Translated by: Queen Dei Mos
Novel Update Schedule: Every Sunday
Characters:
Ji Bai – MC
Xie Sui – ML
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
Ai Xiaoxiao – MC’s close friend
Xu Huan – MC’s close friend
Yin Xiaxia – MC’s close friend
Cong Yuzhou – ML’s close friend
Jiang Zhongning – ML’s close friend
Ji Feifei’s dance was the finale of the performance, and beneath the stage, all the audience’s gazes were fixed on her.
She wore a beautiful pure white dress and positioned herself on her tiptoes.
The bright stage lights converged on her and she appeared so dazzling and charming under its glow.
In the corner where the spotlight couldn’t reach, Ji Bai sat alone on a chair, legs apart, with the heavy cello placed between her legs. She gently pulled the bow across the strings, producing the first melody.
The melodious sound of the cello wrapped around the hearts of every audience member like ribbons, instantly immersing them in the scene.
As the sound of the cello played, Ji Feifei began to dance gracefully.
The audience was immersed in this audiovisual feast before them, enjoying the view and sound experience.
Gradually…the cello’s melody changed to a deep and sorrowful tune, evoking an atmosphere of death, much like one heavy sigh after another.
Ji Feifei’s cheerful and awkward dance movements no longer matched the mournful cello’s sorrowful tune. She appeared like an outsider, clumsily maneuvering on the stage.
The audience, already immersed in the cello’s sorrowful narrative, couldn’t help but furrow their eyebrows when they witnessed Ji Feifei’s frivolous performance. They found it somewhat annoying.
At that moment, the cello’s melody unexpectedly changed, as if a flowing stream suddenly entered a steep terrain. It became urgent and intense, expressing a kind of angry resistance like a shout of accusation.
Seated in the middle of the audience, Xie Sui furrowed his eyebrows slightly, his eyes firmly locked onto the dim figure in the shadows of the stage.
All of a sudden, his heart felt a sharp pain, and his breathing became somewhat difficult.
Even though he couldn’t see her face clearly, it was as if Xie Sui could sense that she was crying.
Ji Feifei completely couldn’t keep up with the cello’s melody so she had no choice but to stop, awkwardly standing on the stage, appearing ridiculous like a clown.
The two lighting engineers also witnessed this kind of situation for the first time. They looked at each other in dismay and decided to readjust the stage lights again.
The stage lights shining on Ji Feifei dimmed, while a beam of pure white spotlight descended upon Ji Bai from above.
The audience finally saw the girl playing the cello alone in the shadows.
She was wearing a beautiful fringed dress, the color of which was bright red, set against her skin, it appeared even fairer and flawless.
She closed her eyes, glistening tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, as she immersed herself in her intense emotions, completely oblivious of the changes around her.
Underneath the spotlight, her facial features appeared three-dimensional and distinct, a beauty that was heart-throbbing.
Ji Feifei, unwilling to let all the limelight be stolen by Ji Bai, started dancing once again, determined to keep up with Ji Bai’s rhythm.
However, her dancing skills were originally bad, and she hadn’t practiced properly. On top of that, she was anxious and tried to do big moves. With a sudden “tear” sound, her dress unexpectedly tore at the waist!
The audience below the stage cried out in surprise, discussed among themselves and mocked her. At the same time, they also expressed considerable dissatisfaction with her for disrupting the cello performance.
The stage assistant repeatedly gestured to Ji Feifei, urging her to leave the stage quickly and not embarrass herself any further.
Ji Feifei pinched the tear in her dress, refusing to leave the stage. This was her performance, and she was the main lead. Why should she leave!
The sound of the cello abruptly ceased as it reached its grand climax, as if the girl’s life had been abruptly cut short.
The assembly hall fell silent for a long time, with the audience seemingly still immersed in Ji Bai’s intense performance, and had not yet snapped back to reality.
Clap, clap…
A clear applause slowly rang out, echoing in the quiet center of the stage.
Ji Bai opened her eyes and saw the eyes of the young man.
