Ji Yuning slowly opened the bottle and said, "You're drinking too fast."
Fang Bai tilted his head back and finished the rest of the wine in his glass. "This one doesn't count."
He poured himself another glass and said, "I'll drink with you slowly from now on."
Ji Yuning pretended not to know Fang Bai's little scheme and nodded, saying, "Okay."
Fang Bai narrowed his eyes. "So obedient."
Ji Yuning: "..."
They simply drank, taking sips of their drinks in silence.
On the surface, they were tasting wine, but in reality, they each had their own hidden agendas.
After finishing another glass of wine, Fang Bai glanced at his phone. On the screen, Ji Yuning's black shirt collar was slightly open, and in the dim light, her fair skin glowed with a soft light.
The rest of the scene focused more on the wine glass. Ji Yuning placed the glass in front of her phone, her slender hand holding it. She was looking down at something, her loose hair covering most of her face, so Fang Bai could only see Ji Yuning's upturned nose and thin jaw.
They probably didn't notice her.
Fang Bai calmly placed the glass out of the camera's view, glanced at Ji Yuning who was still busy with her head down, and then slowly poured wine into the glass.
After pouring nearly half a glass of wine, Fang Bai casually moved the glass in front of the camera.
It's like the first glass of wine that's half full.
Ji Yuning took the cup away, and with nothing to cover her, Fang Bai saw that Ji Yuning was holding a phone, not knowing what she was doing.
Ji Yuning was reading a message someone had sent her, and that person was... Lu Raomei.
The two had exchanged several messages about work, and after the work topic ended, Lu Raomei sent her two more:
Lu Raomei: [I heard Fang Bai is taken.]
Lu Raomei: [Are you aware of this?]
He spoke with an air of detached amusement.
Ji Yuning glanced at the phone once before tossing it aside. However, the fingers holding the cup were turning slightly white, and her lips were pressed into a straight line.
Just then, Fang Bai's voice rang in her ears: "Xiao Ning."
The sound, like light, dispelled the dark thoughts.
Ji Yuning turned her gaze toward the direction from which the sound came, and saw Fang Bai holding a cup in one hand and resting the other on the edge of the table, his posture casual and relaxed.
She tucked her long hair behind her ears, but a few unruly strands escaped, outlining the soft lines of Fang Bai's face.
In the few seconds that Ji Yuning looked down at her phone, Fang Bai almost finished the wine in his glass.
That's her only bad habit: she either doesn't drink at all, or she's addicted to alcohol.
So she rarely drinks when she's out. The drink she had with Hao Yingman today was because she could tell that Hao Yingman wasn't as carefree as she seemed. She had originally wanted to drink with Hao Yingman until they were both drunk, but Hao Yingman stopped her after one drink, saying that she was just a small fry and one drink was enough.
“…”
She can drink two glasses! She's not a pushover at all!
Perhaps she drank too fast, Fang Bai felt a little dizzy. She propped her head up and told Ji Yuning what was on her mind: "Auntie feels so sorry for you."
Ji Yuning raised an eyebrow, remaining silent and waiting for Fang Bai to continue.
Fang Bai ignored whether Ji Yuning responded or not; she just wanted to get all the words in her heart out: "I know you've suffered a lot, and it hasn't been easy for you to get to where you are now. In the three years we missed each other, your growth has exceeded my expectations. You're stronger and more capable than I imagined. And the key thing is, I misunderstood you..."
Fang Bai frowned slightly, but quickly regained her composure. She murmured, "You don't hate me! It's really strange. Why don't you hate me? I've been thinking about this for days, but I just can't figure it out. But after finding out today that FJ is yours, I can say that... everything became clear."
Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning and said, word by word, "Xiao Ning, Auntie knows what you're thinking."
Ji Yuning, who had been listening to Fang Bai's story, suddenly felt her heart race. Her hand tightened around the cup again, but not as hard as before. Her palms were burning hot, as if she wanted to scald the cup.
With a calm expression, but her heart pounding in her ears, Ji Yuning held her breath, waiting for Fang Bai to continue.
"I'm thirty, you're twenty-one, there's a nine-year age gap between us, although it's not a big difference..."
Upon hearing that the age gap was relatively small, Ji Yuning had a bad feeling, and her tense nerves relaxed, but her expectations did not diminish.
"Although I can't replace Lu Xia, and I only took care of you in the small way before, I promise that I will treat you with all my heart from now on!"
Ji Yuning frowned, and when she heard the other person mention Lu Xia, her premonition became even stronger.
Fang Bai tilted her head back and drank the last sip of wine in her glass. Under the influence of the alcohol, she said, "Get your household registration book ready. I'll take you to register your household tomorrow."
Ji Yuning's eyelids twitched, but her heartbeat wasn't as fast as it had been a few seconds ago; it almost stopped.
