Volume 2, Chapter 41: Xue Li, Jiejie
TL: flarewk
After the afternoon’s lesson had ended, I originally wanted to go to the library for night self-revisions, but I hadn’t walked out of the school building when I saw a very familiar figure from the windows, standing by the school gates waiting for someone.
I was unable to see clearly as the distance was too far, hence I slightly raised my spectacles and squinted, and blurrily saw a green colored status.
It’s Xue Li-xiaojie.
Turned around to look at Lian Bing who was still tidying her books, I said.
“Lian Bing, Xue Li came to pick you up already~”
“Ara? It should be that she’s picking you up instead, Cheng Jun?”
“Eyy? Me? Ahh………..”
Now that it’s being said, when I left the house this morning, Xue Li-xiaojie did mention that she would come to pick me up.
“Huhuhu……….I’ll go first then, Cheng Jun. Although I really want to go back together with you, but I still have some lessons to attend at night, so farewell first then.”
Her mood still wasn’t in a good state, huh. Starting from when I returned too late during noon until now, she had always been like that. Right now, basing on her smile and laughter I could deduce out about her current mood already. Normally, when her mood was delighted, she would carry a higher-pitched’s 4th sectioned laughter, and this kind of low-sliding pitch’s 3rd sectioned laughter proved that she’s extremely vexed right now.
I thought for a moment, and grabbed onto Lian Bing’s hands, who wanted to leave the classroom, pulling her to my front and lightly hugging her, while gently stroking her head.
No matter what, I being a boyfriend, when my girlfriend’s mood was depressed, I more or less should comfort her a little, right?
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“………..You’re so sly, Cheng Jun.”
She blanked out for a while before immediately burying her face deep into my chest and rubbed around onto it, not like a little kitten spoiling cutely about, but rather like a snake, squirming around within my embrace………..it’s bafflingly horrifying.
“Lian Bing?”
“Huhuhuhu~ Bye bye then~”
Looks like her mood had turned from bad to good already.
As long as she’s able to always maintain a good mood, my personal safety would be guaranteed then. As the saying goes, ‘sacrificing oneself to feed a tiger’, hence I must be concerned about this female tiger’s mood often.
I once again lowered my head to tidy up my books, placing today’s homework subjects and textbooks into my bag, while storing the remaining inside the school desk instead.
“Cheng Jun?”
“Mm? What’s the matter? Is there anything else?”
I originally thought that she had already left, but hadn’t expect her to return back once more.
Only poking out half of her head, she waved her hand towards me, as her pure pink-colored status placed my heart into a trance.
“I’ll see you tomorrow~?”
“………..Ahhh! See you tomorrow!”
The female tiger also had moments where she would turn into a female kitten too, huh……….
From the windows, after I saw Lian Bing greeting Xue Li and boarding the limousine, I too carried my bag and walked out of the classroom. I had a distinct feeling that there’s someone looking at me from behind………..but Lian Bing had gone already, so who was it exactly that was still staring at me?
Turning around all four corners, I’m unable to locate the source of those gazes. Scratching my head, I then carried a troubled expression as I walked out of the school building, and met up with Xue Li-xiaojie who was still waiting for me by the school gate.
“Jun Cheng-shàoye, I’ve been respectfully awaiting you for quite some time already.”
“Xue-Li-xiaojie, sorry for the long wait.”
Xue Li-xiaojie didn’t put on her maid outfit, but had changed into an attire of white-colored wool sweater and jeans, looking vastly different from usual; having an elder sister-like appearance.
I didn’t expect that she would really come to pick me up, plus she even especially considered about my feelings and changed away her maid outfit which easily attracted attention; it’s really too considerate of her already.
“Just call out my name, the me right now isn’t a maid, hm? Huhu.”
Xue Li-xiaojie who had taken off that outfit of maid costume had her attitude more relaxed, it should be from her ‘work mode’ changing into ‘everyday life mode’, I guess.
“Then you don’t need to call me shàoye too, and also, there’s no need to use honorifics anymore.”
“Ah, you do have a point, then is it alright to call you Jun Cheng directly? Or should I address you as Cheng Jun, just like dàxiaojie, hm?”
(TL: the “you” here she mentioned still was polite-manner form though, a “您”)
“Stop pronouncing out my name in reverse already…………recently, I’ve always been addressed out in reverse by her, causing even myself onto feeling that my name should be An Cheng Jun, and not An Jun Cheng instead.”
