Gu Jing left w.a.n.g Shao Huang’s company in high spirits.
Suddenly Gu Jing’s phone stopped working. She remembered she had her phone in her pants pocket during the lake incident, and she realised her phone broke because of water damage.
Gu Jing returned to the studio and she received a phone call from a real estate agent. The real estate agent gave her good news, the landlord of an affordable apartment in a good neighbourhood she wanted to live in finally signed her lease contract and it became available to move in immediately.
Gu Jing scribbled her new address on a note for Peng Cheng Gui. Gu Jing hummed, packed her suitcases and she moved to her new apartment.
Gu Jing arrived at her new apartment, it was almost s.p.a.cious as Zhen Lang’s apartment except it only had one bedroom.
Gu Jing walked into her new bedroom and she saw a giant bed.
Gu Jing’s dream came true. She leased a place with a giant bed. In the old and cramped apartment she leased the bed was tiny and she used to roll off the tiny bed many times each night.
Gu Jing unpacked and she walked to a nearby supermarket. At the supermarket she bought a carton of beer and junk food.
Gu Jing carried her beer and junk food home. The sweat on her clothes made her uncomfortable. She took off her clothes in the bathroom and she turned on the shower faucet.
Gu Jing hummed in the shower but she heard someone rang the doorbell. She thought it was Peng Cheng Gui. She turned off the shower faucet. She grabbed a towel and she wrapped it around her head.
‘I’m coming,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing grabbed a shirt she unpacked and put in the bathroom. She put it on, but it wasn’t her shirt. The shirt belonged to Zhen Lang. She didn’t understand why Zhen Lang’s clothes were in her suitcases.
Gu Jing put aside her surprise, she rushed to the front door and another surprise waited for her behind the front door.
The jinx held suitcases in his hands. Immediately Gu Jing closed the front door. But Zhen Lang had quick reflexes, he held the door opened wide enough for him to walk into her home.
In the morning Gu Jing did feel guilty she wrongly accused Zhen Lang of selling her photo, because she realised w.a.n.g Shao Huang stole her photo and it had nothing to do with Zhen Lang. But she reasoned it was still Zhen Lang the jinx’s fault, because w.a.n.g Shao Huang wouldn’t target her if she wasn’t a.s.sociated with the jinx.
‘What are you doing here?’ Gu Jing asked.
Zhen Lang looked at his wet shirt that barely covered Gu Jing’s bottom, his eyes travelled down her bare legs and he smiled. ‘Someone destroyed my apartment. I came here for compensation.’
‘It wasn’t me,’ Gu Jing denied.
Zhen Lang rubbed his shirt on Gu Jing’s body. ‘Then why did you steal my clothes?’
‘I… I didn’t steal it,’ Gu Jing said.
Zhen Lang laughed. ‘The evidence is on your body.’ He closed the front door. ‘I think there are a lot of things between us that we need to sort out slowly together.’
‘We don’t have anything…’ Gu Jing said. She looked away from Zhen Lang’s intense eyes. ‘You… you go outside. I need to buy groceries.’
Zhen Lang took a step closer to Gu Jing and he frowned. ‘Where are your slippers?’
‘My-’ Gu Jing said.
Zhen Lang spotted two pairs of Gu Jing’s slippers near the sofa. He took three steps to the sofa. He put down his suitcases on the floor. Then he took off his shoes and he wore one pair of her slippers.
Gu Jing puffed her cheeks. On the inside she cursed Zhen Lang – ‘Hey, aren’t you scared your big feet will tear my slippers?’
Zhen Lang took out a jacket from one of his suitcases. He took three steps to Gu Jing and he pa.s.sed his jacket to her. ‘Put this on.’
Gu Jing stared at her slippers on Zhen Lang’s big feet so she didn’t notice anything else.
Zhen Lang lifted Gu Jing and he carried her toward the sofa.
Gu Jing gasped and she wrapped her arms around Zhen Lang’s neck. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m taking you to your slippers,’ Zhen Lang said.
Zhen Lang put Gu Jing on the sofa. He squatted and he picked up her other pair of slippers.
Gu Jing moved to a corner of the sofa and she covered her wet chest with Zhen Lang’s jacket.
Zhen Lang waved Gu Jing’s slippers in the air. ‘Come here.’
Gu Jing shook her head and she didn’t move.
Zhen Lang sat on the floor. He grabbed Gu Jing’s legs and he pulled her off the sofa and onto his lap. She tried to wiggle out of his lap, but he didn’t let her go and the shirt she wore rose higher above her thighs.
Zhen Lang put his hands on Gu Jing’s bottom. ‘If you keep jumping around, I’ll hit your bottom.’