With her thin lips slightly parted, Ji Yuning did the same thing as Fang Bai had just done, swallowing a large mouthful of wine.
Once she had calmed down a bit, Ji Yuning said coldly, "Fang Bai, do you know what you're saying?"
She was unaware that Fang Bai harbored such thoughts.
Fang Bai was slumped on the table, feeling dizzy. She only managed to open her eyes when she heard someone calling her.
Seeing Ji Yuning's serious expression, Fang Bai snorted twice, "Are you unhappy?"
After saying that, Fang Bai frowned. She had clearly made the request according to Ji Yuning's idea, so why was Ji Yuning unwilling?
What makes her happy?
Ji Yuning raised her eyes slightly and said calmly, "I haven't thought about violating ethics."
How does this relate to ethics? Is it because the original owner was Lu Xia's sister? So she can only be an aunt?
Fang Bai's mind was in a mess, so he stopped thinking about it.
Fang Bai was easy to talk to, and when she heard that Ji Yuning was unwilling, she said, "Then forget it."
Ji Yuning: "".
The sudden change in attitude made Ji Yuning wonder if Fang Bai's suggestion was just a fleeting thought, something he could forget in the blink of an eye.
Her emotions, influenced by Fang Bai, rose and fell like the tides.
I experienced everything in ten minutes.
Ji Yuning remembered the message Lu Raomei had sent. She looked at the person pouring her wine again and called out, "Fang Bai."
Fang Bai stopped pouring the wine and glanced at Ji Yuning. "Hmm?"
An unconscious glance is the most alluring.
Ji Yuning curled her hands up. "I have a question for you."
After she finished speaking, Ji Yuning saw Fang Bai remove his hand from the wine bottle, cross his arms over the table, straighten his slumped shoulders and neck, and nod seriously: "Please ask."
Normally, seeing Fang Bai in a different light would make Ji Yuning feel cute and chuckle, but the topic she was about to ask was a bit heavy for her, and her expression turned solemn.
Ji Yuning asked Fang Bai, "Do you have someone you like?"
Fang Bai's movements remained unchanged, but his voice returned to its usual gentleness, "I like Xiao Ning~"
If Ji Yuning hadn't heard Fang Bai say he wanted to register her household registration, she might have had the wrong idea...
Ji Yuning said calmly, "Except for me."
Fang Bai, like a spineless limp bone, slumped down again, resting her chin on her arm, blinking her eyes as she looked at Ji Yuning.
After exchanging glances with Ji Yuning for a few seconds, Fang Bai shook his head and said, "No, that's all."
Ji Yuning raised an eyebrow. "Where's Hao Yingman?"
If I'm not mistaken, the person who told Lu Raomei that Fang Baiming was taken was Hao Yingman.
Fang Bai took a sip of his drink: "She's my friend."
Ji Yuning tapped her fingers on the coffee table, "Mu Xuerou..."
Mu Xuerou's name is considered sensitive, but even if Fang Bai's mind is foggy, he can immediately reply, "I won't like Xiao Mu, don't worry."
The reaction was a bit strange, but it was the answer I wanted to hear.
Feeling better, Ji Yuning coaxed, "So, Auntie only likes me?"
The wine was somewhat sweet and mellow. Fang Bai ran his tongue around in his mouth and said, "I don't like it."
The wine in the glass was finished again, and Fang Bai said, "It's not spicy at all."
Ji Yuning: "..."
Fang Bai was clearly drunk from the beginning, and she didn't know why she was trying to get a drunkard to say he liked her.
Even though they knew the other person wouldn't remember anything once they sobered up.
Seeing that Fang Bai was about to pour more wine, Ji Yuning said sternly, "Didn't we agree on two glasses?"
She overheard Fang Bai secretly refilling her drink, but she didn't expose him.
If I drink any more, I'm afraid I'll get a headache again.
Caught red-handed by Ji Yuning, Fang Bai guiltily put the bottle cap back on, "Hmm, two cups."
Author's Note:
Xiao Ji: Does Auntie only like me?
Fang Bai: I don't like it, it's not spicy at all (referring to the alcohol).
Xiao Ji: Spicy?
Xiao Ji's Baidu pages include: "How to be a hot girl," "Hot girl outfits," "How hot girls are formed," and "Hot girls are hot (not really)."
Chapter 92
The next day, Fang Bai was awakened by the chirping of birds.
The curtains weren't drawn, and the morning sunlight streamed into the room, making Fang Bai close his eyes again after he had just opened them.
The birds that had been perched outside the window didn't fly away; they chirped and urged Fang Bai to get up.
A few seconds later, the person on the bed did not get up. Instead, they grabbed the blanket next to them and covered themselves tightly, curling up into a ball as if hiding in a snail shell.