"Same as before." Fang Bai lowered her head, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, but her tone was calm, making it difficult to discern her true thoughts.
Liao Li stared at the top of Fang Bai's head for two seconds, then picked up her coffee and took a sip. She felt that Fang Bai wasn't as indifferent as he seemed. "Isn't that good? No change is the best change."
Is remaining unchanged the best form of change? Fang Bai's expression froze for a moment.
So all her efforts over the past six months have gone to waste… That seems fair, at least Ji Yuning's attitude towards her was relatively normal, not too bad… But wasn't that just an act by Ji Yuning? In the original story, Ji Yuning only shed her two-year-long "good girl" facade when the original owner's death was near…
Fang Bai's thoughts raced through her mind. She could tell that Liao Li was trying to comfort her, but this comfort only made her feel worse.
Liao Li didn't notice Fang Bai's furrowed brows. She lowered her head, sipped her coffee, and added leisurely, "If I were Yu Ning, I would have torn you apart long ago."
…It'll be soon, in a year and a half, she'll be torn apart.
In response to Liao Li's words of comfort, Fang Bai could only say thank you, but I don't need it.
Fang Bai glanced at Liao Li sideways, "It's a good thing you're not."
Ji Yuning at least gave her two years.
Liao Li held the cup, her eyes scrutinizing Fang Bai's face.
Fang Bai didn't care about Liao Li's scrutiny and let her look at him.
Liao Li stared at him for a long time, and Fang Bai raised a thin eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"
Liao Li leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table: "I feel like... you've changed quite a bit."
Fang Bai lowered his eyes: "People change."
Liao Li clicked her tongue and revealed what she had just been thinking: "But you're like a completely different person."
I ate half of the cake.
Fang Bai picked up the bag from the chair next to him and stood up.
Liao Li was taken aback, thinking Fang Bai was angry. "Where are you going?"
Fang Bai glanced sideways at Liao Li, "Didn't you say you were buying a gift?"
Liao Li followed Fang Bai home, and as soon as she stepped out of the entrance hall, she saw Ji Yuning standing on the stairs holding a cat.
It's like hearing the door open on your way upstairs, and then standing on that floor waiting for someone to come back.
Upon seeing Liao Li, Ji Yuning paused for a moment, then lifted her eyelids to look behind Liao Li.
Liao Li smiled at Ji Yuning, "Yuning."
Ji Yuning nodded and called out, "Aunt Liao."
Fang Bai walked past Liao Li, who glanced at her sideways and asked, "When did you start keeping cats?"
Fang Bai: "It was raised by Xiao Ning."
Liao Li said "oh" and saw that Fang Bai was about to throw the bag she was carrying onto the sofa. She quickly stepped forward to support Fang Bai's arm, said something to Fang Bai, and then pulled her toward the stairs.
As Liao Li passed Ji Yuning, she said, "I have something to discuss with your Aunt Fang, so I'll go upstairs first."
Fang Bai glanced at Ji Yuning, then looked down at the stairs for fear of tripping.
In a brief eye contact, it's impossible to see what the other person is thinking.
Once upstairs, Fang Bai thought Liao Li had something important to say, but instead, she saw Liao Li hand her the bag in her hand.
"What's wrong?"
Liao Li: "Please give it to her for me on Yu Ning's birthday."
Fang Bai took it: "Why didn't you give it to her yourself?"
“I’m going abroad in a few days and may not be able to come back in time, so it’s more thoughtful to give the gift on the day of delivery,” Liao Li said.
"So busy?"
Didn't you just start your holiday break? How come you're already abroad again?
Liao Li snorted: "My family has arranged a blind date for me. I'm going abroad to avoid trouble. They need me there too."
A blind date?
Fang Bai became interested and asked, "Why don't you go meet him? What if he's your type?"
Liao Li shook her head. "It's not a problem with me, it's just that I don't want to get married right now."
After saying that, Liao Li turned to look at Fang Bai, "And you?"
"What about me?"
"Uncle Fang never arranged any blind dates for you?"
Fang Maozhou had arranged blind dates for the original owner, but she rejected them all. She had kept her sexual orientation a secret very well, and even Fang Maozhou didn't know.
After asking the question, Liao Li suddenly sat up straight. "Speaking of which, since I met you, so many young men have been interested in you, how come I've never seen you pursue anyone?"
Fang Bai sighed inwardly: Because the original owner's heart was filled with you.
After a few seconds, Fang Bai replied, "I haven't thought about it."
