Translated by: Queen Dei Mos
Novel Update Schedule: Every Sunday
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
Two days later, Ji Bai finally confirmed from various people that someone from Class 19 had indeed been injured, and it was inevitably linked to Xie Sui.
However, when it came to the reason, the boys all had ambiguous looks, refusing to say or simply covering their mouths and laughing in their sleeves, making it impossible to get any meaningful answers.
Speaking of which, it was strange. In the past, Ji Bai used to avoid Xie Sui as if she was avoiding the plague, afraid of encountering him at school. But now, Ji Bai would subconsciously find herself looking towards the basketball court, searching for his figure, but he was never there.
As a matter of fact, occasionally, Ji Bai would catch sight of Cong Yuzhou and the others playing basketball, but Xie Sui was never among them.
Ji Bai was certain that Xie Sui hadn’t been at school these past few days. She had sent him greeting messages, but he didn’t reply.
She was getting awfully annoyed, saying that if he didn’t reply to her messages, then he shouldn’t bother replying for the rest of his life.
……
During these past few days, Xie Sui really hadn’t come to school. The dean had asked him to go home and reflect on his actions.
During the day, he would sleep heavily in his rented room, and at night, he would go to the underground boxing gym to participate in underground boxing matches. His life was in a state of complete decadence, with his days and nights turned upside down, and his overall mental state very poor.
After defeating a challenger in the 75-kilogram weight class, Xie Sui wearily stepped down from the stage, removed his boxing gloves, and reached for his phone.
There were three missed calls from Cong Yuzhou. He spat out a mouthful of blood and packed up his things, getting ready to leave. Just then, his phone rang again, and he answered the call.
“You finally answered the phone!”
“What’s the matter?”
With one hand, he put on his T-shirt, grabbed his jacket, and walked out of the stuffy changing room.
“When are you coming back to school?”
“I’m not coming back. What’s the matter?”
“It’s been several days already. You should come back. Are you seriously considering dropping out?”
“Do you think I’m joking with you?”
“No, don’t be impulsive!”
Xie Sui stretched his sore shoulders and neck, then calmly said, “I’ll take this opportunity to drop out, go out to make money and start a business.”
“Let’s not talk about that for now. These past few days, that girl Ji Bai from Class 1 has been asking about your whereabouts openly and secretly with me and the guys. Zhongning, Xiaoyu, and Xu Yang, have all been approached in private, but none of us dared to tell her the truth. Anyway, whether you’re alive or dead, at least give her some closure.”
In the narrow and dimly lit corridor, Xie Sui suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He leaned against the wall, lowered his head, and softly chuckled. “She’s been asking you guys about me?”
And she even went to such lengths to ask privately too, quite clever, wasn’t she?
“You seem to be enjoying this, aren’t you?” Cong Yuzhou sensed the hint of pleasure in Xie Sui’s tone and breathed a sigh of relief. “Anyway, come back soon. Don’t talk about dropping out or anything, even if you want to, the school might not let you go.”
Xie Sui hung the phone up, put on his jacket, and walked out of the underground boxing gym.
During the season when autumn transitions into winter, Jiang City experiences frequent rainfall. The rain falls abundantly, resembling tiny star-like drops that tap on the face like morning dew.
However, the cold could truly chill one to the bone.
Xie Sui was wearing a T-shirt underneath and casually threw on a black jacket over it. He unlocked his bike parked by the street and rode it back home.
Just after crossing the Yangtze River Bridge, he spotted a girl standing in front of the auto repair shop from a distance.
She was wearing a fluffy white cotton jacket that resembled sheep’s wool. Carrying a heavy school bag on her back, she was sticking her head into the auto repair shop looking around curiously.
Xie Sui parked his bike at the side of the shop, pulled her sleeves, and led her into the auto repair shop.
They walked through the auto repair shop and entered a small door at the back, passing through a narrow alley filled with a mixture of the smell of motor oil and rust. Finally, they arrived at a rental building.
“Hey, Xie Sui, where are we going?”
He didn’t respond and led Ji Bai directly to the third floor.
With a “creak”, he took out a key and opened the door.
Xie Sui walked inside, but when he saw that Ji Bai hadn’t followed him, he left the door slightly open.
Ji Bai initially just wanted to ask about his situation, but she hadn’t expected him to forcefully…drag her all the way to his doorstep.
