Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 43

by Little Panda

The Real·Ji Circle Xiaojiejie!¹

For years, Yan Xi’s life had revolved around her work and caring for Anzhi. She rarely had time for socializing and kept a polite but distant relationship with her colleagues. She would be absent from nine out of ten of the station’s outings or dinners. Over time, this led to some idle gossip.

Furthermore, she came from a good family, drove a nice car, and lived in a nice house. She was born with things others couldn’t hope to obtain even after several lifetimes of hard work. In the eyes of others, her maintaining a “gentleman’s friendship”² was instead seen as, “The bai fu mei³ disdains to associate with common folk,” “How could a young miss like her understand the struggles of the people,” and “She’s pursuing poetry and the distant place,⁴ while we’re exhausting ourselves just to get by.” With a little push from those with ulterior motives, many nasty rumors began to circulate.

Yan Xi’s situation became a bit difficult, but she couldn’t be bothered to defend herself. She had understood from a young age that the more you fought back against some things, the more persistent people became. As long as it didn’t cross her bottom line, she usually couldn’t be bothered to care.

She had experienced this kind of malice from other women, this hostility from those around her, several times before. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t suffered from it.

She was still young when she lost her parents and didn’t understand that it was a final farewell. She wholeheartedly believed her mom and dad had just gone on a long trip and would eventually come back. Her family doted on her, and her childhood was truly a mischievous one. When she started school and slowly began to understand, her parents were never there for parent-teacher conferences. At first, it was her grandfather, and later, her first brother.

Yan Xi went through a period of inner panic and low self-esteem. She could recount countless amusing stories from her childhood, but when it came to her parents, she truly couldn’t remember a single thing. She could only learn a few details from her brothers and grandparents and then use her imagination to piece the rest together.

In junior high, during her adolescent years, she longed for someone to confide in. Her brothers were, after all, the opposite gender. Besides, her first brother had gone to serve in the army, her second brother wasn’t interested in human beings, and her third brother was too interested in himself. Her grandparents were getting old, and she couldn’t find anyone who could understand her. At that time, she desperately yearned for close friends her own age. Unfortunately, Liu Yiyi had already gone abroad to study.

Back then, Yan Xi was almost clumsy in her attempts to make friends. Having grown up in a predominantly male household, she found other girls to be gentle and lovely and felt they should be treated well. She would treat them to snacks and outings and give them small gifts, almost to the point of fawning. It worked well at first, and she had a group of several girls she would hang out with. But gradually, without Yan Xi knowing what went wrong, they began to subtly isolate her. She was flustered and terrified, not knowing what she had done wrong.

By chance, she overheard them talking about her behind her back. “So what if her family’s rich? Does she think she can buy us off with these small favors? Just to show how approachable she is?”

“Look at how all the boys focus on her. Does she dress so nicely to seduce them? And she rejected XX’s confession—look at that smug face of hers!”

“If she wants to pay, let her pay. I don’t care, it’s not like I’m the one with more money than sense. Hey, let’s not be too obvious about it. If she pretends to be pitiful, even more boys will feel sorry for her…”

They talked about her behind her back, yet to her face, they would still greet her with beaming smiles and affectionately link arms with her.

That day, Yan Xi hid in the girls’ bathroom and cried, muffling her sobs.

That period was extremely painful for Yan Xi, and she didn’t want to worry her grandparents. So, she took up boxing. It was also during that time that she began to read voraciously. Just like that, she went through a psychological recovery period of being broken, doubting, rebuilding, being shattered again, and then rebuilding herself once more.

However, it was only a repair. She later sensed that this experience had a profound impact on her, causing her to be unable to socialize properly for a long time. She was afraid that if she got too close to people, she would discover their two-faced nature. A hidden resentment and unwillingness festered within her, and she even developed an aversion to school.

Her grades plummeted in her third year of junior high. She barely put in enough effort for the high school entrance exams and scraped by into a key high school. Her state of mind was still poor in her first year of high school. It was then that she unexpectedly fell in love with photography. She even willfully skipped many classes to go sketching, study photography, and take pictures.

There were so many beautiful landscapes in the world, and so many beautiful people. There was no need to feel regret or doubt herself over some roadside obstacles.

It wasn’t just junior high. All along the way, even now in her seventh year at the television station, she had experienced it so many times that she had naturally developed a set of methods to cope.

But she never expected to encounter it at work, and in this manner. Yan Xi hoped the show would end quickly. An online hot topic was only temporary and would soon be replaced by a new one. She thought she shouldn’t have to worry.

