bibz Novel Translation July 25, 2020 12 Minutes
The girls were dying to eat this store’s hot pot, and it was Xie Sui who invited them. He was giving them a lot of respect; at school, it wasn’t just anyone who was worthy of Xie Sui’s attention.
They tugged and pulled each other and finally sat down at the table.
Cong Yu Zhou was the first to introduce himself. “My name is Cong Yu Zhou, I’m in Class 19. You all know Sui Brother, this is Jiang Zhong Ning, and this is… forget it. There are too many people here, if I introduce you wouldn’t remember anyways.”
Several of the boys protested: “How come we don’t deserve to be named?!”
Cong Yu Zhou smiled slightly: “In short, you can just call them “brother”, or “little brother” works too. Whatever you want.”
“Alright, Cong Yu Zhou. Taking advantage of the girls as soon as they arrive!.”
“Piss off!”
These boys carried a wild and rebellious aura aura, and were completely different from the gentle and modest male classmates that they usually interacted with at school.
The girls reluctantly made their introductions, and it could be said that they were all introduced now.
Because Xie Sui was sitting at the seat on the very outside, the girls forced Ji Bai to sit beside him.
HIs body emanated a kind of sexy magnetism, and even though Ji Bai had gone through a rebirth, she couldn’t help but be affected by him. She felt like her heart rate had sped up.
The waitress brought over the menu, and the boys very naturally handed it to Xie Sui.
On a day to day basis, Xie Sui had practically never interacted with females. So when he picked up the pen to start picking dishes, Cong Yu Zhou stretched out his leg to kick him.
XIe Sui raised his head to look at him: “What?”
Cong Yu Zhou shifted his eyes meaningfully: “Boss, be a gentleman!”
Xie Sui had no idea what being a gentleman was, but seeing Jibai who was silently sitting beside him, he still ended up handing the menu to her.
Taking the menu from him, she ticked off a few dishes out of habit, and asked her girlfriends: “What do you guys want to eat?”
“Aiya, we’re trying to lose weight.”
“I’m not eating, you order what you want.”
Ji Bai: “……”
The girls had clearly said that they were hungry enough to drink the hot oil soup base, and now they were acting reserved.
Ji Bai returned the menu to Xie Sui, and he was about to pick a few dishes——
Pork belly slices, she had already ordered. Tender beef, ordered. And even the stir-fried chicken skewers which were his favourite had been ordered.
Xie Sui realized that she had ordered all of his favourite dishes, both meat and vegetables.
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Ji Bai with a trace of puzzlement.
She tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear, and revealed her rosy complexion. Her expression was soft, and she was concentrating on mixing her dipping sauce, completely unaware of what was going on.
He felt that this girl was a bit strange.
Xie Sui had no idea what else to order, so he passed the menu to Yu Zhou.
“How rare that Sui Brother isn’t picking dishes today,” Yu Zhou observed.
He took the menu and smiled when he saw it: “Wow, looks like this little sister is Xie Sui’s lover from a past life. How do you know what he likes to eat?”
Hearing Yu Zhou’s words, her chopsticks that were in the midst of mixing the crushed garlic paused slightly. She looked up and realized that Xie Sui was looking at her with suspicion.
Ji Bai became flustered, and whispered, “I just randomly chose some dishes. Aren’t these pretty common hotpot dishes?”
“This is too accurate. Sui Brother is really picky about his food. Some things he will never touch, and some things he has to eat. The dishes you ordered are all things that he needs to eat. It’s too much of a coincidence.”
“Well…”
It was precisely because Xie Sui was so picky about his food that Ji Bai, who was not picky at all, unconsciously ordered the things he loved to eat.
She was very familiar with his lifestyle habits.
In her last life when he had brought her home to take care of her, the two of them had been even more intimate than lovers.
But they had never been lovers, because…
Xie Sui had suffered an accident when racing, and from that incident, he had lost the ability to have sex.
Ji Bai had no idea when Xie Sui would encounter this accident since they had never been close before.
When she had met Xie Sui again, he already stopped racing and boxing, and his dreams had fizzled out along with his body. His eyes no longer had any sharpness to them.
He became what one would never expect from him today, a stable 9-5 worker.
On that night of the snowstorm, Ji Bai had escaped wearing a thin hospital gown and fainted on the streets. Xie Sui had taken her home, doted upon her like a madman, loved her, and kissed her… but because he was powerless, he endured to the extreme.
Thinking back on those past experiences, Ji Bai’s heart clenched.
She originally thought that she would spend the rest of her life with this sombre man, until she passed away unexpectedly.
Ji Bai wouldn’t let these events happen again.
After the meal, Xie Sui reached for his wallet and passed it to Cong Yu Zhou, telling him to pay for the bill.
“Let’s split the bill.” Ji Bai said.
The girls followed suit and echoed, “Right, splitting is better.”
Cong Yu Zhou said cheerfully, “With Sui brother here, I’ve never heard of girls wanting to pay.”
