Aunt Fang: [Good luck on your exam!]
Ji Yuning replied with an "Mm".
Fang Bai replied with an emoji made from Bei Bei's photo, and Ji Yuning silently saved it without replying to Fang Bai.
The exam lasted two days, and the four of them returned home on the second day at noon.
During the two days, apart from the time Ji Yuning and Fang Bai contacted each other on the way to Ping City, Fang Bai did not send any more messages to Ji Yuning.
So when Ji Yuning saw Fang Bai at the station entrance after exiting the high-speed rail station, a slight surprise flashed in her eyes.
But Ji Yuning quickly realized the reason.
She had caught a glimpse of He Ziyan's phone screen more than once, where it displayed a chat window with Fang Bai, presumably He Ziyan had told Fang Bai about it.
Who is the female lead?
It's the kind of person who gets lost in a crowd and is immediately noticeable.
Despite the crowds at the exit, Fang Bai spotted Ji Yuning immediately.
Fang Bai walked up to Ji Yuning and said softly, "I've come to take you home."
With that, Fang Bai grabbed Ji Yuning's wrist and walked towards the parking lot.
Ji Yuning glanced at Fang Bai's hand and asked in a low voice, "Aren't we going to wait?"
Fang Bai tilted his head in confusion: "Waiting for what?"
Ji Yuning: "...He Ziyan."
Fang Bai thought Ji Yuning wanted her to take He Ziyan home, so she said, "Her driver is at the station. I just saw him, so she doesn't need me to take her."
That day, He Ziyan suddenly messaged her, asking if she had bought Ji Yuning's headphones. Fang Bai guessed that the two of them must have gone to Ping City, so she messaged Ji Yuning. But after chatting for a few minutes, Ji Yuning stopped replying to her.
Thinking that Ji Yuning needed to study, Fang Bai didn't contact Ji Yuning again, nor did he bother He Ziyan.
Today, He Ziyan said they were going home, and Fang Bai finally felt relieved enough to chat with her for a bit and find out what time they would arrive.
After Fang Bai finished speaking, he changed the subject and asked, "Can you go straight home now?"
The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday starts today, and there are only a few hours left before school ends, so there's no need to go back to school.
Ji Yuning nodded.
Fang Bai: "Then let's go."
He Ziyan found Fang Bai's figure through the crowded throng, and saw Fang Bai holding Ji Yuning's hand as they left.
He Ziyan: "?"
So Fang Bai asked her what time the high-speed train would arrive, simply to pick up Ji Yuning?
After taking only a couple of steps, Ji Yuning silently pulled her arm away from Fang Bai's grasp.
Fang Bai noticed it, but didn't pay much attention to it.
Upon arriving at the parking lot, as Fang Bai fastened his seatbelt, he asked the person getting into the car, "How did the competition go? Did you manage to get first place?"
Ji Yuning didn't know why Fang Bai was so confident in her. She thought of the people she met in the exam room and analyzed them before saying, "I'm not sure. There are a few people who have very good English scores."
Fang Bai said softly, "I believe in you. First place will definitely be yours."
Putting aside Ji Yuning's protagonist aura, Ji Yuning herself has excellent English grades.
Ji Yuning raised an eyebrow. "Aunt Fang is very confident in me?"
“Of course.” Fang Bai raised an eyebrow. “Want to make a bet?”
Ji Yuning hadn't intended to speak further, but seeing the eagerness in Fang Bai's eyes, she paused for a few seconds, then asked, "What are we betting on?"
Fang Bai: "If you don't get first place, promise me one thing. If you get first place, I'll promise you one thing."
Ji Yuning: "...Okay."
The book doesn't mention Ji Yuning participating in the competition. Fang Bai says that Ji Yuning won first place entirely because he trusts her; she was still looking forward to this bet.
When will the results be released?
Ji Yuning: "Three days later."
That is, the last day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
That's quite humane; it doesn't spoil the students' happy mood during the holidays.
Fang Bai hummed in agreement and then focused on driving.
Half an hour later, Ji Yuning discovered that the car was driving in the opposite direction.
Ji Yuning looked to the left, her gaze landing on the navigation on Fang Bai's phone screen.
The destination was a large supermarket nearby.
Ji Yuning calmly turned her gaze back to the window.
Ten minutes later, the car arrived at the supermarket parking lot.
Fang Bai pushed the cart and walked in front, with Ji Yuning following a step behind him.
