Fang Bai said solemnly, "Don't worry, I mean what I say. When you turn eighteen, it'll all be yours."
Author's Note:
Later, when Ji Yuning turned 18, she found Fang Bai, who had run away.
Fang Bai: Don't come any closer.jpg
Ji Yuning (stopping): Didn't you say that when I'm eighteen, everything will be mine?
Chapter 21
The meal ended quickly.
After paying the bill, Fang Bai and Ji Yuning walked out of the restaurant and realized they had forgotten their car keys.
Fang Bai told Ji Yuning to wait where she was, and then she turned around and went back to the restaurant.
The clouds in the sky grew thicker, while thin, bluish-gray clouds drifted by, and a cool breeze blew by.
Ji Yuning stood on the restaurant steps, watching the crowd hurrying past her with indifference.
Suddenly, a noise came from her left. Ji Yuning looked over instinctively, and after seeing what it was, her calm eyes flickered, and finally a glint of light flashed across them.
Fang Bai took the car keys and left the restaurant.
After leaving the house, Fang Bai's first glance was at where Ji Yuning was standing, but he didn't see her.
As Fang Bai descended the steps, he looked to his left and saw a person squatting next to the green plants on the restaurant wall.
Judging from the back view, it's Ji Yuning.
A look of confusion appeared on Fang Bai's face. She walked towards Ji Yuning without saying a word, wanting to see what Ji Yuning was doing squatting there.
Fang Bai took a step and stopped. She noticed that Ji Yuning's shoulders were moving and her hands seemed to be touching something.
Meow~
A meow rang out, and a thin, gray cat that looked no more than five months old peeked out from between Ji Yuning and the green plants.
Ji Yuning shifted her body slightly, holding the kitten's leg with one hand to prevent it from running away, while her other hand roamed over the kitten's body, trying to make it comfortable.
Fang Bai stood there, watching the heartwarming scene between the person and the cat.
The cat noticed Fang Bai. It, which had been obediently letting Ji Yuning pet it, twitched twice, escaped from Ji Yuning's grasp, and meowed, "Meow~"
Seeing the cat about to walk away, Ji Yuning reached out and hugged it, gently rubbing its little head. "Don't run around."
Perhaps out of fear of scaring the kitten or for some other reason, Ji Yuning's voice, though still calm, was much less cold than usual.
Even so, the little cutie who had been so well-behaved just moments before suddenly became restless and leaped out of Ji Yuning's arms.
“You—” Ji Yuning’s gaze followed the cat’s movement, watching it gracefully trot to the left, where cars were coming and going, making it very unsafe. Ji Yuning wanted to call it to stop, but then she saw it squatting at someone’s feet. Her gaze shifted upwards, and the gentle expression on Ji Yuning’s face vanished instantly. She pursed her lips, stood up, and said calmly, “You’re out.”
Fang Bai looked down at the little guy squatting at her feet and smiled slightly: "Mm."
At this moment, the cat meowed again, then ran to Ji Yuning's feet and rubbed its head against her shoes.
Ji Yuning hesitated for a moment, then bent down and lifted the cat. She turned around and placed the cat back where she had found it. Before leaving, Ji Yuning ran her hand over the cat's ear.
The noise it made had caught Ji Yuning's attention. When she saw that it was a stray cat, Ji Yuning didn't react much at first. But when she saw that the cat's body was covered in bite marks, she thought of herself and felt a pang of pity.
Despite her reluctance, Ji Yuning couldn't take the cat with her.
She was still living under someone else's roof, so how could she possibly have the ability to adopt stray cats?
Ignoring the cat's repeated meows behind her, Ji Yuning walked past Fang Bai.
As they brushed past each other, Ji Yuning heard Fang Bai's question in her ear: "Do you like it?"
Ji Yuning stopped in her tracks, lowered her eyes, and said, "No."
"Alright," Fang Bai said, "Let's go then."
Ji Yuning: "Mm."
The car was parked a hundred meters away. Ji Yuning walked halfway before she realized that Fang Bai was not following behind her.
Turning her head, Ji Yuning was slightly taken aback.
Fang Bai stood in front of the green plants with his arms crossed, speaking as he spoke. Because of the distance, Ji Yuning couldn't hear him clearly. Then she saw Fang Bai reach out his hand to the cat.
Ji Yuning's first thought was that Fang Bai was going to hurt the cat, and without thinking, she stepped towards the green plants.
But she only took one step before Fang Bai's hand landed on the cat.
It's too late.
Ji Yuning's hands were half-clenched into fists at her sides.
Just as anger welled up inside her, Ji Yuning saw Fang Bai rub the cat's head, saw the cat rub against Fang Bai's hand, saw Fang Bai hold the cat in his arms, and saw Fang Bai carrying the cat... walking towards her.
The cat, which had been restless just moments before, nestled quietly in Fang Bai's arms after she picked it up, remaining still and silent.