Ji Bai knew that Xie Sui didn’t have a good family situation, but he was particularly good at earning money. He was good at fighting, and was the sort of guy who didn’t care about his life. On a lucky night at the underground boxing house, he could earn up to 4 figures. Of course, it wasn’t just this; he also raced cars for the wealthy young heirs.
They would bet on him, and if he won, it wasn’t a small amount of money to be earned.
He was hard-working, and Ji Bai believed that there was nothing in this world that he couldn’t achieve, if he wanted it.
Like a blazing fire, Xie Sui was unruly and arrogant.
It was a pity that that accident ended Xie Sui’s youthful carefreeness.
**
Ji Bai didn’t take public transportation, and instead took a walk home that also helped her digest her dinner.
She passed a florist, a grocer, a pastry shop… seeing the aunts and uncles in these stores yelling and bustling about, it all felt so familiar to her.
It was like she experienced a particularly long dream, and in that dream she had lived through an entire lifetime.
Ji Bai’s home was located in the city centre’s most high-end neighbourhood, and their home was a refined foreign-style villa.
The surroundings of their home were quiet and serene. There was flowing water, small bridges, and vines. She had planted a variety of flowers in the front yard, and they would take turns blooming throughout the four seasons, painting a particularly gorgeous scene.
She loved nature, and loved living. In the past, she had an infinite yearning for a happy life.
Finding a good job, marrying a man she loved, having two kids, raising a cat… the days would be ordinary and comforting.
But even her ordinary dreams had in the end became wild wishes. Her parents would not let her date, let alone get married and have kids. Because her only purpose in life was to be her sister’s blood bank, without any room for negotiation.
It was bullshit.
When she arrived, the house was empty save for the housekeeper who was working in the kitchen.
Ji Bai laid on her bed, grabbed her phone, and saw that her sister had posted a status on Weibo two minutes ago. It was an image of Fei Fei and their parents taking a selfie at a restaurant.
> “With my mom and dad doting on me, I feel like the world’s most joyful daughter. I will continue to persist! Love you all!”
Ji Bai scrolled down. The comments were all the same; words of encouragement from her fans. However, she did find one comment that stuck out——
“Weird. They’re eating together as a family, so why isn’t her younger sister there too?”
This one comment was like a droplet in the sea, and was quickly washed away.
In her heart, Ji Bai felt a bit comforted. At least she had maintained an image on stage, and made others notice her existence.
This was just the beginning, and she wasn’t in a hurry.
She took a break before heading to the practice room. This was where her sister would usually practice dance, and it was where her cello was stored.
It wasn’t easy to learn the cello, but Ji Bai had insisted on continuing her studies. Every week, rain or shine, she would lug her heavy cello to her extra-curricular lessons.
In comparison to her sister’s dance lessons, learning to play the cello was much more tedious and boring. But since she made the choice already, regardless if she liked or disliked it, she felt that she needed to persevere.
She began to play Elgar’s “Cello Concerto in E Minor”, and calculated that her grandmother would be arriving soon.
On this day in her past life, her grandmother would pay a visit after watching their interview. Collectively as a family, they criticized Ji Bai’s actions during the filming and scolded her for being rebellious and unreasonable
Her mother had tearfully accused her of having no conscience, and that she was a terrible sister.
She had been scolded to the point of tears, and ended up sincerely repenting her “errors”.
……
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound from outside the house, and the housekeeper called out to Ji Bai.
“Young lady, the elder lady is here.”
“Oh, okay!” Ji Bai set her cello down and rushed out of the room.
In the living room downstairs, the Ji Elder was perched upright on a sofa. Her hair was almost entirely white, and she was wearing a pair of near-sighted glasses. Her entire vibe was much more trendy than the average old lady.
For the last three generations, the Ji family managed a group of enterprises, and could be considered a high-class and wealthy family. The family had numerous branches, and although her grandfather and grandmother were quite elderly, they were energetic and still controlled the management group.
Ji Bai’s father was not a stand out amongst his brothers, so he was currently only managing a single company.
Thus, in this household, her parents had to treat the Ji old lady with utmost respect. If she was feeling cold or hot, they would rush to correct the situation.
The Ji Bai in the past was very scared of her grandmother; Ji Bai thought that she was very scary and stern.
But when Ji Bai was on the brink of death, who else was at her side, other than her grandmother?
This old lady had overcome the challenges of her generation; her personality was intellectual and cool-headed, while her heart was kind.
It looked like her grandmother was the only one in this family who could protect her.
“I could hear the sounds of a cello from faraway, and I guessed it was you. But I’m not sure when your cello skills improved by leaps and bounds!”
Her current level of cello-playing skills were that of a 25 year old. The exams she needed the take, the awards she should have earned, they had all been completed. She was a world of a difference from her old 17 year old self.
“It’s probably because I’ve been practicing more diligently lately.”
“Diligent is good. I prefer diligent children. Come sit beside your grandmother.”
