TL: flarewk
I still wasn't able to see the sun even after stepping out of the house. Looks like it's going to be a cloudy weather today.
There weren't any clocks present in Xue Qing's home, hence I didn't know what was the current time.
Forget about having clocks already, I really don't get why there wouldn't be lights installed in the living room and bedroom. Rather than saying that the lights in the bathroom was being used for illuminating purposes, it's more of it being utilized for warming up body temperatures instead.
Although it was very strange at the inside, but looking from the exterior, this house looked completely like a luxurious mansion, which made me unresistingly ponder, whom exactly were Xue Qing's parents?
Not being able to see anything at all during midnight yesterday night, I was still thinking that this black street, which had caused me to search fruitlessly for an entire night, would be what kind of a place exactly, but with the result that it was just merely a normal stretch of shopping district.
The road was rather narrow. Cars would be having an uneasy time trying to pass through it, and I'm guessing whether if there would even be drivers who would be willing to drive their cars into such a narrow piece of street at all. Although it's said to be a road, but it's even alright for it to be described as a walking street as well. People were strolling about on the streets normally, some even chatting and laughing about as they did so. On the two sides of the street had a few street shops being opened ordinarily, with them selling all kinds of stuff...........it's really such a street with no unique traits at all.
Like other shopping districts for example, they would often be hosting similar shops for the entire street stretch, which for example, an entire street selling seeds, or an entire street hosting a variety of hotels, or entire streets swamped with hotpot shops. But for this street, there weren't anything unique already.
Black street...........heh, everyone residing in it slept at a rather early timing, with its nighttime being pitch-black. It can't be that this would be the specialty of this street, huh?
The shops that were open were also rather bizarre, with some of them just by glancing at the signboards alone actually not being able to be distinguished on what sort of shops it was. Like that place called ''Black-green inn", just by looking at the name of the shop, who the hell would know exactly on what kind of business it operates? And why must it name itself onto this kind of naming which goes against the trend? Don't they know that for the current era, the more direct a name the better it'll be?
(TL: I think it's a neta to those long light novel names)
However, if I was to say out something truly bizarre...........
Scratching my face while looking at that group of talking and chuckling passerbys, I asked Xue Qing who was right beside me.
"Xue Qing, this street can't actually be some sort of an theater for somewhere, right?"
Xue Qing tilted her head as she questioned back.
"Theater?"
"Like those that are intentionally created, being used for movie filming or a temporary location for some television series."
"Don't know."
"Ahaha...........you have a point, sorry for asking such a strange question."
"It's fine."
Aaahh..........it's true as well. Just the same as me, Xue Qing similarly was that type who was disinterested with her surroundings. Even if she was living in this street, she probably wouldn't know about the stuff regarding onto this street too.
But, as expected, I still wasn't able to be not mindful of it...
What was strange wasn't this street itself, but the 'passerbys' that were on this street.
In my sight, the titles that were on everyone's head were all [Crowd Actors].
Uhh, heh? Crowd Actors?
Huh? We've actually arrived at such a faraway place? I recalled that this place should be quite far from Coastal Road, but we didn't seem to have walked for quite a long distance just now...........a five minute travel, being able to arrive at a location where one must take the train while needing to transfer unto two different lines?
Woah, isn't that too incredible already! Black Street, where exactly are you located at?
Uuu, forget it.........it's better that I not bother about this matter already. Looking back at my recent experiences, there were some things that would be better if I didn't know about it. Why be mindful of these minor details? It'll only herald a load of trouble upon myself.
Then again, what kind of clothes should I buy for Xue Qing...........with this frame of hers, don't tell me that I would need to get her some children outfits?
I remembered that Ke Ling said before that clothes must be matching with each other...........like white and black naturally being very matching, it's the so-called 'black and white counterparting'~.
(TL: black/white counterparting is more of a CN slang, 黑白配)
I'll carry on buying a black colored skirt then, hmm...........it'll be a small skirt then.
As long as a target aim has been set, selecting clothes would be surprisingly easy.
"Xue Qing, go on and try this."
"Mm."
After a short while, Xue Qing who had changed into a set of fresh clothing appeared right in front of me.
Just as what I've expected, it was very matching with her, especially that of Xue Qing wearing overly long black socks, it complementing along with that black colored skirt was even more like of drawing out a dragon with a perfect dotting of its eyes.
If...........she once again turn into that appearance with white hair and crimson-red pupils, I had a feeling that she'll be even more prettier..........
Then again, when that appearance comes out, it would indicate that there will be someone about to die...........
The process of selecting clothes had been rather smooth, but there's a problem cropping up when wanting to pay for the items.
In front of the cashier, I flipped over my pockets left and right, yet was still unable to locate onto my wallet.
When leaving my house, I definitely would have brought along "IPKM", the four great necessitating items, but now I couldn't locate onto my wallet already. Does this mean that it was placed at the pockets of my jacket, and had been taken away by Xiang Yue Xun?
