CH 103

Content Warning: Mentions of child tra****ing

When the plane landed in Jiangcheng, the sky gradually began to darken.

Cheng Suran paid the final payment to the bodyguards, got into the assistant's car, and hurriedly returned home.

As soon as she entered the door, she threw her suitcase away, kicked off her shoes, rushed into the room barefoot, opened the bedside cabinet, took out a small box hidden deep inside, and carefully opened it.

An embroidered rabbit lay inside, its white threads slightly yellowed, ears a bit dirty, with the letter "J" embroidered on its neck with black thread, small and cute.

This was given to her by Jiang Yu twenty years ago...

Cheng Suran stared at the rabbit closely and held it in her palm.

Once she asked about the origin of this rabbit, but Jiang Yu only evasively, vaguely, and perfunctorily answered her. At that time, she felt that she was not telling the truth, but as a lowly canary, she was cautious, and she didn't dare to ask any more questions. She only regretted not remembering, leaving a lifelong sorrow.

The only certain thing is that when she was six years old, she met Jiang Yu who was eighteen years old on the train platform.

[The police said you almost got sold, thanks to a little girl who saved you...]

[Year of the Rooster, Li... Licang, I think that's what it's called.]

Cheng Suran took out her phone, opened the search engine, and entered "Licang County" on the keyboard with trembling fingertips.

It is a small county in the south-central part of the country, one level lower than the prefecture-level city of Lingzhou. It has no scenery, and its food is salty and spicy. The birthplace of a celebrity: Jiang Yu

She searched for Jiang Yu's information again.

The introduction on the home page does not directly write the place of birth, but there is an introduction in the detailed text below, which clearly says "born in Licang County, x City, x Province on October 31, 1987." She hadn't noticed it the first time she read it online, but after searching and looking countless times, she slowly remembered.

A conjecture formed in Cheng Suran's mind...

Could the person who saved her be Jiang Yu?

If so, why did Jiang Yu lie to her? Why did she refuse to tell her the truth? Why dodge and brush her off? Countless conjectures exploded in her mind, and she boiled and swelled up like a bag filled with hot water.

Taking a deep breath, Cheng Suran held the little bunny tightly.

She is going to ask Jiang Yu.

Right now.

A surge of determination rushed to her head; she didn't care about much else. She opened her phone's contacts and dialed Jiang Yu's number... "Ranran?"

The call was quickly answered, and Jiang Yu's voice sounded pleasantly surprised.

Cheng Suran's lips trembled, but she tried her best to restrain her voice, keeping it low: Where are you now?" 

"I just got home."

"I have something I want to ask you. It's not easy to explain over the phone. Wait for me, I'll be there in about ten minutes."

The other end froze for a moment.

"Okay."

....

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=4738582

This translation is originally posted on

love4baihe.blogspot.com

please read it there. and check out other stories too 

The setting sun dyed the sky a faint golden red.

The mansion complex had strict management. Even though it was Cheng Suran's third time being here, she still needs to register and report. After the owner confirms, she will be escorted upstairs by the security guard. Obviously the journey was not very long, but she felt that she had traveled a century.

The moment the door opened, she held her breath.

As if the door was a turning point of fate.

"Ranran—"

Jiang Yu stood by the door, with unconcealable joy in her eyes, "Come in quickly."

She had only arrived home not long ago, she hadn't had time to change. She wore a thick, black leather windbreaker that reached her calves, and her lips were a lustrous rusty red, a bit forbidden yet full of charm.

Looking at this face, Cheng Suran tried hard to recall the time when she was six years old, trying to connect her with the girl that her aunt said had saved her, but there was only a vast white fog in her mind, and the fragmentary images were of a green train and a man holding her hand. She couldn't remember more.

Seeing her in a daze, Jiang Yu stretched out her hand: "Ranran?"

Cheng Suran evaded reflexively.

"..."

"It's fine."

Couple slippers are placed on the floor mat.

She changed into it without making a sound and followed Jiang Yu into the house.

"Ranran, would you like something to drink?"

Coming to the sofa, Jiang Yu pointed to the snacks and drinks on the coffee table, including tea, warm water, fruit juice, and yogurt, which she prepared in advance since she doesn't know which one Ranran likes best.

