Chapter 17: You Are Really A Bastard Who Values Love Over Friendship!!!
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Ji Lianxing took Jiang Shu through the streets and alleys, walking along an old-style night market street. The street was noisy and bustling, filled with the atmosphere of daily life. Unknowingly, the takoyaki in the box had already been eaten.
The two continued walking forward. The milky aroma of egg cakes, the cumin scent of barbecue, and the sweetness of popcorn—these processed food smells drifted into Jiang Shu’s nose. They were tastes she normally disliked or found unfamiliar, but at this moment, they exuded a strange sweetness.
Jiang Shu suddenly felt that wandering around such a place wasn’t so bad after all. Even though she seemed to catch a whiff of the sewer at some point, it was precisely this sense of authenticity that put her in an unprecedentedly relaxed state.
The two walked side by side as soft light spilled from the shops along the street. The light fell on Ji Lianxing's smooth cheeks, casting a thin layer of color that outlined her profile, lean and beautiful.
"Screen protectors, screen protectors, fifteen each, everything’s fifteen..." The young man at the screen protector stall was surrounded by people. He held a small desk lamp and focused intently on applying protectors to phones. Despite the modest size of the stall, business seemed to be quite good.
Ji Lianxing glanced at the stall and said, "The summer I graduated high school, I had a stall like this, applying screen protectors."
"Really?" Jiang Shu couldn’t help but take another look at the young man and then at Ji Lianxing. It seemed hard to associate the two. "Tell me about it?"
"Ah..." Ji Lianxing recalled that distant summer. She had set up a stall in the central square of that small county town, always returning home late. As she reminisced, she spoke aloud: "On the first day, I only had two customers, and both screen protectors were applied crookedly. I didn’t charge them and ended up at a loss. On the second day, I got a little better, more careful, and made 40 yuan. By the end of that summer, I had earned two or three thousand yuan."
It felt so far away, truly so far away. She thought of her eighteen-year-old self, living a routine life that revolved around three places: home, the hospital, and the square.
During that scorching summer, she had no real concept of money. That 2,820 yuan was the first pot of gold she ever earned out of necessity in her life. But it was also that first pot of gold that made her understand money wasn’t everything.
For her mother’s medical expenses, 2,820 yuan was just a drop in the bucket. Even when her uncle later agreed to lend money, and hundreds of thousands were spent, her mother still couldn’t survive leukemia. That night, her mother left her.
She remembered it. That night, her mother lay on the hospital bed, her pale lips trembling but unable to utter a single word. She could only stretch out a pair of emaciated hands, gripping Ji Lianxing’s hair tightly, and banging her head fiercely against Ji Lianxing’s forehead.
Her head was struck into a daze, and amidst the dizziness, she burst into tears.
In her eighteen years of life, Ji Lianxing had never seen her mother so emotional. It was a kind of uncontrollable sorrow before death. She understood that her mother couldn’t speak, and by hitting her forehead, she was trying to tell her she didn’t want to leave this world.
Oh, those memories felt so distant. The scenes flashed through her mind, but some details were becoming blurry.
“So you were short on money back then, right?” Jiang Shu’s clear and gentle voice reached Ji Lianxing’s ears, mixed with the noise of the bustling street.
“Mm, I was,” Ji Lianxing sighed softly, her breath barely audible.
“And now?” Jiang Shu turned to look at her. She guessed in her heart—perhaps Ji Lianxing started singing at bars because of money.
“Now it’s much better than before.”
"How much do you still owe?" Jiang Shu had a faint feeling that she might still have debts.
"Four years of student loans, 32,000, borrowed 20,000 from a friend, so in total, maybe 55,000. But there’s no rush to pay it back. With my job and singing gigs, I can pay it off soon."
"I can help—"
Before Jiang Shu could finish, Ji Lianxing had already interrupted her: "No, no, President Jiang, I hope you won’t misunderstand. After the 250,000, you don’t need to help me anymore." She looked at Jiang Shu, her tone firm: "I have hands and feet. I can earn it myself."
If her uncle hadn’t urgently needed that 250,000, she wouldn’t have accepted Jiang Shu’s help in the first place. Taking money from Jiang Shu made her feel a bit like... begging, even if Jiang Shu had offered willingly.
Jiang Shu thought for a moment and didn’t insist further. “That’s good. You have your own way of thinking.”
The two walked until almost eleven o’clock. The street gradually became less crowded. Finally, Li Xiangyan called, asking where Jiang Shu was.
Jiang Shu gave the address and told Li Xiangyan to drive over.
After hanging up, Jiang Shu said, “I have a friend, Li Xiangyan. I’ll introduce you to him later.”
