Love is Sweet – Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Body and Soul 以身相许 (Part 1)

Author: Qi Zi

Translated by: lovexsweet

Translator’s Note: This is not the most exciting chapter although you do get the satisfaction of seeing Jiang Jun defeat her old rival. The title is tricky to translate, it’s an ancient idiom roughly translating to the promise of a body. The dictionary defines it as to give one’s heart to, or to devote one’s life to. It’s used to describe when a woman decides to give her body to be with someone, as in a commitment or a promise to be together for life, i.e. being willing to marry. The closest English phrase that I know of is the concept of giving your “body and soul” to someone, but if someone can suggest a better title translation, please do!  That is, if anyone is still reading this…?  On that note, a big thank you to Kay for leaving comments and keeping me company, at least I know for sure one person is enjoying the translations!   

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“I really can’t tell if you’re going for business or to settle down there.” Sally, who was traveling with her, watched with amusement as Du and the taxi driver worked together to stuff Jiang Jun’s giant suitcase into the car.

“The car can’t fit this many people. Sally, take the company car back. Juno and I will take a taxi,” Du said.

“Okay,” Sally agreed.

“No,” Jiang Jun refused.

Du was only voicing his decision, he wasn’t actually asking for Jiang Jun’s opinion at all. He took her hand, pushed her into the taxi, and said to the driver, “Thank you, International Club.”

As the car drove smoothly toward the city, Du turned his head to look out the window, his hand still holding Jiang Jun tightly. “Beijing is very cold, did you bring enough clothing?”

“Look, a flying saucer!” Jiang Jun raised her hand to withdraw it, but he held her tightly, while the driver eagerly poked his head out and asked, “Where is it?”

Du quietly asked Jiang Jun, “Why did you cry just now?”

Jiang Jun looked at him without understanding. “What?”

“On the plane, when you fell asleep.”

She said with a laugh, “Since you know that I was asleep, how would I know why?”

Du put his arms around Jiang Jun’s shoulders and patted her comfortingly as if she were a child.

His behavior gave Jiang Jun goosebumps and she pushed him away, shivering a couple of times in response to the occurrence.

“Okay, no more games, the top 8 people will come in for interviews tomorrow. You’ll screen out two first and we’ll discuss the last spots.” Du took out a few resumes from his carry-on bag and handed them to Jiang Jun.

“Are there still openings? Didn’t we already recruit a few last year?” Jiang Jun took out her laptop from her purse.

“Our entry into the mainland will happen in the next year or two, so we must train people quickly. It’s not a bad thing to reserve more talent.”

“Understood.”

“The last batch of newcomers have finished their training in Singapore and will soon come over to your side. You can figure out what to do with them. Even if they aren’t of use to us, don’t let them fall into the hands of others.

“Ok.”

“Also, take advantage of your vacation and sleep well, don’t end up looking like a panda. You’ll have to work hard after this period.”

Jiang Jun flipped through several resumes, and was suddenly startled.

Du didn’t know why, “What are you laughing at?”

Jiang Jun shook her head, her smile unabated. “It’s nothing, I’m just a good mood.”

“I watched him start Zhu Tower, I watched him feast his guests, I watched his building collapse…”* Jiang Jun hummed silently, looking at the resume in front of her, sighing at the good luck.  [T/N* Lyrics from the “Sorrowing Jiangnan” song in The Peach Blossom Fan, a play by Qing dynasty Kong Shangren. A main theme is the impermanence of status, e.g. even the wealthy can lose it all, and the rise and fall of a person is uncertain.]

Early the next morning, Jiang Jun strode into the office, her black cashmere coat catching the cold wind as she swept past the applicants.  Sally followed behind her with lowered eyes, entering the office and closing the door before revealing her smirk, “So cool! Your Majesty, are you entering the battlefield? Those poor kids outside are stunned silly with awe.”

Jiang Jun snapped her fingers, the corners of her mouth lifting. “The game’s started.”

“This last one, thirty-three years old, ranked fourth in grades, with ten years of banking experience. Do you want her to come in now?” asked Sally.

“Tell her to come in.” Jiang Jun leaned back in the wide leather seat and watched the pale-faced woman walk in step by step, her eyes terrified, as if she had seen a poisonous snake.

“This is Ms. Jiang Jun, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Region of MH Investment Banking,” introduced Sally.

Jiang Jun didn’t get up and only raised her chin. “Sit down.”

Throughout the interview process, Jiang Jun remained silent and just looked at the woman calmly. She watched the woman answering Sally’s questions with forced composure, and watched her glance toward herself from time to time. She didn’t say anything and just smiled.

After the interview, Jiang Jun said softly to the woman’s back as she left, “Hi! Qiao Na, it’s been so long since we last met.”

Back at the hotel, that old acquaintance was unexpectedly seen in the lobby. Jiang Jun happily dragged Sally to go shopping, eat dinner, and sing karaoke, before she felt it was about time. She politely turned down Sally’s suggestion of a night out and returned to the hotel alone. She was leisurely pacing in the corridor when the sound of small footsteps came from behind her. Jiang Jun turned around and saw Qiao Na’s sallow face wrapped in a dark down jacket. It turned out that she could also be afraid.