When are you planning to find one?
Fang Bai was stunned for a moment; she really hadn't thought about this question.
Now that Liao Li asked, Fang Bai realized that in her past life she had focused entirely on her studies, never been in a relationship, never felt any attraction to anyone, and hadn't even received sexual awakening...
She had no idea what love felt like before she transmigrated into the book, and she never had the chance to meet anyone after that.
Of course, the main reason is that her current situation doesn't allow her to think about these things.
Fang Bai paused for a moment, then said, "Let's wait until Xiao Ning comes of age."
Let's wait until she's not used as cannon fodder before considering this, or rather, let's wait until she leaves this place before thinking about these things.
The most important thing right now is Ji Yuning.
To Liao Li, Fang Bai suddenly became an admirable and great stepmother who "wait until the child is grown up before seeking her own happiness."
Liao Li sighed inwardly: When he wasn't human, he really wasn't human; when he said he had changed, he really had changed.
She said Fang Bai seemed like a completely different person, and she wasn't just saying it offhand.
Liao Li crossed her legs, rested her hands on her knees, and said with a teasing look, "Then I'll introduce you to a few later?"
Meeting Liao Li's gaze, Fang Bai understood that the other party had clearly misunderstood her meaning.
Just as Fang Bai was about to explain, two loud knocks on the door interrupted her.
Ji Yuning stood at the door, her back to the light so her expression was obscured, and her voice was calm: "Dinner is ready."
Author's Note:
Aunt Fang: Listen to me, thank you. Because of you, all four seasons are warm...
Xiao Ji: "About the time I just started to understand things, I heard the other person wanted to go on a blind date."
Chapter 53
Wu Mei asked Ji Yuning to go upstairs and call the two of them for dinner. When Ji Yuning got to the door, she heard them discussing blind dates.
When Liao Li said she was going to introduce Fang Bai to several people, Ji Yuning instinctively knocked on the door to interrupt them.
Fang Bai's words, which were on the tip of his tongue, became a response to Ji Yuning: "Okay, we understand."
Liao Li stood up, supporting herself on the sofa, and secretly gestured to Fang Bai, indicating that she should remember about the gift.
Fang Bai nodded to indicate that he understood.
Little did they know that their interaction was being watched by the people at the door. Their furtive yet tacit understanding seemed to be a silent continuation of their previous conversation, and Ji Yuning interpreted Fang Bai's nod as an agreement with Liao Li's suggestion.
Ji Yuning: "..."
During the meal, Liao Li and Fang Bai talked, only occasionally asking Ji Yuning a few questions.
The meal ended quickly, and Liao Li didn't stay long; she left after finishing her meal.
Although Liao Li's words can be quite sharp at times, Fang Bai has to admit that he feels very relaxed when he's with her. They occasionally banter like friends.
Fang Bai originally wanted to invite Liao Li back one more time before she went abroad, but he only received a reply from Liao Li the day after he sent the message on the first day. Liao Li said that she was already abroad and that they would meet again when she returned to China.
He's definitely a man of action.
After replying to Liao Li with "Okay," Fang Bai tossed his phone onto the bed and began drying his hair with a towel.
She had just taken a shower, and her hair was still wet.
After roughly wiping his hair, Fang Bai sat down at the vanity to blow-dry his hair when two knocks came into the room.
"Enter."
Fang Bai assumed that Wu Mei wanted to see her, so even when the person outside pushed open the door and the footsteps got closer, Fang Bai didn't turn around to look. She just kept fixing her hair and waiting for Wu Mei to speak first.
However, when Fang Bai sensed that the person had walked up to her but stood there without saying a word, she realized that it might not be Wu Mei who had come in.
Turning her head, she saw Ji Yuning standing to the side with a pen and a folded piece of paper, not saying a word, as if she would only reveal the purpose of her visit after she finished fixing her hair.
Fang Bai glanced at the paper in Ji Yuning's hand and asked in a low voice with suspicion, "Is there a question you don't know how to answer?"
She might have forgotten some of the high school level questions, but she could still solve them.
Just as Fang Bai was about to ask what subject it was, Ji Yuning placed the paper on the table and whispered, "I need your signature."
Fang Bai looked down at the paper the school had issued regarding student safety to and from school; the bottom part of the receipt required signatures from both parents and students.
“…”
So how could a top student not know how to solve a problem?
She had already signed Ji Yuning's name; the handwriting was neat yet elegant.
Fang Bai picked up the pen. "These students can sign it themselves, right?"