Chapter 3: Come To My Office Tonight 

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

[Sorry, I don’t want the money anymore. ]

When Jiang Shu received this message, she was a little confused. Why does it feel like the order had been reversed?

She dialed Ji Lianxing's phone number. After a beep, it indicated the line was busy. Trying again yielded the same result. It seemed she had been blocked.

Jiang Shu tossed her phone aside, laughing in exasperation, this is the first time in her life being blocked by someone.

Was she disliked? Hated? She hadn't even said a word as the benefactor, and yet that person threw a tantrum first, it's inexplicable.

Jiang Shu pushed aside Ji Lianxing's pillow, took her own pillow, turned off the lights, and lay down to sleep.

In the darkness, Jiang Shu inadvertently touched something cold, like a bracelet...

****

At eleven thirty in the evening, the streets were cold and empty. Ji Lianxing stood by the roadside, took out her phone, and messaged Yu Meng, "Are you asleep?"

After a brief chat, Yu Meng understood Ji Lianxing's meaning. As friends of ten years, they had a natural understanding. She knew Ji Lianxing's difficulties.

Therefore, Yu Meng transferred three thousand yuan, with a note: "I got paid today, this is extra money, no rush to use it. I've been busy with overtime today, happy birthday! Did you eat cake?"

Ji Lianxing stared at the transfer screen for a moment, then accepted the money in the end, replying, "I did."

Life's matters already had her overwhelmed, she had no time to eat cake.

This wasn't the first time she had borrowed money from Yu Meng; they were the same age, and Yu Meng had just graduated and started working.

Actually, both she and Yu Meng had just graduated, and neither was very well off. Yet last month, Yu Meng lent over ten thousand yuan, and now she transferred another three thousand yuan. Together, it was almost twenty thousand yuan.

Ji Lianxing understood her friend had already helped her to the limit.

Before the three thousand yuan had even settled in her WeChat wallet, Ji Lianxing immediately transferred the money to Ji Siyu, saying this was all she could give.

She stopped a taxi and took a taxi back to the rental house.

It was late at night. The driver was probably a night owl and was in good spirits. Turning the radio to the maximum volume, it was the radio station's night song request time. Someone requested a song "Going Home". Ji Lianxing remembered where she had heard it.

*a song by Sophie Zelmani, there's also a Mandarin version 乘客 (Passenger) and Cantonese Version 花事了 (Withered Flower) both by Faye Wong.

"So I'm going home. Going home alone. And your life goes on..."

She listened to the song, watching the shadows of trees intertwine outside the window. The taxi passed a bustling shopping center where a row of luxury shops had already closed. The whole street was devoid of life, in shades of gray and black, incredibly desolate.

Ten minutes later, the taxi stopped at the entrance of an old residential area, and Ji Lianxing paid and got out.

After graduation, she quickly found a job and rented a three-bedroom apartment with two other girls. She occupied one of the single rooms—a modest space in an older residential complex.

Due to its central location, the monthly rent was over a thousand yuan, mainly for the convenience of commuting to work.

She could actually afford a better apartment, but most of her money ended up with Ji Siyu.

250,000 yuan, the last 250,000 yuan, once she paid it off, she wouldn't care about anything else.

Her roommates were already asleep. Ji Lianxing tiptoed into the room, afraid of disturbing them, changed clothes, and got into bed.

Lying on this small bed, she felt tired but couldn't sleep at all, staring at the ceiling, Jiang Shu's face flashing in her mind.

That bright lipstick color, and the soft touch during the kiss...

Tonight was probably the closest she had been to Jiang Shu, still carrying Jiang Shu's scent.

Everything felt surreal, like it had really happened but also like a dream.

She gave her first kiss to someone she wanted to, yet it wasn't the fluttery feeling she had imagined. When Jiang Shu kissed her, she was momentarily entranced, but quickly snapped out of it. They weren't in a romantic relationship, which felt odd and hard to define.

She thought about many things, like why Jiang Shu, who was clearly married, was still like this? Whether Jiang Shu liked men or women? What was the deal with her child? So many questions...

