Chapter 41: Goodbye (Added Chapter)
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
Happy times always pass quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was Monday.
Early in the morning, the sky was still dim. Jiang Shu dragged her luggage out. She had to catch an early flight, by then Ji Lianxing would still be asleep.
It was drizzling today. The tiny raindrops hit the window, turning into thin streams that gathered in the grooves. The autumn rain meant that autumn had truly begun.
Half an hour later, Ji Lianxing woke up groggily. She opened her eyes and looked toward Jiang Shu’s spot. In her sight, there was only the light gray curtain left for her.
Ji Lianxing sat up and found a note on the bedside table:
[Little Hedgehog, see you next week. Call me anytime if you miss me. My phone is on 24 hours for you.]
The handwriting was in pen, smooth and strong, just like her.
Ji Lianxing stepped down barefoot, pulled open the curtain, the whole city was gray, covered with a thin mist.
There was still half an hour before work. Ji Lianxing changed clothes, washed up, put on her shoes, and went out.
It was still a workday, but compared with the past two days, something felt missing, especially when she saw Jiang Shu’s things at her place. Her heart felt empty.
Leaving Jiang Shu’s home, Ji Lianxing held an umbrella and went to the subway station. The air was chilly, and the breath she took in felt icy.
People on the street hurried by. Most of those entering the subway station were young.
Ji Lianxing squeezed into the crowd. Some stared at their phones, some wore earphones, and some just stared blankly. That’s how most young people are nowadays.
After two subway stops, Ji Lianxing soon got off and walked out of the exit, then went into the nearest convenience store.
“One cup of Paike Americano and a slice of toast. Please heat the toast.”
After saying that, Ji Lianxing realized this was her real life.
She was someone who drank an eight-yuan Paike, not someone who could sit and slowly enjoy a small can of 2,800-yuan red-label Geisha coffee with Jiang Shu.
All of a sudden, a strange feeling rose in her heart. Jiang Shu’s face flashed in her mind, that shadow growing farther and farther away.
Ji Lianxing suddenly felt a bit sad. She realized the gap between her and Jiang Shu was too big.
Whether it was money or social status, Jiang Shu was someone who could reach the clouds just by raising her hand, while she was like a mouse hiding in the sewer, struggling every day just to fill her stomach.
How could a mouse ever touch the white clouds in the sky?
“Miss, your coffee is ready, and your toast too.” The cashier repeated again.
Ji Lianxing came back to her senses, took out her phone, and paid.
It was still raining. She walked across the wet crosswalk and followed the crowd into the office building.
It was Monday, and Ji Lianxing had an important report to submit, a summary of last week’s data analysis that had to be packed into a file and handed to her team leader.
She had already finished most of it, and it only needed one last check before submission.
She arrived at her desk on time, placed the coffee to the side, opened her computer, and entered her password.
When she clicked open her document, her face suddenly turned serious.
“Did someone touch my computer?” Ji Lianxing turned her chair around, her voice louder than ever since she joined the company, and she was looking right at Mia.
Lu Fan was the first to turn his head.
“What do you mean? What happened?”
Ji Lianxing pointed at the computer. “One of my analysis reports turned into garbled text, and the other one’s gone.”
The team leader frowned. “Are you sure? Try restarting it?”
“I already did.” Ji Lianxing clasped her hands together, her chest rising fast. She couldn’t hold it in. The first person she suspected was Mia, but she had no proof, and it’d be reckless to accuse her directly.
So she walked to Mia’s desk and tapped it lightly. “Mia, come out for a moment.”
Mia glanced at her with a bad tone. “What for?”
“Everyone in the team is here, no need to make a scene, right?”
Ji Lianxing walked ahead toward the pantry, Mia said nothing and followed behind.
When they reached the water dispenser and saw no one around, Ji Lianxing stopped and turned to face her.
“Did you touch my files?”
Mia didn’t back down. “Didn’t you set a password? How could I touch your things? Don’t slander me.”
Ji Lianxing pointed at the ceiling. “The company cameras run twenty-four hours a day. I don’t want to make a scene, but do I have to check the surveillance?”
That one word, “surveillance,” made Mia’s face turn stiff. Ji Lianxing stared at her and got the answer from her expression.
“Why? We have no grudge, why are you always targeting me?”
Mia let out a cold laugh. “No grudge, huh? That’s a good one.”
“?”
