Chapter 32: As Long As You Like It
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Jiang Shu's kiss didn’t last long. When it ended, her heart was still thumping hard. Just then, footsteps echoed in the stairwell—someone was coming up from the first floor—so she let go.
“Hungry? Let’s eat first,” she said, shaking the fried rice noodles in front of Ji Lianxing.
“Okay.” Ji Lianxing was still catching her breath, trying to calm her flustered heart.
The two went inside together. A wave of musty wooden furniture smell greeted them. It was Jiang Shu’s first time taking in Ji Lianxing’s place.
They entered the living room and saw only a single plain light hanging from the ceiling. The bulb was low-wattage, casting a dim glow. An old-fashioned box TV sat in the corner—probably unused for a long time.
In the dining area stood a small table. If not for the checkered tablecloth covering it, Jiang Shu would’ve felt like she'd stepped back into the ’80s or ’90s.
It was definitely an old place—everything about it looked worn. But to be fair, it was clean and tidy.
“Why did you choose to rent here?” Even though she’d mentally prepared herself, Jiang Shu still found the inside older than expected. It didn’t quite match the picture she had in mind.
“Because it’s cheap, and close to the office,” Ji Lianxing replied honestly, not feeling there was anything wrong with it.
Jiang Shu actually wanted to say, Don’t live here anymore, I can help you find a better place.
But she didn’t say it. That thought just passed through her mind.
Because something told her Ji Lianxing wouldn’t accept that kind of help—or maybe, that kind of “help” would just feel unnecessary.
So Jiang Shu pulled out one of the wooden chairs, sat down, and shifted the topic. “Let’s eat while it’s still hot. One is spicy, one is not—I didn’t know which you liked, so I bought both.”
Ji Lianxing picked the spicy one and pushed the non-spicy one toward Jiang Shu.
“You eat too.”
“I’m not eating. I just want to watch you eat,” Jiang Shu said with a soft smile in her eyes, like just seeing Ji Lianxing eat was enough to make her feel content.
Ji Lianxing ignored her words, opened the box, and handed a pair of chopsticks to Jiang Shu.
“You probably haven’t had dinner either. Let’s eat together.”
Jiang Shu had no choice but to take the chopsticks, split them apart, and picked up a small bite of the stir-fried noodles to taste.
“Mm, it’s good. Still hot. Go on, eat.”
Ji Lianxing took a bite and chewed a couple of times. The flavor was familiar. Maybe she’d slept too long—her throat was dry, and after a few bites, she didn’t feel like eating anymore.
“Don’t like it?” Jiang Shu asked.
“It’s good.”
“Then you just don’t have an appetite.” Jiang Shu answered for her. She looked at Ji Lianxing again and said, “Even if you’re upset, you still have to eat. Take your time.”
“Mm.” Ji Lianxing lowered her head, chopsticks resting on the noodles. In the end, she picked up another bite and put it in her mouth.
Yeah, even when you’re not okay, you still have to eat. No matter how bitter or hard life is, you still have to eat. You have to stay strong.
Jiang Shu quietly watched her eat. Looking closer, she noticed her lips were pale. She looked like she’d lost weight in just a week—her collarbones were so sharp they looked like they could hold water. It made Jiang Shu’s heart ache.
“You’ve been really busy these days. About your uncle… is there anything you want to talk about?”
“There is… but I don’t know where to start.”
“Then just say whatever comes to mind. And if you don’t feel like talking, that’s okay too.”
Jiang Shu actually really wanted to know what Ji Lianxing had been through these past few days. She didn’t understand local funeral customs and didn’t know what kind of trouble Ji Lianxing might’ve faced, but she figured it probably hadn’t been easy—after all, she’d seen how arrogant Ji Siyu could be.
Ji Lianxing kept her head down while eating, still not really in the mood to talk.
Jiang Shu picked out the strips of meat from her own noodles and placed them into Ji Lianxing’s box. “Eat more, be good.”
Under Jiang Shu’s gaze, Ji Lianxing forced herself to finish half the box. She set her chopsticks down and let out a light sigh.
“During the funeral, Ji Siyu never showed up. Couldn’t reach him on the phone. As for Wang Xiaoli, she cried on the first day, spent the second day collecting money, and by the third day, she was yelling for people to play mahjong.”
Even though playing mahjong during funerals was common back home, Ji Lianxing still hadn’t expected Wang Xiaoli to actually sit at the table that day.
Ji Lianxing looked up, meeting Jiang Shu’s eyes. “I think she really smiled when she drew a pure hand. She wasn’t sad at all.”
Jiang Shu was silent, not sure how to process that. It was hard to put herself in Ji Lianxing’s shoes, even though she’d already seen how shameless Ji Siyu could be. But that kind of father-son relationship? Husband and wife relationship? Was it really possible to be that cold?
“Are you.shocked President Jiang?” Ji Lianxing shook her head, a bitter smile on her lips. “Wang Xiaoli once ran away with another man and took Ji Siyu with her. Strangely enough, she came back a little over ten days later. Ji Siyu was already fourteen back then. I always knew they didn’t love each other, but I still didn’t expect them to stay married. They lived under the same roof but slept in separate rooms.”
“Incredible,” Jiang Shu said, frowning deeply. She looked truly stunned, like she was listening to some absurd, outdated tale from a feudal-era novel.
“I think so too.” Ji Lianxing recalled something a villager once said and added, “Maybe back then, getting divorced was seen as a big shame.”
Jiang Shu couldn’t help but feel like her life, compared to Ji Lianxing’s, was heaven and earth.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore, President Jiang.” Ji Lianxing didn’t think there was any point continuing—it was better to look forward. “I feel a bit better after eating.” Then, as if remembering something, she looked at Jiang Shu and asked, “Why did you come find me?”
