Chapter 10: So, I Think We Can Give It A Try?

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

After working, everyone became very busy. Ji Lianxing had not seen Yu Meng for a month. Today, it was hard to come by that both of them had free time, so they arranged to have dinner together.

They still chose that skewer shop in the alley, which they discovered during college. The taste and hygiene were both quite good.

“Boss, no crushed peanuts for the dry dip,” Yu Meng's voice was crisp and neat, just like her personality. Ji Lianxing had once commented that she was a clear-headed person in the world, extremely rational, and rarely ruled by emotions.

“I know, your dry dip, and her oily dip, right?” The boss said, she was already familiar with the tastes of these two regular customers.

Ji Lianxing smiled and nodded at the boss lady, adding, “No cilantro in the oily dip, thank you, auntie.”

The two of them sat on small stools. They did not feel awkward meeting and started chatting casually.

“I recently got a raise, but I also have to work overtime. My hair started falling out in clumps. Fortunately, I have a lot of hair; otherwise, my hairline would be receding! I went to bed at two last night!” Yu Meng said while pointing at her eyes, which were filled with red blood vessels.

Ji Lianxing looked at her dark circles and felt a pang of heartache. “You should really sleep less late. Earning money is important, but your health is even more important!”

Yu Meng nodded. “Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Now, what about you? Is Ji Siyu still urging you to pay him back?”

Mentioning Ji Siyu made Ji Lianxing involuntarily lower her head. 

Actually, she invited Yu Meng out today because she wanted to talk about this matter. Yu Meng was her only friend with whom she could be open-hearted. At times like this, when she truly couldn't make a decision, she wanted her to help weigh the options.

“No, he stopped urging me. The debt is paid off.” Ji Lianxing lifted her head, and there was no trace of joy in her tone after settling the debt.

“Paid off?” Yu Meng was somewhat surprised. She knew how much Ji Lianxing owed.

“Jiang Shu helped me pay it off.”

“??? Explain that.”

So Ji Lianxing recounted what had happened recently in detail, including the wrong decision to meet Jiang Shu at the hotel on her birthday.

Yu Meng's expression visibly soured. After Ji Lianxing finished speaking, she curled her fingers and gave Ji Lianxing a hard knock on the forehead.

“Have you become foolish from studying? Is there something wrong with your head?”

Ji Lianxing covered her little head. “Hey, knock gently!”

“I wish I could smash your head to pieces and see what is inside!”

“That night, I really had no choice. You know, Ji Siyu can be really annoying when he demands payment. But there might have been some impulsive reasons too. Honestly, I regretted it the moment I walked in. I was already regretting it, and then I unexpectedly ran into her. I regretted it even more...”

Yu Meng fell silent and processed what Ji Lianxing had just said.

“So, she helped you pay off the debt, and now she wants you to be her lover?”

“Mm.”

Yu Meng shook her head. “That definitely won't work. You already said she is married and has children. If you agree to be her lover, then you will be a mistress. Do you understand? A mistress. If someone comes to hit you later, I can't help you.”

Ji Lianxing nodded repeatedly. “I know, I know. I would never agree! That's why I want you to help me out with a way to refuse. I need a way to say it, right?”

“Huh, how else can you refuse? Just say it directly and make your attitude clear.” Seeing Ji Lianxing still hesitating, Yu Meng urged her, “Come on, take out your phone. I'll teach you.”

Ji Lianxing took out her phone, placed it on the table, and stared at Yu Meng, waiting for her to speak.

Many times when she couldn't make a decision, she sought advice from Yu Meng. Fortunately, Yu Meng was sharp-minded, and most of the time her suggestions were worth considering.

“Here’s what you do: just say, ‘President Jiang, I think we can't continue like this. You are married and have children; it really isn’t appropriate.’” Yu Meng pointed at the table with her finger, emphasizing, “Remember, your tone should be firm but not overly humble. Don’t feel embarrassed, but don’t be too harsh either. You are just expressing your stance, do you understand what I mean?”

