Chapter 38: Too! Em! Bar! Ras! Sing!
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"No need. After all, I’m just a sleeping tool for you, right?" Ji Lianxing just stared at Jiang Shu, her eyes like a knife, sharp enough to pierce through.
Jiang Shu only met her gaze for a second, then felt it was too sharp, like her heart had been stabbed hard.
"You are not." No matter how she tried to say it, it sounded bad, so she could only squeeze out this flat line.
She didn’t know how to explain. She felt no matter how she explained, it would be wrong. Besides, she didn’t expect that one casual line to He Lin would be heard by Ji Lianxing.
Ji Lianxing didn’t speak. She lowered her head to avoid Jiang Shu’s gaze, clearly very disappointed with that answer.
Was it not true? If it wasn’t, then why say such a thing? Besides, once words were spoken and reached the ear, how could they be treated as if they never happened?
Ji Lianxing’s heart was actually in a mess. On one hand, she cared. On the other hand, she felt Jiang Shu really didn’t need to coax her. After all, no benefactor would have such patience, and probably no kept canary would be so unreasonable.
The two of them stayed silent, like in a wordless standoff. The room was too quiet.
In the silence, Jiang Shu felt like ants were crawling in her heart, very uncomfortable. At last, she sighed and gave in first.
"Alright. No matter if you believe it or not, I’ll explain. But only once."
Ji Lianxing’s throat moved. She didn’t speak, waiting for her next words.
"That girl just now, her name’s He Lin. She was my lover in the first half of this year. We were only together for one month, very short. Actually, nothing happened between us. The most intimate thing was only sleeping while hugging each other."
When she said "sleeping while hugging," Jiang Shu stressed it again. "It was the kind of hugging each other while still wearing clothes."
Ji Lianxing gave a hum through her nose. "Mm."
Jiang Shu went on. "Maybe because she’s younger, still in college, her mind not mature enough, so she relied on me a lot. Actually, she came to look for me more than once."
"Mm."
"So the things I said tonight, it was to make her give up completely. Since she wanted to hear it, I said it to her. It only included her, not you. Don’t take it to heart."
"So what about the ‘Little Rabbit:?" Ji Lianxing couldn’t hold back. In the end, she still asked the question she cared about most.
"She’s a rabbit in the zodiac, so she asked me to call her Little Rabbit. She requested it herself."
"How many lovers do you really have?" Since she had to ask, she might as well ask everything at once.
"You’re the tenth."
Ji Lianxing took a deep breath. It was more than she imagined.
Ten girls. What kind of concept was that? How unfaithful could she be? And just now, the words she used were "lover in the first half of the year." So did that mean she herself was the "lover in the second half of the year"?
Which meant by next year, maybe she would become the so-called "last year’s second half" lover in Jiang Shu’s mouth.
On average, two to three a year?
Ji Lianxing felt she could never date even ten people in her whole life.
She quickly realized the person in front of her, the one she had secretly liked for almost five years, had a completely different view of love.
Ji Lianxing felt love wasn’t child’s play, and neither was the body. She couldn’t understand why Jiang Shu kept so many lovers.
"I’ve finished. Do you have anything else to ask?"
"No." Ji Lianxing pulled her hand out of Jiang Shu’s. "I’ll go downstairs to get the medicine box."
"Xiao Ji." This time Jiang Shu didn’t call her Little Hedgehog. "So you’re still mad?"
"No." Ji Lianxing felt if they were only in a lover’s relationship, she had no standing to be mad anymore.
"Then do you hate me?"
"I don’t." Ji Lianxing lowered her head to put on her slippers. Her clean feet slid into the plush slippers, and she added, "But I don’t like you either."
Actually, it wasn’t that she didn’t like her, but she felt there was no meaning in saying she liked her anymore. Because sooner or later, she and Jiang Shu would part ways. Better to let that liking end completely when this relationship ended.
At this moment, Ji Lianxing was very clear-headed, so clear-headed that even she was surprised.
She went downstairs alone to get the medicine box. During the whole time, she kept thinking about one question: was choosing to be Jiang Shu’s lover really the right choice?
After thinking for a moment, she felt it should be right. She was closer to Jiang Shu and also saw a truer side of her. Ji Lianxing started to understand, there could never be a perfect person in the world. Even her perfect goddess wasn’t perfect.
Casting away all those fantasies, Jiang Shu’s look right now was her real self.
She was fake, but also honest. Beautiful, but also fickle. She was a real and ordinary person, not the image in her head that had been beautified.
So, should she continue liking this Jiang Shu? Ji Lianxing had no answer in her heart.
She opened the medicine box, took the medicine, and went upstairs.
When she got back to the room, she saw Jiang Shu still lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, not knowing what she was thinking.
Ji Lianxing took out the swelling cream, put some on a cotton swab, and spread it on Jiang Shu’s forehead. There was a small bump there. The white ointment covered the redness and swelling.
"Does it hurt?"
"A little."
"I didn’t mean it just now."
Jiang Shu pulled Ji Lianxing by the waist and held her close.
"Then what kind do you like?"
"Mm?" Ji Lianxing was puzzled. Why ask something like that out of nowhere?
"You just said you don’t like me. Then what kind do you like?"
Oh, so it was about that question just now. Her reaction was a bit slow.
Ji Lianxing knelt there, Jiang Shu’s arm tight around her waist. She was still holding the cotton swab, and answered stiffly, "I don’t know."
"But you’re my lover now." Jiang Shu lifted her head, looked at Ji Lianxing, her eyes full of displeasure. "Yet you said you don’t like me. You shouldn’t."
