Chapter 48: Cherry And Seawater

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

After washing her hands, Ji Lianxing walked out of the restroom and saw Jiang Shu standing at the door waiting for her.

“Huh? Why are you here?”

“Come, let’s go home.” Jiang Shu held Ji Lianxing’s hand and led her out.

“Not eating anymore?”

Jiang Shu frowned, her tone carrying some dissatisfaction. “It doesn’t taste good. It’s bad.”

Jiang Shu was upset, and Ji Lianxing could clearly sense it.

Li Xiangyan and Lan Yue watched as they quickly walked out of the barbecue shop, Jiang Shu didn't look back at them even once from beginning to end.

“Happy now? They left.” Li Xiangyan glanced at Lan Yue. His attitude was cold.

“What did I say wrong? They were not even a couple.” Lan Yue didn’t understand. Why was Li Xiangyan not on her side this time? Before, they both didn't like these girls.

Li Xiangyan took a sip of beer, shook his head, and said, "Are you stupid? Can't you see that Jiang Shu has fallen?”

"Shut up."

"Shut up for what? Do you know how rude you were just now?" Li Xiangyan was also confused. What was wrong with Lan Yue? Although she used to argue, she never did it so obviously. Today the gunpowder smell was too strong.

"Jiang Shu could never like her, you're overthinking it." Lan Yue suppressed her panic, her gaze passing over Li Xiangyan's shoulder to look towards the door. Jiang Shu and the woman had already gotten into the car, but hadn't driven away yet.

"Lan Yue, as a friend, don't you think you're interfering a bit too much?" Li Xiangyan tapped his fingers on the table. "Did your brain get rusty after going abroad? Did you become possessed by a foreign ghost? Think about it carefully, why are you getting so agitated about someone else's relationship? Seriously, it's like you like Jiang Shu."

After speaking, Lan Yue fell silent and lowered her head to take a sip of tea.

"Go ahead and say it."

Lan Yue remained silent.

This reaction was frightening; it seemed like an admission of something. Li Xiangyan's hand trembled slightly, realizing something, and he suddenly felt a little panicked.

That's unlikely, isn't it? Haven't they always just been friends? The three of them grew up together. Although Lan Yue is close to Jiang Shu, it's unlikely that she would develop feelings for her beyond friendship, right?

But--

Li Xiangyan suddenly thought of other things about Lan Yue. For example, after the college entrance exam, she could have gone to C University. Her major interest was also there. But in the end, she chose the same school as Jiang Shu and stayed at N University to study finance.

Also, Lan Yue clearly planned to stay abroad one more month, but after hearing about Ji Lianxing, she rushed back quickly.

And just now, her attitude towards Ji Lianxing was truly out of line.

“No way?” Li Xiangyan looked at Lan Yue. She lowered her head, but half of her profile could be seen. The gloom in her eyes was was genuine.

Li Xiangyan never imagined that the real reason why Lan Yue, despite being good-looking, had been single for many years, was because she liked Jiang Shu.

"Lan Yue, this is really bad."

Lan Yue stared at the ground. "Do you think she's truly in love this time?"

"Eighty percent."

"Damn it." Lan Yue couldn't hold back any longer, the anger she had been suppressing bursting out of her throat. "Would it kill you to say she doesn't like her?”

"Fine, whatever you say."

Li Xiangyan was somewhat worried. If Lan Yue really likes Jiang Shu, could their friendship of three continue? He had seen too many friends break because of feelings beyond friendship.

Based on his understanding of Jiang Shu, if things aren't handled properly, things might really fall apart.

Lan Yue didn't pay much attention to him. Her focus was on the car across the road. Since Jiang Shu and Ji Lianxing went out, they had been sitting in the car and hadn't driven away.

“Why haven’t they left? What are they doing in the car?”

Meanwhile, inside the car.

"I'm sorry." These were the first words Jiang Shu said as she got into the car. "I didn't expect her to say those things."

Jiang Shu's voice was genuinely apologetic, and Ji Lianxing shook her head in response.

“You shouldn’t apologize.” Ji Lianxing looked at Jiang Shu and saw that her eyes were full of guilt. She felt that it was unnecessary. The person who spoke was Lan Yue, not Jiang Shu.

Jiang Shu insisted, "I should apologize; you must have been angry just now."

"I'm not angry." Ji Lianxing placed one hand on the back of Jiang Shu's hand and patted it reassuringly. "I'm really not angry."

"Really?" Jiang Shu looked up at Ji Lianxing, trying to tell from her expression whether she was telling the truth or not, and found that Ji Lianxing's gaze was unusually firm.

“I don’t think I need to be angry. Because I don’t care about her, I don’t need her approval, she can say whatever she wants, it won’t hurt me in the slightest, and I don’t want her words to affect my mood.”

Jiang Shu felt even worse after hearing Ji Lianxing's words.

