ASHIA Chapter 39

Translated by: Queen Dei Mos

Novel Update Schedule: Monday

“Ji Bai, it’s below freezing outside. Don’t run around, you’ll catch a cold.” Li Chen tagged along out of the banquet hall and in passing took off his coat to give it to her.

The elevator doors slid open, and Ji Bai dashed straight out of the hotel entrance.

The biting cold and piercing wind hit her instantly, causing her to shiver involuntarily. Her entire body’s blood felt like it was ice cold, as if it was about to freeze solid.

It was really so cold, so cold ah.

Yet Xie Sui had been standing out in the snowy night for several hours.

Ji Bai’s eyes turned red. She reached the opposite side of the street, only to find it empty. The only signs of life were the tire tracks of a bike in the snow.

Xie Sui had already left.

Li Chen promptly ran out and wrapped Ji Bai’s delicate body in his own coat.

“Are you mad?” His tone was urgent. “On such a cold day, do you want to turn into an ice cube?”

Ji Bai turned a deaf ear to him, trembling, she took out her phone and called Xie Sui, “Where are you ah?”

It sounded like there was wind blowing on the other end of the phone, and the sound of electricity crackling.

After a while, Xie Sui casually replied, “Went back.”

“Why on earth were you waiting downstairs ah?” Ji Bai’s voice carried a hint of a whimpering tone. She rubbed her slightly itchy nose, gritting her teeth to hold back tears. “Why on earth…?”

Listening to the girl repeating the same words over and over again, Xie Sui licked his dry lips but didn’t know how to respond.

“Laozi wasn’t waiting for you. I was waiting to see the lavish fireworks put out by your Ji Group. Is that a problem ah?”

“That…were they nice?”

“Nice.”

He just wanted to watch the same fireworks with her on New Year’s Eve.

“Quickly go back, ” he urged. “Aren’t you cold ah?”

“Yes, I’m cold. Then I’ll quickly go back. Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.”

After hanging up the phone, Xie Sui emerged from a dark corner, the streetlight obscuring his eyes under his prominent brows, making them appear even deeper.

He turned and stepped into the swirling flurries of the falling snow.

In the past eighteen years, despite the hardships and injustices of life, fate had only sharpened his edges.

Xie Sui never felt inferior. He believed that with his own fists and staking his life, he could earn everything he desired.

Money was never an issue, nor were women.

But that night, for the first time in his life, Xie Sui felt inferior.

Looking at that girl, pure and beautiful like freshly fallen snow, Xie Sui felt like he wasn’t worth anything at all.

Therefore, he ran away, afraid to face her in her magnificent attire.

Just then, another burst of fireworks exploded in the night sky, scattering millions of tiny golden haze spreading across the night, showering his face.

From his phone, a message came from the girl: “Xie Sui, the fireworks have started again, quickly take a look ah!”

Quickly look ah

A smirk formed on his lips as he raised his head, as if seeing a light illuminating the dark path.

**

That night, Ji Bai’s dreams were considerably restless. At times, she dreamed of making a fool of herself at the annual meeting, being laughed at by others. At other times, she dreamed of Ji Feifei, who told her that she couldn’t escape her fate.

And finally…Ji Bai unexpectedly dreamt of Xie Sui.

The young man stood on the basketball court, waving at her from a distance.

Under the sunlight, his features were clear, he was beaming from ear to ear

All the nightmares shattered the moment she saw him smile.

When Ji Bai woke up, there seemed to be a faint smile on her lips. She got out of bed and opened the window.

Outside the window was a pure white world covered in snowflakes.

In the new year, everything was particularly safe and peaceful.

Early in the morning, her parents were busy decorating the house for the New Year. Ji Bai took the “Fu“¹During the Spring Festival, it’s customary to paste the “福” (Fu) character, symbolizing “blessing” or “good fortune, ” on doors and windows to express hopes for happiness and a bright future. Source: Confucius Institute for Scotland character from her mother’s hands, stood on a chair, and stuck an upside-down bright red “Fu” on the door.

Her parents treated Ji Bai very well, seemingly not angry at all about what happened at the annual meeting yesterday.

Of course, they wouldn’t be angry, because early in the morning, Old Lady Ji called them and invited them over for lunch.

Ji Mingzhi wasn’t highly valued in the Ji Group and the family so Old Lady Ji rarely invited them over for meals. On New Year’s Day, she actually proposed to invite them home, which surprised the husband and wife and left them feeling overwhelmed by her favor.

Ji Feifei woke up late and went downstairs yawning. Tao Jiazhi told her to quickly wash up and get dressed because they were going to the old house for a meal today.

Thinking of what happened last night, Ji Feifei was still a bit unhappy and awkwardly asked, “Why did grandmother suddenly invite us?”

Tao Jiazhi gently patted Ji Bai’s head and softly said, “Bai Bai performed quite well at the annual meeting yesterday, and your grandmother was very pleased, which is why she invited us over for a meal.”

Hearing that it was Ji Bai’s credit, Ji Feifei’s face sank. She trudged to the bathroom to wash up and get ready.