Students don't have to wear school uniforms to participate in competitions, so Ji Yuning wore casual clothes: a black short-sleeved shirt and light blue jeans, the length of which covered her hips.
Fang Bai was wearing a white off-shoulder shirt today, with the bottom of the shirt tied into a bow at the waist, and his waistline was faintly visible as he moved.
The black and white outfits, coupled with Fang Bai occasionally turning back to look at Ji Yuning and say a few words to her, made them look like very good friends from any angle.
No one knew that the two women, who appeared to be sisters, were actually separated by a river in their hearts.
The two first went to the snack section. In front of the dazzling array of shelves, Fang Bai stopped and said to Ji Yuning, "Take whatever you want to eat."
Ji Yuning: "No."
The book didn't mention whether Ji Yuning liked snacks or not, and Fang Bai wasn't sure what Ji Yuning wanted, so he could only let Ji Yuning walk in front, intending to see where her gaze lingered for a few more seconds before taking that one.
To everyone's surprise, Ji Yuning walked straight past the three rows of shelves, only glancing at them at most, without stopping for even a second.
Fang Bai: "..."
It's so hard to buy snacks for my child.
Reluctantly, Fang Bai only took a few familiar snacks and put them into the cart.
She thought Ji Yuning would accompany her shopping at the supermarket with her eyes fixed straight ahead, but when they got to the living area, Ji Yuning's gaze lingered more on the notebooks and pens.
Fang Bai seized the opportunity. Without asking any questions, she stepped forward, picked up Ji Yuning's pen and notebook, glanced at them a few more times, and put them into the cart.
Meeting Ji Yuning's gaze, Fang Bai chuckled, "Anything else you want?"
“It’s gone,” Ji Yuning said.
Fang Bai hummed in agreement and gestured with his chin toward the distance, "Then let's go for a stroll over there."
After Fang Bai finished speaking, she pushed the cart ahead, with Ji Yuning following behind her.
The two browsed through the prepared food section, the fruit and vegetable section, and the cold drink section in that order. During this time, Ji Yuning watched Fang Bai buy this and that. Fang Bai would occasionally ask her what she thought, and then continue shopping.
As Fang Bai carefully selected the freshness of the dishes, Ji Yuning felt that she was not a pampered young lady who never lifted a finger, but more like a down-to-earth, approachable older sister next door.
Ji Yuning frowned. When did Fang Bai do these things?
Ji Yuning's doubts were answered when she returned home.
As soon as Ji Yuning entered the house, she felt a sense of quiet.
Wu Mei, who usually greets Fang Bai when he comes home, didn't appear even when Fang Bai and Fang Bai put large bags of things on the dining table, despite the rustling sound of the plastic bags.
Ji Yuning looked towards Wu Mei's room on the first floor. After waiting for a while and seeing that the door hadn't opened, she asked, "Where's Aunt Wu?"
Fang Bai shook his hand, which was red from being squeezed by the bag, and said, "Let's go home."
Ji Yuning: "Go home?"
“It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I gave Sister Wu and Uncle Li five days off so they could go home and reunite with their families. They left the day before yesterday.” Fang Bai put the car keys on the dining table. “I’ve almost finished all the food in the fridge these past two days. Now that you’re back, I’ll take you to restock.”
Fang Bai's words surprised Ji Yuning.
"You..." Ji Yuning asked, "You cooked this yourself?"
Fang Bai looked up and saw the other person's furrowed brows. "So surprised?"
Fang Bai smiled and said, "I'll let you try Auntie's cooking tonight."
Ji Yuning nodded slightly, her eyes darkening, and then asked, "When did Aunt Fang learn to cook?"
Fang Bai naturally chimed in, "During your time at school..."
Fang Bai said, "I was bored at home, so I watched tutorials online and learned how to do it."
As Fang Bai took items out of his pocket that couldn't be put in the refrigerator, he asked Ji Yuning, "Do you want to take a shower? I see you're sweating."
Ji Yuning: "Mm."
Fang Bai: "Go ahead, I'll prepare the ingredients for dinner."
Fang Bai carried the prepared bag towards the kitchen, subconsciously saying, "But since it's just the two of us for dinner, we probably don't need to prepare too much."
Ji Yuning froze as she turned around.
Only...the two of them?
Author's Note:
Xiao Ji: There is a river between us. Do you know what kind of river it is?
Chapter 34
Ji Yuning turned and went upstairs, and Fang Bai paused in his action of opening the refrigerator door.
Almost there.