Chapter 42: Like
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
This was the first time she called the police in her life. Ji Lianxing trembled when she talked, but she tried hard to say the facts clear. The police on the other side understood and said they would come soon.
An old lady upstairs opened her window and looked at her with worry on her face. She waited until Ji Lianxing hung up before she talked.
“Little girl, are you okay?”
Ji Lianxing looked up and saw the aunt look very worried, like she cared a lot. Ji Lianxing shook her head to calm her. “I’m fine.”
“I heard you scream just now and I wanted to call the police. It was too scary!”
Ji Lianxing shook her head and smiled. “Thank you, I already called.”
The aunt said she also has a daughter, and she felt very worried when she saw this. She thought Ji Siyu was Ji Lianxing’s boyfriend.
“Girl, you must be discerning when you judge people.”
She knew the aunt meant well, but she was too tired and had no desire to chat, so she could only nod.
She sat under the oak tree, still traumatized by the scene of Ji Siyu holding a knife to her neck.
Ten minutes later, the police car arrived at the Song Homes 3rd Courtyard, asked about the basic situation, and wanted to take Ji Lianxing back to make a statement.
Meanwhile in H City, Jiang Shu just finished the dinner party.
For Jiang Shu, business trips were also tiring. There were many business big shots at the dinner party, and she had to keep talking and keep creating opportunities.
It was already 10 p.m. when Jiang Shu returned to the hotel. As soon as she entered, she took off her high heels and earrings. The evening gown also made her feel very constrained. Only after loosening all these restrictions did she sit on the sofa and finally have time to take out her phone to check.
She immediately opened Ji Lianxing's chat box. For the whole day, she didn’t send any messages.
Without thinking, Jiang Shu dialed the number and it rang several times before the call was answered.
There was silence on the other end of the phone, but a lot of noise.
“You haven’t gone home yet?”
“Mm.” Ji Lianxing sounded tired.
Jiang Shu heard the sign in one second. “What’s wrong?”
Ji Lianxing opened her lips slightly, wanting to speak, but not knowing where to begin.
"Don't rush, take your time."
“I was just robbed by Ji Siyu. I called the police, and they confirmed that he was using drugs.”
Jiang Shu was terrified when she heard this, because she knew how terrifying it was when those kinds of people had an addiction attack.
“Did he do anything to you?”
"No."
"Are you sure?"
Upon hearing Jiang Shu's voice, Ji Lianxing choked up, her taut nerves nearly snapping.
"No, he mainly wanted money. Luckily, I got paid today."
In fact Ji Lianxing did think what could’ve happened if she didn’t get paid today. If Ji Siyu didn’t get money, would he really stab her?
Jiang Shu remained silent, cold sweat breaking out on her back. It was too dangerous. Of all times, it happened while she was away on a business trip. If something really happened to Ji Lianxing, she wouldn't be satisfied even if she chopped that man up.
“Did you call the police?”
"Yes, on my way to give a statement."
"Go straight to my house later, don't go to that courtyard again, do you hear me?"
Ji Lianxing gripped her phone tightly and nodded on the other end, "Yes."
“Wait for me to come home.” Jiang Shu still felt worried, and she reminded her again. “Send me messages in the morning, noon, and night. At least three times a day, you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t run around, you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“You must remember to think of me, you hear me?”
“Y… yes.”
After talking with Jiang Shu, Ji Lianxing felt much better.
When Jiang Shu wasn’t here, the whole day was full of bad things. She had nowhere to talk about it, and her heart felt blocked since morning.
But now she doesn't feel alone. Jiang Shu gave her a feeling of “even if we’re apart by a phone, I’m still by your side.”
“Then come back early. I’ll wait for you.”
“Okay. After you finish giving your statement, go to my place. Don’t go back to the Song Homes 3rd Courtyard.” Jiang Shu reminded her again.
“Mm.”
Jiang Shu was about to hang up. “Anything else you want to say?”
“No.”
“Then hang up.”
“Wait.” Ji Lianxing swallowed, and her throat felt hot. “I actually miss you today.”
Jiang Shu smiled on her side and was about to speak—
Beep, beep, beep… the call was already cut.
Oh, she got shy.
Jiang Shu could already picture Ji Lianxing’s face on the other side, her small face pink, her eyes full of panic, just like the first time they met, like a cute little hedgehog.
Jiang Shu sent her a message: Me too.
She put down her phone and began to sort her suitcase, getting her clothes ready for a shower.
In the small mesh pocket inside the suitcase was a small box. It was the Pop Mart figure that Ji Lianxing bought for her when she went shopping over the weekend.
Jiang Shu took out the doll. The little ghost wore a white cloth and made a cute face at her. She thought of someone because of the thing, and Jiang Shu found she seemed to miss Ji Lianxing again.
It had only been one day and she already felt like this. What would happen later? So were two months too short?
Then the phone on the bed rang. The caller ID showed Li Xiangyan.
Jiang Shu turned and answered the call…
****
It was nearly midnight when Ji Lianxing came out of the police station. The evening breeze swept in from the other side of the road, messing up her hair, and the cold wind blew into her ears, making a constant whooshing sound.
The streets were deserted, with only a row of lonely streetlights.
Across the street, a sports car was parked. Ji Lianxing's gaze fell on the car, and upon closer inspection, it was exactly the same as Jiang Shu's. Her heart began to race. Is it Jiang Shu? But then she thought it seemed unlikely. She was in H City, too far away, and it was impossible for her to come back.
Just then, the car door opened, and a person stepped out. Li Xiangyan waved in her direction.
“Xiao Ji.”
Oh, it's Li Xiangyan.