(TL: Identification, phone, keys, money)
Eeeh, now it'll be embarrassing already...........
"Use this card."
Luckily Xue Qing had seemingly brought along a card. Haaa, letting a woman paying for it and whatnot was really shameful...........speaking of which, when I was together with Lian Bing, I could also clearly feel onto the distinct wealth difference between the rich and the poor.
It's so embarrassing.
"Ahh, sorry about that, Xue Qing...........urk! Black card?!"
This, should be that legendary black card, right? Although I don't really understand much about it, but I remembered that sometimes in movies, there will be an appearance of this type of pure black-colored card that has a drawing of an ancient head of a soldier on it.
It's a symbol of wealth and status.
"Merely remuneration."
"Eeeeh............"
I don't even need to think to comprehend onto what kind of job was done to receive this sort of remuneration. A remuneration from murdering, huh............this was considered to be blood-stained money already. My feelings felt mixed just by using this card............
After finishing paying for the items cost, Xue Qing changed back into her school uniform.
Saying that she didn't want to dirty her new clothes.
Afterwards, I brought her along to buy a load of necessitating daily essentials and ingredients that were to be used for dinner, before preparing to leave the shopping district.
Waaa..........it's really heavy.
When we were leaving, Xue Qing suddenly pulled onto my hands, saying.
"Wait."
"Mm? Is there something else that you wanted to buy?"
"There's still, phone."
"Ah, a phone. Indeed, this certainly is a must."
I've forgotten about this matter already, it indeed was very inconvenient to be without a phone. Speaking of which, last night started just from the small matter of being without a phone.
"Let's go buy a phone then........."
Very naturally, I once again took hold of Xue Qing's hands, and at that very instant, I instantaneously felt upon a bout of back-chilling sensation, it made my entirety feel extremely discomforted!
In a single moment, I understood onto what kind of feeling that was.
This sort of feeling, to me, was said to be too familiar already.
There's someone who was spying on me!
To imply it more seriously, there's someone who was stalking me!
During at school, because I was always together with Lian Bing, attracting the attention of other students wasn't that much of a strange matter. But now, right now I'm outside of school? Plus the person beside me wasn't also Lian Bing, but Xue Qing instead...........who was it exactly that was stalking me?
Speaking of which, during that date with Lian Bing last time, I had always felt that there's someone who was stalking me...........
Have I been targeted by someone already?
Was it Xue Li-xiaojie?
No, it shouldn't be Xue Li-xiaojie, if it's her who stalked me, I would have completely been unable to feel it.
Not to mention that this bout of gaze felt rather prickly!
Looking around at my surroundings, I still wasn't unable to notice onto any sort of suspicious people, and didn't detect any statuses that had inappropriate colors as well.
Looks like the other party's stalking skill was rather adept, as they did an excellent job onto concealing themselves to be at the blind spot of my sight.
Ahhhhhh! It's so freaking annoying!
Are there any solutions to let me see onto whoever it was who was peeking at me!
"Jun Cheng?"
"Ah, it's fine, let's go."
This bout of sensation would always be causing me to feel unnerved...........looks like I would need to go learn onto some anti-stalking techniques already.
I must get to the bottom of whoever that person was that have always been stalking and ferociously glaring at me! I don't want to spend my days everyday being in constant trepidation!
-ch 57 end-
(3639 words to tl)
Footnotes:
Ferocious, Glaring (虎视、眈眈) = It's originally an idiom (虎视眈眈), which meant to ravenously glare at a victim, almost about to pounce right on it akin to a tiger.
Black-green inn (黑青之馆) = I'm veeeeery sure it's a neta of something. I don't know what, though.... T-T
DaJinHua Departmental Store (金华百货) = A real departmental store located in China, Guangdong.
As you can see, if we are to believe that the locations used (fictional Coastal Road and DaJinHua Dept Store) are real, it's a freaking longass distance away to travel (27 hrs by car!)
P/N: If it mattered, I tried to check if there's a Subway Line 2 nearby dajinhua dept store, but it's way too far away to be believable. (1hr distance) Anyone living in china able to help me cross check this? Haha.
Drawing out a dragon with a perfect dotting of its eyes (画龙点睛之笔) = Well, I can't think up of an EN saying to replace this, so I tried to translate the idiom to the best of what I can. (:3
This refers to the highlight of something that prominently draws attention to that certain thing.
In the story's case, Jun Cheng found Xue Qing's stockings to be extremely alluring due to it matching her outfit exquisitely. I mean, look at this ↓ and tell me if you agree or not.
Glossary:
jiejie (姐姐) = refers to 'elder sister'. Note that in this instance, it's more like a generic term, referring affectionately to a pretty lady in the 20s.
-xiaojie (小姐) = a generic term to address a woman politely~