Jiang Jun took the initiative to say hello. “Miss Qiao? What a coincidence.”

“You know in your own heart whether it’s a coincidence or not.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you? From the very beginning, you knew that Yin Zhe and I were applying for this job. You arranged for us to come in and gave us hope, then humiliated us at the last moment. You’re so hateful, you’ve delayed me for so many years and yet you still want to ruin me for the rest of my life?”

Jiang Jun looked at Qiao Na calmly, unmoved.

“I’m telling you, I’m in MH for sure. With my ability and achievements, there’s no way you can stop me. I’ve waited ten years for this opportunity and MH is not a place where you can singlehandedly control everything. Your executive president has also come, hasn’t he? If I get slapped down, I’ll file a complaint, I’ll go to your boss to complain that you’re using your power for personal gain and public revenge.

Jiang Jun was a little tired, so she almost laughed at what she said. How is it that the more this woman learned, the more she reverted back? She was a little sleepy and didn’t want to bother to continue playing with her, so she simply interrupted Jonah’s endless chatter. “I can tell you right now that you’re not hired.”

“You…”

“You’ve really disappointed me, Qiao Na.” Jiang Jun covered her mouth and yawned, “I originally wanted to give you a chance to get in, but it’s a pity to see that you’re not worth wasting my time. Well, good night and sweet dreams.”

In an era where the weak are prey to the strong, kindness was a double-edged sword, always making it possible for people to hurt themselves. She would never again do things that hurt her loved ones and made her enemies happy.

What was the old saying? Good people have short lives, while bad people live for thousands of years. She was young and beautiful, so of course she wouldn’t be willing to die early.

She couldn’t resist calling her good friend Xu Na. Xu Na exclaimed on the phone, “You met that bitch Qiao Na already? If I’d known, I would’ve gone with you to beat her up.”

“You’re always so violent.”

“Whenever I think of her sharing my name, I just get angry. She’s bringing shame on the rest of us called Na, damn it.”

“It’s done, don’t talk about her anymore. Aren’t you going to open a shop in the mainland next year? I went shopping around the hotel today, the area is so prosperous. Oh yeah, I saw a bridal shop selling your designs.”

Xu Na, a popular and well-known designer, laughed lasciviously. “You said that one, you won’t fall in love, and two, you won’t make love. Then why did you go to the bridal shop?  Are you feeling some stirrings of love? Hey, you can still keep the wedding dress that I designed for you, what if one day you decided not to be alone for a lifetime and actually found a good man to marry? You have to wear my design, you’re guaranteed to be stunning, and it’s easy to take off. Oh, and I’ll also help you with the lingerie and make sure that your future husband will be totally head over heels for you.”

Jiang Jun laughed in spite of herself. “Screw you, save it to wear yourself.”

For the time being, she was not going to tell Xu Na about her and Yuan Shuai. This was a secret she was keeping in her heart and secrets could be told to no one.

After Du came back, Jiang Jun honestly reported the situation from the past two days. “All the interviewees’ information has been organized and these two people are out.”

He casually flipped through a few pages. “The one with the 4th ranked test score was kicked out?”

“This person has jumped around all these large financial institutions on the mainland and is still in a lower-level position, which shows that there are problems with interpersonal relations, teamwork, and background.” Jiang Jun had already prepared and there were too many reasons to screen out Qiao Na, any single one could be used to kill her chances.  

“OK!” Du closed the file, “If you’ve decided, that’s good.”

Jiang Jun watched with relief as Du inserted the two resumes into the shredder.

“When you have time, I, the local gangster who hasn’t come back for many years, invite you and Sally to come out with me for a good time!”*   [T/N* This sentence is so awkward. The author uses random English words sometimes and she wrote that he invites them to go “Happy”…I’m not sure if that’s supposed to mean happy hour or what lol]

Du immediately put down the pen, picked up the phone, and dialed numbers. “You have to ask Sally to write it down for you to sign and stamp for it to count.”

Jiang Jun touched her chest in amusement and promised, “Don’t worry.”

Chairman Mao’s quote said: Treat your comrades as warmly as spring, and treat your enemies as cruelly and ruthlessly as a severe winter. Jiang Jun firmly supported and implemented his spirit.

After the business was finished, Jiang Jun found some time to show Sally around since it was her first time in Beijing. Du actually joined in on their craziness, knocking on the door before dawn to get them up to watch the flag-raising ceremony. During these December mornings in Beijing, the north wind whistled and the sky was freezing cold. With her red nose, Jiang Jun glared at her two colleagues who were both wearing long and thick down jackets and big scarves, leaving only their eyes exposed.

“Why…why didn’t I…how come I don’t have…?” Jiang Jun was so cold that her teeth chattered.

“I asked you before and you said you have enough clothing.” Du wasn’t wearing the glasses that usually disguised his expression, and his eyes were gleaming with a wily light.