“Huhu, understood, then I’ll call you Xiao’ Jun, may I?”
“No problem about that. And also, mn, Xue Li, your this attire is quite pretty too.”
Because I usually didn’t converse much with people, hence praising onto other people’s attire felt to be rather bizarre, but at any rate I still managed to say it out.
Speaking of which, being called as Xiao’ Jun and whatnot was my first time too, eyy. I had a distinct feeling that it’s just like getting along with an elderly jiejie………..ah, Xue Li-xiaojie looked to be older than me, she originally was like a jiejie, I guess.
“Thank you very much.”
Xue Li gave off a smile, and after bowing and thanked me, she caressed her face as she said.
“I heard from dàxiaojie that Xiao’ Jun still need to attend night self-revisions, right, so I seemingly came at a rather inappropriate timing already?”
“It’s fine, I won’t be going for the night self-revisions today.”
Because in my hands still held a few signed notes that Li Li gave me, hence I could temporarily not go for night self-revisions. But the most important thing was that Xue Li-xiaojie had already come to pick me up, and I felt rather embarrassed for her to be continuing waiting for me.
Xue Li-xiaojie had seemingly anticipated my thoughts long ago, not revealing too much of a surprised expression when I said that I wasn’t going for the night self-revisions. Perhaps she had knew beforehand that I had some signed notes already.
“Then since this opportunity is rare, let’s properly have a talk, Xiao’ Jun.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Matters about dàxiaojie.”
I wasn’t surprised at all, as from the moment Xue Li-xiaojie mentioned that she wanted to have a talk, I had already expected that she would be discussing about topics regarding Lian Bing.
When we met each other for the first time, Xue Li-xiaojie seemingly already wanted to tell me a certain something, but didn’t say it out due to Lian Bing being present on scene. Right now, we could finally properly discuss about it already.
“There’s a reason onto why dàxiaojie would be having that kind of fetish……….because when she was a child, she witnessed a huge amount of deaths, and thus under a distorted mentality developed a wrong set of values.”
“Witnessed a huge amount of deaths?”
“That’s right, dàxiaojie and Mistress were being implicated within an indifferently huge massacre. Dàxiaojie who was a child then was spared from the disaster because she was being hugged by Mistress within her embrace, but Mistress instead…………”
“Passed away?”
So she originally lost her mother, just like me……….now that I think of it, our fates were nearly alike as well.
“……….That’s right, Mistress passed away.”
In an instant, I felt a strange intimidating presence exuding out from Xue Li-xiaojie, that bout of dangerous aura was exactly the same as Lian Bing’s, no, it’s even more unadulterated compared to hers!
An appalling aura emanated out from Xue Li-xiaojie, and at the upper area of vision where my spectacles were unable to cover, Xue Li-xiaojie’s status had already turned bloody-red colored. Also, those words had already became blurried, just like a television screen which didn’t have any signal at all, slitting and dispersing throughout the surroundings!
Was, this really an aura being able to be exuded out by a human being!
“Xue Li-xiaojie?!”
I exclaimed shockingly, with Xue Li-xiaojie then retracting her horrific aura.
“Sorry, I’ve frightened you already………..after that it became my duty to take care of dàxiaojie, but dàxiaojie’s soul had already been distorted. Xiao’ Jun, you should also have known about it, right?”
“Mm.”
It should be said instead that I’m already extremely clear about it, but I still don’t understand why she would become the current [Corpse Lover Homicidal Maniac], hadn’t anyone discovered onto her aberrance?
“Then what about her father? Didn’t he enlighten her about it?”
“That man………..don’t even talk about enlightening, not only did he not correct dàxiaojie’s mistake, he even added fuels to the flames discreetly, causing dàxiaojie to form an even more crooked set of values.”
Not addressing him as Master, even more not using honorifics as well. Even though she’s the Head Maid, she instead was being so impertinent towards someone whom she was serving, could it be that Xue Li-xiaojie basically didn’t even acknowledge that Master of her’s at all?
I felt that Lian Bing’s family circumstances were even more complicated than what I’ve imagined………..
“About dàxiaojie’s father, using one sentence to describe him, he’s a pure careerist. Plundering, extorting, engulfing every single thing he wanted, he’s a man who is the very incarnation of greed.”