"Brother Li, what are you doing here?" Ji Lianxing crossed the street and walked towards him.
“Jiang Shu asked me to pick you up; she was worried about you.” Li Xiangyan leaned against the car, lit a cigarette with a lighter, took a drag, and the air was filled with the smell of nicotine.
“Oh~” Ji Lianxing carefully considered her words, “Thank you for your trouble.”
She noticed that Li Xiangyan was smoking and didn't seem to intend to drive.
"Let's walk around for a bit?" Li Xiangyan pointed to the road, as if he wanted to chat with Ji Lianxing.
"Okay."
The wide avenue stretched as far as the eye could see, the yellow lights at the three-way intersection kept flashing, the wind was blowing hard, and the smell of Li Xiangyan's cigarette smoke wafted into Ji Lianxing's nose, making it a little pungent.
Li Xiangyan glanced at Ji Lianxing; her slender profile was still stunning, exuding a clear and natural beauty amidst her cool demeanor.
“I just spoke with Jiang Shu on the phone, and she asked me to pick you up after work for the next few days.”
"That's too much trouble, it's actually not necessary." Ji Lianxing was particularly afraid of troubling others, even the slightest thing would cause her psychological burden.
Li Xiangyan shook his head. "Actually, I've already promised her. Don't feel burdened by this. It's only a week." Li Xiangyan looked Ji Lianxing up and down before saying, "She's worried about you. I heard about it. She asked me to check if you're really alright. It's good that you're alright."
"Mm."
"By the way, do you like Jiang Shu?" Li Xiangyan stubbed out his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, stomped on it with his leather shoe, and kicked it aside. "Or are you just after her money?"
“Why are you suddenly asking this?
“Just a feeling.” Li Xiangyan laughed and said jokingly, “You know what? I’ve never seen Jiang Shu care about anyone like this. I just called her, and she was fine at first, but then I felt like she was about to cry. Of course, maybe I’m exaggerating, but I suspect you might have drugged her. So, you two, you haven’t fallen for each other, have you?”
Ji Lianxing lowered her head, staring at her feet as she walked, and sometimes glancing at Li Xiangyan's feet, their steps overlapping the ground.
“I do hope she likes me,” Ji Lianxing sighed, “but I don’t really hope so. I don’t really like to speculate on things with low probability.”
“I won’t interfere in other people’s relationships, but…” Li Xiangyan glanced at Ji Lianxing again, his eyes filled with scrutiny and probing, “But I want to say a few words. If there’s that kind of love chemistry between you two, maybe the first thing you should do is stop being her lover.”
Li Xiangyan recalled her conversation with Jiang Shu that evening. Jiang Shu said that the chubby girl she had been looking for was Ji Lianxing, and also shared some strange thoughts. This was a Jiang Shu that Li Xiangyan found unfamiliar, but also a Jiang Shu that surprised and delighted him.
For so many years, Jiang Shu has been like a robot, devoid of emotion. She is unmoved and incapable of loving others, let alone experiencing the beauty of love. Perhaps in Jiang Shu's world, the area of her brain that controls love has never secreted dopamine.
Now, suddenly there's Ji Lianxing, the little hedgehog she cherishes in her heart. She's so clueless about love that she doesn't know how to express her feelings, and her reaction time is so long that she doesn't even realize she's fallen in love.
As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Li Xiangyan, as a bystander, saw all of this very clearly.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
“So do you like her or not?”
“There’s a big gap between me and her.”
“I’m asking if you like her or not.”
“In a lover relationship, why talk about like or not.”
“I’m asking you, do you like her or not?”
“I like her.”
Ji Lianxing let out a breath. Her silent sigh rolled into the wind and took away her worry. The feelings piled in her heart finally came out, and she felt much lighter.
“Then don’t be her lover anymore.”
“I owe her money.”
“Pay it back later.”
Li Xiangyan stopped and let out a long sigh. He reached out and gently patted Ji Lianxing's shoulder. "You have to believe that if she likes you too, the gap between you two is nothing. As long as it's not a matter of life and death, true lovers will eventually be together."
Li Xiangyan stopped walking and let out a long sigh. He reached out and tapped Ji Lianxing’s shoulder lightly. “You must believe this. If she likes you too, the gap between you two is nothing. As long as it’s not life and death, true lovers will end up together.”
Ji Lianxing looked up at him, never expecting that it would be Li Xiangyan who said these words.
She remembered Jiang Shu saying that Li Xiangyan was a playboy. She was surprised that a playboy could have this kind of romantic thinking. It gave her the feeling that he once loved someone deeply.
“Ah, don’t look at me like that.” Li Xiangyan smiled, but the smile looked forced. “The person I liked is not in this world anymore. So I feel the things you said don’t count. In my world, if two people like each other, they should be together. They should not miss each other.”
“Will she agree?” Ji Lianxing’s eyes flashed, and with his encouragement, she even felt shaken. “If I say we should end this relationship, will she agree?”
“You won’t know if you don’t try.” Li Xiangyan’s craving returned. He took out a cigarette, lit it again, and his eyes stayed on the small spark at the tip. He thought of himself. “I liked Jiang Shu’s brother for ten years. I kept hesitating and never said it. You know how it ended. Don’t you feel regret?”
It turned out to be Jiang Shu’s brother.
Ji Lianxing saw Li Xiangyan take a deep drag on his cigarette. A big part of the cigarette burned down, like he was letting something out through that puff.
“Think about it yourself. Don’t do things like me and miss it and regret later.” Li Xiangyan frowned and coughed once. His voice turned a bit hoarse. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
Author's Note:
Thank you for waiting!