After tossing and turning, deep into the night, outside the window was another old building, a few stars hiding behind the tree branches, twinkling intermittently. Ji Lianxing turned to the side, staring at the stars in a daze, and before long, she fell asleep...

****

In the early morning, the city, which had slept all night, became bustling.

Wave after wave of young people squeezed out of the subway station, starting a new week, continuing to rush around for their livelihoods.

The counter of the coffee shop was filled with pre-ordered coffees. Young people came in with their phones, grabbed their coffees, and left. This was their lifeline; without it, they would be tired all day.

Ji Lianxing was one of them. She could skip breakfast, but not coffee. Due to financial constraints, she didn't go to a coffee shop but entered a convenience store instead.

"One cup of Paike Americano*," she ordered, using a half-price coupon, then glanced at the hot food section and grabbed a piece of toast. "Could you please heat this up? Thank you."

*googled it, it's one of those instant coffee in a paper cup we see in convenience stores

With only eight minutes left before work, Ji Lianxing paid and hurriedly dashed out of the convenience store, crossed the street, and followed the crowd into the office building.

Having studied finance originally, she smoothly secured a position at this company after graduation, currently progressing to become an analyst—a seemingly glamorous profession.

While she was titled an analyst, as a newly qualified graduate, her daily workload was quite heavy. However, it had its perks: in this industry, salaries were relatively high, with a starting monthly wage of at least ten thousand yuan.

This was also the reason Ji Lianxing chose this profession initially, to earn money.

During rush hour, waiting for the elevator was the most time-consuming. The elevator was divided into high and low floors.

Ji Lianxing lined up for the high floors, slowly moving with the crowd. After finally waiting for the elevator and squeezing inside, it beeped and displayed an overload warning.

As the last person to enter, Ji Lianxing apologized and silently stepped back out, resigned to wait for the next one.

She stood in place, checking the time anxiously. There were only 5 minutes left; being late meant losing the perfect attendance bonus for the month, causing her inner anxiety.

"Oh? President Jiang, are you in a hurry? Should I let you go first?" A man behind her offered courteously.

"No need." Her tone was as cold and distant as ice in plain water, with a sense that her mind was elsewhere.

Ji Lianxing's hand trembled involuntarily, causing goosebumps to rise on her back. She dared not turn around to look.

Damn, she had been at the company for three months and had only seen Jiang Shu once or twice. After all, bosses and subordinates seemed to have different working hours...

Help!!!

****

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

Jiang Shu rarely came to the office during peak hours. When she saw the girl walking into the office building with toast in one hand and coffee in the other, she seemed to instantly understand what the girl had been hiding last night.

Perhaps because she was blocked last night, the words she wanted to say didn't reach her. Jiang Shu felt an indescribable emotion.

She could have taken the exclusive elevator, but inexplicably, she followed Ji Lianxing and stood behind her in line, with only a man in between them. However, Ji Lianxing never turned around.

If it weren't for the man who spoke just now... Ji Lianxing probably wouldn't have known she was there?

But now it was certain, Ji Lianxing must have heard their conversation.

Jiang Shu was curious to see how long she could keep up the act.

The second elevator arrived quickly. When the doors opened, Ji Lianxing braced herself and stepped inside, followed by a wave of people squeezing in, including Jiang Shu.

The elevator was tiny, everyone entering in order. Initially, there was the man between Ji Lianxing and Jiang Shu. As more people entered, Ji Lianxing got pushed into a corner and dared not move.

She dared not move, but Jiang Shu did. Jiang Shu naturally shifted towards the corner, and the man immediately made space, resulting in Jiang Shu ending up next to Ji Lianxing.

They were just inches apart. If Ji Lianxing hadn't been holding a cup of coffee, she felt like they would be practically pressed together.

The elevator ascended slowly. Ji Lianxing kept her head down, staring at the toast and coffee in her hands, her heart pounding. She didn't dare lift her head to glance at Jiang Shu.

She must have recognized her, right? She definitely recognized her, otherwise why would she intentionally squeeze over here?

In the cramped space, there was a hint of smoke, the aroma of coffee, and the scent of toasted bread, but these scents were overshadowed by another fragrance. It drifted into Ji Lianxing's nostrils, and she quickly recognized it as the rose and cedar from last night.

