Ji Yuning raised her arched eyebrows slightly, expressing her sarcasm at the contents of the bag.
She's past the age of following someone blindly for a piece of candy. Is Fang Bai subtly mocking her for being childish by giving her these things?
Even though I don't want what Fang Bai is giving me, I can't throw it away. I can't waste food, right?
If you let it expire before throwing it away, it's not a waste.
Ji Yuning was about to put the bag into the cabinet when she caught a glimpse of something stuck to the can.
Without hesitation, Ji Yuning tore it off with two fingers. It was a blue sticky note with the following written on it:
Take care of your health and study hard.
“…”
The square sticky note was crumpled into a ball. Ji Yuning pretended to throw it into the trash can, but hesitated when she turned around, and finally threw the paper ball into the bag.
Ji Yuning took out the canned goods, and after checking and finding no other notes, she took out the four packets of candy.
After the milk candy was taken away, Ji Yuning noticed that there was another box underneath.
It's a rectangular prism, white, with a mobile phone brand logo printed on it.
Students at Huyi Middle School are allowed to use cell phones, as long as they don't use them during class.
Ji Yuning looked down at the phone box, her thin lips pursed, half of her face in shadow, making her expression unreadable.
Ji Yuning doesn't have a cell phone and has never thought about buying one.
She had no one she needed to contact or wanted to contact; in this world, she only had herself.
There was a piece of paper tucked between the phone box and the bag. Ji Yuning's thick eyelashes trembled when she saw it. After a couple of breaths, Ji Yuning reached out and picked up the paper with her fingers.
She wanted to see what Fang Bai had written this time.
It was still a blue sticky note, but unlike the previous one, the paper was covered with dense writing:
[
Do you like this little gift?
I've already installed the SIM card for you. Both my number and Sister Wu's number are in your contacts. If anything happens at school, you can call me... or Sister Wu. You should know how to make a phone call, right? If not, that's okay. You're so smart, you should be able to figure it out after a little trial and error.
I've already registered your WeChat account and added you as a friend (I'm only saying this once, don't block or delete me).
P.S.: We bought the phone just for easier communication; we shouldn't get addicted to the internet, and our studies should be our priority.
]
That concludes the content.
There were only eight characters on the blue sticky note. Ji Yuning was caught off guard and didn't look at it carefully. The elegant and graceful handwriting on the paper in front of her caught her eye. Ji Yuning was a little dazed. She didn't expect that someone as vicious as Fang Bai could have handwriting that could withstand scrutiny even more than his character.
Ji Yuning hesitated for a few seconds before saying the last sentence. Looking at the words "easy to communicate," she slightly curled her lips, her meaning unclear.
The sound of a door opening reached my ears, and then the two people who had been talking inside walked out.
The sound interrupted Ji Yuning's thoughts.
Ji Yuning lowered her head, stuffed the paper, canned goods, and candy into the bag, and then pushed the paper bag deep into the locker, as if she had never received it, as if she had never seen it before.
Finally, a small, gold lock was placed on the locker's latch.
[F: Do you know how to use it now?]
Fang Bai stared at the message for the third time.
This was the message she sent an hour ago, and the recipient was still using the original profile picture from when they registered their WeChat account.
By 10:30, everyone in the school, except for those who were studying late into the night, should be asleep.
Fang Bai's eyebrows flashed with understanding. He tossed his phone aside, grabbed the blanket, and rolled over.
The dim light from the bedside lamp shone on Fang Bai's face. Fang Bai had already closed his eyes, and his face did not show any anger at not getting a reply from Ji Yuning.
Ji Yuning wouldn't use the things she gave her, and might not even open the bag. All of this was within Fang Bai's expectations. The reason she opened Ji Yuning's chat window three times was simply because she had expectations that she shouldn't have.
With his expectations fulfilled, Fang Bai fell asleep almost immediately.
For four consecutive days, Fang Bai still hadn't received a reply from Ji Yuning, but he did receive calls from several of the original owner's friends every day.
The original owner had no job and spent her days indulging in a life of debauchery with her so-called good friends, often going out sober and returning home drunk.
Fang Bai had no interest in the original owner's friends. After politely refusing them had no effect, Fang Bai blacklisted the people who kept calling him.
Looking at her phone, which was finally quiet, Fang Bai realized that her most important thing now wasn't playing games, but contacting Ji Yuning.
Just then, an unmarked number appeared on the screen.
Fang Bai thought it was still the original owner's friends and was about to hang up when he suddenly felt that the number looked familiar. The next second, Fang Bai's finger slid across the answer button.
A familiar voice rang out, "Hello, Ms. Ji Yuning, I'm He Wei. Do you remember me?"
Fang Bai slowly straightened up from the soft cushions and said calmly, "Of course I remember. Hello, Teacher He. Is there anything I can help you with?"
He Wei coughed lightly: "It's like this, our school is having its anniversary celebration today and invited the parents of the top twenty students in the grade to watch the performance, but I didn't see you. So I was just calling to ask if you were too busy with work to come?"
When Fang Bai heard the words "school anniversary," he knew what He Wei was going to say. She knew about the school anniversary when she came and was even looking forward to seeing Ji Yuning perform, but she had been so busy these past few days that she forgot.
Fang Bai said embarrassedly, "Sorry, I forgot."
“It’s alright,” He Wei said. “Ms. Fang, can you make it? I think the students will be more engaged and in a better mood if their parents are sitting down there.”