Cheng Suran shook her head, sat down, and couldn't wait to take out the little rabbit: "Do you remember this?"

The yellowed embroidered rabbit lay in the palm of her hand.

Jiang Yu was stunned.

"Yesterday I went back to my hometown for something, and I heard from my aunt that when I was six years old, my father took me on a train under the pretense of going out to play, trying to sell me as a child bride. But he didn't succeed in the end because I was lucky. A girl saved me at Licang County train station, and later the police brought me back...," Cheng Suran stared at her face, reciting the information she had gathered.

"You admitted before that you're the one who gave me this rabbit. In addition, I checked the Internet and found that Licang County is your hometown."

"Jiang Yu–"

"What's the truth? Don't lie to me anymore."

She called out her name.

Her gaze was full of scrutiny, not missing any subtle expressions on her face.

Jiang Yu frowned slightly, lowered her eyes, and rubbed her fingers against the metal round buttons of her cuffs, her lips were pursed for a while and loosened for a while, not sure if she was contemplating or hesitating.

Such a reaction made Cheng Suran more determined, and the answer in her heart was clear, but she still asked: "You were the girl who saved me back then, right?"

"Yes."

Jiang Yu raised her eyes, looking at the aged and faded embroidered bunny. "It was actually an accident. It was right after the college entrance exams had finished, and I..." She wanted to say she didn't get into university, but her heart resisted. She knew she was capable of getting in, and that was a scar she could never heal in her lifetime. She couldn't bring herself to talk about it.

Her voice changed: "I was planning to go to Jiangcheng. When I entered the station, I saw a man holding a little girl and handing her over to another man. I didn't pay much attention at first, but when I was about to get on the bus, I suddenly heard the little girl crying..."

Although it has been twenty years, she still remembers it very clearly.

The little girl was born beautiful, she was only five or six years old, and she looked like a child star on TV, in their backcountry, beauty was a rarity--she was ridiculed for being a 'big fool' when she was a child, she had envied that little girl's face so much back then. She had thought, how good it would be if she could look like that too.

She was deeply impressed by the six-year-old Ranran.

After telling the whole story, Jiang Yu blinked, and said with a relaxed smile, "I just realized that I have a face complex*, if you were a less beautiful little girl back then, I might not have noticed."

*sucker for looks 

Cheng Suran couldn't laugh.

She thought that the experience of being a canary was a taint in her life, and she is lowly and unworthy because she is easily tempted. And the emotions that have repeatedly tortured her these years have become a joke now. Without Jiang Yu, she might have been sold to a bachelor's home, like a sow giving birth to a litter of piglets. Without Jiang Yu, she wouldn't have the confidence and capital to make long-term plans for her own life and will not achieve success in the worldly sense.

It could be said that without Jiang Yu, there would be no her now.

It was clear that she owed Jiang Yu even more.

There are no life stains, no lowliness, all opportunities given to her by fate, once or twice, have completely changed her life.

Cheng Suran felt confused, like punching into cotton.

Just like when she was a child, she had often overthought things due to others' inadvertent glances, believing they harbored hostility toward her. She would foolishly swear in her heart to stay far away, only to later realize she had imagined too much; the other party was actually friendly.

She always does.

The light on the base of the teapot on the table suddenly lit up, and it began to automatically heat up the cold tea until a little mist came out of the spout.

The tea is warm again.

"Then why did you lie to me? Why didn't you want to tell me the truth?" Cheng Suran asked calmly.

Jiang Yu turned her face away, avoiding her gaze, and looked outside the window.

The sky showed a color of water, red and purple-blue intertwined, half like fire, half like ice, two opposite qualities, but at this moment they merged strangely.

"Because..." There was a flash of struggle in her eyes.

"At that time, I was the benefactor and I couldn't accept a deeper connection between us. I only wanted our relationship to remain at the level of financial transactions, that way... I could get out at any time."

After speaking, Jiang Yu turned back and looked directly at Cheng Suran.

"I was escaping. I didn't know that I was…"

Already tempted.