“I liked Dong Xiangyu for so many years. During college, he was always your bootlicking dog. How are you better than me? Maybe you can pretend better. Men just like your kind, right?”
Dong Xiangyu. Ji Lianxing searched her memory for a while before remembering him. He once sent her flowers in college, but they never really had contact.
Ji Lianxing felt like she was sitting at home and still getting hit by a pot falling from the sky*
*人在家中坐，锅从天上来 (Rén zài jiāzhōng zuò, guō cóng tiān shànglái) - getting blamed or dragged into trouble for no reason.
“How old are you? Bringing your old love mess into work? Aren't you childish?”
“Heh, I’m childish? You being Jiang Shu’s lover isn’t childish? You’re just a wild chicken turning into a phoenix, got it?” Mia’s mocking tone was disgusting.
When she heard the word “lover,” Ji Lianxing’s heart raced, but she couldn’t show any crack. She stayed calm. “I’m not her lover.”
Ji Lianxing was betting that Mia was only guessing, trying to trick her into admitting it.
“You think I’m blind yesterday? Every piece in that store costs five figures and the boss bought them for you for no reason? Stop pretending.”
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
“If you don’t have proof, I’d advise you to watch your mouth.” Ji Lianxing’s sharp gaze was like a slap across Mia’s face.
Seeing she failed to hit Ji Lianxing’s weak spot, Mia lost control. “White lotus, green tea, you can fake better than a trash can.”
Ji Lianxing stayed calm, watching Mia like she was watching a show. She couldn’t understand how someone in her twenties could still play tricks like this. Even if she hated her, saying such things without any filter, had she really never used her brain?
Mia kept saying more unpleasant words, but none of them got to Ji Lianxing. Instead, Mia got herself so angry she could hardly breathe.
“Mia, let me remind you, this is a workplace, not a chat at home. Before lunch, find a way to get my files back, or when the surveillance comes out, the one who’ll suffer won’t be me.”
Ji Lianxing gave her a cold look. “And spend more time on your work, stop watching me all day. If you’re not on my level, don’t even think of playing tricks on me.”
Mia’s face turned blue with anger. She thought Ji Lianxing was a soft persimmon, but it turned out she was a hard walnut.
On the outside, Ji Lianxing looked fine, but her back was already covered with cold sweat.
She knew from today on, Mia would definitely keep an eye on her. If Mia caught even a tiny weakness, she would blow it up, and it might even hurt Jiang Shu’s name.
“Stop it. It’s meaningless.” Leaving those words behind, Ji Lianxing turned around and walked out. She didn’t go back to her desk but went to the restroom instead.
Inside the stall, Ji Lianxing took out her phone. The chat screen stayed on Jiang Shu’s window.
She typed many times, then deleted again and again, in the end sending nothing.
She knew she had to tell Jiang Shu about this, but now didn’t seem like the right time.
Ji Lianxing glanced at the time. It was 9:30 am. Jiang Shu should’ve just gotten off the plane. Yesterday she said she would be busy all week with business meetings.
In the end, Ji Lianxing slipped her phone back into her pocket. She planned to wait until Jiang Shu came back from the trip before talking about it.
It was only Monday morning, and something this annoying had already happened. Ji Lianxing’s mood was as dull as the weather outside. The only thing she was thankful for was that she had always been careful with her work. All her files had backups.
So what she said earlier was just a warning to Mia. Counting on her to fix the files was unreliable. But she still needed Mia to understand that she wasn’t someone to mess with.
After leaving the restroom, Ji Lianxing calmed herself down. When she returned to her desk, her face was once again calm and composed.
The team leader and Lu Fan both came over to ask what happened.
“What’s going on?”
“Exactly what you think,” Ji Lianxing answered in one short line.
She wasn’t in the mood to chat. Talking too much was pointless. No one would stand up for her just because they knew the truth. It was cruel, but that was how things were.
So Ji Lianxing quickly threw herself into work again.
Close to noon, she received a WeChat message from Mia.
There were two missing files, but Mia only sent one back, saying the other couldn’t be recovered. Right after that came a long string of apology messages.
At least Mia still had some sense. She knew if this got reported, she would lose her job. She said she lost her mind because of a breakup, and that was why she did something so stupid, then begged Ji Lianxing to forgive her.
Ji Lianxing accepted the file and replied, [Don’t let it happen again.]
Maybe everyone learns to say sorry less over time. “Sorry” was too cheap. Ji Lianxing hated hearing it. It felt like talking to a giant baby. Besides, she didn’t care about Mia’s love life at all.