Ji Yuning clearly saw that Fang Bai's white shirt had been stained with a dark stain, and since Fang Bai was holding the cat in his arms, the stain was likely more than just one patch.
Two breaths later, Fang Bai stopped in front of Ji Yuning, holding the cat. "I unlocked the car, why aren't you getting in?"
Ji Yuning's gaze was fixed on the cat in Fang Bai's arms. "What...are you doing?"
A breeze blew by, ruffling Fang Bai's hair by his ears, with a few strands clinging to his eyes.
Ji Yuning looked up and met Fang Bai's smiling eyes, which were like crescent moons. As their eyes met, Fang Bai said lightly, "Take it home with you."
Suddenly, the sun struck a gap in the distant dark clouds, allowing slivers of light to leak through and give those who were feeling heavy and suffocated by the clouds a glimpse of the rainbow after the storm.
-
Most of the kitten's wounds had scabbed over, and it was all dirty. There was a pet hospital not far from the restaurant, so Fang Bai drove up and parked in front of the store.
As he unbuckled his seatbelt, Fang Bai turned to look at the person holding the cat and stroking it, and said gently, "Get it checked out. If there's nothing seriously wrong, give it a bath before taking it home."
Ji Yuning nodded silently.
After getting off the bus, Ji Yuning walked ahead carrying the cat, with Fang Bai following behind her.
As soon as they entered the store, the clerk immediately recognized Fang Bai and his companion's purpose and asked, "Is this the cat you picked up?"
Fang Bai then walked to Ji Yuning's side and nodded in response, "Yes."
The shop assistant then clearly saw Fang Bai's appearance and couldn't help but praise her in her heart, saying she was beautiful inside and out. Then she asked, "Are you looking to adopt her or..."
Ji Yuning couldn't help but shift her gaze to Fang Bai.
Without hesitation, Fang Bai smiled at the shop assistant and said, "Adopt."
The shop assistant nodded in understanding, then took the cat from Ji Yuning, gave it a quick check, and asked Fang Bai, "Should we give it a name first?"
Naming?
Fang Bai is terrible at naming things; she's completely incapable of it. All she can name a cat is Mimi and a dog is Xiaogou…
Upon hearing this question, Fang Bai called out to Xiao Ning and said, "You can start."
Ji Yuning looked at the cat on the counter and said in a deep voice, "Beibei."
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow: "Which 'bei'?"
Ji Yuning lowered her eyes: "The 'shell' in 'shell'."
It's sturdy and looks good.
A woman wearing square glasses walked out of the house and said with a smile, "Isn't that the 'Baby'?"
The doctor then said to Fang Bai, "It seems your sister really likes this cat."
The two women, who were mistaken for sisters, paused for a moment but neither of them offered an explanation.
Fang Bai winked at Ji Yuning, as if to say that he was still very young.
The vet stroked the cat, and after explaining the necessary tests, he picked up the cat and said, "Please sit on the sofa and wait a moment while we take Beibei for her check-up."
Fang Bai said, "Okay, thank you for your trouble."
Led by the shop assistant, the two sat on a sofa by the window. The shop assistant then left, leaving the two sitting face to face on the sofa alone.
Fang Bai took out her phone and replied to messages sent to her by others. After a few minutes, she suddenly heard Ji Yuning calling her.
"Aunt Fang."
Upon hearing Ji Yuning's voice, Fang Bai slightly raised his eyes and looked over. "Hmm?"
Ji Yuning frowned, hesitated, and then said, "...Thank you."
Hearing Ji Yuning's heartfelt thanks, Fang Bai's brows furrowed with slight surprise, even though she knew Ji Yuning was doing it for the cat.
He's still just a child.
No matter how strong her hatred was, it couldn't overshadow her pure kindness.
Fang Bai placed his phone beside him, crossed his legs, and leaned forward slightly. "You know what? These past few days, besides saying 'uh-huh' and 'anything goes,' the word you've said most often is 'thank you.'"
Fang Bai rested his chin on his hand and asked casually, "I'm curious, when you say thank you, do you mean it from the bottom of your heart? Or are you just saying 'uh-huh' to brush me off?"
Ji Yuning straightened her shoulders and neck, and said without looking to the side, "This time it is."
"..." Fang Bai remained silent, then straightened up and said awkwardly, "You're quite honest."
There were many cats and dogs in the store; some were splashing around in their cages, while others were sleeping or eating.
Fang Bai put his legs down and asked Ji Yuning, "There's a shopping mall nearby, should we go and buy some things for Beibei?"
Ji Yuning looked into the room, worried that Beibei's examination would be over while she was away.
Fang Bai sensed Ji Yuning's thoughts and said, "The examination will take a while, so let's hurry up."
Ji Yuning: "Mm."
Fang Bai stood up and spoke to the shop assistant who had served them earlier. The shop assistant smiled and said okay, then asked, "Are you two walking there?"
It's only a few hundred meters from the mall; you can walk there. Fang Bai nodded, "That's right."