Chapter 25: It Had Been A Long Time Since She Had Seen Ji Xiao Like This
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Above the line of sight, the French plane trees divide the azure sky into several parts, the scorching sun glaringly piercing into the eyes of the girl.
The thin fabric transfers body heat to each other, and the slightly elevated temperature after running carries a hint of minty pheromones, solidly igniting a fire in Ji Xiao's heart.
Ji Xiao stares blankly at the girl pressing against her, clearly hearing the inexplicable erratic heartbeat in her chest.
The shadows of the two girls on the ground overlap, invisibly creating a sense of life and death together. Ji Xiao looks at Wei Qingyu in great surprise. In such a crisis, she would actually reach out to protect her.
The same goes for Wei Qingyu.
The girl's cold eyebrows still showed no emotion, she looked expressionlessly at Ji Xiao, who was being held in her arms.
Surprised by her own reaction at this moment.
Ji Xiao’s jet-black hair hung messy in front of Wei Qingyu's face, revealing the glands covered with restraint patches. The scent of peach wrapped in brandy drifted gently in the morning breeze.
Wei Qingyu cleared her throat, her face cold as she released Ji Xiao's wrist. "Are you okay?" The warmth pressed against her body was mercilessly withdrawn, and a gust of autumn wind blew onto Ji Xiao.
She shook her head. “It’s nothing."
At the very moment her fragile head was about to tilt back, Wei Qingyu's body caught it, preventing any impact, let alone elsewhere. Ji Xiao looked at Wei Qingyu standing in front of her, feeling like she should be the one concerned about their well-being.
"I'm really sorry, girls."
Just then, a rugged voice sounded beside them, interrupting Ji Xiao's just-organized concern for Wei Qingyu.
A tall man, resembling a Russian brown bear, pushed his mountain bike from the road onto the sidewalk, his muscular body slightly trembling when he exerted force.
Wei Qingyu looked towards the man's voice, her usually calm turquoise eyes trembled slightly. Shock and excitement intertwined in her turquoise gaze, forming an incredulous expression.
"Is the young lady injured? I wasn't paying attention to the road just now and accidentally rode onto the curb. This is a mountain bike, so it just rushed up. I'm really sorry..." The man's expression remained unchanged as he leaned the bike against a tree, showing concern for Ji Xiao, who had almost been hit by him.
Ji Xiao couldn't quite put her finger on why, but she felt a slight awkwardness in the smile the man showed her. However, she didn't dwell on it too much and simply shook her head, saying, "I'm fine."
"Well, that's really lucky. You're fortunate," the man smiled, then turned and gratefully shook Wei Qingyu's hand, "Young lady, I'm really grateful to you."
In the instant their hands touched, the man's rough palm smoothly slipped a firmly folded note into Wei Qingyu's hand.
The action was seamless, without a hint of a flaw in the performance.
Then the man politely and swiftly released Wei Qingyu's hand, still wearing an exaggerated expression of gratitude. He said to Wei Qingyu, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know how much money I'd have to pay today. Maybe this young lady would have had an accident today. The edge of this flower bed is made of stone, you know."
"You should be more careful when riding your bike in the future," Wei Qingyu clenched the note in her hand a little tighter, calmly responding.
"Of course," the man nodded, then looked at Ji Xiao, "Young lady, how about Uncle buys you a cake from the bakery ahead to calm your nerves? The cakes there are delicious."
Ji Xiao followed the direction of the man's finger and indeed saw a high-end bakery not far away, where Aunt Wu often bought cakes.
However, Ji Xiao shook her head politely and refused, saying, "No need, we already have plenty of cakes bought by the servants at home. Uncle, just be more careful next time."
With that, Ji Xiao even gave the man a harmless smile.
It would have been better if this smile didn't contain a hint of fear and trepidation.
—Just now, she saw the man passing a note to Wei Qingyu.
How could Wei Qingyu, someone who dislikes others touching her body casually, tolerate shaking hands with a man?
Ji Xiao had intended to step forward to stop it but inadvertently witnessed this scene.
The sun gradually rose in the sky, warming the earth, but Ji Xiao's heart was filled with chill. Now she finally understood why she felt so uneasy about the man's smile just now.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
It wasn't a genuine smile from his heart; it was a disguise he had to put on to hide his hostility towards someone.
The accident just now was probably not a mere coincidence.