Ji Lianxing actually wanted to say, I know him, and I hear about him often. I even thought he was your husband before. But she thought about it and kept her mouth shut.
****
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Jiang Shu used to wonder why Li Xiangyan could talk so much. She didn’t know if he had some kind of condition, but once he started talking, his mouth just wouldn’t stop.
Now she understood. The term "social butterfly syndrome" seemed tailor-made for Li Xiangyan. People with this condition just couldn’t help but chatter endlessly.
She and Ji Lianxing stood at the street corner, watching as a black supercar flaunted its way through the street, and finally stopped in front of them.
What they didn’t expect was the first thing Li Xiangyan said to Ji Lianxing after rolling down the car window:
“Sister.”
The information was overwhelming, and Ji Lianxing almost didn’t react.
It wasn’t until Li Xiangyan called her again:
“Sister, your eyeshadow color combo is incredible! It really suits your sharp, defined features!”
Ji Lianxing finally realized that Li Xiangyan was calling her. Huh? "Sister"? That word seemed a bit... gay?
Jiang Shu shot Li Xiangyan a glare and began the introduction: “Little Hedgehog, this is my friend, Li Xiangyan. He’s a bit odd, don’t mind him.”
Ji Lianxing smiled and politely said, “Hello, I’m Ji Lianxing.”
“Got it! Little Hedgehog!” He directly ignored Ji Lianxing’s real name, “You can just call me Little Brother Li.”
"Alright, Little Brother Li." Ji Lianxing blurted out as if that’s how the people at the company called him too.
With all the "Sister" and "Brother" being thrown around, and Li Xiangyan even calling her Little Hedgehog, Jiang Shu stood aside, her face turning green.
"Li Xiangyan." Jiang Shu wrapped her arm around Ji Lianxing's shoulder, pulling her closer as if to warn him. "Don’t give her random nicknames."
Ji Lianxing leaned into Jiang Shu's embrace and was forced to make eye contact with Li Xiangyan. She looked at him, not sure whether to laugh or cry. She felt like Jiang Shu’s possessiveness was a bit strong...
Afterward, Jiang Shu kicked Li Xiangyan out of the car and urged him to go to the convenience store to buy a bottle of water.
"Why buy water?"
"Go buy a bottle, and there will be a surprise when you get back." Jiang Shu said with a smile.
Ji Lianxing observed secretly, feeling like Jiang Shu’s smile seemed a bit strange.
To her surprise, Li Xiangyan actually fell for it. He pushed his face close to Jiang Shu's and seriously asked, "A surprise? Are you serious?"
"Mm, when you come back, there will definitely be a surprise."
He actually went to buy the water. Ji Lianxing found it hard to believe that he fell for something that even she thought was unreliable. It seemed like Little Brother Li was still a bit innocent.
As soon as he left, Jiang Shu quickly opened the car door. "Little Hedgehog, get in the car."
"Huh?" Even though it was expected, she was still shocked.
"Hurry, get in the car!"
Ji Lianxing thought to herself that Little Brother Li was really unfortunate, being played around by Jiang Shu.
She opened the car door and glanced at the convenience store. Li Xiangyan was still choosing drinks on the shelves, holding several bottles of water in his arms.
"Are we really not going to wait for him?"
"No need to wait. His home is nearby." Jiang Shu glanced toward Li Xiangyan. "See? He's already picking out alcohol. He might end up sticking to my place and drag you into a bottle-drinking contest."
Of course, Ji Lianxing listened to Jiang Shu and opened the car door to sit in the passenger seat.
Without any hesitation, Jiang Shu started the engine and pressed the accelerator.
When Li Xiangyan was paying at the counter, he heard the sound of the car's exhaust. He turned around and saw that the black supercar had already dusted off and was speeding away.
He froze for a few seconds, his pupils widening, his face showing a hint of panic. He rushed out of the store, but his legs couldn’t run faster than the wheels.
"Damn it! Jiang Shu!!!" Li Xiangyan stomped his feet in anger, pointing at the car’s rear, and roared, "You are really a bastard who values love over friendship!!!"
But the black supercar made a turn on the street and disappeared without a trace.
Author's Note:
Some of the little cuties should know that my second chapter was reported by some ill-intentioned people, which led to me not making it onto the ranking yesterday. The progress of the story has also been affected. But it's okay, I’ll take a few days to revise this chapter (though there’s actually not much to change, but I need to be cautious to avoid being reported again). This week, updates may either be daily or every other day as I need to adjust the structure of the story, so please don't rush me for updates! As far as I know, I'm not the only one who was reported, there are other authors too, and we all feel like we are walking on thin ice.
But what can be confirmed is that the story will still be written the way it was meant to be. You can continue to follow it just like usual. Although the report held me back, it's fine! I will keep updating and writing!
