Translated by: Queen Dei Mos
Novel Update Schedule: Monday
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
you1(Original Text): 您 – nín. (English): you – formal, courteous you.
In the flurry of snow on this winter night, pedestrians unconsciously quickened their pace, hurrying home to reunite with their families. No one noticed the boy and girl tightly embracing each other on the street.
Ji Bai struggled a bit, but he only held her tighter.
Ji Bai finally gave up, slowly raised her hand and grasped the corner of Xie Sui’s black coat. It was stiff as it wrinkled in her grasp.
His body had a faint scent of mint and tobacco.
“Xie Sui, it’s nothing.”
The inner corner of her eyes were red and wet from her tears causing her delicate eyelashes to stick together and giving her a pitiful appearance.
His voice was low and deep, “Who bullied you?”
Ji Bai raised her head to glance up at him. His eyes were deep, and his cut-off eyebrow gave him a fierce appearance.
She shook her head and sat back down on the bench. Carefully, she took out the evening dress and showed it to Xie Sui, “It’s the evening dress. It’s damaged.”
Xie Sui sat beside her, reaching out to tug at the dress, his expression clearly incredulous, “You’re sitting here out on the street and crying on New Year’s Eve over a lousy dress?”
Ji Bai stubbornly snatched the fabric back from his hand, muttering, “It’s not just any dress. It’s the evening dress that my grandmother gave me.”
Xie Sui really couldn’t understand the way girls think these days. Such a trivial matter, yet it was worth crying over? He almost thought she had gone through some kind of life-and-death event.
Xie Sui looked at the sparkly, colorful and beautiful dress and casually said, “If it’s damaged, just fix it. Why cry over something like this.”
Her tears were precious, at least to him they were undeniably precious.
“You don’t understand.” Ji Bai bit her lip. “I’ve been preparing for the annual meeting for a long time. If the dress is ruined, I won’t be able to go.”
“Do you have to wear this one? Can’t you wear another dress ah?”
“I don’t have a second evening dress to replace this one.” Ji Bai said softly, gently stroking the shimmering golden threads on the lace fabric. “This is my only dress.”
Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, Xie Sui became upset. He stood up, carefully folded the dress, and put it back in the box. “Let’s go.”
Ji Bai looked at him in surprise. “Where to?”
“To find a place to get the dress fixed.”
Ji Bai glanced at her phone for the time and sighed, “It’s already too late.”
Xie Sui reached out his hand to her. “It’s not the last minute yet. There’s still time for everything.”
Ji Bai lowered her head, looking at his broad palm, gently placed her hand on his and finally smiled. “Okay!”
**
Ji Bai followed Xie Sui through the winding alleys.
The surrounding buildings were brightly lit, and occasionally, they could hear the crackling sound of firecrackers and the cheerful laughter of children coming from the end of the alley.
“Xie Sui, where are we going?”
Xie Sui took large strides and was walking fast. Ji Bai, who was wearing high heels to match her dress, couldn’t keep up with his pace.
He would stop and wait for her every so often, saying, “If you keep dawdling, we really won’t make it in time.”
Ji Bai’s feet were almost rubbed raw from her heels. She touched her heels and staggered to catch up with Xie Sui.
Only then did Xie Sui notice that she was wearing high heels and that her heels were rubbed red. He instinctively reached out to carry her, but Ji Bai moved sideways. “What are you doing?”
“What else? Carrying you ah”
“Who asked you to carry me?” Ji Bai continued to limp forward. “I’m fine.”
“It’s still far. At this pace, when will you get there?” Xie Sui checked the time, “It’s already six-forty.”
Time was tight, and Ji Bai’s feet were in extreme pain. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “Then…you can carry me on your back.”
“Isn’t it the same?”
Xie Sui once again attempted to lift her up horizontally, but Ji Bai quickly dodged aside, becoming anxious. “If you’re unwilling to carry me on your back, I’ll just walk on my own.”
“Alright, alright, laozi will carry you.” Xie Sui reluctantly crouched down. “Get on.”
Ji Bai held onto his shoulders and leaned on his solid and sturdy back.
Xie Sui supported her butt and effortlessly hoisted her onto his back then swiftly rushed forward with long strides.