The man probably wished that he would bump her into the stone-edged flower bed, just as he said to Wei Qingyu earlier.
Ji Xiao felt fortunate that Wei Qingyu pulled her over in time to protect her, preventing the man from having the opportunity to do anything further to her.
Otherwise, she might be bleeding from the back of her head now, in need of urgent medical attention.
If her luck had been slightly worse, she might have died on the spot, or at least faced uncertain mortality.
Her life was so miserable.
Not only would the future Wei Qingyu probably feed her to the sharks, but even the cronies of the Wei family now seemed intent on driving her to her death.
And she just wanted to play a decent character now!
"Well then, I'll take my leave, I have matters to attend to at the company, and our boss Chen is returning to the country today." The man interrupted Ji Xiao's inner lament, addressing both of them.
If it were the original owner, she would surely curse at what nonsense the man was talking about, and who cares what his boss' last name is?
But now, Ji Xiao kept a keen ear and remembered this surname.
Judging from Wei Qingyu's expression, Ji Xiao could infer that this man and “Boss Chen” were definitely trusted confidants of the Wei family or a reliable subordinate of someone close to the Wei family.
As mentioned in the original text, Mr. Wei was known for his generosity and elegance, with many friends all over the country.
However, the Ji family was the only one in City A who had the closest relationship with their family.
Ji Xiao watched as the man rode his mountain bike into the crowd, her gaze deep.
It seemed that the person who could help Wei Qingyu out of her current predicament was about to make an entrance.
The street was still bustling with activity, the light filtering through Wei Qingyu's empty sports attire, faintly outlining the slender figure of the girl.
Ji Xiao remembered what she had thought about yesterday by the sink, and now the opportunity had come.
She wasn't the original owner, and she wouldn't let Wei Qingyu fall into hellish circumstances.
She wanted to help Wei Qingyu, to contact these future individuals who could help her earlier.
After the interruption, the street returned to its busy state, and Ji Xiao's and Wei Qingyu's morning exercise was abruptly interrupted by the sudden appearance of the man.
Both of them tacitly agreed not to continue and returned home, one after the other.
Just as they sat down at the dining table, Aunt Wu came down from the second floor with a smile on her face, carrying two backpacks in her hands.
Not only did she help Ji Xiao take her backpack down, but she also helped Wei Qingyu take hers down.
Ji Xiao was surprised by Aunt Wu's behavior, but then she heard her speak like “a weasel wishing the chicken a Happy New Year”*: "Sir said the Wei mansion will be auctioned off this afternoon, he's asking if Miss Wei is interested in going."
*having no good intentions
As soon as Ji Xiao heard the word “Sir," she perked up her ears in vigilance.
She looked at the hesitant Wei Qingyu, who was sitting opposite her. Before Wei Qingyu could answer, Ji Xiao asked, "Why didn't Dad call me?"
Aunt Wu replied, “Sir said that Miss just entered the experimental class and is not stable yet, so academics should be the priority. He bought the figurine Miss has always wanted, and it will arrive at noon today. If you go to the auction, you won't be able to open it immediately."
Ji Qingyun did this trick beautifully.
He exploited his daughter's preferences and Wei Qingyu's weakness to both win his daughter's favor and get a chance to be alone with Wei Qingyu.
It's like Bulbasaur eating Bugles then going to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse—truly wonderful*.
*妙蛙种子吃着妙脆角,到了米奇妙妙屋,妙到家了。(Miào wā zhǒngzǐ chīzhe miào cuì jiǎo, dàole mǐ qímiào miào wū, miào dàojiāle) — a meme playing on the word ‘妙’(miào) which means wonderful or clever. So it's basically saying ‘’it's truly wonderful”
Ji Xiao saw through all of this and deliberately acted stubborn and willful, just like in the original text, saying to Aunt Wu, "This won't do. The figurine can be opened anytime, it won't break. Dad can't be biased, if I can’t go, neither can Wei Qingyu."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Wu looked embarrassed and said, "Miss, I think we should still ask Miss Wei's opinion..."
"What's the matter, am I not allowed to speak anymore? Is everyone going to listen to Wei Qingyu now?" Ji Xiao feigned anger, interrupting Aunt Wu's words.
"No, Miss." Aunt Wu looked instantly aggrieved. "It's just that it's difficult to explain to Sir. He has repeatedly instructed that this is Miss Wei's home. Even if it's going to be auctioned, Miss Wei must see it with her own eyes."
