Chapter 71
Fang Bai didn't know how long she had been sitting in the coffee shop until a waiter came up to her and asked if she wanted the cups on the table cleared away.
Stepping out of the coffee shop, without the shelter of the building, a cold wind whistled against my face.
Brushing the strands of hair that were blowing in his face behind his ears, Fang Bai strode towards the parking spot.
Back in the car, the warmth gradually subsided, and my fingers, which had been almost frozen by the wind, slowly stretched out.
Suddenly, Fang Bai thought of Ji Yuning, who had asked him to warm her hands last night. The hand in her pocket was warmer than hers; the one whose hands were actually being warmed was actually Ji Yuning.
Fang Bai smiled casually, but the smile faded before it reached his eyes.
Just then, a bell broke the silence; the sound was muffled through the fabric of the clothes.
Just like Fang Bai's depressed mood.
Fang Bai took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the words "[Xiao Ning]" on the screen. He paused for two seconds, and after his eyes calmed down, he swiped to answer the call.
The moment the phone was pressed against my ear, Ji Yuning's voice entered my ears.
"Auntie," Ji Yuning called out.
Normally, those two words would sound devoid of any emotion, as if Fang Bai forced Ji Yuning to say them. But through the screen, a hint of tenderness could be detected.
Fang Bai chuckled to himself, realizing he'd been blown away by the wind again.
"Yes, I'm here," Fang Bai said.
The person on the other end of the phone waited a while, but before Fang Bai could ask her why she was calling, she pursed her lips and said, "I'm getting on the bus."
Have you boarded the bus?
Fang Bai glanced at the time and realized she had been sitting in the coffee shop for almost an hour…
A look of surprise flashed in his eyes; it was rather strange that the shop assistant hadn't asked him to leave.
Unbeknownst to Fang Bai, the shop assistant had considered asking her to leave, since she hadn't ordered anything. However, seeing the worry on Fang Bai's face, the assistant refrained from disturbing her and waited for nearly an hour.
Fang Bai said gently, "Okay."
The voice on the other end was somber: "You have to hand in your phone when you get there; it won't be returned until the end of the competition."
Fang Bai paused for a few seconds after hearing this, then asked, "Did you bring any cash?"
Without mobile payment, Fang Bai was worried that Ji Yuning wouldn't have enough money.
Ji Yuning didn't expect Fang Bai to ask her this. Knowing it was out of concern, Ji Yuning felt a surge of warmth in her heart. "I brought it."
"That's good. If you don't have enough money, you can ask the teacher, and I'll..." Fang Bai blinked, "and then you can transfer it to the teacher."
Fang Baizi turned the words quickly, and Ji Yuning didn't notice. She replied, "That's enough."
"That's enough," Fang Bai said. "Eat more and keep your nutrition balanced. I've worked so hard to keep you healthy and well... don't go for a few more days and then lose weight."
Fang Bai couldn't bring himself to say the word "fat," because Ji Yuning wasn't fat at all.
Noticing that Fang Bai swallowed his words, a clear laugh came from the other end of the phone, "I know."
Hearing Ji Yuning's laughter, Fang Bai recalled what Lu Raomei had said to her, and a bitter feeling welled up in his heart, causing his smile to fade.
Fang Bai asked, "When are we handing in our phones?"
"Noon," Ji Yuning said.
The training camp started immediately in the afternoon.
"Hmm," Fang Bai asked softly, "It's been almost two hours since I last saw you. Did you miss your aunt?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Fang Bai's soft, drawn-out tone captivated Ji Yuning, causing her heart to skip a beat. Before she could utter the words "I want to," Fang Bai, not having received a reply, imagined that Ji Yuning had said "I don't want to."
"Sigh." Fang Bai sighed.
Ji Yuning's heart tightened, realizing that Fang Bai might have misunderstood her.
But before she could speak, Fang Bai said again, "Auntie misses you."
I couldn't say a word.
Ji Yuning's heart was pounding in her chest.
It felt like being in summer, with the warm sunshine shining all over my body, all because of Fang Bai's words.
Unable to hear Ji Yuning's voice, Fang Bai clicked his tongue and asked, "Should we make a video call?"
This time, Ji Yuning finally found her vocal cords. She suppressed her pounding joy and whispered, "Okay."
