Fang Bai recalled He Ziyan's appearance at the time, smiled, and said, "I told her that not causing you any trouble would be the biggest help I could give you, and she agreed, but..."
Fang Bai paused for a moment and said, "However, she discussed something with me, and it's about you."
Ji Yuning looked at Fang Bai.
Fang Bai slowly said, "She wants to come to your house every week to do her homework with you."
Ji Yuning: "...?"
Fang Bai noticed the confusion that flashed across Ji Yuning's face, and recalled that she had the same reaction when she heard He Ziyan's conditions. "I didn't agree at the time, and told her that I wanted to seek your opinion."
Fang Bai: "But if you want, you can invite Mu to come along. It would be nice if the three of you could help each other out like that day. If it's too much trouble for Mu to take the bus, then Uncle Li can pick her up."
After Fang Bai finished speaking, he felt that she was incredibly open-minded. Other parents would prevent their children from dating too early, but she was different; she created conditions for the female lead to date early.
Of course, this is on the premise that Fang Bai knows that Ji Yuning's academic performance is not affected by these factors.
Fang Bai thought she would get Ji Yuning's consent, but instead she saw a calm refusal on Ji Yuning's face, "No need, Xue Rou has other things to do every weekend."
"Alright," Fang Bai didn't insist. "What about He Ziyan?"
"..." Ji Yuning turned her head to look out the window, "I'm talking to her."
Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a clothing store.
Fang Bai told Ji Yuning to put her schoolbag in the car, got out of the car and walked to Ji Yuning's side, saying, "The old man ordered these clothes for us two months ago. We'll wear our new clothes tonight."
Two months ago?
Ji Yuning noticed the time Fang Baihua mentioned.
Like Fang Bai, Fang Maozhou had no good feelings towards her. Unless Fang Bai took the initiative to tell him that he would take her to a banquet, he would not have ordered a dress for her two months ago.
So Fang Bai's decision to take her to his birthday party on Friday wasn't a sudden one; it was something he had decided two months ago.
Why?
Ji Yuning's dark eyes were unfathomable. She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the exquisite floor of the clothing store.
Two months ago... Fang Bai wasn't pretending to be kind like he is now. All of Fang Bai's seemingly kind actions towards her were actually malicious...
Is it the same this time?
"Little Lemon".
Fang Bai's voice interrupted Ji Yuning's thoughts.
Ji Yuning looked up and saw a person in a dark blue uniform standing in front of her, who smiled kindly and said, "Hello, Miss, please come with me."
Fang Bai then walked over to Ji Yuning and said softly, "You go with this sales assistant, I'll go somewhere else."
Fang Bai was worried that Ji Yuning would feel uncomfortable, but she was clearly overthinking it; Ji Yuning didn't seem reserved at all.
Ji Yuning pursed her lips and remained silent for a few seconds before nodding, "Mm."
Fang Bai watched Ji Yuning's figure disappear around the corner before turning to the sales assistant next to her and saying, "Let's go."
"Okay, Ms. Fang, please follow me." The sales assistant said, raising her hand to point in a direction for Fang Bai.
It's the staircase leading to the second floor.
Fang Bai paused for a moment, "Why is mine on the second floor?"
Sales assistant: "Yes, because your dress is quite expensive, it's stored in the VIP area."
“…”
Fang Bai chuckled inwardly. Why was Fang Maozhou resorting to this tactic? Did he think this would please the original owner of the body?
The original owner had a very strained relationship with her father, Fang Maozhou, not for any other reason than that when the original owner was eighteen, Fang Maozhou married a college graduate who was only five years older than her and became her stepmother. The reason for marrying her was that the college graduate was pregnant at the time.
What does this mean? It means that they had been involved with each other for a long time, and in the original owner's mind, Fang Maozhou had always been a good father figure. The original owner trusted Fang Maozhou a lot and felt that he would not betray his deceased mother.
But reality dealt the original owner a heavy blow: all men are the same in the end.
Upon hearing this news, the original owner moved out of her home overnight and has been living away from home ever since. Except for the Chinese New Year, she rarely goes home.
The reason the original owner agreed to attend Fang Yimu's birthday party two months ago, and even proactively told Fang Maozhou that she would bring Ji Yuning, was because—
The original owner wanted to use Ji Yuning to ruin this birthday party.
"..."
As Fang Bai recalled the events of the birthday banquet in the book, he had already put on his formal attire and walked out of the dressing room.
"Miss Fang, you look absolutely stunning! This dress suits you perfectly."
The sales assistant's praise suddenly broke the silence, interrupting Fang Bai's thoughts.
Fang Bai looked at the person in the mirror and was slightly surprised.
Fang Bai's face was identical to the original owner's, even the moles on her body were the same, so Fang Bai quickly adapted after transmigrating. But at this moment, Fang Bai still felt a slight sense of unease; the person in the mirror was so beautiful that she didn't look like herself at all.
As Ji Yuning watched the person slowly descending the stairs, the same thought flashed through her mind. In fact, when Ji Yuning saw Fang Bai, her gaze froze for a moment.
The champagne-colored fishtail skirt perfectly showcases the slim waist and the lines below the hips. With every movement of her long legs, the skirt sways, making her walk like a branch swaying on the ground or a mermaid swimming in the sea.
Her clothes were white, giving her a gentle and elegant look. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, and the sparkling earrings on her earlobes shone brightly under the light.