Ji Xiao sneered inwardly.
Ji Qingyun wanted Wei Qingyu to witness her own home being snatched by this bastard, giving her a glimmer of hope while also making this house a weapon for him to threaten Wei Qingyu in the future.
Unfortunately for Ji Qingyun, his plans all fell flat.
In the original text, Wei Qingyu wasn't able to go to the auction with Ji Qingyun. Instead, she was locked up in a dark room and subjected to cruel torture.
At the auction, a mysterious figure appeared and bought the Wei family's villa for a price that crushed Ji Qingyun's highest psychological bid.
This mysterious figure turned out to be Chen Linji, the person who later made contact with Wei Qingyu with the help of the male lead and became the first hero to help the female lead return to the upper class.
This person had been supported by Wei Qingyu's father in his early years and had founded a company with his assistance, gradually gaining fame abroad.
He was also someone who repaid kindness, always trying to contact Wei Qingyu once he learned about the trouble with the Wei family, but he was constantly disrupted by Ji Qingyun.
Thinking of this, Ji Xiao's eyes lit up.
Could this be the "Boss Chen" mentioned by the man just now?
Could the contents of that note be related to this matter?
Ji Xiao quickly connected the dots, and a hint of doubt arose in her mind.
If she hadn't obstructed Wei Qingyu from attending the auction as the original owner did, would she have been able to contact Chen Linji earlier?
However, this thought flashed through Ji Xiao's mind and was quickly dismissed.
She couldn't risk letting Wei Qingyu agree to go to the auction with Ji Qingyun.
Without her presence, Ji Qingyun might do anything unpredictable.
Even though Ji Qingyun's attempts to covet Wei Qingyu in the original text never succeeded, Ji Xiao couldn't take that risk.
"You don't need to worry about explaining anything. Just tell my dad whatever I say," Ji Xiao insisted firmly, refusing to agree.
She looked at Wei Qingyu, who was sitting opposite her and silently eating her sandwich and decided not to argue with Aunt Wu anymore. With her head held high, she said to Wei Qingyu, "Hey, grab your unfinished food and come with me to school!"
Wei Qingyu calmly obeyed Ji Xiao's words and stood up from her seat.
Having already seen through Ji Qingyun's true colors, even with Chen Linji's secret invitation, she was resolute in refusing.
And now, Ji Xiao had “accidentally” helped her fend off the persistent Aunt Wu...
Wei Qingyu's gaze was obscure as she watched Ji Xiao, who was about to leave, and she also picked up the sandwich that Ji Xiao hadn't finished eating.
The car slowly drove out of the villa area, and the two girls looked out the window while biting into their sandwiches.
The dry branches by the roadside flashed past, and two different minds were racing at lightning speed.
With the rest of the morning ahead of her, “she" was determined to come up with a foolproof plan.
At noon, the campus was quiet, with a gentle breeze rustling through the cement paths littered with dried leaves.
Sparrows perched on tree branches, their fluffy feathers already prepared for winter, making them look plump and round.
"Chirp—!!!!!"
A piercing sound of metal dragging echoed in the northeast corner of the campus, startling the sparrows resting on the trees. They angrily chirped and fluttered their wings as they flew into the sky.
Ji Xiao's ears were stung by the sound, and she inadvertently crushed the candy in her mouth with her teeth.
She walked towards the direction of the sound and unsurprisingly saw a familiar figure gracefully stepping onto a table.
Her disheveled hair fluttered in the wind, revealing a side profile that was both cold and resolute.
The navy blue plaid skirt hugged her cold white thighs, outlining beautiful muscle contours.
Strength and beauty intertwined that didn't fit any imposed definition of Omega's weakness.
Unfortunately, the girl lacked experience in climbing walls, and her skills were insufficient. Several attempts to climb ended in failure.
Ji Xiao watched as Wei Qingyu kept futilely trying, unable to resist walking over from behind her. "You'll never get over the wall like this, no matter how long you try."
With a "thud," Wei Qingyu stepped heavily on the desk's edge.
She pretended to remain calm as she glanced in the direction of the sound, only to see Ji Xiao standing there, hands in her pockets, looking at her.
What did she mean by that?
Had she seen all of her failed attempts just now?
"When did you arrive?" Wei Qingyu jumped down from the table, feigning calmness as she asked.
Ji Xiao replied, "When you dragged the table."
Hearing this answer, Wei Qingyu's hand at her side tightened slightly.
