Wen Yu held the steering wheel with his left hand, twisted his body, and placed his other hand on Ji Anning’s seat back. His body leaned forward, getting closer to Ji Anning.
His gaze was even more audacious.
The temperature inside the car rose, as if roasting Ji Anning over a fire.
Wen Yu was the executioner.
Ji Anning stared into Wen Yu’s eyes.
If redemption through flesh could untangle the karma between two souls from past lives, and repay the debt she carried from her previous life, Ji Anning thought maybe it was not impossible.
But the problem was, it couldn’t be resolved, nor repaid.
Zhao Chen was still there, Yang Bo was still there, and Wen Yu would suddenly disappear from school next year, leaving no trace. All the problems had not found a solution yet.
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Eld Zw’p tygl oyp kdvkxkeyvkdt yde pnsanbkdt. Rv pllxle vbyv yp zsdt yp Kk Gddkdt wvvlale y pkdtzl osae, “ulp,” bl oswze nyaau swv obyv bl bye fwpv pyke.
Jwv Kk Gddkdt jdlo bl oswzed’v.
Tl bye byaypple bla kd lhlau rsppkczl oyu cwv bye dlhla vawzu qsanle bla. Rv oypd’v wdvkz pbl oyp eawttle cu Hbys Ubld yde qsanle vs vbl assqvsr vbyv pbl alyzkgle vbkp.
Kk Gddkdt vssj y ellr calyvb pwcnsdpnkswpzu, yp kq pbl nswze pxlzz Eld Zw’p calyvb sd vbl vkr sq bla dspl. Fbl pvyale cynj yv bkx okvb y elvlaxkdle tygl yde ldwdnkyvle lynb osae nzlyazu, “Rā¦ alqwpl.”
Rd vbl ekxdlpp, Eld Zw nbwnjzle.
Tkp lulp nyaakle y bkdv sq zywtbvla, ds zsdtla yp kdvkxkeyvkdt, yde bkp cseu pllxle vs alzym, zspkdt kvp yttalppkhldlpp.
Jwv vbspl pzktbvzu wrvwadle nsadlap sq bkp xswvb olal vawzu ldvknkdt.
“Nssj bso dlahswp usw yal,” Eld Zw pdllale. “Zsw esd’v vbkdj R oswze ynvwyzzu es yduvbkdt vs usw kd vbl nya, es usw? Slpv yppwale, R dlhla qsanl tkazp. R byhl xsal ektdkvu vbyd vbyv. Psd’v jllr zssjkdt esod sd xl.”
Ji Anning pursed her lips tightly, suppressing the burning sensation in her throat. She removed Wen Yu’s hand from the seat back and placed the card in his hand. “Take it back.”
With a quick move, Wen Yu grasped Ji Anning’s hand, holding both the card and her hand together. “You keep it,” he said, placing the card in her palm and enveloping her hand with his. “Whether you spend it or not is up to you, but hold on to it for now. I was wrong to quit your job without telling you, so keep it. When you’re in need, use it first.”
He had already experienced Ji Anning’s stubbornness, so before she could object, he added, “Consider it a loan from me. No interest, no time limit. But when you’re financially stable, you can repay me if you want.”
In contrast to his sharp-tongued remarks before, his voice was calm, his gaze serene, devoid of the usual intimidating aura.
Ji Anning was perplexed.
This gentle and calm Wen Yu was something Ji Anning had never experienced in her past life.
In her previous life, he had always been overbearing. He liked her and was determined to possess her, but never yielded, always speaking venomously. The current Wen Yu, however, revealed a side she had never seen before.
Was it because she never gave him a chance in her previous life?
Wen Yu blinked his eyes and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Why are you crying?” He let go of Ji Anning’s hand and touched her face, wiping away a tear with his thumb.
Her eyes were red, and her nose was slightly red too. Really, was she so easily moved? It’s easy for men to deceive someone like that.
If it were someone else, Wen Yu would probably mock and ridicule them, even speak harshly. But he understood Ji Anning’s hardships and burdens. If it were her, he didn’t feel that this moment was cheap. In fact, his heart felt a bit sour.
She lived such a difficult life as a girl.
And for a beautiful girl like her, it was too easy to live a good life.
Ji Anning lost control of her emotions for a moment and turned her face away in a mess.
She wiped her face and eyes clean before turning back to look ahead, lowering her gaze and saying, “I will make some adjustments regarding work, but this cardā¦”
“You keep it!” Wen Yu said firmly.
“Ji Anning, do you know that your life plan has issues?” Wen Yu became serious. “You’re just a freshman. Do you know what you should be doing now? You should focus on studying!”
Ji Anning looked up at him. She had never seen Wen Yu this serious and earnest before.
“For someone like you without any connections, basically, the knowledge you acquire and the academic qualifications you obtain will support your life,” Wen Yu said. “Right now, you’re busy all day long every day, you are putting the cart before the horse.”
