Chapter 14: No Wonder You’re Willing To Spend Money On Her

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

Ji Lianxing couldn't sleep all night. She had never experienced such insomnia in her life. She had kept her eyes open almost the entire night. 

In the first half of the night, Jiang Shu held her while they slept, but in the second half, the roles reversed, and she was the one holding Jiang Shu. 

She thought Jiang Shu would be the type to sleep quietly, but that wasn't the case at all. She discovered that once Jiang Shu fell asleep, she liked to hug and cuddle, and even wanted to get closer. The contrast was quite shocking. 

Of course, the main reason for Ji Lianxing's insomnia, besides Jiang Shu's restless movements, was... they were just too close. 

Too close. Especially after the little hairpin on her collar was taken off. As they hugged, pressed together, she kept feeling a bit too hot, and the heat made Ji Lianxing completely lose her sleepiness. 

Meanwhile, Jiang Shu seemed to sleep soundly.

Ji Lianxing had no choice but to keep holding Jiang Shu. She watched as the sky gradually brightened, and only when the darkness turned into deep blue did she finally manage to close her eyes and fall asleep...

****

In the early morning, Jiang Shu was half asleep and half awake. She turned over, rolling away from the sweet scent, escaping the warmth, feeling uncomfortable, and then rolled back. 

She closed her eyes and slept soundly. After a while, Ji Lianxing's hand returned to rest on her, and Jiang Shu sensed something was off. She opened her eyes and realized she was in Ji Lianxing's arms. 

It was that kind of small, bird-like posture... 

Jiang Shu instantly woke up. This wasn't good. How did the roles reverse? Wasn't she supposed to be the one holding the little hedgehog to sleep?? 

She stared at Ji Lianxing's sleeping face for two seconds, slowly slipping out of her arms and quietly sneaking out of bed... 

She planned to take a shower. 

In the bathroom, Jiang Shu looked at her reflection in the mirror. She felt refreshed. It had been a long time since she'd slept so well. 

Recently, she has been experiencing mild insomnia. Most nights, she would wake up around 3 a.m., and it was difficult to fall back asleep for the next few hours. This had been going on for two months, until last night when she had slept holding Ji Lianxing. 

Reflecting on it, indeed, she had slept soundly.

Jiang Shu had a habit of morning exercise. After washing up, she usually did some cardio before having breakfast. 

Her cardio consisted of running on the treadmill. She would have a small piece of chocolate before running, then jog for half an hour. This routine had been maintained for three years, so her figure had always been in great shape. 

Upstairs, Ji Lianxing soon woke up. She didn’t like sleeping in, a habit she had developed over the years. 

So when she came downstairs and saw Jiang Shu still running on the treadmill, she couldn’t help but click her tongue. No wonder she was like that—self-disciplined to the point of being terribly clingy.

A clingy spirit, indeed. After last night, Ji Lianxing gained a new understanding of Jiang Shu. She had only just realized that the cold, aloof goddess was actually a clingy person. 

She had been held too tightly the whole time, and now Ji Lianxing's neck still felt sore.

Ji Lianxing began to worry whether she would fall apart in the next two months... She was afraid she wouldn't be able to withstand the exhaustion. 

"Good morning, President Jiang." Ji Lianxing walked behind Jiang Shu, watching her run on the treadmill. The red indicator showed a speed of "8," meaning 8 km per hour. Jiang Shu was tall and long-legged. Despite the treadmill moving quickly, she ran effortlessly. 

"Good morning." Jiang Shu panted slightly. "Sit down for a bit. I have 10 more minutes." 

"Mm, you run. I'm not in a hurry. I'll play with my phone." 

Ji Lianxing turned around and sat on the sofa, taking out her phone. But her gaze wasn't on the phone screen at all. Her eyes wandered toward the treadmill. As Jiang Shu got lost in her run, Ji Lianxing occasionally glanced at her back.

Jiang Shu was wearing a black tank top that revealed her toned waistline, along with two alluring dimples on her back. Ji Lianxing noticed that not only was Jiang Shu's waist beautiful, but her long legs were also quite eye-catching. After exercising, a few fine beads of sweat glistened on her legs, giving them a captivating shine. It was a kind of healthy beauty.

Help, she's really so beautiful... 

Ten minutes were definitely not enough to watch. As she reached the last 500 meters, Jiang Shu gradually slowed down, walking on the treadmill for a while before finishing her morning exercise. 

She turned around and saw Ji Lianxing with her head down, playing with her phone. 

"What do you want for breakfast?" Jiang Shu wiped her sweat with a towel. "Sliced bread, black coffee, eggs, vegetable pancakes, or anything else you'd like. I can make it for you." 

She'll make it? Ji Lianxing thought this was a bit different from what she had imagined. 

Ji Lianxing responded somewhat shyly, "Anything for breakfast is fine, I’m not picky."

"Then how about whole wheat toast with coffee?" Jiang Shu got off the treadmill, took a bottle, and drank some water. She remembered seeing Ji Lianxing drink coffee the other day, so she must be used to it. "I'll fry an egg for you as well." 

Then she really went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Ji Lianxing sat on the sofa, feeling a bit dazed. She realized it had been many years since anyone had made her breakfast. Back when she lived at Ji Siyu's house, she made it herself in the morning. During college and after she started working, she would just buy something quick outside. 

So now, being at someone else's house, with someone making her breakfast, her feelings were quite complicated, especially since this person was her boss, no, not just a boss, but something more—her lover. 

Ji Lianxing thought about it carefully. "lover" didn’t seem quite right either. If said nicely, it was a benefactor; if said harshly, it was a benefactor. 

A benefactor making her breakfast? 

