Chapter 16: Ji Xiao, It's Me, Wei Qingyu
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Why?"
Under the silent night sky, Qi Qi's lament resounded.
She has been coveting this car for a long time.
"I want to walk home today," Ji Xiao explained simply, giving the driver a pat on the window, signaling, “Drive away."
"Don't..."
Qi Qi's gaze closely followed the departing Maybach, unwilling to retract for a long time.
Her seaweed-like long hair cascaded down, and a look of loss was written on her enchanting and delicate face.
Ji Xiao stood beside Qi Qi, secretly licking her lips.
If it weren't for escorting Wei Qingyu home, she really couldn't bear to see a beauty reveal such an expression.
With a few days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon hangs luminously in the sky, its gentle light filling the imperceptible gap.
On the two-lane road, pedestrians are sparse, and the river on one side lies silent beneath the night sky. A gentle, cool breeze blows, exceptionally quiet.
Wei Qingyu walks on the road from school to home. Under the pitch-black night, only a slanting shadow accompanies her.
Her pace is neither fast nor slow, the hazy glow of streetlights falling on her. Her cold demeanor aligns perfectly with this tranquil night.
Ji Xiao walked alongside Qi Qi, pretending to casually glance at Wei Qingyu ahead, deliberately maintaining distance.
After walking for a while, Qi Qi couldn't resist anymore. She looked at the person ahead, and even though the face was not clear, she knew who it was, and asked, "Sister Xiao, are you playing the role of a flower protector?"
Ji Xiao glanced at Qi Qi and asked back, "Protecting what flower?"
"Then why are you secretly following Wei Qingyu with me?" Qi Qi ruthlessly exposed.
Ji Xiao quickly denied, "Who said I'm following her? I'm just taking a stroll home to exercise, is that not allowed?"
"Come on..." Qi Qi didn't believe it.
Unable to deceive any longer, Ji Xiao stopped and asked in return, "Is it... that obvious?" She thought she concealed it well, observing the distance between her and Wei Qingyu when Qi Qi wasn't paying attention.
Qi Qi nodded, "There are no cars here, and your pace is uneven. Anyone can see it."
Ji Xiao pursed her lips discontentedly, openly following behind Wei Qingyu in front of Qi Qi.
Even though she was exposed, at least Wei Qingyu didn't notice, right?
The road straightened along the river and led directly ahead. On the dark asphalt surface, three widely spaced shadows were cast.
Qi Qi, watching Ji Xiao's shadow, couldn't help but speak, "Sister Xiao, actually, I've had a question I wanted to ask you."
Ji Xiao looked up, "What?"
Qi Qi asked, "Why are you suddenly so nice to Wei Qingyu?"
Ji Xiao frowned at this question.
She remembered when Qi Qi and Fang Yiming asked her the same question before. She recalled the outrageous things she said to distance herself, and Wei Qingyu overheard.
Seeing a hint of hostility in Ji Xiao's golden-orange eyes, Qi Qi quickly waved her hands, saying, "No, this time it's real!
"Just like I never understood why last semester, you suddenly treated Wei Qingyu so poorly."
Ji Xiao keenly caught the keywords in Qi Qi's words and repeated, "Suddenly?"
Qi Qi nodded, "Yes, you used to ignore her, and sometimes even said a few good words about her."
"Good words?" Ji Xiao felt the term sounded strange when referring to the original owner.
Trying a different approach, she subtly inquired, "I said good things about her? I don't remember."
"It's like when someone said she was pretending, you would say she's been like this since childhood, something similar. It gave me the impression that you two had a good relationship when you were kids." Qi Qi explained, "I heard that Uncle Ji and her dad are close friends, so she stayed at your house after her family had issues. You must have known each other since childhood, right?"
"Uh..." Ji Xiao nodded indifferently, but in her mind, the dream she had after fainting surged.
The slightly taller little girl should be the original owner, and the one behind her should be the younger Wei Qingyu. They were picking flowers together in a vibrant flower bed, appearing just like Qi Qi described—a close relationship during childhood.
"Why did it turn from green plum* to enemies?" Qi Qi asked in confusion.
*childhood friends/sweethearts
"Yeah..." Ji Xiao was still contemplating, forgetting her current identity, and absentmindedly nodded.
"?" Qi Qi was puzzled.
Ji Xiao quickly came back to her senses, dodging the question, "Maybe I had convulsions at that time, but it's all in the past now."