She didn't say the second half of the sentence, but Cheng Suran understood from the look in her eyes. In an instant, she felt a strong pang of bitterness burning within her, tears welled up, but she held them back, the mist in her eyes turning into a faint glimmer.

"You are right to think so. I was too young and naive at the time, thinking that without love, the sky would collapse."

She smiled at Jiang Yu.

Because of her youth and inexperience, she had wanted to hold onto whatever little beauty she could find. The words Jiang Yu had said to her in the car back then, now seemed like heartfelt words, not just empty phrases.

"Then what about now..."

Jiang Yu hesitated to speak.

Through those eyes, Cheng Suran seemed to understand what she wanted to ask. At that moment, she sensed a familiar aura in Jiang Yu, similar to her own–

No sense of security?

But this feeling quickly vanished.

"For me now, love isn't everything in life. I have so many things I want to do, so many places I want to go. Life is short, and time is precious," Cheng Suran finished speaking and stood up. She tucked the little rabbit back into her pocket and walked to the balcony.

There were magnificent fiery clouds stacked on the horizon.

The outer walls of the high-rise buildings on the opposite bank are glowing with sunshine, and a tour boat cruising slowly on the river, with a broad view that could make one feel as though they were embracing everything.

She couldn't see it, but a shadow seemed to cross Jiang Yu's eyes.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

It was Bai Lu.

Seeing the caller ID, Jiang Yu felt indescribably depressed. For some reason, she always had a bad premonition. She glanced at the unresponsive person on the balcony and lowered her voice: "Hello?"

"Sister Yu, I just arrived at Jiangcheng Airport, shall we have dinner together tonight?"

"Sorry, I have something going on here."

"You're such a busy person. Tsk, then, I'll go find Sister Mina first. Remember, you owe me a meal." Surprisingly, Bai Lu didn't pester her.

Jiang Yu didn't think much, and replied "Okay."

....

The service car was driving on the highway, and Bai Lu looked out the window blankly. Just after hanging up, her phone vibrated, it was a message from Mina

[Where are you?]

[On the highway.]

She lazily replied and quit WeChat, and the wallpaper on her phone displayed two large, vivid red characters: "Jiang Yu." They appeared as intense as blood, stimulating her with a hint of excitement.

This is a wallpaper she made herself.

There are still many incomplete photos of Jiang Yu in the album, for example, a photo where half of her face is cut off, her eyes are blocked, and her hands or feet are amputated. She changes the wallpaper every day, cycling through them, never getting tired of it.

The sun shines on her face through the window, illuminating a cold smile at the corner of her lips.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of an office building in the urban area.

"I'm going to see a friend. Just wait for me in the car," Bai Lu told her assistant. Skillfully, she put on a mask and a hat, then opened the car door. After glancing around, she swiftly exited.

It was rush hour, people were coming and going in the building, and the elevators were running very slowly. Her height of 1.77 meters is very eye-catching in the crowd.

"That person is so tall. She looks familiar…"

"She looks like Jiang Yu."

While waiting for the elevator, Bai Lu suddenly heard hushed whispers around her. The phrase "like Jiang Yu" struck right at her sore spot. She clenched her teeth, tightened her fist, and cursed these blind and brainless fools in her heart.

Damn Jiang Yu!

When she just stepped into the modeling circle, she was called "Little Jiang Yu". At that time, she still felt happy and proud, but now it is different from the past. She just wants to take off the label on her body and wash away Jiang Yu's shadow.

Everyone only knows Jiang Yu, and even in her brightest moments, she is always compared with Jiang Yu. Why does she hate Jiang Yu so much?

The elevator stopped on the 12th floor, and only Bai Lu got out.

Different from the bustle of other floors, this whole floor was empty, and the background board outside the front desk hadn't yet put her name on it. She walked through the messy new desks and chairs, came to a small office, opened the door, and walked in.

A middle-aged woman with short hair, wearing a leather jacket was sitting on a swivel chair. She looked up upon hearing Bai Lu's arrival and smiled warmly. "You're here. What do you think of this place?"

It was Mina waiting for her.

"It's too messy outside, it doesn't look like a proper company at all. Clean it up as soon as possible," Bai Lu waved her hand to fan away the dust, wrinkling her nose. She took out a tissue from her bag and carefully wiped a chair that was already clean before sitting down.

