Translated by: Queen Dei Mos
Update Schedule: Sporadic
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
Will be changing “dean” to “director”
Regardless of whether the apple was sweet or not, this sentence had already sweetened Xie Sui’s heart.
Leaning against the window, Xie Sui enjoyed watching Ji Bai eat the apple.
Her cherry-like lips seemed unable to open wide, delicately chewing the flesh of the fruit in small and refined bites. If it were him, he could finish the whole thing in just two or three bites.
He pondered, feeling that girls were indeed different. They ate slowly, walked slowly, and it was precisely because they were slow that they grew so delicately——
Almond-shaped eyes, a cute nose, and cherry-pink lips…she really was so well-behaved.
Xie Sui’s light brown eyes stared at her intently, making her somewhat uncomfortable.
“You shouldn’t stand there, quickly go back.”
Xie Sui tilted his head to glance at the students in the classroom. They pretended to study and read their books, but their eyes often drifted towards the window, gossiping and taking note of every move the two of them made.
Leaning against the window, Xie Sui moved closer to her and lowered his voice, asking, “Why? Am I embarrassing you by being here?”
His voice was quite clear and yielding, with a touch of huskiness.
Ji Bai turned her head and accidentally met his deep gaze. His pair of eyes seemed capable of hooking others in, with a slight flicker, igniting a romantic and passionate feeling.
She averted her gaze and whispered, “Can you stop being so sensitive? I don’t think that way.”
Seeing the girl’s distressed appearance, Xie Sui’s heart melted. A playful smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Alright, I won’t say things like that anymore.”
Things you don’t like, I’ll change them.
The apple was quite big, and Ji Bai couldn’t finish the whole thing. She struggled to swallow the last bite, leaving a small portion behind. Xie Sui casually reached out and took it from her hand, saying, “Help you throw it away.”
Passing the apple to him, Ji Bai watched as he took the core, turned it over and took a bite.
It was crisp, juicy, and really sweet.
Ji Bai saw him eating her messy leftovers without any reservation, and her face flushed red. “Hey! What on earth are you doing?!”
“Wasteful.”
Xie Sui smirked and walked towards the trash can at the end of the hallway.
However, as he was strolling back, he saw Chen Zheyang approaching in a rage.
Chen Zheyang was clearly in a bad mood, his face looking unsightly as he walked up to Ji Bai’s window and interrogated her, “Bai Bai, what’s going on with the movie ticket? How come the person who showed up was Ji Feifei? Did she steal your movie ticket?”
Considering the classmates behind her, Ji Bai stepped out of the classroom door to explain to Chen Zheyang, “I gave them to her.”
“You promised me you would come, why did you go back on your word?!”
Chen Zheyang was finding Ji Bai’s attitude towards him unbearable. The girl who used to be so docile and obedient in the past, why did she become like this?
“Chen Zheyang, I never promised you anything. ” Ji Bai lowered her voice. “I know you like Ji Feifei, so I gave her the ticket to help you two get closer. I also hope that you won’t bother me in the future.”
Chen Zheyang explained in a great rush, “Bai Bai, you’ve got it wrong. I never said I liked your older sister. Actually, this time I came back, I feel like I…”
Before he could finish speaking, his whole body was turned over.
Turning back, he saw Xie Sui’s grave and stern expression.
Xie Sui grabbed his shoulder, spun him around, and pressed him against the edge of the third-floor balcony. His gaze was filled with a fierce and menacing aura. “I told you to stay away from her. Did you think laozi was joking?”
Chen Zheyang’s body was almost slipping off the edge of the balcony. He firmly held onto Xie Sui’s hand, his eyes filled with terror. He trembled, afraid that if he wasn’t careful, he would be pushed off.
Ji Bai was also frightened, her voice trembling as she said, “Xie Sui, this is too dangerous!”
Xie Sui pressed down on Chen Zheyang, his face expressionless, but his eyes gleamed with a chilling sharpness that made him tremble for the rest of his life just by thinking about it.
Ji Bai had already grasped his hand and pleaded softly, “Let go, please?”
Xie Sui could sense the girl’s fear but he didn’t want to scare her, hence, he reluctantly pulled Chen Zheyang back.
Just as Chen Zheyang was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Xie Sui grabbed his collar and lightly tapped his cheek in a threatening manner, enunciating each word as he warned, “Be more careful.”
After saying that, he released Chen Zheyang and left.