The elevator gently swayed and stopped. As two people got off, Ji Lianxing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the space was finally a bit bigger.

As it turned out, two people got off, but immediately three more squeezed in, making the already cramped space even more crowded.

Everyone was pushing and squeezing against each other in the small elevator, arms pressed against arms, like compressed biscuits, uncomfortably squeezed together.

Jiang Shu moved closer, and Ji Lianxing wanted to step back, but there was no room to retreat.

The person in front moved a few times, and Jiang Shu seemed to be pushed a bit. To maintain balance, she reached out and held Ji Lianxing's arm.

Caught off guard, Ji Lianxing's hand shook, and the coffee spilled out, the dark brown liquid splashing onto Jiang Shu's suit, leaving a conspicuous stain.

Jiang Shu was wearing a light-colored suit with a white lining today, so the coffee spilled on it would undoubtedly be quite glaring.

Ji Lianxing suddenly looked up, her eyes finally meeting Jiang Shu's before quickly darting away again. She took out a tissue to wipe the coffee off Jiang Shu's suit, but the liquid had already soaked into the fabric, making it impossible to clean.

"Ah, I'm sorry, President Jiang..." Ji Lianxing whispered softly.

Jiang Shu didn't say anything, just smiled at her. Ji Lianxing's eyes were filled with panic, her face flushed red like a frightened little rabbit.

Oh, no. Jiang Shu thought of last night. She didn't really seem like a rabbit, more like a fierce little hedgehog with spines.

Jiang Shu felt an urge to poke this little hedgehog, but restrained herself due to the crowd.

She just smiled without saying anything, which made Ji Lianxing even more nervous.

"President Jiang, I'm sorry!!!" Ji Lianxing raised her voice a bit, fearing she hadn't been heard.

The male colleague huddled in the corner didn't dare speak, stunned. Spilling coffee on the boss, isn’t this Mercury retrograde*?

*coll. to have a period of bad luck in connection to the phenomenon where the Earth briefly overtakes Mercury in its orbit, creating an optical illusion that Mercury is going backwards, many believe this brings bad luck.

Jiang Shu's smile grew wider, but she still said nothing.

The elevator quickly reached the 20th floor, and most people got off, leaving only three of them.

The male colleague sensed the atmosphere wasn't right, and couldn't bear the silent pressure. He was originally meant to get off at the 25th floor, but he escaped midway at the 23rd. Ji Lianxing also wanted to leave, but Jiang Shu didn't speak, so she didn't dare to go.

As a result, there were only two people left in the elevator.

Ji Lianxing leaned against a corner, sneakily glanced at Jiang Shu, and found her looking back.

She took a deep breath, outwardly calm but her toes digging into the ground, almost digging a hole in the elevator.

Not knowing what to say, "..."

But Jiang Shu straightforwardly said, "What a coincidence, we meet again."

!!! Unfortunately! Don't mention this matter!!!

Sure enough, she was recognized again!

What needed to be faced still had to be faced!

She nodded, “Mm."

Jiang Shu laughed aloud, pointing to her own chest and said, "Seems like your coffee was a bit hot?"

"Ah! Sorry! I—" Ji Lianxing lifted her head, reached out her hand, which hung in the air. She thought it wouldn't be appropriate to touch her chest now, so she withdrew her hand.

"It's not hot anymore now, I meant earlier."

"I'm sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry, President Jiang, did you get burned? I-I-I-I-I-I- l'll t-take it to the dry cleaners for you?”

Why did she stutter as soon as she saw Jiang Shu? Why did her words become incoherent? Ji Lianxing felt that she was such a failure.

"It's okay, there are clothes in the office, I'll change later." Jiang Shu stared at her ears, small and red, tempting one to pinch them.

"Mm."

Another moment of silence followed.

Fortunately, the elevator quickly reached the 25th floor. Seeing that President Jiang didn't seem inclined to speak, Ji Lianxing said, "President Jiang, may I go out first?"

Jiang Shu nodded, "Go ahead."

Ji Lianxing had already stepped out of the door.

Jiang Shu stopped her again: "Oh, by the way, I suddenly remembered that something seems to be unfinished? Why don't you come to my office tonight?"