Translated by: Queen Dei Mos
Novel Update Schedule: Sporadic
[dropdown title = Characters:]
Ji Bai – MC
Ji Feifei – MC’s older sister
Ji Mingzhi – MC’s father
Tao Jiazhi – MC’s mother
Old lady Ji – paternal grandmother – Ji Mingzhi’s mother
Xie Sui – ML
Cong Yuzhou – ML friend
Jiang Zhongning – ML friend
Ai Xiaoxiao – MC’s close friend
Xu Huan – MC’s close friend
Yin Xiaxia – MC’s close friend
Madam Cheng – ML’s birth mother
Chen Zheyang – Childhood friend of MC and Ji Feifei
Chen Zhenheng – Principal of Dexin High School, Father of Chen Zheyang
Director Qin – Director of Academic Affairs
Lu Weiwei – Ex-girlfriend of Jiang Zhongning
Assistant Qin – Assistant of Old Lady Ji
Ji Jing – Cousin from Eldest Uncle (Brother of Ji Mingzhi)
Li Chen – Young master of the Li Group
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you[mfn](Original Text): 您 – nín. (English): you – formal, courteous you.[/mfn] = formal speech
*Some words that are in bold were English in the original text
Ji Bai bawled her eyes out, wiping all her tears on Xie Sui’s clothes, leaving a big, dark patch on his shoulder.
She stepped back, sniffed, and, with a touch of embarrassment, used a tissue to dab at his damp shoulder.
Xie Sui held her hand and lowered his head to plant a kiss on the back.
Ji Bai saw sincere devotion in his gaze.
“You believe me. That’s enough.”
Xie Sui didn’t care about other people’s opinions. As long as Xiao Bai believed in him, that’s all that mattered to him.
Ji Bai pulled her hand back, rubbed her red nose, and said, “Let me see the English exam paper.”
“Ah.”
“Give me both the answer sheet and the exam paper. I want to see where you got the answers wrong.”
“……”
“Wait for me.” Xie Sui hurriedly stood up and ran to the trash can where he had thrown the exam paper earlier. Pinching his nose, he reached in and retrieved the English answer sheet.
Xie Sui unfolded the exam paper and told Ji Bai, “Don’t touch it. I’ll hold it and you can just look.”
Ji Bai watched, a flicker of distaste crossing her face, as he unfolded the crumpled answer sheet, his fingers held in a ridiculously delicate pose. She could only imagine the “torture” that the test paper had endured.
“Xie Sui, you really need to control your temper sometimes, okay? Don’t just throw things and start fights at the drop of a hat. It’s kind of scary.”
Xie Sui nodded silently.
He would listen to everything Xiao Bai says.
He looked expectantly at the girl’s face. “Ninety points, I passed.”
Ji Bai smiled with relief. “That’s unexpected ah.”
“What’s so surprising? Don’t you trust me?”
“I do. I originally thought if you could get a seventy, that would already be very good.”
She didn’t expect Xie Sui to actually pass, given that he was starting from scratch.
Xie Sui looked at the bright red 90 on the paper and said faintly, “Too bad.”
“What’s too bad?”
“Missed it by one point.” He looked at her, a mischievous smile spreading across his lips.
Ji Bai blinked, then it dawned on her what Xie Sui was talking about.
“Well, if Xiao Bai wants to lower the requirement. I wouldn’t mind either.” Xie Sui trailed off, lightly tapping his cheek.
“Missing by just one point is still missing by one point.” Ji Bai stood up and gently patted his shoulder. “You’ll just have to try harder next time.”
Xie Sui wasn’t the type to weasel out of a deal. Although his overall performance was decent, he didn’t reach the agreed-upon score, so he wouldn’t push it.
“Alright.” He licked his lips. “Next time I’ll work harder, I’ll definitely earn Xiao Bai’s kiss.”
Ji Bai walked up a few steps and turned back at the young man.
Slanting rays of sunlight streamed through the square skylight, landing perfectly on the young man.
Sitting in the sun, the light outlined his features, and he seemed to radiate a lazy, springtime scent of fresh-cut grass.
“Xie Sui, close your eyes.”
Xie Sui glanced back, blinking his long eyelashes. “Why?”
“Just close them. Why are you asking so much?”
Xie Sui said, “I think you’re trying to trick me again.”
This girl had tricked him one too many times; he was honestly a little afraid of her. Still, he obediently closed his eyes, muttering under his breath, “If you dare kick laozi down these stairs, laozi will kill you…”
His words were cut short as he felt something soft land on his lips……
Xie Sui’s eyes snapped open, and he found himself gazing at the girl’s peaceful and gentle face so close to his. She was leaning in with her eyes closed, softly kissing the corner of his lips.
Her expression was soft and serene, the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned as if she was smiling.
The girl’s lips, soft and cool, brushed lightly against the corner of his lips. In those few seconds, his heartbeat suddenly seemed to slow down, very slowly…
The world around him, even the smallest speck of dust swirling in the air, became extraordinarily clear.