Even though he was running, his steps were steady, and Ji Bai, who was on his back, didn’t feel any bumps at all.
Her slender and fair arms rested on his shoulders, overlapping at his neck.
Through the fabric, she could feel the warmth and hardness of his body. His shoulders and neck were broad, his physique strong and sturdy. Such a man easily instilled a sense of security in women.
Feeling like the girl was about to slip, Xie Sui stopped and steadied her by firmly grasping her inner thighs
“Stick closer to me.” Xie Sui said. “Otherwise, when I start running, you might fall off.”
Ji Bai secretly blushed and tightly wrapped her legs around his lean waist.
The night sky ahead burst with fireworks, illuminating the faces of the two.
Xie Sui looked up in surprise. “Quickly look!”
“I see it.”
He raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
Soon, another cluster of fireworks rose in the sky on the other side.
“Quickly look!”
“I see it.”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Beautiful.”
“I think it’s beautiful too.”
Ji Bai wrapped her arms around the young man’s neck, watching the intermittent rays of light in his eyes. She suspected that Xie Sui had never seen fireworks before, hence his surprise.
“Do you like watching fireworks?”
“Not particularly.” Xie Sui’s answer sounded indifferent.
“Why the surprise then, as if you’ve never seen them before?”
Xie Sui glanced back at her. “I wanted you to see them ah.”
Ji Bai was even more puzzled, “It’s not like I’ve never seen fireworks before either ah.”
“I know you’ve seen them. Who hasn’t seen fireworks?”
“So ah, why are you acting surprised?”
“Which eye of yours saw me being surprised?”
“Just a moment ago, you were clearly…”
“Believe it or not, I’ll throw you down.”
“……”
Ji Bai fell silent, deciding not to engage with this cranky guy who always argued with her.
Another larger cluster of fireworks shot up into the sky, exploding into several blossoms with a dazzling array of colors.
“Xie Sui, quickly look.”
After being told by Ji Bai, Xie Sui deliberately kept his head down, refusing to look. He grumbled, “Who hasn’t seen fireworks before.”
Ji Bai felt like laughing a little. She gently lifted Xie Sui’s chin and said in a low voice, “Look, I won’t laugh at you.”
His chin was adorned with a faint stubble, slightly prickly to the touch, but Ji Bai found it quite comfortable, like petting a cat, so she gently stroked it.
In the end, Xie Sui looked back up at the sky, and there was a glimmer in his eyes.
In truth, he didn’t find fireworks particularly special, but in this moment of its blooming beauty, he wanted her to see it…
Xie Sui stubbornly believed that all the beauty in the world should belong to her.
……
Before long, Xie Sui stopped in front of a three-story residential building where he lived and lightly knocked on the ground floor unit’s door. “Aunt Fang, are you there?”
The door opened, revealing a woman in her forties standing before Ji Bai.
She dressed plainly, wearing a checkered cotton jacket with an apron tied around her waist.
Seeing Xie Sui, her face lit up. “Xiao Sui ah, come in quickly. Haven’t had dinner yet, have you? Come in and have dinner with us.”
“Aunt Fang, we’re not here for dinner. Today, we came to see you for something.”
Xie Sui didn’t beat around the bush either. He opened the dress box in Ji Bai’s hands and said, “My friend’s dress is damaged. Since you are skilled at this, could you fix it for her? It’s quite embarrassing to bother you on New Year’s Day so I’ll give you overtime pay?”
“Hey, what overtime pay? You’ve been covering the emergency medical expenses for my husband. Stop talking nonsense. Come in and sit. Let me take a look at this dress.”
Xie Sui led Ji Bai into the house. Ji Bai saw several beautiful dresses hanging on the wall, along with suits and various types of formal wear. It seemed to be a professional tailor shop.
Aunt Fang took out her glasses and sewing kit from the room, examining the slip line on the dress.
“This dress was delicately crafted ah.” Aunt Fang looked at Ji Bai in astonishment. “It must have been expensive.”
Seeing that she knew what’s what, Ji Bai immediately felt relieved and asked, “Can it be fixed?”
“It can be fixed, but I’m also hesitant to handle it lightly. This is a high-end dress ah.”