She wondered, what kind of girl would say something like that?

This girl must have suffered a lot of malicious slander in the past. She was forced to become strong by the hurtful words, and only by ignoring them could she avoid getting hurt.

Or rather, she can only protect herself, because no one else can protect her.

Actually, Ji Lianxing was more mature than people her age. Jiang Shu had felt this long ago. Few girls at her age could ignore what others said. Her strong personality was good, but Jiang Shu felt sorry for her.

"Alright, you're absolutely right."

Jiang Shu sighed and reached out to hug Ji Lianxing. She was so small, thin, and frail that it was heartbreaking to hold her.

“Little Hedgehog, to be honest, I don’t like it when people talk to you like that. Even if it’s Lan Yue, I still feel uncomfortable. I already told her, there won’t be a next time.”

Jiang Shu felt that she was tolerant of her friends, but not infinitely tolerant. Almost everyone only had one chance with her.

Anyone with emotional intelligence, politeness, and self-awareness should understand what she just said, and she believed Lan Yue understood as well.

Ji Lianxing rested her chin on Jiang Shu's shoulder. She hadn't felt anything a moment ago, but after hearing what Jiang Shu said, she felt like she was being protected, and she actually felt a little aggrieved. Her eyes turned a little red, but she didn't cry.

She just nodded without saying anything.

Jiang Shu cupped her face, kissed her forehead, and released her. “Be good, let’s go home.”

The wind is always strong at night, and the streets are deserted, with only a few cars driving on the main road.

Jiang Shu was driving attentively, with the car window slightly ajar. The wind howled in, chilling her face, but her mind remained perfectly clear.

Light rain was falling from the sky. Ji Lianxing stared blankly out the window, watching the fleeting shadows of trees and the streetlights that passed by one after another.

The wind carried rain and drifted onto her face. The hair on her forehead was blown up, blocking a bit of her sight. She closed her eyes and felt the scent in the cold air.

That's how they get along. They occasionally space out on their own, without bothering each other, and they say whatever comes to mind without feeling awkward.

“About that proposal last time,” Jiang Shu said, “the one about not continuing this relationship, I thought about it.”

"Mm?" Ji Lianxing turned her head to look at Jiang Shu, as if she had been waiting for this answer for a long time. "Have you thought it through?"

“Before that, I want to ask you one question. You don’t want to be my lover because you don’t want to anymore, not because of something else, right?” It sounds like a pointless question, but it's the result of Jiang Shu's careful consideration.

“Mm.” 

Jiang Shu nodded, her hair flying in the wind. Ji Lianxing looked at her slender profile and, even though she had seen it countless times, still found Jiang Shu's beauty stunning.

"I'll think about it some more."

The car soon drove into the community. The answer was stuck in Jiang Shu’s throat, but she still did not say it.

“Let’s talk at home.” She drove into the underground parking and didn’t say more.

It was quite late when they got home. They didn't continue their previous conversation. They quickly washed up and got ready, it was almost midnight by then.

Ji Lianxing thought Jiang Shu hadn't made up her mind yet, so she didn't ask her. She was about to go upstairs to sleep when Jiang Shu called her back.

"Let's talk?" Jiang Shu picked up a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses from the shelf, as if she planned to drink.

"Okay."

Jiang Shu walked towards the living room, went to the coffee table, and sat down on the wool carpet.

The clean glass was now a third full of red liquid. Jiang Shu poured two glasses, pushing one toward Ji Lianxing. "Can you drink red wine?"

"Yes." Although she didn't understand why Jiang Shu wanted to drink before talking, she decided to drink with her since she wanted to.

"Then have a drink." Jiang Shu picked up the stem of her glass and gently clinked it against Ji Lianxing's. This was their first time drinking alone. Ji Lianxing's alcohol tolerance was average, but not bad.

Ji Lianxing took a sip, the cool liquid sliding down her throat. It tasted mostly of fermented grapes, richer than what she had drunk before.

She only took a sip, but Jiang Shu drank it all in one go.

“If this relationship ends, will you go back to Song Homes 3rd Courtyard?”

Ji Lianxing nodded. “Yes.”

“Then we can’t sleep together anymore.”

"Actually, I've always been curious, ever since the first time, why do you insist on having someone sleep with you?"

This was a question Ji Lianxing had wanted to ask for a long time. She wanted to know more about Jiang Shu, but she had always been too shy to ask.

Jiang Shu didn't speak. She wondered if it was necessary to say anything. She hadn't talked to many people about this. But this person was Ji Lianxing, her Little Hedgehog, so perhaps it was okay to talk to her.

“It makes me feel safe.” Jiang Shu poured some more red wine into her glass. “I don’t like being alone, and I don’t like the dark. I like having someone with me, someone to hold me. It’s strange, I don’t know why, this started after my brother passed away.”