It took Chen Zheyang a while to recover. His deathly pale cheeks gradually regained their color. He furiously turned his head around and said, “What’s the matter with that guy ah? Xiao Bai, how could you get involved with such trash?”
Ji Bai initially felt sorry for him being bullied, but upon hearing him say such words, she turned around abruptly and blurted out——
“He’s not trash.”
She, in spite of Chen Zheyang’s stunned look, turned around in anger and went back to the classroom, firmly closing the window behind her.
**
This year’s Christmas unexpectedly brought snow. The snowflakes fell into tiny fragments, fluttering about like goose feathers, densely packed. They landed on the wet streets and melted in an instant.
It was uncommon for it to snow in Jiang City. After school, all the students became excited, carrying their school bags and shouting as they rushed into the heavy snow.
Yin Xiaxia pulled Ji Bai and a few other girls out of the school gate. They arrived at the edge of the flower garden, where the snow piled up, forming a thin layer on the bushes.
Many people around took out their phones and began taking photos of the sky.
In the distance, Xie Sui’s mountain bike came to a stop, and he looked at the girl by the flower garden.
The ends of her hair were adorned with several pure white diamond-shaped snowflakes. She took off her furry glove and extended her delicate and fair hand to catch the snowflakes, her eyes brimming with pleasant surprise.
“If only we could build a snowman.” Ji Bai sighed, “The last time I built a snowman was…”
She thought for a long time, and suddenly remembered that it was in her previous life. That night, she and Xie Sui built a strange-looking snowman together, giving it branches for arms.
Under the snowy sky, Ji Bai put her hands together and made a wish, hoping for a peaceful and smooth life ahead, filled with sweetness and happiness.
Three days later, she accidentally passed away.
The snowman hadn’t even melted yet.
……
While Ji Bai was lost in thought, Yin Xiaxia touched her face with her snow-covered hand, chilling her. “What are you thinking about, getting so lost in your thoughts?”
Ji Bai squatted down, cupping a pile of snow, “I was thinking, can we build a snowman with this?”
Yin Xiaxia said, “Definitely not, this snow isn’t enough.”
“If it keeps snowing like this all night, we’ll definitely be able to tomorrow.”
“Who knows, maybe it will stop snowing soon.”
Ji Bai said with a big smile, “If it snows again tomorrow, I’m going to build a big snowman.”
Someone nearby murmured softly with a low and mellow voice, “Childish.”
Ji Bai turned around and saw Xie Sui’s mountain bike “whoosh” flying out.
His tall and straight figure disappeared into the vast snowy night.
Ji Bai pouted, thinking to herself that he was just a little brat pretending to be cool.
The first thing in the morning, Ji Bai got out of bed and looked out the window. The world outside was covered in white and the snow on the streets had been shoveled to both sides, forming piles along the way.
It seemed that it had really snowed all through the night ah!
Ji Bai pushed open the window, and the chilly wind rushed in, dispersing the warmth in the room. She felt a burst of energy, tidied up, and then headed out.
A lot of students gathered in front of the school building, chatting and discussing something. Each floor also had many students, looking curiously downstairs and taking out their phones to take photos.
Ji Bai parked her bike and squeezed into the crowd. To her surprise, she found a cute snowman in the small flower garden in front of the school building, standing about half a meter tall.
The snowman was shaped like a big white dog, with a round body and a flat head. Its two black eyes were made of stones, and its mouth was a straight twig. Around the neck of the big white dog was a black scarf.
“Who did this? Someone actually built a snowman here?”
“Whoever did it, they’re talented!”
“Hahaha, this snowman is so big. I don’t know how long but I bet they came to school before dawn to build it.”
……
While Ji Bai was staring blankly at the snowman, Yin Xiaxia walked up to her and gently tapped her shoulder. “Hey, yesterday you said you wanted to build a snowman, and today someone already built one here, waiting for you.”
Ji Bai responded with indifference, “Anyone can build a snowman. Don’t read too much into it.”
“Yeah, look at this snowman, it’s so ugly. What is it ah?”
Ji Bai walked up to the steps of the school building and finally turned to glance at the white snowman. She remarked, “Looks like a dog.”
It even bore some resemblance to the white dog pendant Ji Bai had given to Xie Sui.
As the bell for the morning reading class rang, Cong Yuzhou entered the classroom. He brushed off the snowflakes on a black scarf and hung it around Xie Sui’s neck, causing him to shiver——
“Want to die?”