Ji Bai waved her hand repeatedly. “Aunt, it doesn’t matter. I don’t mind how well it can be fixed, as long as I can wear it tonight.”
“Is it urgent?”
“Yes.”
Aunt Fang thought for a moment. “Alright, I’ll help you mend it so you can wear it tonight. But it will only be temporary. If you want it to be fully fixed, you’ll need to find a professional.”
Ji Bai was pleasantly surprised, “Thank you, Aunt!”
Xie Sui said, “Aunt, can you do it faster? Xiao Bai has to leave by eight.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll start right now. I’ll make sure your little girlfriend makes it in time.”
“I’m not…”
Before she could finish explaining, Aunt Fang wasted no time and got straight to work. She put on a tailor’s small leather apron, took the dress, and went into the workroom.
Ji Bai could only swallow the rest of her words.
She was not exactly his girlfriend.
Xie Sui’s thin lips curled slightly, and Ji Bai poked him discontentedly. He struggled to hold back his laughter, feeling quite pleased with the situation.
Aunt Fang’s movements were quite professional. She fetched some dark golden thread and skillfully sewed up the seam where the fabric had slipped. From the outside, the dress looked perfectly normal.
“Alright, girl, quickly go inside and try it on.”
Aunt Fang handed the dress to Ji Bai and took her into an empty room to try it on. Xie Sui also eagerly followed her, only to be shooed out by Aunt Fang, “What are you doing? You’re not going to watch while your girlfriend changes, are you?”
Xie Sui scratched his head sheepishly. “Alright.”
He waited outside.
Ten minutes later, Ji Bai walked out of the room.
Xie Sui stood by the yard, flicking the lighter to light his cigarette, and then he turned around and saw her.
The golden dress adorned her slender waist, its layered lace fabric swaying gently, slightly puffy, and embellished with sparkling rhinestones, shining radiantly under the light.
Her charming shoulders were like humps, her collarbones deep and sexy, decorating her fair and sensual neck.
Aunt Fang had styled her hair into a beautiful bun, gathering her thick and black hair up and tying it at the top of her head, with a few strands falling delicately around her face.
She possessed the most luxurious beauty bestowed by heaven, and she infused this beauty into her very being as her every move was bewitching and captivating.
He seemed to have seen the brightest and most dazzling ray of light in his entire life.
Ji Bai held the dress’ fluffy end and met Xie Sui’s deep gaze, nervously asking him, “How do I look?”
The flame in Xie Sui’s lighter was extinguished by the wind. He avoided eye contact, quickly removed the cigarette from his mouth, and tossed it into the darkness.
His face turned red.
“G-good-looking.”
For the first time in his life, he was left stuttering.
Ji Bai didn’t notice the change in Xie Sui’s expression. She focused on admiring her dress, turning around and around. “I think it’s completely fine now. I can go to the annual meeting.”
“Yes.”
Ji Bai turned around and thanked Aunt Fang, “Aunt, I’m really grateful to you. How much do I owe you? ”
“Oh, it’s just a small favor. Xiao Sui helped me so much before, he even saved my husband’s life. Since you’re his girlfriend, there’s no need to talk about money.”
Before Ji Bai could explain, Xie Sui had already pushed out his mountain bike parked under a tree and went straight to her, “Get on, I’ll give you a ride.”
“I already troubled you too much today. I’ll just call a taxi.”
“On New Year’s Eve, just try getting a taxi.”
“Eh.”
Come to think of it, Ji Bai hadn’t seen many taxis on the road throughout their walk here.
She could only hold her dress and trot to Xie Sui’s bike, “Okay then.”
Seeing her fair and slender arms exposed to the cold wind, her lips turning purple from the chill, Xie Sui didn’t hesitate to take off his own coat and wrap it around her.
The coat retained the warmth from his body, instantly enveloping her cold body in its warmth. It warmed her so effectively that she couldn’t even muster words to politely decline. The coat…felt so comfortable.
Ji Bai surveyed his mountain bike. “There’s no back seat on this ah.”
Xie Sui said matter-of-factly, “Sit in front.”
“……”
The night sky was sprinkled with feather-like snowflakes as Ji Bai was wrapped in Xie Sui’s coat anxiously eyeing the handlebar in front of the mountain bike.
