Author's Note:
Xiao Ji's Diary:
Actually, Auntie is more like a watermelon—sweet and juicy!
Q: What fruit does Xiao Ji resemble?
Chapter 112
Ji Yuning's kiss was light, like a dragonfly skimming the water, a seemingly unintentional pause that rippled across the calm surface.
Fang Bai's chewing motions gradually slowed, and a shimmering light appeared in his eyes that she herself did not notice.
Ji Yuning had already removed her hands from Fang Bai's face. She took the fork from Fang Bai's hand, forked a piece of strawberry, and put it in her mouth.
As she took a bite of the strawberry, Ji Yuning looked at Fang Bai and whispered, "So sweet."
The strawberries that were sour just a second ago are now so sweet that Ji Yuning's lips curve into a smile. It's a blatant and suggestive remark, and even if Fang Bai wanted to pretend he didn't understand, he wouldn't know how.
Fang Bai couldn't help but look at the person next to him.
She glanced to the side and met the gaze of the person who had been staring at her.
Their eyes met, and as Fang Bai gazed into Ji Yuning's eyes, he suddenly felt dazed.
It seems like a long time ago, Ji Yuning's gaze towards her lost its indifference and aloofness, and even the chilling hostility that once made her feel disappeared without her noticing.
At this moment, Ji Yuning's eyes were filled with fervent affection; her indifferent gaze transformed into a deep and loving one when facing Fang Bai.
The watermelon juice had already flowed down my throat. It was probably too sweet. So sweet that the blockage in my chest was starting to loosen. The stuff that had been stuck in my chest, mixed with the sweetness, flowed into my heart through the gaps.
The slow, surging feeling is like a spring stream, full of vitality.
When Fang Bai turned around, Ji Yuning thought she was going to "educate" her as usual, although that "education" had no effect on Ji Yuning whatsoever; it was weak and powerless, more like a coquettish scolding.
Ji Yuning thought so too.
However, after the two stared at each other for a few seconds, and when she saw Fang Bai's gaze sharpen, the smile in Ji Yuning's eyes slowly faded. What followed was a deep pool of water beneath the calm surface, which could easily swallow her if she wasn't careful.
Their clear eyes reflected each other's images, and time seemed to stand still as they gazed at each other, oblivious to the sounds of the outside world.
Fang Bai breathed shallowly. When she saw Ji Yuning narrow her eyes slightly, the small butterfly flapped its wings, causing a tsunami of waves. A sweet feeling welled up in her heart, as if it would push away the blockage in her chest in the next second.
Fang Bai lowered his eyes.
The eye contact was interrupted.
Time came back to life.
Ji Yuning silently leaned towards Fang Bai, and just a few centimeters away from kissing him, Fang Bai suddenly stood up.
A kiss fell through.
Fang Bai kept his head down the whole time, unaware that getting up had allowed her to "avoid" something. After taking two steps outside, Fang Bai turned back to look at Ji Yuning.
At this moment, Ji Yuning sat upright, eating fruit in small bites, as if trying to hide the embarrassment of not being able to kiss anyone and also straining her back.
She hid it so well that Fang Bai didn't notice anything unusual.
Of course, another reason was that Fang Bai's mind was in complete turmoil, leaving him no time to consider anything else.
Fang Bai said, "Get some rest."
Ji Yuning remained calm, nodded slightly, and said, "Good night."
During the days Fang Bai went to work, Ji Yuning drove her to the company.
On their way to the company, the two chatted occasionally, their conversation casual and peaceful.
But today the car was unusually quiet, with only the car stereo playing music on repeat.
It's probably because... Fang Bai fell asleep not long after getting in the car.
Ji Yuning glanced at the person resting with their eyes closed and then turned the music down a bit.
But this "woke up" Fang Bai.
Fang Bai lifted his slightly heavy eyelids, glanced at Ji Yuning, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's okay to speak louder."
Seeing the dark circles under Fang Bai's eyes, Ji Yuning asked, "What did Auntie do last night?"
"I miss you." Fang Bai's pajamas were still damp, and she accidentally blurted out what was on her mind. As soon as she finished speaking, she instantly snapped out of it, staring straight ahead, praying that Ji Yuning hadn't heard her.
Things didn't go as planned. Not only did Ji Yuning hear it, but she also repeated it with a lingering tone, "Miss me?"