“Of course, someone as beautiful as you has other ways to live a comfortable life,” he lightly hooked his finger under Ji Anning’s chin and continued, changing his tone, “But you don’t want to go down that path, right? Then you need to focus on studying. Look at yourself, how much time and energy do you spend on these low-level, low-income jobs? How much time and energy do you have left for more important matters?”
“Iā¦” Ji Anning pursed her lips and said, “I need to survive first.”
Wen Yu was waiting for her to say that. He immediately said, “Yes, I know, that’s why you should keep this card!”
Ji Anning fell silent.
He circled back to this point again.
“I said it’s a loan,” Wen Yu said. “Isn’t that what you always say, that we’re friends? If we’re friends, can’t friends lend each other money? You focus on studying first, and when you have money after you start working, you can repay me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with this, right? It doesn’t insult your dignity or weaken your will, does it? It’s something that needs to be repaid.”
“I’ve said it like this. If you stubbornly refuse, you’ll be at odds with your own life. How many years do you have for studying? Don’t you understand that sharpening your axe won’t delay your work? Don’t you understand that every moment is precious?”
Wen Yu hit the mark with every sentence.
Actually, since her rebirth, Ji Anning had thought about reorganizing her life. However, without solving the immediate survival problem, all planning could only remain as plans.
Wen Yu looked at Ji Anning in silence. Her delicate fingers held onto the card, and her gaze rested on it.
Wen Yu was someone who had been taught by Wen Guoan to control the pace in a meeting room. He gave Ji Anning time to think and didn’t pressure her.
He felt that although Ji Anning was a bit stubborn, she was not foolish. She should understand how to make choices.
Sure enough, after a moment, Ji Anning looked up. Her gaze was clear, as if she had figured things out.
“I’ll quit working for NL and continue working at the cafĆ©,” Ji Anning said. “I can’t solely rely on you for financial support. I’ll find another suitable job and try to focus more on studying. I accept your help, and if I face financial difficulties, I’ll use your card. I will repay the money I use in the future. I don’t know how long it will take, maybe a long time, but I will repay you eventually.”
“To be honest, I actually hope you won’t repay it,” Wen Yu joked, looking at Ji Anning’s expression. Then he quickly added, “Just kidding. Okay, let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ll take you home first.”
The Hummer started again and soon arrived at Huada University.
Wen Yu parked the car by the roadside and escorted Ji Anning to the entrance of her building.
“You should go back early,” Ji Anning said.
But Wen Yu replied, “At this time, I’m just starting to have fun.”
Ji Anning knew that their lives were completely different and could only smile helplessly. “Alright, have fun then.”
She didn’t resist or stubbornly insist. In the darkness of the night, she appeared particularly gentle.
Wen Yu’s gaze focused on her face.
She seemed to think that liking her for her appearance was a superficial kind of liking.
Wen Yu disagreed.
In Wen Yu’s view, the most primal form of liking didn’t involve so many social attachments; it was the purest form of liking.
For example, now, her face looked so pure and graceful in the night, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
He simply liked her! What’s wrong with that? Why did it have to be considered low-level?
Sooner or later, he would change her perspective on this!
Ji Anning asked Wen Yu to go back, but he didn’t move. He stared at her intently.
Ji Anning looked up at him and, feeling helpless, said, “If you’re not leaving, then I’ll go.” She lifted her foot to go upstairs.
But Wen Yu grabbed her hand.
Ji Anning turned around.
“I’m telling you, I don’t know what kind of life you had before, growing up with your grandmother, alone and without anyone to take care of you,” Wen Yu held Ji Anning’s hand and whispered, “But I hope that from now on, you can always be like today. If you feel uncomfortable with Zhao Chen, just call me. Remember, no matter what happens, you have me.”
Between people, there’s an interaction like force and reaction. You give the wall a heavy punch, and the wall returns the depth of pain to you.
In the past life, Ji Anning had too much self-esteem and resisted Wen Yu too much. Their interaction was always a chase and escape, with Ji Anning running away and Wen Yu pursuing her.
In this life, Ji Anning softened and accepted Wen Yu. The previous life’s Wen Yu didn’t have a chance to show her his tenderness, but in this life, Wen Yu finally had the opportunity to express it.
It felt as if there was a faint electric current flowing into his hand, spreading through his arm, making his body slightly numb and his heart race.
Having experienced past lives, Ji Anning was somewhat lost in her thoughts. It was probably because Wen Yu’s eyes were too bright that she snapped back to reality.
“I understand,” she said softly.
She turned her hand over to hold Wen Yu’s hand, and then let go.
She stepped onto the stairs, and Wen Yu reminded her, “Don’t forget tomorrow morning.”
Ji Anning nodded. “I know. Go back now.”