Gu Jing sat still on Zhen Lang’s lap. He let go of her bottom and he put slippers onto her feet. He took the towel off Gu Jing’s head and he dried her hair.
‘Do you feel better?’ Zhen Lang asked.
‘Um. I’m not sick anymore… I didn’t destroy your home,’ Gu Jing said.
‘Then you didn’t run away? You’re dishonest and hot headed as your fever. You didn’t say a word to me and disappeared. I ran around looking for you and I didn’t sleep for two days. How are you going to compensate me?’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing felt guilty she made Zhen Lang worried about her for two days, but she didn’t want to admit she ran away because she didn’t dare face him. ‘You can’t blame me. My phone broke from water damage.’
‘Then did you think I bought your photo to give it to w.a.n.g’s company? Is that why you destroyed my home? How are you going to compensate me?’ Zhen Lang asked sternly.
Gu Jing realised Zhen Lang found out what happened.
‘I looked everywhere for you. When I got home, I found you pinned a disfigured photo of me on my bedroom door,’ Zhen Lang said.
‘It’s your fault for being a jinx!’ Gu Jing said.
Zhen Lang took out his phone from his pants pocket. He dialled aunty Gu’s number. ‘I’m going to tell aunty Gu that you destroyed my home.’
‘Don’t…’ Gu Jing said. She grabbed Zhen Lang’s phone and she smiled sweetly. ‘I’ll pay for your home renovations.’
Zhen Lang held Gu Jing’s chin. ‘While my house is renovated, where will I stay? It’ll take at least two months to renovate my home. It’ll be too noisy if I stay there during the next two months. I have many scheduled surgeries to perform, if I don’t get a peaceful rest…’ His eyes swept around her apartment. ‘I think this place is a peaceful place.’
‘No!’ Gu Jing said. She bit her lips. ‘You can find somewhere else to live. This is my home.’
Zhen Lang opened Gu Jing’s hand and he retrieved his phone. ‘Looks like I still need to tell aunty Gu you destroyed my home since I don’t have a peaceful place to stay.’
Gu Jing scoffed. ‘If you want to tell my mum then tell my mum!’
Gu Jing didn’t care if Zhen Lang the jinx threatened to tell her parents or if he threatened to kill her, because didn’t want the jinx to live together with her in her home.
‘Oh I forgot. I also need to tell aunty Gu you promised to marry me,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing pinned Zhen Lang onto the floor. Her legs straddled his body, she sat on his stomach and she gripped his arms. ‘Don’t call.’
‘Then where will I stay?’ Zhen Lang asked.
‘You’ll stay here!’ Gu Jing said.
Zhen Lang sighed. ‘I’m a pitiful man whose home is destroyed. If I stay here I’ll be treated like a butler, it’s better if I live alone.’
On the inside Gu Jing cursed Zhen Lang – ‘What do you want? You’re the one who came here and insisted to stay here. I’m not the one who wanted you to stay here!’
‘I still need to tell aunty Gu about us. Besides I’ve never lied or hid anything from our parents before,’ Zhen Lang said.
‘I’ll be your maid!’ Gu Jing said. She smiled sweetly. ‘We’re adults and we moved out of our parents homes already. We don’t need to tell our parents everything.’
‘Will you clean the house?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Gu Jing nodded her head.
‘Will you wash our clothes?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Gu Jing nodded her head.
‘Every day will you go grocery shopping with me?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Gu Jing frowned and she nodded her head.
‘Every morning will you make a cup of coffee for me before I get out of bed?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Gu Jing’s face paled and she nodded her head.
‘Will you sleep on the sofa and let me sleep on the bed?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Gu Jing stood. ‘Why do I need to sleep on the sofa?’
Gu Jing didn’t want to give up her beautiful giant and comfortable bed.
‘I’m a doctor, I need a peaceful rest. If you refuse my conditions then I’ll tell aunty Gu about us,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing felt depressed and heartbroken over the bed of her dreams. She reluctantly nodded her head.
‘But… I feel hiding such an important secret from our parents is too sinful-’ Zhen Lang said.
‘You don’t need to feel guilty. It’s settled!’ Gu Jing said. She grabbed Zhen Lang’s phone. ‘You’ll sleep on my bed, I’ll sleep on the sofa, I’ll clean the house, I’ll wash the dishes and our clothes. I’ll make you coffee in the mornings and I’ll go grocery shopping with you in the evenings.’
‘Ok,’ Zhen Lang said. He rubbed his eyes and he pretended to yawn to hide his smile. ‘I’ll take a short nap. Later we’ll go buy dinner together.’
End of Chapter Thirty-One