Burn Out - Chapter 73

Before asking, Ji Ting had already suspected that Qiu Dan regarded Tan Yucheng almost like a son. To others, she would say they were as close as siblings, but she had never considered any potential between Ji Ting and Tan Yucheng.

In the early days, when Ji Ting was asked, she knew that Xiao Xi had some thoughts and had discussed with Qiu Dan about asking the two children. If it worked out, everyone would be happy, if not, the mothers could arrange something else without worrying too much about the children. At that time, Qiu Dan was somewhat unwilling but had to respect her best friend’s thoughts. Additionally, she was concerned about Ji Ting’s feelings.

What if Ji Ting had real feelings?

That’s why she asked Ji Ting, and on the day she asked, Qiu Dan looked very serious and urged Ji Ting to think it over carefully.

As Qiu Dan’s daughter, Ji Ting understood her well. She roughly knew the answer Qiu Dan wanted, even though it was also her own answer.

When Ji Ting said it was impossible, Qiu Dan breathed a sigh of relief.

At that time, Ji Ting, caught up in her own emotions, felt that Qiu Dan genuinely believed there was no chance for them, just as everyone else thought there was no possibility between her and Tan Yucheng.

She bit her lip and. After Qiu Dan left, she collapsed onto her bed.

Looking back now.

It seems that Qiu Dan’s disapproval had other reasons as well.

The fruit on the table was mostly eaten. Ji Ting picked up her car keys and phone and said to Qiu Dan, “Mom, it’s getting late. I’ll head out now.”

Qiu Dan put down her fork, stood up, and said, “Just right. Your dad brought some fruit, take a box with you.”

Ji Ting walked over.

Qiu Dan picked up the fruit, clearly intending to accompany her downstairs.

Thinking of the man waiting downstairs, Ji Ting hurriedly took the box from her and said, “I can carry it myself. You should rest early.”

“This is so heavy, you can’t carry it.” Qiu Dan turned around with difficulty, and Ji Ting, feeling a pang of sympathy, quickly leaned out and called, “Dad, are you done washing? Come out and help.”

Ji Lindong was still cleaning the stove, with the sound of water running. He quickly turned off the faucet, washed his hands, and came out to see Qiu Dan holding the box of fruit.

He stepped forward and said, “I’ll take it. Why didn’t you call me?”

Ji Lindong took the box from Qiu Dan, who rolled her eyes at him.

Ji Lindong, helpless, looked at Ji Ting.

Ji Ting smiled, linked her arm with Ji Lindong’s, and said, “Dad, let’s go.”

Ji Lindong, pleased to have his daughter link arms with him, happily walked toward the door. Qiu Dan wanted to follow, but Ji Ting and Ji Lindong had already stepped out. Ji Ting poked her head back and told Qiu Dan, “Mom, you don’t need to see us off. Dad will just accompany me downstairs.”

“Alright, alright,” Qiu Dan waved her hand and added, “Be cautious about finding a boyfriend.”

Ji Ting nodded.

When they reached the first floor, Ji Ting immediately spotted the black car parked outside. Tan Yucheng was leaning against the car, fiddling with his phone. Dressed in a black shirt, he looked somewhat casual in the alley. He looked up and saw Ji Lindong coming down.

Ji Lindong, seeing Tan Yucheng, immediately said, “Yucheng, when did you arrive? Have you eaten? Why didn’t you come up?”

Tan Yucheng straightened up, walked over, and glanced briefly at Ji Ting. He took the box of fruit from Ji Lindong and said, “Just arrived. Ji Ting said she was coming down, so I didn’t go up.”

“Come up and sit for a while,” Ji Lindong urged.

Tan Yucheng smiled, “Next time.”

He opened the car’s trunk, put the fruit inside, and then closed it.

Ji Lindong turned to Ji Ting and said, “Aren’t you driving? Why did you let Yucheng come to pick you up?”

Ji Ting hesitated for a moment. The man beside her fixed his gaze on her face. Ji Ting, rarely lying, said through gritted teeth, “There’s a gathering tonight, so I’m taking his car.”

Ji Lindong nodded in understanding.

He was easily fooled, not questioning her at all.

Ji Ting said, “Dad, let’s go. You go back upstairs.”

Ji Lindong nodded.

He told Tan Yucheng, “Drive carefully.”

Tan Yucheng smiled and agreed.

Ji Lindong turned and headed back to the stairs. Tan Yucheng glanced at Ji Ting, and she looked back at him. Then she went to the passenger seat, opened the door, and sat down, fastening her seatbelt.

