Chapter 1: Roses and Cedars

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

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City A, 10 pm. Ji Lianxing stood at the door of Pilot, a famous local bar.

The nightlife of young people has just begun. Looking around, the whole street is flashing with neon lights, red and blue lights overlap, and the light falls on the glass of the vending machine, reflecting the impetuous colors.

"Today is my birthday! Brothers, eat and drink later, my treat!"

The person who was speaking was a blue-haired boy who looked to be in his early twenties. He was hanging out with a few men, and it seemed that they were going to a bar.

Just as he was about to step into the door, the blue-haired boy caught a glimpse of Ji Lianxing from the corner of his eye. Due to his foolish nature, he couldn't help but asked:

"Beauty, are you alone? Do you want to drink together?"

At that time, Ji Lianxing was replying to messages on her phone. She didn't look up at the blue-haired boy, and only said one word:

“Scram."

The blue-haired boy smiled playfully, "It's my birthday today, why don't you show me some face!"

Ji Lianxing sent the last message and raised her head.

Her facial features are exquisite and three-dimensional, and she has a pair of mysterious and charming almond eyes. The black and gray eye shadow is mixed with a bit of bright orange, giving it a very thick smoky look. Her eyes were cold and she doesn't look easy to mess with.

Her eyes had great magic power. The moment their eyes met, the blue-haired boy's heart skipped a beat unconsciously.

Very hot.

Very seductive.

Very pretty.

Very...

The blue-haired boy, who didn't have a large vocabulary, couldn't think of any other words.

Ji Lianxing put her phone in her pocket, "Today is also my birthday, I want to have some quiet time." She pointed to the door of Pilot, "Don't bother me."

Today is her 24th birthday, but there is no birthday cake, only debt collection text messages.

It's hard to imagine that she would sing at such an occasion on her birthday, selling her voice. She just sang for nearly three hours, and her voice is still hoarse.

The phone vibrated, and a text message was received.

[Pay back 50,000 first, and the remaining 200,000 can be paid back next month. ]

Ji Lianxing called...

"Ji Siyu, are you still human? I just graduated, where can I get so much money for you?"

"Don't fool me, didn't you get a full-time job with a salary? As a top student, how low could your salary be?" His voice was like bird droppings falling from the sky, anyone who heard it would feel quite disgusted.

"I saved eight thousand by scrimping and saving for three months, and I gave it all to you last week, and now I only have two hundred left."

"If the money doesn't come through tonight, my dad won't last much longer. You said you'd pay back this money back then, and besides—"

Ji Lianxing knew what he was going to say next and hung up the phone in advance. The blue-haired guy was still watching her, so to avoid him, she quickly crossed the street and walked into a convenience store.

She wasn't hungry, but still mechanically bought some oden.

She sat in the store to eat. It was her first meal of the day, but she didn't have much of an appetite. She was distracted, constantly thinking about what her coworker mentioned during her performance earlier.

Another girl who sang at the venue said she could introduce someone to her, a wealthy sponsor who was generous with money, and suggested she consider it.

The moment Ji Lianxing thought of the word "sponsor," the seaweed roll she had just eaten lost its taste, and a strong feeling of discomfort surged through her.

She pushed the oden aside and shivered. She was a graduate of a prestigious university, not jobless or without prospects, yet she was in such a predicament...

Is it necessary?

The annoying Ji Siyu sent another message, roughly saying that if the money didn't come through by tomorrow, her uncle would be out of medicine. Once that happened, he might not survive, urging her to find a way quickly.

In short, it was just four words: pay back the money.

****

When the glitz and glamour reach a certain level, someone is bound to feel lonely.

In the taxi, Ji Lianxing watched the lights outside swiftly retreating, flickering indistinctly. This city gave her no sense of belonging.

But on second thought, she had no sense of belonging anywhere.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the hotel entrance. The intermediary had already sent her a message, saying the room number was 2208.

She stood at the hotel entrance after getting out of the car, she looked up at the building that didn't belong to her, towering like a monstrous giant that could swallow her whole in the next second.

She hesitated. Her education over the past twenty years told her this was wrong. She knew very well that once she took the first step, it would be hard to retreat unscathed.

But when people are in dire straits, their body and mind are disconnected. In this situation, what choice did she have?

That person was already waiting for her. Ji Lianxing entered the elevator and pressed the number 22. The elevator slowly ascended…

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a simple black short-sleeved shirt with a light green avocado on it, paired with washed denim shorts with frayed edges, and vintage-style Martin boots. With her smoky makeup, she looked a bit like a rock musician.

In fact, she didn't like heavy makeup, but the bar required her to dress this way. When she decided to meet the “sponsor" she didn't have time to change.

Watching the numbers change floor by floor, Ji Lianxing felt inexplicably nervous.

What should she say later? What should she do? She had no experience in sex, so how could she make the other person satisfied?

Would the other party have particularly rude demands? Could they be a female pervert? Would they have any special fetishes? What would she do if she couldn't cater?

Ding—

The elevator gently shook and stopped on the 22nd floor, and so was Ji Lianxing's heart.

Taking the first step out, the entire hallway was dark orange, the lighting dim, making her vision less clear. In the long and empty corridor, Ji Lianxing had complex thoughts.