“I’m not going inside.” The girl’s eyes showed a guarded look. “I just came to check on your situation, nothing more.”
It’s okay as long as you’re alive.
“Not coming in even when you’re at the doorstep, why? Afraid I might ‘bully’ you again?”
Xie Sui intentionally emphasized the word “bully” making his statement ambiguous and unclear.
Ji Bai helplessly sighed, keeping in mind that she still had something she wanted to say so she followed him inside.
With a “bang” Xie Sui closed the door, and she could feel her heart jumping in response to the sound.
The rented room was narrow, it was a single room that had a single bed placed in the southeast corner. The furniture was very simple, lacking any decorative items or electrical appliances, only meeting the basic needs of daily life.
Ji Bai stood at a loss in the completely empty room.
Xie Sui took all the racing magazines from the sofa and then collected the beer cans and ashtray from the coffee table, dumping them in the trash can.
“Take a seat.”
Ji Bai wasted time before finally sitting down on his sofa. The sofa itself appeared to be old, showing signs of aging on its black leather surface.
However, it was quite soft.
Xie Sui walked over and opened the sliding window, letting in some fresh air.
There were deep blue paper decorations glued on the glass, and outside the window was a lush camphor tree with its branches and leaves swaying gracefully, casting dancing shadows.
He opened the refrigerator and found it absolutely empty, with nothing inside and nothing to offer her.
“I’ll go out to buy some food. You…”
Xie Sui thought for a moment and then pointed to the desk, saying, “You can work on your homework for a while.”
“No need, Xie Sui.” Ji Bai promptly got up and said, “I won’t stay for too long. I’ll leave soon.”
Xie Sui didn’t insist on keeping her and walked over to sit on the coffee table, casually stretching his legs. He asked her, “I heard you’ve been asking about me?”
Ji Bai pursed her lips, wondering how he knew about it when he wasn’t at school. Whenever Ji Bai asked someone, she would always be very cautious and urge them to keep it a secret.
“I heard that you got into a fight, and it seemed like it was related to me.”
“It had nothing to do with you.” Xie Sui flatly denied. “Simply couldn’t stand idiots. Don’t stand, sit down.”
Ji Bai sat back down on the edge of the sofa, her fair little hands clutching the fabric of her jeans. She asked with concern, “Did the school punish you?”
Xie Sui gave a somewhat mischievous smile at the corner of his eye. “Why, are you very worried about me?”
“No, not at all. I was just asking because I heard it was because of me…”
Xie Sui raised his head and gazed at her. Her skin was indeed fair, with subtle blood vessels visible underneath. Her eyes and rosy lips complemented each other, making her beautiful enough to make him want to commit a crime.
He kneaded his nose and said, “Don’t listen to the nonsense coming from those idiots at school. My business has nothing to do with you. Laozi wouldn’t get into a fight for a woman.”
She replied with a soft “Oh.”
He added, “Besides, you’re not Laozi’s woman yet.”
“……”
Ji Bai adjusted the straps of her school bag, stood up, and said, “Xie Sui, if everything is fine now, you should go back to school and not delay your studies.”
Xie Sui stood up to see her off and asked, “Do you really want me to go back to school?”
She didn’t know how to answer, so she remained silent.
Xie Sui took a step ahead and blocked her at the door. In the narrow passage with dim lighting, he bowed his head to gaze closely at her black eyelashes and softly asked, “I’m not good at studying, would you look down on me if I wasn’t educated?”
“Why are you saying these things?”
“I’m planning to drop out of school.”
Ji Bai suddenly looked up at him and exclaimed, “What?!”
Xie Sui’s expression remained calm and his gaze slightly lowered. There was a hint of dimness flickering in his eyes as he explained, “Staying in school is a waste of time. I’m thinking it’s better to leave early and do something, earn more money, even if it’s through racing, I can earn more than I do now.”
However, before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt Ji Bai’s hand tightly grip his clothes, with force——
“Xie Sui, you aren’t allowed to drop out of school.”
“……”
“No matter what university you apply to, you must definitely go. If you don’t, I…I will be very disappointed.”
Xie Sui furrowed his brow, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion.
Ji Bai was unexpectedly reminded by him. She remembered that in their high school years, Xie Sui had dropped out for reasons unknown. However, she knew that the incident involving him had occurred after he dropped out of school.
If he could stay in school and behave properly, the likelihood and risk of accidents happening would be significantly reduced.