Fang Bai scratched his head, trying to justify himself, "I was wondering if you'd find it annoying if you drove me to work every day from now on?"
traffic light.
Ji Yuning turned her head to look at Fang Bai, her eyes filled with undisguised laughter.
Fang Bai shrank back slightly, feeling stared at.
When the green light came on, Ji Yuning looked away and replied, "No."
After saying that, she added casually, "I wish I could stick to Auntie every day."
“…”
It was so direct that Fang Bai didn't know how to respond for a moment.
After a few seconds of silence, Fang Bai said, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder."
“This distance is just right now; I can reach out and touch you.” Ji Yuning raised her eyes, “instead of being half an hour apart.”
“Look,” Fang Bai coughed lightly, deliberately changing the subject, “you still find it annoying.”
Ji Yuning smiled and said, "I'll pick you up tonight."
We must prove it with actions.
Fang Bai said no need, "I will leave the company early today."
Ji Yuning: "Do you have any work outside the home?"
"It's not work, it's my personal matter," Fang Bai said.
Ji Yuning tightened her grip on the steering wheel and asked casually, "Where are we going?"
Fang Bai replied calmly, "Do what an adult should do."
What are the things adults should do?
It wasn't that Ji Yuning was overthinking things, but the smile in Fang Bai's eyes made her think that Fang Bai was going to do something very happy.
Perhaps there will be someone who makes her very happy to be with her.
Of course, this is just Ji Yuning's guess.
“…”
The car stopped downstairs at Fang Bai's company. Fang Bai unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "Auntie's gone. Drive carefully."
No one responded.
Fang Bai turned his head and saw Ji Yuning with her eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought.
"Xiao Ning?" Fang Bai called out.
Ji Yuning looked at Fang Bai and forced a smile: "Okay, goodbye."
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow. "See you later."
Ji Yuning didn't pay much attention to Fang Bai's words; she was lost in thought again.
Even after arriving at the company, Ji Yuning still couldn't understand what Fang Bai had said.
Yuan Yizhen stood in front of the desk and slowly said, "The Lu Group has already snatched several projects from us. Although they're not a big deal, if this continues, I'm afraid no company will want to work with us anymore. I'm afraid that once our contract with the Lu Group ends, all the projects they've been involved in will be gone..."
Yuan Yizhen stopped halfway through her sentence, looked at the person in front of her who was deep in thought with furrowed brows, and pursed her lips.
She could understand Ji Yuning's feelings right now. After all, she was the most qualified bystander to speak about what had happened between Lu Zheng and Ji Yuning.
Yuan Yizhen knew perfectly well why the two were deadlocked.
Just as Yuan Yizhen was thinking of words of comfort, the person in the seat called out in a deep voice, "Sister Zhen."
Yuan Yizhen responded softly, "Mmm."
What do you think are the things adults should do?
"...?" Yuan Yizhen, who was about to offer comfort, suddenly stopped and looked at the person in the seat with slight surprise.
So, you look like you're deep in thought, is this the kind of question you're pondering?
Isn't this working time?!
Well, she couldn't say anything if the boss was slacking off.
But Ji Yuning rarely thinks about anything else while at work.
Yuan Yizhen pushed up her glasses. There was only one truth: the only thing that could make Ji Yuning slack off was…
"Is it about Miss Fang?" Yuan Yizhen asked.
Ji Yuning paused for a moment, then nodded, "Mm."
She couldn't think of anything else. Yuan Yizhen and Fang Bai were about the same age, so she could only look for clues from Yuan Yizhen.
Yuan Yizhen ran the question through her mind and analyzed rationally, "What does 'what adults should do' mean by being responsible for? It's nothing more than family, career, or personal relationships. Didn't you say last time that Miss Fang found a job? And since it was something you didn't know about, then we can rule out family and career issues. So what Miss Fang needs to do is…"
Yuan Yizhen originally intended to stop there, but in the end she realized she had said a bit too much.
Yuan Yizhen pushed up her glasses again and said, "Ms. Fang, at your age, it's normal to find a companion, you..."
Seeing the person behind the table's expression gradually darken, Yuan Yizhen wisely kept quiet.
She straightened her back. "I just remembered I forgot to give you a contract. I'll go out for a bit."