Jie Jie: Title means Wen Jing got jealous
Bai Mu Ning was sulking the entire way. The cherry cake wasn’t even halfway finished before Wen Jing ruined it.
What annoyed him most was that this person had no remorse at all, his apology was completely insincere.
Of course, even if Wen Jing had apologized properly, Bai Mu Ning wouldn’t have accepted it. Wasting food was disgraceful.
Wu Xia lived in the bungalow area of the eastern part of the city. Although she was from Jingnan, she owned no property and had been renting all these years.
In Jingnan, every inch of land was precious. Even a bungalow in a back alley costs three thousand yuan, not to mention the considerable expenses of water, electricity, and daily living.
Wu Xia was classified as disabled. She relied on a small welfare subsidy each month and made some extra money by collecting and selling recyclables on the streets.
Bai Mu Ning suddenly began to worry about himself. With housing prices so high in Jingnan, would he even be able to afford a room if the school ever stopped letting him stay in the dorm?
Following behind Wen Jing, they passed through corridors and alleys to reach the address Wu Xia had written down.
They found the address, but there were four households behind the same door. They had no idea which one it was.
Just then, a door opened and a middle school girl stepped out. Bai Mu Ning walked up and asked, “Meimei,[1] do you know which one is Wu Xia’s home?”
The middle school girl looked at him warily and said, “What do you want with my mom?”
At this time, Wen Jing’s voice came from behind, “Hello, we’re doctors from Sanwen Hall. Your mother missed her follow-up, and we couldn’t reach her, so we came to check in.”
At the mention of Sanwen Hall, the wariness on the girl’s face faded and was replaced by a gentle smile. “Oh, hello, Uncle. My mom’s inside, lying down. She’s sick and can’t get out of bed. I went to buy her a bowl of noodles. Please come in and sit.”
The girl left, and Wen Jing led Bai Mu Ning inside to check on Wu Xia’s condition.
The place Wu Xia rented was a studio apartment. The bed was right by the entrance, with a wardrobe and a study desk next to it. A partition at the back separated the bedroom from the kitchen.
Everything in the room gave off an air of age and disrepair, yet the place was spotless and orderly, with a faint pleasant fragrance in the air.
Wu Xia was lying on the bed with her back to them, so she didn’t notice that two more people had entered the room.
Bai Mu Ning walked over to greet her. When the sorrowful Wu Xia saw Bai Mu Ning, she immediately smiled. [Why are you here?]
There was no heating in the room, and Wu Xia was wearing thick pajamas and wrapped in a quilt as she sat up.
[Dr. Wen came too. We came to check on you since you didn’t go for your follow-up.]
Wu Xia smiled at Wen Jing. [I’m already better, no need to waste your medicine. Thank you both for coming to see me.]
Wen Jing placed the daily necessities he had brought for Wu Xia and her daughter on the floor, then walked over to take her pulse.
“You are indeed better, but your mood isn’t. Grief and overthinking can damage the body. Did something happen?”
Bai Mu Ning translated for him. Wu Xia forced a smile. [It’s nothing.]
[I’m doing just fine.]
Since Wu Xia didn’t want to talk about it, they had no choice but to drop the subject and ask about her current situation instead.
Not long after, the young girl returned with the noodles. She had only bought one bowl, and upon entering, she suddenly felt embarrassed.
The girl was clearly flustered, genuinely feeling bad for not treating her guests properly.
Bai Mu Ning smiled and said, “We’ve already eaten. You two go ahead and eat as well. We just came to check on Auntie.”
“In that case, we’ll get going. Little girl, mind seeing us out?”
Wu Xia gestured to the girl, [Go see them out.]
The girl put down the noodles and went with them. After walking a short distance, Bai Mu Ning finally asked, “What’s wrong with your mom? Is she upset about something?”
The middle schooler didn’t have many complicated thoughts. With a straightforward nature of “you’re nice to me, I’ll tell you everything,” she spilled it all.
“My mom lost her phone. That’s why she’s upset. She’s been sick for two days because of it.”
“It’s useless for me to persuade her. That phone meant a lot to her.”
Bai Mu Ning assumed Wu Xia was simply upset about losing her phone and said, “I have a spare phone. I can give it to your mom.”
But in truth, Bai Mu Ning lived very frugally and didn’t have any spare phones. Even the phone he was using now had been an old hand-me-down from Li Anche.
