Chapter 7: Jing Ruo
By the time the waiter had escorted the couple to their room, Gu Jin had recovered her mood. This was a real-world, not just a pile of words in a novel. The characters described in the book were simply the tip of the iceberg. How could everyone be described in detail?
Ever since transmigrating into this novel, her discomfort in being in a 'fictional' world had dissipated significantly and her mood also improved. Gu Jin looked up at their room number, labeled 669; she laughingly said, "That's a lucky number."
Shao Chong, whose arm was hooked around hers, naturally felt Gu Jin's change. When he turned to look at her strangely, he was suddenly surprised by her beauty; it was something so subtle that he hadn't noticed it before.
He couldn't quite describe it, but it was as if a layer of dense mist had been slowly lifted to reveal a hidden scenery. But since they have arrived at their room, Shao Chong quickly buried these doubts in his heart. Right when the pair entered through the door, Cheng Xin's complaining voice resounded clearly.
"Shao Chong, Little Jin, how could you arrive so late? I've been waiting for a long time!"
Her voice was soft and sweet like cotton candy, and she whined like a spoiled child.
Gu Jin felt the man's arm she was holding turn stiff.
"Sorry, I was tired yesterday so I overslept." Gu Jin released his arm and sat down opposite of Cheng Xin. "What about Jing Hao? Why didn't he come?"
Shao Chong stepped forward and a faint glint flitted across his eyes. He kept his gaze on Cheng Xin as he sat beside Gu Jin.
Cheng Xin had never waited so long for anyone, so she was unhappy that Gu Jin came late. But after hearing her cousin's explanation and remembering Gu Jin's present for her yesterday, she decided to dismiss her ill feelings towards her girlfriend.
Thinking that Gu Jin, who had always been close to her, had asked her a question out of sincere care, Cheng Xin immediately replied with a sad expression, "His sister has returned home, so he's going to pick her up at the airport today."
"Jing Hao's sister?" Gu Jin was surprised. She almost forgot that the male lead had a sister!
"It's the child of Grandpa Jing's friend who was orphaned. She was granted their surname, and is Jing Hao's sister."
Yes, Gu Jin was reminded that Jing Hao had a younger sister named Jing Ruo in the novel. Jing Ruo's parents both died in an accident so Jing Hao's grandfather decided to take her into the family for the sake of their families' many generations of friendship. After she was adopted, she also changed her surname to theirs.
Since the current generation of the Jing family had no daughters, Jing Ruo was very popular and was favored no less than how a real daughter of the Jing's would be treated.
If Gu Jin's role as a supporting friend, then Jin Ruo's role as a villainess. She had fallen in love with her elder brother since youth, but Jing Hao only regarded her as a beloved sister who had always been around him.
To change his impression of her, Jing Ruo chose to go abroad for several years. She planned everything well, hoping that a few years later when she returns to China, Jing Hao would no longer see her as a little girl, but as a mature woman.
She presumed that with the Jing family's favor, it would not be difficult for her to wed Jing Hao. Unfortunately, her plan could not keep up with the changes brought by time. She never imagined that someone like Cheng Xin would appear and ruin her plan, causing her temperamental brother to open his heart to a woman for the first time.
Under her fierce anger, Jing Ruo's heart completely blackened. By taking advantage of her relationship with Jing Hao as brother and sister, the female and male protagonists of the novel had to deal with numerous misunderstandings.
In the end, the villainess' schemes were overturned by the protagonists who resolved their misunderstandings, and Jing Ruo was left in a very miserable state. "Don't mention it," Cheng Xin said with a cheerful smile. "Today's dinner is Shao Chong's treat. You have to give me a meal to pay for hurting my Little Jing.
If you don't pay the price, the two of us ladies will have to come and kill you." Shao Chong's careful and restrained gaze focused on Cheng Xin's expression. She was unhappy and there was even a slight pain revealed within those eyes. Why did she choose a man like Jing Hao when he didn't even know how to cherish her?