“Understood.” Ji Lianxing picked up her phone, her hands trembling. “So you mean I should send a voice message?”

“Send it. Don't be afraid. Refusing to be a mistress is not wrong!”

Encouraged by Yu Meng, Ji Lianxing picked up her phone and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Ahem..."

She pressed down on the voice recording button...

“President Jiang, I have thought a lot about what you mentioned last time. You are married and have children. Maintaining such a relationship is not appropriate. I like you very much and respect you, but our relationship cannot progress any further. I hope you can understand.”

Ji Lianxing released her hand, and the voice message was sent out.

She tossed her phone onto the table, covered her face, and expressed that even sending a voice message like this made her so nervous that her face turned red, let alone if she had to say it face-to-face.

“Ahhhh, Yu Meng! Sending her a voice message is really scary!!!”

Yu Meng took a sip of her cola, squinting at Ji Lianxing with a smile. “You really are a coward~”

Soon, the phone screen lit up with a new WeChat message.

“She replied to you. Hurry up and open it.”

“I don’t dare to look. You read it for me.”

Yu Meng shook her head, “This is how you always act whenever it involves Jiang Shu.”

The message Jiang Shu sent was a voice recording. Yu Meng tapped to play it.

The voice message was played aloud amidst the noisy night market, but Jiang Shu’s voice still came through clear and bright:

“I’m married? And I have children? Who said that? Why don’t I know?”

Four consecutive questions left Ji Lianxing utterly confused. Yu Meng, holding the phone, was also stunned.

“Huh? She is not married? Well, this is awkward.” Yu Meng handed the phone back to Ji Lianxing. “Where did you even hear that rumor?”

“Everyone in the company knows she’s married.”

Yu Meng thought for a moment, then seemed to understand and nodded. “Oh, I get it now. It might be to avoid unnecessary gossip.”

It was strange how, in the workplace, there were distinctions between married and unmarried people, and people’s biases were always hard to change.

Since Jiang Shu was not married, everything returned to square one. Should she become her lover or not? If it were anyone else, Yu Meng would definitely advise Ji Lianxing to firmly refuse, but this was Jiang Shu.

Having been friends with Ji Lianxing for so many years, Yu Meng naturally knew the position Jiang Shu held in her heart.

Jiang Shu was the first person Ji Lianxing liked, and the person she had liked for many years.

For many reasons, Ji Lianxing silently held on to her feelings, believing that Jiang Shu was an untouchable star. But now that the star had fallen to the dust—visible and within reach—it was hard not to be shaken.

So Yu Meng could completely understand why she was so conflicted.

“What do you think about this matter?” Yu Meng asked Ji Lianxing in return.

“When she first mentioned being her lover, I was naturally resistant. But then she said it could be the type of lover that does not involve a physical relationship? The time limit is two months, after which this relationship would end. The only requirement is that I have to sleep with her—just purely sleep, without doing anything else.”

Yu Meng was stunned. “Are you sure that’s what she meant?”

“Yes.”

Not only did Ji Lianxing not understand, but Yu Meng also couldn’t comprehend it.

As soon as they heard the word "lover," it was inevitable to associate it with something related to "sex." Yet, the other party didn’t want "sex"?

“I just can't understand rich people’s quirks.” Yu Meng spread her hands, showing her confusion. She picked up a skewer of beef and put it in her mouth, chewing while observing Ji Lianxing’s expression.

It was clear that Ji Lianxing was conflicted—extremely conflicted.

Yu Meng tried to comfort her, “Look at you, your face has turned into a bitter melon. How about not thinking about it for now? Eat something instead?”

****

The third time Ji Lianxing went to Jiang Shu’s office was on a Friday.

She walked down that long corridor, listening to the sound of her high heels tapping on the floor. Her heart pounded wildly. Every step felt like riding a roller coaster; her emotions surged up and down. She was still a bit hesitant and uncertain.