But Wen Yu waited until she disappeared around the corner of the staircase before turning around. Even when he returned to the car, his lips were still curved upwards.
Although it was only a brief moment, Ji Anning did indeed take the initiative to hold his hand. Even now, it seemed like the delicate and fragile feeling of her slender hand was still lingering in his palm.
Today was truly a good day. Ever since that kiss at noon, she had changed.
Just as he started the car, a call came in. His group of friends was still out having fun.
“Where are you? Did you change venues? Can you come over?” they shouted toWen Yu.
Wen Yu directly refused, “No, I’m going home to sleep.”
“Huh?” the other person was confused. “What time is it?”
Wen Yu said, “I have something to do tomorrow, so I need to wake up early.”
His friend didn’t believe him, “It’s a big holiday. What could you possibly have to do? The school and even the companies are on vacation.”
“Do you remember the fighting club I organized in school?” Wen Yu asked.
“That thing you used to play with? I remember you gave up on it a long time ago,” the friend said.
“Yes, but now I feel it was wrong to do so,” Wen Yu said seriously. “So, as the club president, I’ve had a change of heart. I need to rally the new members tomorrow and train them properly.”
“You’re crazy,” the friend cursed. “Are you out of your mind?”
Wen Yu’s mind was perfectly fine; he was determined.
Ji Anning thought that when Wen Yu asked her to come to the fighting club in the morning, it was to train with everyone. But when she arrived, she realized that the club was on vacation.
The whole building was empty, with only her and Wen Yu.
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First thank you translator Nim.
I love how the characters are developing. The pace is great, the conversation are great and the interaction between important and less important characters even better.
This novel so far is a jewel.
C o m mu n I c a t I o n oh my god, finally! I love love love how wen yu was so gentle this chapter, he made a sound argument without flaunting his ego and god was it a pleasure to rea.
Thank you for the chapter!
That was what had been missing in her past life. A guidance. Friends. She needs these advices. And I hope with her changing, it will also change Wen Yu’s life. And from what I got from their past lives, Wen Yu was marvelous businessman. He could even change the downfall of his family business if he wasn’t caught killing that Zhao jerk.
I love how the characters are slowly being fleshed out and developed. Thanks for the translation. It’s done expertly
At this point, I still can’t differentiate between character development, whitewashing, and self-gaslighting.
So far, JAN has acknowledged that she’s too prejudiced about WY and she didn’t know much about him in the past life. She only knew his reckless, domineering, and the bad virtues he showed in front of her. She knows little about him in university and knows nothing about him outside of the university. Then, she now received his tender care, kindness, and consideration because she first treat him more gently. But, we also saw he always has this qualities for his father and the aunt (who takes care of him growing up). We also know that he had forcefully kissed her in the past. But, JAN now says that he has “never really forced her”.
I honestly don’t see any gaslighting nor whitewashing here. Let’s say, it’ just a matter of perspective and his subsequent actions. It’s like you already have a bias against the person from the start because you know he’s a rich playboy and so his actions were done to get you to sleep with him, you don’t see his goodness (I honestly think he was too forceful before coz he can’t get her). Then he did something unexpected and you saw how you might be wrong. So in the next life, you decided to become more tolerant and that tolerance allowed him to compromise and understand you a little better. Only then was she able t understand him better and also see his positive points.
It’s true that JAN has prejudice against WY in the past life. But, it’s also true that his attraction toward her begin and mostly because he wants to sleep with her, such that he never ashamed to express. In fact, he didn’t believe in “true love” between man and woman. He only believe in s3xual attraction between man and woman and it manifest in how he treats women and romance (cue to how he thought JAN was only playing hard to get and how he responded to it).
In fact, JAN also aware that her “gold digger/prostitute” label mostly came from SYX’s slander and part of it was also because WY was being inconsiderate, immature, and failed to see the importance of good reputation for girls/women in general. Even as he claimed he loved her, he only turned her bad label (slander) to be a “public’s secret” instead of clearing her name and continued to “conquer, destroy, and posses the strong and though JAN” in his pursuit of her.
I’m well aware that every person has their negative and positive sides. It’s just a matter whether or not we (are willing to) see it. Now, we know that him being immature, inconsiderate, and uncompassionate to JAN wasn’t because he’s incapable of it (he’s always considerate and gentle with his father and aunt; he’s always being mature and perceptive toward his friends and colleagues). It’s simply because JAN was putting her guard up and her “armors” in front of him instead of showing her tender and weak side like in this lifetime (it’s as if it’s JAN’s own fault that he didn’t treat her as well as he treat his friends and his other beloved). This is the point where I often read people commented as “whitewashing”.
As for “self-gaslighting”, it depends on whether or not JAN saw “forcedly being kissed” (by WY in the past life) as an assault. If she did, then she’s telling herself now that WY “never really forced himself on her” (the forced kiss wasn’t an assault), then it’s JAN self-gaslighting herself.