Finally reaching the door of 2208, a pleasant aroma of white tea wafted from the wall-mounted diffuser, slightly easing her tense mood. But as she approached the door, her hand hovered in the air, hesitating to knock.

With her mind blank, she wasn't even sure why she was standing here. Yes, why was she standing here?

A scene flashed in her mind, from a few years ago when she was in college. Every weekend, there were many luxury cars parked at the school gate, some of them driven by middle-aged men picking up girls.

At that time, she couldn't understand why able-bodied people would resort to selling their bodies. Couldn't they earn money properly?

But now, what difference was there between her and those people?

Hesitating for a long time, she finally knocked on the door twice, and the deep black wooden door emitted a heavy sound.

In an instant, Ji Lianxing's body was covered in goosebumps, and she felt an urge to leave.

"Come in."

The woman's voice entered Ji Lianxing's ears, reminding her of vast snow, crisp with a hint of coldness, somewhat like...

No, it couldn't be her.

Ji Lianxing's hand touched the door handle, feeling icy cold. She pressed down slightly and pushed forward, opening the door a crack.

The room was dimly lit, and through the crack, she could only see a vintage bronze coat rack. The door was pushed open further, she looked away and her gaze landing on the table, where a frosted desk lamp was emitting soft white light. Next to the lamp was a transparent highball glass, filled with one-third of red wine.

A pleasant smell wafted into Ji Lianxing's nose, she couldn't quite identify what it was, it seemed to be a combination of two scents, like roses with a hint of cedar.

"Come here," the woman on the sofa said again, her tone as cold as before.

Ji Lianxing moved towards the door, but she didn't have the courage to look at the person, it was a strange feeling.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

Perhaps because the other party was also a woman, she didn't feel as nervous as she had imagined, but rather a sense of awkwardness. However, due to her pride, Ji Lianxing didn't dare to look up.

After all, what they were about to do, between two completely unfamiliar strangers, was indeed very awkward and shameful, at least that's how Ji Lianxing felt.

"Look up and look at me." Her voice was like ice in plain water, flat and cold.

It sounded a lot like Jiang Shu, Ji Lianxing deliberately shook her head, trying to shake Jiang Shu's image out of her head.

She summoned her courage and looked up and saw the woman on the sofa, one foot casually resting on the other, leaning back with a slightly lazy posture.

The overwhelming chill hit her, the woman wore a black suit with a cold blue and white collar shirt underneath, with small embroidery on the collar, such attention to detail.

Ji Lianxing's gaze fell on the woman's straight collarbones, then moved upward, to her fair neck, and then to a cold and glamorous face.

Her captivating peach blossom eyes, with their slightly upturned corners, emitted a mysterious and hazy light, creating a contrast that naturally distanced her from others.

As their gazes met, their faces seemed to merge into one. Ji Lianxing quickly averted her eyes, feeling flustered, and turned away.

“Don't you seem familiar?" Jiang Shu's voice carried a hint of a smile.

While she smiled, Ji Lianxing felt like crying. A strong sense of shame and regret washed over her.

Her mind blank, only one word echoed: escape.

Ji Lianxing retreated, retracing her steps along the same path she had taken earlier. She hurriedly fled the room, reentering the dim orange corridor, and continued forward until she reached the end. All the while, one thought consumed her mind:

Could it be this coincidental? That she would inadvertently arrange to meet my own boss like this?

The phone in her bag vibrated, displaying an unfamiliar number.

[Why are you running?]

Ji Lianxing's heart skipped a beat. Was this their first conversation?

Her palms were sweaty, her hands trembling. She typed "I don't know" but deleted it, then edited it to "I'm going to buy a bottle of water."

After sending it, she felt the excuse was rather lame.

The response came: [Come back.]

Ji Lianxing felt at a loss upon seeing the message, unsure how to reply. She wasn't sure if this was the pressure from her boss or just her nerves in front of someone she secretly admired. Either way, her mind was in turmoil.

Another message popped up: [I'll wait for you for five minutes.]

****

Five minutes later.

Ji Lianxing sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the big bed.

Jiang Shu was on the balcony making a phone call, her voice intermittent and unclear, probably discussing business matters.

The balcony door opened, a gust of wind blowing in, chilling. Ji Lianxing sat upright, too afraid to turn around and look at her.

"Go take a shower." Jiang Shu hung up the phone and turned to stare at Ji Lianxing.

Ji Lianxing turned her head and pointed at herself, "Me?"

Jiang Shu couldn't hide the smile in her eyes, "Is there a third person here?"

Ji Lianxing lowered her head, remaining silent. She felt embarrassed, but it was obvious that her boss didn't. She found these actions humiliating, but clearly her boss didn't feel the same.

And, clearly, the person in front of her, the one she had secretly admired for almost five years, only recognized her to the extent of "seems familiar."

She raised her eyes to look at Jiang Shu again, but there was no special expression on her face.

"Okay." Ji Lianxing stood up and walked towards the bathroom.

"This way, you're going the wrong way." Jiang Shu pointed to another door.

"Oh!" Ji Lianxing turned around, feeling so embarrassed that she could almost feel her toes curling, and hurriedly made her way to the bathroom...

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