But she had made up her mind to become her lover.

It was partly due to reality, partly due to her own selfishness. Maybe becoming her lover was the only chance in this lifetime to get closer to Jiang Shu. She didn’t hope for anything beyond this. Just like Jiang Shu had said, after two months, they would go their separate ways.

Two months. If she could be her lover, would that count as putting an end to her long-standing secret love for her?

Was this considered carpe diem? Ji Lianxing didn’t know. She only knew that she had always been conservative in her past life, so when she made such a crazy decision, even she felt a bit surprised.

She stood at the office door and raised her hand to knock once.

“Come in.”

Ji Lianxing pushed the door open and went inside, instinctively looking in the direction of Jiang Shu’s desk. As expected, she was there working, with the same posture and the same expression. Ji Lianxing couldn’t help but want to look at her a few more times, yet she was afraid of meeting her gaze.

“Have you made up your mind?” Jiang Shu didn’t look up. Her fingers rested on the touchpad of her laptop, staring at the screen as if she were analyzing something.

“Mm.”

“Wait for me for two minutes.”

“Okay.”

Ji Lianxing walked over and sat down on the sofa. During this time, she carefully observed Jiang Shu’s office.

Before, she only had a vague impression—that it was big—but she hadn’t looked closely.

Now, she realized that it was roughly divided into two areas: one was where she was currently sitting, Jiang Shu’s working area; and then she noticed a door next to the water dispenser. The other area should be behind that door, but she had no idea what was inside since she had never opened it before.

Ji Lianxing was actually a little curious.

“Ahem.” Jiang Shu coughed lightly.

Ji Lianxing turned her head and saw Jiang Shu smiling at her.

“President Jiang…”

“You’ve been staring at that door. Are you that interested?”

“No, no.” Ji Lianxing shook her head repeatedly.

“Do you want me to open it and show you?”

“No need, no need~~~” Ji Lianxing not only shook her head but also gestured with her hands. She thought it was better not to; she always had this feeling that there was some fierce dog behind that door.

Jiang Shu stood up and walked toward Ji Lianxing. She was already tall, and when she stood, her height made her appear even more slender. Since Ji Lianxing was sitting, she had to look up at her, making the sense of pressure even stronger.

She walked up to Ji Lianxing and didn't sit down. Instead, she leaned down and asked her, “So, you said you thought it through. What’s your answer?”

The distance was very close, and her voice was soft. Ji Lianxing felt a tickle in her ears from listening.

Looking at Ji Lianxing's rosy ears, Jiang Shu found her extremely cute. If Ji Lianxing were her canary, she would definitely reach out and pinch her ears.

The little hedgehog remained silent, seeming shy and in need of guidance.

“Good girl, don’t be nervous, just tell me whether it’s a yes or no. It’s fine to refuse me; I won’t be angry.”

!!!Good girl??? She actually said that in such a tone?!!! Ji Lianxing’s blood pressure skyrocketed, but she still had to maintain her calm on the surface.

Her eyes still showed hesitation. “President Jiang, I thought about it for a long time. At first, I was concerned about our superior-subordinate relationship and your family situation. I was quite conflicted. But then I found out you’re not married. Also, that day I asked if I could return the money. You said I could, but it’s better not to.”

Ji Lianxing lowered her head. She had thought a lot about Jiang Shu's phrase “It’s better not to return the money.” There seemed to be a subtext in Jiang Shu’s words.

So, what Jiang Shu wanted to express was, “I don’t need the money; I need you more?” Ji Lianxing boldly guessed, maybe, probably, possibly, yes.

“Mm, so?” 

“Therefore…” She raised her eyes to look at Jiang Shu. With a mix of timidity and bravery, pulling in different directions, Ji Lianxing finally spoke, “So, I think we can give it a try?”

Author's Note:

The title has changed. "Come to My Office Tonight" didn't pass the review, so it has been changed to "Come to My Office After Work." Don't worry, the content is still the same.