Xie Sui steadily gazed at the girl——
“You…don’t want me to leave?”
Ji Bai didn’t know how to respond. Her gaze flickered uncertainly, her eyes shifting to the side. “What I mean is…it’s really difficult to establish oneself in society with just a high school diploma.”
Xie Sui’s hand unexpectedly slipped through the strands of hair at her temple, caressing the side of her cheek as her silky hair escaped through his fingers.
He held the back of her head and pulled her closer to himself.
Under the dim wall lamp, half of his face was shrouded in the deep shadows, his voice low and powerful. “Just one sentence from you, saying that you don’t want me to leave, and I can stay for you.”
Ji Bai felt the rough texture between his palms as they touched her, and her body couldn’t help but tremble with sensitivity…
After a long while, the girl finally nodded.
A surge of warmth seemed to pour into Xie Sui’s heart, and his withered soul became alive in that moment.
He resisted the urge to immediately kiss her, instead, he lightly and gently used the tips of his fingers to caress her cheeks.
Like caressing a little kitten.
“Can I…”
“No, you can’t! I…I have to go!”
“I’ll walk you home.”
Xie Sui turned around to grab his jacket, but Ji Bai opened the door herself and ran away, saying, “No, no need!”
He walked to the door and gazed at the girl’s fleeing figure
Her cheek’s lingering warmth on his palm was a soft, tender sensation he had never felt before, one unique to girls.
He couldn’t control himself, repeatedly imagining in his mind the ultimate pleasure he would feel in the moment that he finally had her.
**
Two days later, Xie Sui went straight to the principal’s office.
Dexin High School was a private school with advanced facilities, both in terms of hardware and software. The principal’s office was even more luxurious, equipped with fully automated floor heating and all the office furniture inside was made of expensive mahogany.
The principal’s last name was Chen, his full name was Chen Zhenheng. He was a man in his fifties, dressed in a suit with a meticulously tied tie and had a slightly plump figure but not too overweight. He exuded a spirited aura and was no less impressive than the business executives seen on financial television. The only difference was that he also carried an air of scholarly temperament.
To some extent, Dexin High School could be considered a prestigious school with a business-like management.
“Come on, tell me what’s on your mind.” Chen Zhenheng pointed to a photo on the wall featuring two men and said to Xie Sui, “In front of your father’s face, tell us everything that’s on your mind clearly.”
Xie Sui looked at the photo on the wall.
In the photo, the man next to Chen Zhenheng had a smile on his face, and it was indeed Xie Sui’s father.
Xie Sui replied coldly, “Whatever thoughts I have, I’ll say it to him personally in prison. There’s no need to put on a show in front of a photo.”
“Go to the prison?” Chen Zhenheng said displeased. “I heard you haven’t visited him in prison for several years.”
“That’s my business, no need for your concern.”
“I’m your father’s friend.” Principal Chen emphasized, “I promised him that I would look after you.”
Xie Sui’s lips curled into a cold smile. “When he was imprisoned and needed witnesses, I didn’t see you stepping forward as his friend.”
“Xie Sui, you wouldn’t understand the matters of adults. Your father committed a crime enough to warrant the death penalty. I went to great lengths just to save his life. Why can’t you be more sensible?!”
Xie Sui didn’t want to bring up anything related to his father’s imprisonment, and Chen Zhenheng certainly didn’t want to touch upon the past either. He simply said, “The Yao family isn’t someone you can easily offend. The school covered the medical expenses, but you must apologize to them. Otherwise, they won’t let it go easily, and the school might be forced to expel you.”
“Apologizing is impossible.”
“Xie Sui, don’t be so stubborn!” Principal Chen became anxious. “If it weren’t for your father, do you think I would have tolerated you for this long? At that time, I promised your father that I would get you into a university. If you leave the school now, you’ll forever be seen as scum in society, looked down by others. When all is said and done, do you understand?! This society doesn’t solve problems through force, but through wealth and capital!”
Xie Sui clenched his fists tightly.
Forever seen as scum in society, forever looked down by others…
She would look down on you too…
“You go and apologize to Yao Wu, and this matter will be over.”
“Apologizing is impossible. I will find a way to resolve this matter.”
Xie Sui said as he turned and left the principal’s office.
T/N:
This translator hates drinking medicine hence why she’s still sick 😐
The principal seems kind of sus – but then again that might just be me :3
What do you guys think?
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Chapters Left: 73
