It's normal for a young girl to be sleepy, but I felt a little embarrassed to make everyone wait.
Old Chen then invited them to go fishing by the lake near the farm. There are actually quite a few recreational activities here, such as picking vegetables, fishing, and boating, which don't require much effort and can pass the time.
So everyone got into the resort's white electric carts, which were a bit like the ones used at golf courses, two people per cart.
As soon as Han Zhao got into the driver's seat, Shen Qiqi quickly followed suit and sat down.
Xiao Yichen, who was standing to the side, just shook his head and smiled. He and Lao Chen drove another car together, while Ni Jingxi naturally went with Huo Shenyan.
The resort covers a considerable area, but it was early winter, and the surrounding scenery was somewhat desolate. If one were to come in spring, the hazy and graceful scenery of Jiangnan would be even more breathtaking.
Upon arriving at the lake, the staff prepared fishing rods for the men.
As for Ni Jingxi, she didn't like this sport because it was too quiet, and Shen Qiqi next to her did too.
"Sister Jingxi, how about we go boating?" Shen Qixi suggested.
There were indeed several small white boats by the lake, which looked like they were for people to row.
Ni Jingxi nodded. The boat was quite small, so they didn't have any staff accompany them and rowed out on their own. The lake surface was like a drop of jade, shimmering with a light turquoise color, yet the water was clean and clear.
“Sister Jingxi, how about I paddle? You’re injured right now,” Shen Qixi said.
Ni Jingxi was amused by her tone, "I'm not so bad that I can't even do this."
Actually, the two of them weren't very close, and they hardly spent any time together. It was Shen Qiqi, being lively, who took the initiative to start a conversation: "Jingxi, how old are you this year?"
Ni Jingxi smiled and said, "Twenty-four years old."
Shen Qixi's eyes widened. She only vaguely knew that Ni Jingxi was young, but she didn't expect her to be this young. She said in surprise, "You are only two years older than me. I am already twenty-two years old this year."
Shen Qiqi just graduated this year and returned to Shanghai from abroad.
Ni Jingxi was slightly taken aback: "Do I look old?"
"No, no." Shen Qiqi immediately waved her hand and quickly explained, "I just think you're too young. Besides, you married Brother Shenyan last year, so you got married at the age of twenty-three?"
Nowadays, the age of first marriage for young people in China has been rising, and it is not uncommon for people to get married at the age of thirty.
On the contrary, it's rare to see someone like Ni Jingxi who gets married right after graduating from university.
"You actually married Brother Shenyan at the age of twenty-three," Shen Qiqi said, resting her chin on her hands, her face full of envy. "It's so enviable."
She sighed, "No wonder Sister Yiheng is so jealous of you."
With a smirk, she blurted out what she truly wanted to say. After she finished speaking, she froze, her eyes widening in shock. She immediately said repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sister Jingxi."
Ni Jingxi didn't seem to mind, and just smiled and said, "Just don't let it slip next time."
Shen Qiqi nodded immediately.
She quickly changed the subject, saying, "Jingxi, how about I tell you a secret?"
Ni Jingxi glanced at her and casually asked, "What secret?"
Shen Qiqi looked towards the spot where several men were fishing in the distance, her large, clear eyes filled with shyness.
Ni Jingxi turned her head to look over and chuckled, "You like Han Zhao's affairs?"
Shen Qiqi: "..."
When Ni Jingxi looked away, Shen Qixi was staring at her expectantly. After several seconds of silence, she asked, "Jingxi, do you have X-rays in your eyes? How do you know what I'm thinking?"
That's terrifying.
Ni Jingxi smiled faintly and remained silent.
Fortunately, after Shen Qixi calmed down, she started talking to her. After all, she was a young and lively girl, and when it came to the person she liked, she really wanted to talk about him for three days and three nights.
However, it's not surprising that Ni Jingxi likes Han Zhao.
Although she and Han Zhao hadn't been together for very long, Han Zhao was truly different from those rich kids; he possessed a steely and resolute quality unique to soldiers.
A strong, assertive personality is the most alluring poison for a young girl.
However, Han Zhao only treated her as a younger sister, and Shen Qiqi didn't dare to show it too obviously. The example of Su Yiheng was still fresh in her mind; she feared that Han Zhao wouldn't like her and would distance himself from her just as Huo Shenyan had done with Su Yiheng.
As she spoke, her tone became somewhat disappointed.
Ni Jingxi really didn't know how to comfort Shen Qiqi.
During her university years, Ni Jingxi was too lazy to date and had no desire to date at all.
The reason is quite simple: she needs to earn money to support her grandmother and herself. Some wealthy second-generation men do like her, but she's always been wary of such people. She hasn't earned a single penny herself, yet she's quite generous with her parents' money.
Besides, the image of love in her heart should be like that of her parents.
Even though the loving couple is separated by death, they will still be remembered fondly.
Until she met Huo Shenyan.
To be honest, Ni Jingxi is incredibly lucky. Compared to so many people in the world who suffer unrequited love and torment, she met the most beautiful love at the most beautiful age.
Ni Jingxi sighed inwardly, looking at the cute little girl in front of her, and was about to raise her hand to touch the top of her head to comfort her.
But as soon as she raised her arm, she saw that Shen Qiqi, who had just looked dejected, had suddenly become excited and overjoyed. She looked at Ni Jingxi with bright eyes and said excitedly, "But, I recently found out some information."
