The tart juice of the grapes fills your mouth, a sweet and sour taste, and the flesh is tender and soft.
Ji Yuning looked at Fang Bai, but he had already turned his head and was looking at Fang Yimu assembling the toy again.
Holding a bunch of green grapes between his two fingers, each grape plump and seedless, Fang Bai would occasionally pick one up and put it in his mouth.
His relaxed and carefree demeanor made it seem as if he had said something trivial and worthless to Ji Yuning.
But how could it be insignificant to get her to change her mind?
Upon hearing this, Fang Maozhou wondered if it was inappropriate for Ji Yuning to call him "uncle," since Ji Yuning called Fang Bai "aunt."
According to seniority, he doesn't belong to the uncle category at all.
Just as Fang Maozhou was about to speak his mind, Ji Yuning looked at him and called out, "Uncle."
“…Hmm.” Since Ji Yuning had already called, Fang Maozhou had no choice but to respond.
Since Ji Yuning's household registration isn't with Fang Bai, there's no need for her to address him as a junior. They can each address each other appropriately without any conflict.
Fang Maozhou was unaware of the reason at this time, until dinner time:
Fang Maozhou sat in the main seat, with Chang Suyao and Fang Yimu on his left and Fang Bai and Ji Yuning on his right.
The first time all the family members had gathered together, Fang Maozhou happily drank several glasses of wine. After taking a big gulp, Fang Maozhou looked at Fang Bai and asked, "Are you leaving again this time?"
Fang Bai nodded: "The day after tomorrow."
Fang Maozhou frowned slightly upon hearing this and asked, "Is it to accompany Xiao Ji? Or haven't you had enough fun in Beijing yet?"
"Yes, I have them all." To be honest, she hadn't spent much time in Beijing.
"Xiao Ji hasn't graduated yet, so starting a company now is a perfect way to start a business. Starting a business is a learning experience, and it doesn't matter if you fail. As the saying goes, 'No rainbow without rain!'"
"Of course, from Dad's perspective, Xiao Ji is flawless right now! She's amazing! I have high hopes for her! She's just like I was back in my day!"
After laying the groundwork, Fang Maozhou put down his wine glass and said softly, "What Dad really wants to say is that you don't need to always be with Xiao Ji. You should give Xiao Ji a broad environment to grow up in. Look, I haven't interfered with you since you became an adult, isn't that great?"
That's because the original owner of this body simply didn't listen to you.
Fang Bai pondered silently.
Chang Suyao glanced at Fang Maozhou, put her hand to her lips, and looked at the two people opposite her. "He can't hold his liquor. He's like this when he's drunk. Just listen to him and don't take it personally."
Fang Bai seemed to know who the original owner inherited her poor alcohol tolerance from.
Chang Suyao didn't lower her voice, and Fang Maozhou heard her. Fang Maozhou glared and said, "Who can't hold their liquor? Back in the day, I could drink eight people under the table by myself! If you don't believe me, go ask Old Chen!"
"You only brought this up now that Old Chen's gone home? Why didn't I hear you bragging when he was here?"
Who blew it?
Fang Maozhou didn't want to talk to Chang Suyao; she was annoying.
He turned to Bai and continued, "Actually, it's just that Dad misses you. You've been away for so long and haven't come home. I haven't seen you at all."
Ji Yuning, who had been calm throughout, raised an eyebrow when she heard this. She had no idea that Fang Maozhou could persuade Fang Bai to stay in Hushi.
But the real danger is playing the emotional card.
Although they are not related by blood, there is always some affection between them, and... her aunt is the most good at being soft-hearted.
Ji Yuning put down her chopsticks and listened quietly to Fang Bai's response.
Fang Bai kept looking at Fang Maozhou and didn't notice Ji Yuning's actions. She smiled and said to Fang Maozhou, "You just said that we should give people a generous environment."
Fang Maozhou pursed his lips: "So you go back to Hushi and let Xiao Ji go out and learn on her own. If she gets bored, she can come to Dad's company to play."
Fang Bai looked at Chang Suyao and asked her how she would react if he asked her to return to the company.
Chang Suyao also looked at Fang Bai.
Chang Suyao paused for a moment, then placed the peeled shrimp she was holding onto the plate in front of Fang Maozhou and said, "Bai Bai has her own ideas and can do whatever she wants. Why are you interfering? You just said you wouldn't care about Bai Bai after she turned eighteen, and now you're making demands again. What kind of behavior is this?"
Fang Maozhou was speechless when asked the question.
Then Chang Suyao looked at Fang Bai again and smiled gently: "No matter what you do, your father and I will support you."
Fang Bai looked at Fang Maozhou. "Really?"
Fang Maozhou picked up the shrimp meat from the plate. Chang Suyao's words sounded nice, and it would be rather awkward for him to disagree.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Fang Maozhou nodded helplessly: "Whatever you say."
Fang Bai smiled, glanced at Fang Maozhou's wine glass, raised the wine bottle with both hands, and slowly stood up.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone at the table, Fang Bai bent down to pour a glass of wine for Fang Maozhou, followed by Chang Suyao.
