Chapter 33: Are You A Hundred Thousand Whys?
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Ji Lianxing lay on the bed. There was a lamp on the nightstand. The soft orange light filled the whole room.
The bedroom was very quiet. Ji Lianxing stared at her toes in a daze.
Through the wooden door, the sound of the shower in the bathroom got clearer and clearer. So her breathing became a bit faster.
Jiang Shu was taking a shower. Jiang Shu brought her food. She is saying the night with her. Jiang Shu is really nice.
Jiang Shu’s arrival made Ji Lianxing forget her sadness for a while.
Ji Lianxing always felt that the scariest thing about people is having too much hope in others. But her uncle once told her, the scariest thing about people is having no hope in others at all.
So when it came to “hope,” Ji Lianxing was always very careful. She was trying to find a balance of how much hope to have in Jiang Shu. Not too much, not too little. She hoped it could be just right.
In the bathroom, Jiang Shu started showering faster.
This space was too small, and the light wasn’t bright enough, so it felt a little shabby. At least that’s how Jiang Shu felt.
This was the living space of the Little Hedgehog. When she thought about that, the feeling of heartache came back again. She didn’t know what Ji Lianxing thought. Anyway, she really didn’t want Ji Lianxing to keep living here.
That feeling got stronger and stronger. The thought that Jiang Shu pushed down came up again.
Two months later, she even wanted to spend money to help Ji Lianxing find a new place to live. Even if they were not lovers, she still wanted to do it. She felt so sorry for this girl. She wanted to take good care of her.
Jiang Shu quickly turned off the shower. She used the new towel Ji Lianxing gave her to dry her body. Then her eyes landed on that pink T-shirt...
Forget it. Just wear it
As long as Ji Lianxing is happy, it’s fine. The thing with her uncle must have made her really sad. If this pink T-shirt can make her feel a little better, then it’s okay.
Jiang Shu was tall but very skinny. When she wore the T-shirt, it looked oversized. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt kind of strange. This kind of giving in just to make someone happy was the first time for her. And she actually felt kind of happy? Damn it.
She walked out of the bathroom. A gust of wind came in through the window and gave Jiang Shu goosebumps all over. She went straight to Ji Lianxing’s bedroom.
“Little Hedgehog,” she called at the door, “I am coming in.”
She heard the sound of someone turning over inside. “Come in quick.”
The door opened. The first thing Ji Lianxing saw was the pink T-shirt on Jiang Shu.
There was a cute little bunny printed on the T-shirt. The cloth was thin, so it was kind of see-through.
Ji Lianxing saw the full, round bunny ears on the shirt. She quickly moved her eyes down. Then her eyes landed on Jiang Shu’s legs.
Her legs were not only long but also straight. Because she liked sports, the shape of her legs was smooth. Sexy and charming.
She felt like nothing looked right. Ji Lianxing had to lower her head. She got a bit flustered and grabbed a pillow to hug in her arms, like that could hide her shyness.
“President Jiang, come up quick.” Ji Lianxing patted the bed and lifted a corner of the blanket. “Don’t catch a cold.”
Jiang Shu didn’t move. She looked around the room instead. To her surprise, she actually liked it.
It was hard to describe. There were a lot of things in the room; guitar, posters, CD rack, and even a vintage player.
Even though there were many things, it was clean and tidy. The air had a familiar scent. If you smelled a few times, you would feel it was like the owner. Cold but charming.
Jiang Shu got a bit curious. She saw a poster. It was a bald foreigner wearing an earring. His facial features were deep and sharp. His eyes looked gloomy.
“Who’s this?”
“The main character in a movie.”
“I know. I mean, which movie?”
Ji Lianxing showed a smile but didn’t give her the answer. “I won't tell you.”
Jiang Shu raised her eyebrows. “His eyes, his face, and the colors all remind me of aesthetic violence.”
“He really is the main character of an aesthetic violence movie. Sex, drugs, betrayal, and decay—these four words can describe his life.”
“Then why do you still put this poster here?” Jiang Shu didn’t get it. “Do you like that kind of life?”