It’s not that she couldn’t sit there, it’s just…a bit strange ah.
He was wearing a thin black sweater, one hand holding the handlebars, the other hanging by his side, ready to embrace her at any moment. “Come on ah.”
Ji Bai hesitated, not moving. “This…is it okay ah?”
Xie Sui saw her hesitation and said, “If you want to back out now and not go, laozi can still make it home in time for the CCTV New Year’s Gala.”2(Original Text): 春晚 – chūn wǎn. (English): CCTV New Year’s Gala, a Chinese New Year special produced by China Central Television. – wordsense
Glancing down at her beautiful dress, Ji Bai no longer hesitated in clutching the end and sitting on Xie Sui’s mountain bike.
Once she was settled, Xie Sui wrapped his arm around her, firmly holding onto the handlebars. With a firm push of his foot, the mountain bike surged forward
There weren’t many vehicles or pedestrians on the road on New Year’s Eve. Xie Sui pedaled swiftly, racing against time to get her to her destination.
Ji Bai held onto her phone for navigation, which showed there were still five kilometers to go.
“Turn left, then go up the overpass.”
“Get off the overpass and turn right.”
“There’s a speed bump ahead, slow down a bit.”
……
As they passed over the speed bump, Ji Bai’s body shook. Sitting on the bar was actually quite uncomfortable, and her butt was sore from being jostled.
“Almost there.” Seeming to sense the girl’s discomfort, Xie Sui sped up.
“Xie Sui, aren’t you cold ah?”
“You feel yourself.”
Ji Bai’s entire body was completely encircled by him, her back pressed tightly against his scorching hot chest.
Despite dressing so lightly, he couldn’t understand why his whole body was burning up, as if there was a boiler burning inside him.
Burning up like this, Ji Bai also wasn’t worried about him getting cold after taking off his coat.
Xie Sui’s protruding Adam’s apple rested against the top of her head, occasionally bumping into her, firm and solid.
He noticed that the girl seemed to be looking at him. He smiled, and rested his chin on her shoulder, leaning closer to her ear and whispering, “Am I handsome?”
“……”
Ji Bai turned her head away, looking straight ahead and ignoring him.
He moved a bit closer to her, sniffing the delicate fragrance coming from her body. It wasn’t perfume or the scent of shampoo but a unique scent that belonged to her. This scent…always stirred his blood, making it impossible to remain calm.
In the distance, the bright neon lights of the towering Century Hotel could be seen.
Scrolling continuously on the LED screen of the towering building were the words “Ji Group Annual Meeting”.
The annual meeting was arranged at the first-rate Century Hotel in Jiang City, and it featured a lineup of celebrities to add to the glamor, attracting a swarm of paparazzi.
The entire entrance of the Century Hotel was covered in a red carpet, with flashing lights incessantly snapping.
Xie Sui parked the mountain bike across the street. Ji Bai, holding her dress, jumped off the bike and turned around to massage her numb butt.
Xie Sui laughed and pulled her hand away. “My little lady,3It is english in the original text pay attention to your image, okay?”
“Oh!” Ji Bai stuck out her tongue sheepishly. “I almost forgot, I’m wearing a beautiful dress now.”
That’s right, she was wearing a beautiful dress that enhanced her unparalleled beauty.
Xie Sui’s limited vocabulary couldn’t describe how adorable she looked right now. In short, every frown, every smile, every move she made could make his heart race.
“Thank you.” Ji Bai sincerely thanked him. “I’m glad I met you today.”
“Expressing thanks should be put into practice.” Xie Sui pointed to his cheek. “Give laozi a kiss.”
Ji Bai pursed her lips, there’s no way she would kiss him.
Xie Sui saw that she didn’t appear to be willing so he leaned in, “Then let me kiss you.”
“Could you be a bit more serious?”
“I am very serious.”
Ji Bai took off the coat and handed it to Xie Sui. “I’m going.”
“Roughly what time will it end?”
Ji Bai thought for a moment. “Probably until after midnight for the New Year’s countdown.”
The young man nodded.
“It’s quite cold outside. Quickly head back, okay?” After saying this, Ji Bai turned to leave, but he suddenly stopped her. “Wait.”
“En?”
