Chapter 15: Every Inch of Skin Drives Me Crazy

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

At nine in the evening, on the bar street near the university town, neon lights flickered on both sides of the road. A rough count revealed at least a dozen bars, each emanating waves of music, and among them, Pilot stood out as the one with the most captivating melodies.  

Pilot was a relatively new establishment, having opened in the past two years. As a rising star among its peers, its decor and offerings were particularly appealing to the younger crowd. Many university students flocked there in the evenings, and by nine o’clock, the place was typically packed. Reservations were a must to secure a spot.  

At this moment, Jiang Shu sat in the VIP lounge on the second floor, her gaze fixed on the performance stage. The dim lights intertwined at the center of the stage, with white mist curling and floating in the deep red glow, creating a surreal and ethereal atmosphere.

The girl, wearing smoky eye makeup, denim shorts, and old Martin boots, with a black cropped top baring her midriff, sat amidst the white mist with an electric guitar in her arms. The wild aura she exuded made her seem like a cat that could scratch.  

"Tsk, your canary looks completely different during the day and at night!" Li Xiangyan pointed at Ji Lianxing. "Look, did she braid a few dreadlocks too? Wild!"  

Jiang Shu had no interest in focusing on Ji Lianxing's hair. Her attention was fixed on Ji Lianxing's legs. Because of the ultra-short shorts Ji Lianxing was wearing, and the fact that she was seated on a high stool, there was an inevitable feeling that everyone below was staring at her legs.  

"With her dressed like that, do you think people will be staring at her?" Jiang Shu glanced at Li Xiangyan. She rarely visited bars—less than five times a year, most of which were to accompany others—so she wasn’t entirely familiar with the scene here.

Li Xiangyan, who frequented bars and had seen everything, spoke honestly, "I think her outfit is already conservative enough."  

"I did not ask whether it was conservative. I just asked if she would be stared at."  

"Definitely!" Li Xiangyan's gaze fell on Ji Lianxing's legs. He thought to himself that her legs were really long and straight—anyone would steal a few glances.  

When he turned back to Jiang Shu, he noticed her expression had stiffened a little.  

"Come on, your possessiveness is a bit too much. The people down there can see but cannot touch. What are you getting jealous about?"  

Jiang Shu turned her gaze to Li Xiangyan, her tone icy. "How am I jealous?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're not jealous." Li Xiangyan took a sip of his drink and chuckled. It was really funny. He knew Jiang Shu too well. This person was stubborn by nature. If she didn’t want to admit something, she wouldn't even confess it if you knocked her teeth out.

At that moment, the girl in the center of the stage blew into the microphone twice and said to the audience in a low voice, "Hello everyone, I'm tonight's singer, Belle. Long time no see~" Ji Lianxing smiled slightly, her eyes sparkling under the bright orange eyeshadow. Even her tone of voice was different from usual.

"Long time no see!!! Bella!!! yyds*!!!!" Customers in the audience were waving at her. It wasn’t just one or two, but a whole group—both men and women.

*"YYDS" (永远的神, yǒng yuǎn de shén) -eternal god, the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Also, probably a typo, the customer did say Bella instead of Belle

Li Xiangyan, sitting on the side and cracking sunflower seeds, whispered in Jiang Shu’s ear, "Tch, see that? Your little canary has her own fans~ She’s pretty popular!"

Jiang Shu’s gaze was still on Ji Lianxing’s legs. She didn’t say a word. Li Xiangyan was right; it seemed Ji Lianxing was quite popular here. But why is she feeling a little uncomfortable?

Are you really jealous? But what does it feel like to be jealous? What are the signs of jealousy?

Jiang Shu didn't understand. He just felt that it was so noisy here and was a little upset.

The strings of the electric guitar in Ji Lianxing's arms were plucked twice, and it became quieter down there.

"The first song "Running with the Wolves" is for everyone tonight."

The drummer next to him started playing the intro, matching the electric guitar in Ji Lianxing's hand.

Ji Lianxing came to the microphone and sang the first line: "Go run and hold to safer grounds..."

The people at the other tables were still drinking, only the group surrounding the stage seemed excited. They probably came to support Ji Lianxing, having often listened to her songs.

When Ji Lianxing sang the first line, some of the drinkers looked up and toward the stage. 

They probably didn’t expect her voice to be so distinctive. It had an ethereal, yet wild feeling, and her tone wasn’t as thin as others; instead, it was filled with power, but without being rough, just the right balance.

Jiang Shu sat on the second floor, quietly listening to her sing, somewhat stunned. She never imagined her little hedgehog could sing like this. It was like she had turned into a completely different person, someone unfamiliar.

