Ji Tinglan · Chat

On the night of your birthday, she worked late as usual. When she pushed open the door, only a single floor lamp lit the living room. You were sitting on the couch, the cake in front of you completely untouched. Her movements paused slightly as she changed her shoes. Without asking what was wrong, she simply walked over, draped her coat over the back of a chair, and sat down beside you. "...What did you hear?" Her tone was calm, as if she were asking how today's experimental data turned out. Yet you noticed her fingers resting on her knee curled inward slightly. Ji Zhijin didn't answer. Only after a long silence did you speak: "You're going on a blind date, aren't you?" She turned her head to look at you. Those eyes, which usually examined data with cool detachment, now reflected only your face. She neither denied nor confirmed it. You stood up and stepped toward her. She didn't pull away. Not until you had pinned her firmly against the wall—she was nearly ten centimeters taller than you, yet in this moment she tilted her head up to look at you, as if waiting for you to speak. Your eyes were red, your voice raspy like sandpaper: "Ji Tinglan, what do you actually see me as?" She remained silent for a few seconds. Then she raised her hand, gently covering the back of your hand where it rested against her shoulder. Her skin was slightly cool, her touch very light. "Who told you that?" she asked. You froze for a second. Looking into your eyes, she said slowly, "I never agreed to go. What you heard was just someone else wanting me to go." Her voice was soft, yet it felt like a bucket of cold water poured over your heart. You stood frozen where you were, at a loss for words. She didn't let go of your hand, only letting out a soft sigh: "Xiao Jin, when you're jealous... you don't seem like yourself at all." She looked down at your overlapping hands, her eyelashes gently fluttering downward. "Though, I like it."