To her surprise, however, because Lin Wei frequently interacted with people on Weibo, her words were amiable and she would occasionally flirt with her young fans. Her fans adored her to no end. This created a stark contrast, and the fans even began to headcanon some “drama.”

A fan left a comment: “Lin-xiaojiejie, be honest, are you and the other xiaojiejie close in private?”
Lin Wei replied: “Sigh…” followed by a doge emoji.

That was enough to let people’s imaginations run wild.

Someone even said: “It’s not like we’re asking anyone to reveal their sexual orientation or anything, but I just feel like a certain xiaojiejie is a bit too aloof…”

“We know this is mostly just hype and netizens’ fantasies, but this xiaojiejie is really not giving anyone any face…”

The power of netizens is immense. It didn’t take long for them to dig up details about Yan Xi’s life. After the show became popular, candid photos and street snaps of her appeared online. Soon, fans were exclaiming: “She’s driving a Porsche at such a young age? How can someone from Beishi TV afford such a nice car?”

“Look at what she’s wearing. That trench coat must be at least two or three thousand, right?”

“Could she have some kind of shady background?”

After digging deeper, they discovered her good family background, and the sour grapes⁵ tone became even more pronounced: “So that’s why she’s so aloof. Turns out she’s a bai fu mei…”

“That explains it. A bai fu mei’s life is all about solitary self-admiration, a single flower blooming alone. No wonder she won’t even interact with our Lin-xiaojiejie…”

“Whether I ship them as a lily⁶ couple is secondary. I just think that women often make things too difficult for other women. Wouldn’t it be better if everyone could just be more accommodating and respect each other?”

“Exactly. Sigh, why must women make things difficult for women? I can just imagine what it’s like for them at work. My Lin-xiaojiejie must have been wronged so much…”

…

Lin Wei seemingly “slipped” and liked that “why must women make things difficult for women” comment.

The shift from shipping a lily couple to “why must women make things difficult for women” was truly a divine plot twist.⁷

Liu Yiyi called Yan Xi. “This colleague of yours is really something else! She really knows how to play the game, hehehehe… Is she in love with you?”

Yan Xi hadn’t been online much recently. Hearing this, she said, “Is that a joke? It’s not funny…”

“Seriously, I’m all too familiar with her tricks. We’re both thousand-year-old foxes playing at Liaozhai;⁸ I can see what she’s up to at a glance… Do you want me to make a move? I’ll play her to death.”

Yan Xi had been frustrated at first, but hearing this made her laugh. “What thousand-year-old fox? You’re different from her.”

Both Liu Yiyi and Lin Wei had glamorous looks. Liu Yiyi was also particularly good at joking around and socializing, the type to be smooth and slick in any situation, adept at using her own strengths. But there was never too much hidden emotion in her eyes; her boundaries were clear. At her core, she was someone who had seen the world’s splendors but remained pure.

Liu Yiyi said, “Seeing you get bullied like this makes me so angry. Little Anzhi is worried sick, but she doesn’t dare bother you. She’s already asked me several times what to do…”

A warmth spread through Yan Xi’s heart. “She’s already in her third year of junior high; I need to confiscate her phone. You don’t understand. If I react at all right now, she’ll just get more worked up. She’s an expert at this kind of thing. I’ll be fine. Besides, the show isn’t over yet. I still have to consider the bigger picture.”

Liu Yiyi rolled her eyes. “The pure will prove themselves pure,⁹ is that it? Fine, let’s wait and see for now. Let her keep jumping around.”

As luck would have it, after the final episode of the show aired, a great god on the internet posted an article: “Who is the real Ji Circle xiaojiejie? Come, come, let’s all take a look with our fiery eyes and golden pupils!”¹⁰

“First, let’s set aside the question of whether they’re a lily couple or not. Just looking at tonight’s finals, can’t you all see who is the one truly ‘making things difficult for women’?”

During the finals that night, the three finalists competed in a round-robin battle¹¹ to determine the final two. One of the contestants was a frail first-year university student. Unable to handle the immense pressure on stage, her face turned pale, and she broke down crying on the spot. Because it was a live broadcast, everyone’s reactions were crystal clear.

It happened to be Lin Wei’s hosting segment. She offered a few symbolic words of comfort, but as the delay dragged on, her schedule fell behind. She showed a clear expression of impatience and even blurted out, “It’s not good for young people to be too competitive.”

The studio audience was already in an uproar. Yan Xi saved the situation in the nick of time. She walked over to comfort the contestant in a low voice, even taking out a tissue for her. She smiled and said, “Young people are always full of ambition, striving to do their best. Such passion and curiosity are moving enough. Come, let’s give this lovely young lady a round of applause to encourage her.”