Ji Bai obediently sat by her grandmother’s side and took her hand. In the past, she would have never willingly been intimate with her grandmother, but she wasn’t scared anymore.
“I watched your sister’s interview today, and the things you said were very profound. I wanted to come see you to hear more of your thoughts.”
In the last life, her grandmother had arrived to lecture and scold her, and as a result she fell out of favour with her elders.
This time, the situation was completely different.
“The Nietzsche quote* that you spoke of, what was the meaning behind it? Tell your grandmother.”
TN: I don’t want to repeat the whole “staring into the abyss/fighting monsters” quote so I’ve referred to it as the Nietzche quote (which is what it is)
“Grandmother, I didn’t have much of a reason. I just felt that whether it’s a person or a situation, there are always two sides. A seemingly kind-hearted person isn’t always necessarily kind on the inside. What looks bad on the outside might have some good on the inside. I was merely encouraging my sister.”
Grandma Ji looked at Ji Bai in astonishment. Since she was a child, Ji Bai had always been a quiet child of little words. Seeing that she had such a high self-awareness, Grandma Ji felt that she had underestimated this child.
The old lady previously wasn’t fond of these sisters. The elder sister was too pretentious, but was ill and pitiful. The younger sister was shy and cowardly, and was not smart enough to stand out.
The Ji family had many grandchildren, so she previously never placed much hopes on these sisters.
Right now, Grandma Ji felt like she was struck with a ray of realization. But right now it was too early, and she would slowly observe the situation.
Grandma Ji took Ji Bai’s hand and said, “Very good. Practice your cello regularly, study hard, and enrich your mind. Understood?”
“I will, grandma.”
At this moment, the door opened, and the family that had just completed a shopping trip returned.
Her parents were clutching a variety of shopping bags that were all Ji Fei Fei’s new clothes and shoes.
Upon seeing Grandma Ji, her mother and father’s faces fell.
“Mom, why did you come over and not tell us in advance? We made you wait… it’s totally unreasonable of us.”
“It’s no problem,” Grandma Ji said, “I just came to see my grandchildren.”
Ji Fei Fei hurried to her grandmother’s side and held her hand delicately, “Grandma, I’m so happy that you came to see me!”
“I came to see Ji Bai,” She withdrew her hand from Ji Fei Fei’s grasp, and patted Ji Bai’s hand instead, “This child performed quite well during the interview, and I wanted to come chat with her.”
Ji Fei Fei’s expression sank, but her look of displeasure quickly faded and she pasted on a smile: “Then us sisters can both chat with grandma!”
Grandma Ji looked over at the bags that her son and daughter-in-law were clutching and asked,
“Shopping? How come you didn’t bring Ji Bai?”
“She went out to eat dinner with her friends,” Tao Jia Zhi explained.
“Then you must have bought her some new clothes.”
Her mother’s expression changed, and awkwardly said, “A lot of these clothes had to be tried on before purchasing. Since Bai Bai wasn’t with us, it wasn’t convenient to buy any for her.”
Grandma Ji nodded her head. “Then that’s to say, all of these clothes are only for Ji Fei Fei?”
“This…”
Tao Jia Zhi didn’t understand why the elder Ji who was usually extremely busy suddenly cared about Ji Bai, and was taken by surprise: “Then tomorrow we’ll go and buy some for Ji Bai as well.”
“No need, you’re busy with work as well.”
She felt around in her handbag for a card and handed it to Ji Bai.
“Whatever you want to eat or buy, don’t hold back. You don’t have it easy either.”
The last phrase had a hidden meaning. Grandma Ji felt that the Ji Family owed a debt to Ji Bai.
Seeing her grandmother give Ji Bai a card, Ji Fei Fei’s eyes sparked with jealousy.
“Grandma, I don’t need it.”
Ji Ming Zhi said: “Your grandma is giving it to you, so you should just take it.”
At her father’s words, she then took the card and thanked her grandmother.
Afterwards, her parents saw the elderly lady off to her car. From a window sill on the second floor, Ji Bai heard her grandmother say: “You have two daughters; don’t favour one too much over the other. It will breed resentment and cause unrest in the household.”
“Mom, we haven’t even wronged Ji Bai. Food and clothing, what does she lack?
“Back then when you said you wanted to have another daughter for donating blood to Ji Fei Fei, I didn’t agree. This is simply too unfair, but Fei Fei’s life was in danger, so I didn’t have any better ideas. In the end, your hearts are still caught up on this idea, and if you don’t act appropriately, your morals will be injured.
“Mom, we had no other choice. Both of them are our daughters, how can we not love them both. It’s just that Fei Fei is ill, so we tend to spend a bit more time with her. This is totally normal, and I know that Bai Bai understands.”
……
Ji Bai didn’t continue to eavesdrop. She took out the card her grandmother had given her and locked it in a small drawer.
She wouldn’t spend the money in this card without a purpose. She would keep it until the day she needed it.
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