Chapter 5

Editor: Michi

Yes, an extra chapter. Heh.

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After Jing Xiu said those words, she turned around and left, leaving Ji Youyan with an aloof back.

Ji Youyan stared at the door, her sadness gradually showing between her brows. She mechanically washed her hands and kept replaying what Jing Xiu had said in her mind.

What did A’xiu mean by that?

Was she disgusted by her gesture of going along with the others at the drinking table? Ji Youyan stared at the mirror and tried to curve her lips, but she suddenly felt that the  person feigning a smile in the mirror seemed strangely and frighteningly unfamiliar.

It was quite ugly. She hated seeing herself like that. Ji Youyan pursed her thin lips into a line and drew a big × in the mirror.

It’s just that… after she had separated herself free from Jing Xiu’s quiet protection in her last life, she began to understand how cruel this circle actually was.

In this industry, on occasions like this, it was considered fortunate if one could just drink a few glasses of alcohol and socialize. Wei Yizhen, her agent, had already been big-hearted and took good care of her, but she could only help her to the extent of minimizing unnecessary socializing. She would never be allowed to smile obsequiously and continue to “socialize” like those two young men and women after a dinner party.

After all, she still didn’t have the strength to stay out of those situations like Jing Xiu did.

Ji Youyan’s eyes were dull and her thoughts swirled, recalling various unpleasant past events. But quickly, she stopped herself from going into those self-pitying thoughts and turned to comforting herself: Regardless, this was considered as an initiative taken by Jing Xiu to acknowledge her.

She fixed her makeup and stood where Jing Xiu had previously stood. She closed her eyes and felt the almost non-existent fragrance of Jing Xiu in the air. She stretched out her hand in a hugging gesture and revealed a slightly innocent smile.

“Ahem……” An awkward throat clearing sound suddenly came from the doorway.

Ji Youyan shuddered all over and opened her eyes. It was too late to cover up her surprise. She saw Yao Xiao’s uncontrollable smile as she walked in and asked her innocently, “Ji-jie, what were you… what were you doing?”

Although Ji Youyan was accustomed to covering up and putting on a mask, she couldn’t help but flush with shame. She cleared her throat to ease the awkwardness then lifted her arms up and down to interlock them, and said in a natural tone, “Oh, nothing, I’m just moving around to sober up.”

Yao Xiao’s mouth twitched, her eyes were clearly filled with amusement and suspicion. If you’re moving your joints around, why did you laugh ripplingly¹?

T/N

1-TLN: So, JYY did a ‘ripple of laughter’ where her laugh became smaller and smaller (nervously). That word exist but Doc underlines it with red lmao

Ji Youyan glared at Yao Xiao seamlessly, her face getting hotter and hotter. Pretending to not notice Yao Xiao’s teasing, she picked up her bag and with feigned calm, she said, “Then I’ll be leaving first.”

She took two steps and as if she had thought of something, she changed her mind and added, “You are not allowed to talk about this with anyone.”

Yao Xiao “pfft”-ed and seriously promised, “Okay, I won’t tell this to anyone.” Thi s was tran slated by Yu ri trans lati ons

She promised her so sincerely that Ji Youyan felt a little regretful. She turned back and walked to the private room, lamenting her silent curse: That’s what’s wrong with Yao Xiao, she’s too sincere! Don’t you understand that covering up would only make matters worse?! Is your Jing-jie someone else? Stupid!

Because she couldn’t figure out the hidden meaning behind Jing Xiu’s words, Ji Youyan returned to the drinking table and did not dare to indulge in toasting with others like before.

After refusing several times, she inadvertently sneaked a peek at Jing Xiu. She unexpectedly discovered that Jing Xiu’s facial lines that had been tense since they met today, seemed to have eased up a lot and the cold and icy aura around her was much softer.

Ji Youyan looked at the Chinese mitten crab on Jing Xiu’s plate and then at the side profile of her jade-carved and ice-sulptured face, her eyes flashing with gentleness and doting. 

What a pleasure to eat.

“Xiaoyan, you can’t push this glass of wine from Wang-ge² anymore.” With an alcohol hiccup, an male voice that was as annoying as a fly came towards Ji Youyan again.

T/N

2-TLN: Just like how ‘jiejie’ and ‘meimei’ works, gege/ge means older brother. It can be used regardless of whether there’s blood relation or not, just like how Korean version ‘oppa’ works.

The man seemed to be really drunk. He was ready to stand up and go to Ji Youyan when Wei Yizhen, who was beside her,  motionlessly stopped his action.

“Mr. Wang, good wine should be tasted and so should good food. Slow down on the alcohol and try the special sauce I just made for you.” Wei Yizhen smiled and used the chopsticks to help him pick a piece of white-cut mutton, dipped it in the sauce and personally delivered it to his bowl.

