Chapter 43: I Don't Want to Be Your Lover Anymore
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
It is said that Friday is the day every office worker looks forward to. In the past Ji Lianxing didn’t have this feeling. She felt that going to work and getting off work were the same. But she found that things were a bit different lately. Since Jiang Shu left, she has been waiting for Friday almost every single day.
Right now the office is still the same as always. It looked no different from before. The smell of coffee, the sound of keyboards, the sound of people talking, and the stock numbers that filled the computer screens. This was everyone’s work life.
Ji Lianxing rarely spaced out but she stared at her screen at this moment, and she was a bit absent minded. Her eyes were blank. She was looking at the computer but her heart was on her phone. If her phone lit up right now, she would unlock it in 0.01 seconds to check it.
Because Jiang Shu said she’d go home today, it should be at night.
These days they chatted only through the phone. Just a few short lines. No video calls and no voice calls and they didn’t meet. At first it was light longing, but as time passed, Ji Lianxing found this longing grow heavier and heavier.
She really missed Jiang Shu. She wanted to see her face or get a hug. Her heart felt like something was scratching at it.
During these five days, Ji Lianxing was also thinking about one thing. How should she tell Jiang Shu that she didn’t want to continue the lover relationship?
After she talked with Li Xiangyan last time, that thought kept knocking on her head. At first it was a small stir, but later it became a result after careful thinking.
Li Xiangyan was right. If she and Jiang Shu wanted to take the first step, then the first step had to be ending the lover relationship.
Bzz, bzz.
Her phone vibrated. Ji Lianxing picked it up in one second to check the message. It was from Jiang Shu. The content was still very simple:
[Come to my office tonight.]
Just five short words made Ji Lianxing’s blood rush fast, and a smile rose on her lips without her knowing.
Ah, she finally came back.
She looked at the time on the computer. 6:40. Twenty minutes left before she got off work. Ji Lianxing put down her phone and looked back at the screen, but she couldn’t focus on the data at all.
Twenty minutes isn't long and isn6 short, but it felt hard to wait. In the end, Ji Lianxing stood up and went to the bathroom to fix her lipstick.
At 7 p.m., people slowly stood up from their seats. Ji Lianxing came back from the bathroom and picked up her bag right on time.
When she passed by Lu Fan, a light fresh smell went into his nose. He looked up at her and smiled. “Why did you spray perfume today?”
She nodded and smiled at him. “Trying a new smell.” Then she turned and walked to the elevator.
Lu Fan stared at her thin back. New smell? He remembered she didn’t use perfume before. Xiao Ji seemed to have a small change lately. Could it be...
There was only Ji Lianxing in the elevator. In the mirror, she saw herself. Her black work clothes looked clean and sharp. Her full lips had light lipstick and looked soft. She took off her hair tie. Her shoulder length black hair fell down and added a touch of coldness. She used her hand to tidy it a little and felt okay with it.
Ding.
The elevator reached the 28th floor. Ji Lianxing walked out and saw the receptionist wasn’t there. She guessed she had already gotten off work.
She looked down the hallway. Her sight went straight to that door. She was about to see her. Ji Lianxing felt nervous. She walked toward Jiang Shu’s office. Her shoes made clear sounds on the floor. The closer she got to the door, the faster her heart beat. It was like something behind the door was pulling her forward. She finally stopped in front of it.
Knock, knock.
Ji Lianxing knocked twice.
“Come in.” Jiang Shu’s voice came into her ears. It felt better than washing her ears.
Ji Lianxing pushed the door open. Her sight fell toward the floor to ceiling window. A familiar figure stood there with her back to Ji Lianxing. She was holding a phone and talking. There was a watch on her thin wrist. Ji Lianxing felt like she could even see the time on it.
She couldn’t get enough. She wanted every detail of her in her eyes. She missed Jiang Shu so much.
Jiang Shu turned her head, showing her sharp side profile. She had a thin jaw and a cool, almost heroic look about her.
She talked and waved at Ji Lianxing to tell her to come over.
“That’s it, Mr. Li, we’ll talk tonight.” Jiang Shu hung up. Ji Lianxing walked right up to her.
Jiang Shu put her phone on the desk and smiled. “Little Hedgehog, long time no see.”
Her charming voice made Ji Lianxing’s ears itch and burn.
“Long time no see.”
Jiang Shu reached out and pulled Ji Lianxing into her arms. “Give me a hug.”
Ji Lianxing stayed quiet and didn’t fight it. She let Jiang Shu hold her. She leaned in her arms and heard Jiang Shu’s heart pounding. It made her feel safe.
Jiang Shu lifted her hand and touched her hair. The little hedgehog in her arms was so obedient that she wanted to rub her all over.
“Are you wearing perfume?” Jiang Shu pressed her nose to Ji Lianxing’s hair and smelled the light sweet scent, then kissed her forehead.
“Mm.” Ji Lianxing’s heart beat fast. She wrapped her arms around Jiang Shu and pressed her ear to her collarbone. She looked just like a girlfriend in love.
“Not bad. I like this smell.” Jiang Shu pinched her ear. “Come have dinner with me tonight, okay?”
“A business dinner?”
“Not a dinner party. It’s just a normal meal with a few bosses. You’ll go as my assistant. You don’t need to talk. You can listen and learn a lot. You can hear how they conduct business.”