He was applauding for her, his actions lazy and casual, yet his applause was surprisingly sharp and clear.
Half a minute later, the audience finally reacted, and for a moment, the entire hall erupted with enthusiastic applause!
The final act truly lived up to its role as the finale. The overall quality and level of the entire performance were significantly elevated by the final cello performance.
Even the city officials and school leaders in the front row couldn’t help but stand up and wholeheartedly applaud for Ji Bai.
Ji Bai lifted her dress and walked to the center of the stage, smiling as she took her older sister, Ji Feifei’s hand, to bow to the whole audience as a sign of appreciation.
Impulsively and violently, Ji Feifei shook her hand away, then maintained a dignified posture, gracefully bowing her knees as she acknowledged the applause and signaled the end of the performance.
This small movement of hers, nevertheless, didn’t escape the fans who were watching the live stream on their computers. They were astonished, quietly discussing among themselves how Ji Feifei, who was always gentle and kind hearted, had to their surprise shown her temper. Was it because her spotlight was stolen by her younger sister, as a result she became so angry couldn’t bear it?
“This behavior of hers seemed quite inconsistent with her usual grace and elegance, ah”
**
After getting off the stage, her close friends rushed over to her, hugging Ji Bai and shouting in excitement——
“This girl is our family’s Bai Bai, ah, ah, ah!”
“So stunning! I feel like I need to get to know you all over again!”
“With my limited words, the only thing that I can say is that it was absolutely amazing!”
Ji Bai joked with them for a moment and asked, “Hey, why is it just the two of you ah? Where are Ai Xiaoxiao and Xu Huan?”
When this matter was mentioned, Yin Xiaxia became angry and coldly snorted, “Don’t even mention those traitors. They sold their tickets for their own interests, disregarding our friendship.”
The corners of Ji Bai’s mouth twitched. “There are still people buying this sort of ticket? Which spendthrift and foolish people bought them?”
Yin Xiaxia pouted, “Uh-huh, it’s those guys.”
She followed the direction pointed by Yin Xiaxia’s finger and looked over only to see Xie Sui with his elbow propped on his knee, sitting on the backrest of the chair. Surprisingly, he had his legs spread apart and was pushing against the armrests with his feet.
Ji Bai’s lips twitched. Indeed, a big shot lived up to his reputation, even sitting in such an arrogant manner.
Xie Sui’s facial features sharpened, his eyes slightly raised at the corners, and he lifted his chin in her direction, wearing an unruly smile——
“Surprised?”
Ji Bai didn’t respond. In regards to Xie Sui’s arrival, she was clearly somewhat at a loss on what to do.
The young man leaped off the chair, his steps leisurely as he walked until he was in front of Ji Bai.
Beneath his eye, there was a faintly colored mole. The position where it was signified his extreme nature, wherein love and hatred were deeply ingrained in his bones.
“Surprised?” he asked her.
Ji Bai replied indifferently, “Frightened.”
Xie Sui noticed a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. Hence, he extended the back of his hand and gently tried to brush it against her fair skin.
Ji Bai sidestepped, and a few strands of her hair brushed against the back of his hand, leaving a faint and silky touch on his skin.
The dress outlined her beautiful figure, with a well-defined waistline, a slender neck that had exceptionally smooth skin and a collarbone resembling the wings of a butterfly, exuding a sensual charm.
All of this made the young man’s heart extremely irritable.
Ji Bai softly spoke to her close friends, “I’ll go backstage area to remove my makeup.”
“Go quickly, okay? We’ll wait for you outside the concert hall.”
She nodded, as she was leaving, she glanced at Xie Sui once more. “Thank you for coming to watch my performance. In fact, you could have told me in advance, so you wouldn’t have wasted your money.”
After she was done talking, she didn’t wait for a response and left straight away.
Xie Sui licked his lower gums1It means he’s contemplating :3 and suddenly felt a sense of being overwhelmed by favor from a superior.
Cong Yuzhou noticed that the person had already walked far away, nevertheless, Xie Sui’s line of sight hadn’t moved away.