As expected, the man stopped getting up and picked up the mutton given by Wei Yizhen, saying, “Then I’ll have to surely give it a taste.” Even so, his eyes were still on Ji Youyan.

Ji Youyan was overwhelmed by the disturbance and rolled her eyes several times impatiently in her heart.

She turned her head away, looking elsewhere and accidentally collided with Jing Xiu’s gaze.

Before Ji Youyan could discern the emotions in her eyes, Jing Xie lowered her head calmly and continued to savor the food on her plate.

Was she just looking at me? Ji Youyan hesitated. Turning her head, she saw that the man surnamed Wang had finished the mutton. He raised his glass and was about to come over again.

Wei Yizhen sent a helpless look at Ji Youyan, expressing that she was unable to help anymore. Ji Youyan twisted her eyebrows and swept her eyes to the indifferent Jing Xiu next to her again. She bit her lip and suddenly got an idea.

Before Wang Yong’s more persuasive words came out, she showed a soft smile. With a half helpless and half joking tone, she made an excuse, “Mr. Wang, I really can’t drink any more. If I drink, I’m afraid I’d fall down. Ah, it doesn’t matter if I’m drunk, it’s just that I’m not very good at drinking, so it would not be good if I make a scene in the middle of the night and disturb Teacher Jing.”

Having said that, she looked at Jing Xiu, who was staring at her after being mentioned. Beneath her mask full of fake smiles, she was in a rather nervous state. She and Jing Xiu locked eyes with each other, and after confirming that there was no loathing or revulsion in her eyes, Ji Youyan continued to tentatively joke, “You wouldn’t know, but when I participated in a program with Teacher Jing, we lived in a dormitory together. If Teacher Jing did not sleep well, then especially…” She deliberately trailed off at the climax.

One of the young investors couldn’t hold back his cool and asked, “What in particular?” He was very much interested in this cold, great beauty.

Ji Youyan’s smile widened. She asked Jing Xiu quite falteringly, “Teacher Jing, will it ruin your image too much?”

Jing Xiu knew that Ji Youyan was a woman with a sense of propriety and could tell others nothing more than just harmless anecdotes. She was just surprised. Surprised that Ji Youyan would take the initiative to mention her in order to force an enemy to raise a siege.

She withdrew her gaze from Ji Youyan and swirled the glass in her hand. There was no smile on the corners of her lips as she replied with interest, “Go ahead, I’m also quite curious as to what I look like to you when I didn’t sleep well.” It could be said that she was giving face to Ji Youyan.

 Seeing that she was cooperating with her, Ji Youyan felt her heart somewhat burning hot.

It will be especially adorable, like a small milky cat with its hair standing up, making people ‘lick’³ and smooth out the hair, she answered Jing Xiu in her heart, but on the surface, she replied, “It will be especially… brawny.”

T/N

3-TLN: I was confused too… Like licking a cat’s fur lmao. Fellow TLers helped me out. GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!
Chan: It’s probably from the term 舔屏 which means ‘lick the phone screen’. It’s usually used to express their appreciation or admiration of the beauty of some star/celebrity. So here they just admire the cuteness of someone that’s like a kitten. Daed: It seems more like the other people want to lick the first person’s “fur” and smooth it, like calming them down. Since the first person bristles up like a cat with its fur raised, making the others want to lick their “fur” and smooth it.

She eloquently described, “I don’t know whether Teacher Jing remembers it or not. When the program was first recorded, everyone was unfamiliar with each other. The girls in the dormitory next door didn’t sleep and stayed awake in the middle of the night, so all of us were also woken up. Everyone was embarrassed to warn them, but only Teacher Jing sat up scuffling and knocked on the door of the dormitory next door aggressively. She spoke a long string of French words and scared the people from that dormitory into silence.”

With the past vividly remembered in her mind, nostalgia surfaced in Ji Youyan’s eyes.

“Hahahaha, angry enough to speak her native language?” The investor surnamed Pan laughed.

Wang Yong’s gaze finally shifted away and landed on Jing Xiu, “I couldn’t tell that Teacher Jing still has such moments like that.”

Jing Xiu didn’t express an opinion. She glanced at Ji Youyan and a slight smile bloomed on her face like a flash in the pan, making one stunned.

She rested her chin on her hand and joked lightly, “Then she probably doesn’t know that I’m even harsher now, and if she ever wakes me up now, I’ll probably hit her with a pillow.”

As if catching a glimpse of the winter snow melting, Ji Youyan was touched by the gentleness and tolerance hidden under Jing Xun’s icy exterior.

She suppressed the bitterness and emotions in her heart to squeeze out a smile and exaggeratedly clasp her hands together to beg for forgiveness, “You all heard that, Mr. Wang and Teacher Jing have given me preventive inoculation⁴. I really can’t drink anymore. Please be merciful and spare my life.”

T/N

4-TLN: Preventive inoculation/immunization injection here [fig.] means forewarning/heads up/preventive measures.