“I kindly helped you collect your scarf, and this is how you thank me ah?”
Xie Sui replied casually, “It’s not mine.”
Cong Yuzhou grinned and said, “You only have this one scarf. How could I mistake it?”
Xie Sui took off the nearly frozen scarf, patted Cong Yuzhou’s head, and retorted, “Fuck, you’re so nosy.”
**
In the afternoon, Ji Bai was called into the office by the homeroom teacher. The director of Academic Affairs happened to be there too, with tea and cigarettes on the table, as if they had been waiting for a while.
Ji Bai turned towards the homeroom teacher in puzzlement, “Teacher Liang, is there something you need from me?”
Teacher Liang lightly coughed and said, “In fact, Director Qin wants to speak with you. He has something to discuss.”
Director Qin stood up and walked over to the water dispenser, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to Ji Bai.
“Thank you, Teacher Qin.”
Director Qin exchanged a glance with Teacher Liang before saying, “Here’s the thing, Ji Bai. During the last performance, you and your fellow student Ji Feifei won first prize. The school is planning to award you a prize of five thousand yuan.”
Ji Bai said pleasantly surprised, “Thank you, teacher.”
The next part of the conversation was perhaps difficult to bring up as Director Qin repeatedly gave Teacher Liang meaningful looks.
However, Teacher Liang kept a watchful eye and a calm mind, standing by the table without saying a word.
Seeing his hesitation, Ji Bai asked, “Does Teacher Qin have something else to say?”
“Ah, here’s the thing…”
Director Qin cursed Teacher Liang in his heart for a moment, paused, and finally decided to speak in a frank manner, “Although you and Ji Feifei performed together in the program, the Ministry of Education is very strict about exra points. So, if the results of this performance are to be included in the college entrance exam points…it can only be credited to one person.”
Ji Bai instantly understood the intention behind Director Qin’s words. It seemed he wanted to use the so-called “award” of five thousand yuan to buy her extra points for the college entrance exam.
She set down the cup of water, her expression turning solemn. “Teacher Qin, if you1(Original Text): 您 – nín. (English): you – formal, courteous you. had watched the performance, you would know whether it was Ji Feifei’s dance or my cello performance that won the first place.”
“This…” Director Qin, having a guilty conscience, said, “Ji Bai, Even though your cello performance was indeed impressive, you shouldn’t be too arrogant. Both of you worked together in the performance, and everyone contributed. Don’t you think so?”
Ji Bai continued along his line of thought. “You’re2(Original Text): 您 – nín. (English): you – formal, courteous you. right. Since both of us contributed, why is only Ji Feifei getting the extra points? Moreover, she promised me that the extra points would be mine.”
“The verbal agreement between you two doesn’t count. Ji Feifei is your older sister, your flesh and blood. You also know she’s suffering from an illness. She has been fighting against it tenaciously for years. How can you have the nerve to compete with her for extra points in the college entrance exam?”
“Just because she’s ill, does that mean I should let her have her way?”
“Of course ah.”
Ji Bai looked at the director of academic affairs with his confident expression and suddenly didn’t feel like saying anything anymore.
He, like those people, felt sorry for Ji Feifei, and because of that pity, she could rightfully snatch away what belonged to others.
“Teacher Liang, what can you say about this?”
Ji Bai placed her hope in her homeroom teacher, but Teacher Liang helplessly sighed.”I naturally hope you can pass the college entrance exam and get into a good university. Only Ji Bai, I believe in your abilities. Even without those few extra points, you will surely be able to get into a top university.”
“Teacher Liang!”
Director Qin interrupted, “Alright, Ji Bai, you don’t need to say anything anymore. This matter has already been decided.”
“Teacher Liang, just because she was born with an illness, does that mean the school can condone all of her actions? From the An Kerou cyber manhunt incident before, to the incident with my cello being lost, and now this matter of the extra points…they’re all like this…”
Ji Bai was also pushed to her limits, spoke out without any restraint and questioned in a serious tone, “How long is the school going to cover up for her?”
Director Qin’s expression changed. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. The school is fair to every student!”
“Is it really fair?”
Ji Bai retorted, extremely angry, “By doing this, you’re only pushing Ji Feifei to fall deeper and deeper into the abyss.3Meaning: It will worsen Ji Feifei’s situation or make her problems more severe. You are the main culprits responsible for pushing her into a situation of eternal damnation.