After pouring the wine, Fang Bai did not sit down. Instead, he walked slowly behind Ji Yuning's seat, placed his hands naturally on Ji Yuning's shoulders, and said with a gentle smile, "Perfect timing, I have something to tell you both."
The hand on her shoulder was very light, so light that it felt weightless, yet it was enough to calm Ji Yuning down and soothe the unease that had been surging within her.
The warmth from Fang Bai's palm seeped through his clothes and onto Ji Yuning's skin, a continuous warmth like the winter snow and the warm sun.
Realizing what Fang Bai was about to say, Ji Yuning's usually indifferent eyes were no longer cold, and even her usually stoic face showed a hint of emotion.
“Auntie…” Ji Yuning called out.
Fang Bai lowered his eyes, raised his hand and patted Ji Yuning's shoulder, "Don't say anything, leave it to me."
Since the two got together, Fang Bai has rarely spoken to Ji Yuning in such a slightly assertive tone.
Ji Yuning fell silent.
Seeing this, Chang Suyao asked with an embarrassed smile, "What's wrong? Is it something serious?"
But judging from their interaction, it doesn't seem like it.
Fang Maozhou also spoke up: "What do you want to say?"
Looking at Fang Maozhou, Fang Bai's smile was as warm as a spring breeze, and his eyes showed a firmness full of power, a firmness that was exactly the same as Ji Yuning's resoluteness in front of Lu Xia's grave yesterday.
Fang Bai raised the corner of his eye and said slowly, "It's nothing important, I just wanted to tell you..."
Her voice was like a gentle drizzle, tinged with the mist in the air, carrying an ethereal quality.
Regardless of its importance, Fang Maozhou listened attentively. He heard his daughter say, "Xiao Ning and I are together now."
It's really not that important, and I don't even understand why I'm saying it.
Fang Maozhou frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Weren't you always together?"
Knowing that Fang Maozhou had misunderstood, Fang Bai parted his lips slightly: "What I meant was,"
After exchanging a glance with Ji Yuning, who was looking at her sideways, Fang Bai gently placed his hand on the top of Ji Yuning's head and whispered, "We're dating."
A thunderclap out of nowhere.
Upon hearing the last five words, Fang Maozhou instantly sobered up.
He glanced at Fang Bai, then at Ji Yuning.
A few seconds later, he looked at Chang Suyao and said angrily, "I didn't drink that much either!!"
Why am I hallucinating?!
Chapter 131
The seemingly sudden announcement was not a spur-of-the-moment impulse by Fang Bai.
She is aloof and lazy, so lazy that she will avoid trouble if possible. She doesn't want to be entangled in things, and no one can persuade her unless she is forced to do something.
Fang Bai naturally knew that coming out in front of Fang Maozhou would mean facing countless questions and what would happen. It might be a mountain of questions she couldn't be bothered to answer, or it might be a lot of tedious explanations.
Just thinking about it made her feel a little irritated.
But she doesn't regret it.
The reason for this might be:
Yesterday, lying on his bed in the attic, Fang Bai looked out the window. The sky was divided into sections by the window, and the white clouds seemed to be their appendages.
Large, fluffy clouds drifted across the clear blue sky.
Fang Bai stared at it for a while, and what appeared before his eyes was no longer the blue sky and white clouds, but Ji Yuning's eyes.
Those weren't affectionate eyes; you could say they were heartless.
Aside from his usual appearance, his dark eyes mostly conveyed indifference, a cold indifference to everything, as if it were difficult to see any other emotions in those eyes.
But in her eyes, Fang Bai saw darkness, malevolence, hatred, regret, predation, dominance, feigned weakness, elation, joy, jealousy, and love…
All these emotions were what Fang Bai sensed when Ji Yuning was with her.
At Lu Xia's grave, Fang Bai saw a steadfastness in her eyes that he had never seen in Ji Yuning's.
It is as if the sea dries up and the rocks crumble, it is as if we hold hands and never betray our love.
Fang Bai realized for the first time that someone could like her so steadfastly.
And what about her?
What should she do?
She wouldn't ignore Ji Yuning's love, nor would she choose to avoid it. The only thing she could think of was to reciprocate Ji Yuning's love in the same way.
She would not let down anyone who had done so much for her, let alone Ji Yuning.
Since they're together and their friends already know, there's no need to hide it from Fang Maozhou. Rather than letting him find out from others, she'd rather tell him herself.
This made Ji Yuning feel that she hadn't treated their relationship casually.
Therefore, she made the decision after careful consideration, and even though she was about to face something she disliked, she still spoke out.
Fang Bai originally intended to discuss this after dinner, but Chang Suyao presented the opportunity, so she had no choice but to seize the moment and make it clear.
Chang Suyao looked at the two of them. Things had developed beyond her comprehension, and she couldn't even hear what Fang Maozhou was asking her.
After a long pause, Chang Suyao said, "It's...it's good."
The neglected old wine jar roared, "What's so good about it? What's so good about it?!"