At noon, Ji Lianxing went to the cafeteria alone. After eating, she took a nap. Life was the same as before, yet somehow, it felt different.
After work that night, she planned to go back to Song Homes 3rd Courtyard. Without Jiang Shu, staying at Jiang Shu’s house felt strange. That small room, without her hug, was actually hard to bear.
Walking through the old alley, the streetlights stretched her shadow long against the old dirt walls.
On the narrow road, only her breathing and the sound of her shoes touching the ground could be heard.
The autumn wind turned her nose red. The chill slipped into her sleeves, bringing a sharp coldness that pierced the skin.
Ji Lianxing thought of Jiang Shu again. Jiang Shu hadn’t sent her a message all day.
When they were together, she never felt it. But once apart, the sense of distance returned.
Thinking like that, she walked into Song Homes 3rd Courtyard. The old gatekeeper was watching TV, a late-night Peking opera playing on the screen.
She would usually greet him, but this time, Ji Lianxing didn’t bother him and went straight into the yard.
She only stayed at Jiang Shu’s house for two or three weeks, but somehow, it felt like she hadn’t been back to Song Homes 3rd Courtyard for a long time.
The oak tree in the yard had leaves falling away, and she didn't know if the lights on the first and second floors were fixed.
Ji Lianxing had just stepped into the corridor when she saw a shape in the dark. Her heart tightened and she stepped back.
It was the exact same scene as a month ago. She saw the face she never wanted to see.
"What are you doing?" Ji Lianxing's eyes showed fear.
Ji Siyu came out of the dark, holding a knife.
When Ji Lianxing saw the shiny thing, her pupils widened. She didn't know what he wanted, so she turned and ran.
Ji Siyu seemed ready. He stepped forward and grabbed Ji Lianxing by the collar.
"Ah!" she screamed.
He pressed a hand hard over her mouth.
"Money, take it out now."
"Mmm mmm..." she muffled.
The knife was already at her neck. "If you dare make another sound, I'll cut you right now."
He pressed the knife down harder, not like a bluff.
His hand groped in Ji Lianxing's pocket and pulled out her phone. The hands on her neck were shaking.
"Transfer the money. Now, transfer all your money to me!"
"Okay, I’ll transfer it right now." Ji Lianxing felt that Ji Siyu’s tone sounded different from usual, like his mind wasn’t clear.
It even felt like… he had taken something.
"Put the knife down. I’ll transfer it. I just got paid, I’ll give it all to you." Ji Lianxing stayed calm, took out her phone, and showed Ji Siyu her balance. "Look, more than ten thousand."
Ji Siyu loosened the knife, the tip pointing at Ji Lianxing’s face. "Transfer it now, hurry!"
His lips were pale, veins bulged on his forehead, sweat ran from his temples, and his eyes looked crazy, like a killer’s.
Ji Lianxing didn’t hesitate. She sent him all the money. She didn’t dare to hesitate, at a time like this, she could only protect herself.
Ji Siyu got the transfer right away. It was like that money was his whole world. The moment he got it, he threw the knife down and ran forward.
"Ji Siyu!" Ji Lianxing called out.
He stopped, turned around, and looked at her in panic.
"A week ago, I called you more than a hundred times. I wanted to tell you that your dad died." Ji Lianxing closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Of course, you didn’t care."
"Fuck you! Crazy!" Ji Siyu shouted at her.
"Goodbye."
Ji Siyu turned and ran, gripping his phone tight. The transfer in it was his ticket to madness.
Watching his back fade away, Ji Lianxing suddenly thought of something from a long, long time ago.
Back then, Ji Lianxing and Ji Siyu were both little.
They still lived in Luo’er County. There was a lush blooming jewel flower in the yard, and a round cactus in a pot.
At that time, Ji Siyu was only seven or eight, still an innocent kid. His face looked nothing like now.
"Ji Lianxing, the jewel flower is yours, the cactus is mine. Let’s take good care of them together."
Ji Siyu stood in front of the cactus, grinning proudly. But he accidentally sat down on it, his butt covered in thorns, crying his eyes out.
Time passed. Their lives went down completely different roads.
The faces from childhood broke into pieces, each going its own way.
One became the village’s only top student, and the other ruined his life with drugs.
That cactus must have withered long ago.
Ji Lianxing took out her phone and, without hesitation, dialed 110.