“Brother Sui, stop staring. Your eyeballs are about to fall out.”
Xie Sui pushed his head away, saying, “You’re blocking Laozi’s view.”
“What are you looking at? The person’s already gone!”
“It’s none of your goddamn business.”
“There’s a boxing match tonight, are you going?”
Only then did Xie Sui turn his head back, feeling pleased and replied, “Going.”
**
Ji Bai returned to the backstage area to remove her makeup. Her older sister, Ji Feifei, sat in front of the dressing table, her makeup smudged from crying. The black eyeliner ran down her face, giving her a somewhat sinister look.
Their parents sat her older sister’s side, pacifying her softly.
“Fei Fei, don’t be sad. After we go back, Dad will definitely give Ji Bai a lesson! She should explain herself to you!” Their father, Ji Mingzhi, felt indignant at the injustice. “It’s truly outrageous. Obviously, it’s supposed to be a performance by both of them, but it seemed like her solo act. Does she still see you as her older sister?”
When Ji Feifei caught sight of Ji Bai entering, she promptly pulled Ji Mingzhi’s sleeve and said, “Dad, I believe Bai Bai didn’t mean it. She might’ve just wanted to stand out. I understand. As her older sister, I should give in to her.”
Ji Feifei’s sincere words made their parents feel distressed and increasingly convinced that Ji Bai wasn’t sensible.
Her older sister’s tactics were truly tried and tested.
There were no parents in the world who didn’t love their own child, but why is it that when it came to Ji Bai’s death, their parents didn’t shed a single tear for her? This situation wouldn’t be possible without Ji Feifei’s “credit”.
During the sisters’ very long process of growth, Ji Bai, who had no ulterior motives, fell step by step into Ji Feifei’s trap. She successfully drove a wedge between Ji Bai and their parents’ affection, led relatives to misunderstand Ji Bai, and made her classmates and friends dislike her…
Ji Bai succeeded in becoming the object of universal condemnation and was abandoned by those who were once close to her.
This time, Ji Bai won’t let her older sister succeed with her conspiracy again.
Ji Bai entered the dressing room, silently sat opposite of Ji Feifei, and started to remove her makeup.
Father Ji Mingzhi, eager to protect his calf2(犊) – dú – calf – daughters, questioned Ji Bai, “Why did you do this?!”
Ji Bai turned towards her father in puzzlement. “Dad, what are you3Formal speech talking about?”
“Why did you steal your older sister’s limelight!”
Ji Bai used the makeup cotton pad in her hand to remove her eyeshadow, and innocently said, “I didn’t steal older sister’s limelight. The music piece had already been planned earlier, and the dress rehearsals and practices were also conducted this way. I don’t know why older sister suddenly couldn’t keep up with the rhythm. However, since it was a live stream, I couldn’t just stop immediately when she did.”
A hint of bitter resentment flashed in Ji Feifei’s eyes. It was obvious that Ji Bai had abruptly sped up the rhythm, which led to her not being able to keep up with the pace.
But she had already said in front of their father and mother that it wasn’t Ji Bai’s fault, taking the blame herself. At this moment, she couldn’t go back on her word and expose Ji Bai.
Their parents knew nothing about playing the cello, so they asked Ji Feifei, “Is what your younger sister said true? Were you not able to keep up with the rhythm?”
Ji Feifei was crying so hard that she was out of breath, saying “It’s all my fault, it’s all on me. Mom and Dad, please don’t blame younger sister.”
Ji Bai said, “Older sister, don’t cry. Although you made a small mistake in this performance, overall it was still a success. I also won’t blame you.”
Ji Feifei’s sound of weeping abruptly stopped for two seconds, then she leaned over the table and cried even harder.
Their parents exchanged glances, and Tao Jiazhi could only say, “Alright, stop crying. Fortunately, the performance was still a success. Bai Bai, this time it’s thanks to you, don’t worry about it too much. When we get home, Mom will make you something tasty.”
“Mom, tonight my friends and I are going out for dinner. Xia Xia and the others said they want to celebrate with me.”