The student eventually composed herself and made it to the finals. Although she didn’t win the championship, the final shot of her on television was of her tear-streaked red eyes and a proud, blooming smile.

“From many of the past episodes, we can also see that the skill levels of these two hosts are clearly not on the same plane. Setting aside the ability to save the show with quick wits, Yan Xi is leagues ahead of the other one in terms of cultural literacy. From her opening remarks, her ability to pick up on the judges’ literary allusions at any moment, to her casually quoting poetry… In comparison, the other one only knows how to say, ‘Good, that’s great, keep it up!’… I’m about to cringe my teeth out, okay!”

“Let’s look at the points Yan Xi was attacked for. One, she was born a bai fu mei. What’s wrong with that? Is it a crime to be good at getting reincarnated? Besides, have any of you seen the bai fu mei make things difficult for the other one at work? You haven’t seen anything, so where are all these strong feelings coming from, as if they’re real? Think about it from another angle. You’ve all been attacking her so hard on Weibo. Have you seen her argue back? Post on Weibo? ‘Accidentally’ like a comment? Who is really ‘making things difficult for women as a woman’? Many of those attacking her are female fans, aren’t they? How ridiculous. Aren’t you doing the exact same thing?”

“Two, let’s go back to the lily question. Haven’t you all noticed that Yan Xi’s gaze is super gentle when she looks at the female contestants? During her hosting segments, although it’s not obvious, she’s always a bit more lenient with the female contestants. She encourages them. If they answer wrong, she smiles and says it’s okay, there are still more chances. If they answer correctly, she praises them. Her focused gaze, her gentle smile—it’s swoon-worthy to death,¹² okay?!!! (I’ve only screen-licked it a few dozen times.)”

“Now for the other one. When she encounters a good-looking male contestant, she practically wants to dig up eighteen generations of his ancestors. Hey, the man is already married, and you’re asking him on a prime-time show watched by entire families if his marital relationship is harmonious? That look in her eyes… go watch the replay. If the genders were reversed, you’d all be calling it sexual harassment!”

“A person’s eyes can’t lie. Go watch the replays. If I’m wrong, I lose!”

“I watched this with my parents and my grandparents! These adults can spot a fake from a mile away. If you don’t believe me, ask your parents and see which host they prefer!”

“Finally, I want to say, I’m a straight woman, but watching this show is about to get me bent¹³ for Yan Xi-xiaojiejie, okay? (Writing this, I can’t even control my widdle self, I have to call her xiaojiejie too). Ahhhhhh! Yan-jiejie, please marry me! She’s super beautiful, okay? The kind with ‘a belly full of poetry and books gives one a natural air of grace,’¹⁴ the gentle, cool older sister¹⁵ type!”

“This is the real! True! Ji Circle Xiaojiejie!”

Footnotes

“Ji circle” (姬圈, jīquān) is slang for the online community for women who love women (wlw). “Xiaojiejie” (小姐姐), literally “little big sister,” is a trendy, affectionate term for a pretty young woman.
A “gentleman’s friendship” (君子之交, jūnzǐ zhī jiāo) refers to a relationship that is polite and based on mutual respect but lacks deep intimacy.
A popular Chinese slang term for a woman who is “white, rich, and beautiful,” often implying a privileged background.
A popular phrase in modern China referring to a life of ideals and dreams, as opposed to the mundane reality of just getting by.
A reference to Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes,” meaning to disparage something one desires but cannot have.
The Chinese term for the “yuri” genre, which focuses on romantic relationships between women in fiction. The word “yuri” is Japanese for lily.
A popular internet slang term for a sudden, unexpected, and dramatic turn of events.
A reference to “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio” (Liaozhai Zhiyi), a classic collection of supernatural stories. Fox spirits in these tales are famously cunning, so the phrase means “we’re both old pros at this game, don’t try to fool me.”
A common idiom meaning that an innocent person doesn’t need to defend themselves, as the truth will eventually come out.
An attribute of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from “Journey to the West.” His special eyes could see through any illusion or disguise.
Literally “wheel battle” (车轮战, chēlúnzhàn), a competition format where a contestant faces multiple opponents in succession.
“Su” (苏) is internet slang for a quality that is charming, cool, or romantic, making one swoon.
Slang for turning a straight person gay.
A famous line of poetry by the Song dynasty poet Su Shi, praising the natural elegance that comes from being well-read.
From the Japanese “onee-san,” this is a popular character archetype (trope) for a mature, elegant, and capable older woman.

Footnotes

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