The kiss that landed on the corner of his lips was fleeting, like a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface.
As the girl slowly drew back, Xie Sui suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of her clothes. “Hey, what was that for?”
Ji Bai smiled and ruffled his hair. “I like honest and upright…people.”
She took a few steps up the stairs. Xie Sui turned back and said, “Why don’t you just say it? You like the honest and upright Xie Sui.”
The girl laughed and left.
Xie Sui reached up and touched the corner of his lips, the ghost of her kiss was still lingering there. He tilted his face to face the sun, letting its warmth settle on his skin as a wave of tenderness washed through his light brown eyes.
Later, homeroom teacher Zhao Deyang and the English teacher went to the office of academic affairs together to revoke the punishment for Xie Sui’s cheating incident. They also made a school-wide announcement to clear his name.
Not only that, considering Xie Sui’s overall improvement in this midterm exam, his total score jumped more than two hundred places, making him the student who had improved the most in the entire school.
The school created a special corner on the honor roll bulletin board, planning to post photos of the students who improved the most from each exam. Naturally, Xie Sui became the first to grace this corner.
Under the sycamore trees, a bunch of guys crowded around Xie Sui, looking at the ID photo of this big shot on the bulletin board, practically collapsing with laughter.
“Holy crap! I never imagined I’d live long enough to see Brother Sui’s photo plastered on the honor roll!”
“Hahaha, this is hilarious.”
“Brother Sui, is this your junior high photo? You look so young!”
……
Many girls passing by the bulletin board covered their mouths and giggled. Some even took out their phones to snap photos of Xie Sui’s ID photo.
But when they turned and faced Xie Sui’s handsome features right there, they blushed, quickly scurrying away.
With his arms crossed, Xie Sui stared at his photo on the bulletin board, his eyebrows furrowed in a deep frown.
He casually picked up a stone, intending to smash the bulletin board glass and rip off his photo.
Too fucking embarrassing.
Just as he raised the stone to throw it, a warm and soft palm suddenly rested on his hand.
Xie Sui glanced down to find Ji Bai had quietly come to stand beside him, appearing at some point.
She asked, puzzled, “What are you doing?”
Xie Sui immediately ditched the stone, saying with feigned innocence, “Nothing.”
Ji Bai walked to the bulletin board, reached out, and gently stroked his photo through the glass.
The style of this photo was completely different from the photos of the top ten students displayed above. All the boys were all wearing white shirts, looking prim and proper.
The photo, taken during Xie Sui’s freshman year, revealed a younger, leaner version of himself, more awkward and boyish. A simple thin blue t-shirt and buzz cut couldn’t hide the deep-set eyes and strong features that hinted at a wild, untamed spirit.
Every day after school, when Ji Bai passed the honor roll, she would glance at the lower left corner.
Her young man was indeed handsome.
Xie Sui walked over, looking uncomfortable, and blocked his photo. “Stop looking, it’s embarrassing.”
“It’s not embarrassing, you’re handsome.” Ji Bai said, pulling out her phone from her bag and aiming it at the photo. ‘Click’, she took a photo and saved it in her album.
Pretty much every girl who walked by the honor roll pulled out their phone to take a photo of Xie Sui’s picture.
It was so iconic.
The girl went straight to the bike shed, wheeled out her bike, and as she passed by Xie Sui, she said, “Xie Sui, I’m going home now.”
“Wait.”
“Hmm?”
Xie Sui walked over, crouching beside her to untie the loose shoelaces of her white shoes and carefully re-tie them, one by one.
“Be careful, don’t get them caught in the bike chain.”
The young man’s expression was soft, and his movements were delicate and focused as he tied her shoelaces.
A slight smile touched Ji Bai’s lips. This was the first time Xie Sui had lowered his proud head in front of her, helping her tie her shoelaces.
“Thank you.”
“Thanks, my foot.”
“……”
Alright.
Xie Sui stood up and turned to Ji Bai. “I’m going to the boxing arena tonight, okay?”
“Why again…”
“Just to train, not to compete. I haven’t trained in a while, and my fists are getting itchy.”
Seeing the worry in Ji Bai’s face, Xie Sui quickly reassured her, “I won’t get hurt, I promise.”
“Okay.”
Knowing he wouldn’t do anything stupid, Ji Bai gave in, “Alright. You can go, but don’t stay out too late, don’t get beaten up, and don’t get hurt…”
Xie Sui nodded solemnly, “You have my word.”
Still somewhat concerned, Ji Bai told him, “Lower your head a little.”
Hearing this, a smile played on Xie Sui’s lips, and he said, looking a bit shy, “Not here, right? There are a lot of people around.”
“A little lower.”
“Okay.” Xie Sui said, moving closer and shutting his eyes. “If Xiao Bai is going to be so open-minded, then what the hell, laozi’s not scared.”
Ji Bai reached into her collar and retrieved a Guanyin pendant made of Hetian jade, strung on a red string. She then slipped it over Xie Sui’s head and onto his neck.