“Of course not. It’s to remind myself not to fall. Stay rational and live seriously.”
Ji Lianxing felt that Jiang Shu was like a curious baby. She looked here and there, wearing that pink T-shirt, walking around the room. It was a little too cute.
“What about this? Can it still play?” Jiang Shu pointed at the vintage player.
“Yes, you can pick a tape from the CD rack. Just put it in and it will play.”
Jiang Shu squatted down next to the rack to choose a tape. While picking, she sighed. In this day and age, someone was still using a player like this, and even using tapes. Honestly, it was kind of special.
She saw that there were almost a hundred tapes on the rack, both from China and other countries. Jiang Shu couldn’t help but sigh:
“You shouldn’t have done finance. You should’ve done music.”
Ji Lianxing only smiled and didn’t answer her. She felt she still wasn’t good enough for music. Just good enough for a hobby.
“Ai, too many. I can’t decide.” Jiang Shu gave up. Her eyes moved to the guitar and she asked Ji Lianxing, “When did you learn to sing and play?”
“When I was little. Really little. My mom was a music teacher.”
Jiang Shu suddenly understood why she thought Ji Lianxing’s voice sounded nice at the bar last time. So it was in her genes.
Speaking of childhood, Jiang Shu seemed to remember something. She looked up at Ji Lianxing.
“Little Hedgehog, do you still remember what you told me last time? That you were chubby when you were little?”
“I remember.”
“Then do you remember you said you would show me a photo?” Jiang Shu’s smile spread, her eyes full of joy.
“Oh~” Ji Lianxing thought to herself she totally forgot. If Jiang Shu didn’t keep reminding her step by step… “Alright, I’ll show you. But you’re not allowed to laugh at me.”
“Don’t worry, I promise not to laugh.”
Ji Lianxing got off the bed and took out a photo from her small wallet. It was from when she was nine. That was her peak chubby stage.
When she showed this photo to Yu Meng back then, Yu Meng refused to believe this was Ji Lianxing.
Ji Lianxing pulled out the photo. Her hand hesitated a little when she took it out, but then she saw that expectant look in Jiang Shu’s eyes.
Ai, forget it, just let her see, just let her see.
So the photo was handed to Jiang Shu. Jiang Shu couldn’t wait and took a look right away.
A chubby girl, even rounder than Jiang Xiaotan, stood in front of a mud house. Her cheeks looked like two red apples. She made a peace sign while taking the photo. Her smile was so happy, she smiled until you couldn’t even find her eyes.
“Huh? This is you?” Jiang Shu was rarely this surprised.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Pfft!”
“Hey, you said you wouldn’t laugh.”
Jiang Shu tried hard to hold back her expression. “I didn’t laugh.”
At first, Jiang Shu just took a quick glance. She really couldn’t help but laugh. Then she held the photo and couldn’t stop herself from looking a few more times. The smile in her eyes started to fade, and the smile at the corners of her lips slowly froze.
There was a colorful swim ring by the girl’s feet in the photo. More than ten years ago, that kind of ring was very popular. It was mostly blue, white, and yellow.
“This swim ring???” Jiang Shu pointed at the photo. She got stuck on her words.
“This swim ring? It’s mine. What about it?”
Jiang Shu remembered that summer. She followed her grandpa to visit one of his old army buddies.
She went to play by the river and accidentally fell into the water. A chubby little girl swam over and gave her that swim ring...
“Where’s your hometown?”
“Luo’er County.”
“Luo’er County.” Jiang Shu repeated it. Her face didn’t look calm. “Is there a Jin’e River?”
Ji Lianxing got confused by her reaction. Her brain even lagged for a second. After thinking for a few seconds, she answered, “Yes, Jin’e River.”
The air went silent.
Jiang Shu held the photo, sometimes looking down at it, sometimes looking at Ji Lianxing, like she wanted to match the chubby little girl in the photo with the Ji Lianxing in front of her.
“You looked really different when you were little.”
“And then?”
“No wonder I couldn’t find you.”
Ji Lianxing had a confused face. “What are you talking about?”
