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  • Returning

    Chapter 73: Ripples

    As a temporary freeloader, Zhao Yu couldn’t just loaf around doing nothing, so she scrambled to cook and even “thoughtfully” said that she would go buy some groceries by herself.

    The man didn’t stop her this time. After all, he had to wash his soiled sheets, covers, and pajamas, and he couldn’t do that with her in the apartment.

    Zhao Yu drove to the supermarket, and when she finished shopping, the trunk was almost filled to the brim. She couldn’t carry so many things by herself, so she had no choice but to call him for help.

    Seeing that she had not only bought fresh vegetables and meat but also a selection of dry goods, fruits, and dairy, Ji Sui was a little surprised. 

    “Why did you buy so much?” 

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    Zhao Yu took out some of the things in the trunk and handed them to him. “This is all I can do to repay you,” she replied with a smile. 

    “You don’t need to be so polite with me,” he said, helpless. 

    As the two carried the groceries bag into the elevator, they happened to bump into an amiable aunt who lived on the same floor as Ji Sui.

    The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

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    “Fbl’p hlau cwpu yde eslpd’v byhl vkxl vs nsxl pll xl,” bl yexkvvle, pxkzkdt.

    Gqvla y rywpl, bl yeele, “R… sdzu pll bla yp qyxkzu, dso.”

    Hbys Zw oyp nsdqwple. “Wyxkzu?”

    “Ybx. Mbl tkaz R oyp vyzjkdt ycswv kp ynvwyzzu xu dsxkdyz pkpvla, Hbwydt Zkikdt.”

    Shock filled her face. “So the girl you like is the vice president of Lanxi? No wonder you couldn’t forget her! She’s such a beautiful and powerful woman, you two are perfect for each other!”

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    Ji Sui couldn’t help but feel like Zhao Yu was implying that they weren’t from the same world. Suddenly, the distance that had closed between them opened again.

    “I don’t like her anymore,” he explained subconsciously, “I told you before that I’ve been trying to move on. Now, I only see her as my older sister.”

    Looking directly into her eyes, he continued slowly, “Zhao Yu, I hope that you can move on soon too. Don’t be sad anymore. Also, I’m not from their world. I’m just like you.”

    Zhao Yu stared at him for a while, then she revealed a slightly bitter smile. “If only I had met you sooner.”

    This sentence, spoken with helplessness and gratitude, filled with so much ambiguity, sent a ripple through his heart, causing his thoughts to unconsciously drift away.

    Looking at the delicate and lonely figure walking in front of him, he suddenly felt a desire to embrace her, to protect her, to stand by her side.

    After putting the groceries away, Zhao Yu turned her attention to making lunch. Although she said that she would cook, he insisted on helping out. Since they were both good at cooking, they shared a good tacit understanding.

    “When I was in first grade, I would cook by myself.” When the topic of conversation turned to their hobbies, she couldn’t help but puff out her chest proudly and show off her skills.

    “Back then, my mom earned money for us by selling vegetables at the market. She would work from day to night, and instead of playing with the other kids after school, I always ran to the market to help her watch the stall while she went back home to cook,” she chattered happily.

    “But eventually some customers found it hard to bargain with a child and stopped going to my mom’s stall to buy vegetables. So, my mom had no choice but to teach me how to cook so she could watch the stall instead. You know, I think I’m a genius at cooking! She couldn’t stop praising my first dish, and I even finished a whole bowl of it myself.”

    Ji Sui listened quietly while gazing at her face, his lips curving into a soft smile. He couldn’t help but try to imagine the young her, then he recalled his own childhood. 

    They actually had very similar experiences growing up. As children, they were both lonely and craved for a father’s love. However, they were both also lucky; she had her mother by her side, while he had a loving grandfather and comfortable living conditions.

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    How could they not belong to the same world? Sometimes, he would even think that there was no one who understood him better than her.

    After setting the table and sitting down, Ji Sui couldn’t help but blurt out, “What are you going to do about Xue Ziang?” 

    He knew that he was not qualified to ask, but he was worried about that dream last night and the possibility that Xue Ziang might not be willing to let her go.

    “I have to go back to work in two days, huh?” Zhao Yu sighed, “I’ll go to the company and have a good talk with him. He and I are over. There’s no possibility of getting back together.”

    “Mhm.” He wasn’t in a position to say more, so he simply said, “You can live with me until things are cleared up with him. I don’t mind.”

    And so, Zhao Yu stayed with him for another two days. During that time, other than going together to visit Qu Sixiao and accompany the mother and son for a New Year’s meal, they didn’t leave the apartment at all.

    She spent the rest of the time watching movies, reading books, and going on jogs with Ji Sui. Likewise, Ji Sui passed the time reading his favorite books, watching movies with her, and cooking together. 

    One might describe it as dull, even boring, but they liked this kind of simplicity and quiet.

    And… Zhao Yu could feel something obviously ambiguous between them.

    Soon, the two days ended. The day she had to return to work was on the seventh of the month, a Friday. They both got up very early. 

    After showering and changing, she looked at him hesitantly. “Umm… Can you… do me a favor?”

    He nodded. “What is it?”

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    She pulled down her sweater, revealing her slender shoulders, and then grabbed his hand. Ji Sui was still trying to recover from the sudden scenery before his eyes and didn’t react until his fingertips touched her soft skin.

    However, her movements were too fast and merciless. He didn’t have any time to stop her from using his nails to leave several obvious red marks on her shoulder.

    “What are you doing?!” he exclaimed. As the marks on her skin grew redder, he quickly turned and grabbed the first aid box.

    “He’ll stop bothering me if he sees that I have another man,” Zhao Yu explained.

    This point, Ji Sui understood, but did she have to be so cruel to herself?

    “It’s okay, I have scar cream in my car.” She closed the lid of his first aid box and continued, “After he sees the marks, I’ll come back and apply some other medicine.”

    As he watched her slowly pull up her collar and cover the exposed skin, Ji Sui’s heart rippled again. His mind was too preoccupied to consider… Was there any difference between using his hand and her hand to create the marks?


    VIN: Hello, I’ve decided to pick up this artful yet dark novel, and I guess venture into the smut genre at the same time. Updates are weekly on Sundays (EST).


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    3 Comments

    1. Proudyleo

      Thank you so very much for picking up this novel ❤️❤️❤️…I was really waiting when a new chapter will be updated… Will you please translate all the chapters till the end????? 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