Xie Sui looked down in surprise at the jade Guanyin pendant. The white jade was clear and translucent, the face of Guanyin compassionate and benevolent, gazing down with compassion on the suffering of humanity.
A tiny, blood-red imperfection marked the corner of its eye, as if the Guanyin were shedding a tear.
Ji Bai took hold of his collar and carefully tucked the Guanyin inside his clothes.
Xie Sui felt the white jade Guanyin nestled against his chest, still carrying the warmth of her skin.
“Why give me this?”
“No reason.” Ji Bai said, patting his chest through his shirt. Smiling softly, she added, “I just want you to be safe.”
She hoped the Guanyin would bless this rugged young man, scarred by hardship, and guide him to a peaceful and smooth future.
Long after she left, Xie Sui was still lost in a daze, her soft voice echoing in his ears——
“I just want you to…be safe.”
**
That evening, when Ji Bai got home, she found her walk-in closet crammed full of Ji Feifei’s clothes and dresses.
She had an overwhelming number of clothes, packed so tightly they filled the entire closet. Ji Bai’s clothes had been pulled out and hung separately in the next cabinet.
Ji Bai’s eyes turned cold. She yanked several racks of clothing from the closet, carried them into Ji Feifei’s room, and unceremoniously dumped them on the bed.
It took five trips back and forth, but she finally managed to clear out the closet.
When Ji Feifei returned home from school she saw her bed piled high with clothes like a small mountain. She became livid, and pounded on Ji Bai’s door.
“Ji Bai! Get out there!”
“Ji Bai! Come out!”
Hearing the noise, their mother, Tao Jiazhi, came upstairs. “Fei Fei, what’s going on?”
Ji Feifei pointed at the pile of clothes on her bed. “Mom! Look what she did! She threw all my clothes out!”
Tao Jiazhi became anxious as well and knocked on Ji Bai’s door. “Xiao Bai, what’s going on? Why did you throw all your older sister’s clothes out?”
The door opened slowly to reveal Ji Bai, who held a textbook in her hand. She calmly said, “This is my room, and the closet is mine now.”
“Mom, look at her, she’s like a tyrant!” Ji Feifei said, tugging on Tao Jiazhi’s sleeve and throwing a tantrum like a spoiled brat, “It’s not enough that she took my room, now she’s taken over my closet too. I don’t even have anywhere to hang my clothes!”
Ji Bai, without a flicker of emotion, said, “Ji Feifei, when you were using this room before, you never shared the closet with me. Why should I give it up to you now?”
“Bai Bai, don’t be unreasonable.” Tao Jiazhi said. “Even if the closet is yours now, your older sister has more clothes. It’s not a big deal for her to use it.”
Ji Feifei sneered in contempt, “Exactly, you barely have any clothes anyway, they wouldn’t even fill one side of the closet. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to use it?”
Ji Bai cast a sidelong glance at the mountain of clothes on the bed, and abruptly asked Tao Jiazhi, “We’re both your daughters, so why do I have fewer clothes than Ji Feifei?”
“That…” Tao Jiazhi was stumped by her question, stammering and unable to answer.
Ji Bai said, her voice level, “I’ll answer for you. It’s because every time you take Ji Feifei shopping for clothes, you forget that you have another daughter. No, you don’t even consider her as your own daughter, do you?”
“How can you say that?!” Perhaps struck by guilt, Tao Jiazhi said, getting worked up, “Have your father and I ever treated you badly? Have we mistreated you?!”
Ji Bai said with a cold laugh, “So you think that just because you haven’t mistreated me means you’ve been good to me?”
Tao Jiazhi suddenly clammed up, at a loss for words.
“Forget it. I’m through with you girls! Do whatever you want!” With that, she huffed and stormed off downstairs.
Ji Feifei, now frantic, cried out, “Mom, don’t go! Make her give me back my closet!”
“Sister, begging her won’t get you anywhere, you’d be better off begging me.” Ji Bai said, looking at Ji Feifei calmly. “A closet is just a trivial matter. I won’t make things difficult for you.”
“Who do you think you are?!”
Ji Feifei was furious and raised her hand to slap Ji Bai but just as her hand reached Ji Bai’s face, Ji Bai suddenly grabbed Ji Feifei’s wrist.
Ji Feifei, struggling but was unable to break free, screamed “Let go! What are you trying to do?! Do you want to kill me?!”
Ji Bai said calmly, “Ji Feifei, we’re sisters and we have a long life ahead of us. I’ll teach you, little by little, that what’s mine is mine. You can’t just take it. If you want it, you’ll have to beg me for it.”
After saying this, Ji Bai slammed the door in her face.
Shaking all over, Ji Feifei went back to her room. Looking at the pile of clothes on her bed, she kept muttering to herself, “Who do you think you are…who do you think you are…”
She’d rather die than swallow her pride and beg Ji Bai!
Ji Bai was nothing, just a “blood bank” that her parents had created to keep her alive.
Unable to stay still with anger, she caught sight of the fruit knife on the table, a trace of bitter resentment flashing in her eyes.
T/N:
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