“That’s fine. Come back early.” Tao Jiazhi turned back to continue comforting Ji Feifei. “Baby, what do you want to eat? Mom will make it for you when we get home.”
“Wu wu, I want to eat braised pork.” Ji Feifei acted spoiled as she snuggled up to their mother.
Ji Bai glanced at the dress beside them and casually remarked, “Older sister, you might want to control your appetite a bit, okay? This high-end dress isn’t cheap, and you managed to burst it.”
Ji Feifei’s face turned purple in an instant, recalling her predicament on stage just now. She burst into tears again, but Ji Bai no longer paid her any attention and walked out of the dressing room.
**
In the bustling underground boxing arena, the air was filled with the pungent smell of men’s sweat and body odor, the mixed sounds of cheers and curses created a noisy atmosphere. In the center of the ring, two shirtless men were locked in a fierce fight.
As the fifth round of fight4(车轮战) – chē lún zhàn – attrition warfare. Meaning: a military strategy where the goal is to wear down the enemy’s strength through a prolonged campaign of continuous engagement in battles and skirmishes. The term “attrition” implies the gradual reduction of strength and resources on both sides over time. began, the bets had been raised to the highest amount. The patrons threw away money recklessly, placing their bets on the two men fighting for their lives in the ring.
Xie Sui, the person himself, was truly fierce – his punches were undeniably powerful, and his resilience was remarkable. He was the one most heavily bet on by patrons for tonight’s fight as he single-handedly challenged five skilled boxers in succession and knocked them all down.
He fought without regard for his own life, few people could match his recklessness, so there was no one who could match him.
In the final round, exhausted, he took a fierce punch to his jaw, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He pivoted and delivered a kick, locking his knee in place, directly pinning his opponent beneath him, and leaving them utterly defenseless…
“Xie Sui!”
“Xie Sui!”
“Xie Sui!”
……
Everyone present was shouting his name, he had become synonymous with invincibility in fights.
As Xie Sui exited the arena, his steps were already somewhat unsteady. Cong Yuzhou and Jiang Zhongning promptly ran over to help him rest, patting his face to bring him back to his senses.
“How much tonight?” Xie Sui asked Cong Yuzhou, tilting his head.
Cong Yuzhou had just gone to the manager’s office to collect the prize money and placed it in Xie Sui’s bag. “Ten thousand for each fight, fifty thousand in total.”
Xie Sui nodded, the fatigue in his muscles felt as if it drained all his strength, making every movement painful.
“Brother Sui, I heard the guy who fought in the previous fight is still lying in the hospital. We can’t trifle with this sort of situation anymore in the future. Damn, this is like risking lives for money ah!”
Xie Sui spat out bloody saliva and said, “You don’t know a damn thing.”
“Of course, I understand. Who doesn’t like money? But the crucial point is, we need to have our lives to spend it.”
Xie Sui traced his finger over a thick stack of red bills and the money also became bloodstained from the traces of of blood from his fingertip.
In his mind, the image of the girl sitting under the spotlight playing the cello with closed eyes, resurfaced. She was extraordinarily beautiful, resembling a pure and holy little princess, a stark contrast to the bloody and filthy world he lived in…
He stood in the mud, looking up at her, consumed with a frantic desire for her.
These blood-stained bills were his source of confidence.
……
Ji Bai and her close friends had dinner at a private room, went shopping on the streets, and were in pretty good spirits.
“Bai Bai, I truly have a whole new level of respect for you. I didn’t expect your cello skills to be this impressive.” Yin Xiaxia said in disbelief, “I remember when you came to my house to practice during the summer vacation, it was like plucking cotton when you played the cello.5It means that Bai Bai’s cello skills lacked smoothness, precision, or expertise at that time. But in just a few months, you’ve made such rapid progress!”
“Not only that, but today you also made Ji Feifei embarrass herself. It’s so satisfying!”
“Ji Feifei brought this upon herself. It has nothing to do with our Bai Bai. After all, It’s her own fault for not being good at dancing.”