The Ji family’s old residence was located near the city center park. It was a garden-style private residence with four entrances and four exits. The courtyard featured a small bridge over flowing water, rockeries, and a small garden with a pond where goldfish were kept. Old Lady Ji loves flowers, so they had a specialist to grow expensive and rare flowers in the courtyard. The environment was beautiful and secluded, quite refined.

In such an expensive area where every inch of land was precious, to own a garden-style residence resembling that of a prince’s mansion showed how deep the Ji family’s roots were. Compared to the old house, the wealth of Ji Bai’s family was nothing worth mentioning.

The Ji family’s brothers and sisters had different statuses. For example, Ji Jing’s family, who have done well, had a say in the head office. On the other hand, Ji Mingzhi’s family, who haven’t fared as well, ran a small company that often incurred losses and needed financial support from the head office to barely stay afloat.

It was evident that Ji Mingzhi’s family wasn’t valued by the old lady for a reason.

The Ji family had numerous children but today, the old lady only invited two families, Ji Bai’s eldest uncle’s family and Ji Mingzhi’s family.

Eldest uncle’s family only had one daughter and that was Ji Jing.

This cousin was smart, efficient in her work, and was proper and cautious in dealing with people, with many talents and skills. When she was young, she traveled with her father to study in various European countries, gaining extensive experience at a young age.

At just nineteen years old, she was the pearl in the old lady’s palm. The old lady often invited Ji Jing over to chat, and she would play the piano for her.

Many speculated that Old Lady Ji would entrust the vast family business to Ji Jing.

Of course, these were all baseless speculations. After seeing the old lady’s attitude towards Ji Bai last night, they began to have other thoughts. In short, no one could guess the old lady’s thoughts.

During the meal, Ji Mingzhi praised Ji Jing, saying that she had passed the entrance exam to a prestigious university and gave her a red envelope.

However, Ji Jing’s family didn’t think highly of Ji Mingzhi’s family. Ji Jing politely accepted the red envelope, but her expression indifferent. She just thanked him without saying anything else.

Ji Jing was quite proud. She was far superior from her peers. Therefore, even to this elder, she only remained polite and wouldn’t engage in much conversation because her family looked down on Ji Mingzhi’s family from the bottom of their hearts.

However, at the dining table, the only person Ji Jing was willing to speak to more was Ji Bai.

Yesterday, Ji Bai’s cello performance truly impressed her. She and Ji Bai discussed the matter of taking exams and she also inquired about which university Ji Bai was planning to apply to.

Ji Feifei really wanted to be good friends with Ji Jing, but Ji Jing didn’t pay much attention to her. Over time, Ji Feifei naturally grew to dislike Ji Jing.

Such an outstanding girl, if not a friend, would inevitably be considered an enemy.

Although Ji Feifei unilaterally placed Ji Jing on her enemies list, Ji Jing didn’t pay her any mind.

Those who Ji Jing considered worthy had to be on equal terms with her.

After the meal, Old Madam Ji asked the children to come to the study. She had recently acquired several pieces of Hetian jade²Hetian jade originates from Xinjiang’s Hetian region in China and is known for its toughness, translucency, and hues ranging from creamy white to greenish. It holds immense cultural and historical significance in Chinese society, symbolizing purity, elegance, longevity, and prosperity.and wanted to give them to the children.

The girls excitedly surrounded the old lady’s display cabinet and selected these three pieces of Hetian jade.

The first piece was a small and exquisite pendant made of sugar-white jade, half of it pure white and the other half tinged with a caramel-like orange hue. It’s surface was carved with a cute zodiac monkey;

The second piece was a pendant made of white jade, shaped like a pixiu.³Something like this. Image Source: Old World Gods

It was a mythical animal that had the head of a dragon and lion’s body, often with hoofs, wings and tail. It was believed to bring luck, ward off evil spirits, and protect against Tai Sui.⁴Tai Sui refers to the Tai Sui God in Chinese astrology. There are 60 Tai Sui in total, each overseeing human fortunes in cycles of 60 years. The Tai Sui of the current year, known as the Year Tai Sui or Liu Nian Tai Sui, is considered the guardian deity responsible for aspects like health, wealth, career, and marriage. Offending Tai Sui can lead to misfortunes and a lack of blessings in these areas. Source: Travel China Guide

The third piece was a white jade Guanyin⁵Guanyin, also known as Guan Yin or Kuan Yin, is a revered figure in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism, known as the Goddess of Mercy or Compassion. Guanyin is often depicted as a female bodhisattva associated with compassion and kindness, who is believed to hear the cries of the world and come to aid those in distress. and translucent in color. The face of Guanyin was compassionately looking down at the suffering of sentient beings with eyes closed.

Old Lady Ji let the three sisters choose for themselves, whichever piece they liked, they could choose it.

Ji Feifei and Ji Jing both set their eyes on the first cute sugar-white jade pendant because both of them were born in the year of the monkey, so they both had a special fondness for this zodiac monkey jade pendant.

Ji Feifei really wanted this sugar-white jade pendant, but it seemed like Ji Jing didn’t want to give up on it as well.