That’s why he would construct such a gargantuan Ji Group. A few days back when I was hospitalized, I used the computer to track a bit about Lian Bing’s family background, and it really gave me a jump scare.
That’s already not the normal level of wealthiness. You could say that it’s a business empire that is able to affect onto the entire world.
“But he still wasn’t satisfied with that, as he felt that the mega empire that he created should be inherited by his children. However, his illegitimate children are merely but trashes that were being corrupted by the excess influx of richness, and this made him extremely disappointed……….just then, he noticed onto dàxiaojie’s talent.”
“Talent?”
“Yes, dàxiaojie had a ‘recognizing’ talent, being able to instantaneously determine a person’s worth, able to know about that person on which area they will be useful at. When dàxiaojie described about it to me, she mentioned that she is able to smell upon a unique ‘scent’ on everybody.”
“Ahhh……….”
No wonder Lian Bing would always say ‘I smelt you already’ these sort of words, so it wasn’t just referring to her sense of smell being rather sensitive.
“Because her values onto appraising people are the same as her values onto appraising objects, she scorned life and emotions, instead investing more time and energy onto profiteering calculations, to obtain things that she wanted to get.”
Thinking of people as not being people, huh? It should be said that it’s precisely because of that, hence she would be so attracted towards corpses………..
“After a long period of time, her sense of compassion completely receded. And as days went on, she couldn’t feel life’s beauty and happiness…………one day eventually, dàxiaojie will become a feelingless, merciless person. And this was what that man eagerly awaited, hoping that dàxiaojie will then take over everything from him, or even exceed him to become an absolute ruler.”
Saying till this point, Xue Li-xiaojie then halted her footsteps, as she turned her head towards me as she said with a look of serious expression.
“I don’t wish for Lian Bing to become that sort of cold-blooded ‘devil’, as humans possessed emotions. They are able to shine out brightly-lit exclusive emotions within their short span of life.”
This sentence sounds to be rather strange, as I had a distinct feeling that Xue Li-xiaojie didn’t seem to stand on a human being’s viewpoint while saying out those words. I secretly plucked off my spectacles to gaze at the top of her head………..it had already turned back to greenish color, her status was still a perfect type head maid, and her name’s correctly Xue Li too. Was it just me who was thinking too much about it already?
“But luckily, dàxiaojie encountered onto Xiao’ Jun, huhuhuhu~”
Xue Li-xiaojie suddenly chuckled, as her heavy expression became way more lighter already.
I became a little surprised while pointing towards myself, saying.
“Me? But she’s only interested in my corpse…………”
“It indeed was like that from the start, to dàxiaojie, you’re but only a collection, just the same as like a favorite toy, only a piece of ‘object’.”
“It’s still the same now, right…………”
“Ai ya, Xiao’ Jun, you’re really rather dense, haven’t you noticed that she recently became a little different already?”
“Uh huh…………”
How do I put it, it became slightly easier to get along with her already, as when speaking to her, I wouldn’t feel my heart being clogged up. But looking at that pinkish-red colored status, I still couldn’t relax myself at all………….even if it’s just a small trace of redness, I still won’t let down my guard!
“Because she completely couldn’t view you as an object, it resulted onto the birth of another dàxiaojie.”
“Eh! You already knew about it, huh!”
So Xue Li-xiaojie had already knew about Moe Bing’s existence, huh!
“Huhuhuhu, the other dàxiaojie is rather cute too.”
Right now, I then suddenly realized that Lian Bing had many areas that were like Xue Li-xiaojie, from the smiling expression to the symbol-like laughter, along with that bout of intimidating pressure when angry being very similar as well.
What kind of a person was Xue Li-xiaojie towards Lian Bing? A teacher? Or a mother as well?
I’m able to see that Lian Bing didn’t treat Xue Li-xiaojie as an underling, what were more are reverent feelings, I guess.
“I’ll tell you a certain thing, the 4th of April is dàxiaojie’s birthday. Xiao’ Jun, don’t forget to prepare a present by then, hm?
“Isn’t it almost reaching already?!”
“That’s right, and by that time, dàxiaojie will surely invite you to attend her birthday party, so go prepare a present suitable for the status of a boyfriend. Don’t let dàxiaojie be disappointed~”
Because of the Qing Ming holidays, it brought upon a series of off-days. Although it’s a Saturday tomorrow, there would be lessons still, and afterwards, from Sunday till next Tuesday it’ll be holidays all the way. And so the date of her birthday was also coincidentally a holiday.