When the light shone into Ji Yuning's eyes, she instinctively closed them. When she opened them again, the amazement in her eyes was suppressed, and the stunned look she had just experienced was buried deep in her heart.
Ji Yuning would never admit that, for a fleeting moment, she thought Fang Bai was very handsome.
Fang Bai saw Ji Yuning as he went down the stairs. He didn't know when she had changed her clothes and was standing in the lobby waiting for him.
Before changing clothes, the two had their hair styled simply. Ji Yuning's usual high ponytail was loosened by the stylist, with a few curls at the ends, which, combined with Ji Yuning's deep face, made her look more mature.
Although the clothes Fang Maozhou ordered for Ji Yuning were not as good as the original owner's, the cheapest clothes in this clothing store were almost six figures, so how could they be bad?
The black French-style off-the-shoulder dress wasn't too revealing, only showcasing the girl's fair shoulders, neck, and collarbone. The hemline was just right, neither too long nor too short.
"Xiao Ning," Fang Bai couldn't help but say.
Ji Yuning shifted her feet, turning to face Fang Bai, and said, "Aunt Fang."
Fang Bai's high heels clicked crisply against the ground as he walked up to Ji Yuning, just a step away. He praised her without reservation, "You're very beautiful."
Ji Yuning pursed her lips: "Aunt Fang too."
Chapter 26
Fang Bai raised her eyebrows slightly. Although the little guy was praising her, he didn't pause for a second while speaking, and didn't even think of a word to praise her. He directly agreed with a "also".
Too perfunctory.
Fang Bai didn't even need to look at Ji Yuning's micro-expressions to sense her casual evasiveness.
Fang Bai: "..."
...Never mind, anyway, she was sincere.
Fang Bai looked Ji Yuning up and down again, feeling that something was off. Finally, he asked the sales assistant to change Ji Yuning's mid-heeled shoes into flat shoes before he was satisfied.
As I stepped out of the clothing store, Uncle Li was already waiting for me.
The car headed towards the western district.
I spent nearly two hours in the clothing store. As dusk fell, the mountainsides were bathed in an orange-yellow hue, and the lights along the roads lit up, acting as stars on the ground. The surrounding buildings also lit up one by one, not wanting to be outdone.
Fang Bai looked at the surrounding high-rise buildings, feeling as if he were in a cage, so oppressive that he could hardly breathe.
The only difference is that she is still free.
Fang Bai opened the car window, and the warm wind brushed against his cheeks, taking away some of the suffocation.
The feeling of suffocation was like a non-swimmer falling into the water.
Ji Yuning noticed the change in Fang Bai's mood. He was smiling and talking in the store, but after getting into the car, although he didn't say anything, the smile on his lips disappeared without a trace.
Ji Yuning didn't intend to care about Fang Bai, but when a gust of wind rushed into the car through the half-open window, blowing Ji Yuning's loose hair, she couldn't help but look out the window while flipping her hair.
From Ji Yuning's perspective, Fang Bai was gazing at the scenery outside the window. She saw Fang Bai's profile, which was sometimes bright and sometimes dim under the light, and his hair, which was dancing in the wind.
Ji Yuning couldn't help but think of how Fang Bai had gracefully walked down the stairs a dozen minutes earlier.
“Miss, the master just called to ask when you would arrive. I told him that you and Miss Ji were getting your hair and makeup done, and he was very happy to hear that.”
Uncle Li's voice came from the front row to the back, interrupting the two people in the back seat.
Ji Yuning realized what she was thinking, frowned, and turned around without saying a word.
Fang Bai didn't notice Ji Yuning's actions. She shook off her dejection and looked at Uncle Li, saying, "Yes, I understand."
Fang Maozhou had invited the original owner to this birthday party two months ago, fearing that if he invited her closer to the date, she wouldn't attend. Although the original owner had agreed two months ago, Fang Maozhou still called her several times before today, just in case she changed her mind.
Fang Maozhou was naturally happy to know that Fang Bai would be coming.
Fang Maozhou only thought about inviting his beloved daughter to her nominal brother's birthday party, but he never imagined that the reason his daughter agreed to his invitation was to ruin the birthday party.
Actually, it can't be called destruction; to be precise, it was the original owner's revenge on Fang Maozhou.
Utilize Ji Yuning.
In the original story, after the original owner took Ji Yuning to the clothing store, he didn't let her wear the clothes she was wearing. Instead, he randomly picked one from the mannequin in the lobby and gave it to Ji Yuning.
The ill-fitting clothes were too big and baggy on Ji Yuning, revealing the bruises and marks on her body. When she arrived at the Fang family, Ji Yuning inevitably became the laughing stock of the upper class. The thought that she was Fang Bai's adopted child reminded them of Fang Maozhou.
It was Fang Maozhou who lost face.
This was simply to provoke Fang Maozhou.
The original owner's main plan was to push the second young master Fang into the swimming pool and then frame Ji Yuning for it.
The bickering between two annoying people satisfied the original owner's subtle desires.
Although Ji Yuning eventually proved her innocence, something happened during the process, which was also the main reason why Fang Bai felt depressed just now.
When the original owner's stepmother heard someone say that Ji Yuning pushed Fang Yimu into the pool, she didn't say anything and had people hold Ji Yuning down in the pool.
For someone who hasn't learned how to breathe properly, being held underwater for two minutes, is every second a life-threatening experience?