“Okay~”
Jiang Shu pulled the swivel chair over and sat down. She tugged Ji Lianxing’s hand and let her sit on her lap.
She wrapped both arms around Ji Lianxing’s waist. It was thin and soft and warm. Her hold tightened a little, and their bodies pressed together.
“I remember you said you missed me that day?” Jiang Shu touched her nose to Ji Lianxing’s cheek and rubbed lightly.
“Which day?” Ji Lianxing lifted her head. Her neck felt itchy. Warm breath crawled over her skin. Her hands went around Jiang Shu’s neck on their own. “I don’t remember.”
“The first day, and yesterday, and the day before yesterday. Three times in total.” Jiang Shu moved her nose up, brushing over Ji Lianxing’s smooth skin. The light fig scent went into her nose. “You said you missed me three times. You don’t remember any of them?”
“Mm, I don’t remember.” Ji Lianxing’s cheeks filled with a soft pink. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not doing anything~” Jiang Shu’s voice had a laugh. “What could I do?”
She thought Ji Lianxing was so cute. She denied it with her mouth but her red cheeks gave her away. Jiang Shu could see she was very shy now.
“I don’t know what to say,” Ji Lianxing lowered her head. Her eyes bumped into Jiang Shu’s. Their gazes locked, carrying a hidden meaning.
“If you missed me, then say it. Be good.”
“I didn’t.”
“Oh~”
Jiang Shu lifted Ji Lianxing’s chin and pulled her close. Their breaths mixed as the space closed. Ji Lianxing smelled her scent and her mind swayed. When Jiang Shu leaned in more, she closed her eyes on her own.
Soft and close. A girl’s lips were softer than jelly. Jiang Shu felt like she bit a piece of cotton candy with sweetness inside. She couldn’t help taking another bite. It was also like jelly. Her lips were somewhere between cotton candy and jelly. No matter what, they were sweet.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
The light lip color mixed with the deep bright red. It turned into a new color. Maybe it was the color of fire. It burned a little and reached the heart. Something felt like it boiled.
Ji Lianxing shyly stuck out her tongue. Her tongue tip brushed Jiang Shu’s tongue by accident.
“Mm—” Ji Lianxing’s heart jumped.
“Shh—” Jiang Shu pinched her ear, telling her not to make a sound.
The sky grew dark. Lights flashed in the buildings outside. Stars shone in Ji Lianxing’s glossy eyes. Jiang Shu felt her own heartbeat speed up. It wasn’t like before. A simple kiss seemed to enter her blood. She liked this kind of touch with Ji Lianxing. It came from her heart. She was willing to fall into this sweetness.
The kiss lasted several minutes. They didn’t want to stop. Jiang Shu breathed a little fast. Her pupils held Ji Lianxing’s shape. The little hedgehog’s shyness had turned into a soft pink on her cheeks.
Neither spoke. Ji Lianxing looked away and rested her chin on Jiang Shu’s shoulder. Through her sight, she saw the coffee machine on the counter. Beside it was a small box of gem flowers. The light purple petals were full and bright. Even the plant looked lively.
“President Jiang.”
“Mm?”
Can I stop being your lover?
Ji Lianxing wanted to say those words, but the words stuck in her throat. How should she say it? She needs a lot of courage.
She found out she likes Jiang Shu even if Jiang Shu once had many lovers, even when she heard “tool” hurt her that night, she still chose to let the past go after Jiang Shu gave her a clear explanation. She chose to look forward.
Ji Lianxing also knew Jiang Shu wasn’t a perfect person. She was hypocritical sometimes, selfish sometimes, and a bit flirty. But sometimes she was honest, warm, and kind.
How should she define love? Was it choosing the perfect person in her head, or choosing the real person in front of her?
These days, Ji Lianxing kept going back and forth between those two ideas. In the end, she followed her heart. She chose the latter.
She was young and full of passion, even if that passion had been crushed many times by her own low self-esteem. But now she decided to step forward. The words pressed in her throat broke out:
“President Jiang, I don’t want to be your lover anymore.”
Jiang Shu’s breath stopped for two seconds. “Why? There’s still one month left.”
“But I don’t want to be your lover anymore.”
“You’re not happy with me?”
“No, I’m happy with you. But I always feel like this kind of happiness is fake.” Ji Lianxing held Jiang Shu and leaned close on purpose, like she wanted to show she didn’t dislike her. Then she looked into Jiang Shu’s eyes, her face very calm. “So I don’t want to be your lover anymore. Can you think about it?”
“Fake?” Jiang Shu looked puzzled. “How can happiness be fake? Happiness is happiness. I’ve never seen fake happiness in this world, only happiness and unhappiness.”
“Because—” Ji Lianxing took a deep breath and didn’t look away. Jiang Shu’s deep eyes judged her and scared her, but she still forced the words out. “Because it’s short. This feeling makes me think of Ji Siyu when he took drugs. His happiness had a time limit. Are we going to be like him? Take it for one day and be happy for one day?”
Silence.
The same silence she expected.
The light in Jiang Shu’s eyes faded at once. But she seemed to be thinking hard, maybe the information was too much for her to handle at once.
She let go of Ji Lianxing’s waist.
“I can’t give you an answer right now.”
Author's Note:
Sorry for the wait, everyone~ This is the first update. The second and third updates will be delivered tonight. Thank you all for your concern. I'm fully recharged and ready to write again~
