September 18th was the day Fei Hua left Wenjiang.
After working at the bookstore until noon, Bai Yan asked Song Youcheng for leave and went to the train station to see Fei Hua off.
Fei Hua and Principal Zhang were in first class, and the waiting room was also VIP-level. As Bai Yan walked over, she saw Fei Hua waiting at the door from afar.
When Bai Yan saw her face clearly, she almost burst out laughing.
Fei Hua stood there with her arms crossed, not dressed in her usual red and green attire, cheongsam, and high heels, but instead wearing a white and blue school uniform with wide sleeves. Her originally fluffy curly hair was held back with a pearl hair clip, her long eyebrows were lightly drawn, and she held a bouquet of bright red flowers in her hand. At first glance, she really did look like a female student.
"What a fashionable outfit you're wearing!" Bai Yan said, trying not to laugh as she walked over. "It must have been hard for you to find such a nice outfit."
Fei Hua led her into the waiting room, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, still maintaining her charming and flamboyant demeanor: "What, is it only allowed for female students to imitate us by wearing high-slit dresses, but we're not allowed to try it out and pretend to be female students ourselves?"
After Principal Zhang greeted her, Bai Yan chuckled inwardly, "Whose daughter are you? I'm afraid you'll be punished by your principal before you even enter the school gates." Pointing to the flowers in Fei Hua's hand, she asked, "What's going on here? Tulips in this season?"
A single red tulip is delicately decorated with white crocheted paper, but a clump of stems hangs from its base, which is rather unsightly.
Fei Hua smiled but remained silent. Principal Zhang, standing to the side, feigned a complaint: "Miss Bai, you have no idea how troublesome she is. It's already late autumn, and she's insisting on having tulips. The gardener at home said that September and October are the perfect time for tulips to be stored in sand for cultivation. Where was I supposed to find them for her? It took so much effort to finally find them from a flower farmer in the far suburbs. To make them last longer, they even dug them up by the roots!"
Bai Yan laughed and said, "It's because the principal favors her, and she knows that this matter won't be difficult for the principal, that's why she dares to be so willful."
Principal Zhang smiled with satisfaction and said he wouldn't disturb the sisters' farewell. He then went and sat down a short distance away, leaving the two of them some space.
They had already said everything they needed to say, and now the two were just joking and teasing each other, showing no sign of sadness at parting.
After they had finished arguing, the two gradually quieted down.
"After this departure, I don't know when we will meet again. Take good care of yourself. I have no more attachments to this place."
In those dark and hopeless days, if it weren't for having someone like that by their side, I'm afraid none of them would have been able to persevere and endure such an ending.
Bai Yan said in a low voice, "You've come from the brothel, after all, and you've seen a lot of the ups and downs of life. This trip of yours isn't just about enjoying yourself. You should be careful to leave yourself a way out."
Looking down at the tulip in her hand, Fei Hua smiled casually: "Of course I know, it's just the same as before, just surviving."
"Beep—Waaaaah…"
Before long, the train arrived at the station, its whistle blaring. Crowds of people hurried out of the exit, shoulder to shoulder, rushing off on another journey.
Principal Zhang, who was not far away, had already stood up, and his entourage had also picked up their luggage.
"Go." Bai Yan squeezed Fei Hua's hand tightly, then released it and said softly.
Upon hearing the horn, Fei Hua's usually calm expression suddenly wavered. She stood up but didn't leave; instead, she turned and looked towards the entrance of the waiting hall.
The midday sun poured down, casting a hazy golden edge on the shadows of people outside the door. People came and went, but she never saw the person she was waiting for.
"...In the end, he still won't come..." she murmured to herself.
"Feihua, Feihua?" Bai Yan glanced at Principal Zhang, who was looking down at his watch, and tugged at Feihua's sleeve, whispering, "It's almost time. The person you're waiting for is standing over there."
Turning back, Fei Hua had composed herself and handed the tulip in her hand to Bai Yan: "Here, this is for you."
"Give it to me? Aren't you taking it to Beiping?" Bai Yan asked, puzzled.