For the first time, the girl's usually calm cheeks flushed slightly.
However, Ji Xiao, who was pondering how to climb the wall, didn't notice.
She casually undid the buttons that were fastening her collar and said to Wei Qingyu, "Watch closely, this is how you climb a wall properly."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Qingyu felt a gust of wind pass by her.
The girl's slender legs passed through Wei Qingyu's line of sight, gracefully and powerfully stepping onto the chair.
Then, her hands firmly gripped the top of the wall, and with a slight exertion, she leaned to the side, pressing her skirt down as she sat up.
Her movements were smooth and clean, executed with precision.
The noon sun shone down on the wall, spotlighting Ji Xiao as if on stage.
She raised her hand to brush aside the stray hair in front of her, exuding a carefree and unrestrained aura.
Wei Qingyu, standing below like an audience member, watched the girl's radiant performance with slight trembling in her eyes.
It had been a long time since she had seen Ji Xiao like this.
"Come on, give me your hand," Ji Xiao said, lowering herself slightly and naturally reaching out to Wei Qingyu.
Wei Qingyu was about to raise her arm at the words but stopped herself the next moment.
She didn't know whether she should trust Ji Xiao at this critical moment.
She didn't even know why Ji Xiao was here in the first place, let alone what her intentions were.
Ji Xiao saw all of Wei Qingyu's hesitant actions and understood clearly that she didn't trust her.
Wei Qingyu could instinctively rely on her when her mind was unclear, but she couldn't bring herself to trust someone who had tormented her for half a year when her mind was clear.
"Do you still not trust me, Miss? Are you afraid I'll drop you?" Ji Xiao asked, giving Wei Qingyu a minute to consider.
With a pretended frown, Ji Xiao closed her eyes, as if giving Wei Qingyu a chance, loudly counting down.
"59, 58, 57, 56..."
As time passed with Ji Xiao's countdown, Wei Qingyu remained silent, looking at Ji Xiao sitting on the wall with a complex expression.
Despite Ji Xiao's impatient demeanor, her symmetrically slender arm remained extended in front of her.
"10, 9, 8..."
Ji Xiao's countdown slowed down, and the ease she felt moments ago turned into disappointment.
She thought meeting Wei Qingyu here, whose plans aligned with hers, would be a good start, but this promising beginning stumbled right at the outset.
"3, 2..."
Ji Xiao bit down on the last three numbers, feeling defeated.
Despite going through so many events with Wei Qingyu, she still didn't trust her.
Just as Ji Xiao was about to utter "1," her palm suddenly felt a warm pressure, stopping her exhale.
Ji Xiao opened her eyes abruptly to find Wei Qingyu standing on the top of the table, her pale hand resting on hers, emitting a faint scent of mint.
"Hurry up," Wei Qingyu said calmly to Ji Xiao.
She had entrusted herself to her after all.
Ji Xiao's lips couldn't help but rise.
No matter what Wei Qingyu's reasons were, entrusting herself to someone she originally didn't trust was a milestone for Ji Xiao.
The autumn breeze gently brushed through the French sycamores behind the wall, mingling the faint scent of mint with the aroma of peach brandy.
Wei Qingyu felt the warmth transmitted from Ji Xiao's palm, and with her help, she finally managed to sit on the wall smoothly.
As the breeze floated, it lifted strands of hair by the side of the girl's temples.
Wei Qingyu gazed into the distance where the sky and the mountains met but caught a glimpse of Ji Xiao's profile in her peripheral vision.
Ji Xiao also looked into the distance, but her golden-orange eyes seemed unfocused, lost in thought.
Wei Qingyu absentmindedly traced the fingers that Ji Xiao had just tightly held.
She thought this might be one of the rare harmonious moments between her and Ji Xiao in the past year.
"Qianqian, come and chase me!"
"Run slower! I can't catch up..."
At that moment, two little girls with bobbing heads ran out from across the street.
Dressed in nearly identical dresses, they chased each other, laughing and playing.
The little one with the butterfly bows on her head bounced up and down, her tinkling laughter echoing through the entire street.
Wei Qingyu quietly watched these two little girls, her gaze deep.
Long, long ago, she and Ji Xiao had been like that too.
Carefree, as if tomorrow's nightmare would never come...
"Shall we go down?"
Suddenly, Ji Xiao's voice interrupted Wei Qingyu's thoughts.