Mina nodded leisurely: "These are trivial matters, don't worry."

"How is your coordination with the Russian parent company?"

"No problem. We'll have everything set up here in two or three days. Once it's ready, you'll be here, and the models coming from Russia will sign directly with us. I've been in touch with agents and show directors in New York and Paris. After signing, we'll send the models over. The process will be the same."

"This timing is not good. This year's spring and summer are over. The next opportunity won't come until the January Haute Couture show. Can new models go straight to the Haute Couture show? Are you confident about it?" Bai Lu's tone turned serious, and she tapped her index finger on the table repeatedly, exuding a business-like demeanor, quite different from her glamorous and icy appearance.

Mina smiled, her shrewd and sharp eyes could penetrate people's hearts, but her face was calm and composed: "You are wrong, the time is just right, it will be after the end of the fashion season. Even without runway shows, there are still photo shoots. Don't forget, many models have been discovered from a simple photograph in a magazine, aren't you a living example of that? As long as there's exposure, visibility leads to opportunities. Besides, these models have good potential, so there's no need to worry."

Bai Lu raised her brows and the corners of her mouth.

"Sister Na, I can rest assured. After so many years, I can finally get rid of Jiang Yu, and it is most comfortable to do things for myself."

"Yeah," Mina smiled sarcastically, "It's better to go alone than be with the wrong person."

This smile is only superficial.

Thinking that she had found an ally and everything was going well, Bai Lu was in a good mood, sat around in her chair, and asked casually, "When will you resign?

"Just waiting after we send the first batch of models to New York and Paris."

"That will take a long time. The longer you stay, the longer you will continue to report to Tian Lin. I feel bad for you, hehe... Tell me, in terms of experience and achievements, she's no match for you. Jiang Mop just made it obvious she's trying to keep you in check by promoting her."

Mina's slightly wrinkled face sank, and when she heard the word "Jiang Mop", she laughed again: "Don't worry, I know it myself."

"How did you give Jiang Yu this nickname?"

"She's dirty, a rag." Bai Lu said contemptuously.

"Quite fitting."

Mina changed the subject indiscriminately, "Oh, by the way, where's your boyfriend?"

"We broke up a while ago," Bai Lu replied casually, then she paused and blinked, "What boyfriend? What actor? He doesn't count as a boyfriend, I just told Jiang Mop to mess with her. It's not a real breakup, it's just money and goods

"Slip of the tongue."

Mina nodded again and again, coaxing her, like an adult trying to appease a child who is having a temper, "However, Jiang Yu is not easy to deceive, you should be careful not to go too far, she can't find out our plans for the time being…"

"I know," Bai Lu made an 'OK' gesture, "I can act. Today, I told her I wanted to have dinner with her, and she refused. Then I said I was coming to see you, and she agreed so quickly. I could practically feel her relief through the phone..."

As she spoke, she squeezed the decorative ring on her hand, the metal rubbed against her skin, and it turned slightly red.

Mina observed her expression, and added fire at the right time: Someone who's used up, is nothing more than a burden to her, right?"

"A burden..."

Bai Lu murmured and repeated the word, with a sarcastic smile on the corner of her lips.

She eventually became Jiang Yu's burden.

A burden that one can't avoid and doesn't want to deal with anymore.

It was dark outside the building.

Bai Lu temporarily changed her mind about going home for dinner, and said to the driver as soon as she got in the car: "Take me to Green Shang Mansion, then you can go back."

"Sister, will you go home tonight, or stay with Miss Jiang?" The assistant asked routinely.

"I'm not going back."

"Okay."

The location wasn't far from Jiang Yu's place, about a seven to eight-minute drive. However, due to the rush hour, the city was a bit congested, and the travel time was doubled.

Bai Lu does not need to be accompanied by security guards when she enters and exits the community, nor does she need the guard room to report to the owner. This is the convenience Jiang Yu gave her.

She entered the elevator unimpeded by herself, went upstairs, came to the door, stretched her hand towards the door lock, and silently recited the code  that she didn't know the meaning of.

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