He Wei had half a sentence left unsaid: all the parents of the top twenty students, except for Ji Yuning, had arrived.
He Wei looked at the person sitting in a chair in the distance, head down, her expression unreadable, and asked, "Is it alright, Miss Fang?"
Fang Bai stood up. "Excuse me, Xiao Ning, what number performance is this?"
He Wei thought for a moment, "The seventh one, I guess. The performance hasn't started yet, but you should be able to see it when you come."
Fang Bai hummed in agreement and said politely, "Thank you, Teacher He. I'll be there right away."
Chapter 8
When Fang Bai arrived at the school auditorium, the host on stage was just announcing the program:
"Next up is a piano piece performed by Ji Yuning from Class 3, Grade 11..."
Because he was walking quickly to save time, Fang Bai's cheeks were slightly flushed and his temples were covered with a thin layer of sweat. Hearing Ji Yuning's name, Fang Bai breathed a sigh of relief and casually found an empty seat to sit down.
Fang Bai took out a tissue to wipe the sweat off his face. As the sweat soaked through the soft tissue, the stage lights suddenly dimmed, and then a beam of light shone on the right side of the stage.
A white piano stood in the light, its golden decorations shimmering like starlight. A note quietly rose, and the previously noisy auditorium suddenly fell silent. All eyes were focused on the person in front of the piano, wearing a dusty rose long dress and standing tall with a beautiful back.
Her braids, usually neatly tied at the back of her head, now draped over her shoulders, adding a touch of maturity beyond her years. Under the light, Ji Yuning's complexion lost its usual sickly appearance, instead radiating a cold, holy glow, her taut jawline conveying a cool and aloof demeanor.
Many students who knew Ji Yuning were surprised, unable to believe that the person on stage who looked like a princess was the taciturn and aloof Ji Yuning.
Ji Yuning placed her hands naturally on the piano keys, her fingers dancing across the black and white keys like a dancing sprite. She had already memorized the score and practiced the parts where she had stumbled a few days ago. Performing on stage was not a nerve-wracking thing for Ji Yuning. It was as if she was completing a task assigned by He Wei, and once she finished playing the piano, the task would be done.
This led the audience to see Ji Yuning surrounded by an air of haughty nobility, as if she were an unattainable princess.
Fang Bai felt the same way. His gaze fell on Ji Yuning, and he thought to himself that she was indeed the female lead.
Could this be considered Ji Yuning's initial display of talent?
The first step in transforming from a clown duck into a swan.
As Fang Bai was thinking, she saw Ji Yuning on the stage raise her head in accordance with her idea, revealing the beautiful curve of her fair and slender swan neck.
As the music ended, thunderous applause erupted. All eyes were on the person gracefully bowing for the curtain call on stage. No one saw, in a corner behind the heavy curtain, a pair of envious eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
After watching Ji Yuning's performance, Fang Bai lost all interest in the rest of the show, staring at the stage with half-closed eyelids.
After watching two more programs, Fang Bai got up listlessly, ready to leave the school.
She wanted to find Ji Yuning, but couldn't find an excuse, so she had to give up the idea.
As Fang Bai passed by, she overheard their conversation. Finally, she stopped a person wearing a name tag and asked what she had heard, "Excuse me, does the school anniversary celebration end and then we have a holiday?"
The student who was called out met Fang Bai's eyes and involuntarily said, "Yes."
Upon hearing the confirmation, Fang Bai had an excuse to see Ji Yuning and smiled slightly: "Then, classmate, could you take me backstage? My child just finished her performance, and I'd like to go backstage to find her and then take her home."
The student was stunned. A child? So the person in front of him wasn't the teacher.
The student glanced quickly at Fang Bai, then blushed slightly and lowered his head at the smile on his lips. "Of course, come with me."
Fang Bai got up and followed the students towards the backstage. The students would occasionally turn to look at Fang Bai. Today, everyone present was from the high school section, the youngest being at least 15 years old, but the woman in front of him looked to be only in her early twenties...
As the student was thinking, someone suddenly called him urgently: "Zhou Xuan, what are you doing? Come with me quickly, something's happened."
Zhou Xuan's attention was immediately drawn away. "What happened?"
The person who came said, "Someone lost something backstage."
"What?" Zhou Xuan was shocked. He was in charge of the backstage area, and he was definitely responsible for the loss. He quickly asked, "Who lost it? What's missing?"
"He Ziyan from Class 3, I lost my phone." The man said to Zhou Xuan, "Come with me to take care of something."
"Okay, let's go." Zhou Xuan turned around, then scratched his head sheepishly when he saw Fang Bai, "Ah..."
Zhou Xuan was about to call her "Auntie," but the words caught in his throat, so he changed them to, "Sister, this is the backstage area. You can call your child and have her come to you. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Fang Bai overheard their conversation, put down his phone, nodded, and smiled: "Okay, thank you, classmate."
Zhou Xuan said "You're welcome" and then left with his student.
Fang Bai stood still. People passing by were either busy going on stage to perform or busy with various props. A few people hurried past, talking about the classmate surnamed He who lost his phone.
Unable to call Ji Yuning, Fang Bai stood there for a few seconds before walking backstage.
Looking around, Ji Yuning was nowhere to be seen.
Fang Bai continued walking forward, and only after reaching the end did he discover that there were several rooms around the corner, labeled as a rest room and a changing room.
Guessing that Ji Yuning was probably changing clothes, Fang Bai stopped and prepared to wait a few minutes.