With her eyes lowered, Fei Hua said, "I was wrong. How could such a precious flower withstand the sandstorms of Beiping? It would be better to leave it here, so as not to waste its beauty. That would be a good thing."
Her words had a hidden meaning, but Bai Yan knew that Fei Hua was saying this to herself, so she didn't ask any further questions. She took the flowers and said, "Take care on your journey."
"Take care." After giving Bai Yan a final hug, Fei Hua turned to Principal Zhang with a carefully crafted smile.
Let's go!
The station was crowded, and Bai Yan carefully protected the delicate tulip all the way out, then hailed a rickshaw to return to the bookstore.
Back in her office, Bai Yan looked at the tulips, pondering how to best preserve this gift.
The tulip bulbs were wrapped in layers of thin, damp gauze to provide moisture. Even so, it probably wouldn't last long. She'd have to transplant them into soil when she got home. Although she knew how to care for plants, she'd never grown tulips before; she really didn't know why Fei Hua knew…
As she was looking at them, Song Youcheng walked by and, seeing the tulips, exclaimed, "Tulips? It's this time of year, how can there still be tulips?"
Bai Yan smiled and said, "It is said to have been brought back from the suburbs. This one just happened to grow a little late, so it was left until now."
Song Youcheng nodded: "So it's a flower that bloomed out of season. That's quite romantic. Miss Bai, would you like to keep it at home?"
Judging from his tone, he seemed to know quite a bit, so Bai Yan quickly asked, "Does Young Master Song know how to care for tulips?"
Song Youcheng said, "I don't know much about it, but Ning loves tulips the most, and I've helped her grow them before. So, Miss Bai, after you get home, you need to wait until the tulips are completely withered, and then..."
Song Youcheng explained the planting method, which Bai Yan noted down. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Speaking of which, Miss Li hasn't been to the bookstore for several days. Is she busy with other things?"
Song Youcheng shook his head: "I'm not quite sure either. I called her a few days ago, and she only said that she wasn't in a good mood, so I didn't press her further."
"I see." Bai Yan nodded.
She wasn't stupid; she could naturally sense Miss Li's feelings for Ah Xuan. And the change in Miss Li's attitude towards her and Ah Xuan during this period also indicated that she must know about their affair.
From her perspective alone, she naturally didn't need to care what Li Yining thought, but she had to consider A-Xuan. A-Xuan was a sentimental person—just looking at how she could still maintain a friendship with Song Youcheng showed that if Li Yining and A-Xuan completely broke up, A-Xuan would definitely be heartbroken. If she could do something to salvage the situation a little, Bai Yan wouldn't mind.
Of course, she wasn't in a hurry.
After all, who would really like their love rival?
When it was time to leave work, Bai Yan packed her things and carefully brought the tulips home.
For a fleeting moment, as she opened the door, she hoped to see Mu Xing casually reclining on the sofa as usual, reading movie magazines or financial reports. She could almost picture how Mu Xing would turn her head to look at her, her tone of voice, her eyes, the playful strands of hair sticking up at the back of her head…
Just thinking about it was enough to make Bai Yan's blood boil, rushing into her heart and mind, igniting all her passion and love.
"Squeak—clang."
The door frame was held in place by the hinges, making a long, creaking sound that echoed in the dimly lit, deserted house.
"Snap." Bai Yan turned on the light, walked into the room, and placed the tulips on the table.
It's okay, this is normal. She tried to tell herself.
Ah Xuan has her own things to do, and there are also restrictions imposed by the Mu family, so it's quite normal for her to not come here for a few days at a time.
…But Ah Xuan had never been like this before, with no news for two consecutive days.
He didn't come to the bookstore to look for her, didn't make a phone call, and didn't send a single word through anyone.
Bai Yan sank into the sofa, supporting her forehead.
She had just called Mu Yuan yesterday. Ah Xuan wasn't sick. If something had happened, Mr. Song wouldn't have kept it from her.
But she couldn't feel at ease at all.
What's going on? What's going on...?
Her thoughts were in turmoil, her heart pounded in her chest, and a sharp pain shot through her stomach, making Bai Yan feel like she was about to vomit.
She grabbed the phone and quickly dialed a number she already knew by heart.
"Hello, this is Mu Garden..."