"Hopefully you're not having convulsions now and truly understand how to cherish Omegas," Qi Qi said, smiling. "Speaking of which, Wei Qingyu has had a tough time. Before differentiation, she was good at studying, beautiful, and came from a well-off family. She was the school's recognized beauty, and countless people liked her. After differentiating into an Omega, with the incident in her family, many at school treated her badly. Quite a few people, like Liu Meina, coveted her."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiao cursed bitterly, "Those scumbags deserve to die."
Qi Qi glanced at Ji Xiao, "Sister Xiao..."
Ji Xiao saw the reminder in Qi Qi's eyes.
Oh, I was also one of those scumbags in the past...
Ji Xiao cleared her throat, saving face, "Didn't I say it already? I was having convulsions before."
Then, she lifted her head high, sternly saying, "Is no one allowed to turn over a new leaf?!"
"Of course, it's possible! Our Sister Xiao has always been true to her words!" Qi Qi said, then put her arm around Ji Xiao's shoulder, giving her the best friend's approval.
As they chatted, they walked along the riverside road, and the bustling market scene came into view.
It wasn't even nine o'clock in the evening, but the old street, sheltered by intertwined poplar trees, was brightly lit. The delicious aroma of the night market filled the air.
Ji Xiao hadn't expected to find scenes so similar to her original world even in the bustling city like City A.
She looked at these unfamiliar yet familiar shop signs, her expression changing.
"Let's go," Ji Xiao said, lifting her foot and stepping onto the flower tiles beside the sidewalk.
"Where are we going?" Qi Qi asked in confusion.
Weren't they supposed to escort Wei Qingyu home? What's happening now?
"To buy something."
Before the words could settle, Ji Xiao turned and led Qi Qi into a pharmacy bathed in green light.
….
The moon shines brightly, the stars are sparse, and the autumn wind rustles the green plants along the road. In the upscale villa area, far from the bustling city, there is silence.
Ascending a small incline, Wei Qingyu arrives at the Ji family villa. From a distance, she sees the warm yellow light emanating from Ji Xiao's room, and the quiet Maybach parked in the front yard.
Wei Qingyu silently averts her gaze and walks to the front door.
Her expression carries a hint of weariness. After a day of turmoil without eating much, her stomach is empty, and she doesn't have much energy.
She takes out her keys, opens the door, and changes her shoes before returning to her room.
Wei Qingyu performed these actions in silence.
There's no one to welcome her in this home, just like no one would open the door for her if she knocked.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Wei Qingyu returns to her room. Unable to retrieve her backpack from the classroom due to locked doors, she resorts to previewing her homework based on tomorrow's schedule.
She opens a bag of biscuits, uncertain of their expiration date, and flips open her biology textbook.
The sound of a pen signing across the textbook intertwines with the monotonous and uninteresting noise of biscuits crumbling.
After the beginning of autumn, there are fewer insects in the hiding grass. In the silent room, with windows tightly closed, the faint chirping of insects can't penetrate through the glass, making the room even more tranquil.
After a while, the sounds in the room came to a halt.
Wei Qingyu looked at her textbook and, almost unconsciously, glanced at the two plain wooden-colored notebooks on the bookshelf.
Those were her biology notes from her first year, containing all the knowledge points from the four compulsory textbooks for the college entrance examination.
If she wanted to pass the examination, just reviewing her notes would be sufficient.
The fair fingers of the young girl delicately rested on these two notebooks. Hesitating, she gently took them down from the shelf.
That girl seems to have been troubled by biology.
She helped her so much today; it's time to return the favor.
It's best when they don't owe each other anything.
A quiet sound of a door opening echoed in the hallway as Wei Qingyu stepped out of her room.
Holding the two biology notebooks, she stood in front of Ji Xiao's door, gently knocking and calling out, "Ji Xiao."
After the calm voice faded, there was no response, no sound of the door opening.
The corridor returned to silence, and the girl hesitated for a moment before raising her hand again. "Ji Xiao, it's me, Wei Qingyu."
The words fell, and silence once again enveloped the corridor.
Wei Qingyu furrowed her brows, unsure of what Ji Xiao was up to in her room.
She had seen the light on in Ji Xiao's room when she returned; she should have been back already.
"Ji Xiao, don't pretend. I know you're in your room. Open the door." Wei Qingyu's voice became louder, and she confidently knocked on the door.
"Wei Qingyu?"
Another voice echoed in the quiet corridor. Wei Qingyu, holding the notebooks, couldn't help but tighten her grip.
Ji Xiao appeared at the side of the staircase, holding two box byes. She tilted her head, wearing a puzzled expression on her face.
Author's Note:
There are unfinished favors and endless debts.
Your lover group (no, the favor group is ready! OvO!
