The Devil Doctor's Spicy Love
Chapter 300: Bonds that heal

Chapter 300: Bonds that heal

Jia absent-mindedly strolled along the long and broad walkway near the river in the night’s cool breeze. She stopped and stood near the railing, watching the water surface sparkling with the city lights at a distance.

She walked even slower as she resumed and took a seat on a nearby bench. She remained sitting, staring at the beautiful view of Beijing for a long time in silence. She then looked down at her phone and opened a chat screen.

After much thought, she sent the message.

’Still free for that drink?’

It took around a minute after which the reply came.

’Share your current location.’

Jia did so and put her phone on the side. She went back to staring at the gentle waves in the river and focusing her hearing at the sound of it.

Some time later, the sound of footsteps echoed and a man made himself comfortable beside her. He placed a big plastic bag on the ground.

Jia blinked. "I thought we were going to some bar."

Huojin smiled. "Too noisy. It’s much more fun to have beer while enjoying the view of the beautiful city we work so hard to protect."

"Still, isn’t that too many beer cans?"

"One or two cans are not enough to soothe the troubled heart."

He took out two cans and passed one to Jia. He opened his own and a hissing sound came of the beer froth coming up. He leaned back and took two big gulps of the chilled drink.

He didn’t ask anything nor did he urge Jia to say anything.

Jia took a few sips from her own can and continued looking at the city.

They simply sat in silence for a long time as the cool air continued to brush against them.

Jia said, "Lihua and I used to come here with Mom and Dad. It was a nice place to have a family walk. It still is."

"I used to come here with my high school gang of friends. Especially whenever I would be kicked out by my uncle for talking back to him. I would drag them to give me company."

"Talk back?"

He shrugged. "Huyi and I were a burden to his family after our parents passed away. It was all just yelling and shouting. He didn’t like it when I yelled and shouted though."

She held a light smile. "I see. How...was it like without them?"

"Apart from the yelling and shouting? Pretty much okay, I think? I think..." he took a pause, "I was okay because Huyi was by my side. I controlled myself not to become a criminal, otherwise who would take care of her?"

"Otherwise you would have?"

He smiled. "I am pretty sure you would have seen me on the other side of the jail bars. I refrained myself from hurting my uncle. But I really, reaaaaaally wanted to at least break his arm."

Jia let out a chuckle.

"But yeah, I grew out of it. The pity, the sympathy looks. Two young kids without parents struggling by themselves. You get immune to it one day."

She patted his thigh. "You did great. I am sure Huyi is proud of you."

"And I am sure Lihua is proud of you too."

Jia couldn’t reply to that.

Huojin waited and asked, "Do you think she wouldn’t be?"

"I think she is. But...I don’t think I am proud of myself."

"Where do you think you are going wrong?" He asked while taking another sip.

She looked at him. "Do you...do you also think that I am trying to compensate for my parents’ crimes?"

"Who told you that?"

She clutched her hands together. "Commissioner Zhong thinks that I am working so hard because I am desperate to prove myself different from them."

Huojin didn’t immediately answer.

Jia’s heart sank inwardly with his silence.

Huojin thoughtfully said, "You know, Jia. I have been raising Huyi for all these years. She has grown up now but I haven’t let go of that notion."

She smiled. "I understand that as an elder sister myself."

He nodded. "When I think of her happiness and future, I think about our Mom and Dad. Questions like -

Am I raising her right?

Am I doing a decent enough job of taking care of her?

Am I doing it the way they would have?

Questions like these come to my mind. I want to be like them. I don’t think anything is wrong with that."

"No, it’s not wrong," she replied.

"That’s why it’s also not wrong if you want to be different from your parents. I want to be like my parents. You want to be different from yours. It comes naturally to us. Children look up to their parents and they aspire to be like them. If they are wrong, they aspire not to follow their path."

She pursed her lips.

He smiled. "So you are doing just fine, Jia. There is no problem with your convictions as long as you don’t let that pressure and burden eat you up. Being different is fine. But you might unconsciously try to prove yourself. That is different from just being yourself."

She frowned and he let out a chuckle.

"Following your beliefs is natural, but trying to make others believe your beliefs is not because in your mind, you have already thought of yourself as guilty of something. Don’t let your parents’ guilt seep into you."

Tears plopped down her cheeks and she softly broke down. But she quickly wiped them off. "Sorry..."

"Heyyyy, don’t cry! Come here. Let your ok ok boyfriend give you a big teddy bear hug!" his nostrils flared. He grinned and pulled her into his crushing bear hug.

Jia chuckled as she cried at the same time. "Ok ok boyfriend?"

"Isn’t that what your real boyfriend calls me?"

She pinched his waist and he yelped in pain. "Ouch ouch! That hurts. I am very delicate, you know."

She couldn’t help but laugh as she wiped the last tear off her eye.

"Thanks for coming, Huojin."

"Heeeyyyy, anything for my bestie bro," he winked. "Now let’s start with the real competition of who can finish the most beer cans~"

"That’s childish," she snorted.

"It’s fine to be childish. You are way too serious," he scoffed. "Praise your fate that you have such a good friend like me to guide you to enlightenment."

"..."

As they laughed and fooled around with their silly beer drinking competition, a certain figure noiselessly shifted behind a tree.

Mingshen was staring ahead but at nothing in particular.

He was only out to freshen his spirits up with an evening jog. He was sure to get Jia in Huayuan with Danya’s help, but things hadn’t quite turned out that way and so he was sulking.

But he didn’t know his evening jog would coincidentally make his path cross with Jia at the same river walkway.

He saw her alone on the bench and he wasn’t quite sure why she looked so lost and upset. Before he could approach her, Huojin already had. Then he heard the entire conversation. For some reason, he couldn’t intervene like he always did.

Mingshen stared down at the grassy ground with a realization hitting him hard.

Jia called him. She called him herself.

He slightly tilted his head.

She didn’t call me. She called him.

She is...more comfortable sharing her feelings with him.

He made her laugh too.

Huh...

Why do I...not like this?

Lihua’s words echoed in his mind.

When I say trust, I mean that A probably doesn’t feel as close to B as she does to Z.

He looked back at Jia and Huojin laughing and having fun.

She feels she is closer to him than me.

Things like her mom and dad or her weight are sensitive issues for her, so she would naturally tell it to someone who she feels she has a deeper connection with.

It looks like she feels she has a deeper connection with him than me.

Friendship is one such connection because it builds trust between two people.

Yeah they are friends alright.

And that is important because people show their most vulnerable side only to people they trust.

Mingshen stared at the grass unblinkingly.

Trust.

Jia doesn’t trust me.

Or maybe she doesn’t trust me enough to call me instead of him?

He slightly pressed his lips.

Then...

How do I make her trust me more?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.