Sally tugged at her and the coldness of her gloves made Jiang Jun shiver again. “Sorry, this really nothing to do with me. This is what Du asked someone to buy during your negotiations yesterday. You’re so tall, you can’t wear mine.”

This was on purpose, this was definitely on purpose!

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’ll share with you half.” Du opened the zipper of his coat and pulled Jiang Jun into his arms.

Jiang Jun was mad, this was a conspiracy!

Sally blinked dubiously at the two of them. Jiang Jun wanted to push Du away, but she was instead hugged tightly. She thought it over but there was really no way to make Du be reasonable. Forget it, this was nothing anyway, so be it. A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him, and a good woman isn’t afraid of being chased by a pervert.

After watching the flag raising, Sally wiped away tears and asked Jiang Jun, “Do you have any recommendations for delicious food? But don’t tell me about roast duck, I’m sick of it.”

Du directly ordered, “Tell Juno to take us to eat some authentic Beijing street food.”

Jiang Jun was dumbfounded; she had never eaten these herself. Her ancestral home is Shandong, and her grandparents were both born in Jiangsu and grew up in Shanghai from the south side of the Yangtze River. Her family had always had southern style food since she was a child. Fortunately, these two were practically half foreigners, so they were very easy to deceive.

Jiang Jun thought about it carefully and decided to take them to the only place she was familiar with—Xidan. She remembered that the lamb skewers and stews in the neighborhood over there were delicious.

They were in tacit agreement not to call a cab and walked west together along the mottled red wall.

“It has so much style.” Sally clicked her camera frantically at the guard standing outside the gatehouse, and looked inside the door curiously, “Juno, what do you think is behind this wall, will it be okay if I go in there?”

Du pointed to the police car on the side and made a rare joke, “Go break in to have a look, if you actually make it back you can tell us all about it.”

Jiang Jun disapprovingly explained, “It’s nothing, behind the shadow wall is a lake. The Mongolians call the lake a sea and also used it. Behind this is the South China Sea, and to the north is the Central Sea, which is connected to the water in North Sea Park.* [T/N* The North Sea Park, or Beihai Park is also known as the Winter Palace, it’s a huge imperial garden originally from the 11^th century]

“Have you been in there?” Sally exclaimed enviously. “I really want to go in and have a look.”

Jiang Jun came back to her senses and quickly explained, “This place was open to the public before and you could go in and visit from the entrance on the west side, but now you can’t anymore.”

Seeing the right moment, Sally ran up to a good vantage point and shouted, “Let’s take a picture together.”

Jiang Jun wiped her nose, standing in front of the familiar courtyard with a bright smile, flanked by Du and Sally to her left and right.

She had walked to Xidan against the cold wind, only to find that this place had long since ceased to be the one in her memories. After asking the elders on the side of the road, Jiang Jun ashamedly took everyone in a taxi straight to Gui* Street in Dongzhimen. [T/N* Sounds the same as “ghost” street and is often mistakenly called that, but the character is actually a food vessel/bamboo basket.]

“This shrimp is delicious, but why is it called ‘Ghost Street’ here?” Sally asked as she ate.

Jiang Jun continued gesturing and talking, saying in explanation, “This was a cemetery before. The reason why the crawfish that you’re chowing down on has such a great flavor is because they feed on human flesh.”

Looking at Sally’s back as she ran towards the bathroom, Jiang Jun laughed so hard that she almost couldn’t see anymore.

Du slapped her hand lightly. “Naughty.”

Jiang Jun peeled the shrimp shells with a clear conscience. “Who told her to eat so fast?”

“We’re going back tomorrow, you can stay for your vacation.” Du handed Jiang Jun a napkin.

“Mhm.”

“You should think about it carefully. In the future, your focus will have to be on the mainland side, there’s not much room left to play in Hong Kong.”

Jiang Jun only cared about eating and just let out a light snort to echo, “Mhm.”

“Take care of yourself.”

“You take care, too, and can I trouble you to keep your greasy hands out of my hair?” Jiang Jun threw down the shrimp shells in her hands, “We have an agreement to be the same as before.  What will Sally think of your attitude? She won’t say anything, but what if others see it?”

“Don’t worry, leave everything to me. You just need to work in peace and rest well. Don’t reject me, I can’t control it, but I will be measured and won’t make things difficult for you.”

Jiang Jun had more that she wanted to say, but she saw that Sally was coming back and she could only shut up.

The next afternoon, Jiang Jun sent them to the entrance of the hotel. The company’s car had just driven away when the door of the black car parked to the side opened quickly and an arm reached out to strangle her neck.

“I’m robbing you, but only for sex, not money.”

Jiang Jun poked the kidnapper’s arm with a freshly manicured nail. “Do it then. Didn’t you say you’d be back tomorrow?”

Yuan Shuai let go of her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I have a mission after all, I have to watch over you.”

Jiang Jun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Are you going to let people live or not? Are you really that afraid of me running away? Am I that unaware of myself?”

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