Ah!!!! 

Ji Lianxing seemed to realize something and quickly sprang up from the sofa. She glanced toward the kitchen. Jiang Shu had already put the toast in the toaster and was opening the fridge to fry the egg. 

She walked toward the kitchen...

"President Jiang, how about I fry the egg?" Ji Lianxing walked over to Jiang Shu, wanting to lend a hand. 

"This is really simple, no need," Jiang Shu glanced at Ji Lianxing, "The coffee beans are in the cabinet over there. Just put them in the grinder." 

Ji Lianxing took out the coffee beans. It was a red-labeled Geisha, one she had never tried before. 

Jiang Shu noticed Ji Lianxing's eyes and asked, "You don't seem to have slept well? Your eyes are all bloodshot." 

Ji Lianxing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She thought to herself, Last night you did this and that, and after that, you did that again... how could I sleep well?

"I'm fine, maybe I'm just picky about beds," Ji Lianxing put the beans in the grinder. The machine hummed, and they stood side by side, one frying an egg and the other grinding the coffee, both silent.

The kitchen was filled with the scent of coffee grounds, mixed with the faintly burnt aroma of the fried egg. Ji Lianxing stared blankly, her gaze falling on Jiang Shu's hands. Her nails were neatly trimmed, round and symmetrical, long and slender, showing that they were well cared for. 

"What do you have planned for today?" Jiang Shu flipped the egg in the pan, skillfully placing it on the spatula, and it landed gently on the plate. 

"I'll head to Song Homes 3rd Courtyard later to clean up." 

"And after that?" Jiang Shu's gaze flickered, as if anticipating something. 

"I'll be performing live at a bar tonight, so I might be a little late when I come over here." 

"Oh, I see." Jiang Shu's eyes dimmed for a moment, then she asked, "Where are you performing?" 

"At the Pilot bar, from 9 PM to 11 PM." 

The toast and eggs were ready, and the coffee still had a little more time. Jiang Shu took the two plates to the dining room, set one down, and sat to wait for Ji Lianxing.

Jiang Shu stared at Ji Lianxing’s back. She was actually quite tall, about 1.7 meters, with excellent waist-to-leg proportions. Her waist was so slender that it seemed like one hand could wrap around her completely. She was very thin, but not gaunt.  

Jiang Shu couldn’t help but ask, “Little Hedgehog, do you work out often?”  

Ji Lianxing, holding two cups of coffee, turned around just in time to see Jiang Shu staring at her. Her hand shook slightly, and she suddenly felt the coffee cups were a bit too hot to hold.  

“Huh? Work out? I don’t work out.”  

“Oh, blessed by heaven’s favor.”  

Ji Lianxing: “?”  

Jiang Shu: “Nothing, hurry and eat breakfast.”  

After finishing breakfast, Ji Lianxing left.

At ten in the morning, Ji Lianxing walked out of Jiang Shu's house. The sky was covered with a layer of gray as if it was about to rain.  

Fortunately, Jiang Shu's place was not far from the Song Homes 3rd Courtyard, just two stops away. Ji Lianxing's head bobbed as she walked—she was utterly exhausted. She needed to go home and catch up on sleep.  

She hadn’t slept the whole night, and at best, she had dozed off for about an hour in the early morning. Ji Lianxing thought that Jiang Shu shouldn’t be called President Jiang; she should be called Octopus Jiang Shu, or Clingy Spirit.  

Thinking this, she walked toward the exit of the residential area. Just as she reached the gate, a familiar figure crossed her line of sight—a man with a buzz cut and wearing an earring, Li Xiangyan.  

The two passed each other, one entering and the other exiting, their gazes suddenly meeting.  

Due to her striking appearance, Li Xiangyan glanced at Ji Lianxing again, thinking her face was truly stunning.  

The moment his gaze landed on her, Ji Lianxing turned her head away. They brushed past each other.  

Ji Lianxing felt inexplicably guilty. Would Li Xiangyan recognize her? But then she reassured herself—he probably wouldn’t.

****

When the doorbell rang, Jiang Shu thought it was Ji Lianxing. But when she opened the door, she saw Li Xiangyan.  

She genuinely did not want to see this man’s face.  

“Why are you here again?”  

“This time I knocked, didn’t I? Just passing by this morning, thought I’d check in on you, lonely old woman.” Li Xiangyan squeezed into Jiang Shu’s house. He sniffed the air, and the next second, a strange smile appeared on his face. “Jiang Shu, why does your house smell like another woman???”  

“You have a sharp nose.” Jiang Shu closed the door. “I brought her home to sleep last night.”  

“!!! When did she leave? Was it just now???”  

“Yes.” Jiang Shu didn’t understand why Li Xiangyan always made such a fuss.  

“Was she a tall, pale beauty with long black hair and exceptionally long legs?”  

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

“You don’t even like women. Why are you so worked up?”

"!!!! No wonder!" Li Xiangyan recalled brushing past that woman earlier. At first, he just thought she was unusually pretty. Now, he felt she might also be unusually cunning. Jiang Shu might be in trouble. A woman this beautiful with a touch of craftiness surely wouldn’t leave without taking some money.  

"No wonder what? What nonsense are you spouting again?" Jiang Shu found Li Xiangyan particularly annoying recently. The fact that he could pass by her house this early could only mean one thing: he’d been out partying all night and hadn’t gone home, who knows where he’d been messing around.  

"I’m saying, what kind of demon or spirit has bewitched you like this? No wonder you’re willing to spend money on her! It’s because she’s pretty!"  

"Oh, that’s just stating the obvious." Jiang Shu scoffed lightly. "If it’s not because she’s pretty, then is it because I like her?"