Jiang Shu rarely confides in others and almost never speaks his mind. This is the first time he has done so. He trusts Ji Lianxing enough to feel much better after talking to her.

“I can stay with you.” Ji Lianxing said it without thinking, without any hesitation. “In any way.”

She understood that Jiang Shu’s brother’s death must have been a huge blow to her. She had also felt that sense of guilt from Jiang Shu before. Maybe everyone has knots in their heart. Jiang Shu’s extreme lack of security likely came from the shadow left after losing someone important.

“In any way?” Jiang Shu moved closer to Ji Lianxing. The distance between them shortened, and their eyes met. Jiang Shu fell into the whirlpool of her pupils and felt her heartbeat grow faster.

Ji Lianxing can give her a sense of security, both psychologically and physically; she felt this way from the first time they met.

"Yes, don't be afraid, I'll stay with you." Ji Lianxing's hand clasped into Jiang Shu's palm, their fingers intertwined.

They were very close, and a few wisps of wine aroma wafted between their noses, creating an enticing fragrance.

They both seemed to want to get closer.

So Jiang Shu took the initiative to move closer, and Ji Lianxing didn't dodge.

When their noses touched, it was like ripples rose on the surface of the skin and spread into the heart.

It was heart flutter, no mistake. Not careless, but a real heart beating for her. It was liking her.

“You’re right, we can’t be lovers anymore.” Jiang Shu cupped Ji Lianxing’s face and moved closer, the two of them only inches apart, the rich fragrance drawing them closer. “I think I’ve fallen for you, Little Hedgehog.”

"Are you sure it's love?" Had Jiang Shu, the one she had loved for five years, really fallen for her? As if in a dream, they were so close, capturing the essence of each other's souls, saying words that could only be uttered in dreams.

Jiang Shu closed her eyes, pressed her lips to Ji Lianxing's lips, and bit her lower lip, as if swallowing the fruit used to make wine. She was answering with action.

It was sweet and soft. Jiang Shu was reminded of the glutinous rice cakes she ate when she was a child, sweet and soft.

As Jiang Shu went deeper, she took away Ji Lianxing’s oxygen, leaving only heavy breathing. She even found the sound of her breathing beautiful.

It felt like something was pulling Jiang Shu down, sinking into a pond filled with water. The concept of time and space blurred, leaving only her and her Little Hedgehog, getting closer and closer.

Ji Lianxing also responded to her, shedding her usual restraint and shyness, and showing Jiang Shu her most honest desires.

She pressed Jiang Shu to a corner of the sofa, then grabbed her hand and pinned it over her head, reigniting the reaction between them.

Pressed together, feeling the curves of their bodies, with just that touch, it felt like even oxygen was gone.

The fast rhythm of their heartbeat was like a speeding train, rumbling louder and louder. Jiang Shu’s primal desire was awakened.

She lifted the hem of Ji Lianxing’s clothes...

“Are you clear-headed?” Ji Lianxing asked her.

Jiang Shu nodded with her eyes closed, her cheeks flushed, unable to hold back her breathing. “Clear-headed.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure.”

Very soon, one shirt fell to the ground, followed by another. The two pieces of clothing overlapped.

One pair of pants, two…

The red wine on the table was knocked over. The red liquid spread across the table, dripped down along the edge, and soaked into the wool carpet, leaving red stains.

It was itchy, and unfamiliar, but also novel.

A humid heat spread over every part of Jiang Shu’s body, burning, from the corner of her lips to the tip of her tongue, then to her throat, then to…

“Mm.” Jiang Shu turned her head to the side, one hand covering her eyes, blocking her sight. “Little hedgehog, turn off the light.”

Ji Lianxing looked down at her. Her straight collarbone extended outward, leading into a wide stretch of pale pink, smooth skin.

“Can you let me look at you?”

****

It was a cherry blossom floating on the water, its petals covered in dew and emitting a faint fragrance.

A drop of red wine mixes with the pollen, and just one sip is enough to make her dizzy.

It is the epitome of beauty, the heart flutters after humid heat evaporates.

Like the sea, wave after wave washed over Jiang Shu, covering her hair, covering her breathing, covering everything about her.

Second by second, a tsunami erupted, completely engulfing Jiang Shu…

After the tide receded, they saw each other’s faces. The lamp hanging from the ceiling looked like the moon, and heavy breathing still lingered in the air.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

“That just now was…” Jiang Shu stared at Ji Lianxing’s lips, a watery shine still on them.

Ji Lianxing’s throat moved slightly. She pressed her lips together, still carrying the taste of red wine. “Yes, my lips.”

Jiang Shu’s cheeks turned red. She turned her head away, unable to look directly at her for even one more second...

Author's Note:

That, that… I won’t explain the content~ Those who know will know. Those who don’t can just think Xiao Ji briefly attacked.