He figured he could buy a secondhand one to give to Wu Xia.
The girl said, “It’s not the phone itself. What mattered were the photos on it.”
“There were pictures and videos of my Dad on that phone. That’s why Mom’s so sad. Even if we get another phone, those can’t be recovered.”
Wu Xia’s husband had passed away many years ago. She had been raising her daughter on her own ever since. Now, even the last traces of him were gone.
Bai Mu Ning asked, “Where did she lose it?”
The little girl let out a soft “ah” and replied, “In front of the mall. We reported it to the police, but it was no use. It’s gone.”
“Got it. Go back and keep your mom company.”
Bai Mu Ning followed Wen Jing as they walked out. It got dark early in winter. By four o’clock, the streetlights were already on.
When they reached the roadside parking space, Bai Mu Ning didn’t get in the car. He said to Wen Jing, “Dr. Wen, I have something to do at school, so I won’t be going to Sanwen Hall today.”
Wen Jing paused, turned to look at him, and said, “Get in the car. I’ll take you.”
Bai Mu Ning only wanted to get rid of Wen Jing quickly and had no intention of getting in. “No need. I’ll take the subway.”
“Get in the car,” Wen Jing’s tone left no room for argument, forceful and domineering. “Don’t make me say it again.”
So Bai Mu Ning, who had lied about needing to return to school, ended up being escorted back by Wen Jing.
It was just very depressing.
Just before he got out of the car, Wen Jing said, “If you’re going to work, then focus on working. Don’t let your mind wander with all kinds of nonsense.”
Bai Mu Ning froze mid-motion, then let out a short, incredulous laugh.
What nonsense had he even been thinking about? Wen Jing was being completely unreasonable.
“Got it, thank you for teaching me, Uncle.” Bai Mu Ning practically slammed the car door shut. He was genuinely angry now.
He headed into the school and saw Wen Jing’s car idling by the curb for a moment before finally driving away. Only after the car’s butt was completely out of sight did Bai Mu Ning slip out from the school gate again to catch a bus. Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.
When Wen Jing returned to Sanwen Hall, Chen Haonan noticed he came back alone and asked, “Where’s Xiao Ning? Why are you the only one back?”
Wen Jing walked toward the consultation room, taking off his coat as he went. “He had something to do at school.”
Chen Haonan looked disappointed. “Why’d he go back to school? The skewers will get cold and won’t taste good. Forget it, I’ll buy him a fresh batch tomorrow.”
Wen Jing suddenly stopped and began explaining, “Barbecue contains Group 1 carcinogens like benzo[a]pyrene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Are you sure you want him eating that? Are you trying to shorten his lifespan?”
Did this kid swallow gunpowder today?
Holding the skewers, Chen Haonan said, “Old Wen, seriously, maybe lay off the bullshit expert advice once in a while. Can’t eat this, can’t eat that. What’s the point of living, then?”
“And why are you snapping at me? I didn’t even do anything.”
When they reached the consultation room, Chen Haonan followed behind him closely. “What’s going on with you anyway?”
Wen Jing put on his white coat and replied, “What do you mean, what’s going on with me? You’re the one who keeps feeding Bai Mu Ning. Just a reminder, no dating allowed at this place.”
Chen Haonan finally caught on—so this was what it was all about.
“Old Wen, you’re jealous,” Chen Haonan said. “I wouldn’t dare try to compete with you. I just think Xiao Ning is a sweet kid—feels like a little brother.”
Wen Jing let out a cold snort. “Watch your wording. Thanks.”
He didn’t think he was jealous; he simply felt that Chen Haonan wasn’t suitable for Bai Mu Ning, and there was no need to give the kid the wrong idea.
“Alright, alright, alright, you’re not jealous. I’m jealous.”
Chen Haonan grinned and walked away, while Wen Jing returned to work.
At 8 p.m., Wen Jing was getting ready to finish for the day when his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.
He didn’t answer the first call, but picked up when it rang a second time.
“Hello, who is this?”
A voice on the other end asked, “Is this Wen Jing?”
“Who’s speaking?”
“This is the police station. Do you know Bai Mu Ning?”
“Yes, what happened?”
“Then please come over to pick him up. He was in a fight.”
Wen Jing’s first thought was—who the hell bullied Bai Mu Ning?
[1] Little sister,