Tan Yucheng headed to the driver’s seat, opened the door, and sat down. He grasped the steering wheel, his hand showing clear lines.

He started the car.

The black car reversed, then drove onto the main road and into the street lit by neon lights.

As the dappled light passed over the car,

Tan Yucheng glanced at her, but didn’t speak.

Ji Ting leaned back in her seat, looked at him, and said, “My mom doesn’t seem to approve of us.”

Tan Yucheng was slightly taken aback and asked, “What?”

Ji Ting, resting her arm on the center console, leaned toward him. With her pretty eyes, she relayed Qiu Dan’s words. Tan Yucheng listened, his eyebrows lifting slightly, and he let out a soft chuckle.

“Aunt Qiu’s misunderstanding of me is quite severe.”

Ji Ting smiled, leaning back and saying, “It’s not a misunderstanding that you have a lot of admirers.”

Tan Yucheng looked at her and asked, “And you don’t?”

Ji Ting shot him a glare.

Tan Yucheng smiled briefly and then looked at the road ahead. The night was dazzling. Ji Ting leaned back in her seat, watching the night scenery outside. She turned her head to look at the man focused on driving.

She thought for a moment and said, “My mom is a bit stubborn.”

Tan Yucheng, holding the steering wheel, responded in a lazy voice, “I know.”

But he wasn’t easily convinced.

When they returned to the apartment, it was already late. After showering, they went straight to bed. It was a bit hot, the air conditioning was on, and Tan Yucheng, wearing only long pants, held her in his arms.

Since they got together, he had wanted it almost every night.

Tonight, Ji Ting fell asleep quickly, but was woken up in the middle of the night by him. Drowsily, she reached out to embrace him, shivering slightly. She arched her neck and bit down hard on his neck.

Tan Yucheng’s voice was low and lazy, and he chuckled softly.

“You left a mark.”

Ji Ting didn’t care and continued to bite, while his pulse raced and beads of sweat fell onto her chest.

Early the next morning,

Ji Ting finished her morning routine and came out to find Tan Yucheng sitting on the sofa, wearing a black shirt with the collar slightly open, opening the breakfast box for her. Ji Ting walked over, sat down, drank some milk, and had her long hair tied up in a messy bun.

Tan Yucheng had already finished his breakfast, sipped some warm water from his cup, and put on his tie.

He said, “Fu Yan has gone back to the company.”

Ji Ting, with milk in her mouth, turned her head, blinking, and asked, “So you’re not so busy now?”

Tan Yucheng nodded.

“For dinner, I’ll go to the supermarket. I’ll order for you.”

“Supermarket?”

Ji Ting realized that he was going to her place. She responded with an “Oh,” and suddenly noticed the bite mark on his collar. She paused, reached out to gently pull at his collar, and Tan Yucheng lowered his gaze to watch her action.

Ji Ting saw the bite mark near his Adam’s apple and felt her ears flush slightly. “Aren’t you going to cover it up?”

Tan Yucheng’s lips curled into a slight smile. “I told you to bite more gently.”

Ji Ting’s face grew even warmer. Tan Yucheng leisurely tied his tie, which covered most of the mark, though it still faintly showed. Ji Ting looked at his face and suddenly thought that if he got a tattoo, it would probably look good. The bite mark on his neck vaguely resembled a tattoo. The next moment, Ji Ting remembered that he was going to the supermarket for dinner and quickly grabbed his arm.

“Wait a moment.”

She turned and went into the house, retrieved a concealer, squeezed some out, and stood on tiptoe to apply it to him.

Tan Yucheng looked down and let her apply it.

Once Ji Ting finished and capped the concealer, she looked up, and Tan Yucheng leaned down to kiss her lips. “Let’s go.”

Ji Ting responded with an “Mm.”

Tan Yucheng released her waist and went to the company first.

Ji Ting put down the concealer, continued drinking her milk, and had breakfast.

In the afternoon.

The store wasn’t very busy. Because the weather was getting hot, Ji Ting decided to buy two sets of close-fitting underwear. Since it was a last-minute decision, Ji Ting drove to the World Trade Center.

After parking, she took the elevator up and arrived at the familiar brand store.

As soon as she stepped in, she ran into Shu Xiao. Their eyes met directly in mid-air. Shu Xiao was carrying a shopping bag, also seemingly there for shopping.

Ji Ting hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit surprised, but still responded with a friendly nod and then walked into the store.

Shu Xiao was also headed for this store. Compared to last time, she seemed to have lost some weight. She pressed her lips together and entered the store. The store manager, who was an acquaintance of Ji Ting’s, was introducing new styles to her. When Shu Xiao came in, she casually looked around. A sales guide approached her and began to assist.