Seeing the surprise of the person opposite her, Ji Yuning quickly got up from her seat.
"I'll call you." With that, Fang Bai hung up the phone and instead made a video call to Ji Yuning via WeChat.
Ji Yuning answered the phone after it rang only once.
Fang Bai immediately recognized that Ji Yuning's background was a high-speed train toilet and couldn't help but chuckle. "Why are you making a phone call in the toilet?"
Ji Yuning only showed half of her face, "It's noisy outside."
Although the toilet wasn't very quiet either.
Fang Bai asked a crucial question, "What if someone needs to use the restroom?"
"I'll be out in a bit." Ji Yuning noticed Fang Bai in the car. "Are you outside?"
“Yeah.” Fang Bai leaned back, sniffed, and said, “I don’t want to go to work.”
Fang Bai often feels discouraged or disheartened, but this is the first time he has shown it in front of Ji Yuning.
Seeing this, Ji Yuning unconsciously lowered her voice, "What's wrong?"
Fang Bai leaned back in his chair, blinking his upturned eyelashes, and said, "It's nothing, it's just that Auntie isn't motivated to go to work without you."
As soon as he finished speaking, not only Ji Yuning was stunned, but Fang Bai was also taken aback.
Even though he knew these sweet words wouldn't work on Ji Yuning, it seemed... saying nice things to Ji Yuning had become an instinct, a habit.
Fang Baifen opened her lips, as if to explain.
Ji Yuning, on the other end of the screen, spoke first: "I'll be back soon."
"No rush," Fang Bai said lazily, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Let Auntie take a break."
Ji Yuning's eyes sparkled: "Mm."
Fang Bai glanced at Ji Yuning's back again and said in a gentle voice, "Let's go out and show me the scenery along the way."
Ji Yuning replied, "Okay."
Her seat was right next to the window, and after returning to her seat, Ji Yuning turned the screen towards the window.
Fang Bai watched the scenery rush past Ji Yuning through his phone.
Ji Yuning rested her elbow on the windowsill, glancing sideways at Fang Bai on the screen.
For Ji Yuning, Fang Bai was the scene she couldn't miss.
Neither of them spoke.
Five minutes later, Fang Bai's voice came through Ji Yuning's earphones: "Actually, Auntie wants to travel around the world, but she just hasn't had the chance."
His tone was serious and earnest.
Suddenly, the emotions that had surged up when she stepped into the school gate came rushing back, and Ji Yuning quickly turned her phone towards herself.
Fang Bai on the screen smiled, with a hint of amusement, as if she hadn't been the one who had just spoken.
Fang Bai brought his phone closer to his face, as if trying to see Ji Yuning's expression.
Her face was magnified on Ji Yuning's screen. She stared into Fang Bai's eyes for a moment, and Ji Yuning said, "If there's a chance, I'll go with you."
"..." Fang Bai's hands froze, but the screen smiled and said, "Okay."
Ji Yuning was completely charmed by Fang Bai's laughter. She lowered her eyes slightly, her eyelashes concealing the smile in them.
"Little Lemon".
The sound from the headphones was soft and gentle, like a subtle electric current passing through it, giving a tingling, numbing sensation.
Ji Yuning looked up. "Auntie."
Hearing Ji Yuning call her name, Fang Bai paused, her gaze sweeping over Ji Yuning inch by inch.
The child's appearance has changed a lot since we first met; he has begun to shed his childishness and grow into an adult.
Fang Bai said gently to Ji Yuning, "Take good care of yourself."
Then Fang Bai quickly replied in his usual tone, "Auntie hung up the phone~"
Ji Yuning hadn't even had time to realize the deeper meaning behind it.
Ji Yuning could only reply, "Mm."
A week passed quickly, and the competition ended on the morning of the seventh day.
Afterwards, the teacher in charge returned the phone to Ji Yuning and they discussed when to return to Hushi.
In the end, I decided not to have lunch, and after packing my luggage in the dormitory, I returned home.
The main reason is that the food wasn't tasty.
On her way back to the dormitory, Ji Yuning turned on her phone, and the first thing she did was connect to the internet.
However, before the data connection was established, an SMS notification popped up.
Ji Yuning clicked on it.
Yuan Yizhen: [We have rejected the Li Group in accordance with your wishes.]
Yuan Yizhen: [Lu Raomei has come to Huzhou City.]