Jingxia Rose

Chapter 85: It's a habit, it's a liking, and it's something I can't live without.
Wen Qi's expression faltered. Her sobs and the mist in her eyes felt like needles piercing his heart, a sharp, persistent pain gripping his very being.

The Ji Xuan he knew, and the Ji Xuan he remembered, was mostly characterized by her composure, calmness, and rationality at work.

A small part of her charm lies in her gentleness, thoughtfulness, tranquility, and rare allure.

Ji Xian didn't really want to cry. She considered herself a fairly strong person with a powerful inner strength.

After all, it's been so long since we broke up. Bringing up old grievances now is not only pointless, but also makes us seem sentimental.

But for some reason, at this moment, her heart was no longer strong; it became sensitive and fragile, and she longed to vent all the grievances and frustrations of the past.

"Don't cry."

Hearing Qi's hoarse voice, he slowly raised his hand, his calloused fingertips gently caressing the delicate, smooth skin on her cheek. "It's my fault."

She had been holding back her tears for so long, but they finally burst forth because of his words, "Don't cry," and his apology.

Warm tears slid down her cheeks, but he blocked them with his fingers, shielding her from the chill of the night.

Finally, the tears couldn't be stopped, and Wen Qi couldn't wipe them all away; in fact, the more he wiped, the more tears flowed.

"sorry."

Seeing her crying so hard, Wen Qi panicked. He abandoned his usual gentlemanly conduct, pulled her into his arms, held her tightly, and whispered those three words repeatedly in her ear.

It seems like she's never cried like this since she can remember.

And it happened in front of Wen Qi.

Ji Xian felt quite embarrassed, but he just couldn't stop.

Her grievances were not limited to the four years she dated Wen Qi; after her father's death, the word "grievance" permeated the first half of her life.

She has never even been given the confidence to cry freely.

Tears had already soaked the shoulder of his coat, and the large wet patch gleamed faintly under the streetlight.

After an unknown amount of time, Ji Xuan had vented her emotions enough. She pulled away from his embrace, turned to the side to wipe her tears, and said, "I'm sorry, it was me..."

"Don't apologize."

Wen Qi interrupted her. Perhaps it was because of the gentle moonlight, but his peach blossom eyes looked even more affectionate, and his heartache and love were slowly overflowing.

Her voice was a little hoarse from crying. Her voice was naturally soft, and at this moment, it had a sweet and gentle tone that made people feel numb and soft all over.

"Actually... you don't need to apologize to me. That relationship... was mutual, and there's no question of who owes whom. You were really good to me, providing me with a very comfortable life, and I'm quite grateful."

Reason, which she had cast aside, slowly returned, but her heart remained unmoved.

"So, I've never blamed you. The only word I can use to describe that past is regret. Wen Qi, really, let's just leave it at that. It's better for both of us. I really..."

She paused, her voice choked with emotion, "I don't want to continue anymore. Perhaps... you don't love me, but rather you've mistaken the habit of being by your side for love after four or five years."

She didn't want to play hard to get; these were her true feelings.

She truly didn't resent Wen Qi, nor did she resent Ruan Zheng, and she didn't want to resent herself either, so she could only let that relationship, which had started with a mistake, come to an end.

It cannot be denied that she did weigh the pros and cons at the end, but that was only to cut her losses in time.

Wen Qi frowned slightly, pursed his lips, and glanced at her. "It's a habit, it's also liking, and it's something I can't live without."

"Ji Xian, I don't want to make too many empty promises, and I know you no longer believe me, but everything I say is true, without a single false word."

Because she had cried so much, her eyes were a little swollen at the moment, which made Wen Qixin feel heavy-hearted. "I don't know what it should be like for men and women to be in love, but it's definitely not like what we used to be like. It's my fault. I was too slow to realize this." "The sense of ritual you mentioned is not a task for me, but a day when you deserve to receive gifts."

He didn't mention that he had even looked up information online about how to get along with a girlfriend.

I remembered all the important dates we spent together, including her birthday, which I actually found online.

Just like when I was a child reading books, I wanted to find all the answers in books.

But at least I'm thirty-one years old, so I'm not so bad at not being able to distinguish what I like.

After explaining all this, Wen Qi raised his hand again and gently wiped away the tears clinging to her eyelashes.

He doesn't like making too many promises, sweet talk, or empty boasts. He's more practical; no matter how nicely he talks, it's not as good as doing it.

"Don't cry, your eyes are all swollen." He murmured softly, "Go back and boil two eggs and cook them, and don't stay up late, get some rest."

Ji Xuan was stunned by what he had just said.

Without exaggeration, this was the longest conversation she had ever heard him have had in private, outside of work, since she had known him.

All his declarations of love seemed to be just informing her, rather than actually seeking an answer from her.

Of course, Ji Xian's answer tonight was also quite obvious.

It's rejection.

Ji Xuan suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, lifted her eyelids to look at him, and said, "Be careful on your way back."

After saying that, he turned around and entered the residential area.

Wen Qi stood there watching her figure gradually disappear into the night, his face growing increasingly worried, and his heart heavy.

After the breakup, he did reflect on whether he had done something wrong that made her unhappy or sad.

But his thinking is straightforward, without much ambiguity. If Ji Xuan hadn't said those words today, he would have doubts about their past interactions, especially Yi Xu and the others' words, which made him realize something was wrong and want to make amends.

But Ji Xian's words today made him feel what it means to experience excruciating pain.

He disliked both tobacco and alcohol, but today he was feeling irritable and restless, and desperately needed something to calm down so he could think about how to pursue her.

After sitting in the car for a while, he started the car and drove to a snooker club.

This club was jointly owned by Chu Feng and Jiang Huaichuan.

A year ago, a large, high-end bar opened next door, and Lu Xuming and Yi Xu also invested some money in it.

They originally wanted to recruit Wen Qi, a big shot in the industry, but Wen Qi had just broken up and was focused on his work, so he didn't have time to spend money with them.

For more than a year, the four of them spent their free time at the snooker club or the bar next door.

Wen Qi didn't even make a phone call; he drove straight to the club.

I saw the four of them in their private VIP golf room.

What's remarkable is that Lu Xuming's wife, Yin Qianran, was also there.

Hearing the door open, the five of them looked towards the entrance and were stunned to see Wen Qi.

Yi Xu was the first to react, "Holy crap, I almost thought I was hallucinating. You... you look like you're here to catch me cheating, it's so scary."