So, is she really like a hedgehog that shrinks back at the slightest touch? Or is it like now, her voice so powerful, like a wolf running across the prairie? 

"I'm running with the wolves tonight, I'm running with the wolves..."

When Ji Lianxing hit the climax of the song, the crowd went wild. The young people at the front of the stage started to sing along, seeming to know exactly what she was going to sing next. 

Once the atmosphere was lifted, the bar owner’s goal was achieved. Behind Ji Lianxing, the big screen displayed the IDs of people who had voted for her. Though it was called voting, it was really about tossing money. 

The donations ranged from a few dollars to several hundred, with some even in the thousands. A large part of the customers here were university students. While some donated tens of thousands, that was rare. 

"Are they voting for her? What's the point?" Jiang Shu asked Li Xiangyan, pointing at the screen.

"Yeah, yeah, it's a tip. There's a QR code on the table. If you think it's good, just donate a bit. She gets a commission," Li Xiangyan pointed at the QR code on the table. 

Then he saw Jiang Shu take out her phone and scan the QR code. 

Li Xiangyan suddenly realized something was off and leaned over to Jiang Shu. "What are you doing?! Two hundred or three hundred is enough! Don't donate too much! The owner gets a commission!" 

Jiang Shu tilted her phone, entered the tip amount, and paid without blinking an eye. 

Li Xiangyan finally saw the number on the phone. "Damn it, you are really sick!" 

Just as Ji Lianxing finished the song, she turned around and saw fireworks filling the entire screen, constantly popping up, taking over the whole display. 

She was a bit stunned and looked up at the second floor. In the darkness, she faintly saw that cold, elegant face. Even in the dim light, she recognized who it was by the sharp, thin chin. Plus, the screen showed "Ms. Jiang," which made her even more certain. 

Ji Lianxing suppressed her complex emotions and spoke into the microphone: 

"Thank you, Ms. Jiang from the second floor. Ms. Jiang, you've spent a lot. May I ask, what song would you like to hear? I’ll sing it for you." 

Ms. Jiang from upstairs didn’t reply. 

Ji Lianxing continued, "Ms. Jiang, whatever song you want to hear, just input it on your phone. The big screen will display it, and I’ll sing it for you."

After a while, the big screen displayed: Creep.

As soon as Ji Lianxing saw "Creep," she thought to herself, why couldn’t it be another song? Why did it have to be "Creep"? But this was the song Jiang Shu had requested, and since she chose it, Ji Lianxing had no choice but to sing it.

"Alright, Ms. Jiang, next, 'Creep' is for you," Ji Lianxing said.

She adjusted the sound and strummed the first chord. The drummer immediately followed, keeping a steady beat.

"When you were here before, Couldn't look you in the eye," 

Ji Lianxing sang the first line, then looked up at Jiang Shu. This was the first time she had sung this song in front of so many people, and she never imagined she would sing it in front of Jiang Shu.

When their eyes met, it felt like her heart was scared, but not as terrified as she had expected.

Perhaps the true meaning of liking someone is to express it. She really wanted to express her feelings, but due to various realities, she felt inferior and ashamed, so she suppressed and suppressed them. 

But even a dormant volcano can erupt, and Ji Lianxing felt that her feelings for Jiang Shu were the same. It felt like something was about to climb out of her throat.

So, she sang the next line:

"You’re just like an angel, Your skin makes me cry, You float like a feather, In a beautiful world."

"And I wish I was special, You're so ******' special."

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

In the darkness, Ji Lianxing's voice hit Jiang Shu's eardrums along with the sound of metal.

Jiang Shu, who had never had any empathy for the song, actually felt a little sad at this moment. She heard the emotion of love but not being able to get it from Ji Lianxing.

Jiang Shu couldn't help but wonder, who was she thinking about when she sang this song? Who could make her eyes show such emotion?

The song came to an end and ended abruptly at the final high note. Ji Lianxing put down the electric guitar in his hand, stood up, and said to the audience: "This song ends here, and we will leave it to our Ms. Willow."

Willow was obviously stunned for a moment in the audience. It was still half an hour before it was her turn to take the stage. But she quickly realized something must have happened with Ji Lianxing, so she hurried up to the stage. The two smoothly handed over the performance.

Jiang Shu watched as Ji Lianxing ran off the stage and then toward the backstage, quickly disappearing from sight.

At this moment, the phone screen on the table lit up. It was a message from Ji Lianxing:  

[President Jiang, I am waiting for you at the bar entrance.]

Author's Note:

[Note 1] The lyrics in the text were not fully translated literally to fit the context. Do not use this translation method in exams, as it will not earn points.  

[Note 2] The 50,000 Ms. Jiang tipped is purely part of the plot. In real life, please tip rationally. Money does not come from the wind. Be good.