“You’re talking nonsense! Disrespectful, can’t even show basic respect to a teacher. Get out!”
Ji Bai was almost suffocating from the stifling atmosphere in the office. She stormed out in anger.
Disoriented, she had barely taken a few steps when her homeroom teacher followed her out, wanting to comfort her.
“Ji Bai, a few days ago, the school had a meeting to discuss this matter. Naturally, I was against it in my heart because I know you won that competition.”
Ji Bai’s heart was suffering from the pain, “Teacher Liang, you don’t have to say it.”
As Ji Bai’s homeroom teacher, Teacher Liang didn’t have the authority to question the decisions of the school leaders.
“The application documents have already been submitted to the Ministry of Education. In a couple of days, Ji Feifei will be interviewed. When the time comes, leaders from the Ministry of Education will also come to observe. Mainly it’s…Ji Feifei is our school’s inspirational spokesperson. Choosing her will have a greater social impact and increase our school’s publicity.”
The homeroom teacher’s words went to this extent and made everything clear to Ji Bai.
Ji Feifei’s identity of being a hemophiliac served as an unhindered green pass for her life’s success.
And the school, too, was exploiting this pass for their own benefit.
The homeroom teacher lightly patted Ji Bai’s shoulder and helplessly sighed. “Ji Bai, this teacher doesn’t know how to explain this…You’re still young and can’t understand. There are many things in life that can’t be changed. We can only compromise.'”
Ji Bai’s hands were stuffed in her pockets, hands tightly clenched into fists her nails digging deeply into the flesh of her palms.
Her body couldn’t help but tremble, cold sweat forming on her back…
So starting over, were there really…things that could never be changed? She tried to be smarter and work harder than before, but she still couldn’t change her fate?
Did she have to live her whole life under Ji Feifei’s shadow?
No, she refused to accept it, and won’t compromise!
Ji Bai angrily left, passing by the sports field, where a deep red basketball slowly rolled to her feet.
She heard a sharp whistle and looked up only to see several boys waving at her. Xie Sui stood among them, leaning against the basketball pole.
Under the sunlight, he slightly lifted his chin.
He was wearing a black short-sleeved basketball jersey, raising his eyebrows lazily as he smiled. The coldness in his sharp eyebrows was softened by the gentle smile, giving off a bit of a charming vibe.
“Xiao Bai, kick it over here.”
Ji Bai’s mood was extremely terrible and she didn’t want to deal with the group of boys. With a calm and collected face, she walked towards the school building.
Seeing her leaving coldly, Cong Yuzhou looked sympathetically at Xie Sui. “Even after giving her the apple and building the snowman, it seems like it was all in vain.”
Xie Sui’s previously good mood vanished like smoke.
Jiang Zhongning tossed the basketball to him, but he blocked it with his hand. He picked up his jacket and without saying a word walked towards the direction of the school building.
During class time, with no one else in the hallway, Ji Bai heard clear footsteps behind her. It was Xie Sui chasing after her——
“Stop.”
Ji Bai, however, refused to stop. She didn’t even turn to look at him.
He took two or three steps up the stairs then grabbed her slender wrist, his voice heavy as he said, “Did you know that you made me lose a lot of face just a moment ago?”
Boys cared about their faces. Ignoring Xie Sui in front of so many people made Ji Bai appear aloof, arrogant, and also very impolite.
But she was preoccupied with her own thoughts, so overwhelmed with worries that she didn’t have the energy to deal with him.
“Xie Sui, you let go first.”
Ji Bai tried to pull her hand away forcefully, but he was holding on tightly, making it impossible for her to break free. She anxiously called out, “Xie Sui…”
Xie Sui looked at the girl’s fine eyelashes, those cold brown eyes beneath them. It felt like his heart was oozing blood from being scratched by a cat’s claw,
“The apple was sweet, wasn’t it?” Xie Sui pressed her against the wall, his voice carried a low and mellow hoarseness, “You also liked the snowman, even smiled at it. Why can’t you try liking me, and give me a smile?”
Ji Bai’s eyebrows furrowed her into small hills.4Meaning: She is frowning or expressing concern or displeasure. “Xie Sui, I can’t smile right now. I’m very busy, and I don’t want to consider any emotional matters in the short term. If you’re not like this, we can be friends.”
Xie Sui sneered. “You’re just a high school student. Besides studying, what else could you possibly be busy with?”