Having been spoken to in such lovable and soft tone, how could one bear to continue imposing? The people surrounding the drinking table soon burst out into laughter.

Jing Xiu cooperating with Ji Youyan to help her avoid drinking was obvious. It was not that one couldn’t afford to mess with them, it was just unnecessary.

The men who knew Jing Xiu’s background comforted themselves in their heart. Let it go, forget it, anyway, it wasn’t like there were no other ways. They had other plans in mind, and sure enough, there really wasn’t anyone who tried persuading Ji Youyan to drink anymore.

The hand of the clock striked 10 o’clock. After thoroughly enjoying it, the dinner party was finally over.

Jing Xiu was the most sober person there as she hadn’t tasted a single drop of alcohol during the meal. As soon as the feast was over, Ji Youyan accompanied Wei Yizhen at the door to bid farewell to several investors. Before she could ask Jing Xiu whether she needed a ride, Jing Xiu helped the slightly drunk Yao Xiao to walk forward.

Ji Youyan’s mouth pandered to Wei Yizhen’s cheerful talk beside her, but her eyes kept staring at Jing Xiu’s back, feeling a little lost.

When they got into the car, Wei Yizhen took off her glasses and rubbed her temples, wanting to say a few more words to Ji Youyan before realizing that she seemed to be absent-minded after Jing Xiu had left.

“What are you thinking about? You look as if your soul has just left your body.” Wei Yizhen took the glasses cloth out of her bag and asked casually.

Ji Youyan calmed herself and shook her head. She perfunctorily said, “It’s nothing. I might have drunk too much so I got a headache now. My mind just went blank for a moment.”

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about it, Wei Yizhen didn’t say anything and didn’t force her. She joked thoughtlessly, “Then you have to thank Jing Xun, otherwise, your head might probably be hurting even more.”

After speaking, she remembered the rumors she had heard and felt that she might have said something wrong, so she coughed awkwardly and tried to redeem the situation, “I’ve talked with Chen Desheng this afternoon. This accommodation was their only last resort due to some circumstances. We three parties have no intention of hyping⁵ you and Jing Xiu’s leftover cold rice⁶. As you can see, the media has been calm and tranquil. There won’t be any related articles after the program starts, but some rumors may inevitably appear spontaneously. You don’t have to worry about that, we’ll suppress it all on our end.”

T/N

5-TLN: The idiom was ‘to beat/flog a dead horse’ which meant to waste energy on a lost cause or to pass time doing unimportant things but I went with ‘hyping’. 6-To heat leftover rice means to say or do the same old thing; dish up the same old stuff.

Ji Youyan looked at the fast-rewinding night scene outside the window. She pursed her lips and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice, “It doesn’t matter, we don’t need to take the initiative to hype, and the rest need not be too deliberate too.”

Wei Yizhen was stunned. She stopped wiping her glasses and looked at Ji Youyan in surprise.

Ji Youyan saw Wei Yizhen’s eyes from the reflection in the glass window. She turned her head and smiled lightly, “Why are you looking at me with such a look?”

Wei Yizhen hooked her lips and replied, “Even if you don’t mind, it’s naturally better to block it than to completely clear it away. Anyway, you can’t set off a big storm and if it’s guided correctly, it can still bring you some hype⁷. It’s just that……”

T/N

7-TLN: I think, WYZ meant that JYY didn’t have the ability to sweep the internet with the hype but if they knew how to properly use that news to their advantage, JYY might get some hype = become a bit famous.

She spoke frankly, “When I took over you, I did a more in-depth investigation and understanding of you. As far as I know, since your official debut, you have been deliberately trying to emphasize that you’re innocent and clear away the topics regarding the relationship between you and her. You were also very mindful and concerned about the rumors of you holding onto thighs and rubbing onto hypes⁸. You guys really haven’t been in touch for the past two years and you’ve been in frequent scandals with other male celebrities, which had almost made the rumors regarding that year completely fade from everyone’s memories. Now, aren’t you worried that one slip up would bring up the matters from the past again?”

T/N

8-TLN: Holding onto to thigh means clinging to someone with an influential background. Rubbing onto hypes means freeloading/getting fame through [other’s] hype.

Ji Youyan turned away and looked out the window in a daze. Under the dim lights, she seemed to have seen Jing Xiu’s feigned smiling face repeatedly.

Her heart felt a dull pain again. Thi s was tran slated by Yu ri trans lati ons

A long while later, Wei Yizhen heard her laugh bitterly. A laugh that was full of self-deprecation and sorrow. “That’s because I was stupid before.”

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This is a fan translation presented by Yuri Translations. This novel does not belong to us. Support the author by donating to the site linked on the synopsis page. You can also donate to the translator if you appreciate their hard work.

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TLN: An extra chap for you all due to my late update of chapter 3. I wish I could just TL more wu but school works… eff it…. Oof. Be safe, everyone!

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