Before the maid could finish speaking, Bai Yan said, "Hello, I am Bai Yan. I am looking for Mu Xing. Is she here?"
silence.
The brief silence almost broke Bai Yan's nerves.
Finally, a voice came from the other end of the phone: "Sorry, Miss is not available to answer the phone at the moment."
Without further ado, Bai Yan asked directly, "Why?"
The maid simply said, "I'm sorry, please contact Miss another day."
The call ended.
Bai Yan slowly put down the phone.
"Why... why, exactly?"
Before she could investigate further, the door was suddenly banged on. Bai Yan jumped in fright, and without thinking about the strange noise that followed, she ran to open the door: "Ah Xuan! You..."
The sound stopped abruptly. Looking at the person outside the door, completely drunk, Bai Yan stared in disbelief: "Miss Li?"
Li Yining squatted on the ground, sprawled out without any decorum, and groggily raised her head, grinning eerily at the doorknob: "Ah, Ah Xuan? Ha, I'm not, what Ah Xuan... I, I..."
As she spoke, she slid down the scroll, muttering indistinctly, "I am... Fei... Hua..."
Chapter 89
Not having heard what Li Yining said, Bai Yan squatted down and called to her, "Miss Li, Miss Li?"
Li Yining frowned, curled up in a ball, and didn't react at all. Helpless, Bai Yan had to drag her into the house and settle her on the sofa.
After putting Li Yining away, Bai Yan finally had time to look her over.
Surprisingly, this young lady, who usually wore elegant suits, was dressed today in a playful pair of overalls and a shirt, her beautiful hair tucked into a beret—though now it was a mess. Her brow was furrowed, her cheeks flushed, and at first glance she really did resemble a handsome boy.
“…No, I should say he’s a stinky brat reeking of alcohol.” Bai Yan muttered as she moved Li Yining into a more comfortable position, then took off his beret and his coat, which reeked of sweet alcohol, and placed them aside.
"She can get drunk on sweet wine like Kolisa, she really is a young lady." She clicked her tongue, then got up and went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of hot water. She used a towel to wipe Li Yining's face and hands, and poured a glass of water and put it aside.
After quickly tidying up, Bai Yan sat down to the side, raising an eyebrow at Li Yining.
It's only seven o'clock, and this young lady is already this drunk; she must be really in a bad mood. I wonder if it's because of Ah Xuan, or something else...
But the most important question is, how did Li Yining know that she and A-Xuan lived here? A-Xuan hadn't even told Mr. Song about this, let alone Li Yining.
As Bai Yan was thinking, Li Yining on the sofa groaned and rolled over, throwing off the cushion under her head and muttering under her breath, "...Hard...I hate it..."
With a wry smile, Bai Yan picked up the cushion and snorted, "If you think it's too hard, then go ahead and sleep with your neck stiff." She got up and went into the kitchen.
Whatever happened to Li Yining, or how she found out her address, only Li Yining could answer those questions; otherwise, there was no point in thinking about it further. Since that was the case, she might as well fill her stomach first—more importantly, once she had some free time, she couldn't help but think of A-Xuan.
On days when Mu Xing wasn't around, Bai Yan would cook simple and light meals: boiled eggs, vegetable salad, porridge... She used to hate these kinds of meals when she was working in the brothel, but now that she's out here, she's not used to eating fish and meat at every meal.
The porridge pot was bubbling away on the stove. After thinking for a moment, Bai Yan added two more eggs to the frying pan.
Since we're already here, it wouldn't be right to let them go home hungry.
Before long, a simple dinner was ready. Bai Yan came out with the bowl and was so startled when she saw Li Yining standing in the living room that she almost screamed.
She almost suspected that Miss Li had come here specifically to scare people!
After carefully placing the bowl of porridge down, Bai Yan asked, feigning composure, "You're awake? Would you like to eat something together?"
Li Yining stood there, her long hair disheveled, her head bowed in an inscrutable expression. Upon hearing this, she finally looked up at Bai Yan.
Upon seeing the tulips Fei Hua had given her in Li Yining's hand, Bai Yan frowned and was about to speak when Li Yining spoke first.