him ad collected her phone from his hands, then turned it over to see the caller.

‘Li Xiu! What do the mother and child want?’

She peeled her gaze off her phone to look at him, giving him a questioning gaze.

Sensing her questioning look, he raised his hands above his head a little and tried to quickly clear the air. 

“I didn’t answer your phone and sorry I couldn’t call you earlier to pick the pick either. I–I…” he let out a soft sigh, finding the courage to say the embarrassing thing.

“I don’t know your name.”

Rather than get angry like he expected, Li Jing let out a soft chuckle. He gave her a puzzled look. He was definitely not expecting that from her.

‘Now why is she laughing? Did I say something embarrassing?’ he thought, not so sure about what he did wrong.

Nevertheless, he asked her. “What is the matter?”

���Nothing. Pfff hehe hehe.” Li Jing laughed again. She knew he wasn’t to blame, if there was anything, she was the one who didn’t introduce herself to him earlier on.

“There is nothing to feel embarrassed for. My name is Li Jing,” she said, introducing herself with a small smile.

Watching her smile that way, made him feel somehow relaxed and calm in a way that he didn’t understand or could explain to himself. 

Normally it would irritate him when girls behaved that way, laughing and chuckling at everything, trying to act all cute and innocent in front of him. But this time, it was different.

He felt a bit calm as if her smiles could lighten his dark days. From the look in her eyes, he could tell she was real. There was no faking it. 

“I am not angry at you or anything. That face just now, wasn’t for you, I guess.” Li Jing’s voice broke him out of his daze.

“You guess?!”

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