Ji Ting felt the fabric of the lingerie and said, “I’ll try these on.”

The store manager immediately got her two sets, and Ji Ting went into the fitting room. Shu Xiao also found a set she liked, and only asked the sales guide to get her size. She then waited by the counter.

Her gaze was on the fitting room.

Thoughts of what Meng Jia had said to her surfaced in her mind.

She was aware that, in the past, when she wanted to reconcile with Tan Yucheng and repeatedly sought Ji Ting’s help, Ji Ting had helped her out of helplessness. Ji Ting was kind-hearted, she had never spoken ill of her, even though Ji Ting and Tan Yucheng had been entangled at that time. Ji Ting had not been angry.

Yet, despite this,

Shu Xiao still couldn’t let go.

When the sales guide handed her the size she needed and asked if she wanted to try it on, Shu Xiao shook her head and said no, asking them to pack it up. The store manager went to adjust the lingerie for Ji Ting, leaving only one sales guide to pack for Shu Xiao. After the packing was done, Shu Xiao took the bag. The phone at the bottom of the bag slipped onto the table, almost falling to the ground.

By reflex, Shu Xiao caught the phone and pushed it back inside the bag.

However, the phone had not yet locked, and as she swiped, the album appeared, showing a single photo in a dedicated album.

At that moment, the only photo in that album was displayed.

Ji Ting was sitting on Tan Yucheng’s lap. He had turned his head to kiss her neck. Ji Ting’s clothes were partially removed, exposing one shoulder, while the hand of the man holding her had veins out, as if he was about to squeeze her waist.

His jawline was sharply defined, and the other hand was unbuttoning his shirt. The subtle, latent desire was all captured in the photo.

Shu Xiao froze in place.

She stared intensely at the photo.

It was a Tan Yucheng she didn’t recognize at all.

“Miss Shu?” The sales guide, having finished organizing the receipt, noticed Shu Xiao hadn’t left. Seeing her unusual expression, she followed her gaze and called out.

Shu Xiao suddenly came to her senses, exited the album, turned off Ji Ting’s phone screen, and pushed the phone back, saying, “I almost dropped a customer’s phone in your store.”

The sales guide, having been at some distance and unable to see the contents of the phone, quickly took the phone and placed it on the counter, saying, “It’s fine. Miss Shu, is there anything else you need?”

“No, that’s all.”

Shu Xiao’s face was even paler now. She glanced at the fitting room, then turned and left the lingerie store.

Ji Ting, having finished trying on the clothes, noticed Shu Xiao was no longer in the store. She paused briefly but soon focused on paying. The sales guide handed her the phone, and Ji Ting unlocked it without finding anything unusual.

She paid and then left with her bag.

She went straight back to the store.

In the evening,

Tan Yucheng had ordered dinner.

As for the others, they had gone to the supermarket.

The black car parked in a spot near the supermarket. Tan Yucheng loosened his collar a bit and, dressed in a suit, walked past the checkout counter and into Ji Lindong’s office. Smiling, he hugged Ji Lindong and said, “Uncle.”

Ji Lindong looked up and immediately smiled, “Yucheng, what brings you here?”

Tan Yucheng walked in and said, “Came to play a game of chess with you.”

“Perfect timing! I just got a new set of chess pieces recently.” Ji Lindong set aside what he was doing, stood up, and took out a Go board from the drawer, placing it on the coffee table.

Tan Yucheng hung his coat on the back of a chair and sat down with a smile.

Ji Lindong set up the board and asked, “Your parents are coming to Li City next week, right?”

Tan Yucheng nodded, “Yes.”

“Looks like things at your company are finally settling down.”

Tan Yucheng smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and started playing chess.

Ji Lindong also began playing. They were both very focused, taking turns. During the game, Tan Yucheng’s phone rang. The caller was Fu Yan. Tan Yucheng answered, responded, and then hung up. Next, Chen Fei called, and then a finance person from the company called as well. Ji Lindong heard a woman’s voice and looked at Tan Yucheng, asking with a smile, “Is that your girlfriend?”

Tan Yucheng glanced up and shook his head with a smile, “It’s not my girlfriend.”

Ji Lindong was surprised, “So, you have a girlfriend?”

Tan Yucheng nodded.

He picked up a piece and placed it on the board, his voice carrying a smile, “So, Uncle, I’m not a playboy. When I’m in a relationship, I take it seriously.”

Ji Lindong nodded with understanding, “Of course. When you’re in a relationship, you need to be responsible for the girl.”