So I see, if it’s like that, I must indeed be preparing a present then.
I really envied Lian Bing though, on having such a maid who was always thinking about her every moment serving her………..
In the end, when we were almost reaching the house entrance, Xue Li-xiaojie once again helped me to tidy my attire, and lastly lowered her head near to my ears and said.
“As long as you marry dàxiaojie, I’ll also be able to serve you everyday too, hn?”
It sounds to be extremely tempting! But the price was……….to marry Lian Bing?
“What kind of a hellish joke is that, why would I marry that kind of………..”
“You too also had unknowingly fallen in love with dàxiaojie, right. Even in your heart, you’re already directly calling out dàxiaojie’s name, isn’t it? Huhuhuhu~”
“Coughcoughcoughcough!”
Even this was being exposed already?!
Xue Li-xiaojie, it can’t be that you really could read minds, right!
No wait, who had liked onto that woman already!! I don’t at all!
“Really not at all?”
Don’t be like this, my heart’s a little unable to take it………..
We had already unknowingly walked to near my house, and I could already see the house entrance.
“A, already reached home……….”
Xue Li-xiaojie suddenly hugged me from behind, and as the back of my head touched onto a pillow of softness, I frantically lifted my head out and gave off a strange scream.
“Xue Li-xiaojie?”
She forcefully hugged onto my shoulders tightly, plastered her cheeks onto the top of my head, using a pitying tone to murmur out.
“You too also made me rather heartached, Xiao’ Jun……….if there’s anything happening, you must tell Xue Li-jiejie, kay? Jiejie can help you to resolve troubles too…………”
“Ehh, Xue Li-xiaojie………..”
“It’s jiejie.”
“Xue, Xue Li-jiejie?”
“Mm mn, when I’m not wearing the maid outfit, just call me as jiejie. Actually, I’ve always wanted a little brother just like Xiao’ Jun, huhuhuhu~”
Earlier, I had always felt that Xue Li-xiaojie was extremely mature and unwavering, with her age being way older than mine. But looking from right now, I felt that her age didn’t seem to be any much different from mine’s already, feeling that we were on more closer intimate terms instead.
“Mm……….if I continue to carry on hugging like this I’ll probably be cursed to death already. Well, today will be up to here then.”
Xue Li-xiaojie let go of my shoulders and turned me around, retreated a step backwards and respectfully said.
“Well then, Jun Cheng-shàoye, I’ll once again come to visit tomorrow morning, I wish you a peaceful rest tonight.”
Once more regaining back her honorifics and respectful addressing, the current Xue Li-xiaojie was like as if she had turned back to that perfect head maid again.
Her smile was still of the same standard, except it being mixed with a slight trace of delight?
It can’t be that those areas of Lian Bing onto liking to tease people were learnt from Xue Li-xiaojie, right………..
After seeing Xue Li-xiaojie off, I went into my house.
Ke Ling hyperactively pounced into my arms and pestered me onto accompanying her to watch television dramas, hence I accompanied Ke Ling to watch the currently most popular anti-corruption drama for a short while, it’s surprisingly interesting.
The time at home would always feel to be more faster, and after we finished watching the television drama, it’s almost 8 o’clock already. After cooking supper and having it with my meimeis plus coaxing Ke Ling to sleep thereafter, I returned back to my room and did a little of my homework, and roughly around 10 plus at night, I prepared to sleep.
I’ve just put on my pajamas, when Xin Ran knocked onto the door and entered my room.
“…………Gege, is your wound still in pain?”
“Other places are still alright, it’s only my abdomen that’s slightly painful, but it should be much better after waiting a few days before taking out the stitches.”
“I see……….understood.”
Xin Ran silently nodded, afterwards closing the doors and left, all the way till I was lying onto my bed, yet she still hadn’t come.
It wasn’t that she’s preparing to come over already? Ah………..forget it, it’ll be better this way.
After largely giving off a yawn, I started to sink into dreamland.
What present should I give………..I’ll just think of it tomorrow……….
The first day of returning back to school was still considered to be rather ordinary, and I had a sort of feeling that I had already returned back to that lackluster, dullish everyday life in the past.
Hopefully, this wouldn’t turn out to be the calm right before a storm………..