Earring?
Hearing Su Aiping mention it, Mi Jing immediately glanced at her ears, seeing a ruby earring on her left ear, but none on her right.
Such a valuable item, even if it’s not of great significance, it would still be heartbreaking to lose it, wouldn’t it? Mi Jing thought so, and immediately volunteered, "Let me help you find it."
Mi Jing was willing to help, and Su Aiping naturally couldn’t be more grateful. The next second, she nodded excitedly, then pulled the corners of her mouth into a grateful smile, fine lines at the corners of her eyes showing.
Click, click—
For a moment, neither of them spoke. In the not-so-spacious space, only Mi Jing’s footsteps could be heard.
A second, two seconds, as Mi Jing approached, Su Aiping’s gaze fixed unwaveringly on Mi Jing’s hair, as if something important was hidden there, her gaze growing hotter and mixed with a trace of inexplicable frenzy. But Mi Jing was fully focused on finding the earring and did not notice Su Aiping’s strange look.
Mi Jing’s hair had never been dyed, black and lustrous, and under the sunlight, it shone with a healthy glow, looking very well-nourished.
Suddenly, a cold gleam flashed in Su Aiping’s eyes. Her gaze remained fixed on Mi Jing’s hair, staring intently, subconsciously raising her hand. However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the dark strands, Mi Jing suddenly stood up straight and said joyfully, "Found it!"
Hearing the voice, Su Aiping’s hand froze mid-air and trembled. The situation changed so quickly that she was caught off guard, unable to retract her hand in time. The panic lasted only a second. In her view, Mi Jing wasn’t very sharp, so she wasn’t worried about giving herself away.
Feigning nonchalance, Su Aiping smoothed the hair on her forehead, raised her head slowly. Her calm gaze swept past the ruby earring in Mi Jing’s hand and landed on Mi Jing’s blooming smile. She couldn’t help but squint her eyes, a hint of ambiguous disgust and resentment flashing in her eyes.
"Great, glad it wasn’t lost!" Surprise climbed onto Su Aiping’s face. Her acting was on par with any actor, not just in expression but also in her seamless emotional transition.
"Luckily, it fell on the couch." Smiling, Mi Jing handed the earring back to Su Aiping. The small, blood-red gem sparkled brilliantly under the light, looking very beautiful.
Su Aiping sat still, showing no intention of taking the earring back. After a moment of silence, seeing the confusion already appearing on Mi Jing’s face, she finally spoke, "Jing, do you like these earrings?"
"..." Mi Jing was taken aback, feeling that Su Aiping’s question was somewhat sudden, making her unsure how to respond for a moment.
"Don’t you like them?" Su Aiping seemed not intent on changing the subject, asking again.
"Uh." Mi Jing hesitated, her scalp tingling, then explained, "It’s not about liking or disliking. Due to personal preference and habits, I rarely wear earrings, so I have little interest or research on these things."
Compared to her close friends, Mi Jing was the last to get her ears pierced. Being very afraid of pain, no matter how much Li Bao’er encouraged her back in high school, she firmly refused, rejecting the idea of harming her ears. But Mi Jing didn’t hold out in the end. During college, Han Xiujie gave her a pair of earrings. Though not expensive, she cherished them like diamonds, more precious because they were handmade by Han Xiujie. This gave her enough courage and a solid reason, no matter how Li Bao’er teased, she ignored it and decisively got her ears pierced.
It was summer then, hot and humid. Excitedly, Mi Jing didn’t ask about precautions. Without disinfection, her ears got infected, needing a week of ointment treatment. But this little pain was nothing compared to her prized love. Once healed, she joyfully wore Han Xiujie’s earrings, only removing them after they broke up, leaving the ear holes a scar in her heart, unwilling to wear earrings again...
"I see. I thought about giving these to you."
In Su Aiping’s regretful voice, Mi Jing was drawn back from distant memories, quickly saying, "Such valuable items, I can’t accept!"
"Actually, these earrings aren’t worth much. I just wanted to thank you." Su Aiping said earnestly.
Rubies aren’t worth much?
Mi Jing couldn’t agree. Su Aiping’s clothes were extraordinary, brands and prices unknown to Mi Jing, but the bag on the table she had seen in magazines, limited to two thousand globally, not easily bought even with money. So for someone like her, a wealthy lady, a pair of ruby earrings were nothing. But to a commoner like Mi Jing, even married to a tycoon like Shen Lingxing, her financial views remained common, unable to reach the extravagance of the wealthy.
"Mrs. Su, no need to be so courteous." Mi Jing emphasized, then, without the courage to face Su Aiping, fearing her insistence, hastily added, "I won’t disturb your rest. Call if you need me, I’ll step out for now."
Without waiting for Su Aiping’s response, Mi Jing turned and walked out. Su Aiping watched her back, her gentle gaze gradually turning icy, devoid of any kindness.
Soon, Su Aiping once more meticulously searched the couch, but it was spotless, not a trace, not even a strand of hair. However, Su Aiping didn’t give up easily, searching the couch thoroughly again but to no avail. Frustrated, she moved to the carpet, spending several minutes, finding only a long hair!
Mi Jing had left Su Aiping’s sight just ten minutes ago. With her distinctive short black hair, it was impossible to forget, so she knew the long hair couldn’t be Mi Jing’s.
Suddenly, Su Aiping angrily flung the hair away, tightly pressing her lips together, sitting back on the couch, her eyes flashing with angry malice, thinking: Why on earth clean the damned balcony so well!
Agitated and restless, Su Aiping had no mood to rest there. After a moment, calming herself, she grabbed her bag and left, finding an excuse to go home, maintaining a weak, dispirited front, successfully garnering Mi Jing’s sympathy again. Finally, with Mi Jing’s support, she left the café. Only when she sat in her car did Mi Jing return to the café to continue her unfinished tasks.