If she remembered right, they just talked on the phone and Jiang Shu had told her to keep sleeping—so why had she suddenly shown up?
“I can't relax until I see you.”
Jiang Shu was telling the truth. Not seeing Ji Lianxing these past few days had left her with a heavy feeling in her chest, one she couldn’t shake no matter what. Only by coming to her side did she finally feel a little at ease.
So when she’d called and heard that Ji Lianxing was sleeping, she didn’t think twice—just drove straight over. And when she’d reached the third floor, she guessed the old building had poor soundproofing because she thought she’d heard Ji Lianxing crying. That’s why she knocked without hesitation.
Of course, she wasn’t going to say any of that out loud. It just felt too strange to admit.
“You were worried about me? Worried about what?”
“Worried you weren’t okay, maybe.”
Their eyes clung to each other, heat passing between them—it felt like something had shifted, like even the air around them was burning.
"I'm not unhappy," Ji Lianxing said, shifting her gaze to the takeout boxes and packing them up.
She honestly didn’t know why Jiang Shu had come, though she’d arrived at just the right moment. For a second, Ji Lianxing had wanted to curl up in her arms and cry, to rely on her. But luckily, her rational side won out—she held that urge back in time.
Seeing that Ji Lianxing didn’t answer her, Jiang Shu changed the topic. She figured her job now was to keep Ji Lianxing talking—maybe that’d help lighten her mood.
"Where’s your roommate?"
"On a night shift."
"Then… can I stay here tonight?" Jiang Shu didn’t beat around the bush. She just said what was on her mind.
"Here?" Ji Lianxing was a bit shocked. She’d never imagined a day would come when Jiang Shu would willingly stay the night with her—especially not in this cramped, rundown little rental.
"I want to sleep with you."
She said it bluntly. Ji Lianxing’s ears went red, and her face flushed in an instant.
"My bed’s really hard… I’m afraid you won’t be comfortable."
Ji Lianxing started to panic a little. She was trying to remember—had she left her bra on the pillow? She was pretty sure she had…
“It’s fine. I don’t mind a hard bed.”
“How about we go back to your place instead?” Ji Lianxing made one last attempt.
“Alright, I get it. You just don’t want me here,” Jiang Shu said, a hint of emotion slipping into her voice.
“No, no! Of course you can stay here!”
That cold, aloof face of Jiang Shu’s paired with a tone full of quiet grievance made Ji Lianxing want to laugh. She realized Jiang Shu was kind of cute sometimes… a little tsundere, maybe.
“Wait here, I’ll go find you something to sleep in.”
Ji Lianxing darted into her bedroom. First thing she did was grab the black bra from her pillow and stuff it in the closet. She scanned the room—nothing was too messy—then quickly hid the photo on her desk. Once done, she picked out an oversized T-shirt for Jiang Shu to wear.
Two minutes later—
Jiang Shu stood holding a loose pink T-shirt, her expression clearly saying: Are you really giving me this to wear?
“Yes, President Jiang. You’re wearing that.”
Jiang Shu hadn’t worn pink in nearly twenty years—especially not a pink shirt covered in rainbow-colored cute cartoon prints.
“Little Hedgehog… can I get a different one?”
“Why not? This one’s really cute, President Jiang. Don’t be picky—it’s my most comfortable shirt, and the fabric’s really nice.”
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
“I’m not being picky, I just…” Jiang Shu looked a bit awkward. “I just don’t really like pink.”
Ji Lianxing admitted it—she was curious. When she handed Jiang Shu the pink shirt, it was just to see that contrast, see how it’d look on her. It was the same kind of mischief Jiang Shu had when she made her wear that slip dress. People really did have a bit of playful malice deep down, once the thought struck.
“There’s nothing else, President Jiang. Just this one.”
“Not even one more?”
Ji Lianxing chanted to herself silently: No. Nothing else. The ten other shirts in her closet did not exist.
“No. They’re all in the laundry. Still wet.”
And surprisingly, Jiang Shu believed her.
“Alright then… guess I have no choice but to wear this.” Jiang Shu’s hand tightened around the shirt. The veins on the back of her hand stood out—it was clear she really didn’t want to wear pink.
Just as Ji Lianxing was secretly gloating, Jiang Shu made one last push. “How about I just sleep in my undershirt instead?”
Ji Lianxing stared at her. She stared back. Their eyes clashed for two full seconds—and Ji Lianxing lost. Jiang Shu’s gaze was just too sharp. Regular people couldn’t win that fight.
“…Fine, President Jiang. Wear whatever you want.”
Plan “Put President Jiang in Pink” failed. Ji Lianxing felt a tiny bit of disappointment—but just a little. It passed over her heart lightly, fleeting and hard to catch.
But Jiang Shu caught the micro-expression anyway.
“Little Hedgehog, I really don’t like pink,” Jiang Shu sighed, like she’d just made a big decision. “But if you like it, I can give it a try.”
“Really?” A ripple of surprise stirred in Ji Lianxing’s calm gaze. She was genuinely caught off guard—this came out of Jiang Shu’s mouth?
Jiang Shu nodded. “Really. As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter if it's pink or not.”
Author's Note:
When I saw that the nutrient solution count had gone up by a thousand in just one day, my reaction was: I've been taught a lesson by my readers—oh my god!!! @￥@#%！@%￥！# (Honestly, I thought it would take at least five or six days…)
Alright, since I said it, of course I’ll keep my promise.
I figure I’ll post one extra chapter per day over three days. There will be another chapter tonight, probably around 11 p.m.
Important Highlight: No one on the thank-you list below is innocent!!!