Just then, the driver had messaged her, saying he was almost there.
This time, Ji Xiao was a bit more prepared than Wei Qingyu.
She had thought ahead that Wei Qingyu had no money, and even if she managed to climb over the wall, she would likely have to take a bus to the auction venue. So she had arranged for the driver to be ready early.
After all, when helping someone, one should see it through to the end, just like delivering Buddha to the West.
With that thought in mind, Ji Xiao didn't wait for Wei Qingyu's response. She gracefully leaped down from the wall.
Her movement was cool, slick, and exceptionally neat.
Ji Xiao lightly dusted off her hands, now covered in dirt, then turned around and instructed Wei Qingyu, "Come down, I'll catch you!"
The wind brushed against Wei Qingyu's cheeks, tousling her long hair.
The girl below opened her arms to Wei Qingyu, her golden-orange eyes shining with brilliant stars, firm and reliable.
Whether it was due to the trust from earlier, the blessing of past beautiful memories, or the sense of security she felt at that moment, Wei Qingyu didn't hesitate this time and jumped down.
A sense of weightlessness instantly converged upon her, as if it wanted to pull her soul away from her body, making her feel anxious involuntarily.
The flower tiles on the sidewalk rapidly enlarged in Wei Qingyu's vision. Just as she felt she couldn't stand steadily and was about to fall in embarrassment, she fell into a gentle embrace.
The scent of peach brandy rose from the girl's body, landing on Wei Qingyu's nose.
The fierce tenderness numbed the pain in her knees and feet from the landing just now, leaving her only feeling the sweetness of peach.
The soft fingertips pressed against her waist, transmitting a sense of security unique to Ji Xiao through the thin shirt, just as she had promised.
Wei Qingyu suddenly had a vague image flash in her mind, making her feel strangely familiar with this moment.
It seemed like at some point when she was about to stumble, this person in front of her had protected her like this.
But when exactly...
Subconsciously, the girl clasped the red string around her wrist, and a missing piece of the puzzle appeared in her usually clear memory.
She realized that she seemed to have forgotten something during a certain period.
"Hey."
Suddenly, a casual voice interrupted Wei Qingyu's busy and confused thoughts.
Wei Qingyu looked up in a hurry, only to see Ji Xiao raising her hand and tossing something toward her.
Once again, she instinctively reached out and caught what Ji Xiao threw at her. Her soft palm was unexpectedly hit by something hard.
"Feeling numb?" Ji Xiao looked at Wei Qingyu, raising her chin as a gesture, "Have some sweets to soothe it."
The noon sunlight fell into the girl's hand, and a candy unsurprisingly lay inside it.
The iridescent paper refracted the dull sunlight into different colors, gently illuminating her cold eyes.
Wei Qingyu: "Thank you,"
Her voice was rarely soft without its usual icy tone.
Ji Xiao smiled faintly, then lowered her head to reply to a message.
Actually, she didn't know why she had inexplicably tossed a candy to Wei Qingyu again. She just knew that jumping off the wall would make her feet numb and her knees ache, so she casually threw it to her.
It was like her body was accustomed to putting a few candies in her pocket.
After arranging everything with the driver, Ji Xiao put her phone in her pocket.
She waved to Wei Qingyu standing beside her and said, "Follow me."
Wei Qingyu looked at Ji Xiao warily. "Where are you taking me?"
Just as Wei Qingyu's words trailed off, a heavy truck passed by the narrow road.
The roaring noise swallowed Wei Qingyu's voice, separating her from Ji Xiao.
Although Wei Qingyu should have maintained her guard, turned away from Ji Xiao's sight, and taken the bus to the auction, she obediently followed when she saw Ji Xiao waving at her from across the street.
On the opposite side of the road stood an old poplar tree, its thick black trunk missing a branch, and its dense branches forming a black web against the sky.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Wei Qingyu and Ji Xiao stood together under this web.
She looked at Ji Xiao, who seemed to be planning something, and calmly asked again, "Where are you taking me?"
Just as Ji Xiao was about to answer, a white compact RV, never seen before at Ji's house, stopped in front of them.
Wei Qingyu was wary of the origin of the car when suddenly a pale arm appeared in her line of sight.
Ji Xiao took the initiative to step in front of Wei Qingyu and opened the car door for her. "Where else can we go? Of course, we're going to the auction."
Author's Note:
Today's double update is a two-in-one! Chu~