"Han Zhao has a cousin named Han Yao in Beijing."
Ni Jingxi didn't interrupt her and listened patiently.
Shen Qiqi continued, "Han Yao's girlfriend is named Yi Duanduan."
After saying that, she looked at Ni Jingxi with excitement, but Ni Jingxi didn't understand what she meant.
so what?
“Shen Qiqi, Yi Duanduan,” Shen Qiqi said excitedly, “Our names are so similar, it must be fate.”
Ni Jingxi: "..."
She suddenly realized that her earlier words of comfort were unnecessary, because the girl was able to convince herself.
After playing on the lake for a while, the two slowly rowed back to their original spot.
At this moment, the fishermen had also had a considerable catch. Ni Jingxi walked over to Huo Shenyan and saw a small bucket next to him with a rather plump fish inside.
Ni Jingxi nodded in agreement: "That's right, enough for a fish soup lunch."
"Han Zhao, the fish you caught is huge! Yi Chen can't compare to you at all." Shen Qiqi excitedly looked through their buckets.
Xiao Yichen said with dissatisfaction, "Qiqi, I have no problem with you praising your Brother Han. But you can't belittle me like this. Although the fish I caught were indeed not as big as his, I caught three and he only caught one."
Xiao Yichen actually started competing with Shen Qiqi.
Shen Qiqi: "That won't work either. We prioritize quality over quantity."
The shoreline was unusually lively now that Shen Qiqi had returned. Even Huo Shenyan glanced in their direction after being disturbed by the noise before asking softly, "Did she bother you?"
"No, we had a great chat," Ni Jingxi chuckled.
"What did you talk about?" Huo Shenyan asked.
Ni Jingxi was taken aback. They hadn't actually talked about anything, but it made her realize once again how lucky she was to have met him at the best age of her life.
Ni Jingxi rested at home for two weeks, and the injuries on her face were almost healed. Fortunately, she is not prone to keloid scarring, and no scars were left on her body.
So she called Lao Zhang to discuss going back to work on Monday.
Old Zhang was quite worried about her health and told her not to rush back, and that the most important thing was to take good care of herself.
Ni Jingxi was genuinely getting tired of staying home for the past two weeks; she'd watched countless documentaries. She really couldn't stand it any longer.
Seeing that she insisted, Old Zhang stopped talking.
So on Monday, Ni Jingxi prepared to go back to work. She drove herself out in the morning, and during this rest period, Huo Shenyan had Tang Mian prepare a car for her again.
The white Audi A4 wasn't too flashy.
Ni Jingxi didn't refuse this time and accepted the keys as soon as she got them. When she drove the car out of the garage, Huo Shenyan, dressed in a suit, was standing at the door waiting for her.
She rolled down the car window, and the tall, elegant man bent down slightly.
In the bright morning light, his face gently drew closer until he softly kissed her lips and whispered, "Be careful on the road."
Ni Jingxi blinked, then looked up at the man who had taken two steps back outside the car door.
Even though I live with this man every day, I still think he's a little too handsome.
Ni Jingxi sighed inwardly; perhaps she was beyond saving.
He was poisoned by a drug called Huo Shenyan.
However, when this thought popped into her mind, Ni Jingxi's body suddenly trembled. How come she was becoming a little unbearable even to herself?
It must be because they've been staying home for too long.
She left early, and luckily the traffic wasn't too bad, so she arrived at the company ten minutes ahead of schedule.
Having been away for so long, she exuded a sense of novelty as she went upstairs, somewhat like when she first started working.
When she arrived at the newspaper office, her colleagues were all surprised to see her.
However, after the initial surprise, everyone came over to offer their condolences.
Ni Jingxi rarely gets surrounded by so many colleagues, but since they were concerned about her, she patiently answered almost every question.
When Hua Zheng arrived, he practically pounced on her and hugged her tightly, saying, "Lord Ni, you're finally back."
If Ni Jingxi hadn't reacted quickly and pressed her forehead with her palm, Hua Zheng's face would probably have been buried in her chest.
She wasn't used to being so close to anyone other than Huo Shenyan, and said helplessly, "Let go of me first, I can't breathe."
Hua Zheng was startled by her words and quickly let go of her.
Fortunately, everyone had dispersed by now. Hua Zheng stared at her for a long time before saying in a pitiful tone, "I wanted to see you, but you actually went back to your hometown."
To decline visits from Lao Zhang and the editor-in-chief, Ni Jingxi publicly claimed that she had returned to her hometown of Nanxun for quiet contemplation.
To make this reason more convincing, she even posted a message on her WeChat Moments to show that she was indeed in Nanxun.
Fortunately, many ancient towns in Jiangnan have similarities, and people don't really distinguish between Nanxun and Tongli.
“I’ve been having a terrible time without you around.” Hua Zheng was getting too close to Ni Jingxi, so Wen Tang naturally didn’t like her. Now that Ni Jingxi was gone, Wen Tang was ostracizing her, and her life was not easy.
She had mentioned it to Ni Jingxi on WeChat before, so Ni Jingxi was quite worried.
Ni Jingxi just didn't expect that after what happened with Wu Mengni, Wen Tang would still dare to use such a low-level tactic as ostracism.