“How about we play rock-paper-scissors?” Ji Jing suggested. “That would be fair.”

Ji Feifei didn’t want to play rock-paper-scissors with her, as there was still a 50% chance of losing.

“I hate gambling the most.” Ji Feifei boldly and forcefully said. “I think…whoever liked it first should get it. I was the first to say I liked this jade.”

Ji Jing smiled. “Cousin Fei Fei, how can it be like that? How can we still talk about first-come, first-served when it comes to this kind of matter? I think since grandma is giving us the jade as a gift, grandma should get to decide who gets it.”

Ji Feifei felt a sense of unease. If grandmother were to choose, she would definitely be partial to Ji Jing ah.

Old Lady Ji didn’t intend to intervene in the sisters’ fight merely being an onlooker. She just smiled lovingly and said, “I won’t interfere. You sisters can discuss and choose for yourselves.”

Ji Feifei looked at her mother, Tao Jiazhi, hoping she would speak up for her.

“Ji Jing, be obedient and give this piece of jade to your younger cousin Fei Fei.” Tao Jiazhi said to Ji Jing in the same tone she used when talking to Ji Bai. “Fei Fei’s health isn’t good, as her older sister, it’s only right for you to let her have it.”

But unexpectedly, Ji Jing, showing no regard for face, bluntly replied, “She’s sick and that’s why I should give it to her? Who says so?”

“This…” Tao Jiazhi forced a smile. “Isn’t this right and proper? You’re the older sister so you should yield to your younger sister who is sick. Isn’t sisterly humility a virtue that your parents have taught you?”

At this point, the eldest uncle’s wife couldn’t stand it anymore. “Jiazhi, we never taught Ji Jing anything about sibling humility. She is our only daughter, and we’ve always given her the best. What we taught her was to strive for what she likes and never give up until the end.”

Ji Bai knew that the eldest uncle’s family practiced a strict and authoritarian education, which had cultivated Ji Jing’s domineering and powerful demeanor. In the previous life’s family inheritance battle, Ji Jing had emerged victorious, becoming the heir of the group and the biggest beneficiary.

“The traditional virtues of our ancestors are all gone. In this commercial society, morals are really in decline.” Tao Jiazhi said with an embarrassed expression on her face, and didn’t say anything more.

Ji Jing and Ji Feifei still decided to play rock-paper-scissors to determine who would own the sugar-white jade pendant. In the end, Ji Jing emerged victorious, happily receiving the pendant.

As for the remaining white jade Guanyin and the pixiu pendant, Ji Feifei reluctantly chose the Guanyin pendant.

However, Ji Bai also happened to have her eye on this Guanyin pendant.

But, Ji Feifei had already taken out the Guanyin pendant and considered it her own.

Noticing Ji Bai’s longing gaze, Old Lady Ji suddenly spoke up, “This white jade Guanyin pendant has a very good color, but it has a flaw.”

Upon hearing that the jade had a flaw, Ji Feifei immediately examined it closely, and sure enough, there was a faint dark red mark under the Guanyin’s eye, like a tear of blood.

The old lady continued, “If it weren’t for this flaw, the price of this jade could have doubled. A Guanyin shedding tears is not a good sign after all.”

Ji Feifei immediately put the Guanyin pendant down and said to Ji Bai, “Younger sister, do you like this Guanyin? If you do, I’ll give it to you.”

This was exactly what Ji Bai had in mind. She handed the pixiu pendant to Ji Feifei and carefully picked up the tear-stained Guanyin pendant, looking at her grandmother with gratitude.

Her grandmother smiled knowingly and didn’t say much.

Ji Bai carefully examined the tear-stained Guanyin pendant. Guanyin’s compassionate face, with gentle brows and kind eyes, free from worldly attachments, gazed down upon the suffering world.

This reminded her of that rugged and weather-beaten young man.

T/N:

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Chapters Left: 54

• 1
  During the Spring Festival, it’s customary to paste the “福” (Fu) character, symbolizing “blessing” or “good fortune, ” on doors and windows to express hopes for happiness and a bright future. Source: Confucius Institute for Scotland
• 2
  Hetian jade originates from Xinjiang’s Hetian region in China and is known for its toughness, translucency, and hues ranging from creamy white to greenish. It holds immense cultural and historical significance in Chinese society, symbolizing purity, elegance, longevity, and prosperity.
• 3
  Something like this. Image Source: Old World Gods
  
  
• 4
  Tai Sui refers to the Tai Sui God in Chinese astrology. There are 60 Tai Sui in total, each overseeing human fortunes in cycles of 60 years. The Tai Sui of the current year, known as the Year Tai Sui or Liu Nian Tai Sui, is considered the guardian deity responsible for aspects like health, wealth, career, and marriage. Offending Tai Sui can lead to misfortunes and a lack of blessings in these areas. Source: Travel China Guide
• 5
  Guanyin, also known as Guan Yin or Kuan Yin, is a revered figure in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism, known as the Goddess of Mercy or Compassion. Guanyin is often depicted as a female bodhisattva associated with compassion and kindness, who is believed to hear the cries of the world and come to aid those in distress.