“I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”
“You can try.”
Ji Bai was also pushed to her limit by him, she looked up at him.
The skylight cast a ray of light between his forehead and his clear light brown eyes were completely perplexed.
Ji Bai bit her pink lips and said with a hint of annoyance, “What if I die one day, Xie Sui?”
She spoke with an awfully low and profound voice, nevertheless, it sent shivers through every fiber of Xie Sui’s being.
“Xie Sui, I don’t want to die. I want to live well, to live freely and unburdened. That’s what I’m doing now…”
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Sui suddenly leaned in and bit down hard onto her left earlobe.
A shiver shot up Ji Bai’s spine, catching her off guard and causing her eyes to widen suddenly. The boy’s gentle and soft tongue licked and nibbled her earlobe causing a bit of pain.
她伸手推他的胸口，却被他反手扣住手腕，按在了头顶。 She tried to push his chest with her hand, but he grabbed her wrist and pressed it against her head.
“X-Xie Sui…” She was embarrassed and anxious, her face turning bright red. “You let go…”
Xie Sui’s scorching hot breath teased the strands of hair near her ear, but his voice turned freezing cold, “Never, ever mention that word to me.”
She could sense the surge of his emotions at that moment. He was punishing her for uttering the word “die” in such a ruthless yet gentle way.
“Whoever dares to harm you, I’ll send them straight to hell.”
Xie Sui gripped her slender wrist with force.
Ji Bai’s eyes suddenly reddened, and all the grievances that she had pent up burst out in that instant.
Xie Sui felt the girl’s shoulders shaking, and he slowly released her.
Ji Bai wiped the corners of her reddened eyes with her sleeve, then slowly crouched down, hugging her legs and burying her face in her knees.
“Xie Sui, you’re always like this…” Her voice was broken, accompanied by a sob.
Seeing her crying like this, Xie Sui felt like all of his internal organs were in a knot. It was as if all the strength in his body had nowhere to go, making him suffer from unimaginable pain.
Neither light nor heavy…he really didn’t know what to do with this girl.
“Don’t cry.”
“Don’t cry, okay?”
“I’m begging you.”
Xie Sui had never comforted a girl before, let alone begged anyone, but now he felt like kneeling down before her.
He used his palm to wipe away her tears, as a result, rough calluses on his hands made her cheeks turn even more red.
“It hurts…”
Ji Bai turned her face away, avoiding his palm.
Xie Sui’s hands were wet from her tears and he casually wiped them on his clothes. Then, he used the back of his hand, which was smoother, to wipe away her tears.
In fact, Ji Bai wasn’t crying because of him. She merely felt extremely wronged and Xie Sui’s sudden teasing and words had made all her emotions pile up together until she finally couldn’t hold them in anymore.
Xie Sui leaned his head and caught sight of her cute left earlobe which was abnormally red and bore the faint marks of his teeth, evidence of his earlier “beastly” behavior.
He gently touched her earlobe with a distressed look.
Ji Bai’s sensitive body trembled again and she instinctively avoided him.
“Xiao Bai, you can hit me.”
Xie Sui grabbed her hand, talking incoherently. “I absolutely won’t hit back.”
Boys’ way of thinking was often very direct and simple. It was as if, in their world, fists could solve everything.
“Bastard”
Ji Bai stood up and punched his shoulder.
The force of that punch was quite soft, landing on him like a light tap but it meant that she forgave him.
Ji Bai thought about that night in the alley when he was so drunk, yet when he kissed her, he still remembered to use his hand as a barrier……
Xie Sui was the most heroic and daring bastard, untamed and wild.
But he was willing to control his impulsive behavior for her sake, therefore, Ji Bai was also willing to tolerate his occasional bad temper.
“Xie Sui, let’s try being good friends for the time being, okay?”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say.” Xie Sui’s heart was tormented by her tears, so naturally he agreed to whatever she said.
As Ji Bai was about to leave, Xie Sui, all of a sudden, grabbed the corner of her clothes. “Best friends.”
“What?”
Xie Sui’s beautiful light brown eyes stared at her intently as he repeated, “Laozi has never been friends with a girl before, I can make an exception for you but I want to be your best friend.”
T/N:
I’m so frustrated with the school here…I absolutely wanted to splash the director’s face with the cup of water that Bai Bai put down (ʘдʘ╬)
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Chapters Left: 67