Xie Sui extended his hand and gently brushed off a few snowflakes from her tightly bound hair.
The snowflakes melted instantly at the warmth of his fingertips.
Ji Bai met his deep and dark eyes, and in that moment, she felt that this version of Xie Sui was unusually gentle, almost unlike himself.
**
The entrance for celebrities was not the same as the entrance for company members, but Ji Feifei was completely unaware of this. She stepped out of Ji Mingzhi’s luxury car, wearing high heels and a beautiful blue evening dress, and walked straight onto the red carpet meant for celebrities.
The paparazzi stopped taking photos and exchanged puzzled looks.
Fans whispered to each other, “Who is she ah?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did she get lost?”
……
The host also felt a little awkward and promptly called out to Ji Feifei, who was greeting everyone, “Miss, did you perhaps take the wrong entrance?”
Ji Feifei looked left and right and only then did she notice that many fans were holding neon signs with declarations of support for their favorite idols.
The fans whispered among themselves——
“Isn’t she Ji Feifei?”
“Who ah?”
“It’s that so-called inspirational peerless white lotus.”4(Original Text): 白蓮花 – bái lián huā. (English): One who appears sweet and innocent but is actually corrupt, cunning or deceitful – wordsense.
“Ah, it’s actually her! Since when did she debut as the leading role?”
“What kind of debut ah? With her hypocritical white lotus image, even if she has fans, they’re probably all anti-fans.”
……
Ji Feifei finally realized that she had entered the wrong entrance. She muttered a quick “sorry”, covered her face, and hurriedly left through a nearby staff passage.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she inwardly cursed her father’s foolishness for mistakenly dropping her off at the wrong entrance.
On the other side of the building, away from the media reporters and fans, the decorations were even more luxurious. This was the main entrance of the Century Hotel, where board members of the company and business partners entered.
The attendees were all influential figures, so the security measures were even stricter. Dozens of security guards in civilian clothes mingled in the crowd, ready to respond to any unexpected situations at any moment.
Ji Feifei approached the main entrance, where two rows of attendants一一were checking the guests’ invitation letters one by one. Ji Feifei took out Ji Bai’s invitation and handed it to one of the attendants.
The invitation letter did not have a photo, and generally speaking, it was unlikely for someone to forge it. As such the attendant glanced at the invitation letter and then let her go inside.
At this moment, Assistant Qin who was by the door caught sight of Ji Feifei and curiously asked, “Miss Ji Feifei, how come you are here?”
Ji Feifei’s expression changed when she saw Assistant Qin approaching, but she pretended to be calm and said, “Assistant Qin, I’m here to attend the annual meeting ah.”
Assistant Qin asked in surprise, “You’re holding Miss Ji Bai’s invitation, right?”
“So what if I am? Ji Bai wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t make it. She didn’t want to disappoint grandmother, so she asked me to attend the annual meeting on her behalf. Do you have any objections?”
Assistant Qin replied with a wooden expression, “In that case, I need to confirm with Miss Ji Bai.”
Ji Feifei coldly said, “My dad’s car is still parked outside. Do you want to go and confirm with him?”
Ji Feifei brought up her father, after all, her father was her grandmother’s biological son. Assistant Qin should give him some face regardless of the situation.
However, Assistant Qin insisted, “Miss Ji Feifei, without an invitation, you can’t enter.”
“But Ji Bai can’t come.”
“It’s her matter that she can’t come. Whether you can enter or not is another matter.”
“Assistant Qin, you’re going too far.” Ji Feifei looked at him coldly and firmly said, “In the end, you’re just an employee of the Ji Group. I am my grandmother’s biological granddaughter.”
“Miss Jifeifei is also Old Madam’s granddaughter. This invitation letter was personally written by Old Madam for Miss Ji Bai. There’s only one invitation like this for the whole event. Do you understand the weight of this letter?”
Ji Feifei bit her lower lip hard, even biting down until they turned pale. Envy, like a venomous snake, spewed its poison, coiling around her heart.
A malicious smile crept onto her lips. “So what…she can’t make it anyway.”
Just as Ji Feifei’s words faded, a clear and crisp female voice sounded from behind her: “Older sister, I’m afraid I might have to disappoint you.”
T/N:
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