Ji Lianxing stayed in that position, not knowing how to answer.
"You don’t know how to please me." Jiang Shu’s hand moved up, stopping at Ji Lianxing’s belt. "All my past lovers said they loved me, loved me very much. Real or fake, I was happy hearing it."
"Then I like you."
"Perfunctory."
Jiang Shu let go of her. Just when Ji Lianxing thought the hug was over, she heard the sound of candy being unwrapped.
The lychee-flavored lollipop from before was already gone. It looked like she was going to eat this orange-flavored one.
Was she a child? Liking this kind of thing.
The orange lollipop went into Jiang Shu’s mouth. The strong orange scent mixed with the leftover taste of lychee.
Right after, Ji Lianxing was pulled hard, crashing into that soft embrace.
"What are you doing?"
The next second, the mix of orange and lychee rushed into Ji Lianxing’s mouth, carrying heat. Jiang Shu’s tongue lost its usual gentleness, turning into a beast that stole away every bit of air inside Ji Lianxing’s mouth.
Ji Lianxing’s head felt dizzy. She lightly pushed Jiang Shu, but the force was no more than a tickle.
It lasted a long time. Only when Ji Lianxing was almost out of breath did Jiang Shu finally let her go.
Ji Lianxing gasped for air, sucking it into her mouth. The neckline of her pink pajamas rose and fell, a sign of her troubled breathing.
Jiang Shu looked through the pajamas once, her throat moving. Suddenly, she felt like there was fire burning on the tip of her tongue.
"Why are you only wearing this pajama?"
Ji Lianxing lowered her head. The pajama was still the same one. But Jiang Shu’s eyes were no longer the same.
"I—I’ve been wearing this same one these past few days, haven’t I?"
Jiang Shu picked up the quilt and wrapped it around Ji Lianxing. Feeling it wasn’t enough, she even covered her collar, blocking every bit of exposed skin.
"Stay wrapped like this first."
Wrapped up like a little snowman, Ji Lianxing looked confused. "Why?"
"Because I feel a bit hot." Jiang Shu raised her hand, pressing the back of it against her cheek to cool down.
"Ah?" Ji Lianxing froze for a few seconds, then her face flushed red. "Oh."
If she didn’t understand wrong, Jiang Shu meant that, right?
Mm, adults had needs. She got it.
Ji Lianxing rubbed the toes of her left foot against her right. It seemed she felt the same heat as Jiang Shu.
A sultry feeling.
Wrapped in the quilt, Ji Lianxing grew restless. "Can I put the quilt down now?"
"No."
"But I’m hot too."
Jiang Shu glanced sideways at Ji Lianxing.
Her pale pink cheeks, those clear eyes, the lips slightly swollen from being sucked, the hair tied in a bun that showed her smooth ear and skin.
Gulp. Jiang Shu’s throat moved once.
"No. Keep it wrapped."
Ji Lianxing frowned. She really was hot and wanted to breathe a little. "You’re so bossy!"
"Is the orange lollipop tasty?" Jiang Shu tried to change the subject.
Somehow, Ji Lianxing followed her lead. "It’s tasty, but not as good as the lychee one."
"Then do you think the lychee lollipop’s tasty, or the lychee lollipop from my mouth’s tasty?"
"How should I know? Wasn’t it orange flavor in your mouth just now?"
"Then do you think the orange lollipop’s tasty, or the orange lollipop from my mouth’s tasty?"
"What’s the difference?" While Ji Lianxing spoke, she didn’t notice the quilt slipping down. Her straight collarbone showed in the air, her thin shoulder blades carrying a kind of bony beauty.
Jiang Shu stared at her. Her heart thumped wildly. She could clearly feel the pounding. Why, why was it beating so fast? Was the room set to a hundred degrees?
"Ahem." Jiang Shu’s throat felt dry. She lowered her head, staring at the sheet to avoid Ji Lianxing’s eyes, and kept on with the topic. "Of course the orange lollipop and the orange lollipop from my mouth aren’t the same."
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
As she spoke, she felt something rising.
Then, drip drip, bright red stained the gray sheet.
Ji Lianxing cried out, "Ah! Why’re you having a nosebleed!"
Jiang Shu was shocked. She touched her face and her hand was full of blood.
“I don’t know...”
Ji Lianxing hurriedly pulled two tissues from the bedside to wipe her. She found that Jiang Shu’s nosebleed wasn’t from both nostrils but only from one side.
“Don’t lean back. Just like this. Put a small tissue ball in the nostril to stop it.”
“Mm.” Jiang Shu took the tissue ball and pressed it lightly. Without paying attention, her eyes glanced toward Ji Lianxing. By accident, she saw that shallow valley inside her collar.
“Little Hedgehog, don’t bend over like that. I’ll—” Before she could finish, blood spurted from her other nostril.
“Oh my god, what’s going on? Did you eat something too spicy lately?” Ji Lianxing panicked and quickly gave her more tissues to block it.
“I’m fine. Little Hedgehog, stop for now.” Jiang Shu held her hand and closed her eyes. “Go downstairs and get me a glass of water, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll go right now.”
“There’s ice in the fridge. Add three cubes for me.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Shu only opened her eyes after hearing Ji Lianxing’s footsteps leaving.
How could this happen? It shouldn’t and it couldn’t. Jiang Shu never dreamed such a thing would happen to her. She thought it only showed up in movies.
Because this was really, really too! em! bar! ras! sing!
Author's Note:
Xiao Ji: Goodness! What did you eat lately to get heaty like this?
Shushu: Hehe... hehe... hehe hehe... hehe hehe hehe (awkward laugh jpg.)