Ji Bai didn’t say anything. In fact, her close friends’ analysis was quite accurate. Ji Feifei brought disaster upon herself. First, she insisted on wearing an ill-fitting gown because she couldn’t accept it. Second, she tampered with the lighting to hog the limelight for herself. These were the biggest mistakes she had committed tonight.
Recalling the events that night in her previous life, she was schemed against by her older sister. From beginning to end, she wasn’t able to show her face in the performance at all. At that moment, she locked herself in the room, feeling deeply hurt and upset. But then Ji Feifei, playing the role of a good person, came into her room to comfort her. She explained that the world was unfair and used her own illness as an example of this unfairness. Therefore, as a healthy person, it was necessary for her to accommodate her. All the love from their parents, friendship of classmates, and all the glory and rewards should belong to her, who was suffering from an illness…
At that time, Ji Bai actually believed Ji Feifei’s nonsense and felt that her older sister was genuinely pitiable. As a result, she was willing to give in to her.
This was also the reason why she lost her health later on. The fake sisterly bond and her undervalued sympathy drained her of her blood, sucked dry by Ji Feifei.
Ji Bai looked at the endless stream of people in the street and fell into deep thought. This was just the beginning, Ji Feifei’s “good days” were yet to come.
“Hey, it’s them.”
“It’s truly a case of meeting enemies on a narrow road,6(冤家路窄) – yuān jiā lù zhǎi – Refers to enemies or people who are unwilling to meet but meet to run into them again.”
The girls stopped in their tracks, huddled together like little doves, murmuring nervously, and not daring to take another step forward.
Ji Bai raised her head and spotted Cong Yuzhou and the others leaning against the roadside guard railing, smoking. As pedestrians passed by, they would go out of their way to avoid this group of delinquent.
Ji Bai noticed that Xie Sui had a bruise at the corner of his eye, and a barely noticeable scab on his lip.
He got into another fight.
Without a doubt, Xie Sui also noticed Ji Bai. She was wearing a cream-coloured knitted jacket with a pair of student-style jeans, looking like an ordinary high school student.
However, for some reason, whenever Xie Sui saw her he would feel parched like the stuffiness before a summer thunderstorm, with a surge of heat inside his body, rushing in all directions, which he didn’t know how to ease.
He instinctively felt the urge to be rough.
The girls discussed and decided to take a different route to avoid provoking this group of boys.
Jiang Zhongning patted Xie Sui’s shoulder. “See, those rich girls aren’t from the same world as us. No matter how much money we make, they will always look down on us deep down.”
Xie Sui watched Ji Bai’s retreating figure, his eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of hostility.
Ji Bai took two steps and noticed a brightly lit chain pharmacy to the side. She whispered a few words to her friends, entered the shop and bought a box of band-aids.
Just as Xie Sui was about to walk away from the railing and leave, he heard a alluring voice of a girl from behind him——
“Xie Sui, you wait a moment.”
Xie Sui turned his head only to see the girl handing a box of band-aids to him. “You’re bleeding,”
She pointed to the corner of her own eye.
Xie Sui looked at her clear and innocent eyes, and a hint of sweetness passed through his heart, like a clear and sweet spring emerging from the dried cracks in the mud.
He indifferently replied, “Laozi doesn’t need that stuff. It’s too ugly.”
However, Ji Bai stubbornly insisted, “If you don’t treat the wound properly, it might leave a scar.”
After all, it was a wound on his face, and he’s quite handsome. It would be a pity if it left a scar.
Xie Sui bent down to meet her gaze, a dangerous smile tugged at the corner of his lips——
“If I get scarred, would you be distressed?”
“……”
She lowered her head and pulled out a band-aid, tearing off the protective film on both sides, and handed it to Xie Sui. “Nevertheless, you should still put one on.”
Xie Sui closed his eyes.
Ji Bai didn’t understand and gazed at Cong Yuzhou.
Cong Yuzhou laughed and said, “Brother Sui is bending down like a crab for you. Don’t you understand? Help him apply it ah!”
T/N:
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