Jiang Shu shook her head. There was a different feeling in her eyes. She reached out and hugged Ji Lianxing tightly, whispering in her ear:
“Little Hedgehog, you’re an angel.”
Ji Lianxing: “?”
“The first time we met at the hotel, I said it already. I felt like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
“President Jiang, what’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. You’re an angel.” Jiang Shu repeated.
Ji Lianxing was completely lost. What’s going on with Jiang Shu tonight? Why was she saying weird stuff that made no sense?
“What angel?”
“Nothing. You in the photo looked too cute.” Jiang Shu gave the photo back to her. “Keep it safe.”
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
“President Jiang, you’re being weird.” Ji Lianxing couldn’t help but say, “What’s with my photo? Why are you suddenly acting all emotional?”
Ji Lianxing still wanted to ask, but Jiang Shu didn’t seem like she was going to answer.
“I’m a little sleepy now.” Jiang Shu moved onto the bed, pulled the blanket over Ji Lianxing, then covered herself too. She reached out and turned off the small lamp.
The room suddenly went dark. Jiang Shu was already lying down, but Ji Lianxing was getting anxious. Jiang Shu still hadn’t answered her question.
“President Jiang! What is it! Why so secretive!”
“Nothing.” In the dark, Jiang Shu smiled.
“Then you’re just saying I was fat when I was a kid! Right!”
“Haha, that trick won’t work.”
Ji Lianxing got mad. She turned over and pinned Jiang Shu down. With a bit of light coming from the window, she grabbed Jiang Shu’s neck and asked:
“President Jiang, are you gonna say it or not?”
Ji Lianxing hated it when people only said half of what they meant.
“I’m not saying.”
Ji Lianxing moved closer, right up to Jiang Shu’s face, and asked again: “President Jiang, last chance. If you don’t say it, I won’t be pilite anymore.”
Ji Lianxing was just panicking and bluffing to scare Jiang Shu. She really wouldn’t do anything.
The two were close enough that, through the thin pajamas, they could feel each other’s body shape.
For some reason, their breathing started to feel hot and tight. Ji Lianxing also realized this pose seemed a little...
Her mind went blank. She didn’t know if she should get off or just stay like this.
Gulp.
Ji Lianxing’s throat moved.
The rich scent from Jiang Shu’s hair got into Ji Lianxing’s nose. It slowly spread, bringing a wave of heat.
It’s autumn, but why does it feel hotter than summer?
Ji Lianxing didn’t even dare to breathe big. Her little heart was pounding like crazy. That night suddenly popped into her head... they almost... she was waiting for Jiang Shu to say something, but Jiang Shu turned into a mute.
“Ahem.” Ji Lianxing gave a light cough to ease the tension.
In the dark, she heard some rustling.
Then Jiang Shu’s cold arm wrapped around Ji Lianxing’s neck.
The contrast between the cold snow and the hot skin was too strong. Ji Lianxing felt like she overreacted a little.
Cold like snow. When it touched hot skin, the difference. Ji“Weren’t you gonna be not polite?” Jiang Shu held her tighter and gently pulled her down. She gave a soft laugh. “Where’s your not polite?”
“I...” Ji Lianxing’s head buzzed. “You...”
“What about me?” Jiang Shu laughed at how she stuttered.
“Don’t hug me like this.” Ji Lianxing was dying of embarrassment. If the lights were on, she was sure her face was hot enough to roast a sweet potato.
“Why can’t I hug you like this?” Jiang Shu hugged her even tighter.
“I’ll feel hot.” Ji Lianxing’s voice was shaking.
“Why will you feel hot?” Jiang Shu lightly brushed her fingers on Ji Lianxing’s neck. It barely touched, but it teased and tickled.
“Because it’s hot.” Ji Lianxing didn’t make any sense. Her brain was already a mess.
“Think hard. Why will you feel hot?” Jiang Shu still didn’t let her go.
Ji Lianxing shut her eyes. She was about to break down.
“President Jiang, are you One Hundred Thousand Whys*?”
*a science book for children in encyclopedia format
Author's Note:
Today's extra chapter is here. There are two extra chapters left. I will continue to add chapters tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
